cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On Optimal Filtering of Morphologically Smooth Discrete Random Sets and Related Open Problems

Recently, it has been shown that morphological openings and closings can be viewed as consistent MAP estimators of (morphologically) smooth random sets immersed in clutter, or suffering from random dropouts [1]—[3]. These results hold for one-sided (union or intersection) noise. In the case of two-sided (union and intersection) noise we now know that this is no longer the case: in this more general setting, as it turns out, optimal estimators are not increasing operators [4]. Then, how may one efficiently compute an optimal random set estimate in this more general setting? For 1-D and certain restricted 2-D random set models the answer is provided by the Viterbi algorithm [5]. In the general case of 2-D random set models in two-sided noise the answer is unknown, and the task of finding it constitutes a challenging research problem.
Multiuser robust CDMA detection for underwater acoustic communication channels

This paper proposes a receiver implementation that uses robust techniques on top of direct sequence code division to eliminate multiple access interference in an underwater acoustic environment. Computation of error probabilities and Asymptotic Relative Efficiencies with respect to other single user or multiuser detectors for various channels and contaminated heavy tailed noise distributions demonstrates that the proposed detectors maintain a nearly optimum performance regardless of the degree of noise contamination. It is also confirmed that the detector structure is insignificantly influenced by unspecified variations in noise densities. Moreover, the theory of the proposed techniques can be easily extended to multichannel processing to provide space diversity.
Financial Integration Across Borders and Across Sectors: Implications for Regulatory Structures

This paper considers the generic processes and linkages that comprise financialintermediation the basic financial hydraulics that ultimately drive efficiency and innovation in the financial system and its impact on real-sector resource allocation and economic growth. Maximum economic welfare demands a high-performance financialsystem. What does this actually mean? It documents some of the structural changes thathave occurred in both national and global financial systems, and suggests how themicroeconomics of financial intermediation work. These can have an enormous impact onthe industrial structure of the financial services industry and on individual firms.Sequentially, financial channels that exhibit greater static and dynamic efficiency havesupplanted less efficient ones. Competitive distortions can retard this process, but theyusually extract significant economic costs and at the same time divert financial flows into other venues, either domestically or elsewhere. The paper also examines the consequences of this process in terms of financial sector reconfiguration, both within and between the four major segments of the industry (commercial banking, securities and investment banking, insurance, and asset management) as well as within and between national financial systems. Finally, the paper superimposes key regulatory overlays onto the basic economics and facts of reconfiguration in financial intermediation. This is a special industry, due both to the embedded systemic risks and its fiduciary nature. Balancing financial efficiencyagainst stability and fairness is not easy. The economics of financial intermediation arehighly regulation-sensitive, so small changes in regulation can create important changes inmarkets. Regulators inevitably make some mistakes, and regulatory mandates are unusually contentious and vulnerable to entrenched economic interests. This is also a discussion of the linkages between structural change in financial intermediation and supervisory and regulatory functions, including some comparisons between US and European legacies and prospects.
Nothing About Us Without Us: Does Action Research in Developmental Disabilities Research Measure Up?

Action research—research collaborations between professional researchers and community members to address community concerns—has become increasingly popular in developmental disability research. Advocates of these approaches argue that they reflect the value of including people with disabilities in matters that affect them and generate benefits for people with disabilities and for research. However, it is not clear how well action research with adults with developmental disabilities reflect core action research principles. The authors identified 21 action research projects with adults with developmental disabilities in English-language referred journals. The authors found that the majority of these projects took place in the UK or the United States, with individuals with intellectual disabilities, were published in or after 2005, and used qualitative methods to examine research aims on social issues important to adults with developmental disabilities. They reviewed common challenges, facilitators, and indicators of success described by authors and found that relatively few projects can be classified as high on the continuum of shared power. Based on these findings, the authors recommended a continued focus on the accurate understanding and application of action research models, building our knowledge of and evidence base for effective tools, strategies, resources, and personal characteristics for action research with adults with developmental disabilities, adequately funding this research, and pursuing a broader array of research methods. The projects studied herein provide evidence for the promise and possibility of action research with adults with developmental disabilities.
NFL Governance and the Fate of the New Orleans Saints: Some Observations

Prior to 2005, New Orleans had struggled to retain its NFL franchise. The Saints remained in the city, despite an outdated stadium and small media market, only through generous direct public subsidies to the team. Paradoxically, the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in September 2005 actually improved the short-term viability of the franchise by spurring an outpouring of local support for the team and by making relocation of the Saints politically untenable for the league. The long-term outlook for the team, however, appears grim. Already a small market, New Orleans’ population and business community has declined considerably due to Katrina. The NFL’s G-3 loan program for stadium construction is tapped out. Finally, the financial success of other NFL franchises has both raised the cost of fielding a competitive team and increased the value of the Saints as a target of relocation.
Efficient gene editing in Neurospora crassa with CRISPR technology

