cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The future of image search

There are billions of images on the Internet. Today, searching for a desired image is largely based on textual data such as filename or associated text on the web page; not much use is made of the image content. There are good reasons for this. The field of content-based image retrieval, which emerged during the 1990s, focused primarily on color and texture cues. These were easier to model than shape, but they turned out to be much less useful than originally hoped. I shall review some of the recent developments in the field of visual object recognition in the computer vision community that offer greater promise. Much better image features for characterizing shape, advances in machine learning techniques, and the availability of large amounts of training data lie at the heart of these approaches.
Multi-threaded streamline tracing for data-intensive architectures

Streamline tracing is an important tool used in many scientific domains for visualizing and analyzing flow fields. In this work, we examine a shared memory multi-threaded approach to streamline tracing that targets emerging data-intensive architectures. We take an in-depth look at data management strategies for streamline tracing in terms of issues, such as memory latency, bandwidth, and capacity limitations, that are applicable to future HPC platforms. We present two data management strategies for streamline tracing and evaluate their effectiveness for data-intensive architectures with locally attached Flash. We provide a comprehensive evaluation of both strategies by examining the strong and weak scaling implications of a variety of parameters. We also characterize the relationship between I/O concurrency and I/O efficiency to guide the selection of strategy based on use case. From our experiments, we find that using kernel-managed memory-map for out-of-core streamline tracing can outperform optimized user-managed cache.
Cloning of anti-gal fabs from combinatorial phage display libraries: Structural analysis and comparison of fab expression in pComb3H and pComb8 phage

Anti-Gal is the most abundant natural antibody in humans. It interacts specifically with the carbohydrate epitope Gal alpha1-3Galbeta1-4GlcNAc-R (termed the alpha-galactosyl epitope). In an attempt to characterize the Ig genes encoding anti-Gal, two combinatorial phage display libraries in phagemid pComb3H were screened for anti-Gal Fabs. For this purpose, phages were incubated with biotinylated BSA coupled with alpha-galactosyl epitopes (designated alpha-Gal-BSA). Subsequently, phages complexed with alpha-Gal-BSA were isolated by streptavidin-coupled magnetic beads. Because of the low affinity of this antibody, a characteristic shared with other anti-carbohydrate antibodies, only two clones displaying anti-Gal activity were isolated. Clone G9 contained the VH gene V3-43 and VL gene DPK15, whereas clone P19 contained the VH gene V3-15 and VL gene DPL16. Both clones contained between five and 14 mutations in their H and L chain V genes. The affinity of clone G9 was found to be higher than that of clone P19, as only the former could bind to solid-phase alpha-galactosyl epitopes in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This interaction could be increased by expressing Fabs in phagemid pComb8 grown in the presence of IPTG. Under such conditions, the IPTG-activated Lac-Z promoter induces an increased expression of Fabs that are linked to phage envelope protein VIII, resulting in multiple Fab display on the phage. The data suggest that screening combinatorial phage display libraries for anti-carbohydrate antibodies may be more effective with pComb8 phage grown in the presence of IPTG.
Diffraction correction methods for insertion ultrasound attenuation estimation

Diffraction effects in acoustic ultrasound attenuation coefficient estimation using an insertion technique are described. The estimation error produced by diffraction is characterized as a function of distance and nominal attenuation values. Two methods for correcting for the diffraction effect, termed the theoretical diffraction correction and experimental diffraction correction techniques, respectively, are presented. Experimental validation of the two techniques, using two different sets of ultrasound measurements obtained with 1-MHz and 500-kHz transducer pairs, respectively, is also presented. Significant improvement in the accuracy of the acoustic attenuation coefficient is demonstrated for both techniques. >
Impact of Acute Kidney Injury on Long-Term Mortality after Nonmyeloablative Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Abstract Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs frequently after nonmyeloablative hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). The severity of AKI after nonmyeloablative HCT has association with short-term mortality. However, the long-term effect of AKI on survival after nonmyeloablative HCT is not known. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent an HLA matched nonmyeloablative HCT between 1997 and 2006. Patients were followed for a median of 36 (range: 3-99) months. AKI occurring up to day 100 was defined as a >2-fold increase in serum creatinine or requirement of dialysis. Of the 358 patients who were included in the analysis, 200 (56%) had AKI, 158 (44%) had no AKI. Overall, 158 patients (43%) died during follow-up. After controlling for potential confounders, the adjusted hazard ratio for overall mortality associated with AKI was 1.57 (95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.2-2.3; P = .0006). The adjusted hazards ratio of nonrelapse mortality (NRM) associated with AKI was 1.72 (95% CI 0.9-3.1; P = .07). AKI is an independent predictor of overall mortality after nonmyeloablative HCT. This finding reiterates the importance of identifying preventative strategies in nonmyeloablative HCT for attenuating incidence and severity of AKI.
Some practical considerations in treating dependencies in PRAs

