cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ASIDE: IDE support for web application security

Many of today's application security vulnerabilities are introduced by software developers writing insecure code. This may be due to either a lack of understanding of secure programming practices, and/or developers' lapses of attention on security. Much work on software security has focused on detecting software vulnerabilities through automated analysis techniques. While they are effective, we believe they are not sufficient. We propose to increase developer awareness and promote practice of secure programming by interactively reminding programmers of secure programming practices inside Integrated Development Environments (IDEs). We have implemented a proof-of-concept plugin for Eclipse and Java. Initial evaluation results show that this approach can detect and address common web application vulnerabilities and can serve as an effective aid for programmers. Our approach can also effectively complement existing software security best practices and significantly increase developer productivity.
Study of circulating myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) in patients with breast cancer undergoing neo-adjuvant chemotherapy; interim results

Meeting abstracts Patients (pts) with breast cancer (BC) who achieve complete pathologic response (pCR) to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) have better survival than pts without pCR. It is hypothesized that circulating levels of MDSC may be a potential predictive biomarker for NAC. Pts with
Pulmonary targeting of sustained release formulation of budesonide in neonatal rats

Systemic corticosteroids are widely used for the treatment/prevention of chronic lung disease (CLD) in premature infants. The use of the inhalation route for delivering corticosteroids has been widely recognized, however so far pre-term babies continue to be treated with oral glucocorticoids, such as dexamethasone. We hypothesize that the pulmonary administration of sustained release formulations of inhaled corticosteroids to pre-term infants will result in a higher benefit/risk ratio as compared to traditional inhalation therapy. To achieve a slow release formulation budesonide particles were coated with a very thin film of polylactic acid using a pulse laser ablation technique. Coated material was characterized with respect to the dissolution behavior and particle size. Ex vivo receptor binding studies were performed to monitor the cumulative lung, liver and brain receptor occupancies after adminstration in neonatal (10–11 days old) rats after intratracheal instillation of either uncoated budesonide or ...
Standard enthalpies of formation of 5d aluminides by high-temperature direct synthesis calorimetry

Abstract The standard enthalpies of formation of aluminides in the binary systems La-Al, Hf-Al, Ta-Al, W-Al, Re-Al and Pt-Al were determined by direct synthesis calorimetry at 1473 ± 2 K. The results are compared with earlier experimental data and with predicted values from Miedema's semi-empirical model. In systematic plots the enthalpies of formation of 5d aluminides are compared with similar data for the 3d and 4d aluminides, and with enthalpy data for the 5d borides, germanides and silicides.
Pharmaceutical investigation of selected Alberta bentonites. II. Limit tests and mechanical analysis.

A collection of bentonite samples from known Alberta deposits was examined. Limit tests as described in the B.P. and U.S.P. were completed on each. Additional procedures were undertaken to assist in evaluation of physical properties of the clays. On the basis of this work, one sample was shown to be of pharmaceutical quality, with a second sample from the same commercially important deposit being excluded from this category on a minor technicality only.
An advanced bipolar transistor with self-aligned ion-planted base and W/poly emitter

The fabrication, device profile, and electrical characteristics of an advanced bipolar transistor with an LDD-like self-aligned lateral profile are discussed. An ion-implanted extrinsic base with a low sheet resistance of 55 Omega /square and a junction depth of 0.35 mu m is obtained using rapid thermal annealing. The extrinsic base and emitter are separated by a temporary submicrometer sidewall spacer, which is subsequently removed to maintain a planar surface during the emitter-active-base formation process. The emitter is contacted by a W-TiN-n/sup +/ polysilicon stack with a sheet resistance of 1 Omega /square. As a result of the planarity of the surface during the profile formation for the active region and the decoupling of the structural process from the thin base process, an active base width of 105 nm is obtained. >
Accurate non-local electron—argon pseudopotential for condensed phase simulation

Abstract A Hartree—Fock formalism is presented for the electronic structure calculation of a solute molecule in a condensed phase. An effective potential that mimics the effect of the solvent frozen cores in the solute Hartree—Fock equations is proposed. An application to NaAr n is reported. NaAr results are presented for the frozen core approximation that compares well with the all-electron calculation. We illustrate that there exists considerable flexibility in refitting the local and non-local parts of the pseudopotential, originally cast in terms of Ar Hartree-Fock orbitals, to a computationally convenient form suitable for condensed phase simulations.
Dural ectasia and conventional radiography in the Marfan lumbosacral spine.