Efficient gene editing is a critical tool for investigating molecular mechanisms of cellular processes and engineering organisms for numerous purposes ranging from biotechnology to medicine. Recently developed RNA-guided CRISPR/Cas9 technology has been used for efficient gene editing in various organisms, but has not been tested in a model filamentous fungus, Neurospora crassa. In this report, we demonstrate efficient gene replacement in a model filamentous fungus, Neurospora crassa, with the CRISPR/Cas9 system. We utilize Cas9 endonuclease and single crRNA:tracrRNA chimeric guide RNA (gRNA) to: (1) replace the endogenous promoter of clr-2 with the β-tubulin promoter, and (2) introduce a codon optimized fire fly luciferase under the control of the gsy-1 promoter at the csr-1 locus. CLR-2 is one of the core transcription factors that regulate the expression of cellulases, and GSY-1 regulates the conversion of glucose into glycogen. We show that the β-tubulin promoter driven clr-2 strain shows increased expression of cellulases, and gsy-1-luciferase reporter strain can be easily screened with a bioluminescence assay. CRISPR/Cas9 system works efficiently in Neurospora crassa, which may be adapted to Neurospora natural isolates and other filamentous fungi. It will be beneficial for the filamentous fungal research community to take advantage of CRISPR/Cas9 tool kits that enable genetic perturbations including gene replacement and insertions.
Statistical Considerations Related to the Use of Caries Model Systems for the Determination of Clinical Effectiveness of Therapeutic Agents

Caries model systems bear great promise for the eventual determination of clinical benefits of therapeutic agents without the time and expense involved in the conduct of a full-fledged clinical trial. However, before such models can routinely be applied for such purposes, there are several issues which must first be resolved, including the consideration of a number of statistical matters. These include the assessment of the validity and reliability of the models to be so used. A procedure presented by Proskin, Chilton, and Kingman provides a quantitative means by which a conclusion concerning clinical effectiveness can be derived on the basis of data obtained through the use of a model system given that certain fairly general underlying conditions prevail. The present paper provides some discussion and recommendations of the author related to statistical matters concerning the use of models, and discusses the derivation and logic of the Proskin, Chilton, and Kingman procedure.
Multicomponent Droplet Vaporization in a Laminar Convective Environment

Abstract A parametric study of the fundamental exchange processes for energy, mass and momentum between the liquid and gas phase of vaporizing, multicomponent-liquid droplets is presented. The applicable model, which examines an isolated, vaporizing, multicomponent droplet in a laminar, axisymmetric, convective environment, considers the different volatilities of the liquid components, the alteration of the liquid-phase properties due to the spatial/temporal variations of the species concentrations and also the effects of multicomponent gaseous diffusion. In addition, the model accounts for variable thermophysical properties, surface blowing and droplet surface regression due to vaporization, transient droplet heating with internal liquid circulation, and finally, droplet deceleration with respect to the free flow due to drag. The numerical calculation employs finite-difference techniques and an iterative solution procedure that provides time-varying spatially-resolved data for both phases. The effects of...
A Comparative Numerical Study of Premixed and Non-Premixed Ethylene Flames

Detailed numerical simulations of premixed and non-premixed C_2H_4/air flames were conducted, using six available kinetic mechanisms. The results help assess differences between these mechanisms and are of interest to proposed hydrocarbon-fueled SCRAMJET concepts, in which C_2H_4 can be expected to be a major component of the thermally cracked fuel. For premixed flames, laminar flame speeds were calculated and compared with available experimental data. For non-premixed flames, ignition/extinction Z-curves were calculated for conditions of relevance to proposed SCRAMJET concepts. Results revealed a large variance in predictions of the kinetic mechanisms examined. Differences in laminar flame speeds as high as factors of 2.5 were found. For the conditions investigated, computed ignition and extinction strain rates for non-premixed flames differed by factors as high as 300 and 3, respectively. This indicates that while there are differences in high-temperature kinetics that control flame propagation and extinction, discrepancies in low-temperature kinetics that control ignition can be even more significant. Sensitivity- and species-consumption analyses indicate uncertainties in fuel kinetics and, most importantly, on the oxidation of C_2H_3 and the production of CH_2CHO, whose kinetics are not well known and can crucially affect production of the important H radicals. These findings stress the need for experimental data in premixed and non-premixed configurations that can be used to assess these phenomena and provide the basis for a comprehensive validation.
Aircraft measurements of nitrogen dioxide and peroxyacyl nitrates using luminol chemiluminescence with fast capillary gas chromatography

