cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An abductive model of group support systems

Few researchers have attempted to model group support system meeting behavior mathematically. Using Abductive Information Modeling (AIM), we show that group size and idea generation type are primary predictors of group process satisfaction. While similar to artificial neural networks, abduction frequently provides simpler models and yields weights for links among the model variables. Results show that the interrelationships among the model variables are non-linear.
Accelerated radiation damage testing of x-ray mask membrane materials

An accelerated test method and resulting metrology data are presented to show the effects of x- ray radiation on various x-ray mask membrane materials. A focused x-ray beam effectively reduces the radiation time to 1/5 of that required by normal exposure beam flux. Absolute image displacement results determined by this method indicate imperceptible movement for boron-doped silicon and silicon carbide membranes at a total incident dose of 500 KJ/cm2, while image displacement for diamond is 50 nm at 150 KJ/cm2 and silicon nitride is 70 nm at 36 KJ/cm2. Studies of temperature rise during the radiation test and effects of the high flux radiation, i.e., reciprocity tests, demonstrate the validity of this test method.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A preliminary prediction analysis of radiation fog

The system of physical equations describing temperature changes near the ground in fog-free air as well as in radiation fog is solved numerically. The variation of the exchange coefficient with height is taken into account using different models while time variations are still disregarded. Temperature changes due to latent heat effects are incorporated in this study. Moreover, the presence of radiative flux divergence is included in an approximate manner. The solution of the problem is presented in terms of graphs showing the development of temperature and water droplet profiles as function of time and height. Computed liquid water content as well as temperature profiles are in general agreement with observations while the vertical growth of fog usually proceeds too rapidly. Concrete suggestions are given of how to improve the model.
Production of human prolyl 4-hydroxylase in Escherichia coli

Prolyl 4-hydroxylase (P4H) catalyzes the post-translational hydroxylation of proline residues in collagen strands. The enzyme is an alpha2beta2 tetramer in which the alpha subunits contain the catalytic active sites and the beta subunits (protein disulfide isomerase) maintain the alpha subunits in a soluble and active conformation. Heterologous production of the native alpha2beta2 tetramer is challenging and had not been reported previously in a prokaryotic system. Here, we describe the production of active human P4H tetramer in Escherichia coli from a single bicistronic vector. P4H production requires the relatively oxidizing cytosol of Origami B(DE3) cells. Induction of the wild-type alpha(I) cDNA in these cells leads to the production of a truncated alpha subunit (residues 235-534), which assembles with the beta subunit. This truncated P4H is an active enzyme, but has a high Km value for long substrates. Replacing the Met235 codon with one for leucine removes an alternative start codon and enables production of full-length alpha subunit and assembly of the native alpha2beta2 tetramer in E. coli cells to yield 2 mg of purified P4H per liter of culture (0.2 mg/g of cell paste). We also report a direct, automated assay of proline hydroxylation using high-performance liquid chromatography. We anticipate that these advances will facilitate structure-function analyses of P4H.
Mast cell TNF receptors regulate responses to Mycoplasma pneumoniae in surfactant protein A (SP-A)-/- mice.

Background Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) frequently colonizes the airways of patients with chronic asthma and likely contributes to asthma exacerbations. We previously reported that mice lacking surfactant protein A (SP-A) have increased airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) during M pneumoniae infection versus wild-type mice mediated by TNF-α. Mast cells (MCs) have been implicated in AHR in asthma models and produce and respond to TNF-α. Objective Determine the contribution of MC/TNF interactions to AHR in airways lacking functional SP-A during Mp infection. Methods Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected from healthy and asthmatic subjects to examine TNF-α levels and M pneumoniae positivity. To determine how SP-A interactions with MCs regulate airway homeostasis, we generated mice lacking both SP-A and MCs (SP-A −/− Kit W-sh/W-sh ) and infected them with M pneumoniae . Results Our findings indicate that high TNF-α levels correlate with M pneumoniae positivity in human asthmatic patients and that human SP-A inhibits M pneumoniae –stimulated transcription and release of TNF-α by MCs, implicating a protective role for SP-A. MC numbers increase in M pneumoniae –infected lungs, and airway reactivity is dramatically attenuated when MCs are absent. Using SP-A −/− Kit W-sh/W-sh mice engrafted with TNF-α −/− or TNF receptor (TNF-R) −/− MCs, we found that TNF-α activation of MCs through the TNF-R, but not MC-derived TNF-α, leads to augmented AHR during M pneumoniae infection when SP-A is absent. Additionally, M pneumoniae –infected SP-A −/− Kit W-sh/W-sh mice engrafted with TNF-α −/− or TNF-R −/− MCs have decreased mucus production compared with that seen in mice engrafted with wild-type MCs, whereas burden was unaffected. Conclusion Our data highlight a previously unappreciated but vital role for MCs as secondary responders to TNF-α during the host response to pathogen infection.
Metformin in the treatment of infertility in polycystic ovarian syndrome: an alternative perspective

This editorial discusses the recent European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology/American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommendations on the treatment of infertility in polycystic ovarian syndrome. Evidence is provided for the use of metformin in selected patients.
Medicare payment policy: does cost shifting matter?

