cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Women and Party-Building: Evidence From Municipal Governments in Brazil

The costs and benefits of holding political office are unequally distributed - women benefit less, but incur personal costs. We highlight a new arena in which women have an upper hand: recruiting female party members. Using rich data on party membership and a regression discontinuity design in Brazil, we show that, despite resource disparities, male and female incumbents are equally likely to increase party membership, but that only women lower the gender gap. We theorize how the political economy of gender inequality incentivizes female-led party building: social roles limit women's options and women rely more on local politics for career progression. Women optimize by recruiting female members who join for non-clientelistic reasons and are less likely to leave. Furthermore, we find that women have higher career progression in constituencies with greater party building need. We highlight a new way in which female representation enhances democracy, via grassroots party building.
Exploring Classical and Contemporary Conception of Ethos Applied Case-The Rhetorical Ethos of President George W. Bush

EXPLORING CLASSICAL AND CONTEMPORARY CONCEPTIONS OF ETHOS APPLIED CASE-THE RHETORICAL ETHOS OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH By Bobby J. Antrobus, M.A. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2005 Major Director: Dr. James J. Kinney Professor, Department of English By exploring classical and contemporary conceptions of rhetorical ethos, this thesis assembles theories of analysis and then applies them in the form of rhetorical analysis of the rhetorical ethos exhibited by President George W. Bush in his presidential speeches. The theoretical investigation reveals the extensive use of the ethical appeal in all manner of rhetorical situations in the contemporary world but especially focuses on how political rhetoric has come to rely predominantly on this persuasive appeal.
The DNA Damage Response

This chapter reviews the current knowledge about the mechanism of the LexA/RecA regulated response and its output in Escherichia coli, stressing newly emerging areas such as regulation of RecA filament formation and management of specialized DNA repair polymerases. It also talks about the SOS response in other bacterial species and its implications for the evolution and treatment of bacterial pathogens, and further discusses the more poorly understood LexA/ RecA-independent damage response in several model organisms and a potentially larger network of the response to DNA damage. ATP binding, but not hydrolysis, is required for DNA binding; DNA binding greatly stimulates ATP hydrolysis, which in turn promotes RecA’s release from DNA. The current widespread use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which, as topoisomerase II poisons, are potent SOS inducers, has potentially serious clinical consequences and influence on evolution of pathogens. In E. coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis there is increasing evidence of LexA/RecA independent modes of DNA damage response, including genes involved in DNA replication and repair. The majority of DNA damage inducible genes are not controlled by LexA or RecA . The DNA damage response has important implications for the evolution and treatment of bacterial pathogens because of its ability to promote genetic change through mutation and induction of mobile genetic elements, potentially induced by the very agents used to treat bacterial infections.
GENOME ISLAND: A Virtual Science Environment in Second Life

This article describes the organization and uses of Genome Island, a virtual laboratory complex constructed in Second Life. Genome Island was created for teaching genetics to university undergraduates but also provides a public space where anyone interested in genetics can spend a few minutes, or a few hours, interacting with genetic objects -from simple experiments with peas to the organization of whole genomes. Each of the approximately four dozen activities available in the island‘s various areas includes background information, model objects with data sets, and suggestions for data analysis. The island also has a presentation theater, an indoor conference setting, and separate meeting spaces suitable for small group conversations. Clark describes some of the activities available on the island, offers advice for their use, and discusses the results of a pilot project that identified some pedagogical and technical challenges arising in this virtual setting.
Biomarker Validation for Aging: Lessons from mtDNA Heteroplasmy Analyses in Early Cancer Detection

The anticipated biological and clinical utility of biomarkers has attracted significant interest recently. Aging and early cancer detection represent areas active in the search for predictive and prognostic biomarkers. While applications differ, overlapping biological features, analytical technologies and specific biomarker analytes bear comparison. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) as a biomarker in both biological models has been evaluated. However, it remains unclear whether mtDNA changes in aging and cancer represent biological relationships that are causal, incidental, or a combination of both. This article focuses on evaluation of mtDNA-based biomarkers, emerging strategies for quantitating mtDNA admixtures, and how current understanding of mtDNA in aging and cancer evolves with introduction of new technologies. Whether for cancer or aging, lessons from mtDNA based biomarker evaluations are several. Biological systems are inherently dynamic and heterogeneous. Detection limits for mtDNA sequencing technologies differ among methods for low-level DNA sequence admixtures in healthy and diseased states. Performance metrics of analytical mtDNA technology should be validated prior to application in heterogeneous biologically-based systems. Critical in evaluating biomarker performance is the ability to distinguish measurement system variance from inherent biological variance, because it is within the latter that background healthy variability as well as high-value, disease-specific information reside.
Altered disturbance regimes: demise of fire in the eastern United States

