cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Magnetic domain observations and interpretations on Fe/sub 3/Pd for ferromagnetic shape memory

Summary form only given. Ferromagnetic shape memory alloys undergo the usual shape memory effect by changing temperature. It is also possible that they undergo large changes of shape by applying a magnetic field. Alloys with composition near Fe/sub 3/Pd has a highly reversible FCC to FCT transformation, have high saturation magnetization close to that of Fe, and therefore are a good candidate for ferromagnetic shape memory.
Fine Structure of Thermus aquaticus, an Extreme Thermophile

Abstract Electron microscopic studies using thin sections revealed that Thermus aquaticus has a structure similar to that of most other gram-negative bacteria. The cell envelope is tripartite: plasma membrane, thin middle layer, and a thicker and irregular outer layer. The outer layer appears to be joined to the plasma membrane by a series of connections and, when seen in tangential section, the outer layer appears as a series of parallel bands. The cell division mechanism resembles that of typical gram-negative bacteria. Large spherical bodies designated “rotund bodies” are formed as a result of the association of a number of separate cells. In this association the outer envelope layers of the cells fuse and pull away from the middle layer. The rotund body thus appears as a series of rods, usually lying in parallel around the periphery of the sphere, completely connected by means of the fused outer layer.
Sacred Texts and Introductory Texts: The Case of Mead's Samoa

A survey of 118 introductory anthropology textbooks published in the period 1929-1990 examines the ways in which Margaret Mead s Coming of Age in Samoa has been presented to college undergraduates. In contrast to Derek Freeman s claim that her conclusions about Samoan sexuality and adolescence have been reiterated (approvingly) in an "unbroken succession of anthropological textbooks," it appears that this work has been ignored almost as often as it has been cited. Criticisms of Mead, although relatively few and almost entirely methodological, have also been incorporated into textbooks, both before and following Freeman s 1983 book, Margaret Mead and Samoa. Whether or not Mead has been a "holy woman" in American cultural anthropology, Coming of Age in Samoa does not appear to have been a "sacred text."
Development of a Theory of Mind in Individuals with Mental Retardation.

The ability of adolescents with mental retardation to reason about other people's mental states was examined. Subjects were asked questions about the knowledge and beliefs of characters in stories that they heard and saw enacted with props. The adolescents with mental retardation performed worse than did children without mental retardation matched for MA. The adolescents with mental retardation did better on questions requiring first-order reasoning than on those involving second-order reasoning; this pattern is similar to that found previously for children without mental retardation.
A Computational Framework for Implementation of Neural Networks on Multi-Core Machine

Abstract This paper presents a computational framework, the Generic Programmable Neural Network (GPNN), for efficient implementation of Back-Propagation based neural learning algorithms running on multi-core machines. GPNN has three components: parallelization of neural learning, abstraction of network components, and compile-time generalization. Together these computational components make GPNN an efficient framework for fast implementation of back-propagation based neural learning algorithms, and provide flexibility and reusability for modifying neural network topologies. The GPNN was applied to four different neural learning algorithms: classic back-propagation (BP), quick propagation (QP), resilient propagation (RP) and Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithm. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of GPNN, and results show that the neural learning algorithms implemented in GPNN are more efficient than their respective functions provided by Matlab.
On a class of implicit differential inclusions

The existence of solutions is established for implicit differential inclusions M(x') + C(x) 3 0 in Rn involving the sum of a maximal monotone mapping M and an upper semicontinuous mapping C with compact, closed values. A question of Wenzel is answered in the affirmative.
Mechanisms of protection against herpes simplex virus type 1-induced retinal necrosis by in vitro-activated T lymphocytes.

Abstract In BALB/c mice, acute retinal necrosis occurs in the uninoculated eye 8 to 10 days following uniocular anterior chamber inoculation of the KOS strain of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Retinitis in the uninjected eye can be prevented if HSV-1-specific immune effector cells that have been restimulated with virus in vitro are administered intravenously within 1 day of anterior chamber inoculation of virus. We explored further the mechanism of protection afforded by these activated immune effector cells. The results of our studies revealed that optimal protection from retinitis required in vitro restimulation, since infusion of 50 x 10(6) HSV-1-primed but nonrestimulated cells could not protect as well as 10 x 10(6) activated cells. Analysis of both restimulated and nonrestimulated cells showed that only in vitro-restimulated cells were cytotoxic to HSV-1-infected syngeneic target cells. From these studies, we concluded that the ability to kill virus-infected target cells contributed to optimal protection achieved by intravenous administration of activated immune effector cells. Furthermore, T-cell subset depletion of activated immune effector cells demonstrated that both L3T4+ and Lyt-2+ T cells in the transfer inoculum contributed to protection. Additional studies revealed that although the transferred immune effector cells reached the injected eye within 24 h, virus replication in the injected eye was not affected. In the uninjected eye, virus titers were low, consistent with protection of this eye from retinitis. Taken together, the virus recovery results suggest that the interaction of virus with intravenously administered HSV-1-specific immune effector cells which limits virus spread and/or replication of virus probably occurred within the central nervous system and prevented the second wave of virus from entering the uninoculated eye.
Increasing the tracking region of an eye-in-hand system using controlled active vision