Fast capillary gas chromatography with luminol detection has been used to make airborne measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO{sub 2}) and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN). The analysis system allows for the simultaneous measurement of NO{sub 2} and peroxyacyl nitrates (PANs) with time resolution of less than 1 min, and improvement of a factor of 4--5 over previously reported methods using electron capture detection. Data presented were taken near Pasco, Washington, in August 1997, during a test flight onboard the US Department of Energy G-1 aircraft. The authors report measurements of NO{sub 2} in the boundary layer in a paper mill plume and a plume from a grass fire, in addition to analyses for free tropospheric NO{sub 2} and PAN. Ratios of PAN/NO{sub 2} were observed to increase with altitude (decreasing temperature) and to reach values of 2--4 above the boundary layer, consistent with the thermal equilibrium of the peroxyacetyl radical and NO{sub 2} and PAN. Estimates for the peroxyacetyl radical in the continental free troposphere, calculated from this equilibrium, were found to be in the range of 10{sup 4}--10{sup 5} molecules per cubic centimeter. These results demonstrate the application of this approach for airborne measurements of NO{sub 2} and PAN in amore » wide range of field study scenarios.« less
Information-theoretic analyses of a birefringent blur filter

We present the results of an information-theoretic analysis of an undersampled imaging system that contains a birefringent blur filter. We vary the spacing between replicas of the nonblurred point-spread function produced by the birefringent blur filter to find the value that yields the maximum information density. Comparison is made between this value and that yielded by a conventional qualitative design. We then analyze the effects of defocus aberration on the design of the birefringent blur filter. A wide search of blur-defocus space yields local peaks in the information density surface. The information density at these peaks is shown to exceed the maximum information density associated with the optimized birefringent blur filter or defocus alone, particularly when the fill factor of the photodetector array is low.
Innovations in Setting Performance Standards for K–12 Test-Based Accountability

Standard setting is a systematic process that uses a combination of judgmental and empirical procedures to make recommendations about where on the score continuum cut scores should be placed. Cut s...
Input polarization control scheme for addressing polarization-induced fading in multiplexed interferometric sensor arrays

The results are presented of the first comprehensive experimental investigation of the effects of the state of polarization (SOP) in the common input of the multielement array of sensors on the interferometric signal visibilities of the individual sensors in the array. In one case of a 10-sensor array with randomly set initial visibilities, an empirical determination of the optimum input SOPs is shown to maintain the visibilities of all sensors larger than 0.55, or signal fade less than 6 dB. A theoretical model is developed which predicts the minimum visibility obtained from controlling the input SOP in N-element arrays. The results agree very well with experimental results obtained from a 10-sensor array, including the worst case situation in which all sensors are initially set to the complete polarization-fade condition.
A design optimization strategy for creating devices that traverse the Pareto frontier over time

In some instances, the performance or function that is needed by a product naturally and predictably changes over time. Providing solutions that anticipate, account for, and allow for these changes is a significant challenge to manufacturers and design engineers. In this paper, a multiobjective optimization design method involving the strategic use of a series of optimization formulations is introduced to design products that adapt to changing needs by moving from one location on the Pareto frontier to another through the addition of a module. The design of a simple unmanned air vehicle is used to demonstrate implementation of the method, and results in the development of one aircraft platform and two module designs that adapt the aircraft to perform optimally for the particular mission at hand, thus optimally satisfying all three different mission profiles individually. The authors conclude that the developed method provides a new and general framework for selecting platform and module designs, and is capable of providing a set of designs based on predicted changes in needs.
Muscle‐selective block using intrafascicular high‐frequency alternating current

High-frequency alternating current (HFAC) applied to a peripheral nerve can reversibly block skeletal muscle contractions. We evaluated the ability of HFAC delivered via intrafascicular electrodes to selectively block activation of targeted muscles without affecting activation of other muscles. Utah slanted electrode arrays (USEAs) were implanted into the sciatic nerves of five cats, and HFAC was delivered to individual USEA electrodes. The effects of HFAC block were monitored by recording evoked electromyograms (EMGs) and three-dimensional endpoint forces. In each animal, activity evoked in targeted muscles by nerve cuff stimulation could be selectively abolished by HFAC delivered via individual USEA electrodes. Two mechanisms of blockade were evoked: selective neuromuscular blocks were achieved with 500-8000-HZ HFAC, and selective nerve conduction block was achieved in one animal using 16-kHZ HFAC. These results show that intrafascicular HFAC can be used to block selected muscles independent of activation of other muscles.
Patient satisfaction with point-of-care laboratory testing: report of a quality improvement program in an ambulatory practice of an academic medical center.

