cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new face of BCL-2 inhibition in CLL.

In this issue of Blood , Zhong and colleagues report on a peptide that is selectively toxic to chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells through perturbation of cytoplasmic calcium levels via disruption of the BCL-2:IP3R interaction.[1][1] Cytoplasmic calcium levels are largely controlled by uptake
Cathepsin Substrates as Cleavable Peptide Linkers in Bioconjugates, Selected from a Fluorescence Quench Combinatorial Library

Several extended peptide substrates for the human liver enzymes cathepsin B and cathepsin D have been selected as cleavable linkers for lysosomal proteolysis of bioconjugates. A one-bead-one-peptide combinatorial library of 94 fluorogenic substrates was employed. We designed this library to explore a set of substrates containing nonionizable/nonoxidizable groups to meet the requirements of prelabeling [Li et al. (1994) Bioconjugate Chem. 5, 101−104] as well as to yield stable conjugates whose preparation is straightforward.
Meta-rule enhanced interoperation of operations, rules and processes for achieving dynamic inter-organizational collaboration

In today's complex and changing world, government and business organizations need to reuse and share not only data and computing facilities, but also organizational policies, constraints, regulations and processes in order to achieve inter-organizational collaboration and coordination. Organizational resources as well as organizations' partnership can change at any time in a dynamic environment. Thus, inter-organizational processes must be flexible. This paper presents an integrated rule and process specification language for specifying collaborating organizations' resources, and a meta-rule enhanced, event-triggered, distributed rule processing and process enactment technique to achieve the interoperation of operations, rules and processes, and the dynamic construction and processing of inter-organizational processes. The language and the processing technique are used to implement and evaluate USDA's Standard Operating Procedure for demonstrating the collaboration among involved organizations in the event of a plant disease or pest outbreak.
Sustainable management of wildlife habitat and risk of extinction

Whether land management planning provides for sufficient habitat to sustain viable populations of indigenous wildlife is one of the greatest challenges confronting resource managers. Analyses of the effects of land management on natural resources often rely on qualitative assessments that focus on single species to reflect the risk of wildlife extinction across a planning area. We propose a conceptual framework for sustainable management of wildlife habitat that explicitly acknowledges the greater risk of an extinction event when considering the viability of multiple species, e.g., an indigenous vertebrate fauna. This concept is based on the principle that the likelihood of at least one event (i.e., species extinction) is the joint probability of the extinction probabilities of individual species, assuming independence among species` responses to disturbance. We present an ecological rationale to support the view that, at a spatial scale of 104-106 ha (i.e., planning area) and a temporal scale of 102 years (i.e., planning horizon), wildlife species operating at varying ecological scales respond relatively independently to disturbances typically associated with land management. We use a hypothetical scenario of a wildlife viability assessment and Monte Carlo simulation to demonstrate that the probability of `any extinction` is consistently higher than the probability of the `single most likely` extinction, and that the difference between these values increases as more disturbance-sensitive species (i.e., species at risk) are analyzed. We conclude that risk assessments that rely upon the most sensitive single species may substantially underestimate the risk of wildlife extinction across a planning area. Furthermore, the selection of a planning alternative based on relative threat of local extinction of wildlife populations can vary depending on which paradigm is used to estimate risk to viability across the planning area.
Nonparametric learning of dictionaries for sparse representation of sensor signals

Nonparametric Bayesian techniques are considered for learning dictionaries for sparse data representations, with applications in sparse rendering of sensor data. The beta process is employed as a prior for learning the dictionary, and this nonparametric method naturally infers an appropriate dictionary size. The proposed method can learn a sparse dictionary, and may also be used to denoise a signal under test. The noise variance need not be known, and can be non-stationary. The dictionary coefficients for a given sensor signal may be employed within a classifier. Several example results are presented, using both Gibbs and variational Bayesian inference, with comparisons to other state-of-the-art approaches.
Dynamic speculation and synchronization of data dependences

Data dependence speculation is used in instruction-level parallel (ILP) processors to allow early execution of an instruction before a logically preceding instruction on which it may be data dependent. If the instruction is independent, data dependence speculation succeeds; if not, it fails, and the two instructions must be synchronized. The modern dynamically scheduled processors that use data dependence speculation do so blindly (i.e., every load instruction with unresolved dependences is speculated). In this paper, we demonstrate that as dynamic instruction windows get larger, significant performance benefits can result when intelligent decisions about data dependence speculation are made. We propose dynamic data dependence speculation techniques: (i) to predict if the execution of an instruction is likely to result in a data dependence mis-specalation, and (ii) to provide the synchronization needed to avoid a mis-speculation. Experimental results evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed techniques are presented within the context of a Multiscalar processor.
Social Information Processing and Social Networks: A Test of Social Influence Mechanisms