We generated a series of maps to help alert and educate people to the pervasiveness of fire regime changes across the eastern United States. Using geographic information systems (GIS), fire regimes were assigned to spatial vegetation databases to depict past and current conditions. Comparisons revealed substantial reductions in fire throughout the East. The most dramatic shifts took place in the former Midwestern grasslands and across a broad swath of southern and central States where pine and oak communities historically dominated. Land-use changes (e.g., agricultural and forest-type conversions) and recent fire suppression largely explain these shifts. Fire regime change was least in northern hardwood systems, in the mixed mesophytic region, and within the Mississippi Embayment. Negative ecological consequences of prolonged fire suppression are mounting while restoration opportunities are waning.
Effect of neuraxial technique after inadvertent dural puncture on obstetric outcomes and anesthetic complications.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate labor and delivery outcomes in parturients with inadvertent dural puncture managed by either insertion of an intrathecal catheter or a resited epidural catheter. Methods This was a retrospective cohort review of 235 parturients who had an inadvertent dural puncture during epidural placement over a six-year period. The primary outcome was the proportion of women with a delayed second stage of labor. Secondary outcomes were the proportion of cesarean deliveries, the proportion of cases resulting in post-dural puncture headache, and the incidence of failed labor analgesia. Results Baseline characteristics such as age, body mass index and parity were similar between the two groups. Among the 236 cases of inadvertent dural puncture, 173 women (73%) had an intrathecal catheter placed while 63 women (27%) had the epidural catheter resited. Comparing intrathecal with epidural catheters, there was no observed difference in the proportion of cases of prolonged second stage of labor (13% vs. 16%, P =0.57) and the overall rate of cesarean deliveries (17% vs. 16%, P =0.78). However, we observed a lower rate of post-dural puncture headache in women who had cesarean delivery compared to vaginal delivery (53% vs. 74%, P =0.007). A greater proportion of failed labor analgesia was observed in the intrathecal catheter group (14% vs. 2%, P =0.005). Conclusion The choice of neuraxial technique following inadvertent dural puncture does not appear to alter the course of labor and delivery. Cesarean delivery decreased the incidence of post-dural puncture headache by 35%. Intrathecal catheters were associated with a higher rate of failed analgesia.
Information center services: an empirical study

126 information centers (ICs) were surveyed to determine which services they offer, which ones they do not offer, and which ones they offered previously but discontinued. Based on the survey responses, a definitive list of 35 individual IC services offered by information centers was obtained. Although only seven of the services are offered in les than one-half of the responding companies, some services are offered less frequently than expected. The service group of software support is offered most frequently and the miscellaneous support group is offered least frequently. It is observed that the diversity of these services and the frequency with which they are offered indicate that the IC continues to be a strategically important concept for supporting end-user computing in organizations. >
Labor Rights and Multinational Production: Varieties of Capitalists?

In the first five chapters of this book, I advance the argument that economic globalization generally, and multinational production specifically, is a diverse phenomenon. Some low- and middle-income nations have high levels of MNC-owned production, whereas foreign direct investment plays a much more limited role in other nations. Similarly, some developing nations are highly involved in regional and global trade markets, whereas other nations maintain both legal and practical barriers to imports and exports. In some instances, high levels of trade activity coexist with low levels of FDI inflows. These cases are marked by high levels of trade competition and subcontracting activity but by little directly owned production. In other situations, multinational corporations own significant production facilities in the host nation, in which they produce goods that largely service local consumer markets – a high level of direct investment but a low level of trade openness. These differences should generate diversity in labor rights outcomes, according to the theoretical and empirical claims advanced in Chapters 3 and 5. Trade openness tends to put negative pressures on collective labor rights, whereas foreign direct investment augurs positively for this same set of rights. As a result, how a given nation participates in the global economy – and how MNCs enter host economies – has important consequences for workers in that country. However, this heterogeneity captures only part of the diversity inherent in contemporary multinational production. Whereas the preceding chapters advance our understanding of the links between the global economy and workers’ rights, they leave many elements of global production unexplored.
Detecting turbulent flow in Korotkoff sounds using nonlinear methods

Sounds generated by turbulent blood flow through partially occluded brachial artery were used to model sounds expected from coronary occlusions. Two methods of nonlinear analysis, third-order autocovariance and time reversal, were evaluated for their ability to detect blood flow turbulence. The values obtained from turbulent acoustic data were compared against surrogate data having similar power spectra but reduced complexity. Results showed that the values obtained by third-order autocovariance were significantly different from the surrogate data in all three subjects, but only when the artery was partially occluded and turbulent blood flow was present. The time reversal method also showed significant differences from the surrogate data in two of the three subjects. To evaluate the robustness of these approaches, noise equivalent to the standard deviation of the data was added. The third-order autocovariance method continued to show significant differences compared to surrogate data with little degradation in performance. These results indicate that third-order autocovariance provides a sensitive measure of the nonlinearities associated with turbulent blood flow though partially occluded arteries and may be of considerable diagnostic value.
Sham intake of ethanol in “P” rats