Abstract Background Point-of-care laboratory testing (POCT) offers reduced turnaround time and may facilitate medical decision-making and improve clinical operations. However, there is very little published data concerning the impact of POCT on patient satisfaction. Methods We implemented POCT for hemoglobin A1c, lipid panel and comprehensive metabolic panel in a primary care practice and monitored patient satisfaction with on-site testing using an anonymous survey. Results A total of 97 surveys (65% response rate) were reviewed. On a scale of 1 (poor) to 4 (excellent) the mean response to the question “Compared with your past experiences of physician office visits that did not have on-site testing please rank your overall level of satisfaction with today's office visit” was 3.96. In 34 surveys a free text comment was included which was uniformly very positive. Conclusions Our study strongly indicates a high level of patient satisfaction with on-site POCT in a primary care setting.
Subtle volume differences in brain parenchyma of children surviving medulloblastoma

The overriding incentive for accurate quantification of the functional status of children treated for brain tumors emerges from the clinician's desire to balance the efficacy and chronic toxicity of therapies used for the developing child. A hybrid combination of the Kohonen self-organizing map (SOM) for segmentation and a multilayer backpropagation (MLBP) neural network for classification removes observer variances to yield a reproducible and accurate identification of tissues. A group of 17 volunteers and 77 patients from a larger ongoing study of pediatric patients with brain tumors were used to investigate the sensitivity of segmented volumes to determine atrophy as measured by two radiologists. The atrophy study revealed a significant relationship for brain parenchyma, CSF and white matter volumes with atrophy while gray matter had no significant relationship. Brain parenchyma and subsequently white matter were found to be inversely proportional to increasing grades of atrophy. An additional study compared fifteen age-matched patients treated with irradiation and surgery with patients treated with surgery alone. The age-matched study of patients demonstrated that brain volumes in the irradiated patients were significantly decreased compared to those treated with surgery alone. Further investigation of this difference revealed that white matter was significantly reduced while gray matter was relatively unchanged.
Reduced Order Modeling of Steady Turbulent Convection Flows Using the POD

In the characterization and design of complex distributed parameter thermo/fluid systems, detailed experimental measurements or fine numerical calculations often produce excessively large data sets, rendering more advance analyses inefficient or impossible. Acquiring the experimental or numerical data is usually a time consuming task, severely restricting the number and range of parameters and ultimately limiting the portion of the design space that can be explored. To develop low dimensional models, it is desirable to decompose the system response into a series of dominant physical modes that describe the system, while incurring a minimal loss of accuracy. The proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) has been successful in creating low dimensional dynamic models of turbulent flows and here its utility is extended to produce approximate solutions of steady, multi-parameter RANS simulations within predefined limits. The methodology is illustrated through the 2-dimensional analysis of an air-cooled data processing cabinet containing 10 individual servers, each with their own flow rate. The results indicate that a flux matching procedure can reduce the model size by 4 orders of magnitude while adequately describing the airflow transport properties within engineering accuracy. This low dimensional description of the flow inside the data processing cabinet can in turn be used to further explore the design space and efficiently optimize the system.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Norvaline2-TRH: binding to TRH receptors in rat brain homogenates.

Abstract Norvaline2-thyrotropin-releasing hormone ([Nva2]TRH) has been described as a thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) analog with no thyrotropin (TSH)-releasing capacity but enhanced analeptic activity compared with TRH, as shown by the reversal of haloperidol-induced catalepsy. We have evaluated the receptor-binding properties of [Nva2]TRH in homogenates of rat anterior pituitary, hypothalamus, brainstem and cortex tissue, using [3H]TRH and [3H][3-Me-His2]TRH as radioligands. Apparent Ki values at high affinity TRH-binding sites, labelled predominantly by [3H][3-Me-His2]TRH, ranged from 17.0 to 36.9 μM in all tested regions. Additionally, [Nva2]TRH was shown to compete with [3H]TRH at low affinity TRH-binding sites with similar affinities. It is concluded that the loss of TSH-releasing activity of [Nva2]TRH appears to be due to a drastic reduction in binding affinity to the high affinity TRH receptor subtype. Its analeptic activity, however, may be mediated by low affinity TRH binding sites which are predominantly labelled by [3H]TRH or by yet unidentified mechanisms.
Effects of Air Bearing Stiffness on a Hard Disk Drive Subject to Shock and Vibration

A finite element model of a hard disk drive (HDD) is developed to investigate the transient response of an operational HDD subject to shock and vibration. The air bearing stiffness of the head disk interface is determined from a finite element solution of the Reynolds equation and approximated with linear springs. The structural response is analyzed for several types of sliders with a wide range of air bearing stiffness. Results show the response of the head-disk interface subject to shock and the modes excited by vertical and lateral vibrations of the HDD.
Stable oxygen isotope records of corals and a sclerosponge in the Western Pacific warm pool

High-resolution measurements of the stable oxygen isotopic signature (δ18O) of two new 10-year Porites lobata coral cores and one previously studied multi-decadal sclerosponge Acanthocheatetes wellsi from the Republic of Palau (7°16′N, 134°31′E) located in the Western Pacific warm pool were analyzed and monthly interpolated time-series records developed. Despite significant differences in collection depth and growth rates, both coral and sclerosponge faithfully recorded the interannual changes of sea surface salinity (SSS) driven by the strong influence of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The strong relationship of coral skeletal δ18O with SSS, but not sea surface temperature or precipitation, confirms previous findings that changes in Palau regional surface water are driven by the advection of water masses into the area over interannual timescales associated with ENSO. Opportunities exist for the expansion of short coral proxy records with longer sclerosponge records to verify the stability of ENSO-induced SSS variability over longer timescales.
Constraining the population of 6 < z < 10 star-forming galaxies with deep near-IR images of lensing clusters

