cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Singular value decomposition approach to edge detection

The positions of edges along each row and column of an NxN image are found by computing the singular value decomposition of a matrix formed with the 2N point 1-D Fast Fourier transform of a symmetric signal corresponding to the row or column and locating the peaks in the inverse of the sum of the absolute values of the 2N point Fast Fourier transforms of the left singular vectors corresponding to the group of smallest singular values of this matrix. The computational complexity of the proposed procedure is essentially 0(1V2log(N)).
A flexible interconnect technology demonstrated on a wafer-level chip scale package

In this paper, a flexible interconnect technology, including Cu wire bonding and pre-solder was proposed and demonstrated in 200 mm2 WLCSP. Flexible interconnects were fabricated by a modified industry wire bonder with good position accuracy and height uniformity. Different wire geometries were created. In addition, influence of wire material, die thickness and solder volume is also investigated. Chips with more than 1000 interconnects were directly mounted on PCB and underfill is not used after assembly process. All assembled units were subjected to the board level reliability thermal cycling test according to JEDEC standard. Some of them were also subjected to drop tests. Both experimental and finite element analysis have demonstrated that flexible interconnects can greatly improve the thermal mechanical reliability and survived over 500 cycles without underfill. In the drop test, N-shape interconnects have better performance than I-shape interconnects and pass over 30 drops. This flexible interconnection technology can lead to excellent reliability in larger WLCSPs without the use of underfill. In addition, this flexible interconnect could be applied in a fine pitch PoP and the number of I/O pads can be increased without modifying the package structure.
Model Analysis for Partitioning of Dry Matter and Plant Nitrogen for Stem and Leaf in Alfalfa

Abstract The expanded growth model was developed to describe accumulation of dry matter and plant nutrients with time for annual and perennial crops. It incorporates an environmental driving function and an intrinsic growth function. Previous analysis has shown that the model applies to the annual corn (Zea mays L.) and the warm season perennial bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L. Pers.). In this article, the model is used to describe accumulation of dry matter and plant nitrogen by alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Data confirm the hyperbolic phase relationship between plant N and dry matter for the whole plant. Further analysis confirms a linear relationship between leaf and stem dry matter. The model is used to simulate growth of stems with time, and a linear equation then used to link leaf and stem mass. Stem and leaf N are then related to stem and leaf dry matter through hyperbolic equations. Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. R‐09300.
Foraging Theory and Piscivorous Fish: Are Forage Fish Just Big Zooplankton?

Abstract Insights into the dynamics of fish growth can be gained by using foraging theory to link bioenergetics models of fish and their prey. These links are critical for modeling fish daily ration and growth, prey mortality, selection among prey, and competition among predators. However, the foraging theory that is relatively well developed for planktivores does not always apply to piscivores without important modifications. Visual encounter is often limited by visual acuity for most planktivores, but probably limited by prey contrast for piscivores, so that piscivore reactive distance is much less dependent on prey size. Whereas handling time per prey may limit the capture rate for some planktivores, it is irrelevant for most piscivores, which eat relatively small numbers of large prey and are more likely to have daily ration limited by rates of digestion or prey encounter. Time for gastric evacuation or digestion should not be a part of handling time, because search can occur simultaneously with diges...
Onward Howard Kelly, marching as to war.

IN 1905, THE PROMINENT ARTIST JOHN SINGER SARGENT was commissioned to paint a portrait of the four founding physicians of the Johns Hopkins Hospital: William Welch, William Osler, William Halsted, and Howard Kelly. That June, Welch, Halsted, and Kelly sailed for Southampton and traveled by rail to London. There they reunited with Osler, who had left Hopkins in 1904 to become the Regis Professor of Medicine at Oxford, and all four made their way to Sargent’s studio near the Chelsea Embankment. Welch, Osler, Halsted, and Kelly posed in their academic robes and hoods. For days, they sat under a skylight in a stifling hot, poorly ventilated room redolent with the noxious fumes of oil paint, turpentine, and sweat. On some afternoons, all four were in the studio; on others, each came alone. By the time his subjects quit London and returned to their demanding careers, Sargent had succeeded in creating a divine gem of portraiture. On a canvas measuring 327.7 271.8 cm (10.75 9.08 feet), the four physicians are arranged around a book-strewn reading table and an antique Venetian globe. Osler, the great physician, appears as if about to leap to his feet to aid a patient in distress; Welch, the pathologist and medical statesman, sits supremely satisfied, his fingers resting on the leaves of an open tome; standing in Welch’s shadow with a dark, brooding pall cast over his face is the dour, cocaineand morphine-addicted surgeon, William Halsted. And if you look closely at Kelly, the gynecologist, he seems almost beatific or, at least, the most saintly of men. That is because the central devotion of Kelly’s life was his savior Jesus Christ. So tightly intertwined was the connection between Kelly’s daily endeavors and his Protestant Episcopalian beliefs that he often knelt in prayer before examining a patient or beginning an operation. Until, that is, many of his uncomfortable colleagues asked him to stop. Today, Kelly is best recalled for inventing several operating tools and devices, including the clamp that bears his name and that is still requested in operating rooms all over the world. In his day, however, he was widely regarded as a master of pelvic and genitourinary surgery. Many have credited Kelly with establishing gynecology as a bona fide specialty, and his superb descriptions of diseases of the urinary tract, appendix, abdomen, and female reproductive organs continue to inform physicians who take the time to go to the library stacks to pull down his richly illustrated textbooks. Kelly also found the time to author or edit several authoritative tomes on history, biography, botany, natural history, mushrooms, snakes, and even canoeing. On Osler’s recommendation, Welch called Kelly to help establish the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Medical School in 1889. On relocating to Baltimore from the University of John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), Four Doctors, 1906. Oil on canvas. 327.7 271.8 cm. Courtesy of The Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives of The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland.
Nonlinear generation of whistler waves by an ion beam