Alcohol-preferring (P) rats were surgically fitted with gastric fistulas, and intakes of 10% ethanol solution were measured in 1-h sessions either with the fistula closed (normal drinking) or open (sham drinking). In water-replete P rats in which ethanol access was limited to 1 h/day, no increase in intake was noted in the sham compared with normal drinking tests in the day. A small increase was seen when the sham drinking test was conducted at night. In water-deprived P rats, sham intake of ethanol was elevated over intakes in closed fistula trials. However, in comparison with water intake on separate test days, sham intake of ethanol by P rats was lower and satiated after 15-30 min. The absence of robust sham alcohol drinking in P rats is similar to what we have previously reported in normal Sprague-Dawley rats, suggesting that preabsorptive factors alone do not account for the strain differences in ethanol preference.
Magnetic resonance imaging of cutaneous melanocytic lesions.

. This is the first literature report on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination of cutaneous melanocytic or any other type of skin lesions. Good resolution, clinically useful MRI scans of a congenital nevus and a metastatic melanoma to the skin are presented. The potential usefulness of MRI technique to physicians dealing with cutaneous disease is discussed.
Heat Pulse Analysis in Single-Wall and Double-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

This paper investigates thermal transport in single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and the interfacial thermal interaction in double-wall carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and wavelet methods. The simulations are performed on three groups of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), as shown in Figure 1: 200 nm SWCNTs, 200 nm DWCNTs with 50 nm cut in the middle, and 100 nm complete DWCNTs. A heat pulse is applied in the middle of the CNTs, and wavelike responses of temperature as well as its three components (radial, tangential, and longitudinal) along the CNTs are analyzed to explore the underlying thermal transport mechanism. Wavelet analysis is carried out on the three components of velocity to investigate the evolution of frequency spectrum along CNTs in time. The heat pulse analysis in SWCNTs shows that the longitudinal components propagate as the leading wave packet of heat at the largest speed but only carry a small fraction of the total energy. The high frequency radial components carry most of the energy and dominate in the middle diffusion regions. In DWCNTs, the radial components and tangential components carry most of the total energy while the longitudinal components carry only a small fraction of the total energy. We observe dramatic energy transfer from outer tube to inner tube of a DWCNT without any cut during the heating period. This energy transferred to inner tube is primarily contained in the slowly moving radial modes indicating that energy can be transferred effectively by the radial modes. However, the energy transfer between tubes of DWCNTs through tangential and longitudinal components is quite ineffective.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Preventive Interventions for Schizophrenia: A Case Report

Prodromal phase of psychosis refers to the period from the first noticeable symptoms or unusual experiences to the first prominent psychotic symptoms. Early recognition and treatment of schizophrenia is one of the most important therapeutic goals. However, symptoms presented during the prodromal phase of psychosis are often nonspecific and difficult to recognize. Therefore, the Scale of Prodromal Symptoms (SOPS) and the Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes (SIPS) are designed to help clinicians identify prodromal symptoms. In addition, the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States Scale (CAARMS) is designed to help recognize individuals at high risk. Furthermore, preventive interventions have been suggested for such at-risk patients to delay or prevent progression to psychosis. These interventions include psychosocial support, close monitoring of worsening of the symptoms, psychotherapeutic approaches, and early judicious use of antipsychotics, if warranted.
This is Why we Teach: Igniting a Passion for Learning in Linked Courses:

Rote teaching and learning have their place, but not in a music course and an art and design course in which two dozen students at Queensborough Community College enrolled together. Through a share...
Formation, encapsulation, and validation of membrane-based artificial hair cell sensors

Hair cell structures are one of the most common forms of sensing elements found in nature. In nearly all vertebrates hair cells are used for auditory and vestibular sensing. In humans, approximately 16,000 auditory hair cells can be found in the cochlea of the ear. Each hair cell contains a stereocilia, which is the primary structure for sound transduction. This study looks to develop and characterize an artificial hair cell that resembles the stereocilia of the human ear. Recently our research group has shown that a single artificial hair cell can be formed in an open substrate using a single aqueous droplet and a hydrogel. In this study, air was blown across the hair and analyzed using spectral analysis. The results of this study provided the foundation for our current work toward an artificial hair cell that uses two aqueous droplets. In the current study a test fixture was created in order to consistently measure various properties of the encapsulated hair cell. The response of the hair cell was measured with an impulse input at various locations on the test fixture. A frequency response function was then created using the impulse input and the output of the sensor. It was found that the vibration of the hair was only detectable if the test fixture was struck at the correct location. By changing the physical parameters of the hair sensor, such as hair length, we were able to alter the response of the sensor. It was also found that the sensitivity of the sensor was reliant on the size of the lipid bilayer.
Gas chromatographic analysis of amine mixtures in drug formulations

