cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measures of Fractal Lacunarity: Minkowski Content and Alternatives

Linear Cantor dusts with identical values of fractal dimension and Hausdorff measure may differ violently from one another. Some look clearly fractal, while others look to the unassisted eye as nearly filled intervals (they are said to be of low lacunarity), and others nearly seem to reduce to the end points of an interval (they are said to be of high lacunarity). It is shown that Minkowski content can be used as one of several quantitative measures of a broad concept called fractal lacunarity. This content is evaluated for an important example. Even more convenient and intuitive than Minkowski content is a related new quantity V, called “crossover parameter.” The paper also sketches the impact of low lacunarity fractals on modeling of nature. The last section sketches an alternative measure of lacunarity, based on antipodal correlation.
A Phenomenological Analysis of Social Referencing

My intention is to offer a phenomenological analysis of the process of social referencing, as this phenomenon has been observed in the interactions that occur between young children (6–15 months) and their mothers in the “visual cliff,” the unusual toy, and the stranger situations (Feinman, 1985). A phenomenological analysis (Heidegger, 1982; Husserl, 1913/1931) dictates that I (1) “deconstruct” (Derrida, 1978) the concept of social referencing by untangling the theoretical, methodological, and conceptual problematics that are embedded within it; (2) analyze the structures of social referencing as the phenomenon is experienced in the social situation; (3) locate social referencing within the caregiver-child social relationship; and (4) describe social referencing as lived experience, offering, in the process, a proposed ontogenesis of social referencing in early childhood. It will be necessary to discuss, in terms of points 3 and 4, the psychoanalytic and linguistic theories of the mother-child relationship that Jacques Lacan (1956/1968, 1977c, 1973/1978, 1982; Bowie, 1987; Grosz, 1990) has developed. Indeed, at one level, this chapter may be read as a “Lacanian interpretation of social referencing.”
Gastroesophageal Reflux and IPF

The relationship between gastroesophageal reflux (GER), secondary microaspiration, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) remains controversial. While the prevalence of GER is common in IPF, it is unclear if GER is contributing to the development and/or progression of IPF. In the last decade some data have emerged to suggest that treatment, either medical or surgical, may be beneficial in patients with IPF. Future research, including a randomized controlled trial of anti-reflux therapy, needs to be done to clarify the relationship between GER and IPF.
Hypoxia-Reperfusion in a Rodent Model of DCD Cardiac Resuscitation Leads to Improved Myocyte Function Compared to Conventional Ischemia Reperfusion Injury

Purpose Hypoxia, as opposed to ischemia, precedes circulatory arrest in DCD donors. Our aim was to identfy any differences in cardiac myocyte function following hypoxia-reperfusion in comparison to ischemia-reperfusion. Methods Rats were subjected to hypoxic cardiac arrest (DD30, n = 6) via tracheal occlusion or ischemic cardiac arrest (IR30, n = 6) from aortic clamping. After 30 minutes of warm ischemia, cardiac reperfusion was achieved using a miniature ECMO circuit. LV myocytes isolated from each group were stimulated with 50% suprathreshold voltage at 0.5 Hz for analysis of sarcomeric contractility, expressed as percentage of sarcomere shortening. Contractile reserve was assessed by stimulation with Isoproterenol. Calcium transients were measured in myocytes from the fluorescence of the dye Fura-2. Reperfusion injury was assessed by measurement of superoxide using dihydroethidium fluorescence confocal microscopy. Results Sarcomere shortening was greater in DD30 myocytes compared to IR30 myocytes (figure 1). Myocytes from the IR30 group demonstrated the least shortening and poor contractile reserve. Velocity of contraction and relaxation was also significantly greater in DD30. There was enhanced sensitivity of myofilaments to calcium in DD30 and reduced sensitivity in IR30. The rate of calcium release and uptake was greater in DD30 as was the peak calcium concentration. Superoxide production was significantly greater in IR30. Conclusion There are concerns that exposure of the DCD heart to warm ischemia may adversely impact allograft function. However, prior to circulatory arrest the DCD heart is exposed primarily to hypoxia as opposed to ischemia. We identified that myocytes subjected to hypoxia-reperfusion demonstrated superior contractility and enhanced sensitivity of myofilaments to calcium. DCD myocytes also exhibited less production of superoxide free radicals suggesting less reperfusion injury.
Universal liquid chromatography methods

Abstract A reversed-phase liquid chromatography “universal method” is presented that reduces expensive manpower costs for industrial laboratories by substituting automation for operator-attended runs and by eliminating method development for each new separation problem. Successful, fast (15–30 min), “first-run problem-solving” and quantitation of even trace components of completely unknown wide-polarity mixtures are obtained with the near universal detection possible with 210 nm UV detection. The reversed-phase method uses gradients at both acid and alkaline pH values (3–9) that allow low-wavelength detection at 210 nm with high detector sensitivity (0.1 a.u.f.s.) and baseline drift of less than 5% and no ghost peaks. The techniques that make possible this new realm of gradient work are presented. Finally, a discussion is presented of the interaction of detector components, UV absorbance of eluents, and sample absorption spectra; factors that become critical at 190–210 nm detection.
Schleiermacher's Dialektik: The Discovery of the Self that Kant Lost

