cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A demonstration of shape constancy

In order to compare the recognition of objective (defined in three dimensions) and projective (on the frontal-parallel plane) shapes, subjects were asked to identify angles (either objective or projective) on random polygons that were displayed in complex and meaningful photographic slides in the frontal-parallel plane. The subjects’ judgments corresponded much more closely to the objective than to the projective shapes, almost independently of which of the two shapes they were asked to judge and of whether the slides were presented in a normal upright orientation or were rotated 180 deg. The results are incompatible with the strong form of the shape-slant hypothesis, which assumes that the primary perceptual information concerns the properties of the projective retinal image. The results indicate, instead, that a tacit conception of three-dimensional space is primary in the perceptual process.
Movement disorder after withdrawal of fentanyl infusion.

ance and physical dependence to a short-acting benzodiazepine, midazolam. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1990;252:1125-33. 14. Busto U, Sellers EM, Naranjo CA, Cappell H, Sanchez-Craig M, Sykora K. Withdrawal reaction after long-term therapeutic use of benzodiazepines. N Engl J Med 1986;315:854-9. 15. Vree TB, Shimoda M, Driessen J J, et al. Decreased plasma albumin concentration results in increased volume of distribution and decreased elimination of Midazolam in intensive care patients. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1989;46:537-44. 16. Coffey B, Shader RI, Greenblatt D J. Pharmacokinetics of benzodiazepines and psychostimulants in children. J Clin Psychopharmacol 1983;3:217-25. 17. Rail TW: Drugs used in the treatment of asthma: the 18.
Brave New EMR

Last year, I took the great leap forward to a totally electronic medical record. My project manager at the software company guided me through thickets of timetable confirmations, equipment inventor...
A New Apparatus for the Convenient Measurement of NMR Spectra in High-Pressure Liquids

Abstract A novel design is presented for a high-pressure NMR cell using fused silica capillary tubing. The capillary tubing is bent to form multiple loops for use in a 5 mm NMR tube in a conventional solution NMR probe. The NMR cell design eliminates explosion hazards at high pressures and makes possible simple sample loading and observation of reaction mixtures at variable pressures (up to 4 kbar) and temperatures. A chamber for the mixing and flow introduction of reaction mixtures is provided. Examples of application of the cell for 1H, 129Xe, and 19F studies of supercritical fluids, near-critical liquids, and high-pressure organometallic reactions are presented.
Analysis of Inverse-Acting Column Base Levels

Distillation column base levels are known to exhibit inverse action in certain cases, and this is detrimental to column control performance when reboiler duty is set by the base level controls. This inverse response behavior in level is known to arise due to two factors, namely the reboiler swell and the froth density effects. Inverse action due to reboiler swell effects depends upon the operating pressures and also on the reboiler type. Inverse action due to the froth density effects is dependent on the operating regime and tray design. It was found that, in general, for high-pressure columns, inverse action is unlikely due to either the froth density or the reboiler swell effects. For low-pressure columns, inverse action can be significant. Contrary to the reported literature, it was concluded that froth density effects are not as likely to be a significant cause of inverse action in reboiler levels as reboiler swell.
Thermal studies on dithionate compounds. II. Dithionates of lithium, sodium, and magnesium

Abstract The decomposition of Li2S2O6·2 H2O, Na2S2O6·2 H2O, and MgS2O6·7 H2O has been studied using TG and DTG. Both sodium and lithium dithionates dehydrate in one step. Magnesium dithionate dehydrates in three separate steps. All three of the dithionates undergo further decomposition and lose sulfur dioxide to give stable sulfates. Kinetic parameters are presented for these reactions.
Is foreign private national debt challenging governance in emerging markets

We study why foreign private national debt is higher in some countries than others by examining its effect on the governance environment in emerging markets. We also questioned whether countries which have ratified bilateral investment treaties have higher debt as a source of external financing than others. Examining the debt capacity of 46 countries from 1993 to 2004, we found that declines in their private debt to international reserve ratios correlate positively with increases in the number of foreign investors-government disputes mediated before international tribunals. As these markets experience financial crises, we calculated a 74% probability that disputes over the property rights of foreign investors are likely to continue. This study uses institutional change theory (North, 1990) where it overlaps with agency and game theory to examine a moral hazard which arises when the government plays the role of a double principal to a contract signed by a foreign investor-agent and governed by its electorate-agent. Gaming behaviour ensues because the government responds to the agent where it can achieve the maximum benefit. The results suggest that governments should strengthen their institutions governing the rule of law prior to contracting with foreign investors.
Quality of Breast Cancer Care: What Do We Know?