An electromagnetic hybrid code is used to simulate a new mechanism for whistler wave generation by an ion beam. First, a field-aligned ion beam becomes unstable to the electromagnetic ion/ion right-hand resonant instability which generates large amplitude MHD-like waves. These waves then trap the ion beam and increase its effective temperature anisotropy. As a result, the growth rates of the electron/whistler instability are significantly enhanced, and whistlers start to grow above the noise level. At the same time, because of the reduced parallel drift speed of the ion beam, the frequencies of the whistlers are also downshifted. Full simulations were performed to isolate and separately investigate the electron/ion whistler instability. The results are in agreement with the assumption of fluid electrons in the hybrid simulations and with the linear theory of the instability.
Serial triple quantum sodium MRI during non-human primate focal brain ischemia.

Triple quantum (TQ) sodium MRI techniques with clinically acceptable 18-min data acquisition times were demonstrated in vivo in a nonhuman primate model of focal brain ischemia. Focal brain ischemia was induced in four animals using embolization coils to occlude the posterior cerebral artery, and a balloon catheter to occlude the middle cerebral artery. A statistically significant increase (P < 0.001) in the TQ sodium MRI signal intensity in the ischemic hemisphere relative to the contralateral hemisphere was seen at all time points in all four animals. This increased TQ sodium MRI signal intensity was demonstrated as early as 0.6 hr after the onset of ischemia. The TQ sodium MRI hyperintensity corresponded to the anatomical location of the ischemic cortex, as indicated by the registration of the TQ imaging data with anatomical proton MRI data. The results demonstrate that early after the onset of ischemia, there was an increase in the TQ signal intensity in the ischemic hemisphere, and a negligible change in the single quantum (SQ) signal intensity. Magn Reson Med 57:201–205, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Chronic atropine administration up-regulates rat cortical muscarinic m1 receptor mRNA molecules: assessment with the RT/PCR

Abstract The modulation of the rat cortical m1 muscarinic receptor mRNA was studied with a method of quantitation using the polymerase chain reaction after conversion to complementary DNA (cDNA) with AMV reverse transcriptase (RT/PCR). Primers specific to the C3 region of the m1 mRNA were employed. The y-intercepts from the linear regions of semilogarithmic plots of PCR product versus cycle number were used as measures of the levels of m1 muscarinic mRNA-measured relative to that of glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) mRNA (the ‘ratio’ method). Alternatively, m1 mRNA in total cortical RNA samples was quantitated from the increase in product elicited by adding a known amount of exogenous m1 muscarinic cDNA sequence (the ‘spiking’ method). This allowed calculation of absolute level of m1 mRNA, which was 4.1 pg/μg total RNA. We measured the level of the rat cortical m1 mRNA after 1 week of chronic receptor blockade with atropine, showing upregulation of 154% by the GAPDH/m1 ratio method and 145% by the spiking method. That this transcriptional alteration was specific was indicated by the finding that the level of GAP-43 mRNA was not affected by atropine treatment.
The regulatory region of the biotin operon in Escherichia coli

It is proposed that the biotin anabolic operon in Escherichia coli is transcribed divergently from two partially overlapping face-to-face promoters. A mutation that increases transcription in vivo creates an additional promoter in vitro. The putative operator contains an imperfect palindromic sequence that partially overlaps the promoters. The regulatory and genetic implications of these findings are discussed.
Simulated impacts of historical land cover changes on global climate in northern winter

This ten-year general circulation model experiment compared a simulation where land surface boundary conditions were represented by observed, present day land cover to a simulation where the surface was represented by natural, potential land cover conditions. As a result of these estimated changes in historical land cover, significant temperature and hydrology changes affected tropical land surfaces, where some of the largest historical disruptions in total vegetation biomass have occurred. Also of considerable interest because of their broad scope and magnitude were changes in high-latitude Northern Hemisphere winter climate which resulted from changes in tropical convection, upper-level tropical outflow, and the generation of low-frequency tropical waves which propagated to the extratropics. These effects combined to move the Northern Hemisphere zonally averaged westerly jet to higher latitudes, broaden it, and reduce its maximum intensity. Low-level easterlies were also reduced over much of the tropical Pacific basin while positive anomalies in convective precipitation occurred in the central Pacific. Globally averaged changes were small. Comparisons of recent, observed trends in tropical and Northern Hemisphere, mid-latitude climate with these simulations suggests an interaction between the climatic effects of historical land cover changes and other modes of climate variability.
Application of a quasi-3D inviscid flow and boundary layer analysis to the hub-shroud contouring of a radial turbine

