cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cognitive Audio Interfaces: Mediating Sonic Information With an Understanding of How We Hear

In a world of rich, complex, and demanding audio environments, intelligent systems can mediate our interaction with the sounds around us—both to enable meaningful, aesthetic experiences and to transition work from humans to computational agents. Drawing from several years of our research, we suggest that the design of such systems must be driven by a deep understanding of auditory cognition. In this article, we discuss two concrete approaches we take toward cognition-informed interface design—one that begins with sounds themselves to form explicit, contextualized, cognitive models, built on the foundations of large-data parsing infrastructure; and one that begins with the individual, built from intuition surrounding the influence of the cognitive state on perception. We point toward an unexplored and compelling future at their intersection.
Child with Pulmonary Hemorrhage and Severe Anemia: An Unusual Presentation of Celiac Disease

Introduction: Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease affecting ∼1% of the general population, in which there is an abnormal mucosal response to the gluten protein in the duodenum. Celiac disease and its manifestations completely recede when gluten is removed from the diet. It is now more common to present with atypical consequences of celiac disease than with abdominal pain and diarrhea. These consequences include, but are not limited to, neurological problems, infertility, compromised dental enamel, and pulmonary hemorrhage. Pulmonary hemorrhage in the setting of celiac disease is known as Lane …
Gamification and Technology-Based Learning: Uncovering the Potential of Using Games in Language Teaching and Learning

The use of games in education has received much attention from educators who perceive games as a motivational tool that can enhance their teaching and learning practice. Gamification in education is a relatively new field that promotes the use of games for educational purposes. Gamification or game-bases teaching is a growing trend among educational institutions, which use it to promote training, develop problem-solving skills in learners, and enhance the learning experience. The present paper aims to revisit the literature on the use of gamification in educational settings. Specifically, the paper discusses the use of gamification for teaching and learning English in the ESL/EFL context. Games have been used effectively with language learners to develop their skills in speaking, listening, writing, reading, and grammar.
Comment on Andy Warhol Found. for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith , 992 F.3d 99 (2d Cir. 2021)

The Second Circuit’s decision in Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith retreats both from its prior caselaw’s generous characterization of artistic reuse as “transformative,” and from the outcome-determinacy of a finding of “transformativeness.” The decision suggests both that courts may be applying a more critical understanding of what “transforms” copied content, and that courts may be reforming “transformative use” to reinvigorate the other statutory factors, particularly the inquiry into the impact of the use on the potential markets for or value of the copied work. The court also provided an important explanation of copyrightable authorship in photographs. In addition to analyzing the Second Circuit’s decision in Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith, this Comment also addresses the relevance to transformative use of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Google v. Oracle, and concludes that the highly software-specific context of that case cabins its fair use analysis to functional code far from the “core of copyright.”
Competence: At The Intersection of Law, Medicine, and Philosophy

In the informed consent setting, our moral interest in competence stems largely from the moral premium we place upon respect for autonomy — roughly, the capacity of a person to shape his own view of the world, and to choose the ways in which he will participate in the world. This capacity, we believe, renders each person morally special, an initiator of thoughts and actions who can bear responsibility for who he is and what he does. Competence, in turn, ordinarily refers to the extent to which a person actually possesses and can exercise such capacities. He who is in full possession of them is considered to be fully competent ([9], [42], [16]).
Murine protein kinase CK2: gene and oncogene.

Protein kinase CK2 (casein kinase II) is a serine-threonine protein kinase with a wide range of substrates, many of which are involved in cell cycle regulation. CK2 activity is elevated in a variety of human tumors and we have used a transgenic mouse model to demonstrate that dysregulated expression of CK2 can induce lymphoma. Thus, CK2 fulfills the definition of an oncogene: A mutated, dysregulated, or mis-expressed gene that contributes to cancer in a dominant fashion. CK2 cooperates in transforming cells with other lymphoid oncogenes such as myc and tal-1, and here we show cooperativity with loss of the tumor suppressor gene p53. To understand more about the physiological and pathological role of CK2, we are cloning the murine CK2α′ cDNA and gene. CK2α′ will be used to generate transgenic and knockout mice and the regulatory elements for gene expression will be analyzed. (Mol Cell Biochem 191: 65–74, 1999)
Highly aligned arrays of high aspect ratio barium titanate nanowires via hydrothermal synthesis

We report on the development of a hydrothermal synthesis procedure that results in the growth of highly aligned arrays of high aspect ratio barium titanate nanowires. Using a multiple step, scalable hydrothermal reaction, a textured titanium dioxide film is deposited on titanium foil upon which highly aligned nanowires are grown via homoepitaxy and converted to barium titanate. Scanning electron microscope images clearly illustrate the effect the textured film has on the degree of orientation of the nanowires. The alignment of nanowires is quantified by calculating the Herman's Orientation Factor, which reveals a 58% improvement in orientation as compared to growth in the absence of the textured film. The ferroelectric properties of barium titanate combined with the development of this scalable growth procedure provide a powerful route towards increasing the efficiency and performance of nanowire-based devices in future real-world applications such as sensing and power harvesting.
Differential activation of inflammatory pathways in A549 type II pneumocytes by Streptococcus pneumoniae strains with different adherence properties.

