cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Robust EEG emotion classification using segment level decision fusion

In this paper we address single-trial binary classification of emotion dimensions (arousal, valence, dominance and liking) using electroencephalogram (EEG) signals that represent responses to audio-visual stimuli. We propose an innovative three step solution to this problem: (1) in contrast to the typical feature extraction on the response-level, we represent the EEG signal as a sequence of overlapping segments and extract feature vectors on the segment level; (2) transform segment level features to the response level features using projections based on a novel non-parametric nearest neighbor model; and (3) perform classification on the obtained response-level features. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach by performing binary classification of emotion dimensions on DEAP (Dataset for Emotion Analysis using electroencephalogram, Physiological and Video Signals) and report state-of-the-art classification accuracies for all emotional dimensions.
Extraretinal photoreception in entrainment of crustacean circadian rhythms.

Abstract An attempt was made to determine whether entrainment of the circadian rhythms of locomotor activity and ERG amplitude of the crayfish involved extraretinal photoreception. The results of a variety of experiments involving surgical lesions and localized illumination provided evidence that both rhythms can be entrained via an extraretinal pathway. The data also demonstrate that the caudal photoreceptor is unnecessary for entrainment. Our evidence to date suggests that the extraretinal photoreceptor is located in the supraesophageal ganglion; however, the possibility of photoreceptive input from other regions of the CNS, particularly the optic lobe, has not been eliminated. It is also tentatively concluded that the circadian oscillators for both the locomotor and the ERG amplitude rhythms are located within the supraesophageal ganglion, but more data are needed to confirm this conclusion.
Distributed intelligent load management and control system

Demand response (DR) is becoming a key component of future smart grid that can reduce peak load and adapt elastic demand to fluctuating generations. While reducing energy bills for the participant, DR usually decreases its utility, which is different for distributed occupants inside a participating entity. A two-level distributed intelligent load management and control system is proposed in this paper to minimize the cost of the participant, where the cost is a measurement of disutility, considering differences across plug loads, with the load reduction constraint of a DR event. The control system contains a smart DR controller and distributed intelligent gateways. In the system, the cost function of a load is modeled to reflect the dissatisfaction of the occupant for switching off or dimming the load, and a two-level optimization method is deployed to minimize the participant's aggregated cost. Each intelligent gateway collects the cost functions of loads in the neighborhood of an occupant, generates its optimal cost function and sends to the smart DR controller. The smart DR controller utilizes those cost functions to allocate the load reduction among the gateways, which can then optimize the load reduction among loads for the distributed optimum. While the cost function of the loads can be modeled as either continuous or discrete functions based on the type of the load, Lagrange multipliers and particle swarm optimization (PSO) are utilized for optimization, respectively. This innovative method is implemented in a DR system of a building, and tests results show that the proposed distributed DR method is practical and promising.
Equilibrium free-radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate under nanoconfinement

The effect of nanoconfinement on the equilibrium free radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) is investigated using differential scanning calorimetry. The ceiling temperature is shifted to lower temperatures in 13 nm diameter pores, with pore surface chemistry showing no significant effect. The results indicate that the change in the entropy of propagation decreases in nanopores due to confinement effects (i.e. ΔSp,conf is a more negative value than ΔSp,bulk). The change in the entropy of propagation is independent of temperature for the bulk equilibrium polymerization, whereas the change in the entropy of propagation in nanopores becomes less negative and more bulk-like with increasing polymerization temperature presumably due to the lower molecular weight chains produced at high temperature. The data suggest that our system is one of weak confinement with chain entropy scaling with molecular weight to the 1.1 power (i.e. ∼ N1.1).
On a general class of long run variance estimators

a b s t r a c t This note proposes a class of estimators for estimating the asymptotic covariance matrix of the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator in the stationary time series models. The proposed estimator is general enough to include the traditional heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation consistent (HAC) covariance estimator and some recently developed estimators, such as the cluster covariance estimator and projection-based covariance estimator, as special cases. We also study the first order asymptotics of the Wald statistics based on the general covariance estimators when the underlying smoothing parameter is held fixed.
The behavioral study of accountants: A new school of behavioral research in accounting

Through a series of related studies the behavioral study of accountants has evolved as a body of knowledge focused on the practice of public accounting as a professionalized bureaucracy with special behavioral conditions surrounding the employment accessions (hiring) and separations (turnover). These studies have developed a common core of research findings over the past 25 years and now form the foundation of a new school of behavioral research in accounting.
Oxidative coupling of methane in dense ceramic membrane reactor with high yields

Oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) was studied with dense tubular Bi 1.5 Y 0.3 Sm 0.2 O 3 (BYS) membranes at various temperatures (870-930°C). BYS powders were synthesized by a citrate method. Tubular-shaped dense membranes of BYS in the fluorite-type FCC phase structure were fabricated by cold isostatic pressing with green machining. The best one-pass C 2 (C 2 H 4 +C 2 H 6 ) yield achieved for OCM in the BYS dead-end membrane reactor was 35% at a C 2 selectivity of 54% at 900°C. At the same C 2 yield, the membrane reactor mode gives C 2 selectivity of over 200% higher than the cofeed mode in the same membrane reactor under similar conditions. The oxygen permeation fluxes through tubular BYS membrane reactors under OCM reaction conditions are approximately 1.5 to 3.5 times higher than those under oxygen permeation conditions with He as the purge. After 6 days of OCM, BYS membrane remained in good integrity with minor phase segregation observed at the reaction side of the membrane.
Menarcheal timing and the long‐term persistence of fatness levels

As shown for 12,376 women participants in two different survey studies, fatness levels are directly and inversely related to reported menarcheal ages even in octogenarians. With due correction for the secular or generational trend in menarcheal timing, the present data would suggest long term persistence ("channelization") of fatness levels.
Ionic mechanisms of opposite synaptic actions of an interneuron in the abdominal ganglion ofAplysia

Im Abdominalganglion vonAplysia erzeugt ein einzelnes Interneuron monosynaptische Cl abhangige IPSP's in einigen postsynaptischen Neuronen und monosynaptische Na-abhangige EPSP's in anderen Neuronen. Iontophoretisch appliziertes Acetylcholin ahmt diese synaptischen Potentialen in jedem der nachgeschalteten Zelltypen nach.
Assessing dissolved organic matter dynamics and source strengths in a subtropical estuary: Application of stable carbon isotopes and optical properties

Abstract The dynamics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in subtropical coastal bays are complex. For example, variations in DOM characteristics and sources in Florida Bay are believed to be mainly driven by both hydrology and associated runoff of terrestrial DOM, and by primary productivity mostly from seagrass sources. However, confirmation and quantification of different DOM sources are still incomplete and needed for carbon budget assessments. Optical parameters based on excitation emission matrix fluorescence coupled with parallel factor analysis (EEM–PARAFAC) that had previously been tentatively assigned to both terrestrial and seasgrass sources. These correlated linearly with determined δ13C values, confirming an allochthonous, hydrologically-driven terrestrial source for the humic-like fluorescent components, while autochthonous DOM reflected by the protein-like fluorescence is mainly derived through primary productivity of seagrass communities. This study demonstrated the feasibility of combining optical signatures and stable isotopes in advancing the understanding of DOM dynamics in estuarine systems. Using stable carbon isotopic signatures of DOM, and applying a simple two end-member mixing model, the relative contributions of these two sources to the DOM pool in the bay were estimated. Results indicate that the highest proportion of DOM (ca. 72%) during the dry season was seagrass-derived, but clear variations were observed on both spatial and temporal scales. Limitations to the application of optical properties for the quantitative estimation of DOM sources in such coastal systems are discussed.
Biomarkers of hypoxia exposure and reproductive function in Atlantic croaker: a review with some preliminary findings from the northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone.

Abstract The long-term impacts on marine ecosystems and fisheries of the recent worldwide increase in coastal hypoxia cannot be accurately assessed at present due to our limited knowledge of the chronic sublethal effects of hypoxia on marine organisms. Moreover, it is unclear whether many marine fish and other motile species remain in hypoxic bottom waters long enough to trigger adaptive responses to low dissolved oxygen. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop reliable and sensitive biomarkers of sublethal hypoxia exposure and its deleterious effects on critical functions for maintaining population size such as reproduction. In this paper the molecular and biochemical responses to hypoxia and the role of the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonadal axis in the control of the reproductive cycle in fish are briefly reviewed. The potential use of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) as specific biomarkers of hypoxia exposure and changes in hormone levels and gonadal histology as biomarkers of reproductive function in fish are discussed. Recent field studies with a hypoxic-tolerant estuarine teleost, Atlantic croaker, have provided the first clear evidence in an aquatic species that reproduction and endocrine function are particularly susceptible to interference by environmental hypoxia exposure. Marked impairment of reproductive function and endocrine disruption was observed in individuals collected from hypoxic sites in East Bay, Florida and Mobile Bay, Alabama. The production of mature oocytes and sperm (gametogenesis), as well as sex steroid and vitellogenin levels in the blood, were significantly lower in croaker from the hypoxic sites in East Bay compared to the values in fish collected from the adjoining normoxic Pensacola Bay, whereas gonadal HIF-1α and HIF-2α mRNA expression was significantly elevated in fish from the hypoxic sites. Similar patterns of reproductive and endocrine disturbances and increased HIF-1α and HIF-2α mRNA expression were observed in controlled hypoxia laboratory studies with croaker. Preliminary findings suggest that reproductive and endocrine functions were also impaired in female croaker collected in 2006 from the hypoxic zone off the Louisiana coast. The production of mature oocytes (fecundity) was significantly decreased in fish collected from the hypoxic site compared to that observed at the normoxic site and this was associated with declines in circulating sex steroid and vitellogenin levels and gonadotropin releasing hormone mRNA expression in the hypothalamus. Moreover, tissue expression of HIF-2α mRNA and protein was significantly increased in croaker collected at the hypoxic site. It is concluded from these studies that assessment of HIFα(s) expression and reproductive/endocrine functions are promising as biomarkers of exposure to hypoxia and its potential long-term impacts on fish populations, respectively.
Cyclotron resonance of polarons confined to a surface