PURPOSE: To critically review studies that describe patterns of care for breast cancer patients and to examine the data sources used for case identification and determining patterns of care. METHODS: We searched the MEDLINE database (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD) in August 2001 for studies of breast cancer care published from January 1985 to June 2001. Thirty-eight articles, describing 32 studies, met the inclusion criteria for this review. RESULTS: According to the patterns of care literature, approximately 10% of women do not have an axillary lymph node dissection, 11% to 26% do not have their hormone receptor status reported, 20% do not receive radiation after breast-conserving surgery, and 30% to 70% of women with lymph node–positive breast cancer are not prescribed tamoxifen. Twenty-five (78%) of the studies relied on cancer registries for case identification. Cancer registries (47%) and the medical record (38%) were the most frequent sources of data on process of care. Twenty percent o...
Alfalfa Meal in Chick Rations

Abstract A review of literature on the subject of feeding alfalfa meal to chicks brings out the following points that would justify its use in poultry rations: (1) Alfalfa is a good source of arginine, lysine, cystine, and tryptophane, and a reasonably good source of methionine with the glycine level remaining questionable. Other valuable amino acids are also present. (2) Alfalfa meal can be an excellent source of vitamins, particularly is this true with respect to carotene (pro-vitamin A), riboflavin, pantothenic acid, alphatocopherol, and vitamin K. (3) Contrary to popular belief, good quality alfalfa meal furnishes from 30 to 40 percent as much total digestible nutrients per unit of weight as the common cereal grains. (4) Alfalfa meal is a feedstuff that is normally available in large quantities at prices often below that of grains and other accepted ingredients. As a result of a great many experiments throughout the country with . . .
SEM/EBIC characterization of degradation at mirrors of GaAs/AlGaAs laser diodes

Abstract Laser operation-induced migration of beryllium at mirrors of single quantum well, ridge geometry type GaAs/AlGaAs diode lasers was studied by electron-beam-induced current. In these devices an operation-induced displacement of the p - n junction towards the n -type cladding has been observed close to the mirrors. A similar effect was induced by electron-beam irradiation of the mirror facets in a scanning electron microscope. These effects have been attributed to recombination-enhanced diffusion/migration of beryllium from the p -type cladding. From the measured diffusion coefficient of beryllium we have estimated the average mirror temperature during laser operation, which was found to be in excellent agreement with measured temperatures published recently.
The interaction of design hierarchies and market concepts in technological evolution

Abstract This paper develops a conceptual framework for analyzing the sequence of technological changes that underlie the development of industries. The framework examines the interaction between design decisions and the coices of customers. Using examples from autos and semiconductors the paper argues that the logic of problem solving in design and the formation of concepts that underlie choice in the marketplace impose a hierarchical structure on the evolution of technology. The nature of the evolutionary process has implications for the dynamics of competition and the management of innovation.
Amides as ligands—V. Spectrochemical studies of N,N-dimethyl-acetamide cobalt (II) complexes

The preparation and properties of the crystalline compounds [Co(DMTA)2X2](DMTA = N,N-dimethylthioacetamide) (X = Cl, Br, I, NO3) and [Co(DMTA)4] (ClO4)2 are described. The ligand field parameters Dq, B′ and β are calculated for the tetrahedral, sulphur-co-ordinated complexes. The electronic spectra and magnetic measurements support tetrahedral stereochemistry. The complex isolated from the reaction of cobalt (II) nitrate and N,N-dimethylthioacetamide is probably octahedral in solution and seems to possess a tetrahedral stereochemistry in the solid state. Spectral data in this study places this ligand at the lower end of the nephelauxetic series.
Precision gamma-ray energy measurements

Abstract The energies of several transitions which are useful as calibration standards over the energy range 800–1850 keV have been measured with an accuracy of 0.10 keV.
Continuity of slip screw and mixed crystal dislocations across bicrystals of nickel at 573 K

Abstract Iso-axial symmetrical tilt bicryslals of pure nickel oriented lor either screw or mixed crystal slip were deformed in simple compression at 573 K (0.33 T m ) at a strain rate of 3 × 10 −4 s −1 . Observation of slip traces revealed that screw bands were generally continuous across the interface. The degree of slip continuity, however, depended on boundary structure. Boundaries related lo low Σ values exhibited a higher degree of slip continuity than high Σ boundaries. Dislocations with mixed character were discontinuous regardless of boundary Σ. When the results are interpreted in terms of reactions between lattice dislocations at the grain boundary plane, it emerges that slip continuity is related to 1. (a) the magnitude of the residual dislocation at the boundary 2. (b) the dissociation of the residual into smaller grain boundary dislocations. A smaller residual and a larger Burgers vector of the grain boundary dislocation enhances the probability of slip continuity across the interface. The reasons for why grain boundaries are weak barriers to passage of screw dislocations but good traps for mixed dislocations are discussed.
Coherent anti-Stokes generation from single nanostructures

Dual color four-wave-mixing is used to visualize individual gold nanowires and single carbon nanotubes. The strong nonlinear signals, which are detected at the anti-Stokes frequency, originate from the electronic response of the nanostructures. In gold nanowires, the collective electron motions produce detectable coherent anti-Stokes signals that can be used to study the orientation and relative strength of the structure's plasmon resonances. In single walled carbon nanotubes, coherent anti-Stokes contrast can be used to map the orientation of the electronic resonances in single tubes. Coherent anti-Stokes imaging of the material's electronic response allows the first close-ups of the coherent nonlinear properties of individual structures and molecules.
Light-induced helix formation.