A control strategy that allows a manipulator-camera system to track objects with planar motion while simultaneously avoiding kinematic singularities by moving in directions along which the tracking task space is unconstrained is presented. The projection of a Cartesian manipulability gradient on these directions of motion is used to determine the magnitude and direction of the required motion for singularity avoidance, while the controlled active vision paradigm is used for tracking. The algorithms developed have been experimentally verified on an eye-in-hand system. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method by showing that the tracking region of a manipulator tracking objects with planar motion can be increased by a factor of between two and three. The overall accuracy of the tracking system is also improved. >
Predictive analytics on Electronic Health Records (EHRs) using Hadoop and Hive

Healthcare industry is providing massive amounts of patient data. The need for parallel processing is apparent for mining these data sets to provide personalized medicine or advice to patients. An EHR data management system is essential to provide insights and predict outcomes from past patient data. In this paper, we present an EHR data management system to process massive amounts of healthcare data. The system is built on Hive, which is scalable and dynamic compared to traditional data warehouses. Patient data can be uploaded to Hive from a variety of sources like flat files, web pages, real-time applications and databases. Unlike traditional data warehouses, used for transaction processing and analytics, Hive is used for analytics only. The data can be easily sent to Reports application to generate graphs and charts from the Hive data warehouse. The graphical charts are useful for doctors and researchers to understand and propose medications based on evidence from a large number of past patient records. The predictive analysis is helpful to treat patients using specific medications, based on a number of factors such as lifestyle, family history, smoking habits, and health conditions such as blood pressure and diabetes.
RNA splicing in Neurospora mitochondria. Defective splicing of mitochondrial mRNA precursors in the nuclear mutant cyt18-1

Abstract cyt18-1 (299-9) is a nuclear mutant of Neurospora crassa that has been shown to have a temperature-sensitive defect in splicing the mitochondrial large rRNA intron. In the present work, we investigate the effect of the cyt 18-1 mutation on splicing of mitochondrial mRNA introns. Two genes were studied in detail; the cytochrome b ( cob ) gene, which contains two introns, and a “long form” of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I ( coI ) gene, which contains four introns. We found that splicing of both cob introns and splicing of at least two of the coI introns are strongly inhibited in the mutant, whereas splicing of col intron 1, which is excised as a 2.6 × 10 3 base circle, is relatively unaffected. The rRNA intron and both cob introns are group I introns, whereas the circular coI intron may belong to another structural class. Control experiments showed that the degree of inhibition of splicing is greater in the mutant than can be accounted for by severe inhibition of mitochondrial protein synthesis. Finally, experiments in which mutant cells were shifted from 25 °C to 37 °C showed that splicing of the large rRNA precursor and splicing of the coI mRNA precursor are inhibited with similar kinetics. Considered together, our results suggest that the cyt 18-1 gene encodes a trans -acting component that is required for the splicing of group I mitochondrial DNA introns or some subclass thereof. Since Neurospora cob intron 1 has been shown to be self-splicing in vitro , defective splicing of this intron in cyt 18-1 indicates that an essentially RNA-catalyzed splicing reaction must be facilitated by a trans -acting factor, presumably a protein, in vivo .
Lysophosphatidylcholine reversibly arrests exocytosis and viral fusion at a stage between triggering and membrane merger.

Abstract Little is known of the events occurring between membrane fusion triggering and subsequent fusion steps. To dissect this process we applied a reversible inhibitor of membrane fusion, lysophosphatidylcholine, to arrest exocytosis and virus-mediated syncytia formation. Next Ca2+ or H+ (the respective fusion triggers) was administered and later removed. Then, inhibitor was withdrawn and fusion ensued, demonstrating that triggering causes the formation of an "activated state," which later develops into the fused state. Therefore, while different fusion processes utilize different triggers, the pivotal step involving membrane merger is trigger-independent and lipid-sensitive.
Simulation of hardware support for OpenGL graphics architecture