Corrections to the cyclotron resonance energy induced by electron---LO-phonon interaction for electrons confined to a heterojunction with magnetic field perpendicular to the surface are calculated. A weak Fr\"olich interaction with bulk LO phonons is assumed, and correlation due to the Coulomb repulsion of the electrons is neglected. Various approximations are compared for the two-dimensional polaron in the zero-density limit. The transition from two-dimensional to bulk behavior is studied, and an approximate method of calculation for an arbitrary confining potential is proposed and tested. Corrections to the cyclotron-resonance energy due to nonzero electron density are calculated by summing the "most divergent" terms in perturbation theory to all orders. It is suggested that correlation may be important for electrons in full or nearly full Landau levels.
Investigating the relationship between fetus EEG, respiratory, and blood pressure signals during maturation using wavelet transform.

In this study, we introduce the fast wavelet transform as a method for characterizing maturational changes in electrocortical activity, respiratory activity, and blood pressure in fetal lambs in early (110–122 days), mid (123–135 days), and late (136–144 days) third trimester (term 145 days). Each recording was 2 hr in duration. Wavelet decomposition was performed for six sets of parametersD 2j where 1≤j≤6. The six series wavelet transforms represent the following signal frequency bands: 1. 16–32 Hz; 2. 8–16 Hz; 3. 4–8 Hz; 4. 2–4 Hz; 5. 1–2 Hz; 6. 0.5–1 Hz. In the early group, power in the electrocephalogram (EEG) was highest in the fourth wavelet band, with relatively low power in the other bands. Increase in gestational age was characterized by increased power in all four wavelet bands. Power in the first wavelet band was significantly increased during low-voltage fast activity (LVFA) in the late group. The respiratory and blood pressure signals showed common frequency components with respect to time and were coincident with the LVFA EEG signal. Respiratory activity was only observed during some of the LVFA periods and was completely absent during high-voltage slow activity (HVSA) EEG. The respiratory signal showed dominant power in the fourth wavelet band, and less power in the third and fifth band. The blood pressure signal was also characterized by dominant power in the fourth wavelet band. This power was significantly increased during periods of respiratory activity. These results suggest a strong relationship between fetal EEG, blood pressure, and breathing movements.
EFFECT OF VARIETY AND COOKING METHOD ON COOKING TIMES, THIAMINE CONTENT AND PALATABILITY OF SOYBEANS

Dry mature soybeans were soaked and boiled in water or in 0.07, 0.2 or 0.5% NaHCO3 solutions or were soaked in water, fried in oil and boiled in water. Kanrich and PG-5 beans (vegetable types) required shorter boiling times than did Calland and Amsoy (field types). The boiling times decreased as the concentration of NaHCO3 increased but preliminary frying resulted in the shortest boiling times. Soybeans soaked and boiled in water or in 0.07% NaHCO3 solution contained more thiamine and had higher total palatability scores than did those prepared with 0.2 or 0.5% NaHCO3 solutions. Beans soaked and boiled in the latter solutions were darker and had mealy textures and alkaline flavors. Fried and boiled soybeans retained the most thiamine and had the highest flavor scores. Vegetable varieties of soybeans contained more thiamine than did field beans.
A Situation's First Powers Are Attracting Volunteers and Selecting Participants: A Reply to Haney and Zimbardo (2009)

This reply addresses three issues raised by C. Haney and P. G. Zimbardo (2009) in their critique of T. Carnahan and S. McFarland (2007). First, it clarifies Carnahan and McFarland's appreciation of the Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) but suggests that as a model for the power of situations, the SPE does not adequately consider self-selection and selection by others, both based in part in personal dispositions. Second, it comments briefly on Haney and Zimbardo's critique of Carnahan and McFarland's study and of its applicability to the SPE. Finally, it illustrates the importance of selection and self-selection for situations of torture and suggests their importance for many situations.
Identification of a histidine acid phosphatase (phyA)-like gene in Arabidopsis thaliana.

