cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
0.09-terawatt pulses with a 31% efficient, kilohertz repetition-rate Ti:sapphire regenerative amplifier

We present an efficient, ultrafast regenerate amplifier that increases the energy of a laser pulse from 300 pJ to 6 mJ and produces average powers of as much as 9 W in a TEM(00) spatial mode. As an ultrafast amplifier, the system produces 4-mJ pulses with 0.09 TW of peak power.
Adverse Selection with Competitive Inspection

We develop a model with heterogeneous buyers and sellers in which the sellers have private information about their goods' qualities. We show that efficient trading cannot occur without middlemen. Middlemen can provide two services: one is inspection, and the other is the sorting of buyers and sellers through the rationing of sellers and the provision of two different price schedules. The latter service permits the possibility of achieving the first best. When the first best is not attainable, there is a second best characterized by two intervals, one consisting of low-quality noninspected goods, and the other of high-quality inspected goods. We determine whether first and second best outcomes can be implemented in a market equilibrium with both zero and infinite buyer-seller search costs. First and second best outcomes are attainable under a larger set of parameter values when search costs are infinite; also, typically too much inspection occurs in a market equilibrium. Welfare may be either raised or lowered by the introduction of middlemen.
Status of NAA facilities in the Advanced Neutron Source

The special features of the Advanced Neutron Source research reactor with planned beginning of construction in 1994 are listed. Pneumatic and beam irradiation facilities will be included and are described in the text of this paper.
Seven Q-Tracks monitors of laboratory quality drive general performance improvement: experience from the College of American Pathologists Q-Tracks program 1999-2011.

Context.— Many production systems employ standardized statistical monitors that measure defect rates and cycle times, as indices of performance quality. Clinical laboratory testing, a system that p...
Habit and skill learning in schizophrenia: evidence of normal striatal processing with abnormal cortical input.

Different forms of nondeclarative learning involve regionally specific striatal circuits. The motor circuit (involving the putamen) has been associated with motor–skill learning and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) circuit (involving the caudate) has been associated with cognitive–habit learning. Efforts to differentiate functional striatal circuits within patient samples have been limited. Previous studies have provided mixed results regarding striatal-dependent nondeclarative learning deficits in patients with schizophrenia. In this study, a cognitive–habit learning task (probabilistic weather prediction) was used to assess the DLPFC circuit and a motor–skill learning task (pursuit rotor) was used to assess the motor circuit in 35 patients with schizophrenia and 35 normal controls. Patients with schizophrenia displayed significant performance differences from controls on both nondeclarative tasks; however, cognitive–habit learning rate in patients did not differ from controls. There were performance and learning-rate differences on the motor–skill learning task between the whole sample of patients and controls, however, analysis of a subset of patients and controls matched on general intellectual level eliminated learning rate differences between groups. The abnormal performance offset between patients with schizophrenia and controls in the absence of learning rate differences suggests that abnormal cortical processing provides altered input to normal striatal circuitry.
The structure of the nuclear hormone receptors

The functions of the group of proteins known as nuclear receptors will be understood fully only when their working three-dimensional structures are known. These ligand-activated transcription factors belong to the steroid-thyroid-retinoid receptor superfamily, which include the receptors for steroids, thyroid hormone, vitamins A- and D-derived hormones, and certain fatty acids. The majority of family members are homologous proteins for which no ligand has been identified (the orphan receptors). Molecular cloning and structure/function analyses have revealed that the members of the superfamily have a common functional domain structure. This includes a variable N-terminal domain, often important for transactivation of transcription; a well conserved DNA-binding domain, crucial for recognition of specific DNA sequences and protein:protein interactions; and at the C-terminal end, a ligand-binding domain, important for hormone binding, protein: protein interactions, and additional transactivation activity. Although the structure of some independently expressed single domains of a few of these receptors have been solved, no holoreceptor structure or structure of any two domains together is yet available. Thus, the three-dimensional structure of the DNA-binding domains of the glucocorticoid, estrogen, retinoic acid-beta, and retinoid X receptors, and of the ligand-binding domains of the thyroid, retinoic acid-gamma, retinoid X, estrogen, progesterone, and peroxisome proliferator activated-gamma receptors have been solved. The secondary structure of the glucocorticoid receptor N-terminal domain, in particular the taul transcription activation region, has also been studied. The structural studies available not only provide a beginning stereochemical knowledge of these receptors, but also a basis for understanding some of the topological details of the interaction of the receptor complexes with coactivators, corepressors, and other components of the transcriptional machinery. In this review, we summarize and discuss the current information on structures of the steroid-thyroid-retinoid receptors.
What do women want? A critical mapping of future directions for Arab Feminisms