This study shows that incorporation of [Rub2m-OH]2+ at the N-terminus of the Fs peptide enhances its stability by ∼0.15 kcal/mol through the mechanism of dipole−dipole coupling at the excited state, suggesting that photoinduced charge generation at a well-controlled and specific location provides a convenient means to trigger helix-coil transition on nanosecond or even faster time scales.
Anisotropy of Land Surface Skin Temperature Derived from Satellite Data

The land skin temperature, an important feature for agricultural monitoring, convective processes, and the earth’s radiation budget, is monitored from limited-view satellite imagers. The angular dependence of this parameter is examined using simultaneous views of clear areas from up to three geostationary satellites. Daytime temperatures from different satellites differed by up t o 6 K and varied as a function of the time of day. Larger differences are expected to occur but were not measured because of limited viewing angles. These differences suggest that biases may occur in both the magnitude and phase of the diurnal cycle of skin temperature and its mean value whenever geostationary satellite data are used to determine skin temperature. The temperature differences were found over both flat and mountainous regions with some slight dependence on vegetation. The timing and magnitude of the temperature differences provide some initial validation for relatively complex model calculations of skin temperature variability. The temperature differences are strongly correlated with terrain and the anisotropy of reflected solar radiation for typical land surfaces. These strong dependencies suggest the possibility for the development of a simple empirical approach for characterizing the temperature anisotropy. Additional research using a much greater range of viewing angles is required to confirm the potential of the suggested empirical approach.
Minding One's P's and Q's: A Dilemma for Authors and Editors.

ary offers no instruction with respect to the method of constructing plurals for nouns formed from abbreviations. The introductory material in the third edition, however, contains an extensive section on plurals which includes abbreviations within its purview. Here, the staff of Webster's Third reports that the plurals of abbreviations are normally formed by adding either (1) an apostrophe and -s (e.g., IQ's, GI's, etc.) or (2) more often just -s (e.g., IQs, GIs, etc.). A similar rule also applies to single letters and numerical expressions. Accordingly, the plural of such items as A, a, 4, and 1920 may be written as either A's, a's, 4's, 1920's or As, as, 4s, 1920s. In keeping with the principles of non-prescriptive lexicography, Webster's Third indicates no preference for either alternative.
Ghrelin Receptor Deficiency does not Affect Diet-Induced Atherosclerosis in Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Null Mice.

Objective: Ghrelin, a stomach-derived, secreted peptide, and its receptor (growth hormone secretagogue receptor, GHSR) are known to modulate food intake and energy homeostasis. The ghrelin system is also expressed broadly in cardiovascular tissues. Since ghrelin has been associated with anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic properties, but is also well known to promote obesity and impair glucose metabolism, we investigated whether ghrelin has any impact on the development of atherosclerosis. The hypothesis that endogenous ghrelin signaling may be involved in atherosclerosis has not been tested previously Methods and Results: We crossed ghrelin receptor knockout mice (GHSr-/-) into a low-density lipoprotein receptor-null (Ldlr-/-) mouse line. In this model, atherosclerotic lesions were promoted by feeding a high-fat, high-cholesterol Western-type diet for 13 months, following a standard protocol. Body composition and glucose homeostasis were similar between Ldlr-/- and Ldlr/GHSR -/- ko mice throughout the study. Absence or presence of GHSr did not alter the apolipoprotein profile changes in response to diet exposure on an LDLRko background. Atherosclerotic plaque volume in the aortic arch and thoracic aorta were also not affected differentially in mice without ghrelin signaling due to GHSR gene disruption as compared to control LDLRko littermates. In light of the associations reported for ghrelin with cardiovascular disease in humans, the lack of a phenotype in these loss-of- function studies in mice suggests no directly functional role for endogenous ghrelin in either the inhibition or the promotion of diet-induced atherosclerosis. Conclusions: These data indicate that, surprisingly, the complex and multifaceted actions of endogenous ghrelin signaling on the cardiovascular system have minimal direct impact on atherosclerotic plaque progression as based on loss-of-function in a mouse model of the disease.
Clustering large datasets in arbitrary metric spaces

Clustering partitions a collection of objects into groups called clusters, such that similar objects fall into the same group. Similarity between objects is defined by a distance function satisfying the triangle inequality; this distance function along with the collection of objects describes a distance space. In a distance space, the only operation possible on data objects is the computation of distance between them. All scalable algorithms in the literature assume a special type of distance space, namely a k-dimensional vector space, which allows vector operations on objects. We present two scalable algorithms designed for clustering very large datasets in distance spaces. Our first algorithm BUBBLE is, to our knowledge, the first scalable clustering algorithm for data in a distance space. Our second algorithm BUBBLE-FM improves upon BUBBLE by reducing the number of calls to the distance function, which may be computationally very expensive. Both algorithms make only a single scan over the database while producing high clustering quality. In a detailed experimental evaluation, we study both algorithms in terms of scalability and quality of clustering. We also show results of applying the algorithms to a real life dataset.
Effect of various gastrointestinal hormones and vasoactive substances on villous motility