Objective. To determine how well conventional radiographic findings can predict the presence of dural ectasia in Marfan patients.
ABLE: a toolkit for building multiagent autonomic systems

This paper describes a toolkit for building multiagent autonomic systems. The IBM Agent Building and Learning Environment (ABLE) provides a lightweight Java™ agent framework, a comprehensive JavaBeans™ library of intelligent software components, a set of development and test tools, and an agent platform. We describe a series of agents built using ABLE components and present three case studies of applications using the ABLE toolkit. The Autotune agent is a closed-loop controller agent that supports hierarchical distributed control. The Subsumption agent defines specific behaviors or strategies and can be plugged into a multiagent subsumption infrastructure. The Autonomic agent architecture features sensors and effectors for interacting with the external environment, layers of reflexive, reactive, and adaptive subsumption agents, components that dynamically model the autonomic system itself and its environment, and components for emotions, planning, and executive-level decision-making. By using the ABLE component library to build agents running on the ABLE distributed agent platform, we discuss how we can incrementally add new behaviors and capabilities to intelligent, autonomic systems.
Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 in Women: A MACS Approach to Testing for Invariance Across Racial/Ethnic Groups

This study used data from 3 sites to examine the invariance and psychometric characteristics of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 across Black, Hispanic, and White mothers of 5th graders (N = 4,711; M = 38.07 years of age, SD = 7.16). Internal consistencies were satisfactory for all subscale scores of the instrument regardless of ethnic group membership. Mean and covariance structures analysis indicated that the hypothesized 3-factor structure of the instrument was not robust across ethnic groups. It provided a reasonable approximation to the data for Black and White women but not for Hispanic women. Tests for differential item functioning (DIF) were therefore conducted for only Black and White women. Analyses revealed no more than trivial instances of nonuniform DIF but more substantial evidence of uniform DIF for 3 of the 18 items. After having established partial strong factorial invariance of the instrument, latent factor means were found to be significantly higher for Black than for White women on all 3 subscales (somatization, depression, anxiety). In conclusion, the instrument may be used for mean comparisons between Black and White women.
The Cost of a Voluntary Task Switch

Task-switching paradigms are widely used to study executive control. However, standard paradigms may not require active control to switch tasks. We examined voluntary task switching by having subjects choose which task to perform on a series of bivalent stimuli. Subjects performed parity or magnitude judgments on single digits. Instructions were to perform the two tasks equally often and in a random order. The response-to-stimulus interval (RSI) was either 100 or 1,000 ms, manipulated between blocks. Task alternations were slower than task repetitions, and this switch cost was greater at the short RSI than at the long RSI (310 and 94 ms, respectively). Additionally, subjects produced more task repetitions than expected if the tasks were performed in a random sequence. These results show costs associated with a voluntary task switch, when subjects must actively control the choice of the task to be performed.
Influences of Winter Haze on Fog/Low Cloud Over the Indo-Gangetic Plains

[1] The aerosol loading in south Asia has increased considerably because of the growing population, urbanization, and industrialization in recent years. To understand the effects of aerosols on cloud properties in this region, we have analyzed an extensive collection of aerosol and cloud properties, obtained from the Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, over the Indian subcontinent during winter 2000–2006. During these winter months, the Indo-Gangetic (IG) plains, in the northern part of India, are subjected to dense haze and fog on the basis of MODIS climatology of aerosol optical depth and cloud properties (cloud effective radius, cloud top pressure, and cloud fraction), respectively. We derive a fog/low-cloud detection scheme from MODIS level 2 data to generate distribution of fog/low cloud on a daily basis for December–January 2000–2006. Interactions between winter haze and fog/low cloud over the IG plains were analyzed by minimizing the effect of dynamical processes associated with fog formation. On the basis of the interannual variability of meteorological parameters, winter 2004–2005 was associated with favorable conditions for fog formation in terms of comparable values of relative humidity with respect to previous years. However, significantly lower fog occurrences were found in winter 2004–2005 over the IG plains from MODIS and ground observations, while higher aerosol loading was observed in 2004–2005 compared to previous years. Thus the role of higher aerosol loading in 2004–2005 was investigated, combined with the high concentration of black carbon (BC) aerosols over the IG plains, indicated by aerosol transport model, suggesting that the BC aerosols may have significant impact on the fog/low-cloud formation over the IG plains and hence less fog in winter 2004–2005.
Voices of Identity in a Chicana Teacher’s Occupational Narratives of the Self

The research area of teacher narrative inquiry has identified links between the personal and professional identities of teachers. Although teacher narrative inquiry takes narrative texts as its data, insufficient attention has been given to the functions of narratives as forms of discourse that are utilized in the construction of identity. In the present study, the concept of narrative identity guided the analysis of a Chicana teacher’s personal experience narratives. The analysis of six narratives told during interviews conducted across a year’s time examined how the voices in the narratives, communicated through reported speech, represented the relational, discursive, and ideological social worlds within which the Chicana teacher’s occupational identity was shaped. The reported speech in the Chicana teacher’s narratives quoted the voices of significant Others, such as her family members and the parents of her students. The Chicana teacher’s narratives crafted her response to the tensions and challenges that these voices represented to her emerging occupational identity as a bilingual education teacher. In her narratives, the Chicana teacher also constructed continuity across the distinct phases of her occupational identity as a bilingual teacher that included transitions from college student, to novice bilingual teacher, to experienced bilingual teacher.
Sex and position differences among predictors of perceived work-related competence