Abstract This paper reviews the integrated framework for doing common cause failure analysis developed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The important insights that have been gained from this concentrated effort are highlighted. They include a balance between the qualitative and quantitative analysis, the importance of having plant-specific data, and the explicit delineation of the assumptions underlying the various models. The paper also provides some insights into quantifying common cause failures and some approximations that can be used in the quantification process. Data collection needs for common cause failure events are briefly discussed.
A Role for Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate in Gravitropic Signaling and the Retention of Cold-Perceived Gravistimulation of Oat Shoot Pulvini

Plants sense positional changes relative to the gravity vector. To date, the signaling processes by which the perception of a gravistimulus is linked to the initiation of differential growth are poorly defined. We have investigated the role of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP(3)) in the gravitropic response of oat (Avena sativa) shoot pulvini. Within 15 s of gravistimulation, InsP(3) levels increased 3-fold over vertical controls in upper and lower pulvinus halves and fluctuated in both pulvinus halves over the first minutes. Between 10 and 30 min of gravistimulation, InsP(3) levels in the lower pulvinus half increased 3-fold over the upper. Changes in InsP(3) were confined to the pulvinus and were not detected in internodal tissue, highlighting the importance of the pulvinus for both graviperception and response. Inhibition of phospholipase C blocked the long-term increase in InsP(3), and reduced gravitropic bending by 65%. Short-term changes in InsP(3) were unimpaired by the inhibitor. Gravitropic bending of oat plants is inhibited at 4 degrees C; however, the plants retain the information of a positional change and respond at room temperature. Both short- and long-term changes in InsP(3) were present at 4 degrees C. We propose a role for InsP(3) in the establishment of tissue polarity during the gravitropic response of oat pulvini. InsP(3) may be involved in the retention of cold-perceived gravistimulation by providing positional information in the pulvini prior to the redistribution of auxin.
Subsonic Axisymmetric Near-Wake Studies

The turbulent near-wake of a cylindrical blunt-based body aligned with a uniform freestream was experimentally investigated. Tests were conducted over the entire subsonic Mach number range in a wind tunnel utilizing an upstream model support system. Results indicate that the separation process influences the flow approaching the blunt base for at least 3 model diameters. The base pressure coefficient is constant for Mach numbers less than 0.8, but drops rapidly at near-sonic speeds. The size of the near-wake increases with Mach number. A similarity expression for the near-wake centerline velocity distribution is developed.
Bioturbation, sedimentation and sediment-water exchanges

Abstract A number of pollutants are associated with the particulate matter in river, estuary and coastal environments. Following cessation of a contaminant discharge, a question sometimes arises as to what degree and over what time period deposited sediments may be a pollutant source to the indigenous water column. In addition to chemical and biological reactions and exchanges, this assessment depends on at least three physical processes, viz., sedimentation rate in burying polluted sediments, bioturbation in reconstituting polluted sediments back to the sediment-water interface, and bottom sediment-water column exchanges. The theoretical formulation and solutions are given for these physical processes, and the theoretical results are applied to mercury observations from sediment cores in Bellingham Bay, Washington, USA
A note on some limitations of CRRA utility

Abstract In a standard environment for choice under uncertainty with constant relative risk aversion (CRRA), the existence of expected utility is fragile with respect to changes in the distributions of random variables, changes in prior information, or the assumption of rational expectations.
L. micdadei PVE successfully treated with levofloxacin/valve replacement: case report and review of the literature

Prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) due to Legionella micdadei was diagnosed in a man a year after valve replacement with a bovine xenograft. He did not have pneumonia. The microbiologic diagnosis was established after valvectomy, which was necessitated by failure of empiric antibiotics to eradicate the infection. The fastidious organism grew only on buffered charcoal yeast extract agar and was confirmed as L. micdadei by gene sequence analysis. We believe this to be the first culture-proven case of L. micdadei PVE reported in the literature.
Evaluation of muscles affected by myositis using magnetic resonance elastography.

Introduction: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs, or myositis) represent a group of autoimmune diseases that result in decreased muscle strength and/or endurance. Non-invasive tools to assess muscle may improve our understanding of the clinical and functional consequences of myopathies and their response to treatment. In this study we examine magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), a non-invasive technique that assesses the shear modulus (stiffness) of muscle, in IIM subjects. Methods: Nine subjects with active myositis completed the MRE protocol. Participants lay in a positioning device, and scans of the vastus medialis (VM) were taken in the relaxed state and at two contraction levels. Manual inversion was used to estimate the stiffness. Results: A significant reduction in muscle stiffness was seen in myositis subjects compared with healthy controls during the “relaxed” condition. Discussion: The use of non-invasive technologies such as MRE may provide greater understanding of the pathophysiology of IIM and improve assessment of treatment efficacy. Muscle Nerve, 2011
Comparative personality judgments: replication and extension of robust findings in personality perception using an alternative method.