Application of a quasi-3D approach to the aerodynamic analysis of several radial turbine configurations is described. The objective was to improve the rotor aerodynamic characteristics by hub-shroud contouring. The approach relies on available 2D inviscid methods coupled with boundary layer analysis to calculate profile, mixing, and endwall losses. Windage, tip clearance, incidence, and secondary flow losses are estimated from correlations. To eliminate separation along the hub and blade suction surfaces of a baseline rotor, the analysis was also applied to three alternate hub-shroud geometries. Emphasis was on elimination of an inducer velocity overshoot as well as increasing hub velocities. While separation was never eliminated, the extent of the separated area was progressively reduced. Results are presented in terms of mid-channel and blade surface velocities; kinetic energy loss coefficients; and efficiency. The calculation demonstrates a first step for a systematic approach to radial turbine design that can be used to identify and control aerodynamic characteristics that ultimately determine heat transfer and component life. Experimentation will be required to assess the extent to which flow and boundary layer behavior were predicted correctly.
Toxin instability and its role in toxin translocation from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cytosol.

AB toxins enter a host cell by receptor-mediated endocytosis. The catalytic A chain then crosses the endosome or endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane to reach its cytosolic target. Dissociation of the A chain from the cell-binding B chain occurs before or during translocation to the cytosol, and only the A chain enters the cytosol. In some cases, AB subunit dissociation is facilitated by the unique physiology and function of the ER. The A chains of these ER-translocating toxins are stable within the architecture of the AB holotoxin, but toxin disassembly results in spontaneous or assisted unfolding of the isolated A chain. This unfolding event places the A chain in a translocation-competent conformation that promotes its export to the cytosol through the quality control mechanism of ER-associated degradation. A lack of lysine residues for ubiquitin conjugation protects the exported A chain from degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and an interaction with host factors allows the cytosolic toxin to regain a folded, active state. The intrinsic instability of the toxin A chain thus influences multiple steps of the intoxication process. This review will focus on the host–toxin interactions involved with A chain unfolding in the ER and A chain refolding in the cytosol.
An advanced single-level polysilicon submicrometer BiCMOS technology

An advanced VLSI (very large scale integration) technology providing high-performance n-p-n bipolar (f/sub T/=9 GHz) and submicrometer gate-length MOS (metal-oxide-semiconductor) transistors is described. This technology is intended for high-speed logic circuits operating at 5 V, where a high level of circuit integration and low power consumption is required. Features include vertical n-p-n transistors with walled, self-aligned polysilicon emitters and lightly doped extrinsic base (LDEB) extensions MOS transistors feature complementary-doped polysilicon gates and LDD (lightly doped drain) structures for both NMOS and PMOS. Optional buried contacts between the polysilicon layer and all junctions in the silicon substrate are provided. Polysilicon emitters, MOS gates, base/collector, and source/drain regions are silicided. In addition, a fully planarized metal interconnect scheme incorporating nonselective CVD (chemical-vapor-deposited) tungsten and vertical-walled contacts and vias is utilized. >
The synthesis and characterization of mixed isocyanide complexes of cyclopentadienyliron

Abstract The alkylation of η5-C5H5Fe(CO)(CN)(CNR) complexes with primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl iodides, R′I (R ≠ R′) produces the mixed isocyanide species [η5-C5H5Fe(CO)(CNR)(CNR′)]I. Infrared and NMR spectra of the new complexes are dischased. The effect of metal coordination on the 13C spectra of cationic and neutral isocyanide complexes is considered. The use of the chiral alkyl iodides, secbutyliodide and α-phenylethyliodide, results in configurationally non-labile diastereomers which, in the case of compounds of the latter, can be detected by 1H and 13C NMR spectra.
Humoral immune response to a sevoflurane degradation product in the guinea pig following inhalation exposure.

Compound A (2-fluoromethoxy-1,1,3,3,3-pentafluoro-1-propene) is produced by reaction of the inhalation anesthetic, sevoflurane, with CO2 absorbents. Compound A has been reported to directly react with protein. Since adduction of proteins can transform them into antigenic material, Compound A was assessed for its ability to produce a humoral immune response. Male outbred Hartley guinea pigs (500–600 g, N = 7) were exposed via inhalation for 4 h to a subtoxic level (100 ppm) of Compound A, 3 times, at 42 day intervals. Blood samples obtained at 2, 14, 28 and 40 days after each exposure were measured for ALT, creatinine, and urea nitrogen and for the presence of antibodies to trifluoroacetylated guinea pig albumin (TFA-GSA). All indicators of liver and kidney injury remained within normal range throughout the course of the study. A humoral immune response to TFA-GSA was observed following each exposure to Compound A with a titer appearing by day 14 after exposure, peaking near day 28, and resolving to normal...
Vibration control of damped sandwiched beams