Many previous articles have suggested that social cues and situational information contribute differentially to perceptions of work-related competence of women versus men. Certain theorists have concluded that the perceived competence of women is more dependent upon social cues and less upon situational information than is the competence of men, while other theorists have concluded that the opposite is true. The present study empirically examined the relative contribution of these two classes of variables to the perceived competence of 583 employees of social service organizations in 23 states. In addition, the study investigated a rival hypothesis that occupancy of a supervisory position, not sex, is a more likely modifier of the relationship between competence and either social or situational factors. Contrary to all hypotheses, the results suggest that (a) there are no practically significant sex differences in sensitivity to social cues or situational information, and [b] occupancy of a supervisory position may have a direct impact on perceived competence, but position occupancy does not moderate [to a practically significant degree] the relationships between competence and social cues or situational information.
A framework for semantic mapping between thesauri

Thesaurus interoperability is an important property which guarantees quality in indexing and retrieval of heterogeneous data sources in a distributed environment. It contributes to guarantee semantic interoperability of public services and information quality which are essential features of eGov-ernment implementation policies. This paper presents a methodological framework for semantic mapping between thesauri as well as a specific approach within such framework on a case study aimed at mapping five thesauri of interest for European Union institutions having only schema information available.
Knowing what doesn't matter: exploiting the omission of irrelevant data

Abstract Most learning algorithms work most effectively when their training data contain completely specified labeled samples. In many diagnostic tasks, however, the data will include the values of only some of the attributes; we model this as a blocking process that hides the values of those attributes from the learner. While blockers that remove the values of critical attributes can handicap a learner, this paper instead focuses on blockers that remove only conditionally irrelevant attribute values, i.e. values that are not needed to classify an instance , given the values of the other unblocked attributes. We first motivate and formalize this model of “superfluous-value blocking”, and then demonstrate that these omissions can be useful, by proving that certain classes that seem hard to learn in the general PAC model—viz., decision trees and DNF formulae—are trivial to learn in this setting. We then extend this model to deal with (1) theory revision (i.e. modifying an existing formula); (2) blockers that occasionally include superfluous values or exclude required values; and (3) other corruptions of the training data.
Bee foraging in uncertain environments using predictive hebbian learning

RECENT work has identified a neuron with widespread projections to odour processing regions of the honeybee brain whose activity represents the reward value of gustatory stimuli1,2. We have constructed a model of bee foraging in uncertain environments based on this type of neuron and a predictive form of hebbian synaptic plasticity. The model uses visual input from a simulated three-dimensional world and accounts for a wide range of experiments on bee learning during foraging, including risk aversion. The predictive model shows how neuromodulatory influences can be used to bias actions and control synaptic plasticity in a way that goes beyond standard correlational mechanisms. Although several behavioural models of conditioning in bees have been proposed3–7, this model is based on the neural substrate and was tested in a simulation of bee flight.
Method for Quantifying Degree of Fin Erosion

Abstract An equation was developed for comparing the degree of fin erosion among populations of the same fish species, regardless of fish size, or against a reference population with uneroded fins: fin factor (%) = (fin length x 100)/(total length). This replaces more subjective approaches used in the past for estimating the degree of fin missing.
New applications of LC–MS and LC–MS2 toward understanding the environmental fate of organometallics

Abstract Over the last 40 years, many organometallic compounds have been synthesized and used in a variety of consumer, agricultural, and industrial products. Including wastewater effluents, leaching, and direct land and water applications, there are many pathways that can disperse organometallics to the environment. Many of these compounds reach environmental compartments unchanged while others are transformed into chemical entities having different availability or toxicity to living organisms. Differences in the toxicological, biochemical, and environmental behavior of the various chemical forms of a trace element often make the determination of the total element concentration inadequate. Considerable analytical progress in organometallic speciation has been made over the past decade, when hyphenated techniques involving highly efficient separation and sensitive detection have become the techniques of choice. Methods based on liquid chromatographic separation with mass spectrometric detection have revealed new organometallic compounds in environmental and biological matrices, contributing to a better understanding of biological effects and environmental fate of organometallics. This article surveys recent applications of liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry–mass spectrometry (LC–MS2) for the determination of organometallic compounds in environmental matrices.
Sequence-Specific B-DNA Flexibility Modulates Z-DNA Formation