This paper was the Keynote Address to the conference organized by the Lebanese Women Researchers in October 2009 whose theme was ‘Arab Feminism: A Critical Perspective’. The conference held in Beirut, Lebanon, was attended by many scholars and activists interested in Arab feminism. It offered a critical overview of the literature, discourses and the agendas used to explore and analyse the history of Arab feminism available in Arabic and in English, the two languages with which the author is familiar. A conscious effort was made to be inclusive by making reference to as many of the works and authors available in this field as possible to shed light on the lessons to be learned from the gender struggles in different Arab states. Intellectually, the paper critically examined the founding myths of the modern history of Arab women, especially the role that men played in it, as well as the contributions that modernization and nationalism made to their roles and rights. It also addressed how the state emerged as...
THE DUAL ORGANIZATIONS OF THE RAMKO'KAMEKRA (CANELLA) OF NORTHERN BRAZIL

American An th ropologist NEW SERIES VOL. OCTOBER-DECEMBER, 1937 THE DUAL ORGANIZATIONS OF THE RAMKO'KAMEKRA (CANELLA) OF NORTHERN BRAZIL By CURT NIMUENDAJU AND No.4 (Part 1) ROBERT H. LOWIEI HABITAT AND AFFILIATIONS T HE Ramko'kamekra (Canella) occupy2 the village of Ponto, situated in the steppes of Maranhao, Brazil, about 78 km. south of the town of Barra do Corda. Linguistically, they represent the southern dialect of the Eastern Timbira division of the G~ family. A simplified scheme of this stock is appended herewith, with the proviso that Snr Nimuendaju is not yet clear as to the affinities of the Eastern branch (E). In this stock linguistic, geographical, and ethnographic classification happen to coincide to a striking degree. G2 Stock A Northern and Western Ge I Timbira branch (a) Eastern Timbira (1) Northern Dialect Timbira of Rio Gurupy, et at. (2) Southern Dialect Ramko'kamekra, et at. (b) Western Timbira Apinaye' ------- of the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of California, Under the auspices Snr Curt Nimuendaju of Belem do Para has during the last two years synthetized some of his previous observations (in German) and undertaken two supplementary expeditions to ~ tribes in the interior of Brazil. The present paper presents primarily data bearing on dual organizations; his extremely ample material on ceremonialism has been rigidly excluded ex­ cept when too intimately interwoven with social structure to permit segregation. Even so it is not easy to summarize clearly the characteristics of a society simultaneously recognizing four distinct principles of dichotomy, two being of tribal scope, the other two limited to males. The data here presented supersede Nimuendaju's brief notes in Anthropos, Vol. 24, pp. 670­ 72, 1929 and E. H. Snethlage's relevant statements in his article Unter nOf'dostbrasilianischm lndianern (Zeitschrift fur Ethnologie, Vol. 62, pp. 111-205, 1931).-R. H. L. 2 The epidemic of 1935 and the death of the oldest chief led to disorganization and a schism into two separate hamlets, but in 1936 Snr Nimuendaju effected a reconciliation and a joint celebration of the Tep-Yarkwa' festival in a new village.-R. H. L.
Mechanical Analysis of the Superconducting Outsert for the Series Connected Hybrid Magnets

The NHMFL presently has three series-connected-hybrid (SCH) projects, two of which are entering a construction phase. The design of the SCH outsert magnets is based on a CICC configuration using cable of multi-filamentary Nb3Sn and Cu strands inside a stainless steel jacket cooled by forced flow supercritical helium at 4.5 K. The outsert coil design is presented along with the design criteria for the evaluation of conduit and conductor insulation components. The results of detailed finite element analysis performed for normal, quench and fault load conditions are discussed to ensure the levels of stress and strain in conduit and insulations satisfy the design criteria. The conduit evaluation of fatigue life and fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) is performed and the results are discussed for a possible cyclic lifetime and a minimum detectable flaw size for the SCH outsert.
Vibration-induced drop atomization and bursting

A liquid drop placed on a vibrating diaphragm will burst into a fine spray of smaller secondary droplets if it is driven at the proper frequency and amplitude. The process begins when capillary waves appear on the free surface of the drop and then grow in amplitude and complexity as the acceleration amplitude of the diaphragm is slowly increased from zero. When the acceleration of the diaphragm rises above a well-defined critical value, small secondary droplets begin to be ejected from the free-surface wave crests. Then, quite suddenly, the entire volume of the drop is ejected from the vibrating diaphragm in the form of a spray. This event is the result of an interaction between the fluid dynamical process of droplet ejection and the vibrational dynamics of the diaphragm. During droplet ejection, the effective mass of the drop–diaphragm system decreases and the resonance frequency of the system increases. If the initial forcing frequency is above the resonance frequency of the system, droplet ejection causes the system to move closer to resonance, which in turn causes more vigorous vibration and faster droplet ejection. This ultimately leads to drop bursting. In this paper, the basic phenomenon of vibration-induced drop atomization and drop bursting will be introduced, demonstrated, and characterized. Experimental results and a simple mathematical model of the process will be presented and used to explain the basic physics of the system.
Marginal integrity of large compomer Class II restorations with cervical margins in dentine.