In this article I shall argue that Friedrich Schleiermacher found the self that Immanuel Kant lost. Two steps are necessary to support this argument. First, I shall demonstrate that Kant knew that he had lost the self. Second, I shall demonstrate that Schleiermacher knew that he had found the self that Kant had lost. I am aware that these two demonstrations will not actually prove that Schleiermacher did find the self that Kant lost. I believe, however, that if we understand why Kant thought that he had lost the self and if we understand the way in which Schleiermacher believed that he retrieved this self, we shall be better off. We shall have discovered a way to reach beyond the limits of our own mental constructs and affirm the unity and integrity of life itself.
Text mining and deep learning for disease classification

Abstract Medical imaging has been a common examination in daily clinical routine for screening and diagnosis of a variety of diseases. Although hospitals have accumulated a large number of image exams and associated reports, it is not yet challenging to effectively use them to build high precision computer-aided diagnosis systems. In this chapter, we first present an overview of cutting-edge techniques for mining existing images and free-text report data for the machine learning purpose and then demonstrate two case studies in radiological and pathological images: (1) we present a method to text-mine disease image labels (where each image can have multilabels) from the associated radiological reports using natural language processing, and (2) we introduce the semantic knowledge of medical images from their diagnostic reports to provide an inspirational network training and an interpretable prediction mechanism with our proposed novel multimodal neural network.
Characterizing the allele- and haplotype-specific copy number landscape of cancer genomes at single-cell resolution with CHISEL

Single-cell barcoding technologies have recently been used to perform whole-genome sequencing of thousands of individual cells in parallel. These technologies provide the opportunity to characterize genomic heterogeneity at single-cell resolution, but their extremely low sequencing coverage (
Pluralismo jurídico: um referencial epistêmico e metodológico na insurgência das teorias críticas no direito

DOI: 10.1590/2179-8966/2019/45686 Resumo O texto em questao tem como problema introduzir, primeiramente, a discussao da insuficiencia do direito de tradicao etnocentrica ocidental e, consequentemente, as possibilidades de contraponto atraves de uma cultura juridica alternativa e pluralista. Como resposta, posteriormente, inserir um “giro descolonial” a partir da ressignificacao do pensamento critico e da emergencia do pluralismo legal, concebido como instrumental analitico para contemplar fenomenos complexos e subjacentes. Tais assertivas permitem apresentar o objeto geral , ou seja, buscar caracterizar a ambivalencia do pluralismo juridico, quer como concepcao critica possivel no direito, quer como uma das variantes epistemologicas das “teorias criticas” no direito. Diante das premissas, utiliza-se a proposicao metodologica critico-descolonial, optando tambem pela vertente emancipatoria do pluralismo juridico comunitario-participativo. O desenvolvimento teorico e sua problematizacao compreenderao tres momentos : inicialmente, a narrativa acerca do esgotamento da modernidade eurocentrica e a necessaria criticidade descolonial, para, na sequencia, a ressignificacao da “teorias criticas” no direito e, por ultimo, a entrada em cena do pluralismo juridico como um referencial epistemico e metodologico. Palavras-chave: Pluralismo juridico; Teoria critica; Critica juridica; Colonialidade; Descolonialidade. Abstract This paper presents as its central issue to introduce the discussion regarding the insufficiency of the western ethnocentric tradition Law and, consequently, the possibilities of counterpoint through an alternative and pluralistic legal culture. Then, as a response to that, to present a “decolonial turn” through the resignification of critical thinking and the emergence of legal pluralism, conceived as an analytical instrument able to contemplate complex and underlying phenomena. Such assertive allow for the presentation of the paper’s general object, that is, the seek for the characterization of the ambivalence of legal pluralism, either as a critical conception of law or as one of the epistemological variants of “critical theories” in law. Facing these premises, the critical-decolonial methodological proposition is applied, as well as the choice for the emancipatory aspect of community-participatory legal pluralism. The theoretical development and its problematization will comprise three moments: first, the narrative about the exhaustion of Eurocentric modernity and the necessary decolonial criticism, followed by the resignification of the “critical theories” in Law and, finally, the emergence of legal pluralism as an epistemic and methodological framework. Keywords: Legal pluralism; Critical theory; Legal criticism; Coloniality; Decoloniality.
Treatment with an immature dendritic cell-targeting vaccine supplemented with IFN-α and an inhibitor of DNA methylation markedly enhances survival in a murine melanoma model.

