cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Bulla ocular circadian pacemaker. I: Pacemaker neuron membrane potential controls phase through a calcium-dependent mechanism

We have used intracellular recording to directly measure the effects of three experimental agents, light, elevated potassium seawater, and lowered sodium seawater on the membrane potential of the putative circadian pacemaker neurons of theBulla eye. These agents were subsequently tested for effects on the free running period of the circadian pacemaker. We report that: 1. When applied to the eye, light and elevated potassium seawater depolarized the putative pacemaker neurons, while lowered sodium seawater hyperpolarized them. The membrane potential changes induced by these agents are sustained for at least one hour, suggesting that they produce persistent changes in the average membrane potential of the putative pacemaker neurons. 2. The amplitude of the membrane potential response to the depolarizing agents varies with the phase of the circadian cycle. Depolarizations induced by light and elevated potassium seawater are twice as large during the subjective night than they are during the subjective day. No significant difference was found in the response to lowered sodium seawater at different phases. 3. Continuous application of each of these agents caused a lengthening of the free running period of theBulla eye. Constant light increased the period by 0.9 h, while the other depolarizing treatment (elevated potassium seawater) increased the free running period by 0.6 h. Both treatments increased the mean peak impulse frequency of treated eyes. The hyperpolarizing treatment also increased the period of the ocular pacemaker (+0.8 h), but had little effect on peak impulse frequency. 4. Simultaneous chronic application of a depolarizing period lengthening treatment (constant light) and a hyperpolarizing period lengthening treatment (lowered sodium seawater) resulted in cancellation of their effects on freerunning period. 5. In conclusion, we find that continuous application of agents which change the membrane potential of the putative circadian pacemaker neurons lengthens the free running period of theBulla ocular circadian pacemaker. We have previously reported that transient changes in membrane potential shift the phase of theBulla ocular rhythm. Thus membrane potential can influence two fundamental properties of theBulla circadian oscillator suggesting that it is an important element of the circadian oscillator mechanism.
Transient elevation of triacylglycerol content in the liver: a fundamental component of the acute response to exercise.

Exercise is well appreciated as a therapeutic approach to improve health. Although chronic exercise training can change metabolism, even a single exercise session can have significant effects upon ...
Exploring the impact of online graphic narratives in consumer health promotion: A type 2 diabetes study

This research explores the use of online graphic narratives (a.k.a. comics) in consumer health promotion. More specifically, the study evaluates the persuasive power of online graphic narratives to communicate type 2 diabetes information, relative to other traditional health communication media such as videos and blogs. A framework including four variables related to narrative processing - narrative transportation, affective response, narrative comprehension, and message comprehension - is proposed. This model compares the effects of the three online media - graphic narrative, video and blog- on consumer persuasion. Overall, the study demonstrates that graphic narratives are more persuasive for health promotion than videos and blogs.
Critical Theory in World Religions: An experiment in Course (re)Design

The World Religions Paradigm (WRP) remains popular in classrooms despite its embedded problems that scholars have recognized for decades. The primary ways of responding to those problems have been either to continue teaching the WRP out of convenience or to reject it, removing World Religions courses from a curriculum completely. Using Jonathan Z. Smith’s six rules on teaching an undergraduate religion course from his essay “Approaching the College Classroom” in On Teaching Religion (2012), the redesign of World Religions at Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) represents an important alternative. A model for those who recognize the problems with the WRP but who do not want to (or cannot) stop teaching the topic altogether, the NWU World Religions pilot course finds a way to do both, advocating for not only the continued offering of World Religions courses but the promotion of critical thought and self-reflection among students while doing so.
Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Using Video Games in Science Classroom: A Literature Review

Understanding students’ and teachers’ perceptions of using educational games in the science classroom is necessary for the implementation and adoptions of game-based teaching. The current study reviews literature on the status quos of students’ and teachers’ perceptions of game-based science teaching and explores possible influencing factors of such perceptions. Search terms and screening identified 17 peer-reviewed articles. Results indicate that perception of game-based teaching is generally defined as perceived expectancy and value of using video games in teaching or learning. The findings suggest that most students and teachers hold positive attitudes towards game-based teaching due to its cognitive and emotional effects on learning. However, some teachers only see games as motivation tools and are not confident in integrating games into the classroom due to the lack of relevant skills and extensive technology supports. Students’ perceptions may vary across genders and disability statuses. Teachers’ game-based teaching experience, educational levels, and professional development programs could influence their perceptions.
Historical Perspectives on Gastric Motility

