cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-Density Plasma Etching of Low Dielectric Constant Materials

The patterning of several novel low dielectric constant (K) materials has been studied in a high-density plasma (HDP) tool. Recent results obtained on oxide-like materials, such as fluorinated oxide, hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ), and methyl silsesquioxane (MSQ), are reviewed. These materials can be successfully patterned using a fluorocarbon etching chemistry. The etching is in this case controlled by a thin fluorocarbon film at the surface. The patterning of polymer dielectrics can be performed in an oxygen etching chemistry. As an example, the patterning of Parylene-N in an oxygen chemistry is discussed. In this case, the ion and the oxygen radical flux need to be properly controlled to obtain a directional etching process. After the dielectric etch, either in a fluorocarbon or oxygen based chemistry, fluorocarbons and oxygen contamination remain at the exposed metal surfaces. We recently demonstrated how a plasma treatment following the dielectric etch reduces these contaminants. The results of this treatment on copper surfaces and the resulting modification to the dielectric are reviewed.
Development of the olfactory and accessory lobes in the american lobster: An allometric analysis and its implications for the deutocerebral structure of decapods

The allometric changes characterizing the growth of the deutocerebrum (midbrain) of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) are studied using computerized three-dimensional reconstructions of serial brain sections. During the embryogenesis of the midbrain, the paired accessory lobes (higher order processing areas) appear later than the paired olfactory lobes (primary olfactory centers), but the former grow faster from their emergence until metamorphosis. The accessory lobes, as they enlarge, shift progressively from a medial to a posterior position in the lateral deutocerebrum. In early juvenile stages the accessory lobes are one of the largest neuropils of the brain. However, these lobes stop growing in adult animals, whereas the brain and olfactory lobes continue to enlarge, albeit at a slow rate. The overall shape of the brain and the relative proportions and locations of the deutocerebral neuropils and associated cell clusters of various lobster ontogenetic stages are similar to those of selected adult decapods. In addition, the relation between deutocerebral organization and brain size seem parallel during lobster development and across crustacean species. Measurements of the brains of 13 species of decapods (illustrated in Sandeman et al. [1993] J. Exp. Zool. 265:112, plus Homarus) indicate the following trends: Small brains possess olfactory lobes but no accessory lobes, larger brains possess accessory lobes that are medial and small relative to the olfactory lobes, and the largest brains contain relatively voluminous posterior accessory lobes. These observations indicate that some differences in the organization of the deutocerebrum are related to absolute brain size in crustaceans and suggest that ontogenetic scaling of proportions may apply to the deutocerebral neuropils of decapods. Peramorphosis and paedomorphosis in the evolution of the decapod brain are considered. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Delay-sensitive routing in multi-rate MANETs

A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a collection of mobile hosts, which can communicate by the aid of intermediate mobile hosts without utilizing a fixed infrastructure and centralized administration. Many MANET standards, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g, can be operated at various rates for Quality-of-Service (QoS) constrained multimedia communication to more efficiently use the limited resources of MANETs. Since the radio channel is shared among neighbors in MANETs, calculating one-hop delays and determining delay-sensitive routes using the IEEE 802.11 MAC are still two challenging problems. In this paper, we first exploit the busy/idle ratio of the shared channel to estimate one-hop delay based on varied data rates. Then by the aid of the estimated delay, a multi-rate routing protocol is proposed for selecting data rates and determining a route for admitting a flow with a requested delay. In MANETs, when a host is transmitting data packets, its neighbors are blocked (i.e., forbidden to send packets) since it shares the radio channel with its neighbors. We adopt the strategy by selecting the combination of data rates and a route in order to minimize the total blocking time to all hosts of the network for maximizing the network's capacity, which is the number of flows admitted by the network. Simulation results show that the proposed method obtains a more precise one-hop delay than a very recent work, and the proposed protocol admits more flows than an existing protocol.
Detection of In Vivo Foot and Ankle Implants by Walkthrough Metal Detectors

Background:Heightened security concerns have made metal detectors a standard security measure in many locations. While prior studies have investigated the detection rates of various hip and knee implants, none have looked specifically at the detection of foot and ankle implants in an in vivo model. Our goals were to identify which commonly used foot and ankle implants would be detected by walkthrough metal detectors both in vivo and ex vivo.Methods:Over a 7-month period, 153 weightbearing patients with foot and ankle hardware were recruited to walk through a standard airport metal detector at 3 different program settings (buildings, airports, and airports enhanced) with a base sensitivity of 165 (arbitrary units), as currently used by the Transportation Security Administration. The number of implants, location and type, as well as the presence of concomitant hardware outside of the foot and ankle were recorded. To determine the detection rate of common foot and ankle implants ex vivo, different hardware s...
Time-dependent damage accumulation under stress relaxation testing of bovine trabecular bone