Adherence of Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria to lung cells is a first step in the progression from asymptomatic carriage to pneumonia. Adherence abilities vary widely among S. pneumoniae patient isolates. In this study, the binding properties of S. pneumoniae isolates and the effects of binding on activation of the Nuclear Factor-Kappa-B (NFκB) pathway and cytokine secretion by type II pneumocytes were measured. Mechanisms of high- and low-binding S. pneumoniae adherence to A549 cells were investigated by blocking putative receptors on bacteria and host cells with antibody and by eluting choline-binding proteins off of bacterial surfaces. NFκB activation was measured by western blot and immunocytochemistry and cytokine secretion was detected by a protein array. This study shows that S. pneumoniae isolates from pneumonia patients (n = 298) can vary by as much as 1000-fold in their ability to bind to human lung epithelial cells. This difference resulted in differential activation of the NFκB pathway. High-, but not low-binding S. pneumoniae used Choline-binding protein A (CbpA) to bind to complement component C3 on epithelial cell surfaces. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) was the only cytokine secreted by cells treated with either low- or high-binding S. pneumoniae. These results indicate that S. pneumoniae clinical isolates are not homogeneous in their interaction with host epithelial cells. The differential activation of host cells by high- and low-binding S. pneumoniae strains could have implications for the treatment of pneumococcal pneumonia and for vaccine development.
Palladium-Catalyzed sp 2 C–N Bond Forming Reactions: Recent Developments and Applications

This review describes recent developments in the field of Pd-catalyzed sp2 C–N bond formation that were reported in the primary literature between 2004 and 2008. These transformations have found widespread application in both academia and industry. A brief history of the field is presented, followed by recent improvements and extensions of the methodology. Applications of these transformations to the synthesis of useful compounds, including biologically active molecules, and materials, are described.
Temporally and Spatially Coordinated Expression of Cell Cycle Regulatory Factors After Angioplasty

Intimal hyperplasia following angioplasty results in part from the migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). However, the cell cycle regulatory networks underlying injury-induced VSMC proliferation are largely unknown. In the present study, we examined the kinetics of expression and activity of cell cycle regulatory factors after angioplasty in rat and human arteries. Cell lysates were prepared from uninjured rat carotid arteries and at different time points after balloon denudation. Marked induction of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), the G1/S cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk2), and its regulatory subunits (cyclin E and cyclin A) occurred between 1 and 2 days after angioplasty, was sustained up to 10 days after injury, and then declined. Induction of these factors correlated with increased cdk2-, cyclin E-, and cyclin A-dependent kinase activity, indicating the assembly of functional cdk2/cyclin E and cdk2/cyclin A holoenzymes in the injured arterial wall. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed early expression of cdk2, cyclin E, and PCNA within the media of injured carotid arteries. At later time points, expression of these markers declined to basal levels in the media but was detected within the intimal lesion. Thus, VSMC proliferation after angioplasty in the rat carotid artery is associated with a temporally and spatially coordinated expression of cdk2, cyclins E and A, and PCNA. Analysis of human arteries also revealed expression of these factors in VSMCs within restenotic lesions. Thus, cdk2 and its regulatory cyclins may be suitable targets to limit human restenosis.
Reliability of Hybrid Silicon Distributed Feedback Lasers

We present results from reliability studies on hybrid silicon distributed feedback lasers. The devices show no degradation at 70 °C for 5000 h. We investigate the influence on reliability of a superlattice between the active region and the bonded interface. Transmission electron microscopy images from a failed device show no defects in the active region along a 15-μm-long longitudinal cross section at the center of the laser cavity.
Phase-Only Complex-Valued Spatial Filter*

A new type of phase-only filter is described for wave-front construction, in which both the amplitude and phase information necessary to construct an arbitrary image over a limited field are encoded. It is shown that this phase-only filter can duplicate the performance of an ideal complex-valued spatial filter (a filter that controls both amplitude and phase transmittance). This phase-only filter controls the amplitude transmittance by the use of a modulated high-frequency phase carrier that diffracts a controlled amount of light into the image. This type of filter is particularly useful in the implementation of computational wave-front construction, because the maximum spatial frequency that must be plotted is associated with the image and not the carrier. The performance of the filter is examined both numerically and experimentally.
An evaluation of the eigenvalue approach for determining the membership values in fuzzy sets

Abstract The membership values of the elements of a fuzzy set of key importance in any theoretical or practical application of fuzzy set theory. Although there are many methods that evaluate membership values, the methd proposed by Saaty [8,9] based on matrix of pairwise comparisons and eigenvalue theory, is the backbone of many other methods. In this paper we evaluate the above method by using a forward error analysis approach with the assumption that the true membership values in a fuzzy set are continuous in the interval (0, 1). The results reveal that the eigenvalue method is dramatically inaccurate even for fuzzy sets with few members.
Pharmacies' noncompliance with 2009 Joint Commission hospital accreditation requirements.