The growing number of applications for 3D graphics and imaging systems in the mass market requires the customized approach to the design of high-performance 3D graphics and imaging system architectures. That fact coupled with the strong trends to industrial standardization of graphics API, such as OpenGL, leads to enhanced portability for imaging and graphics applications. The progress on the hardware support of API functionality gives a real possibility to use a top-down approach in the design of custom graphics/imaging systems based on the mixed hardware/software implementation of the OpenGL architecture. Software simulation is a relatively cheap and fast way for initial graphics architecture template development and evaluation to acquire the structure and parameters that can be used later for HDL elaboration and simulation. This paper discusses a 3D graphics and imaging system architecture model implementation based on OpenGL API hardware support simulation. The object-oriented approach has been used for this development of analytic and software models simulating hardware units on different stages of the graphics pipeline. The Interactive Imaging System Architecture Composer has been developed in this project for fast run-time simulation management, data acquisition and interpretation. The expandable set of architecture templates uses a reconfigurable shared library of "virtual hardware units" simulating the different hardware structures for graphics and image processing.
Dietary black raspberries modulate DNA methylation in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is characterized by chronic inflammation of the colon. During inflammation, NF-κB is increased in colonic epithelial cells and in immune cells, leading to increases in proinflammatory cytokines. These events then increase DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), which silence a subset of tumor suppressor genes by promoter methylation. Negative regulators of the Wnt pathway are frequently methylated in UC, leading to dysregulation of the pathway and, potentially, to colorectal cancer. We determined if black raspberries (BRBs) influence promoter methylation of suppressors in the Wnt pathway in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced UC. C57BL/6J mice received 1% DSS and were fed either control or 5% BRB diets. Mice were euthanized on days 7, 14 and 28, and their colons, spleen and bone marrow were collected. Berries reduced ulceration at day 28. This was accompanied by decreased staining of macrophages and neutrophils and decreased NF-κB p65 nuclear localization in the colon at all time points. At day 7, BRBs demethylated the promoter of dkk3, leading to its increased messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in colon, spleen and bone marrow. β-Catenin nuclear localization, c-Myc staining as well as protein expression of DNMT3B, histone deacetylases 1 and 2 (HDAC1 and HDAC2) and methyl-binding domain 2 (MBD2) were all decreased in colon; mRNA expression of these four proteins was decreased in bone marrow cells by BRBs. These results suggest that BRBs suppress colonic ulceration by correcting promoter hypermethylation of suppressor genes in the colon, as well as in the spleen and bone marrow that systematically regulate inflammation. Summary: Our results suggest that dietary BRBs suppress colonic ulceration by correcting promoter hypermethylation of suppressor genes in the colon, as well as in the spleen and bone marrow that systematically regulate inflammation in DSS-induced UC.
Reconstruction of the Coronoid Process Using a Fragment of Discarded Radial Head

Maintaining ulnohumeral stability can be difficult when either the coronoid is too fragmented for primary repair or operative delay makes repair difficult or impossible. In addition to ligament repair, restoration of radiocapitellar contact using radial head arthroplasty, and hinged external fixation, reconstruction of the coronoid using a fragment of the discarded radial head—a technique described in this report—can help restore elbow stability and function.
Cross-regulation of Novel Protein Kinase C (PKC) Isoform Function in Cardiomyocytes ROLE OF PKCε IN ACTIVATION LOOP PHOSPHORYLATIONS AND PKCδ IN HYDROPHOBIC MOTIF PHOSPHORYLATIONS

Recent studies identify conventional protein kinase C (PKC) isoform phosphorylations at conserved residues in the activation loop and C terminus as maturational events that influence enzyme activity and targeting but are not dynamically regulated by second messengers. In contrast, this study identifies phorbol 12-myristoyl 13-acetate (PMA)- and norepinephrine-induced phosphorylations of PKC epsilon (at the C-terminal hydrophobic motif) and PKC delta (at the activation loop) as events that accompany endogenous novel PKC (nPKC) isoform activation in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Agonist-induced nPKC phosphorylations are prevented (and the kinetics of PMA-dependent PKC down-regulation are slowed) by pharmacologic inhibitors of nPKC kinase activity. PKC delta is recovered from PMA-treated cultures with increased in vitro lipid-independent kinase activity (and altered substrate specificity); the PMA-dependent increase in PKC delta kinase activity is attenuated when PKC delta activation loop phosphorylation is prevented. To distinguish roles of individual nPKC isoforms in nPKC phosphorylations, wild-type (WT) and dominant negative (DN) PKC delta and PKC epsilon mutants were introduced into cardiomyocyte cultures using adenovirus-mediated gene transfer. WT-PKC delta and WT-PKC epsilon are highly phosphorylated at activation loop and hydrophobic motif sites, even in the absence of allosteric activators. DN-PKC delta is phosphorylated at the activation loop but not the hydrophobic motif; DN-PKC epsilon is phosphorylated at the hydrophobic motif but not the activation loop. Collectively, these results identify a role for PKC epsilon in nPKC activation loop phosphorylations and PKC delta in nPKC hydrophobic motif phosphorylations. Agonist-induced nPKC isoform phosphorylations that accompany activation/translocation of the enzyme contribute to the regulation of PKC delta kinase activity, may influence nPKC isoform trafficking/down-regulation, and introduce functionally important cross-talk for nPKC signaling pathways in cardiomyocytes.
A Network Approach to Preparing Underrepresented Students: The LEAD Model