ABSTRACT: We examine cost shifting within the context of Medicare payment policy. We briefly review economic theory and available data and discuss the importance of cost shifting for policy. Then w...
VVC in the Smart Grid era

VVC facilities that maintain acceptable voltage at all points along the distribution feeder and maintain high power factor have been a fundamental requirement for all electric distribution feeders. Recent Smart Grid initiatives have created growing interest in the deployment of more advanced Volt-VAR systems for efficiency improvement, demand reduction, and better overall asset utilization. This paper identifies the ideal characteristics of the VVC system, describes several alternatives for accomplishing the VVC requirements and explains how well each approach provides the characteristics of the ideal system..
Laser-induced temporal and wavelength resolved spectroscopy of the 3Π-3Σ− system of matrix-isolated CNN

Abstract Detailed emission spectra, excitation frequencies, and single vibronic state lifetimes are reported for the matrix-isolated CNN radical. Discussion of the 3Π state relaxation from v′>0 (3Π) is presented in light of the observed results.
Neurosurgical confocal endomicroscopy: A review of contrast agents, confocal systems, and future imaging modalities.

Background: The clinical application of fluorescent contrast agents (fluorescein, indocyanine green, and aminolevulinic acid) with intraoperative microscopy has led to advances in intraoperative brain tumor imaging. Their properties, mechanism of action, history of use, and safety are analyzed in this report along with a review of current laser scanning confocal endomicroscopy systems. Additional imaging modalities with potential neurosurgical utility are also analyzed.
Effects of anesthetic agents on bile pigment excretion in the rat

Anesthesia-induced alterations in bilirubin conjugation were studied. Rats were fitted with bile duct and jugular vein catheters while anesthetized with diethyl ether, ketamine or pentobarbital. As anesthesia abated, bile was collected for the next 5 hr and analyzed for flow rate, total bilirubin excretion and bilirubin glucuronide composition. The high-performance liquid chromatography method used allowed direct analysis of bile without derivatization or extraction. Ether anesthesia was associated with a reversible suppression of diglucuronide formation and total bilirubin excretion, with reciprocal monoglucuronide changes. Bile flow and pigment excretion were variable with ketamine. Pentobarbital provided the most uniform excretion data, although the ratio of C-8:C-12 monoglucuronide varied with all drugs. These data are consistent with recently reported drug-induced alterations in hepatic uridine diphosphoglucuronic acid concentration and support the hypothesis that alterations in this substrate concentration are capable of influencing rates of hepatic glucuronide formation.
Distribution of mercury, cadmium, lead and thallium in a eutrophic lake

Five species of fishes, two species of aquatic macrophytes, zooplankton, migratory goose feces, water and sediments from a eutrophic lake were analyzed for mercury, cadmium, lead and thallium. Mercury was detected in fishes and sediments only while cadmium and lead were detected in all components. Thallium was detected only in sediments. Sediments in the lake act as a ‘sink’ for the four metals.
Functional limitations to daily living tasks in the aged: a focus group analysis.

We assessed constraints on daily living of 59 healthy, active adults 65-88 years of age in focus group interviews. Individual comments about specific problems were coded along the dimensions of (a) the locus of the problem (motor, visual, auditory, cognitive, external, or health limitations); (b) the activity involved (e.g., transportation, leisure, housekeeping); (c) whether the problem was attributable to task difficulty or the perception of risk; and (d) response to limitations (perseverance, cessation, compensation, or self-improvement). The data provide information about the types of difficulties encountered in everyday activities as well as the way in which individuals respond to such difficulties. Each comment was also coded in terms of whether it was remediable via training, design changes, or some combination of the two. More than half of the problems that were reported had the potential to be improved in some way, thus providing direction for future research in human factors and aging. Actual or potential applications of this research include identifying problems and difficulties that older adults encounter in daily activities such as transportation and leisure; more specifically, determining the degree to which such problems are potentially remediable by human factors solutions. Applications of this research also include understanding the types of systems, products, and technologies that older adults interact with currently, or are interested in learning to use.
Association of Fecal Coliforms With Soil Aggregates: Effect of Water Content and Bovine Manure Application

