cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Connectivity in specificational sentences

This paper is concerned with the relationship between the semantics of specificational and predicational sentences and the Connectivity effects they display. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of semantic and syntactic approaches to Connectivity (the ‘unconstrained-be theory’, the ‘question-in-disguise theory’, and the ‘unclefting theory’), concluding that a semantic theory of Connectivity is not only preferable, but necessary. The paper also discusses the implications of such a move regarding Binding phenomena (i.e., Principle A, B, and C effects): adopting a semantic theory of Connectivity requires a theory of Binding which is different from the standard GB Binding Theory.
Substructure of the myosin molecule: IV. Interactions of myosin and its subfragments with adenosine triphosphate and F-actin

Abstract The enzymic activity of several single-headed subfragments of myosin (HMM S-1 and single-headed HMM) has been compared to the double-headed derivative of myosin (HMM) both in the presence and absence of aetin. Under the assay conditions of our experiments, we find that HMM hydrolyses ATP at approximately twice the rate of any single-headed species. These results suggest a relatively independent functional role for each of the two heads of the myosin molecule. An attempt has been made to determine the stoichiometry of association between subfragments and actin, either in the absence of nucleotide or during the hydrolysis of ATP. It was originally thought that a comparison of the maximum turnover rate of HMM at infinite concentrations of actin with the maximum rate at infinite concentrations of enzyme (but with a fixed amount of actin) would yield the combining ratio of actin to HMM. However, the considerable variation of ATP turnover rates with the conditions of the experiment has made it impossible to reach any firm conclusions regarding stoichiometry. A more direct approach to the question of stoichiometry is possible in the absence of ATP. By reacting varying amounts of F-actin with a given concentration of subfragment and centrifuging the resulting complex, it is possible to determine the unbound concentration of subfragment in the supernatant. These data provide sufficient information to construct a Scatchard plot and show that twice as many moles of actin are bound by HMM as by HMM S-1. Furthermore, the association constant of actin for HMM is several orders of magnitude higher than that for the single-headed species. In connection with the question of why myosin has two “heads”, we have examined the ability of single-headed molecules to undergo the phenomenon of “superprecipitation”. We find that single-headed myosin (the preparation of which was discussed in the preceding paper) is able to superprecipitate in much the same manner as native myosin. We conclude from these studies that each head of the myosin molecule is able to function in a relatively independent fashion. These studies do not, of course, exclude the possibility of more subtle interactions between the heads of myosin which our techniques are not able to detect.
Microbial ecology controls the establishment of fecal bacteria in tropical soil environment

Publisher Summary Fecal indicator bacteria, such as E. coli and enterococci are consistently present in Hawaii's streams in concentrations exceeding recreational water quality standards. The chapter tests two hypotheses by which these fecal indicator bacteria can become established populations in the soil environment of Hawaii. The first hypothesis states that the soil environment is unfavorable for the growth of fecal indicator bacteria but a small subpopulation of these fecal bacteria with metabolic characteristics suitable for growth in this restrictive environment will be selected to establish a population in the soil environment. The second hypothesis states that the soil environment of Hawaii is permissive and provides for sufficient conditions to accommodate the metabolic potential of most fecal bacteria to grow in its soil environment. The source of these fecal indicator bacteria has been determined to be the soil where these bacteria are able to multiply and have become a part of the soil microflora. The metabolic profile of the soil isolates of 48 E. coli and 30 enterococci is determined based on their ability to metabolize 95 different carbon sources using the biolog System.
Initial experience and clinical comparison of two image guidance methods for SBRT treatment: 4DCT versus respiratory-triggered imaging

For Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) treatment of lung and liver, we quantified the differences between two image guidance methods: 4DCT and ExacTrac respiratory-triggered imaging. Five different patients with five liver lesions and one lung lesion for a total of 19 SBRT delivered fractions were studied. For the 4DCT method, a manual registration process was used between the 4DCT image sets from initial simulation and treatment day to determine the required daily image-guided corrections. We also used the ExacTrac respiratory-triggered imaging capability to verify the target positioning, and calculated the differences in image guidance shifts between these two methods. The mean (standard deviation) of the observed differences in image-guided shifts between 4DCT and ExacTrac respiratory-triggered image guidance was left/right (L/R) = 0.4 (2.0) mm, anterior/posterior (A/P) = 1.4 (1.7) mm, superior/inferior (S/I) = 2.2 (2.0) mm, with no difference larger than 5.0 mm in any given direction for any individual case. The largest error occurred in the S/I direction, with a mean of 2.2 mm for the six lesions. This seems reasonable, because respiratory motion and the resulting imaging uncertainties are most pronounced in this S/I direction. Image guidance shifts derived from ExacTrac triggered imaging at two extreme breathing phases (i.e., full exhale vs. full inhale), agreed well (less than 2.0 mm) with each other. In summary, two very promising image guidance methods of 4DCT and ExacTrac respiratory-triggered imaging were presented and the image guidance shifts were comparable for the patients evaluated in this study.
Production of baryon resonances in 6.7 GeV/c π-p interactions