By employing a derivatization scheme, phenylpropanol-amine hydrochloride, phenylephrine hydrochloride, phenyltolox-amine citrate, and chlorpheniramine maleate can be separated by means of a single injection in a suitable flame-ionization gas-liquid chromatograph. Formulated mixtures of the same components can be analyzed quantitatively in the same way. Precision at the 95 percent confidence level for the four compounds is 4.4 to 7.9 percent. Accuracy with respect to label claim is good.
mrSNP: Software to detect SNP effects on microRNA binding

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short (19-23 nucleotides) non-coding RNAs that bind to sites in the 3’untranslated regions (3’UTR) of a targeted messenger RNA (mRNA). Binding leads to degradation of the transcript or blocked translation resulting in decreased expression of the targeted gene. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been found in 3’UTRs that disrupt normal miRNA binding or introduce new binding sites and some of these have been associated with disease pathogenesis. This raises the importance of detecting miRNA targets and predicting the possible effects of SNPs on binding sites. In the last decade a number of studies have been conducted to predict the location of miRNA binding sites. However, there have been fewer algorithms published to analyze the effects of SNPs on miRNA binding. Moreover, the existing software has some shortcomings including the requirement for significant manual labor when working with huge lists of SNPs and that algorithms work only for SNPs present in databases such as dbSNP. These limitations become problematic as next-generation sequencing is leading to large numbers of novel variants in 3’UTRs. In order to overcome these issues, we developed a web-server named mrSNP which predicts the impact of a SNP in a 3’UTR on miRNA binding. The proposed tool reduces the manual labor requirements and allows users to input any SNP that has been identified by any SNP-calling program. In testing the performance of mrSNP on SNPs experimentally validated to affect miRNA binding, mrSNP correctly identified 69% (11/16) of the SNPs disrupting binding. mrSNP is a highly adaptable and performing tool for predicting the effect a 3’UTR SNP will have on miRNA binding. This tool has advantages over existing algorithms because it can assess the effect of novel SNPs on miRNA binding without requiring significant hands on time.
Feedback effects on sequential ordering in humans.

Under various feedback conditions, 38 college undergraduates were asked to rearrange abstract graphic characters on a computer screen, placing them in arbitrarily designated “correct” sequences. Two sets of seven horizontally arrayed stimuli were used. In Experiment 1, subjects in Group 1 learned to arrange the first set under Selection Feedback in which a “+” appeared above each character after it was selected in the correct order and to arrange the second set under Order Feedback in which a correct response produced a copy of the character in its correct ordinal position at the top of the screen. For Group 2 the order of these conditions was reversed. In Experiment 2, for subjects in Group 3, correct responses produced neither of these types of feedback. Subjects in Group 4 received Order Feedback only until the first set was correctly ordered once. Order Feedback was more effective than Selection Feedback during initial acquisition of the first set but not during maintenance; no differences were found for the second set. Only 2 of 9 subjects successfully put the characters in correct sequential order under the No Feedback condition. When, in Experiment 2, Order Feedback was eliminated after the first correctly arranged sequence, the steady-state criteria were met more slowly than in Experiment 1.
Respiratory Monitoring in the Intensive Care Unit

Continuous monitoring of important respiratory indices has the potential for predicting catastrophes and providing an opportunity for the timely institution of lifesaving measures. Arterial oxygenation can be monitored noninvasively using oximetry or transcutaneous oxygen electrodes, while mixed venous oxygenation can be recorded continously with modified pulmonary artery catheters. A satisfactory method of monitoring carbon dioxide tension does not exist. Measurements of respiratory drive can be obtained at the bedside, but their clinical usefulness remains unknown. Assessment of respiratory muscle strength is helpful in determining the need for mechanical ventilation, but a practical method of diagnosing respiratory muscle fatigue remains elusive. Measurement of thoracic compliance and detailed examination of the breathing pattern, i.e., tidal volume, respiratory frequency, and the pattern of rib cage-abdominal motion, are helpful in assessing abnormal pulmonary mechanics. The detailed information provi...
Second somatosensory cortical area in macaque monkeys: 2. Neuronal responses to punctate vibrotactile stimulation of glabrous skin on the hand.