The scientific study of accuracy in personality judgment typically involves the utilization of rating scales to make absolute decisions about a target individual. Although this method has many merits, it restricts some experimental options and is further removed from ecological validity than one would desire. These studies represent an attempt to develop an alternative methodology for the study of personality judgment—specifically for use in explorations of judgment process. A series of photo sets containing pictures of 3 individuals, each representing a different level of a specific personality trait, was created. The participant's task was to select high and low scorers on a dimension from the photos. Study 1 demonstrates that people can select targets with extreme scores from a photo lineup at a rate better than chance across several personality dimensions. Study 2 shows that this ability has some degree of temporal consistency. Study 3 represents an improvement on the general method via enhanced crite...
HIBERNATING HAMSTERS REALLY DISCONNECT

![Figure][1] When the weather closes in and winter threatens to bite, many animals hibernate to see them through the harsh winter months. During hibernation, metabolism is down-regulated by decreasing energy expenditure for long periods and reducing an animal's heart rate and blood flow,
An electromyographic study of aspects of 'deprogramming' of human jaw muscles.

Summary Surface electromyograms from the right and left masseter and anterior temporalis muscles were used to detect peripheral correlates of deprogramming, also known as programming and reprogramming, of jaw elevator muscles. Putative deprogramming was attempted through the clinically recommended use of a leaf gauge, placed for 15 min between the maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth and disoccluding the posterior teeth by about 2 mm. Studied contractile activities were those of postural activity (subconscious, semi-isometric, minimal activity) and intercuspal teeth clenching (conscious, isometric, maximal activity). Use of the leaf gauge did not affect normalized postural activity (about 4%), the duration (about 900 ms) and static work efforts of clenching (about 1200 μV.s), the time to peak mean voltage of clenching (about 400 ms), and the peak mean voltage of clenching (about 300 μV). Activity and asymmetry indices showed that the studied motor innervation patterns were not changed by the leaf gauge.
Evaluation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic kaolin particle films for peach crop, arthropod and disease management.

Hydrophobic and/or hydrophilic kaolin particle film treatments to peach (Prunus persica (L) Batsch) trees were evaluated for crop and pest management capabilities in six studies from 1997 to 2000. Unsprayed control and standard treatments, the latter consisting of a commercial pesticide program, were included for comparison. Treatments in initial studies were applied via handgun, which resulted in a uniform and heavy deposit of kaolin after the first application. In contrast, treatments in subsequent studies used airblast equipment, which provided a uniform but less dense coverage, even after multiple applications. Results showed that both formulations of kaolin provided control of oriental fruit moth (Grapholita molesta (Busck)), plum curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst)) and Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica Newman) that was comparable with or better than the standard pesticide program. Effective management of late season catfacing insects (tarnished plant bugs Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) and stinkbugs Acrosternum hilare (Say), Euschistus servus (Say), and E tristigmus (Say)) and leafrollers (undetermined species) was also observed, although kaolin applications significantly increased phytophagous mite (Panonychus ulmi (Koch)) levels. In contrast to arthropod management, kaolin failed to control either peach scab (Cladosporium carpophilum (Von Thumen)) or rusty spot (Podosphaera leucotricha (Ell & Ev) ES Salmon) in any of the 4 years of the study. However, hydrophobic kaolin provided effective brown rot (Monilinia fructicola (G Winter) Honey) control when applied via handgun, and partial control when applied via airblast; hydrophilic kaolin failed to provide any control. These results suggest that hydrophobicity and deposit density may be important factors for effective disease management. The application of kaolin significantly delayed fruit maturation, increased fruit size and increased soluble solids relative to the standard. This effect, attributed to a reduction in plant stress, also resulted in increased fruit number and yield on young trees, indicating that an accentuated beneficial response from kaolin applications may be possible. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Increased crop yields following application of Bacillus penetrans to field plots infested with Meloidogyne incognita

Abstract We found Bacillus penetrans to be pathogenic to Meloidogyne incognita under field conditions. B. penetrans was added to the soil of field plots into which tobacco, soybeans or winter vetch were planted in sequence during 1981 and 1982. Tobacco and winter vetch (1981 and 1982) and soybeans in 1982 showed trends of increasing yields with decreasing pathogenicity of M. incognita . There was insufficient evidence to enable one to declare a similar trend for soybeans in 1981. B. penetrans reduced yield losses caused by M. incognita 23% for tobacco 1981, 38% for winter vetch 1981, 24% for tobacco 1982, 35% for soybeans 1982 and 55% for winter vetch 1982.
Wage-Determination Process in U.S. Manufacturing

I. Introduction, 117. — II. The skilled-worker hypothesis, 118. — III. Wage changes in aggregate manufacturing, 131. — IV. Turnover variables and the unemployment rate, 141. — V. Summary and conclusions, 142.
Mechanistic state vector model for cell killing by ionizing radiation