Abstract 1. 1. The effects of some gastrointestinal hormones and vasoactive substances on villous motility were tested in an exteriorized jejunal loop of pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs. The substances were administered intravenously and topically. 2. 2. The gastrointestinal hormones pentagastrin, secretin, cholecystokinin-pancreozymin, enterogastrone and gastric-inhibitory peptide inhibited villous motility. 3. 3. Human gastrin slightly stimulated it. 4. 4. The vasoactive peptides caerulein, ranatensin and eledoisin inhibited villous motility. 5. 5. The differences between the action of villikinin and the above substances are clarified and emphasized. 6. 6. The results support the concept that villikinin is unique and is of physiological significance.
Taylor, Paul C. 2013. Race: A Philosophical Introduction. 2nd edition. Malden, MA: Polity Press

(2013). Taylor, Paul C. 2013. Race: A Philosophical Introduction. 2nd edition. Malden, MA: Polity Press. South African Journal of Philosophy: Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 285-289.
Perceptions of Polygyny: The Effects of Offspring and Other Kin on Co-Wife Satisfaction

The costs and benefits of polygyny have been widely debated and vary according to local sociopolitical context, the level of female autonomy, and economic considerations such as the mode of production. This study aims to understand perceptions of polygyny as a function of household demography, particularly the number of female kin present in the household who can provide labor that is largely substitutable to that of a co-wife. The presence of these helpers is proposed to shift the cost-benefit structure of polygyny, in which having more female kin available is associated with a more negative view of the practice. Interview and census data from 106 Himba women, who are traditional, seminomadic pastoralists, were used to test this prediction. Among married women who reside patrilocally, the presence of more elder daughters was associated with a more negative view of polygyny. Among unmarried women, who reside in their natal homes, it is the total number of adult female kin that predicts perception of polyg...
Manganese attenuates secretagogue-mediated phospholipid hydrolysis in AR42J cells

The effects of cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK8), bombesin and manganese (Mn2+) on phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) hydrolysis were studied in AR42J cells. One-half maximal stimulation of inositol monophosphate (InsP1) accumulation occurred at either 5 nM CCK8 or 5 nM bombesin, and maximal stimulation occurred at 30 nM for each agonist. Mn2+ did not alter basal PIP2 hydrolysis. However, addition of Mn2+ 5 min prior to stimulation with either CCK8 or bombesin for 60 min significantly attenuated [3H]InsP1 accumulation. Following brief periods of incubation with CCK8 (15 sec) Mn2+ significantly reduced inositol tris- and tetrakisphosphate accumulation. These data suggest that Mn2+ may participate in the regulation of CCK8- and bombesin-mediated generation of phosphoinositides.
Effect of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD-25) on Growth Metabolism and the Resistance of Male Rats to Histamine Stress

Depending on dosage and time-pattern relationships, the s.c. administration of LSD-25 at dosage levels of 500 or 750 mcg./Kg. of body weight in eight sequential injections to male Wistar rats during a 2-week experimental period was found to cause significant decreases in body weight, body weight gain, food consumption, and a loss of efficiency in food utilization processes. LD 50 analyses indicated an increased ability of treated rats to tolerate histamine stress. The data agree with previous evidence of hypothyroidism and adrenocortical hyperactivity in rats injected with LSD-25.
Approximation and ergodic theorems

On considere une methode d'approximation d'un automorphisme T sur un espace de Lebesque non atomique par de suites {Tn} de transformations periodiques. On developpe une relation entre la structure spectrale des transformations d'approximation Tn et la structure spectrale de T en employant le theoreme de moyenne ergodique
Advances in the prevention of graft-versus-host disease after hematopoietic cell transplantation

A brief historic review of bone-marrow transplantation, human leukocyte antigen matching, pretransplant conditioning, and the use of peripheral blood stem cells in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is presented. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is one of the primary challenges to successful HCT. GVHD, its clinical impact and traditional prophylactic therapies, as well as recent advances in GVHD prevention, are discussed.
Optimization of Object Queries on Collections Using Annotations for the String Valued Attributes

Object oriented programming languages raised the level of abstraction by supporting the explicit first class query constructs in the programming codes. The query constructs can be optimized by leveraging the techniques of query optimization from the domain of databases. The existing optimization approaches such as JQL, however, incur high run time overhead as optimizations are performed only at run time. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an approach that performs the query optimization at compile time utilizing the metadata annotations in the source code. The proposed approach first collects the data from the sample execution of the program and extracts the essential metadata for the string valued attributes. Then, the annotations consisting of the metadata values associated with string attributes are generated in the source code and the histograms are built using those annotations. The selectivity estimates of the predicates and the joins in the query are computed from the histograms. Next, the query plan is generated at compile time through the maximum selectivity heuristic. The query plan is modified at run time in cases of significant updates to the string data. The approach also incorporates the cache heuristics that determine whether to cache the query result or not. The cached query results are incrementally maintained up-to-date. Our experimental results demonstrate that our approach has reduced the run time of the program more than the earlier approaches such as JQL.
Getting Students Beyond Ideologies: Using Heterosexist Guided imagery in the Classroom