We present the first results of our deep survey of lensing clusters aimed at constraining the abundance of star-forming galaxies at z?6-10, using lensing magnification to improve the search efficiency and subsequent spectroscopic studies. Deep near-IR photometry of two lensing clusters (A1835 and AC114) was obtained with ISAAC/VLT. These images, combined with existing data in the optical bands including HST images, were used to select very high redshift candidates at z? 6 among the optical-dropouts. Photometric selection criteria have been defined based on the well-proven dropout technique, specifically tuned to target star-forming galaxies in this redshift domain. We have identified 18(8) first and second-category optical dropouts in A1835 (AC114), detected in more than one filter up to H (Vega) ? 23.8 (AB ~ 25.2, uncorrected for lensing). Among them, 8(5) exhibit homogeneous SEDs compatible with star-forming galaxies at z? 6, and 5(1) are more likely intermediate-redshift EROs based on luminosity considerations. We have also identified a number of fainter sources in these fields fulfilling our photometric selection and located around the critical lines. We use all these data to make a first attempt at constraining the density of star-forming galaxies present at 6? z ?10 using lensing clusters. Magnification effects and sample incompleteness are addressed through a careful modeling of the lensing clusters. A correction was also introduced to account for the expected fraction of false-positive detections among this photometric sample. It appears that the number of candidates found in these lensing fields, corrected for magnification, incompleteness and false-positive detections, is higher than the one achieved in blank fields with similar photometric depth in the near-IR. The luminosity function derived for z? 6 candidates appears compatible with that of LBGs at z? 3, without any renormalization. The turnover observed by Bouwens et al. (2005) towards the bright end relative to the z? 3 LF is not observed in this sample. Also the upper limit for the UV SFR density at z?6-10, integrated down to L1500=0.3~L*z=3, of ?_*=7.4 × 10-2~M? yr-1 Mpc-3 is compatible with the usual values derived at z ? 5-6, but higher than the estimates obtained in the NICMOS Ultra Deep Field (UDF). The same holds for the upper limit of the SFR density in the z ? 8-10 interval (?_*=1.1 × 10-1). This systematic trend towards the bright end of the LF with respect to blank fields could be due to field-to-field variance, a positive magnification bias from intermediate-redshift EROs, and/or residual contamination. Given the low S/N ratio of the high-z candidates, and the large correction factors applied to this sample, increasing the number of blank and lensing fields with ultra-deep near-IR photometry is essential to obtain more accurate constraints on the abundance of z ? 6 galaxies.
Bayesian analysis of multivariate nominal measures using multivariate multinomial probit models

The multinomial probit model has emerged as a useful framework for modeling nominal categorical data, but extending such models to multivariate measures presents computational challenges. Following a Bayesian paradigm, we use a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method to analyze multivariate nominal measures through multivariate multinomial probit models. As with a univariate version of the model, identification of model parameters requires restrictions on the covariance matrix of the latent variables that are introduced to define the probit specification. To sample the covariance matrix with restrictions within the MCMC procedure, we use a parameter-extended Metropolis-Hastings algorithm that incorporates artificial variance parameters to transform the problem into a set of simpler tasks including sampling an unrestricted covariance matrix. The parameter-extended algorithm also allows for flexible prior distributions on covariance matrices. The prior specification in the method described here generalizes earlier approaches to analyzing univariate nominal data, and the multivariate correlation structure in the method described here generalizes the autoregressive structure proposed in previous multiperiod multinomial probit models. Our methodology is illustrated through a simulated example and an application to a cancer-control study aiming to achieve early detection of breast cancer.
Optical Mapping of Cardiac ATP Sensitive Potassium Channel Function under Metabolic Inhibition