By use of the mechanistic state vector model (MSV model) it is demonstrated that under circumstances where cell division during irradiation is unlikely: 1. A cell survival curve (dose-log surviving fraction curve) that is exponential can be obtained even though some of the surviving cells may have nonlethal damage. Exponential survival curves are said to have zero curvature. 2. In some cases, in the absence of a mixed population, the slope of a single-dose survival curve may decrease in magnitude, as the dose increases for a range of doses. These curves are said to show negative curvature for that range of doses. Fractionating the dose or decreasing the dose rate may result in enhanced cell killing. 3. The initial slope of a mammalian cell survival curve should be independent of the dose rate and number of dose fractions provided that the number of cells having lethal damage builds up to a steady state level during the post irradiation time regime. The magnitude of the initial slope will depend on properties of the cells and on properties of the radiation. 4. A nonzero initial slope in the cell survival curve, after exposure to low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation, may be due to biology, rather than physics.
Suppression of Hepatocyte Growth Factor Production Impairs the Ability of Adipose‐Derived Stem Cells to Promote Ischemic Tissue Revascularization

The use of adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ASCs) for promoting repair of tissues is a promising potential therapy, but the mechanisms of their action are not fully understood. We and others previously demonstrated accelerated reperfusion and tissue salvage by ASCs in peripheral ischemia models and have shown that ASCs secrete physiologically relevant levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor. The specific contribution of HGF to ASC potency was determined by silencing HGF expression. RNA interference was used to downregulate HGF expression. A dual-cassette lentiviral construct expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) and either a small hairpin RNA specifically targeted to HGF mRNA (shHGF) or an inactive control sequence (shCtrl) were used to stably transduce ASCs (ASC-shHGF and ASC-shCtrl, respectively). Transduced ASC-shHGF secreted >80% less HGF, which led to a reduced ability to promote survival, proliferation, and migration of mature and progenitor endothelial cells in vitro. ASC-shHGF were also significantly impaired, compared with ASC-shCtrl, in their ability to promote reperfusion in a mouse hindlimb ischemia model. The diminished ability of ASCs with silenced HGF to promote reperfusion of ischemic tissues was reflected by reduced densities of capillaries in reperfused tissues. In addition, fewer GFP+ cells were detected at 3 weeks in ischemic limbs of mice treated with ASC-shHGF compared with those treated with ASC-shCtrl. These results indicate that production of HGF is important for the potency of ASCs. This finding directly supports the emerging concept that local factor secretion by donor cells is a key element of cell-based therapies. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Effects of β-d-xyloside on differentiation of the respiratory epithelium in the fetal mouse lung

Abstract Differentiation of respiratory endings in the fetal lung appears to be controlled by its surrounding mesodermal capsule. The capsule may exert its influence by controlling the composition of the epithelial basal lamina or of the extended extracellular matrix that is deposited during the period when alveolar sacs are formed. As a first step in testing this hypothesis, the effects of the drug, p-nitrophenyl-β- d -xylopyranoside (β-xyloside), an inhibitor of proteoglycan synthesis, and its inactive α anomer (α-xyloside) were examined. Lung primordia from mice at 16 days of gestation were tested for inhibition of morphological and functional differentiation as a result of drug treatment. Pseudoglandular lung epithelium did not form respiratory endings, contained fewer specialized cells, and accumulated little additional surfactant when treated with β-xyloside but developed normally when treated with α-xyloside or grown in control medium. The results are interpreted to suggest that deposition of an extracellular matrix rich in proteoglycan is required to support maturation of the respiratory epithelium.
The growth kinetics of B. subtilis.

There has been considerable discussion by Kubitschek and Cooper concerning the growth rate of cells ofE. coli throughout the cell cycle. Consequently, it is relevant to test Kubitschek's linear model against the exponential model espoused by Cooper (and many others) with another organism and another technique.
Optimal weighting of data to detect climatic change: Application to the carbon dioxide problem

Increasing carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is expected to lead to warming of the surface of the earth. Detection of the warming is difficult because it must be distinguished from natural variability of temperatures due to daily weather changes. It is shown that a weighting of surface temperature data using information about the expected level of warming in different seasons and geographical regions and statistical information about the amount of natural variability in surface temperature can improve the chances of early detection of the warming. Surface temperature data are conventionally averaged over the surface of the earth, weighted according to the geographical area represented by the data. A preliminary analysis of the optimal weighting method suggests that it is 25% more effective in revealing a surface warming than the conventional weighting method, in the sense that 25% more data analyzed in the conventional way are needed to have the same chance of detecting the climatic warming. The possibility of detecting the warming in data already available is examined. A rough calculation suggests that the warming ought to have already been detected if the only sources of significant variability in surface temperature had time scales less than 1 year.
MVA approximations for SJN scheduling