The recording, quantitation, and understanding of gut motility have been a constant goal during the last century, particularly the study of peristaltic contractions. Remarkable progress has been made in the study of gastrointestinal (GI) motility, particularly gastric motility. This progress results from contributions of a wide range of disciplines with advances in smooth muscle physiology, electrophysiology, neurohormonal regulation of the GI tract, anatomic/mechanical factors, flow dynamics, as well as basic molecular and cellular biology. Increasingly sophisticated instrumentation, biomedical engineering, and pharmaceutical research have also added to this rich harvest over the past 50 years. A central theme to the progress is the greater understanding of the enteric nervous system, where more than 106 neurons intercommunicate and integrate messages from the gut and brain to organize and coordinate the control of GI motility. This chapter provides a historical perspective to help understand how the path has been taken to arrive at our present understanding of gastric motility.
Future Opportunities in Chemical Engineering

Publisher Summary Chemistry, interacting with other disciplines, provides the fundamental knowledge required to deal with many of society's needs. These include new materials for aerospace, automotive, and electronics industries; basic data for the design of effective environmental controls; and the understanding of life processes important to agriculture and health care. There is growing recognition of broad opportunities for the application of chemistry and chemical engineering. The opportunities are bright for new businesses based on the chemical sciences. Of the high-growth businesses foreseen for companies in the chemical industry, many opportunities are the result of advances in materials science. In electronics, the demand exists for new materials in semiconductor technology, photovoltaics, and optical media for data storage, and electro-optical materials for data transmission. These applications require complex compounds—for example gallium arsenide and lithium niobate in semiconductors—of very high purity. In the area of specialty polymers, an explosion of new polymer blends, alloys, and composites has been noticed. Another important area of materials development is related to the life sciences and concerns the development of materials to serve as replacements for body parts. There are challenges in replacing hard tissues such as hip and knee joints as well as soft tissues such as vascular tissue and ligaments. These implants require very sophisticated composite materials if they are to model the properties of living tissues successfully. Therefore, the growth areas for chemical engineering parallel the growth areas of the chemical industry.
Neurally Mediated Syncope

Publisher Summary Syncope is a sudden, transient loss of consciousness with spontaneous recovery that is associated with the loss of postural tone. Neurally mediated syncope (NMS or reflex fainting) is the most common cause of syncope, especially in those patients without the evidence of structural heart disease. NMS most commonly occurs after prolonged sitting or standing, although it can also occur with exercise or emotional/ psychological triggers. The most common explanation for NMS is known as the “Ventricular Hypothesis.” This hypothesis provides a plausible explanation for the “postural prodrome” to many of the episodes of NMS. It also provides a rationale for the use of the tilt-table test, which is commonly used to aid the diagnosis of NMS. The history and the physical examination are at the heart of the diagnosis of NMS. The physical examination should focus on ruling out structural heart disease and focal neurologic lesions. The most useful examination maneuver is the carotid sinus massage. The technique involves performing up to 10 seconds of massage to the carotid sinus (per side) in both the supine and the upright posture, with a positive result requiring a decrease in blood pressure or heart rate with an associated reproduction in presenting symptoms.
National Goals for Education and The Language of Education

Schools have always been under presure to change or reform. Recent public criticism of schools provoked an attempt to address weaknesses in American education. Goals 2000 is a legislative effort that would reform schools using national goals for education. Selected goals are highlighted and The Language of Education provides a structure to develop understanding of the goals. We conted that Scheffler’s method for examining the discussion on education and policies developed from it is valid in the contemporary context. The analysis possible using The Language of Education would bring a missing sense of order to educational policy development and possibly give voice to those often disenfranchised by the process.
In vitro actin polymerization using polymorphonuclear leukocyte extracts.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the in vitro actin polymerization using polymorphonuclear leukocyte extracts. Actin polymerization is essential for pseudopod extension. During cell locomotion, the amount of F-actin is constant but in rapid flux with polymerization occurring at the barbed (high affinity) ends of an actin filament and depolymerization occurring at the pointed (low affinity) end. The chapter explains the preparation of a high-speed supernatant (HSS) of lysed polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) that responds to GTPγS-charged Cdc42 with increase in both F-actin level and filament number. The chapter discusses the assay of free filament ends by pyrenylactin polymerization. Pyrenylactin is characterized to determine its extent of labeling, critical concentration, specific fluorescence, and spontaneous nucleation activity. The chapter also describes assays for F-actin and actin filament ends. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the microscopic examination of actin filaments.
Late Cenozoic Volcanism in the Mount Garibaldi and Garibaldi Lake Volcanic Fields, Garibaldi Volcanic Belt, Southwestern British Columbia

At least twelve Pleistocene-Holocene calc-alkaline eruptive complexes were formed in the Mount Garibaldi and Garibaldi Lake volcanic fields during the intervals 1.1-1.3 Ma, 0.4-0.7 Ma, 0.2-0.3 Ma, and 0.10 Ma to present. Mildly alkalic basalts, which resemble extensional magma types, were erupted only during the last 100,000 years. Evolution of basaltic andesite and andesite magmas can be explained by polybaric crystal fractionation of more mafic parental magmas. The dacitic and rhyodacitic magmas probably originated by continued fractionation of andesitic liquids accompanied by extensive assimilation of heterogeneous crustal contaminants. Erupted basalts and calc-alkaline rocks, however, cannot be related by fractionation processes.
Uptake and acylation of 2-acyl-lysophospholipids by Escherichia coli.