Except for Δ(1236), evidence for isobar production is observed in the |Iz|=1/2 state at ∼ 1500 MeV and ∼ 1700 MeV mainly in ππN mass distributions. They are enhanced if we required a πN mass combination in the Δ(1236). The decay characteristics favorI=1/2 for both. The decay angular distributions favorJ≥3/2 for both peaks. Our peaks most likely correspond to D13(1520) and F13(1690) of the phase-shift analysis results. There is no evidence for any resonance production in the πππN mass distributions.
Simpatizantes en lo insólito

Testamentos. Juan Manuel Roca. Grupo Editorial Norma, Coleccion La otra orilla, Bogota, 2008, 123 pags.
Acting Up: Theater of the Oppressed as Critical Ethnography:

In this paper the author reports on the use of Theater of the Oppressed in a long-term critical ethnography. Building on the work of performative ethnographers, she reviews the literature on the uses of drama in qualitative research and explores the traditional research lines that are blurred in the process. More important, she details the experiences collecting and analyzing data using Theater of the Oppressed. In other published accounts of performative ethnography, data collection is emphasized and data analysis is not usually discussed, in part, because the line between data collection and analysis is blurred in the use of theater as inquiry. The author not only examines that blurring but suggests a method of analysis that others might find useful. The study focused on the integration of English language learners in a Midwestern U.S. high school. The author used Theater of the Oppressed with teachers to explore their role in the bullying activities of students. The analysis reveals changes in awareness witnessed through the drama.
On the asymptotic behavior of the projection Riccati differential equation

The solution of the Riccati differential equation is reported to be asymptotically close to the solution of the projection Riccati differential equation (PRDE). The asymptotic behavior of the latter is analyzed on an explicit formula. The almost periodic asymptote of the solution of the PRDE is computed by an algorithm based upon the concepts of aperiodic- almost-periodic generator decomposition of a linear map, and row-staircase form of a polynomial matrix. The analysis provides ultimately a convergence criterion. >
Dissipative fluid dynamics for the dilute Fermi gas at unitarity: Anisotropic fluid dynamics

We consider the time evolution of a dilute atomic Fermi gas after release from a trapping potential. A common difficulty with using fluid dynamics to study the expansion of the gas is that the theory is not applicable in the dilute corona, and that a naive treatment of the entire cloud using fluid dynamics leads to unphysical results. We propose to remedy this problem by including certain nonhydrodynamic degrees of freedom, in particular anisotropic components of the pressure tensor, in the theoretical description. We show that, using this method, it is possible to describe the crossover from fluid dynamics to ballistic expansion locally. We illustrate the use of anisotropic fluid dynamics by studying the expansion of the dilute Fermi gas at unitarity using different functional forms of the shear viscosity, including a shear viscosity that is solely a function of temperature, $\ensuremath{\eta}\ensuremath{\sim}{(mT)}^{3/2}$, as predicted by kinetic theory in the dilute limit.
Two functional psbD genes in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942.

The cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 has two copies of the psbD gene which encodes the D2 polypeptide of the photosystem II (PSII) reaction center. One of the genes, psbDI, overlaps the open reading frame of another photosystem II gene, psbC; the psbDII gene is monocistronic. Gene inactivation experiments had previously shown that psbDII is dispensable under normal laboratory growth conditions. However, similar experiments with psbDI never produced viable psbDI-inactivated mutants, presumably because psbC expression depends on transcription through psbDI. The experiments described here were designed to assess the need for psbDI independent of the need for expression of psbC. A strain, AMC027, was engineered in which a second copy of psbC was expressed from the psbDII locus. Northern (RNA) blot analysis confirmed that both psbDI and psbDII gave rise to dicistronic messages containing psbC sequences in AMC027. In this genetic background, it was possible to inactivate psbDI, creating strain AMC050 and indicating that the psbDII gene is functional. Western immunoblot analysis showed that the products of psbD and psbC, the PSII proteins D2 and CP43, respectively, were present in thylakoids of AMC050, but at reduced levels relative to the wild type, the mutant AMC027, and two psbDII-inactivated mutants. AMC050 consistently formed small colonies on plates and competed poorly in mixed-culture experiments. This suggested that, although not essential for viability, expression from the psbDI locus is required to produce sufficient D2 and CP43 for optimal growth. Images
Research Spotlight: China's lakes changed dramatically in recent decades