Abstract Time-dependent loading of trabecular bone consists of both cyclic and sustained static loads. Numerous studies have investigated the effects of fatigue and creep loading on the apparent and damage behavior of bone; however, microdamage formation in trabecular bone under stress relaxation tests has not been characterized. Bovine trabecular bone specimens (1.5–3 years old) were loaded in uniaxial compression to 0.9% strain and held for six different time points: 0 s, 250 s, 2000 s, 5000 s, 10,800 s, and 36,000 s. Total microdamage increased with hold time and leveled off after 10,800 s. The qualitative patterns of microdamage progressed from surface damage for short hold times to microcracks extending through the trabecular thickness as hold time increased. Residual strain behavior corresponded well with microdamage formation over time. These results indicate that under static compressive deformation, microdamage accumulation leads to the development of residual strains with time. This mechanism has important implications on reloading of specimens where degradations in bone strength may contribute to age-related skeletal fragility and traumatic fractures.
The Relationship Between Age and Accuracy of Foreign Language Pronunciation.

AbstractThe assumption that younger children can master the phonological system of a second language more easily than those who are older was tested under laboratory conditions. This assumption is based on observations of immigrant children in natural settings and findings related to the ability of various age groups to recover full use of speech function following trauma to the dominant cerebral hemisphere. In the study, each of three groups of twenty elementary, twenty junior high, and twenty college students received ten sessions, each 15-25 minutes in length, of pre-taped German phoneme pronunciation instruction. A total of thirty-three phonemes were taught in 2 weeks using various mimicry drills. The students were pretested and post tested and given the Raven Progressive Matrices Test. Analysis of variance and covariance on the pretest indicated no difference in pronunciation. Contrary to common belief, on the posttest the junior high and college groups were significantly (p .01) better at pronunciat...
Aniline-induced nitrosative stress in rat spleen: Proteomic identification of nitrated proteins

Aniline exposure is associated with toxicity to the spleen which is characterized by splenomegaly, hyperplasia, fibrosis, and a variety of sarcomas on chronic exposure in rats. However, mechanisms by which aniline elicits splenotoxic responses are not well understood. Earlier we have shown that aniline exposure leads to increased nitration of proteins in the spleen. However, nitrated proteins remain to be characterized. Therefore, in the current study using proteomic approaches, we focused on characterizing the nitrated proteins in the spleen of aniline-exposed rats. Aniline exposure led to increased tyrosine nitration of proteins, as determined by 2D Western blotting with anti-3-nitrotyrosine specific antibody, compared to the controls. The analyzed nitrated proteins were found in the molecular weight range of 27.7 to 123.6 kDa. A total of 37 nitrated proteins were identified in aniline-treated and control spleens. Among them, 25 were found only in aniline-treated rats, 11 were present in both aniline-treated and control rats, while one was found in controls only. The nitrated proteins identified mainly represent skeletal proteins, chaperones, ferric iron transporter, enzymes, nucleic acids binding protein, and signaling and protein synthesis pathways. Furthermore, aniline exposure led to significantly increased iNOS mRNA and protein expression in the spleen, suggesting its role in increased reactive nitrogen species formation and contribution to increased nitrated proteins. The identified nitrated proteins provide a global map to further investigate alterations in their structural and functional properties, which will lead to a better understanding of the role of protein nitration in aniline-mediated splenic toxicity.
Laminar recurrences, maxline, unstable singularities and biological dynamics

Recurrence quantification analysis can reveal subtle aspects of dynamics not easily appreciated by other methods such as the Fourier transform. Laminarity and maxline are two RQA variables that can demonstrate the presence of unstable singularities which are often found in biological dynamics. Examples are presented and their implications are discussed relative to deterministic dynamics and stochastic processes.
Factors Influencing Upper Airway Closure

The factors which produce closure of the upper airway (UAW) in patients with the sleep apnea syndrome are still poorly understood. A distinction should be made between the factors which induce closure and those which reopen the UAW. Neurologic factors include arousal phenomena, the magnitude and timing of various motor outputs, and postsynaptic inhibition. Mechanical factors include the anatomy of the UAW, especially that above the tongue, the position of the neck and jaw, and mucosal adherence once occlusion has occurred. Muscle factors include the type of myosin isozyme, the forces generated by the large number of UAW muscles and the diaphragm, and the possibility of high-frequency fatigue occurring during occlusion. Hypoxia and acidosis probably play a critical role in making the UAW less stable. Currently, the best method to prevent UAW closure is by nasal CPAP. Patients with life-threatening arrhythmias due to sleep apnea should have a tracheostomy. The role of drugs is controversial. Respiratory or muscle stimulants should probably be avoided; oxygen, medroxyprogesterone, and protriptyline may be useful adjuncts.
A New Look at Hume's Theory of Probabilistic Inference