Research shows that introductory courses in college provide an opportunity to invoke transformative learning, enhance students’ ability to take the role of the “other,” and encourage an authentic learning experience (Mezirow 1997). Few studies, however, have examined transformative approaches wherein students examine heterosexist ideologies. This study introduces a teaching strategy using a guided imagery script designed to challenge students’ previously-held ideas about heterosexism and homophobia. Using data from students enrolled in introductory sociology course offered at a major university in the West, this study presents qualitative data on students’ emotional and intellectual responses to the guided imagery. The authors offer this guided imagery exercise as an effective teaching tool.
Suicidal Behavior in Normal School Children: A Comparison with Child Psychiatric Inpatients

A study of 101 randomly selected preadolescent school children, who had never been psychiatric patients, revealed 11.9% with suicidal ideas, threats, or attempts. Suicidal ideas were expressed in 8.9% of the school children. Suicidal school children differed from nonsuicidal school children in greater preoccupation with death, more recent and past depression, more suicidal impulses in the mothers, and a greater tendency to use introjection as an ego defense. These factors were similar to those found in a comparison of suicidal and nonsuicidal psychiatric inpatients. Factors that contribute to the risk of suicidal behavior in children are described.
Citrus limonoids and curcumin additively inhibit human colon cancer cells

In the current study, we examined the ability of limonoids, including limonin, limonin glucoside (LG) and curcumin, to inhibit proliferation of human colon cancer (SW480) cells. Additionally, we studied the effect of combining these two classes of natural compounds on inhibition of proliferation and the possible mode of cytotoxicity. The SW480 cells were treated with compounds individually and in combination to understand the effect on cell death, DNA fragmentation, caspase-3 activity and the expression of Bax, Bcl-2 and caspase-3 proteins. Results of cell proliferation assays suggest that combinations of limonoids with curcumin at three different ratios (1 : 3, 1 : 1 and 3 : 1) to a final concentration of 50 ppm demonstrated up to 96% inhibition of cell proliferation. The MTT assay results were also confirmed by counting viable cells. Further, incubation of cells with combinations of limonoids and curcumin resulted in elevation of total cellular caspase-3 activity by 3.5–4.0 fold along with a 2- to 4-fold increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. The expression of pro-caspase-3 and its cleaved products in cells treated with curcumin (individually or combination) indicates higher potency of the combination to induce apoptosis. For the first time, this study provides compelling evidence of the pharmacodynamic additive effect of limonoids and curcumin in inhibiting human colon cancer cells. The above results were also confirmed by fluorescence microscopy of SW480 cells treated with limonoids, curcumin and combination, after tagging with fluorescent probes. These results suggest that consumption of curcumin and limonoids together may offer greater protection against colon cancer.
The case of total deafness II: Phrasing in the prelinguistic vocalizations of a child with congenital absence of cochleas

Recent work has suggested that phrasing occurs in prelinguistic vocalizations, and that audition significantly influences prelinguistic vocal development. The present report is about the continuing study of a child who is referred to as congenitally acochlear because he was born with complete bilateral absence of cochleas. The only prior report on the vocal development of an acochlear child was provided in a previous article in this journal about the present subject (Lynch, Oiler, & Steffens, 1989). Because this child was not producing meaningful speech during the 27 to 42 months of age in which he was studied, investigation of him provided a unique opportunity to observe prelinguistic vocal development in the complete absence of auditory information. In the prior study of the acochlear child, the analytical focus was on developmental changes in relations between his syllable characteristics and those of mature speech. In the present study, the analytical focus was on a recently introduced approach to the study of prelinguistic vocalizations involving the description of syllable groupings within a prosodic hierarchy. Adult judges identified a hierarchy of syllables embedded within utterances and utterances embedded within prelinguistic phrases in the acochlear child's vocalizations. Similar to the prelinguistic phrases of typically developing infants and infants with Down syndrome previously reported on (Lynch, Oller, Steffens, & Buder, 1995), the present child's prelinguistic phrases were characterized by a systematic lengthening of phrase-final syllables and cohesive temporal patterning. In addition, the durations of the acochlear child's prelinguistic phrases were similar to those of typically developing infants. However, in contrast with those of typically developing infants and infants with Down syndrome, the durational features of the prelinguistic phrases of the acochlear child were relatively unstable across development. Overall, the results indicate that audition is not necessary for the formation of prelinguistic phrasing, but hearing does influence certain aspects of prelinguistic phrasing. Based on the data obtained on this subject, typically developing infants, and infants with Down syndrome, essential characteristics of well-formed prelinguistic phrases are proposed. These are termed “canonical” phrases; their production and development may be important in the acquisition of meaningful speech.
A multiobjective mesh optimization framework for mesh quality improvement and mesh untangling