[1] Significant changes have taken place in the number and size of China's lakes over the past several decades. To create a comprehensive picture of these changes over all of China, Ma et al. combined data from a wide variety of sources, including satellite imagery and maps. They compared data from the 1960s to the 1980s, before China's rapid development and industrialization, with data from 2005 and 2006. The authors found that over that time period the total number of lakes with area greater than 1 square kilometer decreased from 2928 to 2693. The total surface area of Chinese lakes declined by 13% over that time period. In addition, 243 lakes vanished, mainly in the northern provinces and some southern provinces, while 60 new lakes appeared, mainly in the Tibetan Plateau region. (Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1029/2010GL045514, 2010)
Chemical Synthesis of Monodisperse Magnetic Nanoparticles

This chapter reviews briefly the recent advance in chemical synthesis of monodisperse magnetic nanoparticles. It covers mainly the syntheses of metallic Co, Fe, ferrite MFe2O4 (M = Fe, Co, Mn), alloy FePt, CoFe, core/shell structured FePt/Fe3O4, and dumbbell-like Au–Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The unique magnetic properties observed from these nanoparticles are also described. Shape-controlled synthesis and assembly of iron oxide and FePt nanoparticles are outlined as two examples to demonstrate that shape can be used to induce texture in a self-assembled superlattice array. Keywords: nanoparticles; magnetic nanoparticles; chemical synthesis; shape-controlled synthesis; nanomagnetism; self-assembly
Loss of Immunological Tolerance in Gimap5-Deficient Mice Is Associated with Loss of Foxo in CD4+ T Cells

Previously, we reported the abrogation of quiescence and reduced survival in lymphocytes from Gimap5 sph/sph mice, an ENU germline mutant with a missense mutation in the GTPase of immunity-associated protein 5 (Gimap5). These mice showed a progressive loss of peripheral lymphocyte populations and developed spontaneous colitis, resulting in early mortality. In this study, we identify the molecular pathways that contribute to the onset of colitis in Gimap5 sph/sph mice. We show that CD4 + T cells become Th1/Th17 polarized and are critically important for the development of colitis. Concomitantly, regulatory T cells become reduced in frequency in the peripheral tissues, and their immunosuppressive capacity becomes impaired. Most importantly, these progressive changes in CD4 + T cells are associated with the loss of Forkheadbox group O (Foxo)1, Foxo3, and Foxo4 expression. Our data establish a novel link between Gimap5 and Foxo expression and provide evidence for a regulatory mechanism that controls Foxo protein expression and may help to maintain immunological tolerance.
Historical variation in young adult binge drinking trajectories and its link to historical variation in social roles and minimum legal drinking age

This study examines historical variation in age 18 to 26 binge drinking trajectories, focusing on differences in both levels of use and rates of change (growth) across cohorts of young adults over 3 decades. As part of the national Monitoring the Future Study, over 64,000 youths from the high school classes of 1976 to 2004 were surveyed at biennial intervals between ages 18 and 26. We found that, relative to past cohorts, recent cohorts both enter the 18 to 26 age band engaging in lower levels and exit the 18 to 26 age band engaging in higher levels of binge drinking. The reason for this reversal is that, relative to past cohorts, binge drinking among recent cohorts accelerates more quickly across ages 18 to 22 and decelerates more slowly across ages 22 to 26. Moreover, we found that historical increases in minimum legal drinking age account for a portion of the historical decline in age 18 level, whereas historical variation in social role acquisition (e.g., marriage, parenthood, and employment) accounts for a portion of the historical acceleration in age 18 to 22 growth. We also found that historical variation in the age 18 to 22 and age 22 to 26 growth rates was strongly and positively connected, suggesting common mechanism(s) underlie historical variation of both growth rates. Findings were generally consistent across gender and indicate that historical time is an important source of individual differences in young adult binge drinking trajectories. Beyond binge drinking, historical time may also inform the developmental course of other young adult risk behaviors, highlighting the interplay of epidemiology and etiology.
Optimising aquaculture management of a single-species fish population

Abstract An aquaculture fish management model is designed, capable of optimising operations so as to maximise producer's profits. Use of capital theoretic formula and optimal control methods enabled us to consider a complicated system where fish ponds are integrated with a field crop through a sharing of irrigated water. Fish size is non-symetrically distributed–to be accounted for in the selective harvesting. Growth rates are a function of time, feed quality and availability, and biomass density. Optimising feeding and harvesting schemes under various market and environmental conditions is possible. Optimal initial stocks, length of growing cycles and water flow rates can be calculated. Flexible computer programming allows for sensitivity analysis and practical use in decision making. It becomes very clear, though, that the key to proper utilisation of this tool is a good data base—representing the biological processes and economical conditions. Obviously, some of this information requires more research.
HYPERPHAGIA IN FOSTER CARE CHILDREN