The chemokine MIP-3α (CCL20) binds to CCR6 on immature dendritic cells. DNA vaccines fusing MIP-3α to melanoma-associated antigens have shown improved efficacy and immunogenicity in the B16F10 mouse melanoma model. Here, we report that the combination of type-I interferon therapy (IFNα) with 5-Aza-2′-deoxycitidine (5Aza) profoundly enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of a MIP-3α-Gp100-Trp2 DNA vaccine. Beginning on day 5 post-transplantation of B16F10 melanoma, vaccine was administered intramuscularly (i.m.) by electroporation. CpG adjuvant was given 2 days later. 5Aza was given intraperitoneally at 1 mg/kg and IFNα therapy either intratumorally or i.m. as noted. Tumor sizes, tumor growth, and mouse survival were assessed. Tumor lysate gene expression levels and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were assessed by qRT-PCR and flow cytometry, respectively. Adding IFNα and 5Aza treatments to mice vaccinated with MIP-3α-Gp100-Trp2 leads to reduced tumor burden and increased median survival (39% over vaccine and 95% over controls). Tumor lysate expression of CCL19 and CCR7 were upregulated ten and fivefold over vaccine, respectively. Vaccine-specific and overall CD8+ TILs were increased over vaccine (sevenfold and fourfold, respectively), as well as the proportion of TILs that were CD8+ (twofold). Efficient targeting of antigen to immature dendritic cells with a chemokine-fusion vaccine offers an alternative to classic and dendritic cell vaccines. Combining this approach with IFNα and 5Aza treatment significantly improved vaccine efficacy. This improved efficacy correlated with changes in chemokine gene expression and CD8+ TIL infiltration and was dependent on the presence of all therapeutic components.
Interpersonal functioning, support, and change in early-onset bipolar disorder: a transcendental phenomenological study of emerging adults.

Early-onset bipolar disorder (EOBD) diagnoses have increased, yet much remains to be understood about its phenomenology. Research and treatment models developed for adult-onset bipolar disorder hav...
Integrating Morphological Awareness in a Multilinguistic Structured Literacy Approach to Improve Literacy in Adolescents With Reading and/or Language Disorders

Purpose Reading and writing are language-based skills, and effective literacy instruction/intervention practices should include an explicit linguistic focus. A multilinguistic structured literacy approach that integrates morphological awareness is proven beneficial to improve reading and writing for students with language literacy deficits. The key components of this approach are explored. Method An intensive 2-week clinical summer camp, Camp CHRONICLE, which utilizes a multilinguistic structured literacy intervention model that integrates morphological awareness for adolescents with literacy deficits, is reviewed, and three case examples are included. Conclusion Multilinguistic structured literacy intervention with a morphological awareness focus is an ideal approach to improve literacy skills of children and adolescents with language literacy deficits. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12291029.
Changes in support for Nicaragua’s Sandinista National Liberation Front during democratic backsliding:

This article examines changes in the determinants of support for Nicaragua’s Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), a party that has achieved dominant status during democratic backsliding. Us...
Study of the Orientation of Y1Ba2cu/3O7−x Thin Films In-Situ Prepared by Reactive Coevaporation With RF Activated Oxygen-Ozone Plasma.

Superconducting films of Y1Ba2Cu3O7−x have been prepared in-situ onto SrTiO3(100) substrates by reactive coevaporation with rf activated oxygenozone plasma. Crystal quality and orientation of the films were evaluated as a function of substrate temperature(Ts). The films evaporated at Ts between 680°C, and 690°C had an a,b-axis orientation perpendicular to the substrate. The zero resistance temperature(Tc) of the film evaporated at Ts, of 690°C was 80K. The films evaporated at Ts above 700°C had c-axis orientation. The Tc of the film evaporated at a Ts, of 710°C was 90K.
Textual Coups and Democratic Imaginings in Contemporary Brazilian Literature | Golpes textuais e imaginários democráticos na literatura brasileira contemporânea

Abstract This essay examines how Brazilian literature has broached changes in the country’s political and social scenario since 2013. Literary production has not only considered socio-political upheavals such as the 2013 protests, the 2016 impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff, and, more recently, the assassination of Rio city council member Marielle Franco as well as the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic. Literature has also expanded the signification of “democracy,” broadening the democratic lexicon by employing a language of both demands and entitlements and dispute. By creating a democratic imaginary that oscillates between vindication and exigency, contemporary Brazilian literature delineates the tensions inherent to present-day democratic culture, poised between expanding rights and what scholars have called a "democratic erosion." Keywords: Democracy. Democratic Erosion. Literature. Poetry. Resumo Este ensaio examina como a literatura brasileira tem abordado mudancas no cenario politico e social do pais desde 2013. A producao literaria nao aborda apenas levantes sociopoliticos como os protestos de 2013, o impeachment da presidente Dilma Rousseff em 2016 e, mais recentemente, o assassinato da vereadora Marielle Franco e a pandemia COVID-19. A literatura tambem tem expandido o significado de “democracia”, ampliando o lexico democratico ao empregar uma linguagem de demandas, direitos e disputa. Ao criar um imaginario democratico que oscila entre a reivindicacao e a denuncia, a literatura brasileira contemporânea delineia as tensoes inerentes a cultura democratica atual, equilibrada entre a expansao de direitos e o que os estudiosos chamam de "erosao democratica". Palavras-chave: Democracia. Erosao Democratica. Literatura. Poesia
Paradoxical cognitive trajectories in men from earlier to later adulthood.