Abstract Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the marginal integrity of total-bond Dyract AP restorations in large Class II restorations with cervical margins in dentine. The efficacy of a new non-rinse conditioner and the effect of beveling the enamel margins were also studied. Methods: Large MOD cavities with cervical margins located 1 mm below the CEJ were prepared in 48 extracted human molars. Six groups ( n =8) were filled using a total-bond technique with Spectrum TPH or Dyract AP or a sandwich technique with Dyract in combination with Spectrum TPH. For Dyract AP total-bond restorations, a new non-rinse conditioner was tested vs. a total-etch with 36% phosphoric acid in beveled and butt-joint cavities. After water storage for 21 days and thermocycling (2000×, 5–55°C), replicas were produced for quantitative marginal analysis in the SEM. Afterwards, teeth were immersed in 0.5% basic fuchsin for 24 h and dried. Percent dye penetration over the total margin length was analysed in three layers using a sequential grinding technique. Statistical analysis was performed with non-parametric tests and the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons at p Results: All restoration types showed microleakage. On cervical margins in dentine, Dyract AP restorations showed better marginal adaptation than Spectrum TPH total-bond restorations (marginal openings (MO), median 33.8 vs. 79.6%), but were inferior to Dyract/Spectrum TPH sandwich restorations (MO: 0.0%). The non-rinse conditioner improved the marginal adaptation of Dyract AP restorations in dentine (MO: 4.7 vs. 38.4%, p =0.0206 for beveled cavities, 12.2 vs. 33.8%, p =0.0238, for butt-joint cavities) and yielded similar results in enamel margins provided that enamel margins were beveled. Beveling of enamel significantly reduced the occurrence of enamel microcracks. Conclusions: The use of a non-rinse conditioner in combination with Dyract AP may improve the marginal adaptation of Class II restorations compared to composite restorations. The sandwich technique with Dyract results in better marginal adaptation in cervical dentine compared to all other restorative techniques tested in this study. However, microleakage cannot predictably be prevented with the sandwich technique.
Tumor-Inhibitory Agent from Montezuma speciosissima (Malvaceae)

Abstract The petroleum ether extract of Montezuma speciosissima Sesse and Moc. demonstrated tumor-inhibiting properties in the P-388 lymphocytic leukemia test system (3PS). The constituent responsible for this activity was shown to be a symmetrically substituted 2, 2′-dinaphthol, identified as gossypol (C 30 H 30 O 8 ).
Effect of 60-HZ Sinusoidal Electromagnetic Field on Avian Embryonic Growth and Oxygen Consumption

Domestic fowl embryonic oxygen consumption, organ growth and maturity, and growth abnormalities were studied after exposure to 2-, 1-, and 0.5-gauss (G) 60-Hz sinusoidal electromagnetic fields (EMF), throughout incubation. Embryonic growth and oxygen consumption increased after exposure to a 2-G EMF but they were inhibited by I-G EMF. There were no significant biological effects of 0.5-G EMF on embryonic growth and oxygen consumption. Deformities were found in the 2-G and 1-G EMF groups but only in the 2-G group did they reach a statistically significant level. There were no deformities in the 0.543 EMF group or any of the control groups. Pectoral muscles were most affected by an EMF of 2 G, while the intestine was largely spared the enhanced growth. The intestine was also spared the repression of growth at an EMF of 1 G; the lungs were most affected. Enhanced organ growth was associated with increased tissue maturity, particularly in pectoral muscles. The effects of a 1-G EMF on organ maturity were small...
The Ecology of the Cambrian Radiation

A. Yu. Zhuravlev and R. Riding (Editors), 2000, Columbia University Press, New York, 576 p. (Hardcover $85.00) ISBN: 0-231-10612-2; (Softcover $40.00) ISBN: 0-231-10612-0. The title of this book certainly grabs one's attention. The Cambrian Radiation was one of the pivotal points in the history of life, and the roles of intrinsic biological factors (e.g., Stanley, 1973) and extrinsic physical factors (e.g., Rhodes and Morse, 1971) have been debated for more than thirty years. Despite this long interest in the triggering mechanisms, surprisingly little has been published on the paleoecology of the radiation. This book is an important step forward. In three sections, twenty-one chapters by thirty-three authors work their way through the physical setting of the Cambrian world, community paleoecology, and the paleoecology of the major radiating groups of animals. Most of the chapters are review articles, and some have been published elsewhere. However, this is actually a strength of the book because it brings a great deal of information together under a single cover. One-third of the chapters are written by Russian paleontologists, and these add breadth to the book through their incorporation of research that is poorly known and seldom cited by western workers. The section on the physical environment starts with two chapters on Vendian-Ordovician global geography. …
Tamm-Horsfall protein 1 macrophage lipid accumulation unaffected by fatty acid double-bond geometric or positional configuration