Hyperphagia, defined as excessive appetite, characterized by a grossly increased intake of and constant searching for food, was noted in a group of 15 foster children evaluated for developmental impairment or behavioral management problems. Caretakers described these children's eating habits as showing a driven quality without achievement of satiety or pleasure. These behaviors were evident when the children first came into foster care and often persisted over time. The hyperphagia did not result in excess weight gain; only one child achieved substantial increase in weight on followup. The children in the group tended to have mild degrees of intellectual impairment, while emotional and behavioral problems were frequent and severe. 80% of the children functioned in the mildly retarded range; 53% had Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity and 47% had a form of Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Speech and language problems were common; 73% had articulation disorders and 40% other types of language impairment. Sixty percent of the biological mothers were known to have histories of alcohol and/or drug abuse. Though eating disorders have been described among mentally retarded individuals, there is no report of long-term hyperphagia among children with mild mental retardation with the exception of Prader-Willi syndrome. Its presence signals the existence of substantial childhood psychopathology as well as the increased risk for deviant behaviors in adulthood.
Ultrastructural subtypes of pulmonary adenocarcinoma. A correlation with patient survival.

A retrospective study of 34 patients (33 male and one female) was conducted to evaluate a potential correlation between patient survival, propensity to metastasize and specific subtypes of pulmonary adenocarcinomas as determined by ultrastructural examination. Previous electron microscopic studies of pulmonary adenocarcinomas have demonstrated proliferations of three types of cells: mucus, Clara, and alveolar cells. Specific ultrastructural markers of these cell types were assessed in the 34 cases. All cases in this study had a light microscopic diagnosis of adenocarcinoma origmating in the pulmonary parenchyma and a follow-up of at least one year. Features such as patient survival time, extent of metastatic involvement, response to therapy, and overall tumor behavior were compared in reference to the cell of origin, in an effort to try to elucidate if such ultrastructural subclassification lent itself to any clinical correlations. Light microscopic growth patterns and special stains were not found to distinguish these neoplasms histogenetically, emphasizing the important role of electron microscopy for an accurate classification.
Mentoring students and junior faculty in faculty research: A win-win scenario

The concept of mentoring in nursing has focused primarily on moving novice nurses to a more advanced level of expertise in the clinical setting. With the growing emphasis on expanding evidence-based practice in nursing, however, mentoring within the context of research is becoming increasingly important. This article describes the many reciprocal benefits of research mentoring for students, junior faculty, and senior faculty researchers as well as for colleges of nursing and nursing science. Suggestions for implementing processes that facilitate successful mentoring within a research setting also are offered.
Can Consortial Reference Partners Answer Your Local Users' Library Questions?

The purpose of this article is to explore location-based questions as a weakness of virtual reference consortia and discuss how to mitigate related issues. Content analysis of how both local and non-local academic librarians responded to location-based questions provides insight into considerations academic libraries must make when participating in a virtual reference consortia. Unobtrusive testing analyzed the local knowledge assumption that non-local librarians have difficulty answering questions about libraries beyond their own. The results from these two methods indicate academic librarians have some difficulties providing responses to library location-based questions and a discussion on overcoming this weakness is included.
The International Dairy Federation's procedure for the validation of microbiological analytical methods for dairy foods

Abstract The International Dairy Federation (IDF/FIL) empirically validates standard microbiological methods for the international dairy industry by using groups of qualified experts. Typically, a logical progression of interlaboratory performance studies conducted by several laboratories leads to a validated method. Control of dairy food matrices and analytes in interlaboratory studies, however, is not rigid. Interlaboratory reproducibility is not usually considered of paramount importance because of the difficulty of establishing test sample homogeneity with low numbers of microorganisms. However, the recent Listeria monocytogenes standard was validated by testing identical inoculated samples after preliminary interlaboratory studies. In the past, IDF/FIL preferred to validate only conventional methods that are widely used in dairy microbiology laboratories rather than novel rapid commercial kit methods. IDF/FIL Standards are internationally recognized.
Electrokinetic behavior of a porous composite oxide matrix

Abstract Experimental results are presented for the streaming potential of mixtures of silica and alumina. It is shown that the behavior of such intimate mixtures varies between that of the pure components. It is a function of the pore sizes and the surface potentials of the components. In an attempt to describe the relationship between the apparent streaming potential of a porous composite matrix and the microscopic streaming potentials of its component oxides, three models are discussed; the capillary tube model, the sandwich cell model, and the network model. In the capillary tube model, the macroscopic potential is the averaged surface potential of its component oxides based on the surface area fractions. In the sandwich cell, a component oxide which occupies a larger portion of the total surface area will be weighted more heavily in determining the macroscopic streaming potential. A general equation is developed for streaming potentials in a composite network of pores. Results were obtained for two special cases, tubes in series and tubes in parallel. The two cases represent two extreme situations and yield entirely different results. In the former case the smaller pores have a dominant effect on the macroscopic streaming potential; while in the latter case, the larger pores dominate. Among the three models, the network model provided the best fit to experimental data.
The effect of localization on interference. II. Bearing on locality violation and the interpretation of quantum mechanics