Results are reported from an empirical study of an interorganizational collaboration to prepare underrepresented students for elite postsecondary education and beyond. The LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) Program in Business is an initiative involving twelve U.S. universities, nearly forty multinational corporations, a federal government agency, and a nonprofit organization working together to introduce students to business education and careers in business. This article analyzes the conditions that give rise to the collaboration, its essential structural characteristics, and the consequences that flow from it.
Community-level analysis of risk of vector-borne disease

Ecological community structure is particularly important in vector-borne zoonotic diseases with complex life cycles. Qualitative community model analysis may provide a meaningful alternative to standard population-based models of vector-borne disease. We built on recent mathematical developments in qualitative community modeling coupled with conventional biomathematical models of vector-borne disease transmission, to provide a procedure to analyze risk. Using this procedure, we can hypothesize changes in risk of vector-borne disease from disturbances, such as control measures, habitat alteration, or global warming. We demonstrate the application of this procedure to an oak forest community to predict the risk of Lyme disease. Our predictions of Lyme disease risk in an oak forest community confirm reports of positive associations between deer abundance and risk of disease and are consistent with published observations.
Personality and deception ability

Abstract Thirty-eight undergraduate subjects were administered the 16 Personality Factors Questionnaire, the Bem Sex Role Inventory, the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, and a measure of sociopolitical attitudes and a week later took part in a videotaped deception task. Subjects were requested to give short, videorecorded presentations on different sociopolitical topics. The topics were chosen in order to assure that each subject would give two presentations that were consistent with their attitudes (truth-telling), two presentations that were counter-attitudinal (deceptive), and two presentations on neutral topics. The presentations were then viewed by volunteer judges who rated each on a scale of believability. Results indicated that outgoing and energetic subjects were more successful deceivers, and that apprehensive subjects were less successful deceivers, presumably due to honest/deceptive demeanor biases. Persons scoring high on social desirability and on the motivational distortion (lie) scale of the 16 PF, were also more successful at the deception task. These findings replicate and expand previous research on the role of individual differences in deception ability.
Murine Pulmonary Alveolar Macrophages: Rates of Bacterial Ingestion, Inactivation, and Destruction

The component processes of phagocytosis (ingestion, inactivation, and destruction of bacteria) were studied in mice by histological and microbiological techniques after aerosol infection with Staphylococcus aureus. Rates of bacterial ingestion and inactivation were (respectively): 0 hr, 37.7% and 0; 1 hr, 64.5% and 45.8%; 2 hr, 75.9% and 67.9%; 4 hr, 82.4% and 84.1%; and 8 hr, 90.7% and 94.8%. Bacterial destruction began 2-4 hr after aerosol infection and affected 80% of the bacteria by 8 hr. Comparison of these processes indicated that bacterial ingestion occurred before inactivation and was 76% complete at 2 hr. Inactivation resulted in death of 84% of the bacteria at 4 hr, and 80% of the bacteria were at least partially destroyed by 8 hr. The mechanism of X-irradiation-induced depression of pulmonary bacterial inactivation was studied in syngeneic mice protected from lethal effects of X-irradiation by chest and pelvic shields or by transplantation of 2 times 10(6) bone marrow cells. Impairments in bacterial inactivation resulted from diminished ingestion of bacteria by macrophages.
H-Shellings and h-Complexes

We introduce and study a new class of shellings of simplicial complexes that we call h-shellings. These shellings allow the construction of a subcomplex of the original one with particularly nice enumerative and topological properties. Several infinite classes of such complexes are discussed. Included in these classes are Coxeter complexes, Tits buildings, and order complexes of many shellable posets.
The response of two butterfly species to climatic variation at the edge of their range and the implications for poleward range shifts

To predict changes in species’ distributions due to climate change we must understand populations at the poleward edge of species’ ranges. Ecologists generally expect range shifts under climate change caused by the expansion of edge populations as peripheral conditions increasingly resemble the range core. We tested whether peripheral populations of two contrasting butterflies, a small-bodied specialist (Erynnis propertius) and a large-bodied generalist (Papilio zelicaon), respond favorably to warmer conditions. Performance of populations related to climate was evaluated in seven peripheral populations spanning 1.2° latitude (160 km) using: (1) population density surveys, an indirect measure of site suitability; and (2) organismal fitness in translocation experiments. There was evidence that population density increased with temperature for P. zelicaon whose population density declined with latitude in 1 of 3 sample years. On the other hand, E. propertius showed a positive relationship of population density with latitude, apparently unrelated to climate or measured habitat variables. Translocation experiments showed increased larval production at increased temperatures for both species, and in P. zelicaon, larval production also increased under drier conditions. These findings suggest that both species may increase at their range edge with warming but the preference for core-like conditions may be stronger in P. zelicaon. Further, populations of E. propertius at the range boundary may be large enough to act as sources of colonists for range expansions, but range expansion in this species may be prevented by a lack of available host plants further north. In total, the species appear to respond differently to climate and other factors that vary latitudinally, factors that will likely affect poleward expansion.
Development of novel smart device based application for serial wound imaging and management.