After identifying the implicit assumptions about social influence mechanisms and the social structural bases reflected in the social information processing literature, social network analysis concepts and structural models are used to clearly specify three alternative influence mechanisms. Simple interaction contact, norm enforcing cohesive groups, and the occupation of structurally equivalent positions or roles in an interaction structure are hypothesized as the structures underlying different social influence processes. The relative efficacy of these various structural configurations in predicting similarity of perception of and attitudes about organizational phenomena are then evaluated. While the evidence seems to indicate that the social influence of norm enforcing groups is most robust, multiple mechanisms appear to operate, sometimes simultaneously, for different kinds of perceptions. The limits of social information processing effects are discussed in light of the findings here of no significant e...
Influence of solvent composition and capillary temperature on the conformations of electrosprayed ions: unfolding of compact ubiquitin conformers from pseudonative and denatured solutions

Abstract High-resolution ion mobility/mass spectrometry methods have been used to examine the influence of solvent composition and capillary temperature on the gas-phase conformations of ubiquitin ions (+6 to +13) formed during electrospray ionization. Three general conformer types are observed: compact forms (favored for the +6 and +7 charge states); partially folded conformers (favored for the +8 and +9 ions); and, unfolded conformers (favored for the +10 to +13 charge states). The populations of different conformers are highly sensitive to solvent composition and capillary temperature used for electrospray ionization. Electrospray of “pseudonative” solutions leads to formation of some conformers that are more compact than those observed for “denatured” solutions. Studies as a function of capillary temperature show that as the capillary temperature is increased, compact and partially folded states undergo unfolding transitions. Compact states from pseudonative solutions unfold at higher temperatures than compact states from denatured solutions. The products of unfolding transitions have similar cross sections for both solution types.
Probability of rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm after an unrelated operative procedure: A prospective study

It has been assumed by some authors that patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms may be at increased risk of rupture after unrelated operations. From July 1986 to December 1989, 33 patients (29 men, 4 women) with a known abdominal aortic aneurysm underwent 45 operations. Twenty-eight patients had an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm, and five patients had a thoracoabdominal aneurysm. The abdominal aortic aneurysm ranged in transverse diameter from 3.0 to 8.5 cm (average 5.6 cm). Twenty-seven patients underwent a single operation, and six patients had two or more (range of 1 to 6). Operations performed were abdominal (13); cardiothoracic (9); head/neck (2); other vascular (11); urologic (7); amputation (2); breast (1). General anesthesia was used in 29 procedures, spinal/epidural in 6, and regional/local in 10. One postoperative death occurred from cardiopulmonary failure. One patient died of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm at 20 days after coronary artery bypass (1/33 patients [3%]; 1/45 operations [2%]). Fourteen patients had repair of their abdominal aortic aneurysm at a later date, an average of 18 weeks after operation. Four patients had abdominal aortic aneurysm considered too small to warrant resection (average 3.6 cm). Four patients were considered at excessive risk for elective repair. The five thoracoabdominal aneurysm were not repaired. Four patients are awaiting repair. During this same 40-month period, two other patients, not known to have an abdominal aortic aneurysm, died of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm after another operative procedure, at 21 days and 77 days. All three ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms were 5.0 cm or greater in transverse diameter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Propranolol-induced Urticaria: Successful Therapy with Tolamolol

Urticaria with systemic effects occurred in a patient being treated with propranolol and was reproducible upon rechallenge with the drug. Successful beta-adrenergic blocking therapy was achieved using a new agent, tolamolol, with no evidence of any adverse effects.
Economic conditions and terrorism

Abstract We explore the links between the incidence of terrorism and the state of a country's economy. Groups that are unhappy with the current economic status quo, yet unable to bring about drastic institutional changes, may find it rational to engage in terrorist activities. The result is a pattern of reduced economic activity and increased terrorism. In contrast, an alternative environment can emerge where access to economic resources is more abundant and terrorism is reduced. Our empirical results are consistent with the theory. We find that for democratic, high income countries, economic contractions lead to increased likelihood of terrorist activities.
A local controllability test for nonlinear multiple model systems

Develops a local controllability result for multiple model driftless affine control systems. The controllability result can be interpreted as a non-smooth extension of Chow's theorem (1939), and uses a set-valued Lie bracket. These results are interpreted in terms of an illustrative example involving an overconstrained wheeled vehicle.
Linear vt-based temperature sensors with low process sensitivity and improved power supply headroom

A new on-die temperature sensor that operates at low supply voltages and exhibits low process sensitivity and good linearity over a wide temperature range is introduced. When compared to conventional structures which have limited supply voltage headroom at the slow-n process corner, the new structures have sufficient headroom to practically operate well over all process corners. When implemented in a TSMC 0.18um process with a nominal supply voltage of 1.8V, simulation results show the maximum temperature linearity error is reduced from 1.5°C to less than 0.3°C at the NMOS slow process corner and with negative 10% Vdd variation.
A novel trehalase from Mycobacterium smegmatis − purification, properties, requirements