In a two-channel interference experiment such as that considered in the preceding companion paper, a quantum may be localizable predominantly in one channel by a time-coincident experiment on a correlated quantum. The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics then requires a coincidence intensity prediction having the same reduced interference between channels as if the probability amplitude in the other channel had been attenuated by a filter. The quantum mechanical treatment of correlated systems originated by von Neumann does predict this reduced interference, but avoids requiring a resulting direct locality violation by predicting that this reduced interference also occurs in a simple singles intensity observation. In contrast, de Broglie's locally causal interpretation of quantum mechanics requires that the experiment on the remote correlated system cannot change the amplitudes or phase relationship of coherent space-time wave propagating through the two channels, so that the full classical optics interference effect should be predicted for both singles and coincidence intensities.
MULTICOMPONENT ADSORPTION IN CONTINUOUS COUNTERCURRENT EXCHANGERS

A theoretical analysis of multicomponent adsorption in continuous countercurrent exchangers is presented. The system is considered to be one-dimensional, isothermal, locally at equilibrium, and to have negligible diffusion effects. With constant initial and entry data the mathematical problem is essentially the same as for a fixed bed except for the boundary condition that suggests a free boundary analogue since it is given by the conservation law itself. Therefore, the boundary discontinuity is naturally encountered. With the Langmuir adsorption isotherm explicit forms for the Riemann invariants and characteristic parameters are available and thus the theories of simple waves and of shock waves as well as of interactions are readily established and applied to determine solutions. Dependence of the system behaviour upon the flow rate ratio is discussed and the steady-state argument proves that the number of steady states attainable in the contacting region is equal to the number of solute species present plus one. Application is illustrated.
Attempted Suicide Characteristics and Cerebrospinal Fluid Amine Metabolites in Depressed Inpatients

Attempted Suicide Characteristics and Cerebrospinal Fluid Amine Metabolites in Depressed Inpatients
Nitrous oxide inhalation among adolescents: prevalence, correlates, and co-occurrence with volatile solvent inhalation.

Few studies have examined the prevalence of nitrous oxide (NO) inhalation or co-occurrence of NO and volatile solvent (VS) use in adolescents. Study aims were to (1) describe the independent and conjoint prevalence of NO and VS use in incarcerated youth, (2) compare adolescent users of both NO and VS inhalants (NO+VS) to users of NO-only, VS-only, and nonusers of NO and VS (NO/VS nonusers) with regard to demographic, psychological, and behavioral characteristics, and (3) conduct logistic regression analyses identifying correlates of NO use. Residents (N = 723) of Missouri Division of Youth Services were assessed with standardized psychosocial measures. Participants averaged 15.5 (SD = 1.2) years of age, were ethnically diverse and predominantly male. Lifetime prevalence of NO use was 15.8%. NO+VS users evidenced greater impairments compared to NO+VS nonusers. VS-only users evidenced impairments that were similar in kind but at lower prevalences compared to those displayed by NO+VS users, whereas NO-only youth had profiles that were similar to those of NO/VS nonusers. Psychiatric disorders, polydrug use, and temperamental fearlessness were correlates of NO use. NO+VS users were at high risk for behavioral and emotional problems. Screening and interventions for NO and VS inhalant use should be implemented in juvenile justice facilities.
A framework for high‐performance matrix multiplication based on hierarchical abstractions, algorithms and optimized low‐level kernels

Despite extensive research, optimal performance has not easily been available previously for matrix multiplication (especially for large matrices) on most architectures because of the lack of a structured approach and the limitations imposed by matrix storage formats. A simple but effective framework is presented here that lays the foundation for building high-performance matrix-multiplication codes in a structured, portable and efficient manner. The resulting codes are validated on three different representative RISC and CISC architectures on which they significantly outperform highly optimized libraries such as ATLAS and other competing methodologies reported in the literature. The main component of the proposed approach is a hierarchical storage format that efficiently generalizes the applicability of the memory hierarchy friendly Morton ordering to arbitrary-sized matrices. The storage format supports polyalgorithms, which are shown here to be essential for obtaining the best possible performance for a range of problem sizes. Several algorithmic advances are made in this paper, including an oscillating iterative algorithm for matrix multiplication and a variable recursion cutoff criterion for Strassen's algorithm. The authors expose the need to standardize linear algebra kernel interfaces, distinct from the BLAS, for writing portable high-performance code. These kernel routines operate on small blocks that fit in the L1 cache. The performance advantages of the proposed framework can be effectively delivered to new and existing applications through the use of object-oriented or compiler-based approaches. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Abnormalities of the Visual System in Infants Exposed to Cocaine