For 2009, the Joint Commission made several changes to its medication management (MM) standards for hospitals and put into full effect the National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) on anticoagulation therapy. Onsite surveys have found that some of these changes have not been noticed or adopted by
Design and applications of large scale integrated planar lightwave circuit for WDM systems

In this paper, the design and applications of Large Scale Integrated (LSI) Planar Lightwave Circuits (PLCs) for WDM systems are discussed. The general design issues of PLCs', such as size, loss and crosstalk are addressed. A 32-wavelength optical add/drop multiplexer (OADM) with 4 pairs of fully addressable add/drop ports is presented as an example application for LSI-PLCs.
Effect of Red Light on Geotropism in Pea Epicotyls

Dose response curves were determined for phytochrome phototransformation and for a phytochrome-controlled decrease in geotropic curvature in epicotyls of dark-grown Pisum sativum L. cv. Alaska. Ten times as much light was required to produce a spectrophotometrically detectable transformation of phytochrome as was required to produce a significant change in the geotropic response. The red light energy required for a 50% phytochrome transformation caused a 90% change in the physiological response.
Characteristics of United States emergency departments that routinely perform alcohol risk screening and counseling for patients presenting with drinking-related complaints.

INTRODUCTION: Emergency department (ED) screening and counseling for alcohol misuse have been shown to reduce at-risk drinking. However, barriers to more widespread adoption of this service remain unclear. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of a nationwide survey of 277 EDs to determine the proportion of EDs that routinely perform alcohol screening and counseling among patients presenting with alcohol-related complaints and to identify potential institutional barriers and facilitators to routine screening and counseling. The survey was randomly mailed to 350 EDs sampled from the 2007 National Emergency Department Inventory (NEDI), with 80% of ED medical directors responding after receiving the mailing or follow-up fax/email. The survey asked about a variety of preventive services and ED directors' opinions regarding perceived barriers to offering preventive services in their EDs. RESULTS: Overall, only 27% of all EDs and 22% of Level I/II trauma center EDs reported routinely screening and counseling patients presenting with drinking-related complaints. Rates of routine screening and counseling were similar across geographic areas, crowding status, and urban-rural status. EDs that performed routine screening and counseling often offered other preventive services, such as tobacco cessation (PCONCLUSION: To increase routine alcohol screening and counseling for patients presenting with alcohol-related complaints, ED directors' perceived barriers related to an ED's capacity to perform screening, such as limited financial and staff resources, should be addressed, as should directors' concerns regarding the implementation of preventive health services in EDs. Uniform reimbursement methods should be used to increase ED compensation for performing this important and effective service. Language: en
Quality transformation efforts: no quick fixes.

The authors of 3 articles in this issue of Pediatrics describe the impact of efforts to improve the quality of neonatal care across multiple institutions.1,–,3 Each article reports improved neonatal outcomes, namely reductions in neonatal infections, late-onset bacterial infections, and central-line–associated bloodstream infections, respectively. All 3 projects were “success stories.” Examined together, however, an intriguing aspect is the varying methodologies used to educate and instill reliable behavior change in participating providers and the resulting varying degrees of outcome improvement. Wirtschafter et al1 studied 27 participant institutions, compared with 27 control institutions, at which participant status meant that staff member(s) participated in at least 1 workshop or Webcast to learn about best practices and how to implement them. Toolkits that clearly defined best practices were freely available to both participant and control institutions. All institutions reported their neonatal infection rates as the main study outcome for a 2-year evaluation period; data on compliance with best practices were not assessed. Kaplan et al2 evaluated 24 institutions that participated in 3 day-long learning sessions and monthly Webinars to educate on best … Address correspondence to Marlene R. Miller, MD, MSc, Departments of Pediatrics and Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University, 200 N Wolfe St, Room 2094, Baltimore, MD, 21287. E-mail: mmille21{at}jhmi.edu
Comparison of the Obturation Density of Cold Lateral Compaction Versus Warm Vertical Compaction Using the Continuous Wave of Condensation Technique

The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare quantitatively the density of standard cold lateral gutta-percha compaction and warm vertical compaction by using the continuous wave of condensation technique. Forty transparent acrylic blocks with 30-degree, curved root canals were instrumented using Gates Glidden burs and Profile 0.06 taper rotary nickel-titanium files in a crown-down manner. The blocks were weighed and randomly assigned to two evenly distributed groups. Group A was obturated with the cold lateral-compaction technique using medium-fine, gutta-percha accessory points until the canal was completely filled. Group B was obturated with the continuous wave of condensation technique until the canal was completely filled. The blocks were weighed again after obturation. Data were analyzed using a two-sample t test at the 5% significance level. Results demonstrated that the continuous wave of condensation technique resulted in a significantly greater density compared with cold lateral compaction. Warm vertical compaction using the continuous wave of condensation technique in acrylic blocks resulted in a greater gutta-percha fill by weight compared with standard cold lateral compaction.
Neighborhood unions and the cycle cover number of a graph