Because longitudinal studies of aging typically lack cognitive data from earlier ages, it is unclear how general cognitive ability (GCA) changes throughout the life course. In 1173 Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA) participants, we assessed young adult GCA at average age 20 and current GCA at 3 VETSA assessments beginning at average age 56. The same GCA index was used throughout. Higher young adult GCA and better GCA maintenance were associated with stronger specific cognitive abilities from age 51 to 73. Given equivalent GCA at age 56, individuals who had higher age 20 GCA outperformed those whose GCA remained stable in terms of memory, executive function, and working memory abilities from age 51 to 73. Thus, paradoxically, despite poorer maintenance of GCA, high young adult GCA still conferred benefits. Advanced predicted brain age and the combination of elevated vascular burden and APOE-e4 status were associated with poorer maintenance of GCA. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between peak and current GCA for greater understanding of cognitive aging.
Dynamic and performance characteristics of baseball bats.

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to compare the dynamic and performance characteristics of wooden and aluminum baseball bats. Field data collected during batting practice by accomplished college athletes revealed a 3.85 mph mean difference favoring balls batted with the aluminum bat. Laboratory data indicated that the aluminum bats possessed a greater contact area wherein reaction forces at the bat handle were small. This finding indicates that the aluminum bat has a larger center of percussion and offers a possible explanation for the significant mean difference found in the field.
What to do about stalking: a preliminary study of how stalking victims responded to stalking and their perceptions of the effectiveness of these actions☆

While stalking researchers have cataloged various strategies used by victims to deal with stalking, little research has examined whether these strategies have proven effective. Using data collected from undergraduates at a Midwestern university, we examined the effects of informal responses for victims of both violent and nonviolent stalking who responded to the stalker on their own and victims who enlisted the help of others. Findings indicated that victims who enlisted help from family and friends in their informal responses to the stalker were more successful in attenuating the effects of both violent and nonviolent stalking. Victims of stalking generally were more likely than nonvictims to feel that formal coping strategies were ineffective.
Scalable complete complementary sets of sequences

A family of complete complementary sets of sequences with closed-form expression is presented in this paper. Firstly, by introducing the notion of Golay (1961)-paired matrix and providing its synthesis algorithms, an orthogonal Golay-paired matrix called Golay-paired Hadamard matrix is derived. Then, general procedures for constructing mutually orthogonal Golay-paired matrices are proposed. Finally, the complete complementary sets of sequences represented by Golay-paired Hadamard matrices are generated and their scalability is illustrated. The unique properties of this new family of scalable complete complementary sets of sequences make it an ideal candidate for applications in future advanced signal processing and communications systems.
Student outcomes assessment: What is it? How do you make it work for you?

Outcomes-based assessment is a process all computer science programs must address, whether they are seeking (re)accreditation by ABET/CAC or through a regional accrediting body. In this workshop the entire assessment cycle---developing goals (program outcomes) and measurable student learning objectives, choosing methods to measure the objectives, developing rubrics and benchmarks, analyzing the data, synthesizing the results and deciding what to do with them (feedback loop)---will be presented. Participants, working in groups, will get practice in developing selected aspects of an assessment plan. The emphasis will be on practical suggestions and the message will be: Keep it simple and manageable.
Ageing and Older Adult Mental Health: Issues and Implications for Practice, by Patrick Ryan and Barry J. Coughlan

Packed into Ageing and Older Adult Mental Health is information found in many textbooks on the subject of aging and mental health. Yet, it is imminently readable and easily digested. Understanding ...
Solvent control of electron transfer dynamics

Solvents are used to control electron transfer (ET). Sodide (Na− ), which has only electronic degrees of freedom, is prepared in several solvents. Its CTTS dynamics probe the relevant solvent motions in the ET reaction.
Honey, It's all the Buzz: Regulating Neighborhood Bee Hives

Urban beekeeping, along with other types of urban agriculture, sustainable development and green building, has generated quite a buzz in recent years. Small-scale beekeeping has proven to be especially popular among people looking to obtain more of their food from local sources and urban bees provide important pollination services to community gardens, home vegetable gardens and fruit trees. Some people also believe that honey contributes to a healthier lifestyle by providing a minimally-processed sweetener and through its various uses as a homeopathic remedy. Small-scale beekeeping may augment local economies too. Despite the benefits and growing popularity of backyard beekeeping, apiaries are not always welcomed by the neighbors. This article is designed to provide information to land use regulators about the benefits and drawbacks of beekeeping in residential areas, and it offers strategies for addressing beekeeping activities through local laws and ordinances.
Three-dimensional object recognition using invariant Euclidean signature curves

A three-dimensional object recognition method based on the calculation of invariant Euclidean signature curves from the two-dimensional silhouettes of three-dimensional objects is presented. The method is suitable for engineering applications like computer vision and artificial intelligence.
Public Management and the Administrative Conservator: Empirical Support for Larry Terry's Prescriptions