ATP-sensitive potassium channel (KATP) activation can drastically shorten action potential duration (APD) in metabolically compromised myocytes. We showed previously that SUR1 with Kir6.2 forms the functional channel in mouse atria while Kir6.2 and SUR2A predominate in ventricles. SUR1 is more sensitive to metabolic stress than SUR2A, raising the possibility that KATP in atria and ventricles may respond differently to metabolic stress. We performed optical mapping with voltage-sensitive dyes on Langendorff-perfused hearts from C57BL wild-type (WT), Kir6.2 deficient (Kir6.2-/-), and SUR1 deficient (SUR1-/-) mice to examine APD during metabolic inhibition (MI, 0mM glucose+2mM sodium cyanide). In WT hearts, significant shortening of atrial APD after variable delay occurred before ventricular APD shortening after a variable delay. Atrial APD shortened by 60.5±2.7% at 5.5±1.3 min (n=6, p<0.01) earlier than comparable ventricular APD shortening (56.4±10.0% shortening 20.33 min after onset of MI). Interestingly, prolongation (48.6±5.2%, p<0.01) preceded ventricular APD shortening. In SUR1-/- hearts (n=6), atrial APD shortening was abolished but ventricular shortening (65.0±15.4%, p<0.01) was maintained. Atrioventricular block occurred earlier in WT (3.85±1.21 minutes before 50% shortening of ventricular APD) than in SUR1-/- (1.08±3.98 minutes before 50% shortening of ventricular APD, p=0.15, NS). In Kir6.2-/- hearts, two disparate responses to MI were observed; 3 of 5 hearts displayed slight shortening in the ventricles (24±3%, p<0.05) and atria (39.0±1.9%, p<0.05) but this shortening occurred later and to much less extent than in WT (p<0.05). Prolongation of ventricular APD was observed in the remaining hearts (327% and 489% prolongation). The results confirm that Kir6.2 contributes to APD shortening in both atria and ventricle during metabolic stress, and SUR1 is required for atrial APD shortening. Moreover, the results show the atrial action potential is more susceptible to MI with SUR1 underlying atrial KATP.
Application of graph theory to process design and analysis

Abstract Graph Theory and related computational techniques have been applied to a wide range of problems in process design and analysis to facilitate visualization, formulation, computation and interpretation. These applications are illustrated with selected examples. Most problems of practical importance are of such size and complexity that their solution requires using algorithms on a computer. Many problems we encountered in the last 20 years were solved using pollynomial time algorithms. We are now likely to have to conend with some harder and some ill-defined problems, which call for different approaches. Recent development in computational complexity theory provides us with a very useful perspective and some valuable tools, which we did not have 10 years ago. Alternatives for dealing with these hard but practically important problems are outlined and discussed in this paper.
Bayesian and Frequentist Methods for Estimating Joint Uncertainty of Freundlich Adsorption Isotherm Fitting Parameters

AbstractThis paper presents methods for estimating Freundlich isotherm fitting parameters (K and N) and their joint uncertainty, which have been implemented into the freeware software platforms R and WinBUGS. These estimates were determined by both Frequentist and Bayesian analyses and subsequently compared with a commonly applied method in which the Freundlich parameter uncertainty is treated independently. By accounting for joint uncertainty in K and N, smaller uncertainty regions resulted compared with independent uncertainty estimates, with this effect becoming more pronounced as the degree of nonlinearity increased (i.e., as N decreased from 1). To illustrate the impact when considering uncertainty in adsorption system design, an example is provided in which, at a 95% confidence level, considering joint uncertainty decreased the required sorbent by 57–72% (depending on equilibrium liquid concentration, CW) relative to the commonly applied independent uncertainty treatment of K and N.
Variation in parotid gland size, configuration, and anatomic relations

Purpose: To examine the variation in the anatomy of parotid glands discerned by magnetic resonance imaging. Methods: Head and neck magnetic resonance scans of 16 patients (representing 32 glands) whose studies consisted of 5 mm contiguous sections were selected at random. The T1 weighted scans were thresholded and outlined to only encompass the parotid tissue. A volumetric analysis program (ISG Technologies, Inc.) was used to compute the parotid volume in cubic millimeters. Each of the 32 glands was measured independently by two observers. Results: The difference between observers averaged 4.8%. The median volume was 25 262 mm3, range 9225–54 080 mm3. In four patients there were considerable differences in the volumes of the right and left parotid glands, with variations of 9, 10, 14 and 29%. In nine patients, (18 glands) the depth from the medial edge of the gland to the spinal cord ranged from 19–32 mm. However, the maximum variation between the two sides in a single patient was 4 mm. Observations made include: (1) parotid glands extending anterior to the masseter muscle, or posterior to the posterior margin of this muscle; (2) parotid glandular tissue extending above the zygoma and the external auditory canal; (3) parotid tissue extending posteriorly to overlap the spinal cord; (4) parotid glands extending below or remaining above the angle of the mandible; and (5) wide variation of the transverse dimension of the parotid glands, with one measuring 4.8 cm. Discussion: To ensure that the entire parotid is or is not in a treatment field a computerized tomography or magnetic resonance scan is necessary. If a specific portion of the gland must be in the field a volume histiogram must be available.
Interest propagation in named data manets