Manure-home microorganisms and organic particles can move in soils in large interconnected pores or in long macroporcs. These pathways in structured soils are located between soil aggregates or peds. Therefore, interaction with soil aggregates ma y substantially affect the ability of macropores to serve as bacterial conduits. The study tested the hypothesis that fecal coliform (FC) association with soil aggregates is affected by aggregate size, water content, and bovine manure application. Tyler loam soil aggregates were separated into three fractions. Air- dried and water-saturated aggregates were submerged in water-FC and water-manure-FC suspensions with concentrations of IO, 10, or 10 CFU mL for 24 h. The maximum association of FC with aggregates was observed in the experiments with air-dried aggregates in the water- FC suspensions: no measurable FC amount was associated with the saturated aggregates in the same suspension. In the water-manure-FC suspension, about 2.5 times more FC were associated with the air-dried soil aggregates than with the water-saturated aggregates. The FC amount associated with air-dried aggregates in the water-mamire-FC suspension was about 300 times less compared with the amount in the water-CC suspension. The FC association with the aggregates was not affected by aggregate size. Increased water content of soil aggregates and pres- ence of manure in water-FC suspensions decreased FC association with soil aggregates. Because FC transport in soil generally occurs through interaggregate pores after rainfalls after manure applications, a decrease in bacteria-soil association with aggregates can enhance bacterial mobility and increase risk of groundwater contamination.
Knowledge-based Fragment Binding Prediction

Target-based drug discovery must assess many drug-like compounds for potential activity. Focusing on low-molecular-weight compounds (fragments) can dramatically reduce the chemical search space. However, approaches for determining protein-fragment interactions have limitations. Experimental assays are time-consuming, expensive, and not always applicable. At the same time, computational approaches using physics-based methods have limited accuracy. With increasing high-resolution structural data for protein-ligand complexes, there is now an opportunity for data-driven approaches to fragment binding prediction. We present FragFEATURE, a machine learning approach to predict small molecule fragments preferred by a target protein structure. We first create a knowledge base of protein structural environments annotated with the small molecule substructures they bind. These substructures have low-molecular weight and serve as a proxy for fragments. FragFEATURE then compares the structural environments within a target protein to those in the knowledge base to retrieve statistically preferred fragments. It merges information across diverse ligands with shared substructures to generate predictions. Our results demonstrate FragFEATURE's ability to rediscover fragments corresponding to the ligand bound with 74% precision and 82% recall on average. For many protein targets, it identifies high scoring fragments that are substructures of known inhibitors. FragFEATURE thus predicts fragments that can serve as inputs to fragment-based drug design or serve as refinement criteria for creating target-specific compound libraries for experimental or computational screening.
Nash equilibria for a model of traffic flow with several groups of drivers

Traffic flow is modeled by a conservation law describing the density of cars. It is assumed that each driver chooses his own departure time in order to minimize the sum of a departure and an arrival cost. There are N groups of drivers, The i -th group consists of κ i drivers, sharing the same departure and arrival costs ϕ i (t ),ψ i (t ). For any given population sizes κ 1 ,... ,κ n , we prove the existence of a Nash equilibrium solution, where no driver can lower his own total cost by choosing a different departure time. The possible non-uniqueness, and a characterization of this Nash equilibrium solution, are also discussed.
Anomalous path detection with hardware support

Embedded systems are being deployed as a part of critical infrastructures and are vulnerable to malicious attacks due to internet accessibility. Intrusion detection systems have been proposed to protect computer systems from unauthorized penetration. Detecting an attack early on pays off since further damage is avoided and in some cases, resilient recovery could be adopted. This is especially important for embedded systems deployed in critical infrastructures such as Power Grids etc. where a timely intervention could save catastrophes. An intrusion detection system monitors dynamic program behavior against normal program behavior and raises an alert when an anomaly is detected. The normal behavior is learnt by the system through training and profiling.However, all current intrusion detection systems are purely software based and thus suffer from large performance degradation due to constant monitoring operations inserted in application code. Due to the potential performance overheads, software based solutions cannot monitor program behavior at a very fine level of granularity, thus leaving potential security holes as shown in the literature. Another important drawback of such methods is that they are unable to detect intrusions in near real time and the time lag could prove disastrous in real time embedded systems. In this paper, we propose a hardware-based approach to verify program execution paths of target applications dynamically and to detect anomalous executions. With hardware support, our approach offers multiple advantages over software based solutions including minor performance degradation, much stronger detection capability (a larger variety of attacks get detected) and zero-latency reaction upon an anomaly for near real time detection and thus much better security.
The Artificial Heart

The story of the first implantation of a permanent artificial heart and the blizzard of reaction.
Citrullination of fibrinogen: generation of neoepitopes and enhancement of immunostimulatory properties