Still others are willing to defend many of Hume's positive proposals, but single out his account of probabilistic inference as "unsatisfactory"3 and "dubious."4 In this paper, I challenge these disparaging assessments. I argue that Hume's theory of probabilistic inference is neither misguided nor inadequate; quite the contrary, it stands at the leading edge of our contemporary science of the mind. Hume agrees with Leibniz that previous philosophers have been "too concise when they treat of probabilities" (T Abs.4;SBN647; cf. EHU6.4; SBN 59). In section 1.3.12 of the Treatise, he attempts to remedy this situation by laying out a theory of "conjectural or probable reasonings" (T 1.3.12.20; SBN 139). It is important to be
Impact of atmospheric CO2 doubling on the North Pacific Subtropical Mode Water

[1] In order to investigate responses of the North Pacific Subtropical Mode Water (NPSTMW) to climate change, the impact of atmospheric CO2 doubling with 1% annual increase is examined using a coupled climate model (GFDL CM2.1). Under the CO2 forcing, the surface waters in the formation region of NPSTMW and the core layer of NPSTMW become warmer and freshener. The total volume of NPSTMW increases by about 40% due to warming. The inter-annual and decadal variability of NPSTMW is significantly correlated with the variability of the Kuroshio heat transport, and less correlated with variability of sea surface temperature and winter monsoon index in comparison with the control run.
Expressing One’s Mind

Remarks such as ‘I am in pain’ and ‘I think that it’s raining’ are puzzling, since they seem to literally describe oneself as being in pain or having a particular thought, but their conditions of use tend to coincide with unequivocal expressions of pain or of that thought. This led Wittgenstein, among others, to treat such remarks as expressing, rather than as reporting, one’s mental states. Though such expressivism is widely recognized as untenable, Bar-On has recently advanced a neo-expressivist view, on which such remarks exhibit characteristics of both expressions of mental states and reports of those states. I argue against any attempt to see such remarks as both reporting and expressing the same mental states, and that a correct account rests on distinguishing the truth conditions of such remarks from their conditions of use.
The Great White Hope? Examining the White Privilege and Epistemology of an Urban High School Principal

This case was developed for use in courses on the principalship as well as school reform, with an emphasis on developing socially just, epistemologically and racially conscious school leaders. Data...
Small Cytoskeleton-Associated Molecule, Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 1 Oncogene Partner 2/Wound Inducible Transcript-3.0 (FGFR1OP2/wit3.0), Facilitates Fibroblast-Driven Wound Closure

Wounds created in the oral cavity heal rapidly and leave minimal scarring. We have examined a role of a previously isolated cDNA from oral wounds encoding wound inducible transcript-3.0 (wit3.0), also known as fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 oncogene partner 2 (FGFR1OP2). FGFR1OP2/wit3.0 was highly expressed in oral wound fibroblasts without noticeable up-regulation of α-smooth muscle actin. In silico analyses, denaturing and nondenaturing gel Western blot, and immunocytology together demonstrated that FGFR1OP2/wit3.0 were able to dimerize and oligomerize through coiled-coil structures and appeared to associate with cytoskeleton networks in oral wound fibroblasts. Overexpression of FGFR1OP2/wit3.0 increased the floating collagen gel contraction of naive oral fibroblasts to the level of oral wound fibroblasts, which was in turn attenuated by small-interfering RNA knockdown. The FGFR1OP2/wit3.0 synthesis did not affect the expression of collagen I as well as procontractile peptides such as α-smooth muscle actin, and transforming growth factor-β1 had no effect on FGFR1OP2/wit3.0 expression. Fibroblastic cells derived from embryonic stem cells carrying FGFR1OP2/wit3.0 (+/−) mutation showed significant retardation in cell migration. Thus, we postulate that FGFR1OP2/wit3.0 may regulate cell motility and stimulate wound closure. FGFR1OP2/wit3.0 was not up-regulated during skin wound healing; however, when treated with FGFR1OP2/wit3.0 -expression vector, the skin wound closure was significantly accelerated, resulting in the limited granulation tissue formation. Our data suggest that FGFR1OP2/wit3.0 may possess a therapeutic potential for wound management.
Elongational Rheology of Polyethylene Melts.

Effective elongational viscosities were measured for high- and low-density polyethylene samples using a capillary rheometer fitted with semihyperbolic dies. These dies establish a purely elongational flow field at constant elongational strain rate. The effective elongational viscosities were evaluated under the influence of the process strain rate, Hencky strain, and temperature. Enthalpy and entropy changes associated with the orientation development of semihyperbolic-processed melts were also estimated. The results showed that elongational viscosities were primarily affected by differences in the weight-average molecular weight rather than in the degree of branching. This effect was process-strain-rate- as well as temperature-dependent. An investigation of the melt-pressure relaxation and the associated first decay time constants revealed that with increasing strain rate the molecular field of the melt asymptotically gained orientation in approaching a limit. As a result of this behavior, molecular uniqueness became much less distinct at high process strain rates, apparently yielding to orientation development and the associated restructuring of the melt's molecular morphology. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 2170–2184, 2001
Addition of lipid substituents of mammalian protein glycosylphosphoinositol anchors.