A close examination of the protein sequence encoded by the Arabidopsis thaliana gene F21M12.26 reveals the gene product to be a phosphomonoesterase, acid optimum (EC 3.1.3.2). A subclass of this broad acid phosphatase is also known as 'histidine acid phosphatase. ' This is the first sequence-based evidence for a 'histidine acid phosphatase' in a dicotyledon. One important member of this class of enzymes is Aspergillus niger (ficuum) phytase, which came into prominence for its commercial application as a feed additive. The putative protein from A. thaliana gene F21M12.26 shares many important features of Aspergillus phytase, namely, size, active-site sequence, catalytic dipeptide and ten cysteine residues located in the key areas of the molecule, but lacks all nine N-glycosylation sites.
A Fully Polynomial-Time Approximation Scheme for Timing-Constrained Minimum Cost Layer Assignment

As VLSI technology enters the nanoscale regime, the interconnect delay becomes the bottleneck of circuit performance. Compared with gate delays, wires are becoming increasingly resistive, making it more difficult to propagate signals across the chip. However, more advanced technologies (65 and 45 nm) provide relief as the number of metal layers continues to increase. The wires on the upper metal layers are much less resistive and can be used to drive further and faster than on thin metals. This provides an entirely new dimension to the traditional wire-sizing problem, namely, layer assignment for efficient timing closure. Assigning all wires to thick metals improves timing; however, the routability of the design may be hurt. The challenge is to assign a minimal amount of wires to thick metals to meet timing constraints. In this brief, the minimum cost layer assignment problem is proven to be NP-complete. As a theoretical solution for NP-complete problems, a fully polynomial-time approximation scheme is proposed. The new algorithm can approximate the optimal layer assignment solution by a factor of 1 + isin in O(m log log M ldrn 3 isin2) time for 0 < isin < 1, where n is the number of nodes in the tree, m is the number of routing layers, and M is the maximum cost ratio among layers. This work presents the first theoretical advance for the timing-driven minimum cost layer assignment problem. In addition to its theoretical guarantee, the new algorithm is highly practical. Our experiments on 500 industrial test cases demonstrate that the new algorithm can run 2times faster than the optimal dynamic programming algorithm, with only 2% additional wire.
Constrained Task Partitioning For Distributed Assembly

We address the distributed assembly of a structure by a team of homogeneous robots. We present an algorithm to partition 2- and 3-D assembly tasks into N separate subtasks that satisfy local and global precedence constraints between the assembly components. The objective is to achieve a partitioning that minimizes the workload imbalance between the robots and maximizes assembly parallelization. The algorithm consists of three phases: 1) an initial allocation of the subtasks to each robot via a variant of Dijkstra's algorithm; 2) a component trading protocol to balance each robot's workload without violating any constraints; and 3) the creation of an assembly plan for each robot that minimizes conflicts during execution. We present simulation results for three variants of the algorithm and experiments using our multi-robot testbed.
Nutrition practices of renal dietitians in hemodialysis centers throughout the United States: a descriptive study.

Objective Little is known about either the current practices of dietitians in hemodialysis (HD) centers or the practice guidelines that dietitians themselves would like to see developed or revised. This study sought to (1) describe a broad range of nutrition practices among renal dietitians working with adults receiving maintenance HD therapy throughout the United States; (2) determine the extent to which these practices are consistent with professionally accepted guidelines, references, and resources; and (3) ascertain areas in renal nutrition for which dietitians might like the clinical practice guidelines developed or revised. Design This was a cross-sectional study conducted by postal mail. Participants A survey was mailed to all domestic members of the Council on Renal Nutrition of the National Kidney Foundation (n=1270). All respondents who identified themselves as renal dietitians working with adult maintenance HD patients in dialysis centers were included in the study. Description The survey queried dietitians regarding a broad range of nutrition practices, including healthy body weight, adjusted body weight, energy requirements, clinical nutrition indicators, metabolic parameters, fluid management, serum potassium, and vitamin supplementation. Dietitians were also asked which guidelines, if any, they would like developed or revised. Results A response rate of 68.3% was obtained. The results suggest that (1) there is substantial disparity between renal dietitians' practices and Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative nutrition guidelines in several areas, e.g., the guidelines on weight and on energy requirements; (2) dietitians' reported practices are congruent with Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative guidelines regarding metabolic parameters (e.g., diabetes); and (3) there is substantial variability among dietitians in several areas of practice, including determination of interdialytic weight gain goals. The majority of dietitians agreed that new guidelines need to be developed for interdialytic weight gain (64%) and for vitamin supplementation (80%). Among those who indicated that current guidelines need to be revised (n=333), 25% specified guidelines related to weight, and 23% specified guidelines related to energy requirements. Conclusions This study highlights many areas in need of further research, and identifies areas in which renal dietitians would like practice guidelines developed or revised. As such, it may have implications for organizations such as the Kidney Foundation and the American Dietetic Association in their efforts to promote consistent, evidence-based practices among dietitians.
Strategies for carbohydrate recognition by the mannose 6-phosphate receptors