Dietary fatty acid type alters atherosclerotic lesion progression and macrophage lipid accumulation. Incompletely elucidated are the mechanisms by which fatty acids differing in double-bond geometric or positional configuration alter arterial lipid accumulation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the suitability of using Tamm-Horsfall protein 1 (THP-1) macrophages as a model for human monocytes/macrophages to address this issue. Our hypothesis was that THP-1 macrophages pretreated with ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) or fatty acid containing a cis double bond would accumulate less lipid, particularly cholesteryl ester, compared with ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids or a fatty acid containing a trans double bond, respectively. THP-1 monocytes were differentiated into macrophages and then incubated with fatty acids for 48 hours. There was an increase in intracellular lipid in response to all the fatty acids assessed, and by response was similar among the fatty acids. The increase in lipid accumulation was contributed to triglyceride and to a lesser extent cholesterol, primarily free cholesterol. These data suggest that free fatty acids bound to bovine serum albumin, regardless of double-bond geometric or positional configuration, induce triglyceride accumulation but had only a modest effect on cholesterol accumulation in THP-1 macrophages. The cells appeared to respond similarly to the assessed fatty acids in terms of amount and type of lipid accumulated. Hence, the THP-1 cell line was not appropriate to test the hypotheses of interest.
A clinician's perspective of emerging P2Y(12)-directed pharmacotherapies, ex vivo measurement tools, and clinical outcomes.

Platelet-initiated acute thrombosis and coronary embolization are fundamental to the pathophysiology of acute coronary syndromes. Pharmacotherapies aimed at disrupting platelet function via the P2Y12 receptor have been successful at reducing the incidence of vascular events in randomized clinical trials. However, with the emergence of third and fourth generation drugs, several important considerations remain, including metabolism, timing of onset, variability in platelet response or “resistance”, monitoring ability, and off-target effects. These fundamental properties and distinct profiles may shape the future of cardiovascular therapeutics. Investigation of practical ex vivo platelet performance measurement tools is actively proceeding and may provide important information for patient management.
Abnormal properties of milk from transgenic mice expressing bovine β-casein under control of the bovine α-lactalbumin 5′ flanking region

Abstract Transgenic mice produced in this investigation contained the proximal promoter elements, the genomic coding sequence and the 3′ flanking region of bovine β-casein and the 5′ regulatory elements of bovine α-lactalbumin. Specifically, the gene construct included the TATAA box, CAAT box and polyadenylation signal of bovine β-casein in addition to the 5′ regulatory elements of the bovine α-lactalbumin gene. Four lines of transgenic mice were generated; they expressed bovine β-casein in their milk at concentrations of up to 10 mg mL −1 . The milk from the transgenic mice tended to be very viscous and a proportion of these mice stopped lactating before the normal onset of involution. The time at which the abrupt involution occurred was directly correlated to the amount of β-casein produced. Mice secreting approximately 10 mg mL −1 of β-casein in their milk stopped lactating approximately 1–3 days after parturition while mice expressing 1–3 mg mL −1 stopped lactating around days 10–18. The high expressing mice appeared to lactale normally on day 1 of lactation, but on day 3 the mammary gland morphology revealed alveoli and ducts which were very distended and contained milk components. However, the viscous milk solution could not be removed from the gland at this stage of lactation. There were also a number of alveoli that appeared to have gone through the process of involution by day 3 of lactation.
R2P’s “Ulterior Motive Exemption” and the Failure to Protect in Libya

Mass atrocity prevention has been controversial, both when members of the international community have taken action as well as when they have failed to do so. In 1999, then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan challenged the international community to reconcile the need to respect state sovereignty with the need to protect populations from egregious human rights violations. R2P’s emergence offered an opportunity to move past the discourse and practice associated with its predecessor—“humanitarian intervention.” However, while R2P has succeeded in changing the discourse, it has failed to make a change in practice. A source of this failure is R2P’s “ulterior motive exemption.” Using the R2P intervention in Libya as a case study, this article concludes that because ulterior motives existed: (1) NATO’s primary intent of civilian protection quickly evolved into the intent to overthrow Muammar Qaddafi; (2) in exceeding its mandate, NATO committed an act of aggression; (3) NATO continued to militarily support the rebels while they were committing war crimes and severe human rights violations; (4) NATO’s actions resulted in civilian casualties, which NATO has refused to investigate; and (5) NATO abdicated its responsibility to protect Libyans from the human suffering that continued subsequent to Qaddafi’s execution.
Feasibility and Evaluation of Probabilistic On-site Surveys for Estimating Angler Use and Catch in High Mountain Lakes

AbstractEstimating angling effort and catch at high mountain lakes can be difficult due the abundance, remoteness, and diffuse nature of angling effort that typify high mountain lake fisheries. In this study, a simulation was used to evaluate the accuracy of catch and effort estimates derived using on-site access–access and roving–access creel surveys at a complex of 35 high mountain lakes. Five levels of angling effort and catch at the 35 lakes were simulated, and effort varied from 3,278 to 68,741 h and catch varied from 1,737 to 50,525 fish over the duration of the season. Access–access creel surveys had an average of 32% relative error and roving–access surveys had an average of 17% relative error in estimates of aggregate (i.e., at all 35 lakes) angling effort and catch when one creel surveyor was used. Estimates were relatively robust to temporal and spatial changes in patterns of effort and catch rate over the duration of the season. Relative error was inversely related to the amount of angling eff...
Characterization of a Class of Possibility Distributions