Trehalose is a nonreducing disaccharide of glucose (α,α-1,1-glucosyl-glucose) that is essential for growth and survival of mycobacteria. These organisms have three different biosynthetic pathways to produce trehalose, and mutants devoid of all three pathways require exogenous trehalose in the medium in order to grow. Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis also have a trehalase that may be important in controlling the levels of intracellular trehalose. In this study, we report on the purification and characterization of the trehalase from M. smegmatis, and its comparison to the trehalase from M. tuberculosis. Although these two enzymes have over 85% identity throughout their amino acid sequences, and both show an absolute requirement for inorganic phosphate for activity, the enzyme from M. smegmatis also requires Mg2+ for activity, whereas the M. tuberculosis trehalase does not require Mg2+. The requirement for phosphate is unusual among glycosyl hydrolases, but we could find no evidence for a phosphorolytic cleavage, or for any phosphorylated intermediates in the reaction. However, as inorganic phosphate appears to bind to, and also to greatly increase the heat stability of, the trehalase, the function of the phosphate may involve stabilizing the protein conformation and/or initiating protein aggregation. Sodium arsenate was able to substitute to some extent for the sodium phosphate requirement, whereas inorganic pyrophosphate and polyphosphates were inhibitory. The purified trehalase showed a single 71 kDa band on SDS gels, but active enzyme eluted in the void volume of a Sephracryl S-300 column, suggesting a molecular mass of about 1500 kDa or a multimer of 20 or more subunits. The trehalase is highly specific for α,α-trehalose and did not hydrolyze α,β-trelalose or β,β-trehalose, trehalose dimycolate, or any other α-glucoside or β-glucoside. Attempts to obtain a trehalase-negative mutant of M. smegmatis have been unsuccessful, although deletions of other trehalose metabolic enzymes have yielded viable mutants. This suggests that trehalase is an essential enzyme for these organisms. The enzyme has a pH optimum of 7.1, and is active in various buffers, as long as inorganic phosphate and Mg2+ are present. Glucose was the only product produced by the trehalase in the presence of either phosphate or arsenate.
Response of adiponectin and its receptors to changes in metabolic state after gastric bypass surgery: dissociation between adipose tissue expression and circulating levels

Abstract Background Adiponectin is an adipokine with anti-atherogenic and insulin-sensitizing properties. Specific adiponectin receptors, adiponectin receptors 1 (AdipoR1) and 2 (AdipoR2), are present in adipose tissue, indicating adiponectin might have autocrine/paracrine effects on its production or action. In addition, endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductase 1-Lα might mediate regulation of its secretion. The study aim was to determine the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) adiponectin gene and protein expression and their correlation to metabolic parameters during metabolically distinct times after gastric bypass surgery. Methods A total of 12 morbidly obese male patients underwent SAT biopsy during gastric bypass surgery, active weight loss (negative energy state), and at weight stabilization (steady state energy). The SAT mRNA and protein content of adiponectin, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2, and endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductase 1-Lα protein levels and the serum levels of adiponectin were assessed. Results SAT adiponectin, AdipoR1, and AdipoR2 gene expression increased significantly at the negative energy state, with no further change at steady state energy ( P P P = .04, respectively), without significant increases in protein at any stage. Changes in SAT adiponectin protein correlated with changes in AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 during steady state energy ( P = .003 and P = .002, respectively). Changes in SAT adiponectin expression did not correlate with those in circulating levels. Changes in endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductase 1-Lα did not correlate with either SAT or circulating levels of adiponectin. Conclusion Our data indicate distinct functions of adiponectin receptors, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2, mediate the autocrine/paracrine actions of adiponectin. The lack of correlation between changes in SAT adiponectin gene and protein expression and its circulating levels suggests that adipose tissue synthesis and release of adiponectin are highly regulated pathways.
Effect of the composition on the phase size in immiscible blends with the viscosity ratio close to unity

The influence of the composition and interfacial tension on the phase size in immiscible polymer blends with a viscosity ratio close to unity has been investigated with poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(ethylene terephthalate) blends and data from various works. For all the blends considered, the dispersed particle diameter (d) is proportional to the interfacial tension of the system. When the dispersed-phase content (ϕ) is below 1%, there is minimal change of d with increasing ϕ. When ϕ is between 1 and 20%, d is proportional to ϕ0.4. It seems that the processing conditions do not influence the morphology significantly for blend systems with a viscosity ratio close to unity.© 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 1791–1799, 2003
Cross-lingual speech recognition under runtime resource constraints