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects approximately 0.5% of the world population, yet the mechanisms underlying the development and progression of RA remain poorly understood. We are investigating the role of citrullinated fibrinogen as a pathogenic antigen in RA. Using arthritis antigen arrays we demonstrate that citrullinated fibrinogen is one of the earliest targets of the autoantibody response in RA, with autoantibodies against citrullinated fibrinogen appearing up to 10 years prior to the development of clinical arthritis. We further demonstrate that approximately 50% of CCP+ RA patients possess circulating immune complexes containing citrullinated fibrinogen, and that citrullinated fibrinogen containing immune complexes are deposited in human RA synovial tissues. To determine whether citrullinated fibrinogen can induce inflammatory arthritis in mice, we immunized mice with citrullinated fibrinogen and demonstrated that an inflammatory arthritis results and that both T cells and serum can transfer arthritis to naive mice. Fibrinogen is an endogenous ligand for the innate immune receptor TLR4, and to determine whether citrullination might alter the ability of fibrinogen to bind TLR4 we performed in vitro macrophage stimulation assays with native and citrullinated fibrinogen. We found that citrullinated fibrinogen was ten-fold more potent than native fibrinogen at stimulating macrophage TNF release. Further, macrophage derived from mice deficient for TLR4 or MyD88 did not produce TNF in response to citrullinated fibrinogen. Thus, our results demonstrate a novel mechanism by which anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) specifically targeting citrullinated fibrinogen may directly stimulate macrophage TNF production, via co-ligation of TLR4 and Fc-gamma-R. Our findings demonstrate a role for citrullination both in creating neoantigens targeted by the adaptive immune response in RA as well as by increasing the potency of fibrinogen as an endogenous innate immune ligand. These results provide insights into the mechanisms by which anti-citrulline autoimmunity, and specifically the citrullination of fibrinogen, may contribute to both the onset and propagation of inflammation in RA.
Handsome Wants as Handsome Does: Physical Attractiveness and Gender Differences in Revealed Sexual Preferences

In this article I evaluate the effect of physical attractiveness on young adults' sexual and romantic outcomes to reveal gender differences in acted preferences. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a probability sample of young adults (n = 14,276), I investigate gender differences in desired sexual partner accumulation, relationship status, and timing of sexual intercourse. I find gender differences in sexual and romantic strategies consistent with those predicted by the double standard of sexuality and evolutionary theory. Specifically, compared to men, women pursue more committed relationships, fewer sexual partners, and delayed sexual intercourse.
Vibrational properties of amorphous silicon-germanium alloys and superlattices.

Densities of states and localization characteristics have been calculated for vibrational modes in a-${\mathrm{Si}}_{\mathrm{x}}$${\mathrm{Ge}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{x}}$ alloys and a-Si/a-Ge superlattices, using amorphous tetrahedral networks generated by molecular-dynamics methods. For the alloys, the calculated densities of states agree very well with Raman scattering experiments at all concentrations 0\ensuremath{\le}x\ensuremath{\le}1. We explicitly show that an x-dependent feature at 390 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ arises primarily from Si-Ge bond-stretching motions. The localization of vibrational modes is enhanced in magnitude and in frequency range for the alloys as compared with the pure amorphous materials, but extended modes are still present at all x. To account for the Raman measurements on thin a-Si/a-Ge superlattices, a mixed Si-Ge interfacial region about 5 A\r{} in thickness is indicated by our calculations.
Stability of the second-order matrix polynomial

This note summarizes some existing stability and instability conditions of the second-order matrix polynomial which arises in the formulation of classical mechanics, aerodynamics, and robotic systems. Also, some sufficient conditions for stability or instability of the second-order matrix polynomial are newly developed via the relevant linear matrix equation obtained from the Lyapunov theory.
Synthetic H2OCO2 fluid inclusions in spontaneously nucleated forsterite, enstatite, and diopside hosts: The method and applications

Abstract Synthetic H2OCO2 fluid inclusions have been produced in forsterite, diopside, and enstatite hosts during the spontaneous nucleation and growth of these phases at T = 800–980°C and P = 6100−7800 bars via the reactions 2 TREM + 18H 2 O = 4 DIOPSIDE + 3 FORSTERITE + 5Si(OH) 4 · 2H 2 O (1) TREM + 3H 2 O = 2 DIOPSIDE + 3 ENSTATITE + Si(OH) 4 · 2H 2 O . (2) The inclusions are large (10–40 μm), abundant, and commonly of regular shape making them ideal as standards for microthermometric and spectroscopic analyses. The technique provides the opportunity to study fluid inclusion trapping mechanisms and their potential effect on inclusion chemistry. The fluid inclusions exhibit a small degree of compositional scatter about the ambient composition. Deviations between the ambient and inclusion composition increase for experiments performed in the presence of low (3–8°C) thermal gradients (along the capsule length). This observation suggests that compositional heterogeneities may develop in the absence of fluid convection in the capsule. The effect on the inclusion composition, however, does not exceed 3 mol% in XCO2 for all inclusions studied. The advantages of this technique are (1) it provides a means of producing fluid inclusions of known compositions in hosts other than quartz, and (2) inclusion formation is relatively slow, allowing ample time for the P-T-X(fluid) conditions of the run to equilibrate. The disadvantages are that the small grains produced can be difficult to work with, and the host-producing reactions are viable over a relatively narrow range of P-T-X(fluid) conditions.
Consequences of Acid Strength for Isomerization and Elimination Catalysis on Solid Acids