This note presents the characterization of a fuzzy variable whose possibility distribution is a convex fuzzy set.
Transboundary Air Pollution: The International Experience

Acid rain is a serious problem in Canada-U.S. relations. A divergence exists between the Canadian and U.S. positions on acid rain, for reasons of geography, economics, and political ideology. The United States, whose position has been reactive to Canada, has taken such an uncompromising stance that treaty and agreement violations can be alleged. The issue has risen to the multilateral as well as bilateral level. Canada has called for a 50% reduction in pollution emissions causing acid rain. The United States could respond with a credible compromise if it chose to do so. This could then be readily implemented. The position of the United States seems to be an unwillingness to compromise, resulting in environmental, economic, and political damage.
Decay of magnetoresistance in a low-k dielectric upon application of electrical bias and temperature stress

The magnitude of the negative magnetoresistance (MR) effect found in the low-k dielectric SiCOH is found to decrease with time on electrical bias and temperature stress (BTS). The MR decay fits an exponential function reasonably well such that the time constant of the fit can be used to compare decays due to different BTS conditions. Higher voltages and higher temperatures are observed to decay more rapidly than relatively lower voltages and temperatures. The time constant of the decay varies with voltage such that it fits a power law with an exponent of about 30 which bears resemblance to the voltage dependence of TDDB time to failure experiments conducted with SiCOH. Assuming an Arrhenius temperature relation, the decay has an activation energy of about 0.3 eV. The apparent activation energy displays a weak dependence on the electric field applied to the device.
Visual Economic Thresholds and Potential Pesticide Abuse: Alfalfa Weevils, an Example

Three levels of visible feeding damage of alfalfa plant-tips by Hypera brunneipennis (Boheman) larvae were analyzed for quantitative and qualitative differences. No significant differences in quantitative losses existed between the moderate damage (M) and no visible damage (N) categories, but were found between these and the severe damage (S) category. Differences in such nutritional components as modified crude fiber, protein, calcium, and phosphorus existed among various of the damage categories. From these findings, the visual-damage level insecticide-treatment indexes similar to in magnitude or less than our M category, which are commonly used at present for the closely-related species H. postica (Gyllenhall), are criticized in terms of potential pesticide abuse. Sampling problems associated with visual indexes are discussed, and it is recommended that research on development of economic thresholds for Hypera focus on quantitative evaluation of the larval population itself rather than on visual damage patterns.
The structure of stable and unstable waves in a Blasius boundary layer

A new analysis is presented of the normal modes belonging to the Orr-Sommerfeld equation using a fast algorithm that simultaneously maps a large number of eigenvalues. The spectra of discrete and continuous temporal and spatial eigenvalues are investigated for both positive and negative propagation speeds. The receptivity of the normal modes to certain timeharmonic disturbances in the boundary layer are examined as a first step toward amplitude criteria for transition.
Bumping Strategies for the Private Incremental Multiagent Agreement Problem.

We introduce the Multiagent Agreement Problem (MAP) to represent a class of multiagent scheduling problems. MAP is based on the Distributed Constraint Reasoning (DCR) paradigm and requires agents to choose values for variables to satisfy not only their own constraints, but also equality constraints with other agents. The goal is to represent problems in which agents must agree on scheduling decisions, for example, to agree on the start time of a meeting. We investigate a challenging class of MAP – private, incremental MAP (piMAP) in which agents do incremental scheduling of activities and there exist privacy restrictions on information exchange. We investigate a range of strategies for piMAP, called bumping strategies. We empirically evaluate these strategies in the domain of calendar management where a personal assistant agent must schedule meetings on behalf of its human user. Our results show that bumping decisions based on scheduling difficulty models of other agents can significantly improve performance over simpler bumping strategies.
From the Cover: Disease-Induced Disparities in Formation of the Nanoparticle-Biocorona and the Toxicological Consequences