Abstract Burn wound photography has diverse clinical applications; however, inherent technological limitations mitigate its utility. Limitations include lack of quality control, serial imaging, complexity, and expense. With the performance gap between smart devices and digital cameras rapidly narrowing, and computing performance increasing, smart devices are poised to uniquely address these limitations and enhance the field of wound photography. To this end, we developed a proof-of-concept smart device application addressing the limitations of traditional photography and meeting the needs of burn clinicians. The result was an innovative smart device application providing user-friendly serial imaging and informatics capabilities at the patient bedside. The application generated images with significantly higher brightness (2.4 ± 1.07 vs. 3.8 ± 1.69, n = 15, p
Compact rings having a finite simple group of units

Abstract For a compact Hausdorff ring, one observes that the group of units is a totally disconnected compact topological group and is a finite simple group if and only if it possesses no nontrivial closed normal subgroups. Three classification theorems for compact rings are now given. First, those compact rings with identity having a finite simple group of units are identified. Second, a classification of all compact rings A with identity for which 2 is a unit in A, G modulo the center of G is a finite simple group and the length of W is less than or equal to 4 (or equivalently, W is a torsion group) is given where G is the group of units in A and W is the subgroup of G generated by {g∈ G: g2 = 1}. Finally, those compact rings with identity having 2 as a unit and for which W is a nilpotent group are identified.
Comparison of the estimation performance of coherent and non-coherent ambiguity functions for an ultrawideband multi-input-multi-output noise radar

The authors start by analysing the mean square error (MSE) of target velocity and location estimation in ultrawideband (UWB) multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) noise radar. In the authors- system architecture, transmit antennas are illuminated by UWB-independent noise waveforms to meet the requirement of MIMO spatial diversity. The ambiguity function (AF) formulation is applied to implement the estimations. Since the maximum value of the AF is attained when the time-delay and Doppler stretch of replica signals are exactly matched with the ones corresponding to the reflections, this estimation is also a peak localisation problem. When noise is added, the peak may be located in a different place causing error. In this study, the authors formulate probability density functions (pdfs) to approximate the distributions of coherent and non-coherent ambiguity functions (CAFs and NCAFs) that are then applied to analyse MSE of their estimates. The pdfs are also applied to analyse the detection performance based on different AF approaches. Based on the analyses, the authors demonstrate that the NCAF-based estimation is a better approach in spatial diversity MIMO radars.
Health care utilization among drug-using and non-drug-using women.

This article explores patterns of health care utilization among urban female illegal drug users and nonusers. Interviews were conducted between August 1997 and August 2000 in Atlanta, Georgia, among current drug-using and nonusing women aged 18 to 71 years (n=235). Women were recruited using outreach, and targeted sampling. Data were examined with multivariate and bivariate methods. Compared to nonusers, the most frequent users were significantly more likely to fail to seek needed health care (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=3.31,95% confidence interval [CI]=1.18, 9.29) and to use a hospital emergency room as their primary source for care (aOR= 6.04, 95% CI=1.97, 18.56). Multivariate results also suggest that age, self-rated health, alcohol use, insurance coverage, financial strain, and the presence of minor children are associated with health service utilization. Future health policy and research among similar populations must continue to address individual and sociodemographic factors that influence service utilization and seek to incorporate preventive care for vulnerable populations within emergency room settings.
Thermal bonding of nonwovens as simulated by polypropylene films: Effect of time, temperature, and molecular weight

Many nonwoven fabrics are made by melt spinning semicrystalline fibers followed by thermal bonding using heated calendar rolls. In this work, we have studied thermal bonding of polypropylene films to simulate bonding of nonwoven fibers. We have tried to relate the thermal bond strengths with the concepts of chain dynamics via interfacial adhesion development at symmetric polymer interfaces. This requires relating the microscopic dynamics of chains with macroscopic interfacial adhesion measurements. It was found that the interfacial bond strength was proportional to the fraction of the crystals melted. This required heating the interfacial region between the polymer layers into the melting region. Bond strengths were also related to process time as t1/2. This dependence is consistent with the literature for reptation, but is also due to the required thermal diffusion to bring the interfacial region to the bonding temperature. Finally, the bond strength is also dependent on the polymer molecular weight as 1/M1/2, which is consistent with forming the bonds via chain reptation, provided that the bonding time is less than the reptation time. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Know Your Place: Neural Processing of Social Hierarchy in Humans