SUMMARY We propose a multiobjective mesh optimization framework for mesh quality improvement and mesh untangling. Our framework combines two or more competing objective functions into a single objective function to be solved using one of various multiobjective optimization methods. Methods within our framework are able to optimize various aspects of the mesh such as the element shape, element size, associated PDE interpolation error, and number of inverted elements, but the improvement is not limited to these categories. The strength of our multiobjective mesh optimization framework lies in its ability to be extended to simultaneously optimize any aspects of the mesh and to optimize meshes with different element types. We propose the exponential sum, objective product, and equal sum multiobjective mesh optimization methods within our framework; these methods do not require articulation of preferences. However, the solutions obtained satisfy a sufficient condition of weak Pareto optimality. Experimental results show that our multiobjective mesh optimization methods are able to simultaneously optimize two or more aspects of the mesh and also are able to improve mesh qualities while eliminating inverted elements. We successfully apply our methods to real-world applications such as hydrocephalus treatment and shape optimization. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pharmacokinetics and metabolism of (R,R)-methoxyfenoterol in rat

(R,R)-fenoterol (Fen), a beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonist, is under clinical investigation in the treatment of congestive heart disease. The pharmacokinetics and metabolism of the 4-methoxyphenyl derivative of (R,R)-Fen, (R,R)-MFen, have been determined following intravenous and oral administration to the rat and compared with corresponding results obtained with (R,R)-Fen. Results from the study suggest that (R,R)-MFen can offer pharmacokinetic and metabolic advantages in comparison to an earlier (R,R)-Fen. The oral administration revealed that the net exposure of (R,R)-MFen was about three-fold higher than that of (R,R)-Fen (7.2 versus 2.3 min x nmol ml(-1)), while intravenous administration proved that the clearance was significantly reduced, 48 versus 146 ml min(-1) kg(-1), the T(1/2) was significantly longer, 152.9 versus 108.9 min, and the area under the curve (AUC) was significantly increased, 300 versus 119 min x nmol ml(-1). (R,R)-MFen was primarily cleared by glucuronidation associated with significant presystemic glucuronidation of the compound. After intravenous and oral administration of (R,R)-MFen, (R,R)-Fen and (R,R)-Fen-G were detected in the urine samples indicating that (R,R)-MFen was O-demethylated and subsequently conjugated to (R,R)-Fen-G. The total (R,R)-Fen and (R,R)-Fen-G as a percentage of the dose after intravenous administration was 3.6%, while after oral administration was 0.3%, indicating that only a small fraction of the drug escaped presystemic glucuronidation and was available for O-demethylation. The glucuronidation pattern was confirmed by the results from in vitro studies where incubation of (R,R)-MFen with rat hepatocytes produced (R,R)-MFen-G, (R,R)-Fen and (R,R)-Fen-G, while incubation with rat intestinal microsomes only resulted in the formation of (R,R)-MFen-G.
Climate and history in the late 18th and early 19th centuries

As in many areas of human knowledge, the notion of climate acquired a deeper historical content around the turn of the 19th century. Natural philosophers, geographers, and others became increasingly aware of climate's own history and its relation to human, plant and animal, and Earth history. This article examines several aspects of this “historicization” of climate. The lively 18th century discussion of the influence of climate on society is well known. Montesquieu is its most famous representative, but Voltaire, Hume, Kant, and others also participated. Their debate was literary more than scientific, their goal the understanding of man, not climate. Partly for this reason and partly because of the lack of good information on climates, they made no attempt to gather substantial climatic data. In fact, the importance of systematically collecting reliable data was scarcely understood in any area of natural philosophy before the last decades of the century [Cf. Frangsmyr et al., 1990; Feldman, 1990]. Instead, participants in the debate repeated commonplaces dating from Aristotle and Hippocrates and based their conclusions on unreliable reports from travelers. As Glacken wrote of Montesquieu, “his dishes are from old and well-tested recipes” [Glacken, 1967, chapter 12]. This is not to say that the debate over climatic influence was not significant—only that its significance lay more in the history of man than in the atmospheric sciences.
Evaluating the Success of Need-Based State Aid in the Presence of Property Tax Limitations

Massachusetts uses an aid formula that accounts for differences among local communities in both fiscal resources and costs. To assess the success of this aid program in reducing fiscal disparities, it is necessary to estimate the costs of providing public services. Implementing these estimates introduces difficulties arising from the presence of Massachusetts' property tax limitation, Proposition 2½. Our solution is to estimate local government expenditure equations using separate, selection-corrected regressions for communities proposing property tax overrides and those not proposing overrides. This approach produces reasonable results that suggest that the distribution of aid does serve to diminish fiscal disparities.
Isolation and Properties of Newcastle Disease Virus Nucleocapsid