For several years, the study of neighborhood unions of graphs has given rise to important structural consequences of graphs. In particular, neighborhood conditions that give rise to hamiltonian cycles have been considered in depth. In this paper we generalize these approaches to give a bound on the smallest number of cycles in G containing all the vertices of G. We show that if for all x, y ≅ V(G), |N(x) ∩ N(y)| ≧ 2n/5 + 1, then V(G) is coverable by at most two cycles. Several related results and extensions to t cycles are also given.
Modeling permeability of 3-D nanofiber media in slip flow regime

Over the last few decades, numerous analytical and/or numerical expressions have been developed for predicting the permeability of a fibrous medium. These expressions, however, are not accurate in predicting the permeability of media made up of nanofibers. This is because the previous expressions were mostly developed for coarse fibers, where using the so-called no-slip velocity boundary condition at the fiber surface is quite justified. Removing the no-slip velocity restriction in this work, we study the effect of slip flow on the permeability of fibrous materials made up of nanofibers. This has been accomplished by generating a large series of 3-D virtual geometries that resemble the microstructure of a nanofiber (e.g., electrospun) material. Stokes flow equations are solved numerically in the void space between the nanofibers, with the slip flow boundary condition developed based on the Maxwell first order model. The influence of fiber diameter and solid volume fraction (SVF) on the media's permeability is studied, and used to establish a correction factor for the existing permeability expressions when used for nanofiber media.
Long-Term Outcome after Vitrectomy for Macular Edema with Retinal Vein Occlusion Dividing into the Occlusion Site

Purpose. To investigate the efficacy of treatment for macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO) with vitrectomy. Methods. This retrospective study identified patients with macular edema associated with RVO between January 2004 and April 2006. Inclusion criteria were eyes with (1) preoperative visual acuity (VA) of 20/40 or worse, (2) a central foveal thickness (CFT) greater than 250&#x2009;&#x3BC;m, and (3) vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane and intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide. Each patient had their RVO classified as a major or macular BRVO or hemispheric RVO (HSRVO). Results. Forty-six eyes with major BRVO, 18 eyes with macular BRVO, and 17 eyes with HSRVO were investigated. VA was significantly improved at 24 months after surgery for each group . Vision in the macular BRVO group 24 months after surgery was significantly better than that in other groups . For each group, a concomitant reduction of CFT was noted at every time point when compared to preoperative values . Conclusions. In macular BRVO, the postoperative vision 24 months after surgery was significantly better than the other groups. These findings suggest that additional and earlier treatments might be more important for patients with major BRVO and HSRVO than for those with macular BRVO.
Residual strength assessment of SMC composites subjected to dynamic impact

Abstract A methodology for predicting the residual strength property of SMC composites subjected to dynamic impact damage has been proposed in this paper. Blunt-ended cylindrical 25·4 mm long and 9·7 mm diameter steel impactors were used to inflict impact damage in the SMC-R50 and R65 materials in the velocity range from 30 to 95 m s −1 using a gas gun facility. The tensile strength property of both the materials has been found to be degraded to a greater degree when compared to the stiffness. The stronger and stiffer R65 material has shown a larger damage-zone size as well as greater strength degradation at a particular impact velocity when compared to the R50. This fact has been explained by introducing a new concept called the damage-diffusive power of the material.
CAD-oriented equivalent circuit models for rigorous full-wave analysis and design of waveguide components and circuits

A new multi-mode equivalent circuit model for cascaded waveguide step discontinuities is presented. This CAD-oriented equivalent circuit model enables rigorous and efficient full-wave analysis of waveguide components and circuits entirely by circuit simulation. The method has been implemented on the microwave circuit simulator Libra. Comparisons of circuit simulation results for single and cascaded inductive irises with the standard mode-matching method show perfect agreement. Results of a Ka-band bandpass filter analysis show good agreement with other mode-matching solutions.
Major depression and conduct disorder in youth: associations with parental psychopathology and parent–child conflict

Background: This study examined conduct disorder (CD) and major depression (MDD) in adolescents in relationship to parent–child conflict and psychopathology in their parents. Method: Participants were drawn from a population-based sample of twins and their families. Affected participants had lifetime diagnoses of CD and/or MDD; controls had no history of either disorder. Results: The presence of CD or MDD in an adolescent was related to increased rates of maternal MDD and paternal antisocial behavior. Both CD and MDD in adolescents were directly associated with high parent–child conflict. This association appeared unrelated to whether the father had a history of antisocial behavior; however, the association between mother–child conflict and psychopathology in the child was related to the mother having a history of MDD as well. Conclusion: The implications of these findings for the complex relationship between parental diagnoses, child diagnoses, and parent–child conflict are discussed.
The elephant, the blind men, and hypnosis.