Named Data MANETs (NDM) is a recently emerging research area. The in-network chunk-based caching feature of NDN is beneficial in coping with the mobility and intermittent connectivity challenges in MANETs. In this paper, we conduct both simulation and emulation study of NDM forwarding designs: NDN Forwarding (NDNF), Listen-First, Broadcast-Later (LFBL), and the proposed Neighborhood-Aware Interest Forwarding (NAIF). NAIF aims for reducing the bandwidth usage induced by indiscriminate interest flooding in NDNF. It decreases the interest traffic by letting eligible relays work cooperatively, each forwards only a fraction of interest packets. The results show that NAIF achieves the best performance in multi-consumer scenarios. In particular, compared to NDNF, NAIF reduces bandwidth usage by up to 54%, shortens response time in low-mobility scenarios, and achieves high completion ratio.
Role of the Grotthuss Mechanism for Protonic and Electronic Transport in the Transmission of Impulses along Muscle Fibres

THE rate-determining step in the Grotthuss mechanism for protonic conduction in aqueous solution at ordinary pressures is the rotation of water molecules to assume the particular H-bonded mutual orientation necessary for the actual proton flip1. Our present work on the activation energy of protonic conduction in 0.10 M aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid in the 0°–10° C region has failed to disclose a maximum in this parameter at the temperature of maximum density in contrast to sea water2 and 0.10 M potassium chloride solutions3.
Doctor Pozzi at home.

AJR:191, July 2008 In 1888, Pozzi became president of the French Society of Anthro pology, of which he had been a member since 1870. With Emile Zola, he played a prominent role in overturning the conviction of Alfred Dreyfus (of the Dreyfus affair). In 1898, he was elected a senator from Bergerac. Pozzi was a colleague of Dr. Adrien Proust, whose son Robert, a gyneco logist, became Pozzi’s assistant. Proust’s other son, Marcel, was Pozzi’s close friend, as was the poet Robert de Montesquiou. By his mid 20s, John Singer Sargent had already produced an array of masterful portraits. In search of new patrons, Sargent went to the Mirlitons, a meeting place for painters and writers, at 18 Place Vendome, near Pozzi’s home. It is there that CarolusDuran, Sargent’s teacher, introduced him to Pozzi, an accepted member of the group because of his interest in the arts, music, and poetry. Pozzi and Sargent became close friends. In 1881, Sargent, influenced by his infatuation with Spanish painting, suggested that he paint a daring provocative portrait of his friend, unlike the traditional portrait of a 19th-century physician wearing a black frock. Dr. Pozzi at Home, today one of Sargent’s best known works, was owned by Pozzi’s son, Jean, until his death in 1967, at which time it was purchased by Armand Hammer for his private collection. The painting became available to the wider public when it entered the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. With the outbreak of World War I, Pozzi, who was then 68, again volunteered for duty, writing extensively about his experience treating war wounds. In 1918, while still a military surgeon, he was murdered in his consulting room by a deranged former patient. Pozzi had continued to be a friend and patron of Sargent after Sargent moved to London in 1886. Pozzi owned three other paintings by Sargent, two of which are now in the Gardner Museum in Boston, their purchase having been arranged by Sargent after Pozzi’s death. Stefan C. Schatzki1 Doctor Pozzi at Home Medic ine in American Ar t
Carbon cycle feedbacks and the initiation of Antarctic glaciation in the earliest Oligocene

The initiation of Antarctic glaciation in the early Oligocene (∼34 Ma) is represented by a distinct positive anomaly in the marine δ18O record designated Oi-1 and accompanied by positive excursions in the mean δ13C of oceanic dissolved inorganic carbon and biogenic sediment accumulation rates. Within 400 ky of the onset of Oi-1, the climate system settled into a more moderate but stable “glacial” state. Here, through modeling, we investigate two of the principal biogeochemical processes involved in this response: silicate weathering and marine organic carbon cycling. We initiate the event with a rapid drawdown in atmospheric CO2 resulting from increased weatherability of the continents associated with Himalayan orogeny. This perturbation triggers the overshoot and adjustment of the δ18O record because of feedback among ice-sheet coverage, silicate weathering rates, and atmospheric CO2. The system is a damped oscillator, the strength of which depends on the sensitivity of chemical weathering rates to climate change and climate to changes in atmospheric CO2. Increased oceanic mixing associated with initial transition into a glacial world accelerates the rates of biological productivity and carbon burial, lowering atmospheric CO2 and accelerating global cooling and ice-sheet growth, and generating a carbon isotope response that crudely approximates that observed. The Oi-1 overshoot appears to require a rapid (<1 million year) application of the forcing (e.g., tectonic drawdown of atmospheric CO2). Although further investigation and more sophisticated models ultimately may show that other triggers and feedbacks prevailed during Oi-1, the modeling presented here demonstrates that simple feedbacks in the climate system can explain the overshoot and adjustment response to early Oligocene climate forcing.
NEUROMYTHOLOGY: BRAINS AND STORIES