Forced vibration of viscoelastically damped three-layer sandwiched beams is considered. The sandwiched beam is assumed to be fixed at one end and is excited by a harmonic force at the other end. The displacement response of the beam is computed and an approximate transfer function including three consecutive modes is extracted. Vibration of damped sandwich beam is actively controlled by employing a PPD feedback controller. Comparison of the results verified the effectiveness of the proposed method.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Atomic Distributions in the γ-Brass Structure of the Cu−Zn System: A Structural and Theoretical Study

The crystal structures, atomic distributions, and theoretical electronic structures of five different Cu5-xZn8+x γ-brass compounds (x = −0.59(3), −0.31(3), 0.00(3), 0.44(3), and 0.79(3)) are reported with the goal of identifying chemical influences on the observed phase width. These structures have been refined by both neutron and X-ray powder diffraction to obtain accurate crystal chemical parameters. All compounds crystallize in the space group I43m (No. 217) (Z = 4), and the unit cell parameters are a = 8.8565(4), 8.8612(5), 8.8664(3) , 8.8745(4), and 8.8829(7) A, respectively, for Cu5.59Zn7.41, Cu5.31Zn7.69, Cu5.00Zn8.00, Cu4.56Zn8.44, and Cu4.21Zn8.79. The results indicate specific site substitutions on both sides of the ideal composition “Cu5Zn8”. In all cases, the 26-atom cluster building up the γ-brass structure shows a constant inner [Cu4Zn4] tetrahedral star with compositional variation occurring at the outer octahedron and cuboctahedron. First principles and semiempirical electronic structure ...
Slaking behavior of clay-bearing rocks during a one-year exposure to natural climatic conditions

Abstract Slaking of clay-bearing rocks, upon exposure to natural climatic conditions, is a common problem at many engineering projects. Depending upon the regional climate, clay-bearing rocks slake in response to heating and cooling, wetting and drying, and freezing and thawing cycles. However, laboratory methods used for assessing the slaking behavior of clay-bearing rocks, including the standardized methods by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM), involve only wetting and drying treatments. In this study, we investigated the slaking behavior of clay-bearing rocks by exposing them to natural climatic conditions for a period of one year. Twenty clay-bearing rocks, consisting of 5 claystones, 5 mudstones, 5 siltstones, and 5 shales, were selected for the study. Twelve replicate samples of each rock type were prepared so that each sample consisted of 10 pieces, each piece weighing 40–60 g, with a total weight of 450 to 550 g. The samples were placed in separate metallic pans and exposed to natural climatic conditions from September 2009 to September 2010. Each month, one replicate sample of each rock type was removed from natural exposure and its grain size distribution was determined. Disintegration ratio (D R ), defined as the ratio of the area under the grain size distribution curve of the slaked material for a given sample to the total area encompassing all grain size distributions, was used to evaluate the extent of disintegration upon slaking. D R can range from 0 to 1, with 0 indicating 100% slaking and 1 indicating no slaking. After 3 months of exposure to natural climatic conditions, claystones, mudstones, siltstones, and shales exhibited D R values of 0.223, 0.302, 0.698, and 0.494, respectively. These results suggest that, over a given period of time, claystones slake the most and siltstones the least. Relating D R to clay content of the rocks studied reveals that rocks with higher clay contents slake more rapidly and extensively under natural climatic conditions than those with lower clay contents.
Multi-site action research: Conceptualizing a variety of multi-organization practice

Classical action research within single organizations has become a well established and differentiated approach since its inception more than six decades ago. More recently, many have built on the foundational principles of action research to develop and implement larger-scale, multi-organization, action research approaches. Multi-organization action research has largely taken the form of coalition-based processes, where diverse stake-holders have come together to explore issues of mutual concern through a centralized action research process. Less frequently, multi-organization initiatives have implemented distinct action research processes, in a coordinated manner, within each of several involved organizations. This article refers to the later variety as multi-site action research (MSAR). Building on previous work, a conceptual framework for MSAR is developed.
Isolation and characterization of Streptomyces griseolus deletion mutants affected in cytochrome P-450-mediated herbicide metabolism.

Metabolism of sulfonylurea herbicides by Streptomyces griseolus ATCC 11796 is carried out via two cytochromes P-450, P-450SU1 and P-450SU2. Mutants of S. griseolus, selected by their reduced ability to metabolize a fluorescent sulfonylurea, do not synthesize cytochrome P-450SU1 when grown in the presence of sulfonylureas. Genetic evidence indicated that this phenotype was the result of a deletion of > 15 kb of DNA, including the structural genes for cytochrome P-450SU1 and an associated ferredoxin Fd-1 (suaC and suaB, respectively). In the absence of this monooxygenase system, the mutants described here respond to the presence of sulfonylureas or phenobarbital in the growth medium with the expression of only the suhC,B gene products (cytochrome P-450SU2 and Fd-2), previously observed only as minor components in wild-type cells treated with sulfonylurea. These strains have enabled an analysis of sulfonylurea metabolism mediated by cytochrome P-450SU2 in the absence of P-450SU1, yielding an in vivo delineation of the roles of the two different cytochrome P-450 systems in herbicide metabolism by S. griseolus.
α-Synuclein increases the cellular level of phospholipase Cβ1