The two members of the P-type lectin family, the 46 kDa cation-dependent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CD-MPR) and the 300 kDa cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CI-MPR), are ubiquitously expressed throughout the animal kingdom and are distinguished from all other lectins by their ability to recognize phosphorylated mannose residues. The best-characterized function of the MPRs is their ability to direct the delivery of approximately 60 different newly synthesized soluble lysosomal enzymes bearing mannose 6-phosphate (Man-6-P) on their N-linked oligosaccharides to the lysosome. In addition to its intracellular role in lysosome biogenesis, the CI-MPR, but not the CD-MPR, participates in a number of other biological processes by interacting with various molecules at the cell surface. The list of extracellular ligands recognized by this multifunctional receptor has grown to include a diverse spectrum of Man-6-P-containing proteins as well as several non-Man-6-P-containing ligands. Recent structural studies have given us a clearer view of how these two receptors use related, but yet distinct, approaches in the recognition of phosphomannosyl residues.
ReQoS: reactive static/dynamic compilation for QoS in warehouse scale computers

As multicore processors with expanding core counts continue to dominate the server market, the overall utilization of the class of datacenters known as warehouse scale computers (WSCs) depends heavily on colocation of multiple workloads on each server to take advantage of the computational power provided by modern processors. However, many of the applications running in WSCs, such as websearch, are user-facing and have quality of service (QoS) requirements. When multiple applications are co-located on a multicore machine, contention for shared memory resources threatens application QoS as severe cross-core performance interference may occur. WSC operators are left with two options: either disregard QoS to maximize WSC utilization, or disallow the co-location of high-priority user-facing applications with other applications, resulting in low machine utilization and millions of dollars wasted.This paper presents ReQoS, a static/dynamic compilation approach that enables low-priority applications to adaptively manipulate their own contentiousness to ensure the QoS of high-priority co-runners. ReQoS is composed of a profile guided compilation technique that identifies and inserts markers in contentious code regions in low-priority applications, and a lightweight runtime that monitors the QoS of high-priority applications and reactively reduces the pressure low-priority applications generate to the memory subsystem when cross-core interference is detected. In this work, we show that ReQoS can accurately diagnose contention and significantly reduce performance interference to ensure application QoS. Applying ReQoS to SPEC2006 and SmashBench workloads on real multicore machines, we are able to improve machine utilization by more than 70% in many cases, and more than 50% on average, while enforcing a 90% QoS threshold. We are also able to improve the energy efficiency of modern multicore machines by 47% on average over a policy of disallowing co-locations.
Diffusion in ion-exchanged clinoptilolites

The two-dimensional channel structure of clinoptilolite has been altered systematically by ion exchange to study the effects of cation type, size, location, and distribution on the diffusion of N2 and CH4 probe molecules. Concentration-dependent diffusion time constants (D/L2) were determined from gravimetric uptake measurements for fully-exchanged K+, Na+, and H+ clinoptilolites, and highly-exchanged Ca2+ (89%) and Mg2+ (72%) clinoptilolites. Both plane sheet and parallel channel diffusion models were developed from the one-dimensional plane sheet diffusion equation and fit to the uptake data. Resulting values of D/L2 varied by a factor of more than 1,000 for both N2 and CH4, while kinetic selectivity spanned nearly two orders of magnitude for this group of modified clinoptilolites. Achieving this range in performance for the difficult N2/CH4 separation demonstrates the excellent potential for tailoring clinoptilolite by cation manipulation for the kinetic separation of other gas mixtures.
SAFER: Stuck-At-Fault Error Recovery for Memories

As technology scaling poses a threat to DRAM scaling due to physical limitations such as limited charge, alternative memory technologies including several emerging non-volatile memories are being explored as possible DRAM replacements. One main roadblock for wider adoption of these new memories is the limited write endurance, which leads to wear-out related permanent failures. Furthermore, technology scaling increases the variation in cell lifetime resulting in early failures of many cells. Existing error correcting techniques are primarily devised for recovering from transient faults and are not suitable for recovering from permanent stuck-at faults, which tend to increase gradually with repeated write cycles. In this paper, we propose SAFER, a novel hardware-efficient multi-bit stuck-at fault error recovery scheme for resistive memories, which can function in conjunction with existing wear-leveling techniques. SAFER exploits the key attribute that a failed cell with a stuck-at value is still readable, making it possible to continue to use the failed cell to store data, thereby reducing the hardware overhead for error recovery. SAFER partitions a data block dynamically while ensuring that there is at most one fail bit per partition and uses single error correction techniques per partition for fail recovery. SAFER increases the number of recoverable fails and achieves better lifetime improvement with smaller hardware overhead relative to recently proposed Error Correcting Pointers and even ideal hamming coding scheme.
When bad things happen to good fish: the loss of hemoglobin and myoglobin expression in Antarctic icefishes