Conversion of right-handed B-DNA into left-handed Z-DNA is one of the largest structural transitions in biology that plays fundamental roles in gene expression and regulation. Z-DNA segments must form within genomes surrounded by a sea of B-DNA and require creation of energetically costly B/Z junctions. Here, we show using a combination of natural abundance NMR R(1ρ) carbon relaxation measurements and CD spectroscopy that sequence-specific B-DNA flexibility modulates the thermodynamic propensity to form Z-DNA and the location of B/Z junctions. We observe sequence-specific flexibility in B-DNA spanning fast (ps-ns) and slow (μs-ms) time scales localized at the site of B/Z junction formation. Further, our studies show that CG-repeats play an active role tuning this intrinsic B-DNA flexibility. Taken together, our results suggest that sequence-specific B-DNA flexibility may provide a mechanism for defining the length and location of Z-DNA in genomes.
Theoretical adhesion efficiency for particles impacting a cylinder at high reynolds number

Abstract The adhesion efficiency has been theoretically examined for particles impacting a cylinder at high Reynolds number. The probability of particle bounce after multiple impacts with the cylinder is related to the particle's initial separation from the centerline ( Y coordinate) through the trajectory calculation. A family of such Y coordinates corresponding to different dynamic responses upon impacts is identified. The predictive equations of significant Y coordinates are presented as a function of the Stokes number, the particle Reynolds number, the coefficient of restitution and the critical velocity. The adhesion efficiency based on these predictive equations has been calculated and the significance and the potential applications are discussed.
Network Implementation of the Two-Component Pressure Approach for Transient Flow in Storm Sewers

The two-component pressure approach (TPA) is an alternative to the Preissman slot method (PSM) for modeling highly transient sewer flow, including transitions between free-surface and pressurized conditions. TPA and PSM resolve intralink wave action by discretizing sewers with numerous elements and solving one-dimensional flow equations in contrast to link-node models, such as the popular storm water management model, which resolve only interlink wave action. Here, improvements of TPA are reported to support storm sewer network modeling. These include a source term discretization to preserve stationarity, a wetting and drying scheme, and a local time-stepping scheme to coordinate solution updates across many links and enable coupling to a two-dimensional overland flow model. A unique variant of the Harten, Lax and van Leer (HLL) Riemann solver is also introduced, and a boundary solver is developed to accommodate the wide range of possible flow regimes and transitions. The boundary solver is explicit to facilitate the extension of TPA to large networks and coupling with an overland flow model. Promising results are obtained in a varied set of test problems involving simple sewer networks.
Techniques and outcomes of minimally invasive trabecular ablation and bypass surgery

Minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS) can improve the conventional, pressure-dependent outflow by bypassing or ablating the trabecular meshwork (TM), or creating alternative drainage routes into the suprachoroidal or subconjunctival space. They have a highly favourable risk profile compared to penetrating surgeries, and lower intraocular pressure with variable efficacy that may depend on the extent of outflow segments accessed. Since they are highly standardised procedures that use clear corneal incisions, they can elegantly be combined with cataract and refractive procedures to improve vision in the same session. There is a growing need for surgeons to become proficient in MIGS to address the increasing prevalence of glaucoma and cataracts in a well-informed, aging population. Techniques of visualisation and instrumentation in an anatomically highly confined space with semitransparent tissues are fundamentally different from other anterior segment surgeries, and present even experienced surgeons with a substantial learning curve. Here, we provide practical tips, and review techniques and outcomes of TM bypass and ablation MIGS.
Overproduction of human Mn-superoxide dismutase modulates paraquat-mediated toxicity in mammalian cells.

Abstract Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is a nuclear encoded mitochondrial matrix enzyme that functions to scavenge superoxide radicals. The human MnSOD cDNA under the transcriptional control of a human β-actin promoter was introduced into mouse C3H10T 1 2 cells by cotransfection with a recombinant plasmid containing the NeoR selectable marker. C3H10T 1 2 transformants (C3H-SOD) were obtained that expressed high levels of authentic enzymatically active human MnSOD. Overexpression of the MnSOD gene did not affect the protein levels of CuZnSOD, catalase (CAT), or glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in the transformants. Treatment of cells with paraquat was less toxic to the C3H-SOD cells than to the control cells. These results are consistent with the possibility that superoxide radicals are mediators of paraquat cytotoxicity.
Clients' Right to Competent and Ethical Treatment:

Although clients do not have a right to effective treatment, they do a have a right to competent and ethical treatment. Clients have a right to expect that social workers will provide services in a...
Resurrecting Biological Essentialism

The article defends the doctrine that Linnaean taxa, including species, have essences that are, at least partly, underlying intrinsic, mostly genetic, properties. The consensus among philosophers of biology is that such essentialism is deeply wrong, indeed incompatible with Darwinism. I argue that biological generalizations about the morphology, physiology, and behavior of species require structural explanations that must advert to these essential properties. The objection that, according to current “species concepts,” species are relational is rejected. These concepts are primarily concerned with what it is for a kind to be a species and throw little light on the essentialist issue of what it is for an organism to be a member of a particular kind. Finally, the article argues that this essentialism can accommodate features of Darwinism associated with variation and change.
Concurrent process model and specification cause-effect monitoring using alternate diagnostic signatures