Abstract A single metabolic path leading to synthesis of ether lipids is known in animal cells, the major products of which are plasmalogens. To learn whether this peroxisomal path is also responsible for the synthesis of base-resistant lipid components of glycosylphosphoinositol (GPI)-anchored membrane proteins, we have investigated the structure of anchor precursor mannolipids both in wild-type cells (CHO-K1 and a macrophage-like line, RAW 264.7) and in two corresponding mutant cells in which ether lipid biosynthesis is severely impaired. We observe that the precursor mannolipids of both the wild-type and mutant cells do not include alkylglycerol. Nevertheless, both wild-type and mutant cells express cell surface GPI-anchored placental alkaline phosphatase (AP) which includes alkali-resistant hydrophobic chains in its anchor moiety. Thus, (i) in normal AP GPI anchor synthesis, any ether-linked substituents must be added either immediately before, during, or after anchor addition to AP, and (ii) the classical peroxisomal path for ether lipid synthesis appears not to contribute to the synthesis of GPI anchors.
Development and analysis of an adaptive noise equalizer

The paper presents the development and analysis of a narrowband adaptive noise equalizer (ANE), which can either amplify or attenuate narrowband noise. The output of the ANE system contains residual narrowband components, the amplitudes of which can be linearly and arbitrarily controlled by adjusting the gain parameter of the equalizer, thus providing the desired noise shaping capability. The characteristics of the ANE system are analyzed and applied to active noise control. >
Dopaminergic innervation of pyramidal cells in the rat basolateral amygdala

Dopaminergic (DA) inputs to the basolateral nuclear complex of the amygdala (BLC) are critical for several important functions, including reward-related learning, drug-stimulus learning, and fear conditioning. Despite the importance of the DA projection to the BLC, very little is known about which neuronal subpopulations are innervated. The present study utilized dual-labeling immunohistochemistry at the electron microscopic level to examine DA inputs to pyramidal cells in the anterior basolateral amygdalar nucleus (BLa) in the rat. DA axon terminals and BLa pyramidal cells were labeled using antibodies to tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMK), respectively. Serial section reconstructions of TH-positive (TH+) terminals were performed to determine the extent to which these axon terminals formed synapses versus non-synaptic appositions in the BLa. Our results demonstrate that at least 77% of TH+ terminals form synapses in the BLa, and that 90% of these synapses are with pyramidal cells. The distal dendritic compartment received the great majority of these synaptic contacts, with CaMK+ distal dendrites and spines receiving one-third and one-half, respectively, of all synaptic inputs to pyramidal cells. Many spines receiving innervation from TH+ terminals also received asymmetrical synaptic inputs from putative excitatory terminals. In addition, TH+ terminals often formed non-synaptic appositions with axon terminals, most of which were putatively excitatory in that they were CaMK+ and/or made asymmetrical synapses. Thus, using CaMK as a marker, the present study demonstrates that pyramidal cells, especially their distal dendritic compartments, are the primary targets of dopaminergic inputs to the basolateral amygdala.
Streaming computation of Delaunay triangulations

We show how to greatly accelerate algorithms that compute Delaunay triangulations of huge, well-distributed point sets in 2D and 3D by exploiting the natural spatial coherence in a stream of points. We achieve large performance gains by introducing spatial finalization into point streams: we partition space into regions, and augment a stream of input points with finalization tags that indicate when a point is the last in its region. By extending an incremental algorithm for Delaunay triangulation to use finalization tags and produce streaming mesh output, we compute a billion-triangle terrain representation for the Neuse River system from 11.2 GB of LIDAR data in 48 minutes using only 70 MB of memory on a laptop with two hard drives. This is a factor of twelve faster than the previous fastest out-of-core Delaunay triangulation software.
Intelligent Focus+Context Volume Visualization

Although graphics processing unit (GPU) acceleration makes possible interactive volume rendering, successful volume visualization relies on the ability to quickly and correctly classify the volume into different materials or features. Among various classification techniques, one very attractive and effective method is employing machine learning to classify the whole volume according to some minimum user input through an interactive brushing interface, where users paint directly on slices of the volume. For routine visualization tasks, we can thus reduce their cost if the visualization system can learn the tasks and apply the captured knowledge in future tasks. This paper presents an intelligent, interactive visualization system that supports Focus+Context viewing of volume data. Features of interest should be the focal point of the visualization, and by applying appropriate rendering methods we are able to enhance these features and create more illustrative visualizations in a Focus+Context style. We show with a set of case studies that it is possible to use machine learning to not only help classify volume but also better present the classified results. This new capability makes visualization a more usable tool.
Esthesioneuroblastoma: Reflections of a 21-Year Experience†