Abstract Deoxycholate (DOC) disrupted virions of Newcastle disease virus (NDV), releasing viral nucleocapsids. The nucleocapsids sedimented at about 200S in sucrose gradients and measured from 1.3 to 1.4 μ long by electron microscopy. NDV nucleo-capsids were resistant to pancreatic ribonuclease. These nucleocapsids contained all the 50S ribonucleic acid (RNA) in NDV virions, while virus-associated RNA sedimenting at less than 50S was external to the virions.
Hall carrier density and magnetoresistance measurements in thin-film vanadium dioxide across the metal-insulator transition

Temperature dependent magneto-transport measurements in magnetic fields of up to 12 Tesla were performed on thin film vanadium dioxide (VO2) across the metal-insulator transition (MIT). The Hall carrier density increases by 4 orders of magnitude at the MIT and accounts almost entirely for the resistance change. The Hall mobility varies little across the MIT and remains low, ~0.1cm 2 /V sec. Electrons are found to be the major
Optimization technique for flip-flop inserted global interconnect

The design targets of an interconnect are to ensure less delay cycles, high reliability and low power consumption at the same time. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of the dependencies of the reliability (in terms of bit error rate (BER)) and the power consumption of wire pipelining scheme on the number of inserted flip-flops and the size of repeaters. To trade off the design targets, a methodology is developed to optimize the repeater size and the number of flip-flops inserted, which maximizes a user-specified figure of merit. This methodology is demonstrated by calculating the optimal solutions for interconnect pipelining for some International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductor technology nodes.
Ambipolar diffusion in silicon-on-insulator studied by optical pump-probe based on free carrier absorption

Ambipolar diffusion coefficient in silicon-on-insulator is measured as functions of lattice temperature and carrier density by directly imaging the carrier dynamics by using a high resolution optical pump-probe technique based on free carrier absorption.
Video compression technique using wavelet transform

A new approach to video compression is presented which is based on the use of the wavelet transform and a differential image compression technique. The algorithm combines the scale reduction capabilities of the wavelet transform with the data reduction capabilities of the differential image compression. Experimental results of applying the differential wavelet transform at different threshold levels to a computer generated animated sequence are presented.
Towards a unified approach for remote estimation of chlorophyll‐a in both terrestrial vegetation and turbid productive waters

[1] In this study we tested the applicability of a method, originally developed for terrestrial plant leaves, to retrieve chlorophyll-a concentrations from reflectance spectra of turbid productive waters. We tuned the conceptual model according to the optical characteristics of the aquatic medium, and accurately predicted chlorophyll-a concentrations in water bodies over a wide range of optical conditions. Our results provide evidence that this technique may be considered as a general solution, independent of the type of medium, for assessing chlorophyll concentration in optically deep media using remotely sensed data.
All-trans retinoic acid and sodium butyrate enhance natriuretic peptide receptor a gene transcription: role of histone modification.

The objective of the present study was to delineate the mechanisms of GC-A/natriuretic peptide receptor-A (GC-A/NPRA) gene (Npr1) expression in vivo. We used all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, sodium butyrate (NaBu) to examine the expression and function of Npr1 using gene-disrupted heterozygous (1-copy; +/−), wild-type (2-copy; +/+), and gene-duplicated heterozygous (3-copy; ++/+) mice. Npr1+/− mice exhibited increased renal HDAC and reduced histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity; on the contrary, Npr1++/+ mice showed decreased HDAC and enhanced HAT activity compared with Npr1+/+ mice. ATRA and NaBu promoted global acetylation of histones H3-K9/14 and H4-K12, reduced methylation of H3-K9 and H3-K27, and enriched accumulation of active chromatin marks at the Npr1 promoter. A combination of ATRA-NaBu promoted recruitment of activator-complex containing E26 transformation–specific 1, retinoic acid receptor α, and HATs (p300 and p300/cAMP response element–binding protein-binding protein–associated factor) at the Npr1 promoter, and significantly increased renal NPRA expression, GC activity, and cGMP levels. Untreated 1-copy mice showed significantly increased systolic blood pressure and renal expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) compared with 2- and 3-copy mice. Treatment with ATRA and NaBu synergistically attenuated the expression of α-SMA and PCNA and reduced systolic blood pressure in Npr1+/− mice. Our findings demonstrate that epigenetic upregulation of Npr1 gene transcription by ATRA and NaBu leads to attenuation of renal fibrotic markers and systolic blood pressure in mice with reduced Npr1 gene copy number, which will have important implications in prevention and treatment of hypertension-related renal pathophysiological conditions.
Fixed Low-Order Controller Design and H∞Optimization for Large-Scale Dynamical Systems