With technology scaling, the impact of intra and inter-die process variations on the performance of mixed-signal/RF circuits has increased, making process monitoring a critical task in the overall silicon manufacturing flow. We propose a novel process-specification cause-effect monitoring scheme that allows the effects of process variations and shifts on device specifications to be monitored on a per-IC basis as opposed to existing techniques that rely only on electrical test data gathered across lots of wafers. The method relies on the use of alternate diagnostic tests under which the DUT response (alternate diagnostic signature) exhibits strong simultaneous correlation with its specifications as well as the critical process or circuit parameters with virtually zero extra test-time or testhardware cost. Simulation results indicate that critical process parameters can be diagnosed accurately from the applied tests.
Design of the Advanced Rare Isotope Separator ARIS at FRIB

Abstract The Facility for Rare Isotopes Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University will use projectile fragmentation and induced in-flight fission of heavy-ion primary beams at energies of 200 MeV/u and higher and at a beam power of 400 kW to generate rare isotope beams for experiments in nuclear physics, nuclear astrophysics, and fundamental symmetries, as well as for societal needs. The Advanced Rare Isotope Separator (ARIS) has been designed as a three-stage fragment separator for the efficient collection and purification of the rare isotope beams of interest. A vertically bending preseparator (first stage) with production target and beam dump is fully integrated into a production target facility hot cell with remote handling. The new separator compresses the accepted momentum width of up to ±5% of the beam by a factor of three in the standard operational mode. Provisions for alternate operational modes for specific cases are included in the design. This preseparator is followed by two, horizontally-bending separator stages (second and third stages) utilizing the magnets from the existing A1900 fragment separator at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL). These stages can alternatively be coupled to a single high-resolution separator stage, resulting in the flexibility to optimize the operation for different experiments, including momentum tagging and in-flight particle identification of rare isotope beams. The design of ARIS will be presented with an emphasis on beam physics characteristics, and anticipated operational modes will be described.
Breast ultrasound tomography with two parallel transducer arrays: Preliminary clinical results

Ultrasound tomography has great potential to provide quantitative estimations of physical properties of breast tumors for accurate characterization of breast cancer. We design and manufacture a new synthetic-aperture breast ultrasound tomography system with two parallel transducer arrays. The distance of these two transducer arrays is adjustable for scanning breasts with different sizes. The ultrasound transducer arrays are translated vertically to scan the entire breast slice by slice and acquires ultrasound transmission and reflection data for whole-breast ultrasound imaging and tomographic reconstructions. We use the system to acquire patient data at the University of New Mexico Hospital for clinical studies. We present some preliminary imaging results of in vivo patient ultrasound data. Our preliminary clinical imaging results show promising of our breast ultrasound tomography system with two parallel transducer arrays for breast cancer imaging and characterization.
Demetallation of α,β,γ,δ-tetrakis(p-sulfophenyl) porphiniron(III) in mineral acid–alcohol–water media

Demetallation rates of α,β,γ,δ-tetrakis(p-sulfophenyl)porphiniron(III) in hydrochloric acid–ethanol–water, perchloric acid–ethanol–water, and sulfuric acid–alcohol–water media were determined. For a given acidity value H0 the order of the rates for the three acids was HCl > H2SO4 > HClO4. This is also the order for complex formation between acid anion and iron(III). Consequently ligands as well as protons are involved in the breaking of bonds between the metal and the porphyrin leading to the formation of the activated complex. The log k values for HCl and HClO4 media were not linearly related to the Hammett acidity function as they were for sulfuric acid–ethanol–water media. The average ΔH‡ and ΔS‡values for the HCl media were 18.4 ± 1.4 kcal/mol and 19 ± 3 cal K mol, respectively, in very close agreement with those for H2SO4 media despite the difference in H0 dependence. For H2SO4–alcohol–water media the order of the rates was butanol > propanol > ethanol with little difference between isomeric alcohols.
Two Men Who Invented Genetics

The historiography of genetics is dominated by tales: of Gregor Mendel's rediscovery, of the 'Golden Age of the Theory of the Gene', as articulated by Thomas Hunt Morgan and his Drosophila researchers; and of the molecular revolution ushered in by James Watson and Francis Crick. Although appealing to the general reader, these narratives do not come close to capturing the complexity of their subject. Indeed, scholars know that genetics before the Second World War was not limited to fly rooms, or to Morgan's ideas. On the contrary, gene action and evolution were actively debated in laboratories across the world. Thanks to these new biographies of Darlington and Beadle, we see something of the scale and scope of this activity, through the lives of men who profoundly influenced the conceptual, methodological, and material development of genetics in the twentieth century. Cyril Darlington was hailed as the 'Newton of cytology'. Yet his major work was initially labelled 'poison for students'. The reasons for this remarkable combination of praise and scorn are masterfully captured in Harman's biography. Born into a middle-class English family in 1903, Darlington attended Wye Agricultural College before landing a position at the John Innes Horticultural Institution in 1923. There, he decided to do research on the chromosomal basis of genetics. He received little supervision from the Director the great geneticist, William Bateson but much
Optimal quadratic Lyapunov functions for robust stability problems