α-Synuclein is a conserved protein that is a key component in neurodegenerative plaques [1,2]. α-Synuclein binds strongly to phospholipase Cβ (PLCβ) and promotes Ca2+ release in cells. Here, we show that expression of α-synuclein increases the cellular level of PLCβ1 in two neuronal cell lines: PC12 and SK-N-S-SH. The increase in PLCβ1 is not accompanied by changes in the level of RNA or in ubiquitination. Instead, we find that α-synuclein protects PLCβ1 from trypsin digestion and from degradation by the Ca(+2) activated protease calpain. Calpain removes the C-terminal region of the enzyme which mediates activation by Gα(q). We find that in SK-N-SH cells, α-synuclein reduced degradation of PLCβ1 by calpain during Ca2+ signaling allowing the enzyme to remain sensitive to Gα(q) activation. Taken together, our studies show that α-synuclein protects the integrity of PLCβ1 and its ability to be activated by Gα(q), which may in turn impact Ca2+ signaling.
Offshore outsourcing: current conditions & diagnosis

2. ERNEST FERGUSON Shock waves still resonate after the widely cited 2002 Forrester Research report predicted at least 3.3 million white-collar jobs and $136 billion in wages are expected to shift overseas by 2015 [8]. The report predicts nearly 1 million IT-related jobs will move offshore over the course of the next 15 years [4]. For computer scientists between 2000 and 2001, the jobless rate jumped from 2% to 5% [8]. Programming and general software development is no longer a specialized or rare skill. IT unemployment has resulted in decreased computer science / information systems enrollments throughout the United States.
Normal science and the paranormal: The effect of a scientific method course on students' beliefs

A nonequivalent control group design was employed to test the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary course on the scientific method in increasing students' skepticism toward the paranormal. The course explored legitimate methods of scientific inquiry and compared them to faulty, and often fraudulent, methods of pseudosciences. Topics included elementary logic, logical fallacies, statistics, probability, the scientific method, characteristics of pseudosciences, and the prevalence and persistence of pseudoscientific theories and beliefs. Students enrolled in a psychology and law class served as a control group for the “Science and Pseudoscience” class (the treatment group). At the start of the term, students in both groups completed the Belief in the Paranormal Scale (Jones, Russell, and Nickel, 1977) and a measure of beliefs in their own psychic powers. At the end of the semester, students completed these same measures. Results demonstrated that while there were no initial differences between the control and treatment groups in their belief in the paranormal, students in the “Science and Pseudoscience” class demonstrated substantially reduced belief in the paranormal relative to the control class. There were no changes in students' beliefs in their own paranormal powers. Implications for science education and research on teaching thinking are discussed.
New role for space station—Enhanced cooperation with Russia?

The Clinton administration's recent discussions with Russia on enhanced space cooperation and a possible joint space station prompted a two-part hearing by the House Science Subcommittee on Space, held on October 6 and 14. Subcommittee members, citing rumors and news stories about a joint station, questioned Presidential Science Advisor Jack Gibbons and NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin on the status of the proposed cooperation and heard from additional witnesses regarding the feasibility of and support for the concept. Gibbons reassured subcommittee members that no decision has yet been made on Russian cooperation, and that Congress would be consulted in the process. He explained that, after the Vancouver Summit, establishment of a Joint Commission headed by Vice President Gore and Russian Prime Minister Chernomyrdin provided an opportunity for enhanced cooperation in space, as well as in such other areas as energy, nuclear safety, the environment, business development, science and technology, and defense diversification. Gibbons testified that the study of a cooperative station program took place concurrently with NASA's work on defining the redesigned U.S. space station, now being referred to as “Alpha.” He affirmed that while Alpha's modular design made it adaptable to a joint effort, it could “be built independent of any Russian participation.”
Polar Stratospheric Clouds and the Ozone Hole

An account is given of physical processes governing the formation of stratospheric particles, in order to dramatize the interactions between polar stratospheric clouds and the Antarctic ozone-destruction mechanism. Attention is given to the successive stages of particle nucleation, condensation/evaporation and sedimentation/coagulation phenomena, and the ways in which polar stratospheric clouds are observed. Considerable evidence exists that polar stratospheric cloud particles are composed of nitric acid. The relatively small Arctic ozone hole depletion is due to the much smaller duration of Arctic stratospheric clouds.
Vital Variables and Gender Equity in Academe: Confessions from a Feminist Empiricist Project