The hypnosis community has struggled for over 200 years to craft a universally agreed upon definition of hypnosis that it can share with the public and utilize in guiding scientific research and cl...
Hoechst-IR: An Imaging Agent That Detects Necrotic Tissue in Vivo by Binding Extracellular DNA

Cell necrosis is central to the progression of numerous diseases, and imaging agents that can detect necrotic tissue have great clinical potential. We demonstrate here that a small molecule, termed Hoechst-IR, composed of the DNA binding dye Hoechst and the near-infrared dye IR-786, can image necrotic tissue in vivo via fluorescence imaging. Hoechst-IR detects necrosis by binding extracellular DNA released from necrotic cells and was able to image necrosis generated from a myocardial infarction and lipopolysaccharide/d-galactosamine (LPS-GalN) induced sepsis.
Using Model Checking to Detect Simultaneous Masking in Medical Alarms

The ability of people to hear and respond to auditory medical alarms is critical to the health and safety of patients. Unfortunately, concurrently sounding alarms can perceptually interact in ways that mask one or more of them: making them impossible to hear. Because masking may only occur in extremely specific and/or rare situations, experimental evaluation techniques are insufficient for detecting masking in all of the potential alarm configurations used in medicine. Thus, a real need exists for computational methods capable of determining if masking exists in medical alarm configurations before they are deployed. In this paper, we present such a method. Using a combination of formal modeling, psychoacoustic modeling, temporal logic specification, and model checking, our method is able to prove whether a modeled of a configuration of alarms can interact in ways that produce masking. This paper provides the motivation for this method, presents its details, describes its implementation, demonstrates its power with a case study, and outlines future work.
The Structure of Certain Spaces of Analytic Functions

Let μ be a measure of compact support in the complex plane. In 1991 J. E. Thomson described completely the structure of Hp(μ), the closed subspace of Lp(μ) spanned by the polynomials, when 1 ≤ p < ∞. Here we discuss the extent to which Rp(μ), the closed subspace of Lp(μ) spanned by the rational functions having no poles on the support of μ, admits a similar description.
Choice of nitrous oxide and its subjective effects in light and moderate drinkers.

Background Alcohol-drinking status has been shown to modulate the reinforcing and subjective effects of a number of drugs. We have previously published two studies on the modulating effects of alcohol-drinking status on choice for, and subjective effects of, nitrous oxide, but the results were equivocal. Using a methodology different from our previous studies, we sought to determine in a more definitive fashion the degree to which the choice of nitrous oxide and its subjective effects were modulated by drinking status.
Final common pathways in neurodegenerative diseases: regulatory role of the glutathione cycle.

Abstract Attempts to unify diverse mechanisms of neurotoxicity have led to the concept of final common pathways which characterize frequently occurring cellular responses to disruption of homeostasis. The clinical presentation and common patho-biochemistry of reactive oxygen intermediates of Guam's disease have suggested that such pathways may be operative in three major neurodegenerative disorders: Alzheimer's dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. A candidate-signaling pathway in this regard is characterized by the cascade arachidonic acid/HPETE/·OH/cGMP followed by activation of cGMP-dependent kinase and phosphorylation of NF-kB proteins and possibly CREB. This sequence may lead to apoptosis as well as long-term potentiation and memory and constitutes a biochemical correlate to excitotoxicity. The predominant control of ·OH release from HPETE, a checkpoint in this pathway, is exerted by the glutathione cycle, a central biochemical process that is also intimately associated with the synthesis of the neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA and is connected to energy metabolism. Modifications in the activity of the glutathione cycle may provide treatment options.
Commentary on Henry

In this paper, I offer three suggestions regarding the role of Aristotle’s concept of analogy in biology as alternatives to the views defended by Devin Henry. First, I argue that the concept of analogy in Aristotle’s biological treatises points to a similarity in capacity between parts. Second, that it is mostly of methodological importance for the practice of explanation rather than for the practice of classification. And finally, that it is used with regard to parts that are visibly different and incommensurate rather to parts that possess different material natures.
Pentobarbital sodium and attack behavior in male Siamese fighting fish.

An experiment was undertaken to determine the effects of pentobarbital sodium on intraspecific attack behavior in male Siamese fighting fish in an attempt to extend earlier findings with chlordiazepoxide and secobarbital sodium. Pairs of fish fought while immersed in 20 μg/ml or 40 μg/ml pentobarbital sodium or plain water. The 40 μg/ml group showed significantly less attack (e.g., biting, jaw locking) than either control or low dose groups without producing a change in general arousal. Quasisexual behavior, seen in an earlier chlordiazepoxide study, did not occur in the present study.
TU-C-108-12: A New Technology for Fast Two-Dimensional Detection of Proton Therapy Beams