We address here the manner in which acid catalysis senses the strength of solid acids. Acid strengths for Keggin polyoxometalate (POM) clusters and zeolites, chosen because of their accurately known structures, are described rigorously by their deprotonation energies (DPE). Mechanistic interpretations of the measured dynamics of alkane isomerization and alkanol dehydration are used to obtain rate and equilibrium constants and energies for intermediates and transition states and to relate them to acid strength. n-Hexane isomerization rates were limited by isomerization of alkoxide intermediates on bifunctional metal−acid mixtures designed to maintain alkane−alkene equilibrium. Isomerization rate constants were normalized by the number of accessible protons, measured by titration with 2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine during catalysis. Equilibrium constants for alkoxides formed by protonation of n-hexene increased slightly with deprotonation energies (DPE), while isomerization rate constants decreased and activatio...
High-Frequency Limit of Bremsstrahlung in the Sauter Approximation

The expansion in powers of $\frac{Z}{137}$ utilized in the Sauter theory of the photoelectric effect yields a nonzero cross section proportional to ${Z}^{3}$ at the high-frequency limit of the bremsstrahlung spectrum, and also at the low electron energy limit of the pair production spectrum. These cross sections are related to the Sauter photoelectric cross section by detailed balancing. The results apply equally when the effects of spin orientations and x-ray polarization are considered.
Pilot-Plant Wet-Milling Process for Producing Corn Gluten Meal

ABSTRACT A pilot-plant wet-milling process was specially used to produce corn gluten meal (CGM) with a relatively high protein content (49.8% from Pioneer 3394 and 53.7% from Wilson D110). The protein content of the CGM obtained from a starch table in our pilot-plant procedure was similar to the results obtained by using the hydrocyclone method. Wilson D110 has a higher protein content in its corn kernels, producing higher yield and protein content gluten than the Pioneer 3394, which has lower protein content in the corn. The effects of drying method and temperature on the color of CGM were also discussed.
Intercorrelations of maternal and infant behaviors inMacaca mulatta

Matrices of correlation coefficients among 38 behaviors of 32 mother-infant pairs are presented as an aid to future investigations involving experimental manipulations of the development of maternal and infant behaviors in the rhesus monkey. Such matrices are particularly useful when employed in the construction of social behavior scoring systems.
Transsexuals’ Embodiment of Womanhood

This article draws on in-depth interviews with nine white, middle-class, male-to-female transsexuals to examine how they produce and experience bodily transformation. Interviewees’ bodywork entailed retraining, redecorating, and reshaping the physical body, which shaped their feelings, role-taking, and self-monitoring. These analyses make three contributions: They offer support for a perspective that embodies gender, further transsexual scholarship, and contribute to feminist debate over the sex/gender distinction. The authors conclude by exploring how viewing gender as embodied could influence medical discourse on transsexualism and have personal and political consequences for transsexuals.
Effect of nitric oxide inhibition on capsaicin-elicited vasodilation in the rat oral circulation

The effects of local application of capsaicin on the vascular conductance of the oral structures (upper gingiva, lower gingiva, tongue, right and left submandibular glands) were studied with and without pretreatment with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a potent inhibitor of nitric oxide formation in rats. Alterations in tissue blood flow were measured by laser-Doppler-flowmetry; systemic blood pressure was monitored continuously during the experiments. Local application of increasing concentrations of capsaicin (1.0; 3.33; 10.0; 33.3 mM; in a volume of 5 microliters) resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the vascular conductance of all tissues investigated. There was a significant correlation between the values obtained for vascular conductance in the right and the left submandibular glands. Bolus intravenous injection of L-NAME (10 mg kg-1) elevated the mean systemic blood pressure significantly, by about 20%, with a rapid onset. This increase persisted until the end of the experiment. The augmentation of vascular conductance elicited by 10.0 mM capsaicin, locally administered, was significantly diminished in animals pretreated with L-NAME in all tissues tested. The results indicate that nitric oxide formation plays a significant role in the enhancement of vascular conductance produced in rat oral structures by local capsaicin administration.
Early initial therapy of advanced follicular lymphoma: the need for vigilance

Data from several recent studies have shown that the overall survival for patients with low grade follicular lymphoma has improved over the last two decades [1–3 ]. Although some studies have attri...
Topological dynamical systems associated to II1-factors