Les AA. temoignent de leur participation a un projet de recherche consistant en un ensemble d'interventions destinees a changer les politiques, structures et climats universitaires, dans la direction de l'augmentation du nombre de femmes dans les disciplines sciences, technologie, ingenierie et mathematiques (STEM). Leur role specifique etait d'evaluer l'impact a long terme et l'efficacite des diverses strategies d'intervention. Dans une premiere partie, elles decrivent comment une serie d'analyses quantitatives de donnees salariales ont conduit a la recherche d'un contexte interpretatif, et ce qu'elles entendent par 'variables vitales'. Elles decrivent ensuite leurs efforts pour mesurer la conscience feministe comme concept theoriquement pertinent et indicateur majeur du climat sur le campus a partir d'instruments standards d'enquete. Pour conclure que la pensee feministe sur la conscience feministe et autres concepts similaires ont depasse les methodes disponibles, et decrire differentes voies par lesquelles l'empirisme feministe est en transition dans ce projet.
Strain-Specific Properties and T Cells Regulate the Susceptibility to Papilloma Induction by Mus musculus Papillomavirus 1

The immunocytes that regulate papillomavirus infection and lesion development in humans and animals remain largely undefined. We found that immunocompetent mice with varying H-2 haplotypes displayed asymptomatic skin infection that produced L1 when challenged with 6×1010 MusPV1 virions, the recently identified domestic mouse papillomavirus (also designated “MmuPV1”), but were uniformly resistant to MusPV1-induced papillomatosis. Broad immunosuppression with cyclosporin A resulted in variable induction of papillomas after experimental infection with a similar dose, from robust in Cr:ORL SENCAR to none in C57BL/6 mice, with lesional outgrowth correlating with early viral gene expression and partly with reported strain-specific susceptibility to chemical carcinogens, but not with H-2 haplotype. Challenge with 1×1012 virions in the absence of immunosuppression induced small transient papillomas in Cr:ORL SENCAR but not in C57BL/6 mice. Antibody-induced depletion of CD3+ T cells permitted efficient virus replication and papilloma formation in both strains, providing experimental proof for the crucial role of T cells in controlling papillomavirus infection and associated disease. In Cr:ORL SENCAR mice, immunodepletion of either CD4+ or CD8+ T cells was sufficient for efficient infection and papillomatosis, although deletion of one subset did not inhibit the recruitment of the other subset to the infected epithelium. Thus, the functional cooperation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells is required to protect this strain. In contrast, C57BL/6 mice required depletion of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells for infection and papillomatosis, and separate CD4 knock-out and CD8 knock-out C57BL/6 were also resistant. Thus, in C57BL/6 mice, either CD4+ or CD8+ T cell-independent mechanisms exist that can protect this particular strain from MusPV1-associated disease. These findings may help to explain the diversity of pathological outcomes in immunocompetent humans after infection with a specific human papillomavirus genotype.
“Psychology” or “The Psychological Studies”?

Although I have long focused on the ubiquitous evidences of increasing differentiation and fractionation within psychology (e. g. Koch 1959; 1961; 1964; 1965; 1969a;b; 1971; 1973; 1976; 1985; 1992a-d), I do not think that recognition of this leads to some ultimate relativism. Differing frameworks, perspectives, hypotheses, or theories bearing on the same domain are in no necessary way equally plausible, illuminating, insightful, salient, or true. The “logic of confirmation” as dictated to the world by philosophers of science during much of this century is not well suited to the discrimination of such characters of a formulation as are suggested by terms like plausible or insightful — or, indeed, true. I have tried to explore more fruitful modes of assessment. Moreover, although perspectivity is ineliminable, one can certainly hope the future will bring more revealing and broader perspectives than many of the rather arbitrary and dismal ones that have constrained vision throughout the past century. We can hope, too, for more flexibility in the capacity of inquirers to enrich their vision by trying on the spectacles of their neighbors.
Characterization of sewage solid-associated viruses and behavior in natural waters

Abstract The association of bacteriophages and animal viruses with solids has been demonstrated to have a protective effect, resulting in enhanced survival in natural waters and resistance to inactivation by chlorine. In this study, attempts were made to differentiate solid-associated viruses and freely suspended viruses in secondarily treated sewage by the retention of sewage solids on membrane filters treated with fetal calf serum to prevent adsorption of freely suspended virus. Solid-associated viruses collected on membrane filters were eluted with pH 11.5, 0.05 M glycine buffer. The percentage of the total coliphage and animal virus associated with solids in secondarily treated sewage discharges ranged from
The synthesis and chromatographic properties of carboxyl cellulose

Abstract A carboxyl cellulose ion exchange adsorbent can be synthesized by controlled periodate cleavage of SW-40-B Solkafloc followed by chlorous acid oxidation. The material is capable of separating the components of a cytochrome C preparation in much the same way as IRC-50. The properties of carboxyl cellulose and the synthesis of carboxyl cellulose paper and carboxyl Sephadex are discussed.
Reference materials for USFDA's whole-body counting system

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) operates a whole-body counter at its's Winchester Engineering and Analytical Center (WEAC), Winchester, MA. This counter has been registered with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and has been made available to others. The new requirements of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) include internal dose exposure, using such a system. The whole-body counter performs thyroid scans for iodine-131 and also for iodine-125 and iodine-123. The latter requires thin-window germanium detectors (X-ray spectrometers). In addition, it has a large sodium iodine (Tl) crystal for whole body scans. One of the problems has been developing reference standards for energy and efficiency calibrations. Up to recently, only phantoms have been available to which the radioactive solution must be added. Lately, the Department of Energy has developed a “loan” program of phantoms containing specific radioactive isotopes in various configurations. This is expected to be added to this program to confirm the measurements. Software has also been developed which will calculate a 50 year dose commitment as required by the NRC for exposures. The use of these reference materials to assure that the system is in calibration is discussed.
Two new genera of Brazilian bamboos related to Guadua (Poaceae:Bambusoideae:Bambuseae)