This paper is built on a parsimonious formal theory of public management from the large mass of case study and qualitative literature. In the course of this research, the researchers have developed four specific measures that combine the concepts of management and stability that fit the administrative conservator logic -- two measures of stability, a measure of buffering, and a measure of management strategy. A prime function of management is to preserve the human capital of the organization, this responsibility involves creating the inducements and incentives necessary to generate organizational commitment by others. Both managerial stability and workforce stability are associated with higher levels of public organizational performance, even with controls for other factors that influence results, employee stability in eight of ten organizational outcomes and managerial stability in five of ten cases. The overwhelming finding in the public and private sector literature is that prospecting is the most effective managerial strategy, defending works less well and often not at all, and reacting is a bad strategy.
Type locality of hylobates concolor leucogenys

Kloss [1929] restricted the type locality of the northern white-cheeked gibbon, Hylobates concolor leucogenys, on the basis of two specimens that were collected at Muang Khi, Laos, not at Muang Pak-Lay, Laos, as conventionally assumed. The locality difference is zoogeographically important because Muang Khi is east of the Mekong River, within the known range of H. c. leucogenys, whereas Muang Pak-Lay is west of the river, outside the known range of the subspecies. The type-locality restriction is appropriately amended.
Effect of Increasing the Dietary (n-3) to (n-6) Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Ratio on Murine Liver and Peritoneal Cell Fatty Acids and Eicosanoid Formation

An incremental increase in the dietary (n-3):(n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratio from 0 to 1.93 in diets containing 15% fat (wt/wt) decreased the total (n-6) PUFA content of phospholipids of the liver and peritoneal cells (macrophage) in mice from 43.1 and 33.6 mol/100 mol to 16.0 and 12.3 mol/100 mol with a concomitant increase of 27.6 and 16.1 mol/100 mol in (n-3) PUFA, respectively. Consumption of (n-3) PUFA increased hepatic (n-3) PUFA levels without changing total PUFA (46.35 vs. 46.87 mol/100 mol), whereas macrophage PUFA levels were decreased. The synthesis of sulfidopeptide leukotrienes (SP-LT) (LTC4 and LTE4) was progressively reduced by increasing dietary (n-3) PUFA, i.e., there was a reduction of 76% in mice fed a diet containing a (n-3):(n-6) PUFA ratio of 1.93 compared with the control diet. The 5-series SP-LT (LTC5 and LTF5) were produced in all animals consuming (n-3) PUFA and accounted for 62% of all SP-LT synthesized in mice fed the diet containing a 1.93 (n-3):(n-6) PUFA ratio. Synthesis of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha decreased 81% in mice fed a diet containing a (n-3):(n-6) PUFA ratio of 1.93 whereas prostaglandin E2 synthesis decreased 44% in mice fed diets with (n-3):(n-6) ratios ranging from 0.41 to 1.93.
Phase II evaluation of docetaxel plus exisulind in patients with androgen independent prostate carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES In this phase II study, the combination of docetaxel and exisulind (a GMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor) was given to patients with metastatic androgen independent prostate cancer (AIPC) to establish efficacy, assess toxicity, and determine pharmacokinetics of docetaxel administered alone and in combination with exisulind. METHODS Fourteen patients with metastatic AIPC were registered to receive weekly docetaxel for 4 weeks, followed by 2 weeks of rest; repeated up to a maximum of 6 cycles. Exisulind 250 mg was given orally twice a day starting on day 8 of the study and taken continuously. RESULTS All patients were evaluable for toxicity, response and survival. Grade 3 reversible toxicities included: fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, rash, syncope, pulmonary edema, deep vein thrombosis, congestive heart failure, and elevations in transaminases, requiring therapy delays and/or dose reductions, or removal from therapy. Only 3 out of 14 patients (21.4%) had a 50% decline in prostate specific antigen (PSA) level that lasted > or =4 weeks; 1 out of 14 patients (7%) had a lymph node response. Median survival was 17.28 months. Docetaxel pharmacokinetics for 11 patients demonstrated mean +/- SD clearance values that were similar during week 1 and week 3 when exisulind had been added. CONCLUSIONS : Overall, our trial indicated that the toxicity profile and efficacy of this regimen is unlikely to be substantially better than single agent docetaxel.
Discriminatively trained Bayesian speaker comparison of i-vectors

This paper presents a framework for fully Bayesian speaker comparison of i-vectors. By generalizing the train/test paradigm, we derive an analytic expression for the speaker comparison log-likelihood ratio (LLR), as well as solutions for model training and Bayesian scoring. This framework is useful for enrollment sets of any size. For the specific case of single-cut enrollment, it is shown to be mathematically equivalent to probabilistic linear discriminant analysis (PLDA). Additionally, we present discriminative training of model hyper-parameters by minimizing the total cross entropy between LLRs and class labels. When applied to speaker recognition, significant performance gains are observed for various NIST SRE 2010 extended evaluation tasks.
Accessing Ultra-High Pressure, Quasi-Isentropic States of Matter