The authors describe 13 cocaine-exposed infants with optic nerve abnormalities, delayed visual maturation, and prolonged eyelid edema. Prolonged and potentially vision-threatening eyelid edema is a new clinical entity. The pharmacology of cocaine, its easy access to fetal circulation, and its neurotropic characteristics can be used to explain optic nerve abnormalities and delayed visual maturation. In infants with any of these eye abnormalities, a careful investigation for cocaine abuse is advisable.
Research on Function Simulation of Web-Based Virtual Grinding Machine Tool

The paper presents a Web-based virtual machine tool system construction method. The key technologies required to build the system were analyzed. A simulation platform is built with ASP technology, and the geometric simulation is researched by using VRML, JavaScript, and JavaApplet. The physical simulation is researched by using Matlab Web Server, The object of the virtual machine tool simulation system is ultra-high speed grinding test bench. The developed system can realize virtual assembly, CNC code identification, material removal simulation, grinding force calculation and optimization.
Technology and Vulnerability in Early Warning: Ethical Use of IT in Dangerous Places

Initial versions of conflict early warning and early response were primarily designed for use by diplomats, UN bureaucrats, and top-level government officials to support early responses to avert chaos in governance, factional bloodshed, and associated humanitarian crises. More recently, there has been a shift of emphasis to early warning and early response at a local-level due, in part, to emerging technologies – especially cell phones and social media. We are beginning to see that effectiveness involves leaders at the local-, mid-, and top-levels being engaged in early response. Outsiders can be engaged constructively, but ethical questions must be addressed to guide involvement that is appropriate. Seven ethical principles are offered to steer conflict early warning and early response programing in its current programmatic and technological configurations. The principles take into account the involvement of outsiders and the vulnerability of insiders on the ground who have the most to lose if violence breaks out and the most to gain in preventing it.
Bid activates multiple mitochondrial apoptotic mechanisms in primary hepatocytes after death receptor engagement

Abstract Background & Aims: Activation of Fas or tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNF-R1) on hepatocytes leads to apoptosis, which requires mitochondria activation. The pro-death Bcl-2 family protein, Bid, mediates this pathway by inducing mitochondrial releases of cytochrome c and other apoptotic factors. How Bid activates mitochondria has been studied in vitro with isolated mitochondria. We intended to study the mechanisms in intact hepatocytes so that findings could be made in a proper cellular context and would be more physiologically relevant. Methods: Hepatocytes were isolated from wild-type and bid -deficient mice and treated with anti-Fas or TNF-α. Mechanisms of mitochondria activation were dissected with genetic, biochemical, and morphologic approaches. Results: bid -deficient hepatocytes were much more resistant to apoptosis. Bid was required for permeability transition and mitochondria depolarization in addition to the previously defined release of cytochrome c . Permeability transition inhibitors cyclosporin A and aristolochic acid could inhibit mitochondria activation effectively, but not as much as the deletion of the bid gene, and they could not inhibit Bak oligomerization. In addition, mitochondria depolarization also could be induced by caspases, whose activation was mainly dependent on Bid. Conclusions: Bid may activate mitochondria by 2 mechanisms, one is related to permeability transition and the other is related to Bak oligomerization. Bid can further affect mitochondria potentials by indirectly regulating caspase activity. This in vivo study provides novel findings not previously disclosed by in vitro studies, and indicates the importance of several mechanisms in contributing Bid-mediated mitochondria dysfunction that could be potential cellular targets of intervention.
Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis--is host defense awry?

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is caused by abundant accumulation of surfactant-derived components in the lungs. Dr. Claire Doerschuk describes the pathophysiology of this rare disorder.
Molten ring-open copolymerization of L-lactide and cyclic trimethylene carbonate

The biodegradable poly(L-lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate) [poly(LLA-co-TMC)] was synthesized by molten ring-open copolymerization and the structure and properties of the copolymer were investigated by GPC, NMR, FTIR, DSC, and Instron testing. The copolymer with a higher LLA content had a higher initial molecular weight (Mn), but a lower final Mn. In contrast, the copolymer with a higher TMC content had a lower initial Mn, but its Mn increased with increasing reaction time and TMC content. The glass transition temperature (Tg), the melting temperature (Tm) and the crystallinity of the copolymer decreased with increasing TMC content. The elongation of the copolymer significantly increased with increasing TMC content while the toughness passed through a maximum. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 69: 1429–1434, 1998
A polymeric form of haptoglobin in the gamma-irradiated Spanish goat