Abstract The paper proposes an approximation for modeling shortest-job-next (SJN) scheduling discipline at single server stations. The approximation is developed in the form of a response time equation, which can be used directly in the well known Mean Value Analysis (MVA) technique. Detailed experimental results are presented that show the approximation to be highly accurate. We then examine a more complex situation, i.e., the case of a multiple chain network with nonpreemptive priority among chains and SJN scheduling within a chain. Two known ways of modeling priorities are considered and the results compared. Finally, we propose two techniques for handling stations with a restricted type of load dependence. These techniques are not limited to SJN scheduling, but apply to any discipline for which we can write reliable response time equations for a load-independent station.
Improvement of Psoriasis During Sunitinib Therapy for Renal Cell Carcinoma

Sunitinib is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which is indicated for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. The authors report the case of a patient who underwent treatment for renal cell carcinoma and noted additional benefit by improvement in his psoriatic skin lesions. This may be attributed to the antiangiogenic activity of sunitinib by inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors.
Pleiotropic nature of bacteriophage tolerant mutants obtained in early-blocked asporogenous mutants of Bacillus subtilis 168.

Bacterial mutants tolerant to bacteriophages ϕ 15 and ϕ 29 were isolated from early-blocked asporogenous mutants ofBacillus subtilis 168. These mutants are able to adsorb phages but are not killed by them. Two classes of tolerant mutants were recognized:tolA mutants which are tolerant to ϕ 15 but not ϕ 29, andtolB mutants which are tolerant to both phages. Although the parental strain (spoA12) used for the isolation of thetol mutants is a pleiotropic negative mutant, alltol mutants which have been examined have regained some wild type traits. Genetic studies have shown that thesetol mutants are neither revertants nor suppressor mutants of thespoA gene. Thesetol mutants affect bothspoA andspoB mutations. These mutants do not sporulate and they do not lyse as rapidly as the parental strain. All these results are consistent with the hypothesis that they are all cell envelope mutants.
Shadowing and the role of small diffusivity in the chaotic advection of scalars

Using techniques from shadowing theory, the solution of the scalar advection–diffusion equation is studied. It is shown that, under certain circumstances, the effect of small scalar diffusivity is to smooth the zero‐diffusivity solution by averaging local fine‐scaled structure against a Gaussian. The method of study depends on shadowing and thus fails for nonuniformly stretching systems, its failure suggesting the ways in which the effects of asymptotically small molecular diffusion can become nonlocal in chaotic fluid flows.
The classification of distance-regular graphs of type IIB

The distance-regular graphsΛ of type IIB in Bannai and Ito [1] have intersection numbers of the form Open image in new window whered is the diameter of Λ, andh, x, andt are complex constants. In this paper we show a graph of type IIB and diameterd (3≦d) is either the antipodal quotient of the Hamming graphH(2d+1,2), or has the same intersection numbers as the antipodal quotient ofH(2d, 2).
Functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence for right-hemisphere involvement in processing unusual semantic relationships

Brain areas active in generating usual (typical) or unusual (atypical) noun-verb relations were examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Seven adults generated the 1st verb to come to mind (usual verb) in response to novel and repeated nouns (priming test) and then generated either an unusual verb or the 1st verb to come to mind in response to novel nouns (unusual test). The left inferior prefrontal cortex (LIPC) and right cerebellum were more active when generating usual verbs to novel nouns than to repeated nouns. When participants generated unusual verbs, there was no increased activation in LIPC, but there was increased activity in the right middle and superior frontal gyri, left middle frontal gyrus, and bilateral cerebellum. Results support theories that the right hemisphere is involved in the processing of distant associations that may be useful in creative thought and problem solving.
The effect of phenothiazines upon maintenance of membrane integrity in the cultured myocardial cell.

The cultured myocardial cell provides a defined model for examining factors which are responsible for maintaining cellular viability and sarcolemmal integrity. Our data indicates that the spontaneous loss of myocyte membrane integrity is a calcium-dependent process and thus provides a method for examining the mechanism through which calcium exerts this effect. Antimyosin antibody staining and propidium iodide uptake were used to quantitate membrane integrity. The integrity of the cell membrane was inversely related to the calcium concentration in the culture medium. This loss of membrane integrity was calmodulin-dependent as demonstrated by the following: (1) phenothiazines (trifluoperazine >chlorpromazine>promethazine) and structurally dissimilar calmodium-inhibitors prevented the formation of sarcolemmal defects at concentrations similar to those known to inhibit calmodulin; (2) phenothiazines and calcium demonstrated a competitive interaction with respect to this effect on membrane integrity. Electron microscopy confirmed the integrity of the sarcolemma of the cells exposed to high phenothiazine concentrations although metabolic alterations occurred in these cells as evidenced by an increased membrane permeability to the low molecular weight probe propidium iodide, degenerative changes in the fine structure of the mitochondria, the accumulation of autophagic vacuoles in the cytoplasm and the loss of contractile ability. These findings indicate that calmodulin inhibitory compounds are capable of preserving the membrane integrity of cardiac myocytes, interfering with a calcium-dependent process that is associated with the spontaneous attrition of these cells in culture. Significant intracellular alterations appear at high doses of these agents even while the sarcolemma is free of gross defects.
Aqueous-phase ketonization of acetic acid over Ru/TiO2/carbon catalysts