The Antarctic icefishes (Family Channichthyidae) provide excellent examples of unique traits that can arise in a chronically cold and isolated environment. Their loss of hemoglobin (Hb) expression, and in some cases, loss of myoglobin (Mb) expression, has taught us much about the function of these proteins. Although absences of the proteins are fixed traits in icefishes, the losses do not appear to be of adaptive value. Contrary to some suggestions, loss of Hb has led to higher energetic costs for circulating blood, and losses of Mb have reduced cardiac performance. Moreover, losses of Hb and Mb have resulted in extensive modifications to the cardiovascular system to ensure adequate oxygen delivery to working muscles. Recent studies suggest that losses of Hb and Mb, and their associated nitric oxide (NO)-oxygenase activities, may have accelerated the development and evolution of these cardiovascular modifications. The high levels of NO that should occur in the absence of Hb and Mb have been shown in other animal groups to lead to an increase in tissue vascularization, an increase in the lumenal diameter of blood vessels, and an increase in mitochondrial densities. These characteristics are all hallmark traits of Antarctic icefishes. Homeostatic feedback mechanisms thus may have accelerated evolution of the pronounced cardiovascular traits of Antarctic icefishes.
Frequency-dependent processes: a model for short-term memory

Abstract Many biological respomses are dependent on the frequency of excitation. Frequency-dependent processes are a class of ligand binding processes where the degree of binding site saturation may be dependent on the cumulative duration of ligand release or receptor access. Here we derive several results that aid in designing experiments in the study of frequency dependent processes. Specifically, we show that for activity dependent memory processes, the steady state degree of binding site saturation is dependent on the frequency of stimulation as well as the uptake and recovery rates of the ligand. Based on this formalism, one could predict the ‘quality’ of short term memory to be directly related to the number of training sessions and inversely related to the interval between training sessions. A simulation of a Hodgkin-Huxley membrane demonstrates frequency dependent increases of action potential duration in response to progressive reduction in potassium conductance, consistent with experimental observations. These results suggest that action potential duration may be a general measure of ‘memory’ associated with a specific neutral pathway.
Laboratory Validation of Inertial Body Sensors to Detect Cigarette Smoking Arm Movements

Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Traditional in-clinic cessation interventions may fail to intervene and interrupt the rapid progression to relapse that typically occurs following a quit attempt. The ability to detect actual smoking behavior in real-time is a measurement challenge for health behavior research and intervention. The successful detection of real-time smoking through mobile health (mHealth) methodology has substantial implications for developing highly efficacious treatment interventions. The current study was aimed at further developing and testing the ability of inertial sensors to detect cigarette smoking arm movements among smokers. The current study involved four smokers who smoked six cigarettes each in a laboratory-based assessment. Participants were outfitted with four inertial body movement sensors on the arms, which were used to detect smoking events at two levels: the puff level and the cigarette level. Two different algorithms (Support Vector Machines (SVM) and Edge-Detection based learning) were trained to detect the features of arm movement sequences transmitted by the sensors that corresponded with each level. The results showed that performance of the SVM algorithm at the cigarette level exceeded detection at the individual puff level, with low rates of false positive puff detection. The current study is
Optimization of an ocean thermal energy conversion system

Abstract The optimum performance of a simple Rankine cycle ocean thermal energy conversion plant is investigated analytically. It is shown that the ratio of maximum net power output to heat exchanger surface area varies as H(Δt − t 0 ) 2 where H describes the overall heat transfer properties of the evaporator and condenser, Δt is the temperature difference between the warm and cold sea water supplies, and t 0 is a parameter depending primarily upon the pressure drops across the warm and cold sea water pumping systems. The model is relatively insensitive to the choice of working fluid, although ammonia is used as the illustrative example.
High-Resolution Radar via Compressed Sensing

A stylized compressed sensing radar is proposed in which the time-frequency plane is discretized into an N times N grid. Assuming the number of targets K is small (i.e., K Lt N2), then we can transmit a sufficiently ldquoincoherentrdquo pulse and employ the techniques of compressed sensing to reconstruct the target scene. A theoretical upper bound on the sparsity K is presented. Numerical simulations verify that even better performance can be achieved in practice. This novel-compressed sensing approach offers great potential for better resolution over classical radar.
“A Peculiar Stampe of Our Owne”: The Massachusetts Mint and the Battle over Sovereignty, 1652–1691

Abstract The Massachusetts mint of 1652-82 was a remarkably bold expression of colonial sovereignty. As a restored monarchy sought to wrest control of the Boston coinage after 1660, pragmatic moderates within the colony simultaneously sought to overpower the radical faction that, in clinging to the Bay shilling, demonstrated its dangerous pretensions to independence.
Identification, Characterization, Epitope Mapping, and Three-Dimensional Modeling of the α-Subunit of β-Conglycinin of Soybean, a Potential Allergen for Young Pigs