Summary form only given. A new approach to materials science at extreme pressures has been developed on the OMEGA laser, using a ramped plasma piston drive. The laser drives a shock through a solid plastic reservoir that unloads at the rear free surface, expands across a vacuum gap, and stagnates on the metal sample under study. This produces a gently increasing ram pressure, compressing the sample nearly isentropically. The peak pressure on the sample, diagnosed with VISAR measurements, can be varied by adjusting the laser energy and pulse length, gap size, and reservoir density, and obeys a simple scaling relation. This has been demonstrated at OMEGA at pressures of P = 0.1-2.0 Mbar in Al foils. In an important application, using in-flight X-ray radiography, the material strength of solid-state samples at high pressure can be inferred by measuring the reductions in the growth rates (stabilization) of Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) unstable interfaces. The material strength is predicted to be as much as an order of magnitude higher at P ~ 1 Mbar than at ambient pressures. Initial RT measurements testing this prediction in foils of Al and V will be shown. We also use TEM microscopy of recovered targets to show that the samples never melted, and the presence of pressure-induced structural defects. Experimental designs based on this drive have been developed for the NIF laser, predicting that solid-state samples can be quasi-isentropically driven to pressures an order of magnitude higher than on Omega - accessing new regimes of dense, high-pressure matter
Transforming growth factor-β and atherosclerosis: interwoven atherogenic and atheroprotective aspects

Age-related progression of cardiovascular disease is by far the largest health problem in the US and involves vascular damage, progressive vascular fibrosis and the accumulation of lipid-rich atherosclerotic lesions. Advanced lesions can restrict flow to key organs and can trigger occlusive thrombosis resulting in a stroke or myocardial infarction. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) is a major orchestrator of the fibroproliferative response to tissue damage. In the early stages of repair, TGF-β is released from platelets and activated from matrix reservoirs; it then stimulates the chemotaxis of repair cells, modulates immunity and inflammation and induces matrix production. At later stages, it negatively regulates fibrosis through its strong antiproliferative and apoptotic effects on fibrotic cells. In advanced lesions, TGF-β might be important in arterial calcification, commonly referred to as “hardening of the arteries”. Because TGF-β can signal through multiple pathways, namely the SMADs, a MAPK pathway and the Rho/ROCK pathways, selective defects in TGF-β signaling can disrupt otherwise coordinated pathways of tissue regeneration. TGF-β is known to control cell proliferation, cell migration, matrix synthesis, wound contraction, calcification and the immune response, all being major components of the atherosclerotic process. However, many of the effects of TGF-β are essential to normal tissue repair and thus, TGF-β is often thought to be “atheroprotective”. The present review attempts to parse systematically the known effects of TGF-β on both the major risk factors for atherosclerosis and to isolate the role of TGF-β in the many component pathways involved in atherogenesis.
Elongated short arm of a G-group chromosome associated with similar phenotypic abnormalities in three patients

Summary Three patients with clinical features of small gonads, small phallus, behavioral problems, and obesity are reported. Cytogenetic studies revealed an elongation of the short arm of one of the G-group chromosomes. It would appear that this elongated number 21 chromosome is not a simple Mendelian trait since the parents and siblings of our patients have normal acrocentric chromosomes. There-fore, it is most important for genetic counseling that this abnormal chromosome be distinguished from others reported.
Range of Violations of Bell's Inequality by Entangled Photon Pairs *

Abstract If the quantum states of measured pairs are entangled, then there are triplets of experimental configurations for which Bell's original inequality is violated. This Letter gives a concise characterization of the entire range of possible triplets of polarization measurements on entangled photon pairs for which the inequality is violated.
International Entrepreneurship: The Intersection of Two Research Paths

Reflecting the internationalization of the marketplace and the increasing prominence of entrepreneurial firms in the global economy, the research paths of international business and entrepreneurshi...
AORTIC VALVE CALCIUM SCORE BY COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN PREDICTING PERIVALVULAR AORTIC INSUFFICIENCY POST TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE IMPLANTATION (TAVI)

Aortic valve (AV) calcification measured by computed tomography (CT) correlates with severity of aortic stenosis (AS) and prognosis. Perivalvular aortic regurgitation (AR) is relatively common after TAVI, and more severe AR is one of the major complications. We hypothesize that patients with higher
Fast structure learning in generalized stochastic processes with latent factors

Understanding and quantifying the impact of unobserved processes is one of the major challenges of analyzing multivariate time series data. In this paper, we analyze a flexible stochastic process model, the generalized linear auto-regressive process (GLARP) and identify the conditions under which the impact of hidden variables appears as an additive term to the evolution matrix estimated with the maximum likelihood. In particular, we examine three examples, including two popular models for count data, i.e, Poisson and Conwey-Maxwell Poisson vector auto-regressive processes, and one powerful model for extreme value data, i.e., Gumbel vector auto-regressive processes. We demonstrate that the impact of hidden factors can be separated out via convex optimization in these three models. We also propose a fast greedy algorithm based on the selection of composite atoms in each iteration and provide a performance guarantee for it. Experiments on two synthetic datasets, one social network dataset and one climatology dataset demonstrate the the superior performance of our proposed models.
Dynamics of polychlorinated biphenyls in striped bass from the Hudson River. III. Tissue disposition and routes for elimination