Abstract The ketonization of acetic acid over Ru/TiO2 and Ru/TiO2/C catalysts has been accomplished in the liquid phase at temperatures significantly lower than those typically needed for this reaction. The catalysts were prepared by impregnating the activated carbon support with titanium(IV) isopropoxide, followed by slow hydrolysis and calcination in the absence of air. The resulting TiO2/C powder was further impregnated with Ru(III) chloride, dried, and calcined in air. After an in situ pre-reduction in H2, the resulting Ru/TiO2/C exhibited high activity and selectivity to acetone in both organic and aqueous phases at 180 °C. By contrast, when the TiO2/C sample was pre-calcined in air before the addition of Ru, the resulting catalyst showed significantly lower activity, even when it was pre-reduced in situ, and was essentially inactive without pre-reduction. It is believed that surface Ti3+ species can be readily formed and favor the ketonization reaction in the presence of liquid water. A combination of techniques including TEM, BET, TPR, XRD, XPS, and EPR was used to characterize the reducibility of the catalysts as well as the formation of and stability of Ti3+ sites. It is proposed that the presence of Ru on TiO2 facilitates the formation of these reduced sites. Furthermore, the hydrophobicity of the carbon support is believed to slow down the typical inhibiting effect of water for reactions catalyzed by reduced Ti3+ sites.
Stature and body-mass index among mid-nineteenth century south Chinese immigrants.

SummaryMean values of anthropometric measurements of 150 Chinese men, taken in 1864 or 1865, were recovered. The subjects had emigrated to California and were returning to China when they were measured. Comparisons were made to measurements of other Chinese men of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The men of this sample were much taller than those in other South Chinese samples, and about as tall as those in North Chinese samples.
A new look at christian marriage.

The discussion of marriage can become rather forbidding and gloomy when, as often happens, it bogs down on an analysis of various marital difficulties. Too often we are taken up with what is wrong with marriage rather than with what is right with it. I think that there have been many of us who have been influenced by theologians like John Calvin, a very important and creative thinker, but one who had a rather one-sided view of marriage. Consider his commentary on First Corinthians, Chapter 7, in which he says: "Marriage is a remedy ordained by God to help our weakness and is to be used by anyone who does not possess the gift of continence."1 With this kind of "enthusiasm" about marriage, it is easy to see why many Christians have come to think of it as little more than an institution for cripples. Such negativism is not present in much of today's theology, which stresses the positive values of marriage. Marriage is conceived of as a sacrament, which means an encounter with God. Thus it is a way in which human beings can meet God and share in divine life. This em phasis on its joy and goodness casts upon marriage a light very different from that in which it is seen in terms of interpersonal problems or as a remedy for concupiscence. With such diverse attitudes within Christianity, there are many who
A macroscopic-level hybrid lattice particle modeling of mode-I crack propagation in inelastic materials with varying ductility

Abstract This paper presents a numerical method, known as hybrid lattice particle modeling (HLPM), for the study of mode-I crack formation and propagation in two-dimensional geometry subject to a fixed-grip condition. The HLPM combines the strength of two numerical techniques, particle model (PM) and lattice model (LM), for the purpose of solving dynamic fragmentation of solids within a various Poisson’s ratio range. A Lennard-Jones-type potential is employed to describe the nonlinear dynamic interaction of each macroscopic-size particle with its nearest-neighbors. Crack initiation and propagation is investigated for materials with different Young’s modulus, tensile strength and varying ductility. It is demonstrated that crack patterns and propagation closely match the anticipated physical behavior of inelastic materials. Finally, the HLPM is applied to the investigation of a functionally designed composite material of an elastic–brittle infrastructure material coated with a ductile layer for the protection of fracture propagation. The ultimate application is aimed at the retrofitting of failing infrastructure.
Patient Advocacy in the 1990s

In this decade of cost containment in medicine,1,2 many of us have encountered insurance carriers that denied coverage for certain medically indicated procedures or treatments. Managed care has als...
Periorbital rejuvenation in composite rhytidectomy

Conventional blepharoplasty and rhytidectomy techniques do not adequately address the periorbital area in facial rejuvenation. Conventional blepharoplasty, whether transcutaneous or transconjunctival, normally removes lower-eyelid fat when present and only redrapes the skin from the incision line to the orbital rim. The eyelid frequently appears more hollow after surgery. The diameter of the periorbit does not become youthful, and narrow because the complete orbicularis muscle has not been repositioned. Traditional rhytidectomy techniques redrape facial tissues in a lateral direction toward the ear without repositioning of the orbicularis muscle. Composite rhytidectomy and arcus marginalis release create periorbital rejuvenation by preservation and repositioning of the lower-eyelid fat and repositioning of the orbicularis oculi muscle. This procedure satisfies the goal of harmonious facial rejuvenation by making the lower-eyelid-cheek complex appear as young as the remaining parts of the face that have been surgically rejuvenated. Recent modifications of the arcus marginalis release and the orbicularis repositioning allow more predictable results. These modifications are a zygorbicular (zygorbicular-orbicularis) cheek dissection with an arcus marginalis release and septal reset. A transcanthal canthopexy stabilizes the lateral canthal position. Creation of a firm suborbicularis convex surface with this periorbital rejuvenative technique prevents a hollow lower eyelid and improves the appearance of redraped eyelid skin.
Hurdles in low k1 mass production