Abstract Large-scale linear time-invariant dynamical systems with inputs and outputs present major challenges for controller design. Model-order reduction has become popular in recent years, but controllers designed for reduced-order models may result in unstable closed-loop plants when applied to the larger-scale system. We investigate the practicality of fixed low-order controller design applied directly to large-scale continuous-time sparse systems. We assume that it is practical to compute the eigenvalues with largest real part of such systems using Matlab’s eigs, which requires only matrix-vector products, but that it is not possible to compute the norm using Matlab’s getPeakGain or SLICut’s slinorm, which use the Boyd-Balakrishnan- Bruinsma-Steinbuch algorithm, requiring both Hamiltonian eigenvalue decompositions and singular value decompositions. Instead, we employ a recently developed efficient algorithm called Hybrid-Expansion-Contraction (HEC), which while not guaranteed to correctly compute the norm, finds, under certain assumptions, at least a local maximizer of the associated transfer function. Our controller design code uses nonsmooth optimization techniques first to attempt to stabilize the closed-loop system and then to minimize its norm proxy as computed by HEC. It is implemented in a new experimental Matlab code hifuuS, based on the public-domain hifoo toolbox first presented in ROCOND 2006, and will be made available for public use after further investigation and development.
The scratch test.

47-year-old anicteric patient with plasma cell myeloma was noted to have 9660 mg/dL of monoclonal immunoglobulin G in her serum. More than 90% of her bone marrow cellularity was composed of sheets of atypical, nucleated, and multinucleate plasma cells. Her peripheral blood smear showed red blood cell rouleaux formation (Figure), which prohibited the accurate automated measurement of her red blood cell indices and interfered with her blood group determination and cross-matching in polyethylene glycol before blood transfusion. The high concentration of paraprotein also resulted in a noticeably homogeneous basophilic stained background of her peripheral blood smear, readily demonstrated after making a scratch on the slide and comparing the abnormally stained proteinaceous material to the clean colorless background of the slide. The increased blue coloration of the blood film was also observed on gross examination of the stained glass slide. This phenomenon is not pathogno
Minimum-Time Consensus-Based Approach for Power System Applications

This paper presents minimum-time consensus-based distributed algorithms for power system applications, such as load shedding and economic dispatch. The proposed algorithms are capable of solving these problems in a minimum number of time steps instead of asymptotically as in most of the existing studies. Moreover, these algorithms are applicable to both undirected and directed communication networks. Simulation results are used to validate the proposed algorithms.
A Zwitterionic Carbanion Frustrated by Boranes – Dihydrogen Cleavage with Weak Lewis Acids via an “Inverse” Frustrated Lewis Pair Approach

The synthesis, structural characterization, and acid–base chemistry of [C(SiMe2OCH2CH2OMe)3]Na (2), a sterically encumbered zwitterionic organosodium compound, is reported. 2 is a strong Bronsted base that forms frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) with a number of boron-containing Lewis acids ranging from weakly Lewis acidic aryl and alkyl boranes to various alkyl borates. These intermolecular FLPs readily cleave H2, which confirms that even poor Lewis acids can engage in FLP-mediated H2 cleavage provided that the present bulky base is of sufficiently high Bronsted basicity.
Progress in organic electroluminescent devices with air stable cathodes

Different air stable cathode structures that allow for better electron injection, which leads to the fabrication of brighter and more efficient organic light-emitting devices, will be presented.
Energy dissipation due to interfacial slip in nanocomposites reinforced with aligned carbon nanotubes.

Interfacial slip mechanisms of strain energy dissipation and vibration damping of highly aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced polymer composites were studied through experimentation and complementary micromechanics modeling. Experimentally, we have developed CNT-polystyrene (PS) composites with a high degree of CNT alignment via a combination of twin-screw extrusion and hot-drawing. The aligned nanocomposites enabled a focused study of the interfacial slip mechanics associated with shear stress concentrations along the CNT-PS interface induced by the elastic mismatch between the filler and matrix. The variation of storage and loss modulus suggests the initiation of the interfacial slip occurs at axial strains as low as 0.028%, primarily due to shear stress concentration along the CNT-PS interface. Through micromechanics modeling and by matching the model with the experimental results at the onset of slip, the interfacial shear strength was evaluated. The model was then used to provide additional insig...
Use of quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) in drug design (review)

The problems of improving drugs are so complex that a research worker will never know if he has finally found the “best” compound in the series. In designing drugs good fortune will always play a role [66]. However, the use of QSAR changes over the range of medicinal chemistry being investigated [65]. Our understanding of the distribution and transport processes of drugs in living organisms has considerably broadened [51]. Methods of regression analysis have been developed to such an extent that now the analysis of each proper set of data on the biological response, with rare exceptions, contributes something new to the understanding of an SAR problem. We begin to recognize the molecular parameters which control the reactions of ligands with macromolecules. Unfortunately, at present there is a lack of coordination in the studies on the QSAR problem; different laboratories individually carrying out research on uncoordinated thematics. It is very necessary to carry out large scale systematic research, in which carefully selected sets of related compounds are studied on isolated receptors or enzymes, on a cellular level, with blood serum proteins, and finally on animals. The results of such investigations will very much broaden our understanding of the action of drugs and the problems in their design.