Objectives: To evaluate the results of standardized treatment of esthesioneuroblastoma at a single institution during a 21-year period and calculate pertinent parameters, i.e., metastatic disease (local, regional, distant), disease-free survival, and complications of treatment. Study Design: A retrospective review was conducted of all patients treated at a single institution from September 1976 through May 1998. Methods: Only those patients who received their complete evaluation and treatment at our institution were included in this analysis. Thirty-five patients met this criterion. In addition, results of epidemiological, pathological, and molecular analyses were evaluated to seek accurate indicators for clinical outcomes. Results: Six percent of patients presented with cervical metastatic disease, but ultimately 25.7% developed at least one episode of cervical metastases; 14.3% of patients developed a local recurrence an average of 6 years after diagnosis; and 37% of the patients ultimately developed at least one episode of metastatic disease. The disease-free survival for this cohort of 35 patients was 80.4% at 8 years. CNS complications occurred in 25.7% of the patients, 22.9% had orbital complications, 20% had systemic posttreatment problems, 18.2% had chemotoxic sequelae, 8.6% had infectious complications, and 14.3% had cosmetic sequelae. No epidemiological, pathological, or molecular factors appeared to be more accurate clinical indicators than the Kadish staging system. Conclusions: This series of esthesioneuroblastoma patients (N=35) reflects an 8-year disease-free survival of 80.4%, representing a significant number of patients treated and followed at one institution for an extended period of time. No valuable pathological or molecular indicators to predict aggressive clinical behavior were found. The average time interval before recurrent disease developed was more than 6 years, far greater than that expected for other sinonasal malignancies. Therefore, extended follow-up is necessary for this patient group.
Self-association of the APC tumor suppressor is required for the assembly, stability, and activity of the Wnt signaling destruction complex

The tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) is an essential negative regulator of Wnt signaling through its activity in the destruction complex with Axin, GSK3β, and CK1 that targets β-catenin/Armadillo (β-cat/Arm) for proteosomal degradation. The destruction complex forms macromolecular particles we termed the destructosome. Whereas APC functions in the complex through its ability to bind both β-cat and Axin, we hypothesize that APC proteins play an additional role in destructosome assembly through self-association. Here we show that a novel N-terminal coil, the APC self-association domain (ASAD), found in vertebrate and invertebrate APCs, directly mediates self-association of Drosophila APC2 and plays an essential role in the assembly and stability of the destructosome that regulates β-cat degradation in Drosophila and human cells. Consistent with this, removal of the ASAD from the Drosophila embryo results in β-cat/Arm accumulation and aberrant Wnt pathway activation. These results suggest that APC proteins are required not only for the activity of the destructosome, but also for the assembly and stability of this macromolecular machine.
Long Loop Ringing

Both Bell System and also independent telephone operating companies seem to be well aware of the large potential savings in outside plant costs offered by fine gauge cable. The problem, of courses is how to realize these potential savings and still be able to dial, ring, supervise, and talk over the higher resistances and greater facility attenuations that normally result when fine instead of coarse gauge cable is used. Only the ringing problems associated with long subscriber loops are covered here. Long loops are defined here as those ranging from 2000- to 4300ohm resistance of buried exchange cable having a mutual capacitance of 0.083 mF per mile. Somewhat lower limits apply to aerial plants.
X-ray Powder Diffraction Data for 2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazones of Aldehydes and Ketones

In order to extend the data available for the identification of carbonyl compounds, the x-ray powder diffraction patterns of sixty-four 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones of aldehydes and ketones were determined. An alphabetical table includes 39 additional compounds found in the literature. A second numerical table indexes the spacing and intensities of the three strongest lines in Hanawalt groups. The complete new diffraction pattern data are available from the American Documentation Institute.
Spiritual Bypass: A Preliminary Investigation

The phenomenon of spiritual bypass has received limited attention in the transpersonal psychology and counseling literature and has not been subjected to empirical inquiry. This study examines the phenomenon of spiritual bypass by considering how spirituality, mindfulness, alexithymia (emotional restrictiveness), and narcissism work together to influence depression and anxiety among college students. Results suggested that mindfulness and alexithymia accounted for variance in depression beyond what is accounted for by spirituality and that all 3 factors (mindfulness, alexithymia, and narcissism) accounted for variance in anxiety beyond what is accounted for by spirituality. Implications for counselors are provided.
The Demographic Transformation of America

The face of aging in America is about to change. Within the next thirty years, the U.S. population will experience a permanent change in its age structure, and there is reason to believe that cohorts reaching older ages in the future will be far different from those reaching older ages today. In this essay, I explain why life expectancy in the United States is likely to diverge from that experienced by the rest of the developed world; describe recent trends in healthy life expectancy; and examine how the age structure of the United States will by mid-century be different from that found today.
Ancient Footsteps in a New Land: Building an Inventory of the Earliest Alaskan Sites