Nanoparticle (NP) association with macromolecules in a physiological environment forms a biocorona (BC), which alters NP distribution, activity, and toxicity. While BC formation is dependent on NP physicochemical properties, little information exists on the influence of the physiological environment. Obese individuals and those with cardiovascular disease exist with altered serum chemistry, which is expected to influence BC formation and NP toxicity. We hypothesize that a BC formed on NPs following incubation in hyperlipidemic serum will result in altered NP-BC protein content, cellular association, and toxicity compared to normal serum conditions. We utilized Fe3O4 NPs, which are being developed as MRI contrast and tumor targeting agents to test our hypothesis. We used rat aortic endothelial cells (RAECs) within a dynamic flow in vitro exposure system to more accurately depict the in vivo environment. A BC was formed on 20nm PVP-suspended Fe3O4 NPs following incubation in water, 10% normal or hyperlipidemic rat serum. Addition of BCs resulted in increased hydrodynamic size and decreased surface charge. More cholesterol associated with Fe3O4 NPs after incubation in hyperlipidemic as compared with normal serum. Using quantitative proteomics, we identified unique differences in BC protein components between the 2 serum types. Under flow conditions, formation of a BC from both serum types reduced RAECs association of Fe3O4 NPs. Addition of BCs was found to exacerbate RAECs inflammatory gene responses to Fe3O4 NPs (Fe3O4-hyperlipidemic > Fe3O4-normal > Fe3O4) including increased expression of IL-6, TNF-α, Cxcl-2, VCAM-1, and ICAM-1. Overall, these findings demonstrate that disease-induced variations in physiological environments have a significant impact NP-BC formation, cellular association, and cell response.
Strategie, Geschäftsmodell und Architektur in der heutigen Strategie, Geschäftsmodell und Architektur in der heutigen

Wie „funktioniert“ ein Unternehmen? Klammert man die jeweiligen Besonderheiten aus: Es gibt ein Geschaftsmodell, das beschreibt, womit es jetzt im Moment Geld verdient, und eine Strategie, die beschreibt, womit es nach Ablauf eines definierten Zeitraums Geld verdienen will – das kann genau dasselbe sein wie jetzt oder etwas ganz anderes, also: ein neues Geschaftsmodell. Von zentraler Bedeutung sowohl bei der Umsetzung des Geschaftsmodells wie auch der Strategie sind die Geschaftskompetenzen. Wie sie in der Unternehmensarchitektur zusammenwirken, beschreibt ein verallgemeinertes Modell der Unternehmensarchitektur eines Unternehmens der Automobilbranche, das in diesem Kapitel entworfen wird. Um die jeweils individuellen Besonderheiten eines einzelnen Unternehmens erganzt, bildet es die Grundlage fur dessen Weiterentwicklung aus der Automobilindustrie in die Mobilitatsindustrie.
Apex height control of a two-mass robot hopping on a rigid foundation

Abstract The spring loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP) model is commonly used to describe the dynamics of hopping robots. A fundamental limitation of the SLIP model is that it fails to account for impact with the ground; this is due to the fact that the leg is modeled as a massless spring. Assuming that the ground is rigid, a two-mass model with inelastic impact is proposed for more accurate description of hopping dynamics. A control scheme is developed to converge the maximum jumping height of the center-of-mass of the robot to a desired value. The control scheme utilizes feedback linearization in continuous time and update of a control parameter in discrete time. Simulation results are first presented to show the efficacy of the control scheme. Experimental results based on a voice-coil actuator show good match with simulation results despite actuator saturation.
Medication usage, treatment intensification, and medical cost in patients with type 2 diabetes: a retrospective database study

Objective The goal of this study was to describe medication usage patterns in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) initiating treatment with non-insulin antidiabetic drugs (NIADs), basal insulin, or prandial/mixed insulin using real-world data. Research design and methods A retrospective analysis using the Truven Health MarketScan Research Databases was conducted to identify adults (≥18 years) with T2DM from 2006 to 2012. Patients were categorized into four cohorts based on diabetes treatment. Cohort 1 (n=597 664) consisted of newly diagnosed patients who did not receive any treatment, cohort 2 (n=342 511) included NIAD initiators, cohort 3 (n=99 578) included basal insulin initiators, and cohort 4 (n=62 876) included prandial/mixed insulin initiators. Patients transitioned out of a cohort once they met the criteria for the next one. Results Patients in cohort 2 were younger (56.2 years, SD±12.1) than patients in cohorts 1, 3, and 4 (58 years, SD±0.75). Metformin was the most commonly prescribed drug in cohort 2 patients. Basal insulin usage decreased from 71% in year 1 to 47% in year 4, in cohort 3 patients. Approximately one-third of these patients switched to prandial/mixed insulin each year. In cohort 4, the usage of prandial/mixed insulin decreased to 61% by year 4. Use of basal insulin and NIAD remained common in this group. Mean glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) values decreased by ∼1% for each of the treatment cohorts following treatment initiation and remained stable during follow-up. All-cause and diabetes-related medical costs were highest for patients in cohorts 3 and 4. Conclusions Overall, our findings demonstrate that treatment intensification was low in all study cohorts despite elevated HbA1c levels during preindex and follow-up period.
Study Description and Coding across Chapters