This paper proposes and compares four cross-lingual and bilingual automatic speech recognition techniques under the constraint that only the acoustic model (AM) of the native language is used at runtime. The first three techniques fall into the category of lexicon conversion where each phoneme sequence (PHS) in the foreign language (FL) lexicon is mapped into the native language (NL) phoneme sequence. The first technique determines the PHS mapping through the international phonetic alphabet (IPA) features; The second and third techniques are data-driven. They determine the mapping by converting the PHS into corresponding context-independent and context-dependent hidden Markov models (HMMs) respectively and searching for the NL PHS with the least Kullback-Leibler divergence (KLD) between the HMMs. The fourth technique falls into the category of AM merging where the FL's AM is merged into the NL's AM by mapping each senone in the FL's AM to the senone in the NL's AM with the minimum KLD. We discuss the strengths and limitations of each technique developed, report empirical evaluation results on recognizing English utterances with a Korean recognizer, and demonstrate the high correlation between the average KLD and the word error rate (WER). The results show that the AM merging technique performs the best, achieving 60% relative WER reduction over the IPA-based technique.
Three-dimensional volume-rendered CT angiography of the renal arteries and veins: normal anatomy, variants, and clinical applications.

Three-dimensional volume-rendered computed tomographic (CT) angiography represents an increasingly important clinical tool that, in many institutions, is replacing conventional angiography in the depiction of normal vascular anatomy and the diagnosis of vascular disorders. Evaluation of conditions affecting the renal vasculature constitutes a major focus of volume-rendered CT angiography, which has documented utility for demonstrating both arterial and venous disease. Arterial disorders include renal artery stenosis, renal artery aneurysms, and dissection. Venous disorders include splenorenal shunts, thrombosis, and intravascular tumor extension. In addition, volume-rendered CT angiography accurately displays the normal and variant renal vascular anatomy, which is crucial to detect before surgery, especially partial nephrectomy and laparoscopic nephrectomy. CT angiography is also useful in the evaluation of the renal vasculature following renal transplantation. Familiarity with proper CT protocols and dat...
Universality and Relativity of Human Rights: American Relativism

The U.N. Charter imposes the obligation on Member States to promote “universal respect for, and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction based on race, sex, language or religion”, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights defined those rights and freedoms “as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.” The 1993 United Nations World Conference on Human Rights proclaimed along similar lines in its Final Act that “All human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent.” Proponents of relativism question the universality of human rights and argue instead that the substance and application of human rights should be adjusted to accommodate the cultural or religious peculiarities of a particular community. The writer of this article argues that concepts such as the doctrine of a margin of appreciation, or the right to self-determination of national or ethnic, religious and linguistic communities, do not amount to cultural relativism. The doctrine of a margin of appreciation, for example, affords to Member States of the Council of Europe a primary right to establish the need to subject a particular right to legitimate limitations, and the limitations that can be attached to a right is an inherent component of the right and does not render the right inoperative or change the substantive meaning of the right. Cultural relativism is commonly attributed to eastern, and more in particular to Muslim, countries that decline to uphold rights and freedoms perceived to be in conflict with their culture or religion, or who redefine the rights and freedoms to bring them into conformity with pre-conceived cultural or religious biases. The writer of this article maintains that, given its ratification policies and practices, the United States is as much a proponent of relativism as any Muslim country. When ratifying a human rights covenant or convention, the United States invariably excludes the binding force of any right or freedom that is not precisely in conformity with the American Constitution or with existing (non-constitutional) laws and practices of the country. The article also contains a brief survey of jurisprudential relativism and different varieties of cultural relativism.
Selection of cortical dynamics for motor behaviour by the basal ganglia

The basal ganglia and cortex are strongly implicated in the control of motor preparation and execution. Re-entrant loops between these two brain areas are thought to determine the selection of motor repertoires for instrumental action. The nature of neural encoding and processing in the motor cortex as well as the way in which selection by the basal ganglia acts on them is currently debated. The classic view of the motor cortex implementing a direct mapping of information from perception to muscular responses is challenged by proposals viewing it as a set of dynamical systems controlling muscles. Consequently, the common idea that a competition between relatively segregated cortico-striato-nigro-thalamo-cortical channels selects patterns of activity in the motor cortex is no more sufficient to explain how action selection works. Here, we contribute to develop the dynamical view of the basal ganglia---cortical system by proposing a computational model in which a thalamo-cortical dynamical neural reservoir is modulated by disinhibitory selection of the basal ganglia guided by top-down information, so that it responds with different dynamics to the same bottom-up input. The model shows how different motor trajectories can so be produced by controlling the same set of joint actuators. Furthermore, the model shows how the basal ganglia might modulate cortical dynamics by preserving coarse-grained spatiotemporal information throughout cortico-cortical pathways.
Pluralism and Uncertainty after Philosophy's Linguistic Turn: The Pragmatism of Michael Oakeshott and Practical Politics