As the optical lithography pushes toward its theoretical resolution limit 0.25k1, the application of aggressive Resolution Enhancement Techniques (RETs) are required in order to ensure necessary resolution, sufficient process window, and reasonable MEEF in critical layers. When chip makers are adopting RETs in low k1 device, there are a lot of crucial factors to take into account in the development and mass production. Those hurdles are not only difficult to overcome but also highly risky to the company, which adopts low k1 mass production strategy. But, low k1 production strategy is very attractive to all chip makers, owing to improving production capacity and cost of ownership. So, low k1 technology has been investigated by many lithography engineers. Lots of materials have been introduced. Most of them are just in RnD level. In this study, low k1 mass production issues shall be introduced, mainly. The definition of low k1 in mass production shall be suggested. And, a lot of low_k1 issues shall be introduced, also. Most of them were investigated/experienced in RnD development stage and final mass production line. Low k1 mass production, is some what different from only RnD development.
Comment on “Nonlinear Soil-Site Effects in Probabilistic Seismic-Hazard Analysis” by Paolo Bazzurro and C. Allin Cornell

The authors are to be commended for presenting clear and practical solutions to a problem that has long been vexing to engineers and seismologists—how to link probabilistic assessments of ground-motion hazard with the results of geotechnical ground-response analysis. The term “ground- response analysis” is used here to refer to one-dimensional modeling of shear-wave propagation through a soil column, the response of which will generally be nonlinear for engineering design applications. The purpose of this discussion is to point out some of the key assumptions made in the development of the authors’ solution and to offer a preliminary comparison with an alternative ground-response implementation procedure. The authors present two procedures for implementation of ground-response analysis results into probabilistic seismic- hazard analysis (psha). One procedure involves convolution of amplification factors (af) calculated from ground- response analysis with a site-hazard curve developed for reference-site conditions (usually rock). This solution is given by equations (2)–(4) for the case in which the amplification at frequency f [af( f )] is conditioned only on rock hazard for frequency f , and in equations (5)–(7) for the case in which af( f ) is conditioned on the rock-hazard curve at both frequency f and the fundamental frequency of the soil column ( f sc). The second procedure involves modifying the median and standard deviation of a ground-motion intensity measure estimated from an attenuation relationship for rock- site conditions. The median is modified to account for ground-response effects, including sediment nonlinearity, using equation (14). Standard deviation is similarly modified using equation (15). The modified median and standard deviation are then directly used within the hazard integral in lieu of those from the attenuation relation for rock. A critical assumption implicit to both of these procedures is that site effects are correctly simulated by one- dimensional ground-response analysis. More specifically, this …
Chiral-auxiliary-mediated 1,2- cis -glycosylations for the solid-supported synthesis of a biologically important branched α-glucan

Solid-phase oligosaccharide synthesis offers the promise of providing libraries of oligosaccharides for glycomics research. A major stumbling block to solid-phase oligosaccharide synthesis has been a lack of general methods for the stereoselective installation of 1,2-cis-glycosides, and intractable mixtures of compounds are obtained if several such glycosides need to be installed. We have prepared on-resin a biologically important glucoside containing multiple 1,2-cis-glycosidic linkages with complete anomeric control by using glycosyl donors having a participating (S)-(phenylthiomethyl)benzyl chiral auxiliary at C2. A branching point could be installed by using 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc) and allyloxycarbonyl (Alloc) as a versatile set of orthogonal protecting groups. The synthetic strategy made it possible to achieve partial on-resin deprotection of the completed oligosaccharide, thereby increasing the overall efficiency of the synthesis. The combination of classical and auxiliary-mediated neighbouring-group participation for controlling anomeric selectivity is bringing the promise of routine automated solid-supported oligosaccharide synthesis closer.
Synthesis, characterization and in vitro studies of celecoxib-loaded poly(ortho ester) nanoparticles targeted for intraocular drug delivery.