Summary Social hierarchies guide behavior in many species, including humans, where status also has an enormous impact on motivation and health. However, little is known about the underlying neural representation of social hierarchies in humans. In the present study, we identify dissociable neural responses to perceived social rank using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in an interactive, simulated social context. In both stable and unstable social hierarchies, viewing a superior individual differentially engaged perceptual-attentional, saliency, and cognitive systems, notably dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In the unstable hierarchy setting, additional regions related to emotional processing (amygdala), social cognition (medial prefrontal cortex), and behavioral readiness were recruited. Furthermore, social hierarchical consequences of performance were neurally dissociable and of comparable salience to monetary reward, providing a neural basis for the high motivational value of status. Our results identify neural mechanisms that may mediate the enormous influence of social status on human behavior and health.
FPGA based distributed self healing architecture for reusable systems

Creating an environment of "no doubt" for computing systems is critical for supporting next generation science, engineering, and commercial applications. With reconfigurable devices such as Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), designers are provided with a seductive tool to use as a basis for sophisticated but highly reliable platforms. Reconfigurable computing platforms potentially offer the enhancement of reliability and recovery from catastrophic failures through partial and dynamic reconfigurations; and eliminate the need for redundant hardware resources typically used by existing fault-tolerant systems. We propose a two-level self-healing methodology to offer 100% availability for mission critical systems with comparatively less hardware overhead and performance degradation. Our proposed system first undertakes healing at the node-level. Failing to rectify the system at the node-level, network-level healing is then undertaken. We have designed a system based on Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGAs and Cirronet wireless mesh nodes to demonstrate autonomous wireless healing capability among networked node devices. Our prototype is a proof-of-concept work which demonstrates the feasibility of using FPGAs to provide maximum computational availability in a critical self-healing distributed architecture.
A Study of the Contact Bounce Phenomenon

A combination of energy and force concepts are applied to a study of several aspects of the contact bounce phenomenon. Energy dissipation at the contact interface is studied by quasistatic and dynamic techniques. Both work hardening and deformation result in a progressive reduction in the energy dissipating properties of common contact metals. The significant effect of the support structure upon bounce is analyzed by means of simple models leading to criteria for the minimization of contact bounce duration.
NOVEL INSERTION SEQUENCE-LIKE ELEMENT IS982 IN LACTOCOCCI

A novel insertion sequence-like (IS) element, designated IS982, was found on the lactose plasmid, pSK11L, from Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris SK11 and was located between the origin of replication and the oligopeptide transport gene cluster. The 1003-base pair (bp) IS982 was flanked by 18-bp perfect inverted repeats. IS982 contained an open reading frame encoding a putative transposase of 296 amino acids. An almost identical IS-like element (99% DNA sequence identity) was cloned and partially sequenced from the chromosome of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris Wg2 with 17-bp perfect inverted repeats. Southern analysis indicated that in 12 lactococcal strains examined, IS982 was present with copy numbers ranging from 1 to at least 20. IS982 displayed sequence homology to the putative IS element RSBst-alpha from Bacillus stearothermophilus CU21, IS982 and RSBst-alpha were not related to other known insertion sequences and may represent a new family of IS elements.
Endosomes and lysosomes play distinct roles in sulfatide-induced neuroblastoma apoptosis: potential mechanisms contributing to abnormal sulfatide metabolism in related neuronal diseases

Alterations in sulfatide metabolism, trafficking and homoeostasis are present at the earliest clinically recognizable stages of Alzheimer's disease and are associated with metachromatic leukodystrophy. However, the role of sulfatide in these disease states remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated the sequelae of NB (neuroblastoma) cells upon sulfatide supplementation and the biochemical mechanisms contributing to the sulfatide-induced changes. By using shotgun lipidomics, we showed dramatic accumulations of sulfatide, ceramide and sphingosine in NB cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Further studies utilizing subcellular fractionation and shotgun lipidomics analyses demonstrated that most of the increased ceramide content was generated in the endosomal compartment, whereas sulfatides predominantly accumulated in lysosomes. In addition, we determined that the sulfatide-mediated increase in endosomal ceramide content mainly resulted from beta-galactosidase activity, which directly hydrolyses sulfatide to ceramide without a prior desulfation step. Substantial cell apoptosis occurred in parallel with the accumulation of sulfatides and ceramides, as revealed by mitochondrial membrane depolarization, by phosphatidylserine translocation and by the TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling) assay. These findings were also demonstrated with primary neuron cultures. Collectively, our results demonstrate that abnormal sulfatide metabolism can induce cell apoptosis due to endosome-mediated ceramide generation and the accumulation of cytotoxic levels of sulfatides in lysosomes.
Pathologic teach and tell: a posterior fossa mass.