Modern pluralism has long been bedeviled by polemical attacks. Its critics seemingly come from many sides: here natural law and natural right thinkers join forces with post-modern linguistic philosophers. Michael Oakeshott strenuously defends modern pluralism as well as the existence of absolute truth. His account of the various modes of human experience makes it possible for him to simultaneously make both of these claims. He argues that politics is a mode of experience dominated by practical affairs, relegating truth claims to the sidelines. This move has a great deal in common with the writings of John Dewey, Richard Rorty, and other pragmatic defenders of liberalism, and has been largely ignored by commentators seeking to claim Oakeshott as a purely conservative, idealist political thinker. The paper rectifies this misreading through an exploration of Oakeshott's historical foundationalism (in his political thought). I also show how Oakeshott's caution serves as a significant improvement on some of the latter's less cautious arguments. As such, Oakeshott defends modern pluralism (and modernity itself) from those who seek political certainty as well as those who yearn for pure ethical relativism. Modernity is at once a compromise and an ideal. It is not well-suited to satisfy human yearnings for solidarity, but it still requires more than atomized individuals. The modern political sphere is only partially amenable to calls for community solidarity, since these often pose a threat to individual pluralism. Since moderns are not immune from these yearnings, however, other modes of existence become increasingly important. It is for this reason that Oakeshott privileges religion, aesthetics, and friendship so highly. An outline of his particular historical account of pluralism’s genesis makes clear the tradeoffs implicit in modernity, as well as the continuing importance of satisfying the human impulse to ethical holism in other ways.
‘Freedom can only exist in an ordered state’: harmony and civic education in Singapore

AbstractThis paper uses the concept of stories of peoplehood to examine how the Singapore government has constructed a story of harmony and to consider how this story has influenced two important school subjects focused on civic education: Social Studies and Character and Citizenship Education. Stories of peoplehood, including constitutive, economic and political power stories, play a central role in the political project of people-making which involves defining the nature of membership in a political community and promoting a collective political identity. This study provides an alternative way of conceptualizing the goals and curriculum content of civic education and it also offers an example of how a nation state with a strong Confucian tradition has chosen to address the educational goal of living together through the promotion of values such as social cohesion and community relationships within a story of harmony. The study also shows how Singapore political leaders construct a narrow and limited dis...
Applied Research on Xuan Paper Waste Water Processing Technology

Introduce a brand new technology,a successful combination of traditional waste treatment and coagulation-air floatation-SBR combinatorial technique,which is experimentally verified and aimed at the speciality in Xuan paper manufacturing.Execution of this new technology has been proved to be smooth and efficient.The water quality after treatment meets the requirements in entry of GB3544-2001 〈Discharge standard of water pollutants for paper industry〉 and thus this new technology is a proper treatment for wastewater of Xuan paper industry.
Investigation of The Prevalence of Fatty Liver among Chemical Industry Workers in Changzhou City

[Objective]To understand the prevalence of fatty liver among chemical industry workers,and explore the related preventive measures.[Methods] A total of 1880 workers from several chemical enterprises were selected as observation group,1852 workers from other enterprises as control group. The concentration of harmful substances was measured; B ultrasonic instrument was used to conduct liver examination,and the liver function and blood lipid level were examined simultaneously.[Results]Toluene,xylene,vinyl chloride,aniline,n-hexane existed in the workplaces of observation group,however,the detected values did not exceed the standard. 366 cases of fatty liver(19.5%) were detected in observation group of 1880 workers; 274 cases of fatty liver (14.8%) were detected in 1852 workers of control group,the difference between 2 groups was significant(χ2=14.3,P0.01);significant difference of detectable rate existed between different age groups of the 2 groups(χ2=12.56,P0.01).[Conclusion]The incidence of fatty liver among chemical-exposed workers is higher than that among workers in other industries,it is necessary to take further measures to improve the health conditions of this population.
Military operations at moderate altitude: effects on physical performance.

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in select anaerobic and aerobic dependent physical performance tasks in U.S. Marines exposured to field operations at moderate altitude. The subjects (N = 16) completed Wingate anaerobic power, submaximal aerobic cycle ergometry, hand grip strength, and push-up tests on three separate occasions. Testing sessions occurred at sea level, at altitude after a 10-day acclimatization period (immediately before field operations), and at altitude immediately after 4.5 days of field operations. Anaerobic power was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced after the field operations at altitude. In contrast, the aerobic cost of doing submaximal exercise was slightly elevated (p < 0.05) after the altitude field operations. No physiologically significant effect was noted for hand grip or push-up results. The findings of this study indicate that field operations at moderate altitude do result in slight, but significant, anaerobic-aerobic performance decrement in U.S. Marines.
The Career Development of Bisexual Sex Workers