The robust stability problem for nominally linear system with nonlinear, time-varying structured perturbations is considered. The system is of the form $$\dot x = A_N x + \sum\limits_{j = 1}^q { p_j A_j x.} $$ The Lyapunov direct method has been often utilized to determine the bounds for nonlinear, time-dependent functions pj, which can be tolerated by a stable nominal system. In most cases, quadratic forms are used either as components of vector Lyapunov function or as a function itself. The resulting estimates are usually conservative. Optimizing the Lyapunov function reduces the conservatism of the bounds. The main result of this article is the theorem which makes possible a recursive procedure of a design of optimal Lyapunov function. Examples demonstrate application of the proposed method.
Effect of Surface Properties on Nanoparticle–Cell Interactions

The interaction of nanomaterials with cells and lipid bilayers is critical in many applications such as phototherapy, imaging, and drug/gene delivery. These applications require a firm control over nanoparticle-cell interactions, which are mainly dictated by surface properties of nanoparticles. This critical Review presents an understanding of how synthetic and natural chemical moieties on the nanoparticle surface (in addition to nanoparticle shape and size) impact their interaction with lipid bilayers and cells. Challenges for undertaking a systematic study to elucidate nanoparticle-cell interactions are also discussed.
Age of -360-m reef terrace, Hawaii, and the rate of late Pleistocene subsidence of the island

Observations from a manned submersible vehicle indicate that the −360-m reef terrace northwest of the island of Hawaii is a drowned coral reef. The preferred uranium-series age of coralline algae collected from the reef face is 120 ± 5 ka. This age agrees with the notion that the reef was drowned during the sea-level rise following the major lowstand of the sea that occurred at 145 ka (oxygen isotope stage 6). This drowning pattern is similar to the previously determined radiocarbon age of 13 ka for drowning of the −150-m reef off west Hawaii, which drowned during the sea-level rise following the last major lowstand of the sea at 18 ka (oxygen isotope stage 2). Estimated average subsidence of the reef site off northwest Hawaii is 2.7 mm/yr since final drowning of the −360-m reef.
Identification and expression profiling of a human C-type lectin, structurally homologous to mouse dectin-2.

A number of C-type lectins on antigen-presenting cells play an important role in regulating innate immunity. Previously, we identified the mouse C-type lectins (dectin-1, and dectin-2) and human DECTIN-1. To identify human DECTIN-2, we employed degenerative polymerase chain reaction-based cDNA cloning using RNA from human Langerhans cell (LC)-like dendritic cells (DCs). This process yielded a cDNA encoding a C-type lectin with 66.5% amino acid sequence homology to mouse dectin-2, the same gene reported by Kanazawa et al. (J Invest Dermatol 2004: 122: 1522-1524) using the disparate approach of analyzing coding sequences in chromosome 12. Similar to their findings, we found gene expression in lung, spleen, and lymph node. Among resting leukocytes, it was expressed at highest levels by CD 14 monocytes, at lower levels by CD19 + B cells, and not at all by CD4 + T cells. Activation of CD19 + B cells with pokeweed mitogen downregulated gene expression, whereas expression in CD4 + T cells was induced by Con A. Among our novel findings are an alternatively spliced transcript lacking exon 2, expression in bone marrow and tonsil, expression in CD8 + T cells that is abrogated following activation with phytohemagglutinin, restricted expression to CD 1a + LC within epidermis, and preferential expression by plasmacytoid (rather than myeloid) DC. Finally, we found that treatment with interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-10, or UVB down regulated gene expression in CD14 + monocytes, whereas granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, transforming growth factor-β1, or tumor necrosis factor-α treatment up-regulated it. Our findings may form the basis for understanding the function of human DECTIN-2 in innate immunity.
A compact embedding of a Sobolev space is equivalent to an embedding into a better space

We prove that the compact embedding of the Orlicz-Sobolev space is equivalent to the existence of a bounded embedding into a higher Orlicz space.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH.