A 12-year-old female presented with loss of balance and visual difficulties. She was seen by an ophthalmologist who felt that she had papilledema. MRI showed a large posterior fossa cystic mass wit...
Intrinsic position uncertainty explains detection and localization performance in peripheral vision

Efficient performance in visual detection tasks requires excluding signals from irrelevant spatial locations. Indeed, researchers have found that detection performance in many tasks involving multiple potential target locations can be explained by the uncertainty the added locations contribute to the task. A similar type of Location Uncertainty may arise within the visual system itself. Converging evidence from hyperacuity and crowding studies suggests that feature localization declines rapidly in peripheral vision. This decline should add inherent position uncertainty to detection tasks. The current study used a modified detection task to measure how intrinsic position uncertainty changes with eccentricity. Subjects judged whether a Gabor target appeared within a cued region of a noisy display. The eccentricity and size of the region varied across blocks. When subjects detected the target, they used a mouse to indicate its location. This allowed measurement of localization as well as detection errors. An ideal observer degraded with internal response noise and position noise (uncertainty) accounted for both the detection and localization performance of the subjects. The results suggest that position uncertainty grows linearly with visual eccentricity and is independent of target contrast. Intrinsic position uncertainty appears to be a critical factor limiting search and detection performance.
Rock glacier dynamics and paleoclimatic implications

Many rock glaciers contain massive ice that may be useful in paleoclimate studies. Interpreting geochemical ice-core records from rock glaciers requires a thorough understanding of rock glacier structure and dynamics. High-precision surface-velocity data were obtained for the Galena Creek rock glacier, Absaroka Mountains, Wyoming. Surface velocities range from 0 to 1.00 m/yr and vary across the rock glacier in a manner similar to true glaciers. We used Glen's flow law to calculate the thickness of the deforming ice layer. The modeled ice thickness ranges from 0 to 50 m, and is confirmed by direct observations. This agreement shows that rock glacier movement can be entirely explained by deformation of massive ice within the rock glacier; neither basal sliding nor deformation of basal debris is necessary. Recovered ice cores (to depths of 25 m) contain thin debris layers associated with summer ablation in the accumulation zone. The ages of four samples of organic material removed from several debris layers inthe southern half of the rock glacier range from 200 ± 40 to 2250 ± 35 14C yr B.P., demonstrating that the rock glacier formed well before the Little Ice Age and may contain ice dating to the middle Holocene or earlier.
Monitoring of HIV Type 1 DNA Load and Drug Resistance in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells During Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy Does Not Predict Virologic Failure

Abstract Our objective was to determine whether monitoring HIV-1 DNA concentration or new resistance mutations in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) during effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) predicts virologic failure. A retrospective analysis used blood specimens and clinical data from three nevirapine containing arms of a four-arm, open-label, randomized trial comparing ART regimens in HIV-1-infected children who had failed mono- or dual-nucleoside therapy. Sensitive assays compared cell-associated HIV-1 DNA concentrations and nevirapine (NVP) and lamivudine (3TC) resistance mutations in children with plasma HIV-1 RNA <400 copies(c)/ml who did or did not experience subsequent virologic failure. Forty-six children were analyzed through the last available follow-up specimen, collected at 48 (n=16) or 96 (n=30) weeks of ART. Thirty-five (76%) had sustained viral suppression and 11 (24%) had plasma viral rebound to ≥400 c/ml (virologic failure detected at a median of 36 weeks). HIV-1 DNA levels ...
Identification of the cycloheximide-sensitive site in angiotensin-stimulated aldosterone synthesis

Abstract We have investigated the action of a protein synthesis inhibitor on the ability of angiotensin II (AII) to stimulate steroid synthesis. Isolated bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells were incubated in the presence and absence of angiotensin and cycloheximide, and the effects of the inhibitor on six cellular processes were measured. Cycloheximide at 7 and 28 μM inhibited the ability of the hormone to stimulate aldosterone synthesis. These concentrations of cycloheximide blocked protein synthesis by 72 and 79% respectively. Cycloheximide did not block receptor binding of angiotensin, the effect of angiotensin on [ 32 P]phosphate incorporation into phosphatidylinositol, nor the ability of the hormone to alter 45 Ca 2+ fluxes. Mitochondrial conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone is thought to be the rate-determining step in corticosteroid synthesis. Mitochondria isolated from cells treated with angiotensin made pregnenolone at a higher rate than control mitochondria. Cycloheximide blocked this effect when it was present in the cell incubation medium with angiotensin. Cycloheximide added directly to mitochondria had no effect on pregnenolone synthesis. Cycloheximide also blocked All stimulation of pregnenolone synthesis in intact cells. We propose that protein synthesis is required for angiotensin to exert its stimulatory effects at one particular locus: activation of mitochondrial pregnenolone synthesis. Protein synthesis is not required for other angiotensin-stimulated processes in bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells.
Older consumers' Tv home shopping: Loneliness, parasocial interaction, and perceived convenience