Abstract Single neuron responses from the second somatosensory cortical area (SII) of macaque monkeys were studied using computer-controlled vibratory stimuli ranging in frequency from 10 to 300 Hz. Results were obtained using chronic recording techniques in awake or lightly tranquilized animals. Most neurons were unable to follow the temporal order of vibrations in excess of 10 Hz. A smaller sample of cells provided faithful reproduction of frequencies up to 50–75 Hz and another responded to low amplitude, high frequency stimulation in excess of 100 Hz. Cells that displayed temporally cohesive responses to lower frequencies demonstrated predictable, time-locked discharges to successive stimulus cycles. Cells activated by higher frequencies showed a lower probability of following successive stimulus cycles. These findings are discussed in reference to the hypothesis that SII may provide a parallel channel for processing high frequency vibrotactile inputs from Pacinian receptors.
Hydrocarbons, fatty acids and sterols of Cronartium fusiforme aeciospores

Abstract Hydrocarbons, fatty acids and sterols of Cronartium fusiforme aeciospores were determined using gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques. Low levels of aliphatic hydrocarbons (C20 to C34) were detected in the spore extracts, but were probably contaminants from the host tissue. Stigmasta-Δ7,24(28)-dienol was the principal sterol component of the aeciospore oil and represented about 0·3% of the spore weight. Fatty acids ranged from C12 to C22 in chain-length and cis-epoxyoctadecanoic acid was the predominant acid (49·4%). Other major fatty acid components were C16 (12·3%) and C18:3 (9·2%).
Orbit determination for Lunar Orbiter.

Orbit determination for Lunar Orbiter, describing computer program and studying Doppler residuals
On maintaining pressure equilibrium between a soil CO2 flux chamber and the ambient air

[1] Pressure equilibrium between inside a soil CO2 flux chamber and the surrounding air outside the chamber must be maintained during a measurement if measured soil CO2 flux (FCO2) is to accurately represent the rate occurring naturally outside the chamber. In previous studies a simple vent tube connecting to the chamber has often been used to maintain pressure equilibrium. This approach, however, can be effective only under calm conditions. Under windy conditions, negative pressure excursions will occur inside the chamber that are artifacts resulting from wind passing over the vent tube's external open end, a phenomenon known as the Venturi effect. This causes anomalous mass flow of CO2-rich air from the soil into the chamber, leading to a significant overestimation of FCO2. In this present study, we found that negative chamber pressure excursions due to the Venturi effect cannot be observed unless the differential pressure measurement is made with the chamber resting on an impermeable base. Making pressure measurements with a chamber resting on porous soil can lead to the erroneous conclusion that an anomalous mass flow is not a problem precisely when it is causing serious artifacts. We also present a new vent design for a soil CO2 flux chamber capable of maintaining pressure equilibrium between inside the chamber and the ambient air outside the chamber under both calm and windy conditions. Differential pressure measurements from field experiments show that the pressures inside our newly designed vented chamber equal those outside the chamber when wind speed at a height of 0.5 m is up to 7 m s−1, thus virtually eliminating artifacts due to the Venturi effect. Our field data show that the problem of overestimation in measured FCO2 by a chamber with older vent designs under windy conditions can be avoided with our newly designed vented chamber.
Interposer-to-interposer electrical and silicon photonic interconnection platform using silicon bridge

Developing solutions that provide high-bandwidth and low-energy communication has been at the forefront of interconnect and packaging research [1]. Within a module, the challenge has been addressed by using novel 2.5D (silicon interposer) and 3D stacking for short and high-density electrical interconnections and silicon photonics based interconnects. However, wafer-level batch fabricated solutions for high-bandwidth and low-energy interconnection between modules remain largely missing. Fig. 1 illustrates three approaches for package-to-package communication: through the motherboard, Flex connection [2], and using optical fibers. Electrical connectivity through the motherboard is both bandwidth limited and energy consuming. The use of Flex connection provides lower loss channels, however it requires a serial assembly process, which may limit its scalability. Methods involving optical fibers suffer the same limitation and are limited to relatively large interconnect pitches.
Theory of Propagation of Elastic Waves in a Fluid‐Saturated Porous Solid. I. Low‐Frequency Range

A theory is developed for the propagation of stress waves in a porous elastic solid containing compressible viscous fluid. The emphasis of the present treatment is on materials where fluid and solid are of comparable densities as for instance in the case of water‐saturated rock. The paper denoted here as Part I is restricted to the lower frequency range where the assumption of Poiseuille flow is valid. The extension to the higher frequencies will be treated in Part II. It is found that the material may be described by four nondimensional parameters and a characteristic frequency. There are two dilatational waves and one rotational wave. The physical interpretation of the result is clarified by treating first the case where the fluid is frictionless. The case of a material containing viscous fluid is then developed and discussed numerically. Phase velocity dispersion curves and attenuation coefficients for the three types of waves are plotted as a function of the frequency for various combinations of the characteristic parameters.
Improving Communication Skills of Administrators

Interpersonal communication skills can be improved, and improved quickly, state the authors. Results of a specially- designed workshop for assistant principals are described on the following pages.
Making things present: Tim O'Brien's autobiographical metafiction