This paper focuses on Don Dumond’s contributions over the last four decades to the literature on the peopling of America, and examines how archaeological site discoveries and cultural chronologies have changed during this time period. In the 1960s, there were only three early sites—Anangula, Onion Portage, and Healy Lake—with well accepted radiocarbon dates. Today there are over 30 sites with calibrated radiocarbon dates, ranging from 10,000 to over 14,000 years B.P. Over the decades, several of the early sites have been re-dated and reinterpreted, but some of the basic questions about the timing and migration routes of the earliest Alaskans are still unresolved. Other lines of enquiry, focusing on issues such as territoriality, residential patterns, and trade, have been framed in the context of a recent National Register theme study on Alaska’s earliest sites.
An Exact Method for the Stability Analysis of Linear Consensus Protocols With Time Delay

This technical note presents a methodology for the stability analysis of linear consensus protocols with time-delayed communications. Second order agent dynamics with a fixed and undirected communication topology and uniform delays are considered. This class of group dynamics is very complex and is not fully explored to date. The proposed technique takes advantage of the general structure of the control protocols in performing a state transformation that allows a decomposition of the characteristic equation into a set of factors. These factors distribute the imprint of the delay in the characteristic equation in a much simpler form to achieve the stability analysis in parts. The procedure also prepares the characteristic equation for the deployment of the Cluster Treatment of Characteristic Roots paradigm, a recent method which declares the stability features of the system for various compositions of the time delay and other control parameters. In order to show the effectiveness of this approach, it is applied to different consensus protocols under the assumptions of fixed and undirected communication topologies and uniform communication time delays.
A two-dimensional translation invariant wavelet representation and its applications

Addresses the problem of the sensitivity of wavelet representations to translations for two-dimensional signals. The authors describe a fast algorithm to calculate the two-dimensional wavelet transforms for all the circular translates of an input image. They select the optimal translate for the decomposition using a quadtree search algorithm. The resulted wavelet representation is invariant under translations measured by an additive cost criterion. The complexity of the whole algorithm is O(N/sup 2/ log N) for a N/spl times/N input block. They apply this translation invariant wavelet transform to data compression. The results show that by taking into account the effect of translations, additional compression can be achieved beyond that achieved by a standard wavelet transform. >
Seeing Spots: An Experimental Examination of Voter Appetite for Partisan and Negative Campaign Ads

We utilize a novel experimental design to assess voter selectivity to political advertising. We randomly expose respondents to comparable positive or negative ads aired by Democratic or Republican candidates from the 2012 Presidential race and the 2013 Virginia Gubernatorial contest. The experiment closely mirrors real consumption of campaign information by allowing subjects to skip ads after five seconds, re-watch and share ads with friends. Using these measures of ad-seeking behavior, we find little evidence that negativity influences self-exposure to election advertising. We find partisans disproportionately tune out ads aired by their party’s opponents, though this behavior is asymmetric: Republican-identifiers are more consistent screeners of partisan ads than Democrats. The results advance our understanding of selectivity, showing that party source, and not ad tone, interacts with partisanship to mediate campaign exposure. The findings have important implications about the role self-exposure to information plays in campaigns and elections in a post-broadcast era.
Grades and Withdrawal Rates in Cell Biology and Genetics Based Upon Institution Type for General Biology and Implications for Transfer Articulation Agreements

ABSTRACTGeneral biology courses (for majors) are often transferred from one institution to another. These courses must prepare students for upper division courses in biology. In Colorado, a Biology Transfer Articulation Agreement that includes general biology has been created across the state. An evaluation was conducted of course grades in two upper division biology courses at University of Colorado Denver (UCD) (N = 2129) based upon course grades in general biology and the type of institution where general biology was taken (2-year school, 4-year, in-residence at UCD, Advanced Placement [AP] credit, College Level Examination Program [CLEP] credit, or International Baccalaureate [IB] credit). Students who transferred general biology credits received lower grades in upper division biology courses and withdrew from upper division biology courses more frequently. The root causes for these disparities in student outcomes should be investigated further using demographic data and qualitative data. The study sh...
The Taxonomic Significance of ducts in the corolla lobes of Vernonia (Vernonieae: Asteraceae)

The multiple longitudinal ducts in the corolla lobes found in the closely related genera Vernonia, Vernonanthura and Trepadonia are microscopically studied and illustrated. The lack of such ducts in the two South American species that have until now been retained in Vernonia indicates that they should probably be excluded from the genus.
Regional Differential Genetic Response of Human Articular Cartilage to Impact Injury