The haptoglobins (Hp) of control and gamma-irradiated Spanish goats were examined. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Sephadex G-200 chromatography of sera demonstrated that unirradiated controls were ahaptoglobinemic, while irradiated animals developed high Hp levels. An electrophoretic comparison with human Hp phenotypes revealed that goat Hp more closely resembled human Hp 2 than the other two human phenotypes. No electrophoretic band comparable to human Hp 1 appeared in the goat electrophoretic pattern. When goat Hp was tested by immunodiffusion with antiserum to human Hp, no reactivity was observed; however, goat Hp and the three human Hps bound goat, human, and chicken hemoglobins with equal specificity, indicating some degree of structural homology between human and goat Hp. Suggestions as to the effects of irradiation to augment Hp synthesis and speculations about the chain composition and molecular weights of goat Hp are presented.
Turnover of myofibrillar proteins in cultured muscle cells from normal and dystrophic chick embryos

Abstract Rates of protein degradation and synthesis were determined in myofibrillar and non-myofibrillar fractions and in myofibrillar subunits of cultured muscle cells from normal and dystrophic chick embryos of genetically closely related lines. Growth characteristics of normal and dystrophic cells were identical as measured by DNA, RNA and protein accumulation. Degradation rates of myofibrillar and non-myofibrillar protein determined from label-chase experiments were the same in normal and dystrophic cultures. In similar experiments in which degradation rates of eight different components of the myofibrillar fraction were measured, a spectrum of degradation rates was obtained indicating that myofibril components turn over individually or in groups, rather than as an intact unit. Myosin heavy chain was the slowest turning over component of those measured, while actin was among the most rapid. No differences were found between normals and dystrophics in the turnover of any of the components. Fractional rates of protein synthesis were also determined for the myofibrillar and non-myofibrillar fractions of cultured cells. The rates obtained with normal and dystrophic cells were indistinguishable and were the same for the myofibrillar and nonmyofibrillar fractions. Initial amino acid incorporation rates into 17 separate components of the myofibrillar fractions were compared in normal and dystrophic cells. No significant differences were found.
Neighborhood systems and relational databases

Queries in database can be classified roughly into two types: specific targets and fuzzy targets. Many queries are in effect fuzzy targets, however, because of lacking the supports, the user has been emulating them with specific targets by retiring a query repeatedly with minor changes. In this paper, we augment the relational database, with neighborhood systems, so the database can answer a fuzzy query. There have been many works to combine relational databases and fuzzy theory. Bucklles and Petry replaced attributes values by sets of values. Zemankova-Leech, Kandel, and Zviell used fuzzy logic. The formalism of present work is quite general, it allows numerical or nonnumerical measurements of fuzziness in relational databases. The fuzzy theory present here is quite different from the usual theory. Our basic assumption here is that: the data are not fuzzy, the queries are.Motro [Motr86] introduced the notion of distance into the relational databases. From that he can, then, define the notion of “close-ness” and develop goal queries. Though “distance” is a useful concept, yet very often the quantification of it is meaningless or extremely difficult. For example, “very close”, “very far” are meaningful concept of distance, yet there is no practical way to quantity them for all occasions. Our approach here is more direct, we define directly the meaning of “very close neighborhood”. Using the concept of neighborhoods is not very original, in fact, in the theory of topological spaces [Dugu66], mathematician has been using the “neighborhood system” to study the phenomena of “close-ness”. In the territory of fuzzy queries, the notion of “neighborhood” captures the essence of the qualitative information of “close-ness” better than the brute-force-quantified information (distance). A “fuzzy” neighborhood is a qualitative measure of fuzziness.On the surface, it seems a very complicated procedure to define a neighborhood for each value in the attribute. In fact, if we use the characteristic function (membership function) to define a subset, then the defining procedure is merely another type of distance function (non-measure distance or symbolic distance). Now, to define the neighborhood system one can simply re-entered the third column of the relation with linguistic values: “very close”, “close”, “far”. Note that there is a “greater than” relation among these linguistic values. In mathematical terms, they forms a lattice [Jaco60]. For technical reason, we require the values in third column be elements of a lattice. Note that real number is a lattice, so we get Motro's results back.
Solution of a Vibronic Model for the Relaxed Excited State of the F Center

An exact solution is given for the vibronic problem posed by nondegenerate $s$ and $p$ electronic states interacting in cubic symmetry via a triply degenerate ${T}_{1\mathrm{u}}$ vibrational mode. In the strong-coupling limit the vibronic ground state is found to be $s$-like, irrespective of the order of the $s$ and $p$ electronic states in the unrelaxed configuration. Applications to the interpretation of Stark effects and other experiments on $F$ centers in alkali halides are discussed.
Automatic 2D-to-3D image conversion using 3D examples from the internet