Beginning with its front matter, Tim O'Brien's collection of interlinked short narratives The Things They Carried (1990) raises fundamental questions about the nature of truth _and narrative authority. Published as a "work of fiction," the book includes a fairly standard disclaimer that "[e]xcept for a few details regarding the author's own life, all the incidents, names, and characters are imaginary." Yet the book is also "lovingly dedi cated to the men of Alpha Company"?a statement that elevates these imaginary characters to the level of real people worthy of a dedication. Such slippery negotiation of fact and fiction continues with the epigraph, taken from John Ransom's Andersonville Diary, which reads, "[t]hose who have had any such experience as the author will see its truthfulness at once, and to all other readers it is commended as a statement of actual things by one who experienced them to the fullest." Thus even as the copyright page provides a legalistic disclaimer specifying that The Things They Carried is a work of imaginative literature rather than a historical document, the front matter encourages "inexperienced" readers to appreciate the text as a "statement of actual things," as a work of "truth." If the epigraph reads like an attempt to authorize the use of fiction in order to write history, O'Brien's narrator also makes liberal use of history (his story) to develop and organize the fiction. Indeed, despite the collection's self-consciously fictional status, O'Brien incorporates undeniably autobiographical elements, such as a char acter named Tim O'Brien who is a writer and a Vietnam vet, a writer, like O'Brien himself, who went to graduate school at Harvard and then published a novel entitled Going After Cacciato
Two-photon absorption standards in the 550-1600 nm excitation range: establishing a correction curve for accurate cross section calibration

We present a modified fluorescence excitation technique for the measurement of absolute two-photon absorption cross section and spectra. We take into account the variations of pulse duration and beam intensity profile as functions of excitation wavelength, which allows determining the 2PA cross section values with the absolute fidelity ±10% in a broad range of wavelengths. On the example of Rhodamine 610 in methanol we discuss various factors that can influence the accuracy of 2PA spectra. Ways how to further increase the accuracy of 2PA measurement are discussed.
MicroRNAs and the glomerulus

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level by blocking translation or promoting cleavage of their target mRNAs. Increasing evidence shows that miRNAs play central roles in gene transcription, signal transduction and pathogenesis of human diseases. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a severe microvascular complication that can lead to end-stage renal disease. Increased expansion (hypertrophy) and accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as collagen (fibrosis) in the glomerular mesangium along with glomerular podocyte dysfunction are major features of DN. Profiling of miRNAs and study\ of their functions in renal glomeruli can provide critical new information to advance our knowledge of DN as well as other kidney diseases and thereby uncover much needed new therapeutic targets. In this review, we summarize the biogenesis of miRNAs and their functions in the glomerulus, with particular emphasis on glomerular mesangial cells and podocytes related to the pathogenesis of DN.
Iterative Implementation of an Implicit-Explicit Hybrid Scheme for Hydrodynamics

Iterative implementation of an implicit?explicit hybrid scheme for solving the Euler equations is described in this paper. The scheme was proposed by Fryxellet al. (J. Comput. Phys.63,283 (1986)), is of the Godunov-type in both explicit and implicit regimes, is conservative, and is accurate to second order in both space and time for all Courant numbers. Only a single level of iterations is involved in the implementation, which solves both the implicit relations arising from upstream centered differences for all wave families and the nonlinearity of the Euler equations. The number of iterations required to reach a converged solution may be significantly reduced by the introduction of the multicolors proposed in this paper. Only a small number of iterations are needed in the scheme for a simulation with large time steps. The multicolors may also be applied to other linear and nonlinear wave equations for numerical solutions.
The Big Five personality traits and perceptions of touch to intimate and nonintimate body regions

Abstract This investigation tested whether (1) the Big Five personality traits contribute to favorable perceptions of touch from a relational partner, (2) participants’ sex or personality better predicted positive perceptions of touch, and (3) perceptions of touch vary as a function of relationship satisfaction. A total of 305 participants aged 18–69 years completed self-report measures of reactions to touch, personality, and relationship satisfaction. Results showed that agreeableness was a significant predictor of positive perceptions of touch to both intimate and nonintimate body regions. Openness to experience was also a significant predictor in positive perceptions of touch to nonintimate body regions. Overall, personality was a stronger predictor of positive perceptions of touch than either biological sex or relationship satisfaction with the toucher.
Colchicine-induced deafferentation of the hippocampus selectively disrupts cholinergic rhythmical slow wave activity.