Abstract The efficiency of extracellular 2-acyl-lysophospholipid incorporation into Escherichia coli membranes and the acyl donor utilized to acylate the 2-acyl-lysophospholipid was determined. Exogenous 2-acyl-lysophospholipids were acylated via the acyl-acyl carrier protein synthetase/2-acylglycerophosphoethanolamine acyltransferase pathway. The maximum extent of 2-acyl-lysophospholipid incorporation into the membrane was approximately 2.5% of the normal phospholipid biosynthetic rate.
Structure and consequences of the kinetic ballooning/interchange instability in the magnetotail

[1] The structure and dynamical consequences of the kinetic ballooning/interchange instability (BICI) that can be excited in the curved magnetic geometry characteristic of the terrestrial plasma sheet are investigated by means of three-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations. Compared with earlier studies that considered a single Bz minimum configuration with an extremely large midtail field, additional simulations are performed in which this maximum is reduced to a more realistic value, the dependence on the values of the plasma beta and of the mass and temperature ratios mi/me and Ti/Te is investigated, and the limiting case of a constant Bz profile is examined. The general properties of the BICI modes are found to be unaltered by these changes. Significantly, the BICI excitation is found not to require an explicit tailward magnetic field gradient; it appears to be sufficient for the entropy to decrease with distance down the tail. The BICI wavelength varies inversely with Bz, and the eigenmodes are strongly field aligned with parallel electron flows comparable to the ion thermal velocity. In the edge of the plasma sheet, the oscillations in Bx and Bz have comparable magnitude. Once excited, the growth of the modes is robust and leads to the formation of intense interchange heads that propagate earthward. When the equatorial plasma beta is on the order of 500 or higher, the Bz field can be driven southward in the wake of the heads. This results in the onset of localized magnetic reconnection and a violent disruption of the plasma sheet.
Things to Come: Postmodern Digital Knowledge Management and Medical Informatics

The overarching informatics grand challenge facing society is the creation of knowledge management systems that can acquire, conserve, organize, retrieve, display, and distribute what is known today in a manner that informs and educates, facilitates the discovery and creation of new knowledge, and contributes to the health and welfare of the planet. At one time the private, national, and university libraries of the world collectively constituted the memory of society's intellectual history. In the future, these new digital knowledge management systems will constitute human memory in its entirety. The current model of multiple local collections of duplicated resources will give way to specialized sole-source servers. In this new environment all scholarly scientific knowledge should be public domain knowledge: managed by scientists, organized for the advancement of knowledge, and readily available to all. Over the next decade, the challenge for the field of medical informatics and for the libraries that serve as the continuous memory for the biomedical sciences will be to come together to form a new organization that will lead to the development of postmodern digital knowledge management systems for medicine. These systems will form a portion of the evolving world brain of the 21st century.
Examples of realistic aerosol particles collected in a cascade impactor

In this paper some scanning electron microscope photomicrographs showing examples of a variety of particulate aerosol shapes are presented. Compositions of particles also are presented. These particles represent samples from a number of different sources and locations including: solid propellant rocket motor plumes, active volcano plumes, the lower stratosphere over Sondrestrom, Greenland, and the upper troposphere over northern Texas. The particles were collected from aboard an aircraft with a cascade impactor which classified them according to aerodynamic size into 10 size intervals ranging from submicron to greater than 25 micrometers in diameter. The cascade impactor also served to measure the mass concentration as a function of particle size. The variety of shapes and compositions found among these particles suggest difficulties in obtaining reliable size distribution data from light scattering measurements.
Measurement of chemical phosphate in proteins.

Publisher Summary Analytical procedures for measuring the phosphate content in proteins have suffered in general from a lack of sensitivity. This problem has required preparation of large amounts of a purified protein for phosphate analysis, a task that cannot easily be accomplished for many phosphoproteins. Such preparation is particularly difficult in cases in which the protein must be purified from tissue biopsy samples obtained for investigations of protein phosphorylation in vivo . This chapter discusses the measurement of chemical phosphate in proteins. This procedure incorporates two methods. First, the purified protein sample is ashed to convert protein-bound phosphate to inorganic phosphate. Second, the inorganic phosphate is measured after complexation of phosphomolybdate with the triphenylmethane dye, malachite green. The sensitivity of this procedure is times greater than the standard Fiske-SubbaRow procedure for measuring inorganic phosphate and measures as low as 0.2 nmol phosphate.
The Howard Wise Gallery Show Computer-Generated Pictures (1965): A 50th-Anniversary Memoir

In April 1965, the Howard Wise Gallery in New York City held a show of computer-generated pictures by Bela Julesz and Michael Noll. This show was a very early public exhibit of digital art in the United States. This essay is a memoir of that show.
Desmoglein 3 anchors telogen hair in the follicle