The present investigation is aimed at improving the ocular bioavailability of a poorly water soluble drug, celecoxib, to offer new options in the treatment of chronic eye diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. To do so, we developed a novel formulation of drug-loaded poly(ortho ester) nanoparticles (NPs). We characterized the NPs in terms of size, morphology, controlled-release, degradation and cytocompatibity. Stable and transparent NP emulsions were prepared following a double emulsion solvent diffusion method employing poloxamer 188 as a stabilizer. Physical properties showed a narrow range size distribution of 151-164nm with spherical morphology, negative zeta potentials and remarkably high celecoxib encapsulation efficiency (98%) and loading (64%) of poly(ortho ester) NPs. Drug release followed a zero-order release by a surface erosion-controlled mechanism without any burst effect. Degradation of poly(ortho ester) NPs was observed by measuring the concentration of initial degradation product such as, lactic acid. MTT studies revealed minimal toxicity of NPs (up to 1mg/ml) toward HEK 293 cells. Poly(ortho ester) NPs were not internalized by either Muller or HEK 293 cells, which is highly desirable for a drug carrier to deliver the drugs for prolonged periods to the back of eye. These features have the potential to decrease the number of intraocular injections required to treat chronic eye diseases.
Synthesis of Thin Film Battery Components by the Spray Decomposition Technique

Thin film LiCoO2 anodes and SnO2 cathodes on the order of 1-10 μtm thick have been synthesized using a spray decomposition technique, employing a lithium-nickel nitrate/methanol solution and tin ethylhexanoate/methanol solution, respectively. Preliminary electrochemical test results on the films indicate that the LiCoO2 anodes in general display a relatively high open circuit voltage (OCV) of ≈4.10–4.25V, good specific capacity on the order of 120 mAh/g, and acceptable cycle-ability, with a 16–25% decay in operating voltage after 50 cycles. The SnO2 films display excellent performance characteristics, upon an expected initial drop in capacity, with an OCV of 1.00–1.10V, specific capacity of ≈600 mAh/g, and virtually no decay in operating voltage after 50 cycles. The solid-state electrolyte, lithium phosphate, was prepared in thin film form by a similar spray processing technique. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that spray decomposition can be used to sequentially deposit the anode, electrolyte, and cathode film layers to form a layered thin film battery (TFB), although electrochemical testing of this thin film device has not yet been conducted.
Nocturnal Activity Patterns of Lactating Silver-Haired Bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans): the Influence of Roost-Switching Behavior

A characteristic feature of forest-dwelling bats is that they regularly switch day roosts. The additional time associated with finding or assessing the availability of a new roost, moving offspring to the new roost, coordinating with other group members, and meeting any increased energetic demands that may be associated with these behaviors may influence the number and duration of feeding bouts of reproductive females. To examine the influence of roost-switching on nocturnal activity patterns we radio-tagged lactating female silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) and monitored them on nights when they moved to a new roost site and nights when no roost shift occurred. The typical activity pattern on a non-move night consisted of an initial long bout away from the day roost (median length: 177.4 min) followed by alternating bouts in (50.6 min) and away (57.0 min) from the roost for the rest of the night. On move nights bats reduced the length of their first absent period (82.7 min) and increased the number of trips from the roost, although neither the length of these subsequent absent periods nor the total time absent from the roosts differed from non-move nights. Similarly, total time spent in roosts did not differ between move and non-move nights, but bats made more and shorter visits on move nights. Visits to original and new roosts were not synchronous among colony members, and the length of time for individuals from the same colony to move to a new roost varied from 1 to 4 h. Our results indicate that roost switching did not influence the total time spent in or away from day roosts. Rather, bats moved between the original roost, the new roost, and foraging areas with much greater frequency on move nights.
Shark Ig Light Chain Junctions Are as Diverse as in Heavy Chains

We have characterized a small family of four genes encoding one of the three nurse shark Ig L chain isotypes, called NS5. All NS5 cDNA sequences are encoded by three loci, of which two are organized as conventional clusters, each consisting of a V and J gene segment that can recombine and one C region exon; the third contains a germline-joined VJ in-frame and the fourth locus is a pseudogene. This is the second nurse shark L chain type where both germline-joined and split V-J organizations have been found. Since there are only two rearranging Ig loci, it was possible for the first time to examine junctional diversity in defined fish Ig genes, comparing productive vs nonproductive rearrangements. N region addition was found to be considerably more extensive in length and in frequency than any other vertebrate L chain so far reported and rivals that in H chain. We put forth the speculation that the unprecedented efficiency of N region addition (87-93% of NS5 sequences) may be a result not only of simultaneous H and L chain rearrangement in the shark but also of processing events that afford greater accessibility of the V or J gene coding ends to terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase.
Data-adaptive algorithms for signal detection in sub-Gaussian impulsive interference

We address the problem of coherent detection of a signal embedded in heavy-tailed noise modeled as a sub-Gaussian, alpha-stable process. We assume that the signal is a complex-valued vector of length L, known only within a multiplicative constant, while the dependence structure of the noise, i.e. the underlying matrix of the sub-Gaussian process, is not known. We implement a generalized likelihood ratio detector that employs robust estimates of the unknown noise underlying matrix and the unknown signal strength. The performance of the proposed adaptive detector is compared with that of an adaptive matched filter that uses Gaussian estimates of the noise-underlying matrix and the signal strength and is found to be clearly superior. The proposed new algorithms are theoretically analyzed and illustrated in a Monte-Carlo simulation.