Abstract If N ⊂ R ω is a separable II1-factor, the space H om ( N , R ω ) of unitary equivalence classes of unital ⁎-homomorphisms N → R ω is shown to have a surprisingly rich structure. If N is not hyperfinite, H om ( N , R ω ) is an infinite-dimensional, complete, metrizable topological space with convex-like structure, and the outer automorphism group Out ( N ) acts on it by “affine” homeomorphisms. (If N ≅ R , then H om ( N , R ω ) is just a point.) Property (T) is reflected in the extreme points – theyʼre discrete in this case. For certain free products N = Σ ⁎ R , every countable group acts nontrivially on H om ( N , R ω ) , and we show the extreme points are not discrete for these examples. Finally, we prove that the dynamical systems associated to free group factors are isomorphic.
Failure Mode Clustering is Electronic Assemblies Using Sammon’s Mapping With Supervised Training of Perceptrons

An anomaly detection and failure mode classification method has been developed for electronic assemblies with multiple failure modes. The presented prognostic health management method targets the pre-failure space of the electronic assembly life to trigger repair or replacement of impending failures. Presently, health monitoring systems focus on reactive diagnostic detection of failure modes. Examples of diagnostic detection include the built in self test and on-board diagnostics. In this paper, damage pre-cursors from time-spectral measurements of the electronic assemblies has been measured under applied vibration and shock stimulus. The time-evolution of spectral content of the damage pre-cursors has been studied using joint time frequency analysis in a full-field manner on the printed circuit assembly. Frequency moments have been used to build a feature vector. Evolution of the feature vector with damage initiation and progression has been studied under shock and vibration. The feature vector from multiple locations in the board assemblies has been mapped into a de-correlated feature space using Sammon’s mapping. Several chip-scale packages have been studied, with SAC305 and SAC405 leadfree second-level interconnects. Transient strain has been measured during the drop-event using digital image correlation and high-speed cameras operating at 100,000 fps. Continuity has been monitored simultaneously for failure identification. In addition, explicit finite element models have been developed and various kinds of failure modes have been simulated such as solder ball cracking, trace fracture, package falloff and solder ball failure. The neural net has been trained using simulated data-sets created from error-seeded models with specific failure modes. The neural net has then been used to identify and classify the failure modes in board assemblies experimentally. Supervised learning of multilayer neural net in conjunction with parity has been used to identify the hard-separation boundaries between failure mode clusters in the de-correlated feature space. The assemblies have been cross-sectioned to verify the identified failure modes. Cross-sections indicate that the experimentally measured failures modes correlate well with the position of the cluster in the de-correlated feature space.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Electron transport in helium-rare-gas mixtures.

New calculations of electron transport in helium-rare-gas mixtures are presented. It is shown that the elastic collisions with helium in helium Ramsauer rare gas mixtures play analogous roles to weak inelastic collisions in molecular gas Ramsauer rare gas mixtures. The results illustrate that the swarm analyses of helium Ramsauer rare gas mixtures provide unique momentum transfer cross sections for the Ramsauer rare gases at low electron energies. The results significantly impact the low energy inelastic cross sections of molecular gases derived from swarm measurements.
Response patterns of single neurons in the tortoise olfactory epithelium and olfactory bulb.

The responses to odor stimulation of 40 single units in the olfactory mucosa and of 18 units in the olfactory bulb of the tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) were recorded with indium-filled, Pt-black-tipped microelectrodes. The test battery consisted of 27 odorants which were proved effective by recording from small bundles of olfactory nerve. Two concentrations of each odorant were employed. These values were adjusted for response magnitudes equal to those for amyl acetate at –2.5 and –3.5 log concentration in olfactory twig recording. Varying concentrations were generated by an injection-type olfactometer. The mucosal responses were exclusively facilitory with a peak frequency of 16 impulses/sec. 19 mucosal units responded to at least one odorant and each unit was sensitive to a limited number of odorants (1–15). The sensitivity pattern of each unit was highly individual, with no clear-cut types, either chemical or qualitative, emerging. Of the 18 olfactory bulb units sampled, all responded to at least one odorant. The maximum frequency observed during a response was 39 impulses/sec. The bulbar neurons can be classified into two types. There are neurons that respond exclusively with facilitation and others that respond with facilitation to some odorants and with inhibition to others. Qualitatively or chemically similar odorants did not generate similar patterns across bulbar units.
Acquired pendular nystagmus in toluene addiction

We studied the ocular motor abnormalities in 4 patients chronically addicted to sniffing glue containing toluene. They showed acquired pendular nystagmus with horizontal and vertical components. One patient also showed saccadic oscillations. The pendular nystagmus may be a manifestation of a disturbance in brainstem-cerebellar connections secondary to the toxic effect of toluene on white matter.
ASSIMILATION OF HYDROCARBONS BY YEASTS