Little is known about the function of desmosomes in the normal structure and function of hair. Therefore, it was surprising that mice without desmoglein 3 (the autoantigen in pemphigus vulgaris) not only developed mucous membrane and skin lesions like pemphigus patients, but also developed hair loss. Analysis of this phenotype indicated that hair was normal through the first growth phase ('follicular neogenesis'). Around day 20, however, when the hair follicles entered the resting phase of the hair growth cycle (telogen), mice with a targeted disruption of the desmoglein 3 gene (DSG3-/-) lost hair in a wave-like pattern from the head to the tail. Hair then regrew and was lost again in the same pattern with the next synchronous hair cycle. In adults, hair was lost in patches. Gentle hair pulls with adhesive tape showed that anagen (growing) hairs were firmly anchored in DSG3-/- mice, but telogen hairs came out in clumps compared to that of DSG3+/- and +/+ littermates in which telogen hairs were firmly anchored. Histology of bald skin areas in DSG3-/- mice showed cystic telogen hair follicles without hair shafts. Histology of hair follicles in early telogen, just before clinical hair loss occurred, showed loss of cell adhesion (acantholysis) between the cells surrounding the telogen club and the basal layer of the outer root sheath epithelium. Electron microscopy revealed 'half-desmosomes' at the plasma membranes of acantholytic cells. Similar acantholytic histology and ultrastructural findings have been previously reported in skin and mucous membrane lesions of DSG3-/- mice and pemphigus vulgaris patients. Immunoperoxidase staining with an antibody raised against mouse desmoglein 3 showed intense staining on the cell surface of keratinocytes surrounding the telogen hair club in normal mice. Similar staining was seen in human telogen hair with an anti-human desmoglein 3 antibody. Finally, a scalp biopsy from a pemphigus vulgaris patient showed empty telogen hair follicles. These data demonstrate that desmoglein 3 is not only critical for cell adhesion in the deep stratified squamous epithelium, but also for anchoring the telogen hair to the outer root sheath of the follicle and underscore the importance of desmosomes in maintaining the normal structure and function of hair.
Real-Time Current and Wave Monitoring Using Acoustic and Iridium Satellite Links

The U.S. National Ocean Service (NOS) of NOAA maintains and operates a Physical Oceanography Real Time System (PORTS®) in the Nation’s major ports, harbors and bays. The traditional method of obtaining real-time data from bottom mounted instruments is via underwater cable link. However, this is vulnerable to damage and costly to install and maintain. This paper describes an approach utilizing acoustic and Iridium satellite links to report in real-time wave and current data. The system consists of an ocean bottom instrumentation platform and a U.S. Coast Guard Aid-to-Navigation buoy for data relay. The bottom platform contains a Nortek 1 MHz Acoustic Wave and Current profiler (AWAC) with an integrated Nortek Internal Processor (NIP), a LinkQuest omni-directional UWM2000H underwater acoustic transmitting modem, an ORE acoustic release-based recovery component, and a Teledyne-Benthos UAT-376/EL acoustic transponder. The surface buoy supports an omni-directional UWM2000H receiving modem, an Iridium antenna, and an electronic box containing an Iridium modem, a controller, battery packs, and temperature and voltage sensors. The AWAC measures current profiles along the vertical water column at 30-minute intervals and surface waves at hourly intervals. The NIP processes a set of user selected wave and current parameters and sends these data to the controller on the surface buoy through acoustic modems. The data are then transmitted via Iridium satellite to remote offices in real-time. Sample measurement results and reference data from a near-by Datawell’s Waverider directional wave buoy are presented. The Waverider is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). Several unique system design features and interesting wave phenomenon observed at the measurement site are discussed. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the performance of AWAC, NIP, shallow water acoustic modems, and Iridium satellite in real-time data telemetry.
Classification error analysis in stereo vision

Abstract Depth perception in humans is obtained by comparing images generated by the two eyes to each other. Given the highly stochastic nature of neurons in the brain, this comparison requires maximizing the mutual information (MI) between the neuronal responses in the two eyes by distributing the coding information across a large number of neurons. Unfortunately, MI is not an extensive quantity, making it very difficult to predict how the accuracy of depth perception will vary with the number of neurons ( N ) in each eye. To address this question we present a two-arm, distributed decentralized sensors detection model. We demonstrate how the system can extract depth information from a pair of discrete valued stimuli represented here by a pair of random dot-matrix stereograms. Using the theory of large deviations we calculated the rate at which the global average error probability of our detector; and the MI between the two arms’ output, vary with N . We found that MI saturates exponentially with N at a rate which decays as 1 / N . The rate function approached the Chernoff distance between the two probability distributions asymptotically. Our results may have implications in computer stereo vision that uses Hebbian-based algorithms for terrestrial navigation.
Production of aromatic green gasoline additives via catalytic pyrolysis of acidulated peanut oil soap stock.