The availability of 3D hardware has so far outpaced the production of 3D content. Although to date many methods have been proposed to convert 2D images to 3D stereopairs, the most successful ones involve human operators and, therefore, are time-consuming and costly, while the fully-automatic ones have not yet achieved the same level of quality. This subpar performance is due to the fact that automatic methods usually rely on assumptions about the captured 3D scene that are often violated in practice. In this paper, we explore a radically different approach inspired by our work on saliency detection in images. Instead of relying on a deterministic scene model for the input 2D image, we propose to "learn" the model from a large dictionary of stereopairs, such as YouTube 3D. Our new approach is built upon a key observation and an assumption. The key observation is that among millions of stereopairs available on-line, there likely exist many stereopairs whose 3D content matches that of the 2D input (query). We assume that two stereopairs whose left images are photometrically similar are likely to have similar disparity fields. Our approach first finds a number of on-line stereopairs whose left image is a close photometric match to the 2D query and then extracts depth information from these stereopairs. Since disparities for the selected stereopairs differ due to differences in underlying image content, level of noise, distortions, etc., we combine them by using the median. We apply the resulting median disparity field to the 2D query to obtain the corresponding right image, while handling occlusions and newly-exposed areas in the usual way. We have applied our method in two scenarios. First, we used YouTube 3D videos in search of the most similar frames. Then, we repeated the experiments on a small, but carefully-selected, dictionary of stereopairs closely matching the query. This, to a degree, emulates the results one would expect from the use of an extremely large 3D repository. While far from perfect, the presented results demonstrate that on-line repositories of 3D content can be used for effective 2D-to-3D image conversion. With the continuously increasing amount of 3D data on-line and with the rapidly growing computing power in the cloud, the proposed framework seems a promising alternative to operator-assisted 2D-to-3D conversion.
Sonochemical Treatment of Fossil Fuels

Abstract A new method has been developed to recover upgraded lighter-hydrocarbon liquid oil from an asphaltene-containing oil material (tar sand, asphalt, heavy oil, shale oil, coal liquids, etc.). The process describes dispersing particles of the carbonaceous material in an aqueous solution containing an inorganic base (NaOH, Na2SiO3, etc.) and / or surfactant at ambient temperatures and pressures. With the aid of sonication energy, the inorganic base and / or surfactant will combine with the polar components of the fuel to speed the recovery of upgraded oil material. The reaction process essentially removes and / or converts the asphaltene fraction in the bituminous material to lighter fractions. The process is highly efficient, and the reaction time in minutes for the samples is examined. The reaction mechanisms are related to principles of sonochemistry as well as membrane mimetic chemistry.
Multifrequency Metallo-Material Antenna Optimization

This paper presents a novel multifrequency antenna optimization algorithm to achieve novel metallo-material (magnetic and dielectric) conformal antenna designs. For the first time, combinations of dielectric, magnetic and metallic materials were concurrently modified volumetrically subject to multi-objective optimization criteria. An aggressive optimization scheme using genetic algorithms in conjunction with a fast finite-element boundary-integral code was employed. Interpretation of the multi-objective outputs was found a key issue. The presented color-coded graphs allowed for quick and efficient evaluation of the best/optimized cases
Disorganization in statewide planning for improved mental health services: Problems and possible solution

Abstract Planning for human services is currently disorganized and inefficient. Given the urgency, such planning must be conducted more constructively and efficiently or we shall perpetuate the existing human service crisis. The planning and evaluating structure for mental health and mental retardation services in Illinois is taken as an example. Since mental health legislation preceded other similar human service legislation by several years, the lessons learned from these structures may be valuable. Deficiencies in the current nonsystem include its complexity, its lack of clear goals, its lack of interrelationships among its parts, and its rapidly pyramiding structure. Suggestions are made to clarify structure and function and to inter-relate the parts. Emphasis has been placed on the importance of meeting the needs of the consumer and not on professional and organizational needs.
Comment on “Potentiometric solid state CO2 sensor and the role of electronic conductivity of the electrolyte” by H. Näfe

Abstract The manuscript by Nafe criticized the conclusion of the n-type electronic conduction in Li 3 PO 4 + SiO 2 (5 mol%), which was discussed in our previous publication. It is possible to misunderstand our experimental results because of the short range of lithium activity variation in the previous experiment for the EMF measurement. However, our further study confirmed that the n-type electronic conduction is predominant in Li 3 PO 4 + SiO 2 (5 mol%) using wide variation of lithium activity and Hebb–Wagner polarization measurement. Therefore, given our experimental data, the p-type conduction argument about our previous publication is not reasonable.