Forty-nine strains of kerosene-utilizing yeasts were taxonomically studied. All the strains except one belonged to the genus Candida, including the two new species. These were C. cloacae nov. sp. (1 strain), C. maltosa nov, sp. (1 strain), C. parapsilosis (26 strains), C. lipolytica (7 strains), C. tropicalis (3 strains), C. guilliermondii (1 strain), and C. intermedia (9 strains). The other one strain was Rhodotorula rubra. The descriptions of the new species were given.
Transport Properties of Wormlike Chains with Applications to Double Helical DNA and Carbon Nanotubes

Many extended threadlike polymeric structures (e.g., certain synthetic polymers, carbon nanotubes, double helical DNA, and certain polypeptides) exhibit a degree of chain-stiffness intermediate between the idealized rod and the random coil. Such structures can be reasonably well described by the wormlike chain model, and we apply our previously developed numerical path-integration method to determine both the intrinsic viscosity [η] and the friction coefficient f of wormlike chains. We have also determined finite-thickness contributions to the volume and the radius of gyration and developed approximants for [η] and f that should be useful in characterization work. Our results are compared to previous computations of [η] and f and the uncertainties of the various computational methods for calculating these transport properties are considered. Our results are also compared to experimental viscometric, sedimentation, and light scattering results for double helical DNA, where we obtain accurate fits by assumi...
Ultrasound measurements of ventricular wall motion following administration of vasoactive drugs

Abstract The analog presentation of the echocardiogram was used to record left ventricular posterior wall motion in 19 patients given vasoactive drugs at the time of cardiac catheterization. In 13 patients, an infusion of isoproterenol produced significant increases in posterior wall excursion (16 percent), mean posterior wall velocity (54 percent) and maximal posterior wall velocity (73 percent). Anticipated mean increases in heart rate, cardiac output and maximal rate of left ventricular pressure rise were also observed while end-diastolic pressure fell. Atropine produced similar changes in 2 patients except for a slight (10 percent) fall in wall excursion. The pressure-velocity relations expressed by plotting maximal posterior wall velocity against the temporally related left ventricular systolic pressure demonstrated an upward and rightward shift after administration of these drugs, suggesting a positive inotropic effect. In contrast, methoxamine produced a slight, early fall in the velocity indexes, and left ventricular systolic pressure rose 16 percent, resulting in a rightward and somewhat downward shift in the pressure-velocity relation. This study indicates that ultrasound cardiography is sensitive to drug-induced changes in posterior wall motion.
Real-time memory efficient data redundancy removal algorithm

Data intensive computing has become a central theme in research community and industry. There is an ever growing need to process and analyze massive amounts of data from diverse sources such as telecom call data records, telescope imagery, online transaction records, web pages, stock markets, medical records (monitoring critical health conditions of patients), climate warning systems, etc. Removing redundancy in the data is an important problem as it helps in resource and compute efficiency for downstream processing of the massive (1 billion to 10 billion records) datasets. In application domains such as IR, stock markets, telecom and others, there is a strong need for real-time data redundancy removal (referred to as DRR) of enormous amounts of data flowing at the rate of 1 GB/s or more. Real-time scalable data redundancy removal on massive datasets is a challenging problem. We present the design of a novel parallel data redundancy removal algorithm for both in-memory and disk-based execution. We also develop queueing theoretic analysis to optimize the throughput of our parallel algorithm on multi-core architectures. For 500 million records, our parallel algorithm can perform complete de-duplication in 255s, on 16 core Intel Xeon 5570 architecture, with in-memory execution. This gives a throughput of 2M records/s. For 6 billion records, our parallel algorithm can perform complete de-duplication in less than 4.5 hours, using 6 cores of Intel Xeon 5570, with disk-based execution. This gives a throughput of around 370K records/s. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest real-time throughput for data redundancy removal on such massive datasets. We also demonstrate the scalability of our algorithm with increasing number of cores and data.
An investigation of naming errors following semantic and phonemic cueing

Abstract This study investigated the types of verbal errors produced by aphasic patients following phonemic and semantic cueing. Twenty-eight aphasic patients—10 Broca's, 10 Wernicke's and 8 conduction aphasics—served as subjects. Semantic and phonemic cues were administered on object and action confrontation-naming tasks. When subjects did not respond correctly to phonemic cueing, a significantly greater number of phonemic errors were produced, with a concurrent decline in related words and extended circumlocutions. When subjects failed to respond to semantic cueing on the action task, there was an increase in a number of error categories.
Tract-based spatial statistics of diffusion tensor imaging in adults with dyslexia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Diffusion tensor imaging is a tool that can be used to study white matter microstructure in dyslexia. We tested the hypothesis that dyslexics have a white matter structural change (as measured by directional diffusion of water, which can be affected by disruption in white matter tracts) between brain regions that previous functional connectivity studies showed were associated with phonologic processing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scans were acquired from 7 healthy adult normal readers and from 14 adults with dyslexia on a 1.5T scanner. Voxelwise statistical analysis of the fractional anisotropy data were carried out by using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics to compare dyslexic subjects versus control subjects in white matter tracts. RESULTS: Significant group difference map clusters (comparing adults with and without dyslexia) occurred in specific bilateral white matter tracts within the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe, and parietal lobe. CONCLUSION: The DTI fractional anisotropy results in the bilateral white matter showing higher fractional anisotropy in adult control subjects compared with adults with dyslexia (relating to white matter fiber tract integrity) are consistent with our previous functional connectivity results from seed points in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus.
Assessing future possible selves by gender and socioeconomic status using the anticipated life history measure