Soybean meal (SBM), the major byproduct of soybean oil extraction, is the main protein source for swine diets globally. In the United States, 8.6 million metric tons of SBM was used in swine rations in 2004. The pathological effect and immunological response of SBM feeding have been demonstrated in swine. In this study, we have utilized plasma collected from piglet feed with SBM in immunoblot analysis to detect proteins that elicited antigenic responses. We have identified soybean beta-conglycinin alpha-subunit as being a potential allergen for young piglets. Characterization of this protein indicated that deglycosylation and pepsin digestion did not eliminate immunoreactivity of this protein. Epitope mapping utilizing planar cellulose supports technology (SPOT) showed that three peptides spanning amino acids S185-R231 were critical for the allergenicity. A computer-generated three-dimensional structure model of the alpha-subunit of beta-conglycinin indicated that the antigenic epitopes were located on the surface of the protein. Information from this study may assist in the construction of recombinant nonallergenic soybean protein useable for both immunotherapy and the potential production of hypoallergenic soybean plants.
Wound trauma increases radiation-induced mortality by activation of iNOS pathway and elevation of cytokine concentrations and bacterial infection.

Abstract Although it is documented that concurrent wounding increases mortality from radiation injury, the molecular mechanism of combined injury is unknown. In this study, mice were exposed to γ radiation followed by skin wounding. Wound trauma exacerbated radiation-induced mortality, reducing the LD50/30 from 9.65 Gy to 8.95 Gy. Analyses of histopathology, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and serum cytokines were performed on mouse ileum and skin at various times after 9.75 Gy and/or wounding. In the ileum, the villi were significantly shortened 3 days postirradiation but not after wounding; combined injury resulted in decreased villus width and tunica muscularis thickness. The skin of mice subjected to combined injury was less cellular and had a smaller healing bud than the skin of mice subjected to wounding alone. Combined injury significantly delayed wound closure times; it also prolonged the increased levels of iNOS protein in the skin and ileum. iNOS up-regulation was correlated with increas...
Isolation of Salmonellae and Shigellae from an Artificial Mixture of Fecal Bacteria

Numerous selective media, available commercially, act by suppressing “normal” bacterial inhabitants of the intestine while permitting the growth of so-called pathogenic representatives of the family Enterobacteriaceae. This investigation attempts to evaluate the action of Salmonella-Shigella (SS) agar, xylose lysine desoxycholate (XLD) agar, and hektoen enteric (HE) agar. Salmonellae and shigellae, isolated from clinical material, were mixed in various ratios with escherichiae, Klebsiella-Enterobacter-Serratia group bacteria, and members of the tribe Proteeae, also of clinical origin. Several of the mixtures were plated in multiple dilutions on the three media. Stools in preservative were also used for evaluation of the media after the addition of definite numbers of the pathogenic bacteria. Results indicate that SS agar suppresses the shigellae along with the autochthonous members of Enterobacteriaceae. XLD and HE agars readily permit the recovery of shigellae as well as salmonellae. This recovery is not obscured by the higher yield of other species obtained with these media.
Hyperthermia enhances tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis in human cancer cells

Purpose: This study investigated whether hyperthermia can enhance TRAIL-induced apoptotic death.Methods: Human prostate adenocarcinoma DU-145, human pancreatic carcinoma MIA PaCa-2 and BxPC-3, human colon fibroblast CCD-33Co and rat prostate endothelial YPEN-1 cells were treated with various concentrations of TRAIL (0–200 ng ml−1) with hyperthermia (40–42°C).Results: It was observed in human cancer cells, but not in normal cells, that TRAIL induced apoptotic death and also that hyperthermia (40–42°C) promoted TRAIL-induced apoptotic death. Enhancement of TRAIL-mediated apoptosis by hyperthermia was detected by an increase in PARP cleavage, the hallmark feature of apoptosis, as well as by activation of caspases. There were no significant changes in the intra-cellular levels of death receptors (DRs), decoy receptors (DcRs) and anti-apoptotic proteins. Interestingly, data from in vitro enzyme kinetics assay demonstrated that hyperthermia promoted caspase enzyme activity.Conclusions: These data suggest that c...
Molecular Detection of Schistosome Infections with a Disposable Microfluidic Cassette

Parasitic helminths such as schistosomes, as well as filarial and soil-transmitted nematodes, are estimated to infect at least a billion people worldwide, with devastating impacts on human health and economic development. Diagnosis and monitoring of infection dynamics and efficacy of treatment depend almost entirely on methods that are inaccurate, labor-intensive, and unreliable. These shortcomings are amplified and take on added significance in mass drug administration programs, where measures of effectiveness depend on accurate monitoring of treatment success (or failure), changes in disease transmission rates, and emergence of possible drug resistance. Here, we adapt isothermal molecular assays such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) to a simple, hand-held, custom-made field-ready microfluidic device that allows sensitive and specific detection of schistosome cell-free nucleic acids in serum and plasma (separated with a point-of-care plasma separator) from Schistosoma mansoni-infected mice. Cell-free S. mansoni DNA was detected with our device without prior extraction from blood. Our chip exhibits high sensitivity (~2x10−17 g/μL), with a positive signal for S. mansoni DNA detectable as early as one week post infection, several weeks before parasite egg production commences. These results indicate that incorporation of isothermal amplification strategies with our chips could represent a strategy for rapid, simple, low-cost diagnosis of both pre-patent and chronic schistosome infections as well as potential monitoring of treatment efficacy.
Dysplasia of the cervix: A prospective study of 206 cases