I used a variety of sources to understand the influence of political discourse. The variables used for each analysis are described in this appendix. Measures of race-related statements for presidents or congressional members are consistently included in the analysis of political institutions and society. Thus, I began with these universal variables. Race-Related Remarks of President : These are public statements made by the president that relate to racial and ethnic minority issues from 1955 to 2012. These statements include remarks made during campaign debates, campaign speeches, farewell speeches, inaugural addresses, speeches to the nation, radio addresses, news conferences, State of the Union Addresses, speeches to Congress that are non–State of the Union Addresses, local speeches (e.g., town hall speeches), college commencement addresses, party convention speeches, signing statements, and addresses to foreign legislatures and the UN General Assembly. Race-Related Remarks in Congress : These are statements offered on the House floor that highlight racial and ethnic minority issues from 1995 to 2012. These statements include remarks made during floor debate and one-minute floor speeches in the House of Representatives. THE BACKLASH AND PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL Presidential Approval : As reported by the Gallup Poll, this is the percentage of individuals who approve of the job the president is doing. When I examined quarterly data, this measure was the average approval rating across all the polls collected over a three-month period. Similarly, when I examined monthly data, this measure was the average approval ratingacross all the polls taken in a month. Weekly approval in this study incorporates a pooled data set of 119 different Gallup and USA Today/Gallup polls surveyed from January 30, 2009, through January 1, 2011. Black Approval : This is the percentage of individuals who identify as black and approve of the job the president is doing. White Approval : This is the percentage of individuals who identify as white and approve of the job the president is doing. Shirley Sherrod : This is a time variable that indicates the four weeks following the firing of Shirley Sherrod, a USDA employee who was forced to resign after a video emerged with her making racially charged remarks on July 19, 2010. It was later found that Sherrod's remarks were taken out of context.
The effect of unilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation on depression in Parkinson's disease.

Abstract Background Depression is common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and adversely affects quality of life. Both unilateral and bilateral subthalamic (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) effectively treat the motor symptoms of PD, but questions remain regarding the impact of unilateral STN DBS on non-motor symptoms, such as depression. Methods We report changes in depression, as measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), in 50 consecutive PD patients who underwent unilateral STN DBS. Participants were also evaluated with UPDRS part III, Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The primary outcome was change in HAMD-17 at 6 months versus pre-operative baseline, using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Secondary outcomes included the change in HAMD-17 at 3, 12, 18, and 24 months post-operatively and correlations amongst outcome variables using Pearson correlation coefficients. As a control, we also evaluated changes in HAMD-17 in 25 advanced PD patients who did not undergo DBS. Results Participants with unilateral STN DBS experienced significant improvement in depression 6 months post-operatively (4.94 ± 4.02) compared to preoperative baseline (7.90 ± 4.44) (mean ± SD) (p = Conclusion Unilateral STN DBS improves depression 6 months post-operatively in patients with PD. Improvement in depression is maintained over time and correlates with improvement in sleep quality and quality of life.
Prototype chemical synapse chip for spatially patterned neurotransmitter stimulation of the retina ex vivo.

Biomimetic stimulation of the retina with neurotransmitters, the natural agents of communication at chemical synapses, could be more effective than electrical stimulation for treating blindness from photoreceptor degenerative diseases. Recent studies have demonstrated the feasibility of neurotransmitter stimulation by injecting glutamate, a primary retinal neurotransmitter, into the retina at isolated single sites. Here, we demonstrate spatially patterned multisite stimulation of the retina with glutamate, offering the first experimental evidence for applicability of this strategy for translating visual patterns into afferent neural signals. To accomplish pattern stimulation, we fabricated a special microfluidic device comprising an array of independently addressable microports connected to tiny on-chip glutamate reservoirs via microchannels. The device prefilled with glutamate was interfaced with explanted rat retinas placed over a multielectrode array (MEA) with the retinal ganglion cells (RGC) contacting the electrodes and photoreceptor surface contacting the microports. By independently and simultaneously activating a subset of the microports with modulated pressure pulses, small boluses of glutamate were convectively injected at multiple sites in alphabet patterns over the photoreceptor surface. We found that the glutamate-driven RGC responses recorded through the MEA system were robust and spatially laid out in patterns strongly resembling the injection patterns. The stimulations were also highly localized with spatial resolutions comparable to or better than electrical retinal prostheses. Our findings suggest that surface stimulation of the retina with neurotransmitters in pixelated patterns of visual images is feasible and an artificial chemical synapse chip based on this approach could potentially circumvent the limitations of electrical retinal prostheses. Devices that artificially stimulate retinal cells with brain chemicals may be effective for treating neurodegenerative blindness. Current prostheses stimulate retinal cells with an electrical current but are limited to producing low-resolution vision. Laxman Saggere of the University of Illinois at Chicago and colleagues developed a microfluidic device that delivers the brain chemical glutamate to retinal cells to mimic their natural activation following visual stimulation. The device, which contains a series of ports connected to reservoirs containing glutamate, was attached to live retinal tissue in a dish. Glutamate was delivered simultaneously through multiple ports to stimulate retinal cells in alphabet patterns. Recordings from the retinal cells showed that they produced a ‘map’ of the input pattern. Such devices could potentially replace the functionality of defective retinal cells in patients with neurodegenerative blindness to restore vision.
Response Surface Methodology: Process and Product Optimization Using Designed Experiments, 3rd edition