It has been proposed that hippocampal rhythmical slow wave activity (RSA or theta-rhythm) induced by sensory stimulation (atropine-sensitive theta) is generated by the cholinergic septo-hippocampal system. Although ablations of the septum or its projections to the hippocampus disrupt hippocampal RSA, such non-selective lesions damage both cholinergic and non-cholinergic septo-hippocampal inputs. The present study assesses the effects of a selective septal neurotoxic lesion on hippocampal electrical activity. Colchicine, which has been reported to be selectively toxic to cholinergic neurons in the medial septum, was injected into the right lateral ventricle, and electrodes were implanted bilaterally into the dorsal hippocampus of female Sprague-Dawley rats. Hippocampal electrical activity was recorded 10-14 days later from the ipsilateral (colchicine-treated) and contralateral (control) hemispheres during locomotor activity or immobility. RSA ranging from 6.3 to 8.7 Hz was evoked in both hippocampi during mobility. Following i.p. administration of an anesthetic dose of urethane, hippocampal RSA at a frequency of 4 Hz could be elicited in the control hemisphere (n = 12) of all animals by pinching the tail. RSA was absent in 6 of 9 animals in the colchicine-treated hemisphere. RSA from control and treated hemispheres persisting after urethane administration was abolished by 5 mg/kg of scopolamine, thus verifying its cholinergic nature. A decrease in the number of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-immunoreactive neurons in the medial septum and a depletion of acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-staining in the hippocampus were evident in the hemisphere ipsilateral to colchicine administration. These data support the septal pacemaker hypothesis of hippocampal theta-rhythm and further demonstrate the neurotoxic effect of colchicine on septo-hippocampal cholinergic neurons by the induction of a functional alteration. The selective disruption of cholinergic neurons in the medial septum by colchicine provides a means to dissociate the contribution of septal cholinergic and non-cholinergic components to hippocampal electrical activity.
TU‐E‐BRC‐09: An Automated Scoring Method for Motion Artifacts in Cine Four‐Dimensional Computed Tomography Images

Purpose: The aim of this work is to develop an automated method to objectively score the severity of image artifacts in four‐dimensional (4D) computed tomography(CT). Methods: We developed a metric based on the difference of the two‐dimensional normalized correlation coefficients (NCC) between the edge slices at couch transitions and the NCC between edge slices and their neighbors within their respective couch positions. We applied our method to the 4D‐CT images of ten patients that were initially retrospectively sorted using the breathing trace with miscalculated phase values, and then re‐sorted using the same breathing trace with recalculated phase values after manually correcting the peaks of inhalation. The metric was calculated for both sets of 4D‐CT images and a score was determined to assess the severity of the image artifacts in both sets. The accuracy of our method to identify the 4D‐CT image set with fewer or lesser artifacts was validated by two human observers who evaluated three coronal and two sagittal cross‐sections from the same locations in both image sets. The two sets were displayed side by side and each observer independently scrolled through ten respiratory phases of both sets simultaneously (blinded to the selection method of each set), and marked the image set that appeared to have fewer or lesser artifacts. Results: Our method determined that the 4D‐CT sets using the breathing trace with recalculated phase values after manually correcting the peaks of inhalation to result in images with fewer or lesser artifacts. This is in good agreement with the findings of both observers. The observers agreed forty times and disagreed one time among total fifty selections. Conclusions: In this study we have demonstrated proof of principle that our method is able to replicate the findings of two human observers in determining 4D‐CT images with fewer or lesser artifacts. The authors greatly acknowledge the support from Mr. and Mrs. T. Archer Morgan Fellowship in Radiation Oncology at Stanford University.
Time-frequency distributions in the classification of epilepsy from EEG signals

In this paper we propose a novel recognition algorithm for the discrimination of epilepsy based on electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. We validate the algorithm on a benchmark dataset in order to compare the algorithm with other algorithms in the literature. More specifically, features were extracted from the bilinear time-frequency distributions (TFD) of the EEG signal. A one-against-one decomposition is used to break the multi-class problem into binary subproblems solvable with a support vector machine (SVM). The decomposition permitted binary subproblem-dependent feature libraries to be constructed from biologically inspired features derived from conditional moments calculated from EEG TFD. This results in a flexible, class-dependent feature selection based on a forward selection wrapper representing a departure from prior work which tends to utilize the same set of features to delineate all classes. We investigated the sensitivity of the classification accuracy to changes in the proportion of data used to train the algorithm. It was found that the distribution of classification accuracies was statistically similar over a range of proportions of data used to train the algorithm. This served to validate our algorithm in a statistical sense and represents a significant departure from literature, which tends to report only the best result for a given classification algorithm. To the best of our knowledge, the newly introduced algorithm is able to outperform the best reported accuracy in literature for the problem considered in this paper.
Approximations of a Ginzburg-Landau model for superconducting hollow spheres based on spherical centroidal Voronoi tessellations

In this paper the numerical approximations of the Ginzburg-Landau model for a superconducting hollow spheres are constructed using a gauge invariant discretization on spherical centroidal Voronoi tessellations. A reduced model equation is used on the surface of the sphere which is valid in the thin spherical shell limit. We present the numerical algorithms and their theoretical convergence as well as interesting numerical results on the vortex configurations. Properties of the spherical centroidal Voronoi tessellations are also utilized to provide a high resolution scheme for computing the supercurrent and the induced magnetic field.
The reaction of phosphorus pentasulfide with halogen-substituted nitrogen heterocycles