This is a report from the first phase of a longitudinal study of the ways young adults imagine their future lives. The future possible selves of 223 18- and 19-year-old adults were examined using the Anticipated Life History measure (ALH), a psychological instrument prompting participants to describe their future life course from their 21st birthday until their death. When the ALH narratives were coded for presence/absence of life events, female participants were more likely to predict career choice, marriage, children, divorce, and death of spouse than their male counterparts; when coded for psychological qualities, female participants demonstrated greater psychological complexity and awareness of future life role choices and conflicts. Participants with lower SES wrote ALH narratives with fewer altruistic acts, less awareness of life role complexity, and fewer anticipated conflicts and their resolutions than those with higher SES.
On the first and second order derivatives of the Perron vector

Abstract In a previous work [5] the authors developed formulas for the second order partial derivatives of the Perron root as a function of the matrix entries at an essentially nonnegative and irreducible matrix. These formulas, which involve the group generalized inverse of an associated M -matrix, were used to investigate the concavity and convexity of the Perron root as a function of the entries. The authors now combine the above results together with an approach taken in an earlier joint paper [6] of the second author with L. Elsner and C. Johnson, and they develop formulas for the second order derivatives of an appropriately normalized Perron vector with respect to the matrix entries, which again are given in terms the group generalized inverse of an associated M -matrix. Convexity properties of the Perron vector as a function of the entries of the matrix are then examined. In addition, formulas for the first derivative of the Perron vector resulting from different normalizations of this eigenvector are also given. A by-product of one of these formulas yields that the group generalized inverse of a singular and irreducible M -matrix can be diagonally scaled to a matrix which is entrywise column diagonally dominant.
A Minimum Frame Error Criterion for Hidden Markov Model Training

Hidden Markov models (HMM) have been widely studied and applied over decades. The standard supervised learning method for HMM is maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) which maximizes the joint probability of training data. However, the most natural way of training would be finding the parameters that directly minimize the error rate of a given training set. In this article, we propose a novel learning method that minimizes the number of incorrectly decoded labels frame-wise. To do this, we construct a smooth function that is arbitrarily close to the exact frame error rate and minimize it directly using a gradient-based optimization algorithm. The proposed approach is intuitive and simple. We applied our method to the task of chord recognition in music, and the results show that it performs better than Maximum Likelihood Estimation and Minimum Classification Error.
EVIDENCE FOR THE PECTIC NATURE OF THE MIDDLE LAMELLA OF POTATO TUBER CELL WALLS BASED ON CHROMATOGRAPHY OF MACERATING ENZYMES

A B S T R A C T Chromatography of fungal enzyme mixtures on cellulose phosphate columns using pH-gradient elution was followed by analysis of the separated fractions for polygalacturonase, maceration of killed potato tuber slices, anid, in some instances, for pectin transeliminase and cellulase. The peaks of maceration activity coincided with those of endo-polygalacturonase and pectin transeliminase. The latter was confirmed by further separation on DEAE-cellulose. Exo-polygalacturonase appeared not to macerate, and no indication was obtained of maceration by several other polysaccharases known to be present, although they might be demonstrable in the absence of polygalacturonase. These results strongly suggest that the middle lamella of the cell walls of this tissue consist essentially of pectinate (pa rtly esterified polygalacturonate).
The injured lung: clinical issues and experimental models

Exposure of military and civilian populations to inhaled toxic chemicals can take place as a result of deliberate release (warfare, terrorism) or following accidental releases from industrial concerns or transported chemicals. Exposure to inhaled toxic chemicals can result in an acute lung injury, and in severe cases acute respiratory distress syndrome, for which there is currently no specific medical therapy, treatment remaining largely supportive. This treatment often requires intensive care facilities that may become overwhelmed in mass casualty events and may be of limited benefit in severe cases. There remains, therefore, a need for evidence-based treatment to inform both military and civilian medical response teams on the most appropriate treatment for chemically induced lung injury. This article reviews data used to derive potential clinical management strategies for chemically induced lung injury.