abstract Catalytic pyrolysis was used to generate gasoline-compatible fuel from peanut oil soap stock (PSS), a highfree fatty acid feedstock, using a ﬁxed-bed reactor at temperatures between 450 and 550 C with a zeolitecatalyst (HZSM-5). PSS fed at 81 g h 1 along with 100 mL min inert gas was passed across a 15 g cata-lyst bed (WHSV = 5.4 h 1 , gas phase residence time = 34 s). Results indicate that fuel properties of PSSincluding viscosity, heating value, and O:C ratio were improved signiﬁcantly. For PSS processed at500 1C, viscosity was reduced from 59.6 to 0.9 mm 2 s , heating value was increased from 35.8 to39.3 MJ L 1 , and the O:C ratio was reduced from 0.07 to 0.02. Aromatic gasoline components (e.g., BTEX),were formed in concentrations as high as 94% (v/v) in catalytically-cracked PSS with yields ranging from22% to 35% (v/v of PSS feed). 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. IntroductionFats and vegetable oils are common feedstocks for biofuel pro-duction, particularly for biodiesel. Biodiesel can be produced froma variety of oils containing mono- (free fatty acids or FFAs), di- andtri-glyceride (i.e. lipid) feedstocks. Although a wide variety ofplant- and animal-derived feedstocks is available, the cost is highlyvariable with feedstock ranging from 0.20 to 2.0$ lb
Signal-processing algorithm for white-light optical fiber extrinsic Fabry–Perot interferometric sensors

We present a novel signal-processing algorithm for single-mode optical fiber extrinsic Fabry–Perot interferometric sensors that can achieve both high-resolution, absolute measurement of the cavity length and a large dynamic measurement range simultaneously. The algorithm is based on an accurate model of the characteristics of a fiber-optic sensor that takes into account the phase shift that is due to the coupling of light reflected at the second surface to the lead-in fiber end.
NO binds to unsaturated Os(IV) polyhydrides as a redox reagent

Abstract Reaction of Os(H) 3 ClL 2 (L P i Pr 3 ) with equimolar NO occurs via a detectable paramagnetic species, to form OsCl(NO)L 2 + H 2 , then Os(H) 2 Cl(NO)L 2 , together with the product of halogen transfer, OsHCl 2 (NO)L 2 . For comparison, equimolar NO and the dichloride Os(H) 2 Cl 2 L 2 react to give OsHCl 2 (NO)L 2 . DFT(PBE) calculations on potential radical intermediates reveal cases where spin density is on NO (vs. on Os), and show how coordinated H 2 can lead to the observed halogen transfer.
Testing the Relevance of Parameterization to Architectural Epistemology

Abstract Advances in building information modeling (BIM) deeply impact the production of new architecture; its benefits are obvious and its acceptance widespread. But how does BIM impact the study of existing architecture? Can BIM be assumed to operate as a neutral framework, equally applicable to the study of architecture anywhere? Using as a point of departure a recent outline of the conceptual structure of parametric modeling prepared by Sacks, Eastman, and Lee (2004), this paper compares parametric models of two existing works of architecture: Mies van der Rohe's Crown Hall and Peter Zumthor's St. Benedict Chapel. The processes of parametrically modeling each building are specifically compared in two ways: first, parameters are established for each model; second, each model is “flexed” as a means of disclosing possible semantic relationships within each work of architecture. Because each building demands a different parameter-establishment strategy, and because the models permit different degrees of f...
Achieving a vision of a statewide academic library network

Abstract The basic support of library management systems and inter-institutional telecommunications are vital if libraries are to be effectively positioned for the future. The demonstrable need for these elements of an IT infrastructure do not necessarily lead to institutional action, nor does common interest always result in multi- institutional collaboration. The Louisiana experience illustrates that the keys to success are leadership, risk taking, a vision for the future, the search for opportunity, and the creation of an atmosphere of trust and cooperation. Even funding obstacles need not stop technological innovation, which once started can take on a momentum all its own.—C.B.L.
Event-by-event evaluation of the prompt fission neutron spectrum from 239Pu(n,f)