This report is of 206 patients with proved dysplasia of the cervix followed form 1 to 14 years. The role of cytology as a means of discovering and following these cases is stressed. Pregnancy seems to increase the incidence of dysplacia. Carcinoma in situ ultimately developed in 11.6 per cent of the entire series but in 29.1 per cent of the cases with marked dysplacia. The malignant potential of dysplacia is discussed.
'Toward Freedom for All': North Carolina Quaker Legal Theory on the Trust for Manumissions

The Perquimans event was the spark to one of the greatest legal debates in North Carolina’s history as Quakers directly challenged the state supported institution of slavery and conceptions of property through the use of trusts as a technology of law in conjunction with the exercise of their religious liberty. That is, they used the trust as a way for members of the local Meeting to hold slaves for the "benefit" of the Meeting and thus comply with the requirements of the North Carolina law that slaves have owners. Yet, the trustees, apparently following the wishes of the Meeting, allowed the slaves they "owned" substantial freedom, which in essence circumvented the North Carolina statute’s requirement that the slaves have owners. The Quakers’ challenges to the institution of slavery went beyond their defiance of acts passed by the General Assembly, which specifically contemplated the "Quaker issue." The debate over Quaker slaves held in trusts would largely unfold in the North Carolina courts. The legal theories the Quakers advanced challenged the common law and divided members of the State’s highest court on questions of morality. The Quakers use of trusts and natural law principles to accomplish a moral objective run’s counter to Morton Horwitz’s instrumental conception of law, and proposes an alternative theory, namely that those in power were more motivated by their fears or concern for security and stability.This paper traces the debate over the legality of Quaker manumission efforts in North Carolina through an examination of three major cases presented before the North Carolina Supreme Court between 1827 and 1851. It combines research in the Quaker archives with an examination of the trial records and the record in the Supreme Court, as well as the published opinions. Thus, this paper moves beyond the previous work that has either looked only at the Quaker records and not the legal records or the North Carolina Supreme Court’s published opinions without telling the full story of the record below. A central question for this paper is how dissenters turned to the neutral technology of law to achieve a result that was at least partially at odds with the established policy of the state? That raises subsidiary questions about the ways that one renowned North Carolina lawyer, William Gaston, sought to defend his use of the innovative strategy and how North Carolina jurists responded to this challenge to state policy. This paper, thus, lies at the intersection of a series of questions about religious freedom, legal innovation, policy, and stare decisis.
Issues Relating to Exemption ('Force Majeure') Under Article 79 of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods ('CISG')

The posting contains drafts excerpts from a forthcoming new (4th) edition of John Honnold's treatise Uniform Law for International Sales under the 1980 United Nations Convention. The posting is comprised of new materials proposed to be inserted in the discussion of Article 79 (Exemption) of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. This article, discussed in §§ 423 et. seq. of Professor Honnold's treatise, is a force majeure provision providing that a party is exempt from liability for damages for a failure to perform when the requirements of the section are met. The new material included in this posting would address issues not discussed in the current version (3rd edition, 1999) of the treatise, or would amplify discussion of issues in the current edition. Those issues include: whether a seller that has delivered non-conforming goods may claim exemption under Article 79; the proper approach to situations involving an unexpected loss in the value of a return performance (frustration of purpose); whether a party to a transaction governed by the CISG can invoke domestic hardship doctrines; and whether Article 79 applies to situations involving initial impossibility (facts in existence at the time the contract is concluded).
Treated Wastewater Irrigation: Uptake of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products by Common Vegetables under Field Conditions

Global water shortage is placing an unprecedented pressure on water supplies. Treated wastewater is a valuable water resource, but its reuse for agricultural irrigation faces a roadblock: the public concern over the potential accumulation of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) into human diet. In the present study, we measured the levels of 19 commonly occurring pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in 8 vegetables irrigated with treated wastewater under field conditions. Tertiary treated wastewater without or with a fortification of each PPCP at 250 ng/L, was used to irrigate crops until harvest. Plant samples at premature and mature stages were collected. Analysis of edible tissues showed a detection frequency of 64% and 91% in all vegetables from the treated wastewater and fortified water treatments, respectively. The edible samples from the two treatments contained the same PPCPs, including caffeine, meprobamate, primidone, DEET, carbamazepine, dilantin, naproxen, and triclosan. The to...