Etude systematique permettant de distinguer les lignees issues du nouveau monde et comprenant les genres Criciuma, Eremocaulon et Guadua, de celles des anciens continents, en particulier les genres Bambusa et Dendrocalamus
Youth, sin and sex in Nigeria: Christianity and HIV/AIDS‐related beliefs and behaviour among rural‐urban migrants

In Nigeria, popular understandings of HIV/AIDS and individual risk assessment and behaviour unfold within an interpretative grid that draws on a religious moral framework. This paper reports results from a two‐year study of HIV/AIDS‐related beliefs and behaviour among adolescent and young adult rural‐urban migrants in two Nigerian cities. The young people in the study originate from south‐eastern Nigeria; they almost uniformly identify themselves as Christian; and they commonly situate their understandings and explain their behaviours in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in terms of religion, especially in relation to the increasingly popular and dominant religious discourses of evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity. Findings suggest that popular religious interpretations of HIV risk pose real dangers, leading many young migrants to imagine themselves as at little or no risk, and contributing to inconsistent protective practices. The study highlights the limitations of intervention strategies that igno...
Therapy of Penicillin- and Cephalosporin-resistant Pneumococcal Infections

Streptococcus pneumoniae has recently developed resistance to almost every agent that has been used for therapy, including the extended-spectrum cephalosporins. The empiric therapy of penicillin-resistant pneumococcal meningitis should include cefotaximine or ceftriaxone plus vancomycin pending cephalosporin susceptibility results. Intermediate penicillin-resistant pneumococcal infections outside the central nervous system will usually respond to high dose intravenous β-lactam antibiotic therapy. Highly penicillin-resistant pneumococcal infections may not respond to penicillin therapy, in which case therapy with vancomycin, imipenem or a macrolide (if susceptible) can be considered. Pneumococcal resistance to commonly used oral agents varies geographically and the efficacy of a particular agent can only be assured once the infecting strain is known to be susceptible. It is imperative to determine the susceptibility of every pneumococcal isolate to the agent(s) being used for therapy, particularly in cases...
Macrospin modeling of sub-ns pulse switching of perpendicularly magnetized free layer via spin-orbit torques for cryogenic memory applications

We model, using the macrospin approximation, the magnetic reversal of a perpendicularly magnetized nanostructured free layer formed on a normal, heavy-metal nanostrip, subjected to spin-orbit torques (SOTs) generated by short (≤0.5 ns) current pulses applied to the nanostrip, to examine the potential for SOT-based fast, efficient cryogenic memory. Due to thermal fluctuations, if solely an anti-damping torque is applied, then, for a device with sufficiently low anisotropy ( Hanis0 ∼ 1 kOe) suitable for application in cryogenic memory, a high magnetic damping parameter ( α∼0.1−0.2) is required for reliable switching over a significant variation of pulse current. The additional presence of a substantial field-like torque improves switching reliability even for low damping ( α≤0.03).
Supporting Designers' Hierarchies through Parametric Shape Recognition:

The need to implement shape grammars efficiently, rather than hardcode them, in a way that supports creativity through shape emergence is an ongoing research challenge. This paper introduces a shap...
Regulation of bovine adipose tissue metabolism during lactation. 7. Metabolism and gene expression as a function of genetic merit and dietary energy intake.

Abstract The regulation of adipose tissue metabolism is critical to the efficient establishment and support of lactation, through both energy supply and several endocrine and cytokine factors. We still lack detailed knowledge of the role of transcription and posttranslational regulation of metabolic flux. We need to quantitatively understand the genetic and environmental (primarily dietary) regulation of adipose tissue to help improve productive efficiency. Therefore, objectives of this project were to help define mechanisms of adipose tissue responses to lactation and energy deficit, including changes in gene expression and their relation to changes in metabolic flux and production. A total of 48 cows were selected for genetic merit based on sire predicted transmitting ability of milk. From 21 d prepartum to 60 d in milk (DIM), cows were fed to energy requirements or to 90% of energy requirements, with content of protein, vitamins, and minerals balanced to be the same for both treatments. Adipose tissue biopsies were taken at 21 and 7 d prepartum and 7, 28, and 56 DIM to determine rates of lipogenesis and lipolysis, and to measure gene expression of proteins controlling lipolysis. The cows on the restricted diet consumed 12% less feed prepartum and 16% less feed postpartum and dietary energy restriction decreased milk production. The slowest rates of lipogenesis occurred at 7 and 28 DIM; higher-merit cows had faster rates of lipogenesis at 7 DIM but slower rates than lower-merit cows at 28 DIM. Energy restriction decreased lipogenesis. Basal and isoproterenol lipolysis increased with higher milk production and was relatively unaffected by dietary energy intake. The expression of genes controlling lipolysis were not affected by lactation and were slightly increased by dietary restriction, but were not well related to rates of lipolysis. These data confirm and extend previous work that regulation of adipose tissue metabolism in lactation is a function of both diet and genetic merit and is controlled by multiple mechanisms including gene transcription and posttranslational protein modifications.
Psychrophilic Bacteria. III. Population Levels Associated with Flavor or Physical Change in Milk