OBJECTIVE Normal physiological movement creates different weightbearing zones within a human knee: the medial condyle bearing the highest and the trochlea bearing the lowest weight. Adaptation to different physiological loading conditions results in different tissue and cellular properties within a knee. The objective of this study was to use microarray analysis to examine gene expression differences among three anatomical regions of human knee articular cartilage at baseline and following induction of an acute impact injury. DESIGN Cartilage explants were harvested from 7 cadaveric knees (12 plugs per knee). A drop tower was utilized to introduce injury. Plugs were examined 24 hours after impact for gene expression using microarray. The primary analysis is the comparison of baseline versus impacted samples within each region separately. In addition, pairwise comparisons among the three regions were performed at baseline and after impact. False discovery rate (FDR) was used to evaluate significance of differential gene expression. RESULTS In the comparison of before and after injury, the trochlear had 130 differentially expressed genes (FDR ≤ 0.05) while the condyles had none. In the comparison among regions, smaller sets of differentially expressed genes (n ≤ 21) were found, with trochlea being more different than the condyles. Most of more frequently expressed genes in trochlea are developmental genes. CONCLUSIONS Within the experimental setup of this study, only the trochlea was displaying an acute genetic response on injury. Our data demonstrated the regional-specific response to injury in human articular cartilage.
Effects of nitrogen mustard, methotrexate and hydrocortisone on cell replication in rat ileum and spleen.

ConclusionCell replication is perturbed in the rat ileal crypt cells and spleen lymphocytes following 5 days of HN2, MTX or HC. At the dosage levels employed HN2 produces leukopenia, MTX causes anemia and HC does not affect the blood count. Histologically there is a loss of spleen lymphocytes following the administration of each of the drugs. Methotrexate also causes flattening of the intestinal villi without evidence of necrosis.The authors thank Tatiana Miheyev, Dr. Bruce Pachter and Dr. Robert Sklarew for their technical assistance.
Association of granular exocytosis with Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels in human eosinophils

We studied the mechanism of degranulation caused by Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels (KCa channels) in eosinophils isolated from mildly atopic donors using negative immunoselection. Stimulation of eosinophils with 0.1 microM platelet-activating factor (PAF) caused activation of single channels as recorded by the cell-attached patch-clamp technique. These channels were selectively permeable to K+ because the reversal potential was close to the equilibrium potential for K+. However, the channels were not permeable to Na+ or Cl- as demonstrated by ion substitution experiments. The calcium ionophore A-23187, at 1 microM, increased the K+ channel activity in the presence of Ca2+ in the external perfusate but did not induce channel activity in the absence of Ca2+. Similar results were obtained with another calcium ionophore, ionomycin (1 microM), and the Ca(2+)-releasing agent thapsigargin (10 microM). K+ channels activated by PAF and A-23187 had similar characteristics: two levels of single-channel conductances were observed, 10 +/- 1.5 and 22 +/- 1.7 pS as induced by PAF and 11 +/- 1.3 and 24 +/- 1.9 pS by A-23187; the mean open times of the large-conductance channels were 1.45 +/- 0.3 ms as induced by PAF and 1.26 +/- 0.5 ms by A-23187. These results indicate that PAF activates KCa channels. Both KCa currents and major basic protein release caused by A-23187 were blocked by quinidine. It is suggested that KCa channels are associated with granule secretion in human eosinophils.
eApples: A case study in using eXtension to increase access to research-based information

Researchers have collected a considerable amount of data relating to apple (Malus ·domestica) cultivars and rootstocks over the past 30 years, but much of this information is not easily accessible. The long-term goal of our working group is to increase access to this information using online technology available through eXtension. In eXtension, researchers and extension personnel are developing a community of practice (CoP) to increase the quality and amount of online information for individuals interested in our work [referred to as a community of interest (CoI)]. For this project, our CoI is broadly defined as commercial apple producers, nursery professionals, county extension educators, Extension Master Gardeners, home gardeners, and consumers. Our CoP is developing diverse educational tools, with the goals of increasing productivity, profitability, and sustainability for commercial apple production. Additionally, we will provide other members of our CoI access to research-based, reliable information on the culture of apples. We chose to begin our focus on cultivars and rootstocks adapted to the eastern United States and will add other U.S. regions as our resources and interest in our project grows.
Two microphones spectral-coherence based speech enhancement for hearing aids using smartphone as an assistive device

In this paper, we present a new Speech Enhancement (SE) technique capable of running on a smartphone, as an assistive device for hearing aids (HAs). The developed method incorporates the coherence between the speech and noise signals to obtain a SE gain function which is used in conjunction with the gain function obtained by Spectral Subtraction using adaptive gain averaging. SE using coherence based gain function is found to suppress the background noise well, while inducing speech distortion. On the other hand, SE using Spectral Subtraction improves speech quality with tolerable speech distortion, but introduces background musical noise for certain noise types. The weighted fusion of the two gain functions strikes a balance between noise suppression and speech distortion. Also it allows the user to control the weighting factor based on the noisy environment and their comfort level of hearing. The developed method is computationally fast and operates in real-time. The proposed method was evaluated for machinery, babble, and car noise types, using both objective and subjective measures for both quality and intelligibility of the enhanced speech. The results show significant improvements in comparison with stand-alone Spectral Subtraction with weighted gain averaging SE methods.
Information Literacy Dialogue as a Wittgensteinian Language-Game: Embedding IL into Curricula