We have developed an improved evaluation method for the spectrum of neutrons emitted in fission of {sup 239}Pu induced by incident neutrons with energies up to 20 MeV. The covariance data, including incident energy correlations introduced by the evaluation method, were used to fix the input parameters in our event-by-event model of fission, FREYA, by applying formal statistical methods. Formal estimates of uncertainties in the evaluation were developed by randomly sampling model inputs and calculating likelihood functions based on agreement with the evaluated . Our approach is able to employ a greater variety of fission measurements than the relatively coarse spectral data alone. It also allows the study of numerous fission observables for more accurate model validation. The combination of an event-by-event Monte Carlo fission model with a statistical-likelihood analysis is thus a powerful tool for evaluation of fission-neutron data. Our empirical model FREYA follows the complete fission event from birth of the excited fragments through their decay via neutron emission until the fragment excitation energy is below the neutron separation energy when neutron emission can no longer occur. The most recent version of FREYA incorporates pre-equilibrium neutron emission, the emission of the first neutron before equilibrium ismore » reached in the compound nucleus, and multi-chance fission, neutron evaporation prior to fission when the incident neutron energy is above the neutron separation energy. Energy, momentum, charge and mass number are conserved throughout the fission process. The best available values of fragment masses and total kinetic energies are used as inputs to FREYA. We fit three parameters that are not well under control from previous measurements: the shift in the total fragment kinetic energy; the energy scale of the asymptotic level density parameter, controlling the fragment 'temperature' for neutron evaporation; and the relative excitation of the light and heavy fragments, governing the number and energy of neutrons emitted from each fragment. The latter two parameters are assumed to be independent of the incident neutron energy while the first varies with incident energy. We describe our method and the subsequent spectral evaluation and present the results of several standard validation calculations that test our new evaluation. These benchmarks include critical assemblies, sensitive to criticality in fast systems; pulsed sphere measurements testing the spectra at incident neutron energies of 14 MeV; and other tests.« less
The effect of alternative mating tactics on the fertilization success of a hermaphroditic seabass.

In the simultaneously hermaphroditic marine fish, Serranus subligarius, male role individuals are known to pair spawn, group spawn and streak spawn. While the effects of these common mating tactics on mating success in the male role have been well studied, their consequences for the reproductive success of the individuals taking the female role have received little attention. To investigate those consequences, I observed mating behaviors and quantified fertilization success in natural and experimental settings during the summers of 2005–2008 at three sites with different local population densities. I observed focal individuals in 15-min increments and recorded the total number of spawns, number of streak spawns, size of participating spawners, and fertilization rate. The occurrence of small-sized individuals in the local population is associated with higher frequencies of streaking behavior; these small fish are most often first-year individuals reaching sexual maturity late in the spawning season (August/September). Spawns that included one or more streak spawners had a significantly lower average fertilization rate (89 %) than pair spawns without a streak spawner (97 %). This pattern was confirmed with a field manipulation experiment in which spawning events that included streakers again showed lower fertilization rates (93 %) than spawning events that did not include streakers (98 %). These lower fertilization rates occurred despite the fact that spawns that included multiple males produced, on average, 20 % more sperm than produced in spawns with only a single male. These results indicate that females incur a significant fitness cost when streakers invade a spawning event, a cost not attributable to sperm limitation or any direct effects on the female.
Neutral and ionic excimer molecules produced by reactive kinetics in a laser-produced plasma

The first observation to the authors’ knowledge of excimer molecules formed by reactive kinetics in a laser-produced plasma is reported. Emission from XeF at 351 nm and a new ionic excimer (XeRb)+ at 165 nm have been observed.
The equilibrium form of crystalline bodies

Abstract Crystalline materials with anistropic surface free-energy may have lower total free-energy in particular polycrystalline configurations than in any single-crystal shape. Calculations are presented of the relative free-energies of two-dimensional and three-dimensional single crystals and polycrystals with radial or tangential intercrystalline boundaries.
Future of testing: Reintegration of design, testing and manufacturing

For at least last 20 years dkroelectronics has been evolving rapidly tracking - almost without a single deviation - Moore's Law. At the beginning of nineteen nineties some level of concern was expressed whether continuing along Moore���s prediction makes economic sense. As a response to the above and other concerns in 1993 and 1994 the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has proposed ���The National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors.��� This Roadmap (which is also referred to as the ���SIA Roadmap���) proposes a number of milestones to be achieved by the semiconductor industry in next 15 years [3]. The true objective of the SIA Roadmap seems to be, however, a consolidation of the vision of what should be the future of the entire semiconductor industry. Such a consolidation has been perhaps seen as a necessary step in focusing industry government and universities on the same technology development objectives. Unification of the objectives could be the most effective way to build momentum which could allow the equipment industry to meet all the challenges of subsequent submicron technologies. Hence, one can see the SIA Roadmap as a "self-fulfilling prophecy" which facilitates continuation of the evolution of semiconductor industry along the Moore's Law. It should also be seen as an agenda focused on achieving ever smaller transistor sizes with ever more complex and, unfortunately, ever more expensive manufacturing processes. There are a number of very important implications of both the ambitious goals of the SIA Roadmap and the way these goals have been established. The most important of them are derivatives of a timely decrease-of-transistor-feature-size as primary goal of the Roadmap and strong focus on equipment-for-smaller-transistor related issues. Consequences of these two Roadmap���s characteristics will have a strong impact on manufacturing, testing and design. This summary discusses some of them in more detail.
Education Balanced Scorecard for Online Courses: Australia and US Best-Practices