Abstract. I sketch a synthetic integration of several levels of explanation in addressing how myths, narratives, and stories engage human beings, produce their sense of identity and self-understanding, and shape their intellectual, emotional, and embodied lives. Ultimately it is our engagement with the metanarratives of religious imagination by which we address a set of existentially necessary but ontologically unanswerable metaphysical questions that form the basis of religious belief. I show how a multileveled understanding of evolutionary biology, history, neuroscience, psychology, narrative, and mythology may form a coherent picture of the human spirit. Neuropsychological functions involved in constructing and responding to the narratives by which we form our identities and build meaningful lives include memory, attention, emotional marking, and temporal sequencing. It is the neural substrate, the emotional shaping, and the narrative structuring of higher cognitive function that provide the sine qua non for the construction of meaning, relationship, morality, and purpose that extend beyond our personal boundaries, both spatial and temporal. This includes a neural affect system shaped by our developmental dependency, the dynamic narratives of self formed in the development of identity and reconstructed over the life span, drawing on culturally available mythic and storied forms. Narrative constitutes our movement in moral space and may have the potential both for healing and for disruption for us as individuals and as a species, providing a contingent solution to the alienation and fragmentation of personhood, relationship, and community.
Gaplessness and properties of layered superconductors: Application to high-Tc cuprates.

The presence of different low-dimensional structural units along with a short coherence length leads to the formation of a two-gap spectrum, that is to a double-peak structure in the superconducting density of states (e.g., Y-Ba-Cu-O). The presence of magnetic impurities leads to a gapless state. As opposed to the usual one-gap isotropic model, the region of gaplessness is extended, so that one can observe the effect of gaplessness without a noticeable shift in ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$. Strong anisotropy of the pairing interaction within the planes of a layered superconductor also leads to a similar extension of the region of gapless behavior in the presence of magnetic impurities. This gaplessness has a great impact on the spectroscopy of the cuprates, particularly for nonstoichiometric compounds. Experimental data are discussed in detail.
The feminine principle in the Sikh vision of the transcendent

This work is a critical analysis of Sikh literature from a feminist perspective. It begins with Guru Nanak's vision of Transcendent Reality and concludes with the mystical journey of Rani Raj Kaur, the heroine of a modern Punjabi epic. The eight chapters of the book approach the Sikh vision of the Transcendent from historical, scriptural, symbolic, mythological, romantic, existential, ethical and mystical perspectives. Each of these discloses the centrality of the woman, and show convincingly that Sikh Gurus and poets did not want the feminine principle to serve merely as a figure of speech or literary device; it was intended rather to pervade the whole life of the Sikhs. The present work bolsters the claim that literary symbols should be translated into social and political realities, and in so doing puts a valuable feminist interpretation on a religious tradition which has remained relatively unexplored in scholarly literature.
Recent advances in the treatment of psoriasis

Because psoriasis is a disease of unknown etiology, all treatments are based on empirical experiences and diverse scientific theories. Although there is no present cure for psoriasis, many forms of therapy are effective in control of the disorder. These range from topical medications such as tar, anthralin, corticosteroids; phototherapy and photochemotherapy; systemic medication, including cytotoxic agents; and vitamin A analogues or retinoids. This report focuses on modifications of existing therapies based on advances in basic science knowledge and technology, combination therapies, as well as new therapeutic agents and new approaches to the treatment of psoriasis.
Academic Probation as a Dangerous Opportunity: Factors Influencing Diverse College Students' Success

The number of minority, particularly Latino, students attending community colleges is on the rise in the United States. Such students frequently lack academic preparation and financial resources. These difficulties, when added to family obligations, often require that minority students attend institutions that offer the most flexible arrangements—typically, community colleges. Due to these issues, however, their successful transition to community college may be difficult. The authors found that up to 35% of first-time freshmen—with a disproportionate number of Latinos—are on probation after their first semester at a large, urban, public community college. The authors developed and instituted a probationary student re-orientation program to both assist these students and understand how their background characteristics and perceptions of the college environment impacted their academic standing. Using Schlossberg's transition theory as our theoretical framework, this study assessed how students of different ...
Passive Control of Combustion Dynamics in Stationary Gas Turbines

This paper summarizes passive methods used to improve the stability of low-emission combustors in stationary power gas turbines. Common passive methods are reviewed, including discussion of control model concepts, application of simple time-lag models, and a review of acoustic dampers. Applications of time-lag modie cations are presented, and limitations of this approach are discussed. Nyquist analysis is used to show how changing the time lag can be confounded by the presence of multiple acoustic modes. Experimental results demonstrating the frequency shifts predicted by Nyquist analysis are also shown. Stabilizing effects of distributed time lags are discussed, along with some e eld applications. A review of acousticdampers showsthat these devices are not widely applied in stationary engines compared to rocket or afterburner combustors, but have shown good results where applied. Nomenclature ¤ AB;C; D, = combustor sections and the acoustic E; F; G transfer matrices that represent these sections; elements of these 2 £2 matrices are identie ed using subscripts Ai;j where i D0;1 and j D0;1 c