The novel nucleophilic displacement of halogen by sulfur, by the use of phosphorus pentasulfide in boiling pyridine has been shown to be a general reaction for activated halogen nitrogen heterocycles.
Electrophoresis of Cottage Cheese Whey Proteins and Their Polymers

Abstract Cottage cheese whey solutions containing sodium dodecyl sulfate were resolved electrophoretically on 5% sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels. Major bands were identified by comparing their electrophoretic mobilities to those of known whey components. Other components were identified principally from molecular weights determined from a calibration correlating mobility and molecular weight. Conditions which affect polymerization of proteins were studied in whey and solutions of purified β -lactoglobulin. Formation of a number of polymers was induced by concentrating the whey samples, lowering the temperature, adjusting pH, or adding salts. The dimer, trimer, tetramer, and octamer of β -lactoglobulin, the dimer and trimer of bovine serum albumin, and several unidentified components in the 100,000 to 300,000 molecular weight range were observed. The octamer state of β -lactoglobu-lin was observed in whey at pH values between 5.1 and 8.0, at temperatures below 10C, and with .2M addition of potassium thiocyanate, potassium iodide, calcium chloride, or sodium acetate. Similar polymer formation, and temperature and pH effects, were observed with solutions of purified β -lactoglobulin, which contained dimers, trimers, and tetramers. The β -lactoglobulin octamer in whey samples could be dissociated by the addition of acid. The bovine serum albumin dimer appeared in whey at pH above 6.2 and at –1C.
Preschoolers’ strategies for solving visual pattern tasks

Abstract This study examined preschoolers’ (N = 66) strategies for solving a range of visual repeating pattern tasks. An analysis of the kinds of patterning tasks preschoolers encounter, such as duplicating, extending, and transferring patterns to superficially different materials, suggested the tasks could be solved using either a one-to-one appearance matching strategy or a relational similarity strategy. In the present study, preschoolers completed a series of patterning tasks and their strategies were examined by analyzing (1) accuracy, (2) errors, and (3) the relation of visuospatial short-term memory, working memory, and inhibitory control to accuracy and errors. The pattern of results indicated that preschoolers do use both kinds of strategies, but that the frequency with which they use each strategy depends on task complexity. Preschoolers tended to use an appearance matching strategy on duplicate and extend tasks and a relational similarity strategy on transfer tasks. Implications for understanding what patterning instruction is most likely to support relational reasoning are discussed.
Platelet-Related Bleeding: An Update on Diagnostic Modalities and Therapeutic Options

Platelet-related bleeding is a pervasive and potentially life-threatening problem that can arise in both acute and chronic clinical settings. A growing number of laboratory assays have been developed to rapidly assess underlying platelet dysfunction in the bleeding patient. This article: (1) provides an overview of the current methods of platelet function testing, with a particular emphasis on recently developed "point-of-care" tests, (2) reviews evidencebased transfusion "triggers" and provides an update on new developments in platelet component therapy, and (3) outlines those initial studies that have demonstrated how point-of-care platelet function testing has helped lead to the development of targeted transfusion strategies for the acutely bleeding patient.
Ada impacts on a second generation project

This paper presents the impacts of the Ada language on a project by comparing the software from two generations of equipments which perform the same functions. The first generation of software was developed using the C language and the second generation of software was developed using the Ada language.The comparisons include the impacts on the hardware design, the software development environment, the amount of training, the software design methodology, the software programming, the testing methodology, the software useability, the integrity of the software documentation, and the maintainability of the software.
Fiber Push-Out Testing of Intermetallic Matrix Composites at Elevated Temperatures

A newly developed apparatus for performing fiber push-out testing at elevated temperatures has been applied towards testing fiber-reinforced intermetallic and metal matrix composites. This new capability shows the effects of the relief of residual stresses and increased matrix ductility with increasing temperature on fiber debonding and sliding behavior.
Characterizing Nonzeolitic Pores in MFI Membranes

Methods that use n-hexane (n-hexane permporosimetry and n-hexane/2,2-dimethylybutane (DMB) separation) are shown to not be effective for characterizing MFI zeolite membranes because n-hexane adsorption swells MFI crystals and shrinks the size of nonzeolitic pores. Measurements on a membrane in which 30% of its helium flux at 300 K was through nonzeolitic pores demonstrate that benzene permporosimetry and isooctane vapor permeation as a function of feed activity provide better characterizations. Isooctane condensed in nonzeolitic pores at high activities, and this was used to estimate the sizes of those pores. The average nonzeolitic pore size in this membrane decreased from approximately 3.0 to 1.5 nm as the temperature increased from 300 to 348 K, apparently due to thermal expansion of MFI crystals. Benzene permporosimetry yielded dramatically different results from n-hexane permporosimetry because benzene does not swell the MFI crystals significantly. Single-component pervaporation fluxes as a function ...