Purpose: The authors have developed a novel detector technology for proton therapy dosimetrywith fine spatial and time resolution. New dosimetry technology tailored to proton therapy willreduce the uncertainties in beam characteristics, assist in the development of new and moreadvanced therapy‐supporting technologies, facilitate more rapid delivery and commissioning ofnew particle therapy facilities, and allow more comprehensive Quality Assurance measurements. Methods: The Micromesh Gaseous Structure, or Micromegas, is a technology developed for highcount‐rate applications in high‐energy physics experiments. Presented here are tests using aMicromegas chamber and specially designed amplifiers and readout electronics adapted to therequirements of the proton therapy environment and providing both excellent time and high spa‐tial resolution. Several iterations of Micromegas prototypes have been fabricated and assembled.Data has been collected with these prototypes in proton therapy beams to demonstrate the capa‐bilities and limitations of this new technology. Results: The digitized ionization signal from the chamber is found to be reproducible to betterthan 0.8%. Spatial resolution is determined to be 1.1 mm (1σ) at 1 ms time resolution. We resolvethe range modulator wheel rotational frequency and the thicknesses of its segments and showthat this information can be quickly measured owing to the high time resolution of the system. Oursystem resolves the high dose rate within a proton Bragg peak and measurements agree with aparallel‐plate ionization chamber (PTW 34070) to better than 1%. Conclusion: We have demonstrated an adaptation of Micromegas as a beam monitor for protontherapy, and the data indicates that Micromegas holds promise as a high spatial and time resolu‐tion measurement device. Systems of this type will be useful in future treatment methods involvingbeams that change rapidly in time and spatial position.
Large-area organic photovoltaic module—Fabrication and performance

Abstract Here we describe the fabrication of the largest (233 cm 2 total area) organic photovoltaic (OPV) module (polymer:fullerene) to be certified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). OPV solar cells were fabricated at Plextronics by spin coating a blend of poly 3-hexylthiophene-2,5 diyl (P3HT) and [6,6] phenyl C 61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) on top of our hole transport layer (HTL), Plexcore ® OC. In laboratory-scale devices (0.09 cm 2 ), this system routinely exhibits power conversion efficiencies exceeding 3.7%. This P3HT:PCBM active layer and HTL ink system was used to scale up to the larger area module (15.2 cm×15.2 cm module size, i.e. 233 cm 2 total area; 108 cm 2 active area), which was certified by NREL as having 1.1% total area efficiency (3.4% active area efficiency).
Impact of Lap-Band Size on Weight Loss: Does Gender Matter?

Background Laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) has gone through major design modifications to improve clinical endpoints and reduce complications. Little is known, however, about the effects of LAGB size on clinical outcomes, or whether outcomes differ based on gender. We set out to examine the impact of band size on surgical weight loss, reoperations, comorbidity resolution, and compare outcomes within gender.
Glucose alleviates ammonia-induced inhibition of short-chain fatty acid metabolism in rat colonic epithelial cells

Ammonia decreased metabolism by rat colonic epithelial cells of butyrate and acetate to CO2 and ketones but increased oxidation of glucose and glutamine. Ammonia decreased cellular concentrations of oxaloacetate for all substrates evaluated. The extent to which butyrate carbon was oxidized to CO2 after entering the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle was not significantly influenced by ammonia, suggesting there was no major shift toward efflux of carbon from the TCA cycle. Ammonia reduced entry of butyrate carbon into the TCA cycle, and the proportion of CoA esterified with acetate and butyrate correlated positively with the production of CO2 and ketone bodies. Also, ammonia reduced oxidation of propionate but had no effect on oxidation of 3-hydroxybutyrate. Inclusion of glucose, lactate, or glutamine with butyrate and acetate counteracted the ability of ammonia to decrease their oxidation. In rat colonocytes, it appears that ammonia suppresses short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) oxidation by inhibiting a step before or during their activation. This inhibition is alleviated by glucose and other energy-generating compounds. These results suggest that ammonia may only affect SCFA metabolism in vivo when glucose availability is compromised.
A Transcriptional Profile of Aging in the Human Kidney

In this study, we found 985 genes that change expression in the cortex and the medulla of the kidney with age. Some of the genes whose transcripts increase in abundance with age are known to be specifically expressed in immune cells, suggesting that immune surveillance or inflammation increases with age. The age-regulated genes show a similar aging profile in the cortex and the medulla, suggesting a common underlying mechanism for aging. Expression profiles of these age-regulated genes mark not only age, but also the relative health and physiology of the kidney in older individuals. Finally, the set of aging-regulated kidney genes suggests specific mechanisms and pathways that may play a role in kidney degeneration with age.
Power, Danger, and Control: Slave Women's Perceptions of Wilderness in the Nineteenth Century

In 1979, along with several other women, Patricia Reaux led her Houston neighborhood in a fight against a local landfill (Blum 284-335).
Multiproject Scheduling with Limited Resources: A Zero-One Programming Approach

A zero-one 0-1 linear programming formulation of multiproject and job-shop scheduling problems is presented that is more general and computationally tractable than other known formulations. It can accommodate a wide range of real-world situations including multiple resource constraints, due dates, job splitting, resource, substitutability, and concurrency and nonconcurrency of job performance requirements. Three possible objective functions are discussed; minimizing total throughput time for all projects: minimizing the time by which all projects are completed i.e., minimizing makespan; and minimizing total lateness or lateness penalty for all projects.
Immunotherapy for Alzheimer's disease: will vaccination work?