Abstract 1. 1. A review of investigations on the relation of physical activity to cardiovascular health and disease has been undertaken, with a brief discussion of some mechanisms that might play a part. 2. 2. There is a suggestion that recent activity is more important than activity earlier in life; even a light or moderate amount of physical activity may have significance. Encouraging as this is, most studies are of occupational activity and might not have direct applicability to physical activity undertaken as preventive therapy. 3. 3. We believe that the evidence that increased physical activity might be beneficial is sufficient to justify further extensive studies. More information is needed concerning the mechanisms of the possible benefits. 4. 4. The proof of the preventive therapeutic value of activity programs must come from observations of significant numbers of the population at risk. We favor an experimental design with active intervention and randomization of subjects. There is much virtue in a study of men with high indexes of risk relative to coronary heart disease. 5. 5. There is a pressing need to enlist and train more personnel to undertake the numerous pilot studies that are needed and the larger, more definitive studies that should follow. 6. 6. Increased communication and joint planning among physicians, physical educators, physiologists and biometricians are needed.
On the parallel arithmetic complexity of the root-finding problem

It is shown by means of a constructive procedure, that the real and distinct zeros of a polynomial f(x) of degree n can be computed in 0(nlog2 n) parallel steps using at most 0(n) processors.
Finite element analysis of laminar convective heat transfer in vertical ducts with arbitrary cross-sections

Abstract The problem of combined free and forced convection, in a fully developed laminar steady flow through vertical ducts under the conditions of constant axial heat flux and uniform peripheral wall temperature, is considered. Finite element solution algorithm with triangular elements and piecewise linear interpolation polynomials for temperature and velocity profiles are derived for ducts with arbitrary shape. Numerical values for Nusselt numbers at selected Rayleigh numbers are obtained for the special cases of square and triangular ducts.
The transport and dispersion of airborne contaminants in boundary layers over the ocean and an isolated Island cape

A series of sixteen atmospheric tracer experiments using sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), chemical smoke and meteorological balloons was conducted to explore the transport of airborne contaminants in the boundary layer over the ocean surface and in the separating boundary layer over an isolated island cape. The immediate objective of the tests was to determine the impact of local pollutant sources on a background air quality sampling program conducted in the South Pacific from elevated towers on Tutuila Island, American Samoa. In addition to satisfying this objective, the tests are of interest in that they illustrate the local behavior of pollutants in a complex natural atmospheric flow. Offshore tracer tests indicated that the crosswind dispersion of pollutants over the ocean surface can be approximately modeled using the simple Gaussian plume model. The observed crosswind dispersion of the tracer corresponded to that expected under neutrally stable atmospheric conditions, consistent with the near equilibration of the ocean surface and air temperature in the South Pacific. Local, or near-field, tests indicated that tracer released into the wake downwind of the leading edge of the cape mixed rapidly to a height of about 8 m above the surface (i.e., 30–40% of the cape height). Due to decoupling between the boundary layer over the cape and the freestream flow, however, very little of the tracer was observed above this height. This suggests that the impact of local pollutant sources (i.e., on the cape) would be minimized if the proposed sampling towers were elevated significantly above an 8 m altitude (e.g., twice that height).
The American Eclipse Expedition

I DEEM it but proper and just that I should correct a mistake that has just met my eye in Dr. Schellen's excellent work on Spectrum Analysis.
Pem homeobox gene regulatory sequences that direct androgen-dependent developmentally regulated gene expression in different subregions of the epididymis

The epididymis is a useful model system to understand the mechanisms that govern region-specific gene expression, as many gene products display spatially restricted expression within this organ. However, surprisingly little is known about how this regulation is achieved. Here, we report regulatory sequences from the Pem homeobox gene that drive expression in different subregions of the mouse epididymis in vivo. We found that the 0.3-kb 5'-flanking sequence (region I) from the Pem proximal promoter (Pem Pp) was sufficient to confer androgen-dependent and developmentally regulated expression in the caput region of the epididymis. Expression was restricted to the normal regions of expression of Pem in the caput (segments 2-4), but there was also aberrant expression in the corpus region. This corpus misexpression was extinguished when 0.6 kb of Pem Pp 5'-flanking sequence was included in the transgene, indicating that one or more negative regulatory elements exist between 0.6 and 0.3 kb upstream of the Pem Pp start site (region II). When heterologous sequences were introduced upstream of the Pem Pp, expression was further restricted, mainly to caput segment 3, implying that the Pem Pp has segment-specific regulatory elements. To our knowledge, the regulatory regions we have identified are the shortest so far defined that dictate regionally localized expression in the epididymis in vivo. They may be useful for identifying the factors that regulate region-specific expression in the epididymis, for expressing and conditionally knocking out genes in different subregions of the epididymis, for treating male infertility, and for generating novel methods of male contraception.
Necrosis and glioblastoma: a friend or a foe? A review and a hypothesis.