This case presents a best-practice in higher education, whereby a balanced scorecard approach was used to assess the effectiveness of a distance education online course in an accredited business degree program at an Australian public university. The assessment rubric was created by applying the concept of the balanced scorecard from management science to measure student performance, satisfaction, as well as content and delivery effectiveness. Performance was derived from the course grades while a validated survey instrument was utilized to gather estimates of all other factors from the students. One of the key lessons-learned in the case was that rather than reinvent the wheel, it was better to reuse accreditation surveys designed for the classroom to assess online courses and leverage the management science philosophy of measuring more than just performance to evaluate program success. Similar scorecard concepts have already been applied in U.S. universities, thus their differences with this case are also discussed.
Three-axis optical alignment system

Using this system we believe that we will be able to align the rebuilt Sandberg-Serrell Balance Calibration Machine to the order of 0.001 in. position errors and.002 deg angle errors. This will keep the machine alignment-induced errors to less than 1/10 percent for the force axes, 1/4 percent for the moment axes and meet our accuracy objectives for this project.
Developmental actions of natriuretic peptides in the brain and skeleton

The concept that atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and the closely related peptides BNP and CNP might be involved in the ontogeny of several organ systems emerged in the late 1980s. While many of the reported in vitro actions have not been examined in the context of organ development in vivo, recent studies demonstrate that mice which lack or overexpress natriuretic peptides or receptors exhibit pronounced skeletal growth defects. This article discusses how natriuretic peptides and other factors appear to regulate bone growth as an example of how natriuretic peptides might participate in the ontogeny of other organ systems. Evidence indicating that natriuretic peptides regulate neural development is then reviewed. Natriuretic peptides and receptors exhibit complex expression patterns in the developing nervous system, where they have been shown to act on neural cells as early as at the embryonic neural tube stage. Interestingly, both bone and brain growth appear to utilize primarily CNP and the CNP-specific type B receptor, and perhaps the type C receptor. In vitro data indicate that CNP may act on developing neurons, astrocytes and Schwann cells like a classical growth factor, regulating proliferation, patterning, phenotypic specification, survival and axonal pathfinding. Natriuretic peptides might also have roles in the vascularization of the embryonic brain, establishment of the blood-brain and blood-nerve barriers, and perhaps in nerve regeneration.
Cognitive and affective patterns of alcoholics: Implications for group therapy

Alcoholics bring unique problems with them into treatment. This paper reviews the research on their cognitive and affective patterns of behavior. These include a low expectation of success in interpersonal relationships, the use of denial, insensitivity to mood states, and faulty attribution patterns. These difficulties hamper the expressive dimensions of their relationships with others and manifest themselves in the group therapy setting. Recommendations for facilitating group cohesion and developing an agenda are presented. Also discussed are the interactional means by which the work of the group is done. The supportive interchange is noted as a method by which group members gain access to the deeper layers of each other. The remedial interchange is the interactional means by which group members challenge each other and resolve conflicts.
Epididymal Anomalies in 82 Boys with Cryptorchidism

Purpose Epididymal anomalies have been reported in 36-79% of undescended testes. In contrast the incidence in normal fetuses is less than 3%. In a post-mortem study in 73 fetuses epididymal anatomy was classified in 6 types (Favorito et al. Eur Urol 1998; 33: 121-3). In this study we investigated the clinical applicability of this classification. Material and Methods During orchidopexy in 82 boys (104 testes) testis position, patency of processus vaginalis and epididymal anatomy was recorded. Eight patients (10%) had a premature birth; in 25 (30%) other congenital anomalies were diagnosed, like Prader Willi syndrome in 3 and Hypospadias in 10. The epididymis was classified as: type 1: the epididymis is connected to the testis at the level of the head and tail; type 2: contact at head, body and tail; type 3: contact at head; type 4: contact at tail; type 5: no contact at head, body and tail; or type 6: partial atresia of epididymis or vas. Type 1 and 2 are considered normal anatomy. Results In 92 (88%) testes the processus vaginalis was patent. The position was abdominal in 29 (28%), canalicular in 39 (37%) and near the external ring in 36 (35%). The epididymal anatomy was: type 1: 37 (36%), type 2: 0 (0%), type 3: 32 (31%), type 4: 15 (14%), type 5: 16 (15%) and type 6: 4 (4%). Anatomy was correlated to the position of the testis: resp. 50%, 33% and 21% of the testes located resp. near the external ring, canalicular and abdominal showed normal contact (type 1). Conclusions Classification of epididymal anatomy in 6 subtypes is applicable in routine clinical practice. Considering subtypes 1 and 2 as normal the prevalence of epididymal anomalies in our series is 64%. Especially subtypes 4, 5 and 6 (in this series 33%) may contribute to impaired fertility. Long-term follow-up studies may provide insight in the clinical significance of epididymal anomalies discovered during orchidopexy in childhood.
Analysis of telescope array receivers for deep-space inter-planetary optical communication link between Earth and Mars