Active or passive immunization against the β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) has been proposed as a method for preventing and/or treating Alzheimer's disease (AD). In addition to lowering brain Aβ and amyloid burden in transgenic mouse models of AD, a beneficial effect of immunization on previously characterized memory impairment(s) has also been reported in these mice. Whether these preclinical data will predict efficacy in AD patients remains to be seen. A clinical trial of active immunization (vaccination) was halted, owing to a serious adverse event (meningoencephalitis), raising questions about the safety of this approach. Two recent reports suggest that immunotherapy-based approaches to treating and preventing AD will require careful antigen and antibody selection, to maximize efficacy and minimize serious adverse events. However, given the potential efficacy of this approach, we believe that immunotherapy for AD should not be prematurely abandoned.
Oxygen overvoltage on PtRh alloy electrodes

Oxygen overvoltage measurements were carried out on a series of PtRh alloy electrodes in 2 N H2SO4 solutions under conditions of both constant current and constant potential The effect of electronic structure of the electrode material was detected on the rest potential and the kinetics of the cathodic reduction of oxygen but not on the anodic evolution of oxygen. The electronic structure affects the electrode kinetics through oxygen or anion adsorption.
Structurally engineered cytochromes with unusual ligand-binding properties: expression of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Met-80-->Ala iso-1-cytochrome c

Abstract A strategy has been developed to express and purify a recombinant, nonfunctional axial-ligand mutant of iso-1-cytochrome c (Met-80-->Ala) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae in quantities necessary for extensive biophysical characterization. It involves coexpressing in the same plasmid (YEp213) the nonfunctional gene with a functional gene copy for complementation in a selective medium. The functional gene encodes a product with an engineered metal-chelating dihistidine site (His-39 and Leu-58-->His) that enables efficient separation of the two isoforms by immobilized metal-affinity chromatography. The purified Met-80-->Ala protein possesses a binding site for dioxygen and other exogenous ligands. Absorption spectra of several derivatives of this mutant show striking similarities to those of corresponding derivatives of horseradish peroxidase, myoglobin, and cytochrome P450. The use of a dual-gene vector for cytochrome c expression together with metal-affinity separation opens the way for the engineering of variants with dramatically altered structural and catalytic properties.
Effects of sucrose concentrations upon schedule-induced polydipsia on a FFI-60-sec. dry-food reinforcement schedule.

Food-deprived female albino rats were tested under a free-food schedule (FFI-60-sec.) in which water was freely available in both the test chamber and the home cage. 5 groups of 4 Ss each received different formulae of Noyes 45-mg. dry-food pellets. Group 1 received standard formula pellets containing 7.5% glucose. Group 2 received “no glucose” formula pellets. Groups 3, 4, and 5 received “no glucose” formula pellets with 4.0%, 16.0%, and 32 0% sucrose added, respectively, by weight. An inverse relationship between sucrose concentration of the pellets and water intake levels was obtained and all groups receiving sucrose or glucose pellets drank less than the group that received the “no-glucose” pellet.
Bi2Sr2Ca1Cu2OX film prepared using 266 nm YAG laser

Abstract Epitaxial growth of Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 O X (Bi-2212) was achieved on MgO(1 0 0) substrate using the fourth harmonics of Nd:YAG pulsed laser. The repetition rates of both 10 and 2 Hz were used to deposit Bi-2212. In order to change the repetition rate without any optical adjustment, another function generator was employed to modulate only the Q-switch (slower Q-switched). The axis of plume was strongly affected by the beam incidence angle of YAG. By adjusting the beam incidence angle, epitaxial growth was verified for Bi-2212 deposited at the repetition rate of 2 Hz.
Evaluation of the Eigenvalues for the Graetz Problem in Slip-Flow

Abstract A technique was developed for evaluation of the eigenvalues for the Graetz problem extended to slip-flow. The first four eigenvalues for Knudsen numbers of 0.02, 0.04, …, 0.12 were found. By using a least square curve-fit method, simplified relationships between the eigenvalues and Knudsen number were obtained. The efficient and accurate determination of the eigenvalues will lead to better predictions of heat transfer in rarefied gas flows and for gas flows in microtubes.
Pulling apart catalytically active Tn5 synaptic complexes using magnetic tweezers.