This study examined factors that affect consumer satisfaction with TV shopping by investigating both convenience- and emotion-related variables. Data were obtained from 295 online surveys with TV home shoppers who were 60 years and older. The structural model revealed (1) a positive effect of lack of shopping mobility on loneliness and perceived convenience of TV shopping, (2) a positive effect of loneliness on parasocial interaction, and (3) positive effects of parasocial interaction and perceived convenience on satisfaction with TV shopping. Results provide implications for TV shopping networks and producers. Parasocial interaction can be utilized to enhance the consumer experience by alleviating older consumers' loneliness, which ultimately leads to their satisfaction. Furthermore, convenience benefits of TV shopping can be emphasized to attract older consumers who have limited shopping mobility. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
SO(3) fiber bundles and spinors

We show that spin is properly described in terms of two inequivalent classes of fiber bundles with structure groupSO(3). One class accommodates only integer spin particles, while the second class includes both bosons and fermions. Thus, in particular, the usual double covering of tangent spaces and the universal covering groupSU(2) play no necessary role in the description of spinors.
Analysing competing risks data with transformation models

We present a flexible class of marginal models for the cumulative incidence function. The semiparametric transformation model is utilized in a decomposition for the marginal failure probabilities which extends previous work on Farewell's cure model. Novel estimation, inference and prediction procedures are developed, with large sample properties derived from the theory of martingales and U-statistics. A small simulation study demonstrates that the methods are appropriate for practical use. The methods are illustrated with a thorough analysis of a prostate cancer clinical trial. Simple graphical displays are used to check for the goodness of fit.
Serum effects on the in vitro differentiation of sea urchin micromeres

When micromeres isolated from the 16-cell stage of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus are cultured in sea water containing 3.5% horse serum, they produce spicules at approximately the same time as in normal development. The serum requirement of the micromeres has been investigated by adding serum at varying intervals after isolation or by pulsing the cells with serum at specific times during their in vitro development. The optimum time of serum addition for spicule formation is 36 h after fertilization (AF). Further delay in the addition of serum results in a reduction in the number of spicules formed in culture and a delay in the time at which they appear. A 1-h pulse of serum at 36 h AF is sufficient to initiate a response in some of the micromere aggregates. A 12-h pulse at 36 h AF produces the maximum number of spicules per culture. The critical period for serum addition, 36-48 h AF, corresponds to the time in the normal embryo at which the syncytial primary mesenchyme ring is formed. Electron micrographs of cultured cells demonstrate that micromeres cultured without serum until 48 h AF fail to form pseudopodial extensions and remain as rosette-like clusters of cells. If serum is present, extensive pseudopodial networks form which resemble the primary ring syncytium. These results suggest that serum acts to stimulate fused pseudopodial networks in cultures of micromeres and that the resulting syncytium is necessary for spicule formation.
Self-observation and behavior change: Applications to academic and adjustment problems through behavioral consultation

Abstract Self-observation as a behavior change technique was implemented through behavioral consultation in a public elementary school system. The self-observation procedures were introduced to two subjects with academic problems (assignment completion) and two subjects with behavioral problems (disruptive talk and interruptions, respectively). In each of the four cases, self-observation resulted in improvement in client behavior. Results are discussed within the context of previous methodological issues in the self-observation literature and the relevance of self-observation as a therapeutic tool in school settings.
Effects of transpiration on free convection in an annulus between concentric porous spheres

An analysis is presented to study the effects of transpiration on free convection in an annulus between concentric porous spheres. A regular perturbation technique is applied to solve the steady-state Navier-Stokes equations of motion and the energy equation, whereby the stream-function and temperature are expanded in the form of power series in terms of the Rayleigh number Ra, and injection/suction Reynolds number Re. The analytical solution is valid for small values of Ra and Re, and all values of the Prandtl number Pr. A finite-difference solution of the governing steady-state equations of motion and energy is also provided. The range of validity of the analytical solution is determined by comparison with the numerical solution. Plots of the flow patterns, velocity distributions, temperature profiles, local and overall heat transfer rates are presented for Pr = 0.7 and different values of Re, Ra, and the radius ratio λ. Results are shown over a range of values of Ra and Re such that the effects of mixed convection in the annulus can be clearly observed.
U. S. Research assessment: Recent developments

Over the last decade, ex post research assessment at the program level in the United States has seemed much less active than the equivalent activities in Europe, both west and east. This seeming lull was the result of a decline in program evaluation activity across the U.S. government in the 1980s, which slowed the rate of formal evaluations. Program review activities within agencies, however, were common, especially at such mission-oriented research supporting organizations as the Department of Energy and the Office of Naval Research. Review processes at these agencies relied primarily on expert assessment, sometimes at the project level, supplemented by user inputs. Quantitative performance measures were seldom used. That situation is about to change. In 1993, Congress passed the Government Performance and Results Act, which requires all agencies including those support research to set quantitative performance targets and report annually on their progress toward them. Agencies with clear technological goals are rapidly developing sets of indicators for this use, including peer assessments, bibliometric measures including patents, and customer satisfaction ratings. But fundamental research agencies do not find such measures satisfactory, and are just beginning to develop alternative ones.