Abstract Optical communication technology shows promising prospects to fulfill the large bandwidth communication requirements of future deep-space exploration missions that are launched by NASA and various other international space agencies. At Earth, a telescope with a large aperture diameter is required to capture very weak optical signals that are transmitted from distant planets and to support large bandwidth communication link. A single large telescope has the limitations of cost, single point failure in case of malfunction, difficulty in manufacturing high quality optics, maintenance, and trouble in providing communication operations when transmitting spacecraft is close to the Sun. An array of relatively smaller-sized telescopes electrically connected to form an aggregate aperture area equivalent to a single large telescope is a viable alternative to a monolithic gigantic aperture. In this paper, we present the design concept and analysis of telescope array receivers for an optical communication link between Earth and Mars. Pulse-position modulation (PPM) is used at the transmitter end and photon-counting detectors along with the direct-detection technique are employed at each telescope element in the array. We also present the optimization of various system parameters, such as detector size (i.e., receiver field of view), PPM slot width, and the PPM order M , to mitigate the atmospheric turbulence and background noise effects, and to maximize the communication system performance. The performance of different array architectures is evaluated through analytical techniques and Monte-Carlo simulations for a broad range of operational scenarios, such as, Earth–Mars conjunction, Earth–Mars opposition, and different background and turbulence conditions. It is shown that the performance of the telescope array-based receiver is equivalent to a single large telescope; and as compared to current RF technology, telescope array-based optical receivers can provide several orders of magnitude greater data rates for deep-space communication with Mars.
A prospective trial evaluating the clinical performance of a novel surgical energy device in laparoscopic colon surgery.

The aim of this prospective human trial was to evaluate the clinical performance of a novel THUNDERBEAT (TB) energy device in laparoscopic colon surgery. This study reports the first human trial in USA with this combined energy device in colon surgery. This is a prospective pilot study with 30 subjects undergoing left or right laparoscopic colon resection for neoplasm in a single institution. All soft tissue dissections and all vessel ligations were performed using TB. No other energy device was used within the abdomen. Recorded end-points were dissection time (from the start of colon mobilization to specimen removal), surgical procedure time, the number of times TB taken out of the abdominal cavity, intraoperative complications (bleeding at the time of mesenteric dissection or vessel ligation, thermal injury during surgery, injury of other organs), technical device problems, postoperative complications (bleeding, delayed thermal injuries, other complications within 30 days), length of hospital stay, and mortality. Thirty subjects (15 males) were enrolled in the study with median age and range 68.5 (21–86) and BMI kg/m2 25.5 (20–35). Twelve subjects underwent right and 18 left laparoscopic hemicolectomy. The mean surgical procedure time was 163 ± 86 min and for dissection using TB device 80.6 ± 35 min. Major vessel ligation was successful in all subjects. The median number of TB applications to seal inferior mesenteric artery was 3 (2–8). TB was taken out of the abdominal cavity during dissection for tip cleaning a medium number of two times/per case. No intraoperative or postoperative complications (bleeding, thermal injuries, etc.) related to use of TB were noted. The TB device demonstrated efficient and successful performance at tissue dissection and vessel ligation in left and right colectomies. TB technology can be employed in complex abdominal surgery and may save time through faster dissection but comparative studies with other energy devices are needed to confirm this.
The effect of pressure on the luminescence of Cr3+: YAG

Abstract Pressure can be used to tune the energy separation between electronic levels involved in absorption, emission and energy transfer processes by directly altering ion-ion distances, spectral overlap, and the lattice spacing of a laser host. We report here the use of pressure to tune the optical properties of Cr 3+ in yttrium aluminum garnet. Photoluminescence measurements show an increase in the energy difference between the 4 T 2 and 2 E levels of Cr 3+ and a decrease in R-line splitting as the pressure is raised. Pulsed luminescence measurements reveal a twelve-fold increase in Cr 3+ R-line lifetime over the pressure range 0–150 kbar. These effects are believed to be consistent with a decrease in the trigonal distortion at the Cr 3+ site in YAG and a reduction of the degree of spin-orbit coupling at high pressure.
An iterative approach to multi-objective engineering design

This study contributes an iterative problem reformulation technique for multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA) decision support. Problem formulations consist of objectives, decision variables, and constraints, and directly influence the results generated by the MOEA. Typically, design problems are optimized based on a single problem formulation established a priori. In this paper, we demonstrate an approach to perform iterative optimization using problem formulations updated from analyses of results from prior rounds of optimization, which often reveal design components not initially considered. To demonstrate the approach, we consider a novel groundwater remediation technique, Engineered Injection and Extraction (EIE), which has never been optimized in the literature. Iterative problem reformulation enabled the MOEA to generate EIE solutions with better performance than the heuristically-developed solution used in prior work. We optimize a groundwater remediation strategy using multi-objective optimization.We demonstrate an iterative approach to adapt the problem formulation.We couple visualizations of objective and decision space to analyze solutions.