Sex work is an industry that typically has a negative stigma associated with both sellers and buyers of sexual services and products. Bisexuality is commonplace in some sectors of sex work and can actually serve as an advantage for women working as pornographic actresses and/or escorts. Research has also shown that there is a higher value associated with those advertising sexual services to both genders. As such, limited research has examined sex work as a legitimate occupation and how to view the career development of those involved in this industry. This chapter provides a conceptual framework to explain the career development of bisexual female pornographic actresses and escorts from the United States using Social Cognitive Career Theory (Lent et al. Journal of Vocational Behavior 45:79–122, 1994). This theory has been particularly useful in examining marginalized groups such as gay and lesbian workers across a variety of occupations and is applicable to bisexual female pornographic actresses and escorts.
High Performance Materials from Oriented Plastics

Molecular orientation of polymer chains affects considerably the final properties of plastic products, such as stiffness, creep and impact resistance, barrier properties and transparency. Different orientation processes, such as solid state extrusion, die-drawing and roll-drawing are currently being investigated in order to produce parts with large dimensions. Examples include the die-drawing process for the obtention of oriented tubes and shapes, roll-drawing for flat and simple geometry profiles as well as uniaxial and biaxial solid state extrusion. These processes have been used successfully to form different materials, from polyolefins to engineering and specialty resins, and mechanical properties comparable to fiber reinforced plastics have been achieved. Solid state forming was performed in our laboratories on several polymeric materials using rolling, roll-drawing and solid state extrusion. Significant improvements in the mechanical behavior were observed and materials with tensile modulus and strength above 10 GPa and 400 MPa, respectively, were obtained. An improvement in the transverse mechanical properties was also observed for the roll-drawn polymers.
TWO-PHOTON ABSORPTION INDUCED EFFECTS IN CRYSTALLINE POLYSILANE FILMS

The new class of polysilane polymers has recently attracted interest as a medium for nonlinear optical interactions. These materials consist of a long (>1000 atoms) σ-bonded silicon backbone with two organic substituent groups attached to each Si atom. As nonlinear materials, these have several advantages over their π-bonded carbon analogs, the polydiacetylenes. First, polysilanes have been extensively investigated as possible photoresists,1 so thin (≤4 μm) films of excellent optical quality can be easily prepared using conventional photoresist technology. Second, the σ-σ* absorption edge is typically in the ultraviolet, so the material is transparent at all visible wavelengths. Finally, this absorption band edge can be shifted by changing the molecular weight, conformation of the Si backbone, or the substituent groups, making resonant enhancement of nonlinear effects at particular wavelengths possible.
The ‘Great Adjustment’: Evolutionary Meliorism in The Dynasts

Many a bourgeois sensibility was offended by Hardy’s ruminations concerning the nature of God. While it might seem unlikely that he could further alienate the reading population, the speculations offered by his third voice achieved just that. At least fifty modern meanings attach to the word ‘God’, this voice suggests, and it is therefore deceptive to ‘call any force above or under the sky by the name of “God” — and so pass as orthodox cheaply, and fill the pocket’.2 Never one to economise by filling his pocket with ersatz happy endings, Hardy argues that the only reasonable translation of the term for and concept of ‘God’ is ’the Cause of Things, whatever that cause may be’.3 His implication that all modern thinkers are necessarily ‘atheists in the ancient and exploded sense’4 caused his critics to bristle at such audacity. G. K. Chesterton counter-accused Hardy of being a disillusioned, depressed, blasphemous ‘village atheist’ who invented the First Cause in order to ‘give it a piece of his mind’;5 Carl Van Doren concurred that ‘Whatever Mr. Hardy’s conceptions, he demands some responsible deity upon whom he can lay the blame for the crass casualties which he encounters’.6
John Dewey’s Idea of Ultimate Reality and Meaning: A Mixture of Stability and Uncertainty in Social Transactions of Human Beings

Apres avoir esquisse le parcours philosophique de Dewey, l'A. montre que sa conception de la realite ultime et du sens repose sur sa theorie de l'experience et des rapports humains (la «transaction»). L'A. montre comment Dewey a problematise l'existence et son caractere temporel dans son approche des categories metaphysiques et empiriques
Efficient allocation of slot using Medium Access Control protocol

With the emergence of advanced technology, the need for improving the energy has been of paramount significance, especially in the area of wireless sensor network. The most of the energy consumed in the sensor node caused by transceiver. The efficient Medium Access Control protocol can reduce an additional energy consumption of transceiver. In this paper, we introduce an energy efficient packet scheduling (EEPS) algorithm using dynamic slot allocation (DSA). In the EEPS, head node checks empty available slots and assigns the slots those nodes that are in waiting list. Based on this algorithm, empty available slots are utilized efficiently for saving the energy consumption and improving the throughput performance. The proposed idea is implemented using network simulator (NS3) and compared with other known existing protocols.
Fifth ASTM Symposium on Composite Materials: Fatigue and Fracture

(1993). Fifth ASTM Symposium on Composite Materials: Fatigue and Fracture. Materials Technology: Vol. 8, No. 11-12, pp. 261-265.
Abrupt skin lesion border cutoff measurement for malignancy detection in dermoscopy images.