(2010). Response Surface Methodology: Process and Product Optimization Using Designed Experiments, 3rd edition. Journal of Quality Technology: Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 228-230.
Limiting Numerical Precision of Neural Networks to Achieve Real-Time Voice Activity Detection

Fast and robust voice-activity detection is critical to efficiently process speech. While deep-learning based methods to detect voice have shown competitive accuracies, the best models in the literature incur over a 100 ms latency on commodity processors. Such delays are unacceptable for real-time speech processing. In this paper, we study the impact of lowering the representation precision of the neural-network weights and neurons on both the accuracy and delay of voice-activity detection. Based on a design-space exploration, we not only determine the optimal scaling strategy but also adjust the network structure to accommodate the new quantization levels. Through experiments conducted with real user data, we demonstrate that optimized deep neural networks with lower bit precisions outperform the state-of-the-art WebRTC voice-activity detector with 87x lower delay and 6.8% lower error rate.
Thinking About Brain and Consciousness

In this brief article I present as a preamble to a developing theory a summary of ideas and evidence discussed elsewhere (see Damasio and Meyer (2008) In: Laureys S, Tononi G (eds) The neurology of consciousness. Elsevier, pp 3–14; Damasio (2010) Self comes to mind. Pantheon). They pertain to the nature of consciousness, to the position and role of consciousness in evolutionary history, and to how the brain constructs consciousness at the level of large-scale systems.
The Importance of Olfaction for Predator Detection in Spectral Tarsiers

A limitation of many experimental studies in predation is that they assume primates only use visual and auditory cues to discern the presence of predators and ignore the importance of olfactory cues. This is an obvious gap in predation research, given the importance of chemical information, particularly for nocturnal species. I conducted a study of the role of olfactory signals in predator detection by spectral tarsiers, Tarsius spectrum, at Tangkoko Nature Reserve in Sulawesi, Indonesia. For 80 nights, 20 adult tarsiers were exposed to a wooden civet model covered in civet urine, a wooden civet without urine, a stick covered in civet urine, and a stick without urine. Antipredator responses were overwhelmingly more frequent and more intense in the presence of civet urine, indicating that olfactory cues play an important role for spectral tarsiers in detecting terrestrial predators.
STUDY OF GENETIC VARIABILITY OF VIRUSES THROUGH THE USE OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES

Monoclonal antibodies secreted by hybridomas and directed either against the hemagglutinin (HA) molecule of influenza virus or against the nucleocapsid or glycoprotein of rabies virus were used to detect antigenic changes characterizing viral mutants that arose in nature or were produced experimentally. In the case of the HA molecule, it may also be possible to analyze those mutants through changes in the polypeptide map and in amino acid composition. Antigenic variations among rabies viruses may account for failures in cross-protection between experimental variants and parental viruses on the one hand, and between the vaccine strain and street virus variants on the other.
Axioms of ecological policy

Many current ecological policy problems are contentious and socially wrenching. Each possesses unique features, but there are several generalities that apply to nearly all. I propose nine axioms that are typical of most current ecological policy problems: (1) the policy and political dynamic is a zero-sum game; (2) the distribution of benefits and costs is more important than the ratio of total benefits to total costs; (3) the most politically viable policy choice spreads the benefits to a broad majority with the costs limited to a narrow minority of the population; (4) potential losers are usually more assertive and vocal than potential winners and are, therefore, disproportionately important in decision making; (5) many advocates will cloak their arguments as science to mask the personal policy preferences; (6) even with complete and accurate scientific information, most policy issues remain divisive; (7) demonizing policy advocates supporting competing policy options is often more effective than presenting rigorous analytical arguments; (8) if something can be measured accurately and with confidence, it is probably not particularly relevant in decision making; and (9) the meaning of words matters greatly and arguments over their precise meaning are often surrogates for debates over values.
Palladium(ii)-catalyzed γ-selective hydroarylation of alkenyl carbonyl compounds with arylboronic acids

A catalytic γ-selective syn-hydroarylation of alkenyl carbonyl compounds using arylboronic acids has been developed using a substrate directivity approach with a palladium(II) catalyst. This method tolerates a wide range of functionalized (hetero)arylboronic acids and a variety of substitution patterns on the alkene. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that transmetalation is rate-limiting.
Low-Gravity Experiments: Shear Testing Takes a Nose Dive

A major challenge to making celestial soil mechanics viable is to re-engineer the profession's toolkit to provide geotechnical solutions without the luxury of ex-situ and in-situ testing as we know them on Earth. It's essential to develop an understanding of fundamental mechanical, thermal, and fluidization properties of granular media on other celestial bodies. Regoliths, dusts, and other discrete loose superficial materials have — and will be — the most abundant material humanity interacts with on non-Earth explorations.
Tritium Retention in Hexavalent Chromate-Conversion–Coated Aluminum Alloy

AbstractIn this work, Aluminum 6061-T6 samples were subjected to MIL-DTL-5541F type-I, class-3 anodic coatings, where a yellow irradiate finish was achieved. Both chromate-conversion coatings (CCCs...