Striped bass were exposed to14C-polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in single-dose and multiple-dose experiments. Samples were analyzed to determine rate constants for PCB elimination from individual tissues, PCB concentration in tissues, the proportion of the PCB burden retained and the proportion of the cumulative dose retained by each tissue at various times after exposure. An experiment was also conducted to determine both the potential for secondary PCB uptake in dietary exposure studies and the relative tissue disposition of PCBs assimilated from dietary sources as compared to direct water uptake. PCBs were present in the tissues of striped bass within 6 h after administration of a single dose. Certain tissue compartments, such as the liver/gall bladder, accumulated PCBs over a period of 48 h even though the whole-body burden had decreased between 24 and 48 h. Except for the gills, elimination rate constants for all tissues were similar and were similar to the whole body elimination rate constant. Elimination during the first few hours following exposure to PCBs may be due to equilibrium partitioning from the gill to the environment. The multiple-dose study showed that PCB burdens in striped bass continued to increase with dosing. However, tissue-specific rate constants for PCB elimination led to an increased flux of PCB out of tissues, and an overall decline in the percent of the cumulative dose remaining in the body 48 h after administration of each dose. The most likely route for PCB elimination from striped bass was from tissues to the liver and thence to the intestine via the bile. There were no differences in the tissue disposition of PCB related to route of exposure.
Data Intensive Design for Multi-core Era☆

Abstract Modern multi-core design will continue Moore's law and facilitate platforms for both wired and wireless communications. It is also predicted that multi-core, as a popular computing platform, will need to have the capability to process “big data” with both high speed and high quality. However, slow dynamic interactions and data exchange are the two key challenges in the multi-core design. This paper discusses two new strategies that can potentially solve these two issues. First, we discuss a new “Communication-time Cost Minimization” (CCM) approach to reduce the communications between different cores. Then we discuss how to manage tasks and their associated data to achieve “Request Cancellation”to common structures such as memory or stack.We have demonstrated an average reduction of 50% in the communication- time cost, an average of 23.1% of throughput improvement, and a linear increase of request executions for the shared memory stack.
A flexible liquid microlens based on electrowetting

We report on a flexible liquid microlens actuated by electrowetting mechanism. The microlens structure is made of soft polymer and its substrate is made much thinner than the lens to reduce the stress on the lens when it is stretched on a curved surface. A low-temperature fabrication process is developed to reduce the stress in the polymer. The focal length f can be varied between −14 mm and 33 mm. The lens can resolve 11.30 line pairs per mm at f = 33 mm according to a 1951 USAF resolution chart test and the response time of the lens is approximately 50 ms.
Adenosine receptors as therapeutic targets

Adenosine receptors are major targets of caffeine, the most commonly consumed drug in the world. There is growing evidence that they could also be promising therapeutic targets in a wide range of conditions, including cerebral and cardiac ischaemic diseases, sleep disorders, immune and inflammatory disorders and cancer. After more than three decades of medicinal chemistry research, a considerable number of selective agonists and antagonists of adenosine receptors have been discovered, and some have been clinically evaluated, although none has yet received regulatory approval. However, recent advances in the understanding of the roles of the various adenosine receptor subtypes, and in the development of selective and potent ligands, as discussed in this review, have brought the goal of therapeutic application of adenosine receptor modulators considerably closer.
The Level of Litigation: Private Versus Social Optimality of Suit and of Settlement

The legal system is a very expensive social institution. Increasingly we read about the volume and the high costs of suit, and we observe the use of various measures to reduce litigation activity, for example, requirements that losing plaintiffs bear defendants’ legal fees, ceilings on damage awards, and judicial fostering of settlement. At the same time, we occasionally encounter the view that suit might need to be encouraged to overcome the private costs of litigation, and we notice some employment of policies promoting litigation, such as legal aid programs and requirements that losing defendants bear plaintiffs’ legal fees. Against this background, I ask the basic question: What is the socially optimal level of litigation given its expense, and how does it compare to the privately determined level of litigation? As will be explained, the former and the latter levels of legal activity generally differ, and the reasons involve two fundamental types of externality. The first is a negative externality: When a party spends on litigation, he does not take into account the litigation costs that he induces others to incur. The second is a positive externality: When a party engages in litigation, he does not take into account the effect that this has on incentives to reduce harm. In consequence, the privately determined level of litigation can depart from the socially optimal level—in either direction—and corrective social policy may help to remedy the divergence. To develop these points, I investigate the standard model of potentially harmful behavior and the liability system, 1 but I allow for the costliness of litigation. Let me now summarize the analysis that follows. 2
Fecal coliform and E. coli estimates, tip of the iceberg

Pure cultures of E. coli, Klebsiella and Enterobacter, obtained from hospital patients and from natural waters were tested for their growth patterns by spread plate and membrane filtration procedures at the following temperatures; 35°, 41.5°, 43°, 44.5°, and 35°C for 4 h followed by 18 h at 44.5°C. Results indicated that 44.5°C incubation produces the lowest population estimate and that the application of the membrane filtration technique also reduced the potential population.
TheA(3Π1) State of ClF