Automated skin lesion border examination and analysis techniques have become an important field of research for distinguishing malignant pigmented lesions from benign lesions. An abrupt pigment pattern cutoff at the periphery of a skin lesion is one of the most important dermoscopic features for detection of neoplastic behavior. In current clinical setting, the lesion is divided into a virtual pie with eight sections. Each section is examined by a dermatologist for abrupt cutoff and scored accordingly, which can be tedious and subjective. This study introduces a novel approach to objectively quantify abruptness of pigment patterns along the lesion periphery. In the proposed approach, first, the skin lesion border is detected by the density based lesion border detection method. Second, the detected border is gradually scaled through vector operations. Then, along gradually scaled borders, pigment pattern homogeneities are calculated at different scales. Through this process, statistical texture features are extracted. Moreover, different color spaces are examined for the efficacy of texture analysis. The proposed method has been tested and validated on 100 (31 melanoma, 69 benign) dermoscopy images. Analyzed results indicate that proposed method is efficient on malignancy detection. More specifically, we obtained specificity of 0.96 and sensitivity of 0.86 for malignancy detection in a certain color space. The F-measure, harmonic mean of recall and precision, of the framework is reported as 0.87. The use of texture homogeneity along the periphery of the lesion border is an effective method to detect malignancy of the skin lesion in dermoscopy images. Among different color spaces tested, RGB color space’s blue color channel is the most informative color channel to detect malignancy for skin lesions. That is followed by YCbCr color spaces Cr channel, and Cr is closely followed by the green color channel of RGB color space.
Industrial Robot Trajectory Stiffness Mapping for Hybrid Manufacturing Process

The application of using industrial robots in hybrid manufacturing is promising, but the heavy external load applied on robot system, including the weight of deposition extruder or the cutting force from machining process, affects the operation accuracy significantly. This paper proposed a new method for helping robot to find the best position and orientation to perform heavy duty tasks based on the current system stiffness. By analyzing the robot kinematic and stiffness matrix properties of robot, a new evaluation formulation has been established for mapping the trajectory¢‚¬„¢s stiffness within the robot¢‚¬„¢s working volumetric. The influence of different position and orientation for hybrid manufacturing working path in different scale has been discussed. Finally, a visualized evaluation map can be obtained to describe the stiffness difference of a robotic deposition working path at different positions and orientations. The method is important for improving the operation performance of robot system with current stiffness capability.
Speciation with gene flow in North American Myotis bats

Growing evidence supports the idea that species can diverge in the presence of gene flow. However, most methods of phylogeny estimation do not consider this process, despite the fact that ignoring gene flow is known to bias phylogenetic inference. Furthermore, studies that do consider divergence-with-gene-flow typically do so by estimating rates of gene flow using a isolation-with-migration model (IM), rather than evaluating scenarios of gene flow (such as divergence-with-gene flow or secondary contact) that represent very different types of diversification. In this investigation, we aim to infer the recent phylogenetic history of a clade of western long-eared bats while evaluating a number of different models that parameterize gene flow in a variety of ways. We utilize PHRAPL, a new tool for phylogeographic model selection, to compare the fit of a broad set of demographic models that include divergence, migration, or both among Myotis evotis, $M$. thysanodes and M. keenii. A genomic data set consisting of 808 loci of ultraconserved elements was used to explore such models in three steps using an incremental design where each successive set was informed by, and thus more focused than, the previous set of models. Specifically, the three steps were to (i) assess whether gene flow should be modeled and identify the best topologies, (ii) infer directionality of migration using the best topologies, and (iii) estimate the timing of gene flow. The best model (AIC model weight ${\sim}0.98$) included two divergence events (($M$. evotis, $M$. thysanodes), M. keenii) accompanied by gene flow at the initial stages of divergence. These results provide a striking example of speciation-with-gene-flow in an evolutionary lineage. [Myotis bats; PHRAPL; P2C2M; phylogeographic model selection; speciation with gene flow.].
Broiler Litter × Industrial By-Products Reduce Nutrients and Microbial Losses in Surface Runoff When Applied to Forages