Objective Two main forms of cell death are encountered in biology: apoptosis (i.e., programmed cell death) and necrosis (i.e., accidental cell death). Because necrosis and apoptosis can lead to cell removal, one might intuit that they are both desirable in cancer treatment. However, in the setting of glioblastoma multiforme, a malignant brain tumor for which the presence of necrosis is an important diagnostic feature, clinical studies indicate that as the degree of necrosis advances, the patient's prognosis worsens. Despite the apparent importance of this form of cell death, the mechanism of development of necrosis in glioblastomas remains unelucidated. The purpose of this article is to try to resolve this dilemma by hypothesizing the mechanism of necrosis formation in these tumors. Methods On the basis of an extensive review of the literature, we present a hypothesis for the mechanism of necrosis formation in glioblastoma multiforme. Results One of the many possible pathways leading to necrosis formation may involve increased tumor cell secretion of tumor necrosis factor. Procoagulation and antiapoptotic mechanisms resulting from certain pathways could prevent the completion of tumor necrosis factor-induced apoptosis and could promote necrosis as the final mode of cell death. Such a hypothesis would explain the inverse correlation that exists between tumor necrosis and the survival of patients with glioblastomas, because the hypoxia that results from procoagulation selects for tumor cells that are more aggressive and more resistant to apoptosis-inducing therapies. Conclusion A complete understanding of the series of events surrounding necrosis development in glioblastomas that is evidence-based is likely to provide targets for future therapies. On the basis of the potential mechanisms of development of necrosis described in this article, we postulate that effective therapies may have to be directed against the pathways that result in the formation of necrosis.
Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of three Tetrahymena species reveals mutation hot spots and accelerated nonsynonymous substitutions in Ymf genes.

The ciliate Tetrahymena, a model organism, contains divergent mitochondrial (Mt) genome with unusual properties, where half of its 44 genes still remain without a definitive function. These genes could be categorized into two major groups of KPC (known protein coding) and Ymf (genes without an identified function). To gain insights into the mechanisms underlying gene divergence and molecular evolution of Tetrahymena (T.) Mt genomes, we sequenced three Mt genomes of T.paravorax, T.pigmentosa, and T.malaccensis. These genomes were aligned and the analyses were carried out using several programs that calculate distance, nucleotide substitution (dn/ds), and their rate ratios (ω) on individual codon sites and via a sliding window approach. Comparative genomic analysis indicated a conserved putative transcription control sequence, a GC box, in a region where presumably transcription and replication initiate. We also found distinct features in Mt genome of T.paravorax despite similar genome organization among these ∼47 kb long linear genomes. Another significant finding was the presence of at least one or more highly variable regions in Ymf genes where majority of substitutions were concentrated. These regions were mutation hotspots where elevated distances and the dn/ds ratios were primarily due to an increase in the number of nonsynonymous substitutions, suggesting relaxed selective constraint. However, in a few Ymf genes, accelerated rates of nonsynonymous substitutions may be due to positive selection. Similarly, on protein level the majority of amino acid replacements occurred in these regions. Ymf genes comprise half of the genes in Tetrahymena Mt genomes, so understanding why they have not been assigned definitive functions is an important aspect of molecular evolution. Importantly, nucleotide substitution types and rates suggest possible reasons for not being able to find homologues for Ymf genes. Additionally, comparative genomic analysis of complete Mt genomes is essential in identifying biologically significant motifs such as control regions.
Ultrasonic De-Icing Bondline Design and Rotor Ice Testing

The use of ultrasonic excitation has shown the ability to promote ice shedding of impact ice (less than 2 mm thick) during prior wind-tunnel testing efforts. The ultrasonic de-icing technology is implemented to structures representative of rotorcraft blade leading edges and tested under impact icing and centrifugal environments (390 g). Finite element models are experimentally validated and used to predict the ultrasonic ice shedding transverse shear stresses responsible for ice shedding. The finite element models tools are then used to guide the design of a robust bondline between the lead zirconate titanate actuators and the host structure. The novel bondline approach is implemented to a rotor blade leading-edge erosion cap representative structure (0.813-mm-thick stainless-steel leading edge). The system is tested under centrifugal loads and icing conditions generic to helicopter operational envelopes. Details on the de-icing system fabrication and integration are provided. The bondline configuration ...
A Propensity-Matched Study of the Association of Cardiothoracic Ratio with Morbidity and Mortality in Chronic Heart Failure

A high cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) is a marker of an enlarged heart and is associated with poor outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF). To what extent this association is independent of other confounders is not well known. However, to study this, propensity score matching was used to design a study in which HF patients with normal (≤0.50) and high (>0.50) CTRs were well balanced on all measured baseline covariates. In the Digitalis Investigation Group trial (n = 7,788), 4,690 patients had high (>0.50) CTRs. Propensity scores for high CTR were calculated for each patient and were then used to match 2,586 pairs of patients with normal and high CTRs. Matched Cox regression analyses were used to estimate associations of high CTR with mortality and hospitalization during 37 months of median follow-up. All-cause mortality occurred in 28.5% (rate 919 per 10,000 patient-years of follow-up) of patients with normal CTRs and 34.3% (rate 1,185 per 10,000 patient-years) of patients with high CTRs (hazard ratio 1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21 to 1.51, p 0.50 was associated with increased mortality and morbidity in ambulatory patients with chronic HF.