Abstract Fifty-seven psychrophilic cultures were used in a study to determine population levels present at the time a flavor or physical change in pasteurized milk was detected. Populations associated with a detectable change varied among genera and among species within a genus. Generally, these levels were in a range of 5 to 20 million/milliliter at the time a change was observed; more active cultures were below and less active ones were above this range. The most commonly observed flavor defect was unclean. Slight changes detectable organoleptically were not detectable by chemical measurement of fat or protein hydrolysis. One culture of Alcaligenes viscolactis produced ropiness, with no detectable flavor change. This occurred at population levels below 5 million/milliliter. When oxidized and strong feed flavors were present, these flavors were markedly reduced by growth of each of several cultures to a population level just below that at which a flavor defect characteristic of the particular culture occurred. Comparative studies of six cultures very active in causing off flavors at 6 and 20C indicated that approximately the same population levels were associated with change at both temperatures.
Patterning of 100nm Features Using X-ray Lithography

Patterning of 100nm critical dimension features using X-ray proximity lithography is discussed. Lithographic performance is shown using photoresists APEX-E. UV-4 and an experimental formulation of ESCAP photoresist. Conditions to pattern isolated and nested lines at maximum permissible gap is discussed.
A comparison of the observed twilight with the vertical scatter distribution

Abstract The intensity of twilight observed by a detector located on the ground has been compared with the vertical scatter distribution in the atmosphere up to 700 km. The inclusion of the scattering effects of free electrons and dust particles brings the twilight vertical profile in good agreement with the vertical distribution of the scatterers.
Solvent effects on the singlet- triplet equilibrium and reactivity of a ground triplet state arylalkyl carbene

Abstract Results from intramolecular singlet and triplet specific reactivity in solvents of different Polarity suggest that the spin state equilibrium of 1,2-diphenyl-1-butylidene, a triplet ground state carbene. is largely susceptible to solvent polarity. The results are consistent with stabilization of the zwitterionic singlet state in solvents of high polarity.
Chiari malformation: are children little adults?

Abstract Objectives: To discuss the controversies, variability of opinion and approach, and special considerations in pediatric Chiari malformation. Methods: PubMed-based literature review with focused discussion on clinically relevant pediatric issues. Results: Compared to adults, children with Chiari more often present with congenital anomalies, scoliosis, and deficits in oropharyngeal control. Those with a syrinx present more with scoliosis than with deficits in sensation or pain. Surgical intervention has varied widely in its level of invasiveness though there has been a trend towards less invasive procedures with bony decompression only, especially in children where their dura may be more flexible and minimal procedures may lead to fewer complications and faster recovery. Conclusions: Pediatric Chiari management must consider the effect of development, increased activity, and a longer life course on the decision to surgically treat. However, little is known about predicting the natural histor...
Establishing conceptual boundaries: What is an adult education project, promise and practice?†

In a movement toward workforce development as an academic entity, the identity of adult education as projects for inquiry is troubled. In some academic programs, adult education has been termed adult learning in the service of promoting teaching and learning for the workplace. However, adult education's inquiry, its projects, might be more than just teaching adults or researching how adults’ learn. This paper presents an argument that adult education projects might have a social justice focus. Adult education might serve as a critique of social, educational, and political policies concerning work and the workplace.
The Ahmarian tradition of the Levantine Upper Paleolithic: the environment of the archaeology

Review and appraisal of the contextual landscapes of Ahmarian open-air sites support the conclusion that this tradition of the Levantine Upper Paleolithic does not define a spatiotemporal continuum. The sites are found within or immediately proximal to highland settings. The exploitation of these montane areas in northern and southern Sinai and in the central plateau of the Negev occurred for only a few millennia of the Ahmarian culture phase. These orographic settings introduce a vertical dimension to the discontinuous spatiotemporal pattern. ©1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A Robust Heuristic for Batting Order Optimization Under Uncertainty

Baseball teams are faced with a difficult scheduling problem every day: given a set of nine players, find the optimal sequence in which they should bat. Effective optimization can increase a team's win total by up to 3 wins per season, and 10% of all Major League teams missed the playoffs by 3 or less wins in 1998. Considering the recent d252 million contract given to one player, it is obvious that baseball is a serious business in which making the playoffs has large financial benefits. Using the insights gleaned from a Markov chain model of baseball, we propose a batting order optimization heuristic that performs 1,000 times faster than the previous best heuristic for this problem. Our algorithm generates batting orders that (i) are optimal or near-optimal, and (ii) remain robust under uncertainty in skill measurement.