Abstract The A ( 3 Π 1 ) state of ClF is studied (1) in emission from the β(1 3 P 2 ) ion-pair state in a high-pressure discharge, (2) from its role in perturbations of the B ( 3 Π 0 + ) and A ′( 3 Π 2 ) states, and (3) in direct absorption from the X ( 1 Σ + ) ground state. The last of these is obtained via a UV-labeling technique and represents the first observation of the A ← X transition. The emission spectrum yields extensive assignments for the 0–4, 0–5, and 1–4 bands of β → A , with both e and f lines identified. The well-known perturbation in v = 7 of the B state is attributed to interaction with v = 9 of A . A newly identified perturbation in B (6) involves coupling with A (8). The known perturbation in B (8) may involve A (11), but other assignments cannot be ruled out. Approximate potential curves are derived for all three valence states and used to compute the vibrational factors for the perturbations, permitting extraction of the electronic coupling strengths. The B – A coupling elements are within ∼10% of expectations for rotation–electronic coupling within a Hund's case (a) 3 Π manifold, but the strength of the perturbation between A (5) and A ′(6) is only about 30% of predictions for this model.
Selectivity factors in the electrophilic cleavages of tetraalkyllead compounds

Abstract The rates of electrophilic cleavage of CH3Pb and CH3CH2Pb bonds in various methyl/ethyl tetraalkyllead compounds are examined. The reactivity of a given alkylPb linkage is highly dependent on the substitution pattern on the cationic trialkyllead leaving group, in which an ethyl group is approximately twice as effective as a methyl group in enhancing the rate. A method is developed for obtaining the relative reactivity of CH3Pb and CH3CH2Pb bonds to electrophilic cleavage under conditions of constant leaving group from competition studies.
Biosynthesis of Unusual Aminocyclitol-Containing Natural Products#

The aminocyclitol family of natural products is a class of sugar-derived microbial secondary metabolites that demonstrate significant biological activities. Within this class of natural products are the C7N-aminocyclitol-containing compounds, which were originally associated with potent sugar-hydrolase inhibition. However, recent discoveries indicate a broader array of chemical structures and biological activities of this class of compounds. Using both conventional feeding experiments and contemporary molecular genetic approaches, some progress has been made in understanding the biosynthesis of this class of natural products. Results of in silico investigation also suggest a wide distribution of this class of natural products or closely related compounds across different classes of microorganisms, including cyanobacteria and fungi. This review describes our recent progress in the biosynthetic studies of a number of C7N-aminocyclitol-containing compounds and the potential use of bioinformatic approaches to search for novel aminocyclitol-containing natural products.
Regge Trajectories and Nucleon Structure

Assuming linearly rising Regge trajectories and neglecting the $\ensuremath{\varphi}\mathrm{NN}$ coupling constant, we consider a simple expression for the proton magnetic form factor ${{G}_{M}}^{p}(t)$ which has poles at positive-integer values of the degenerate trajectory functions ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{\ensuremath{\rho}}(t)$ and ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{\ensuremath{\omega}}(t)$.
Comparison of the EC50s of algal toxicity tests calculated by four methods

EC50s (calculated concentrations that would inhibit growth by 50%) of 21 pesticides in unicellular algal toxicity tests were calculated by straight-line graphical interpolation, moving average interpolation, prohibit analysis, and the binomial method. EC50s of 18 tin compounds were calculated by graphical interpolation, moving average, and probit methods. Results from a total of 187 tests were analyzed. The EC50 values were essentially identical when calculated by each method. Although moving average and probit analyses allow calculation of confidence intervals, there is doubt that they can be used with the quantitative data of algal toxicity tests. In the absence of confidence intervals, only the calculated EC50 is used to express relative toxicity, and straight-line graphical interpolation, a simple and rapid method, may be used in lieu of more complex statistical methods.
Transmembrane Redox Sensor of Ryanodine Receptor Complex

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3R) and ryanodine receptors (RyR) mediate the release of endoplasmic and sarcoplasmic reticulum (ER/SR) Ca2+stores and regulate Ca2+ entry through voltage-dependent or ligand-gated channels of the plasma membrane. A prominent property of ER/SR Ca2+ channels is exquisite sensitivity to sulfhydryl-modifying reagents. A plausible role for sulfhydryl chemistry in physiologic regulation of Ca2+ release channels and the fidelity of Ca2+release from ER/SR is lacking. This study reveals the existence of a transmembrane redox sensor within the RyR1 channel complex that confers tight regulation of channel activity in response to changes in transmembrane redox potential produced by cytoplasmic and luminal glutathione. A transporter selective for glutathione is co-localized with RyR1 within the SR membrane to maintain local redox potential gradients consistent with redox regulation of ER/SR Ca2+release. Hyperreactive sulfhydryls previously shown to reside within the RyR1 complex (Liu, G., and Pessah, I. N. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 33028–33034) are an essential biochemical component of a transmembrane redox sensor. Transmembrane redox sensing may represent a fundamental mechanism by which ER/SR Ca2+channels respond to localized changes in transmembrane glutathione redox potential produced by physiologic and pathophysiologic modulators of Ca2+ release from stores.