The inability to incorporate broiler litter (BL) into permanent hayfields and pastures leads to nutrient accumulation near the soil surface and increases the potential transport of nutrients in runoff. This study was conducted on Marietta silt loam soil to determine the effect of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum and lignite on P, N, C, and microbial concentrations in runoff. Treatments were (i) control (unfertilized) and (ii) BL at 13.4 Mg ha⁻¹ alone or (iii) treated with either FGD gypsum or lignite applied at 20% (w/w) (2.68 Mg ha⁻¹). Rainfall simulators were used to produce a 5.6 cm h⁻¹ storm event sufficient in duration to cause 15 min of continuous runoff. Repeated rains were applied at 3-d intervals to determine how long FGD gypsum and lignite are effective in reducing loss of litter-derived N, P, and C from soil. Application of BL increased N, P, and C concentrations in runoff as compared to the control. Addition of FGD gypsum reduced (P 20%. Thus, BL treated with FGD and lignite can be considered as cost-effective management practices in the mitigation of P, N, and C and possibly microbial concentration in runoff.
Understanding the Epithelial Barrier in IBD

The intestinal epithelial barrier is critical for maintaining a balance between potentially noxious luminal contents of the gut and the mucosal immune system. Defects in barrier function are associated with both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and are also present in some healthy first-degree relatives. Impaired barrier function is associated with increased risk of Crohn’s disease relapse of patients in clinical remission. The tight junction, which seals the space between adjacent epithelial cells, is the primary determinant of permeability in the absence of epithelial injury, e.g. ulceration. The tight junction is formed by a complex of occludin, claudins, ZO-1, and the actomyosin cytoskeleton; the interactions between components are dynamically regulated to modify paracellular flux. The functional properties of the tight junction can be modified in response to either physiological stimuli of cytokines, e.g. TNF, IFNγ, and IL-13. Under pathological conditions, increased paracellular permeability may allow luminal material to access the lamina propria, thereby enhancing immune activation and triggering a recurrent cycle of barrier dysfunction and inflammation. Tight junction dysregulation may thereby play a central role in inflammatory bowel disease by linking mucosal immune responses to barrier function. As such, the potential of the tight junction as a target for therapeutic intervention should be considered.
TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS | NF- κ B and I κ b

Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) transcription factors regulate gene expression directing inflammation and cellular survival. NF-κB complexes are homo- or heterodimers assembled from five structurally related proteins (RelA, RelB, c-Rel, p50, and p52). NF-κB is retained in the cytoplasm by physical interaction with inhibitor kappa B (IκB) proteins. Many cell stresses, including microbial stimuli and proinflammatory cytokines, activate signaling pathways that cause IκB proteins to be removed and degraded. NF-κB then accumulates in the nucleus, binds κB sequences in the DNA, recruits other nuclear proteins to chromatin, and regulates the expression of nearby genes, including those for cytokines, chemokines, anti-apoptotic proteins, immune effector proteins, and transcriptional regulatory proteins. NF-κB is activated in lung cells and leukocytes from patients with respiratory diseases, suggesting that NF-κB and IκB activities may contribute to their pathophysiology. In experimental settings, NF-κB is critical to pulmonary inflammation, respiratory infection, acute lung injury, asthma, and cancer. NF-κB function is an essential determinant of lung health and homeostasis.
Maternal deprivation induces alterations in cognitive and cortical function in adulthood

Early life trauma is a risk factor for a number of neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia (SZ). The current study assessed how an early life traumatic event, maternal deprivation (MD), alters cognition and brain function in rodents. Rats were maternally deprived in the early postnatal period and then recognition memory (RM) was tested in adulthood using the novel object recognition task. The expression of catechol-o-methyl transferase (COMT) and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) were quantified in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), ventral striatum, and temporal cortex (TC). In addition, depth EEG recordings were obtained from the mPFC, vertex, and TC during a paired-click paradigm to assess the effects of MD on sensory gating. MD animals exhibited impaired RM, lower expression of COMT in the mPFC and TC, and lower expression of GAD67 in the TC. Increased bioelectric noise was observed at each recording site of MD animals. MD animals also exhibited altered information theoretic measures of stimulus encoding. These data indicate that a neurodevelopmental perturbation yields persistent alterations in cognition and brain function, and are consistent with human studies that identified relationships between allelic differences in COMT and GAD67 and bioelectric noise. These changes evoked by MD also lead to alterations in shared information between cognitive and primary sensory processing areas, which provides insight into how early life trauma confers a risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, such as SZ, later in life.
Electric Field Modulates DNA Synthesis of Dermal Fibroblasts in Collagen Matrix

It remains hotly debated whether electrotherapy promotes wound healing. An intriguing related question is if the ubiquitous skin battery 1 provides a “natural electrotherapy” for wounds. Indeed, fibroblasts in collagen matrix respond to endogenous-like electric fields with metabolic changes7. Our goal is to elaborate the DNA and protein synthetic response of dermal fibroblasts to low frequency electric fields similar to postulated endogenous fields in wounds.