Finding common ground on which to communicate with instructors about embedding information literacy (IL) into curricula is a challenging but worthwhile goal. To address this issue of communication, this paper proposes viewing librarian-instructor dialogue about information literacy as a “language-game,” a concept from the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, where librarians must first understand the meaning of information literacy from an instructor’s disciplinary and cultural perspective. How IL can function as a language-game and librarian perspectives on IL are discussed first. Next, two case studies are analyzed using a language-game approach, highlighting successful and unsuccessful attempts of embedding IL into curricula. Finally, a methodology, similar to a reference interview, is introduced describing how librarians can better understand teacher perceptions of IL in relation to their discipline and pedagogy. A language-game approach to IL can enable librarians to engage in more meaningful dialogue about embedding IL into curricula.
Discovery of Cellulose Surface Layer Conformation by Nonlinear Vibrational Spectroscopy

Significant questions remain in respect to cellulose's structure and polymorphs, particularly the cellulose surface layers and the bulk crystalline core as well as the conformational differences. Total Internal Reflection Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy (TIR-SFG-VS) combined with conventional SFG-VS (non-TIR) enables selectively characterizing the molecular structures of surface layers and the crystalline core of cellulose, revealing their differences for the first time. From the SFG spectra in the C-H and O-H regions, we found that the surface layers of Avicel are essentially amorphous while the surface layers of Iβ cellulose are crystalline but with different structural and spectroscopic signatures compared with its crystalline core. The differences between hydrogen bonding networks of cellulose surface and crystalline core were also shown by the SFG signal. The discovery here represents yet another instance of the importance of spectroscopic observations in transformative advances to understand the structure of the cellulosic biomass.
PM2.5 exposure in utero contributes to neonatal cardiac dysfunction in mice.

Abstract Objective Exposure of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) to pregnant dams has been shown to be strongly associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in offspring at adulthood, however, effects evident during neonatal periods are unclear. We designed this study to examine cardiac function of neonatal mice (14 days old) exposed to in utero PM 2.5 . Methods Pregnant FVB female mice were exposed either to filtered air (FA) or PM 2.5 at an average concentration of 91.78 μg/m 3 for 6 h/day, 5 days/wk (similar to exposure in a large industrial area) throughout the gestation period (21 days). After birth, animals were analyzed at day 14 of life. Results Fourteen day old mice exposed to PM 2.5 during the in utero period demonstrated decreased fractional shortening (%FS, 41.1 ± 1.2% FA, 33.7 ± 1.2% PM 2.5 , p 2.5 , p 2.5 exposed mice illustrated reduced peak shortening (%PS, 16.7 ± 0.5% FA, 14.7 ± 0.4% PM 2.5 , p 2.5 , p 2.5 , p 2.5 ) and slower fluorescence decay rate (τ, 0.72 ± 0.1 s FA, 1.16 ± 0.15 s PM 2.5 , p 2+ handling proteins- SERCA-2A, p-PLN, NCX and Ca V 1.2 in hearts of 14 day old in utero PM 2.5 exposed mice compared to FA exposed hearts. Conclusion PM 2.5 exposure during the critical in utero period adversely affects the developing mouse fetus leading to functional cardiac changes that were evident during the very early (14 days) stages of adolescence. These data demonstrated that exposure to PM 2.5 during the gestation period significantly impacts cardiovascular outcomes early in life.
Using prosopography to raise the voices of those erased in social work history

In this article, we introduce prosopography, a valuable historical research method that can be used by feminist social work scholars. While feminists in various fields use this methodology to inves...
Synthesis and Properties of Carbaporphyrin and Carbachlorin Dimethyl Esters Derived from Cyclopentanedialdehydes

Norbornenes with two ester substituents were prepared by Diels–Alder cycloadditions of cyclopentadiene with dimethyl fumarate and dimethyl 1,1-ethylenedicarboxylate. Oxidation with potassium permanganate gave good yields of related diols that were oxidatively ring-opened to afford cyclopentane dialdehydes. MacDonald-type “3 + 1” condensations with a tripyrrane, followed by oxidation with DDQ in refluxing toluene, gave carbaporphyrin or carbachlorin products in good yields. The macrocyclic products were highly diatropic and produced porphyrin-like UV–vis spectra. The carbaporphyrin was converted into silver(III) and gold(III) organometallic derivatives. Reaction with methyl iodide in the presence of potassium carbonate gave mono- and dialkylation products, and treatment of the former with Ni(OAc)2 or Pd(OAc)2 afforded nickel(II) and palladium(II) complexes. The free base carbaporphyrin and carbachlorin, and the nickel and palladium complexes, were characterized by X-ray crystallography. The carbachlorin al...