Abstract The Tn 5 transposase is an example of a class of proteins that move DNA sequences (transposons) via a process called transposition. DNA transposition is a widespread genetic mobility mechanism that has profoundly affected the genomes of nearly all organisms. We have used single-DNA micromanipulation experiments to study the process by which Tn 5 DNA transposons are identified and processed by their transposase protein. We have determined that the energy barrier to disassemble catalytically active synaptic complexes is 16 kcal mol −1 . However, we have found that the looping organization of DNA segments by transposase is less sequence-driven than previously thought. Loops anchored at some non-transposon end sequences display a disassembly energy barrier of 14 kcal mol −1 , nearly as stable as the synapses formed at known transposon end sequences. However, these non-transposon end sequence independent complexes do not mediate DNA cleavage. Therefore, the sequence-sensitivity for DNA binding and looping by Tn 5 transposase is significantly less than that required for DNA cleavage. These results have implications for the in vivo down regulation of transposition and the cis -transposition bias of transposase.
AUTOMATIC PROGRAMMING AND PROGRAM MAINTENANCE WITH GENETIC PROGRAMMING

Automatic programming is discussed in the context of software engineering. An approach to automatic programming is presented, which utilizes software engineering principles in the synthesis and maintenance of programs. As a simple demonstration, program-equivalent Turing machines are synthesized, encapsulated, reused, and maintained by genetic programming. Turing machines are synthesized from input-output pairs for a variety of simple problems. When a problem is solved, the solution is encapsulated and becomes part of a software library. The genetic program uses the library to solve new problems by combining library components with program primitives to synthesize new programs. When a new problem is solved or a known problem is solved more efficiently, the genetic program maintains the library so as to keep it valid and efficient.
Air plasma treatment of submicron thick PDMS polymer films: effect of oxidation time and storage conditions

The effect of oxidation time and storage conditions on the surface wettability of thin films of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) spun cast onto glass slides was studied. Films were oxidized in a low temperature air plasma for either 1 min or 6 s and stored in either air, water, or hexadecane. Analysis of the sessile water contact angle with time shows that partial to complete hydrophobic recovery occurs within days under all conditions.
Transcriptional mapping of Leishmania enriettii tubulin mRNAs

We have mapped the mRNAs for alpha- and beta-tubulins of Leishmania enriettii promastigotes and amastigotes and have demonstrated that each RNA contains a 35 nucleotide sequence on its 5' end which is not encoded contiguously with the rest of the message. Sequencing of the 5' end of the alpha- and beta-tubulin mRNAs revealed that this 35 nucleotide leader sequence is identical in both messages and that it is homologous to the spliced leader found on the 5' end of mRNAs in the related parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Additionally, we have sequenced regions of the alpha- and beta-tubulin genomic clones upstream from the mRNA encoding regions and have shown that the leader sequence is not encoded within these regions of DNA. Hence, Leishmania tubulin mRNAs may be synthesized by a discontinuous transcription process that links together the transcription products of two separate gene families, as suggested previously by others for the assembly of T. brucei mRNAs. Homologies between the Leishmania alpha- and beta-tubulin genes themselves and between these genes and the T. brucei alpha- and beta-tubulin genes have revealed sequences which may be important in synthesis or processing of Leishmania tubulin mRNAs.
THE GALACTIC DISTRIBUTION OF OB ASSOCIATIONS IN MOLECULAR CLOUDS

Molecular clouds account for half of the mass of the interstellar medium interior to the solar circle and for all current star formation. Using cloud catalogs of two CO surveys of the first quadrant, we have fitted the mass distribution of molecular clouds to a truncated power law in a similar manner as the luminosity function of OB associations in the companion paper to this work. After extrapolating from the first quadrant to the entire inner Galaxy, we find that the mass of cataloged clouds amounts to only 40% of current estimates of the total Galactic molecular mass. Following Solomon & Rivolo, we have assumed that the remaining molecular gas is in cold clouds, and we normalize the distribution accordingly. The predicted total number of clouds is then shown to be consistent with that observed in the solar neighborhood where cloud catalogs should be more complete. Within the solar circle, the cumulative form of the distribution is -->c(>M)=105[(M -->u/M) -->0.6-1], where -->c is the number of clouds, and Mu = 6 ? 106 M? is the upper mass limit. The large number of clouds near the upper cutoff to the distribution indicates an underlying physical limit to cloud formation or destruction processes. The slope of the distribution corresponds to d -->c/dMM -->?1.6, implying that although numerically most clouds are of low mass, most of the molecular gas is contained within the most massive clouds. The distribution of cloud masses is then compared to the Galactic distribution of OB association luminosities to obtain statistical estimates of the number of massive stars expected in any given cloud. The likelihood of massive star formation in a cloud is determined, and it is found that the median cloud mass that contains at least one O star is ~105 M?. The average star formation efficiency over the lifetime of an association is about 5% but varies by more than 2 orders of magnitude from cloud to cloud and is predicted to increase with cloud mass. O stars photoevaporate their surrounding molecular gas, and even with low rates of formation, they are the principal agents of cloud destruction. Using an improved estimate of the timescale for photoevaporation and our statistics on the expected numbers of stars per cloud, we find that 106 M? giant molecular clouds (GMCs) are expected to survive for about 3 ? 107 yr. Smaller clouds are disrupted, rather than photoionized, by photoevaporation. The porosity of H II regions in large GMCs is shown to be of order unity, which is consistent with self-regulation of massive star formation in GMCs. On average, 10% of the mass of a GMC is converted to stars by the time it is destroyed by photoevaporation.