cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Methods of pH calibration of sedimentary diatom remains for reconstructing history of pH in lakes

The pH history of lakes can be inferred from diatom remains in dated sediment cores. To derive transfer functions for pH inference in acidic lakes, we counted diatoms in surface-sediment from 31 soft-water lakes in n. New England (NE) and 36 in Norway (N), covering pH 4.4–7.1. Cluster analysis of each data set indicates that pH 6 is an upper limit for a group of similar diatom assemblages. For each set, we developed multiple linear regressions to relate three versions of the diatom data to pH of surface-waters: (1) relative frequencies of selected diatom taxa, (2) the first principal component (1 PC) of these frequencies, and (3) the frequencies of Hustedt pH groups. Also, simple linear regressions were developed for two versions: (1) Index B and (2) Index Alpha, both based on pH groups. Regressions were run separately for lakes with pH ≤ 6; these are most relevant for pH inference in acidic lakes. The best regressions (N: taxa & 1 PC taxa) have r2 0.69–0.91 and Se 0.24–0.31 pH units, the worst (NE: log alpha) have r2 0.27–0.57 and Se 0.51. In all cases, errors for NE are greater than N, partly due to greater diversity of NE lakes. Regressions based on pH groups (directly & by indices) have smaller r2 and larger Se than those based on taxa and 1 taxa. The Index Alpha is least useful because its requirement for alkaline diatom units is unsatisfied at many acidic lakes. Regressions based on taxa may give erratic pH inferences due to sensitivity to unusual frequencies of individual taxa; this effect is reduced by using 1 PC taxa. Four regressions based on pH ≤ 6 lakes were used for inferring pH in a 210Pb dated core from Nedre Malmesvatn, N (now pH 4.6). There is good agreement among three of the four (not for the regression based directly on taxa) that there has been a decrease of ca. 0.6 pH units starting in the late 1800's.
Collagen Molecular Conformation Exhibits Strain-Rate Dependent Response to Axial Deformation in Silico

Fibrillar collagens are a group of structural proteins that self assemble into a complex ordered structure of interconnected molecules to form supramolecular fibril structures. These collagens have three subgroups based on sequence similarity, of which clade A includes the most abundant fibrillar collagens, types I, II, and III. The fibrous hierarchical structures starts with individual collagen molecules that are crosslinked by enzymes to other collagen molecules to form micro fibrils, which aggregate and link to form sub fibrils, then larger fibrils and in some tissues continuing to assemble into larger levels of fascicles and above.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Women and Contentious Politics A Global Event-Data Approach to Understanding Women’s Protest

Under what circumstances are women more likely to protest? Despite significant cross-national research on contentious politics in general and women’s collective mobilization in particular, no study...
On the intermediate eigenvalues of symmetric sparse matrices

An algorithm has been developed for finding the eigenvalues of a symmetric matrixA in a given interval [a, b] and the corresponding eigenvectors using a modification of the method of simultaneous iteration with the same favorable convergence properties. The technique is most suitable for large sparse matrices and can be effectively implemented on a parallel computer such as the ILLIAC IV.
Resonance Raman spectra and vibronic analysis of the aqueous solvated electron

Abstract Resonance Raman spectra of the aqueous solvated electron reveal enhancements of the water inter- and intramolecular vibrations demonstrating that electronic excitation is significantly coupled to these modes. The Raman cross-sections and absorption spectra are quantitatively modeled, yielding an optimized Gaussian homogeneous broadening of 4660 cm −1 (FWHM), inhomogeneous broadening of 2700 cm −1 , and Franck–Condon displacements (Δ) of ∼1 for each of the three librations, 0.4 for the water bend, and 0.2 for the stretch. Frequency downshifts of the resonantly enhanced H2O bend to 1615 cm −1 , and of the stretch to 3100 cm −1 are best explained by charge donation into solvent frontier orbitals.
Relation Between Some Process Parameters And Properties Of Transition Metal-Rare Earth Films For Magneto-Optic Recording

Various relations are presented between a number of process variables and the resultant properties of transition metal-rare earth films. In particular the bias voltage, target voltage and argon gas pressure are related to the film coercivity, compensation temperature, anisotropy and film thickness. The domain size obtained on writing in these films with a laser is given as a function of write field, anisotropy, coercivity, film thick-ness, bias, and laser pulse width. Domains as small as 0.4 μm are reported. The trends observed are explained.© (1985) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Reflections of the Lunar Aspect On Western Chou Chronology

Study of ancient Chinese thinking about the moon's changing aspect inevitably leads to consideration of a curious development in the history of ideas in China: the process whereby the meaning of the word p'o Ot, which originally referred to the moon's illuminated aspect, became transformed into its exact opposite-the face of the moon in obscurity. In "The Metempsychosis in the Moon,"' I attempted to show that this transformation was a direct consequence of the progress during the Warring States and Han periods in understanding the mechanism of solar eclipses and, inevitably, the recognition that the moon was in fact illuminated by the sun. The realization that the moon shone not by its own intrinsicyin or "cool" light but by reflectedyang light of the sun brought about a rethinking of the older organic notion:
THE PHYLOGENETIC POSITION OF ANEMIA COLIMENSIS

The unique leaf structure of the genus Anemia with its upright fertile basal pinnae has beeu interpreted as derived from the typical fern leaf with unmodified basal pinnae. Reported herein for the first tinme is the leaf morphology of a species, Anemia colimensis Mickel, which shows the most primitive condition known in the genus and clearly confirms the course of evolution. The fertile pinnae are but little modified in size, lamination, and posture. Although A. colimensis has characters of two subgenera, it is shown to be a primitive element in subgen. Anemiorrhiza and not a member of subgen. Coptophyllum as previ-
Optimum flowrate history for cooldown and energy storage processes

Abstract This paper considers the basic thermal design problem of cooling or heating an object using the minimum amount of working fluid. It is shown analytically that if the duration of the cooling or heating process is fixed, then there exists a unique operating regime (flowrate-time function) which insures the minimum consumption of working fluid. The optimum flowrate is proportional to ( U C p ) 1 2 , where U is the overall heat transfer coefficient and Cp is the specific heat of the working fluid ; the optimum flowrate changes with time as ( U C p ) 1 2 varies with the temperature of the system. Numerical examples of cooldown and energy storage processes show that the implementation of this optimum operating regime can lead to significant savings in working fluid.
A UNIVERSITY TEACHER'S VIEW OF THE HIGH SCHOOL COURSE IN FRENCH*

Author's Summary.— This paper deals with the secondary school work in French, considered as a preparation for the continued study of French in the university. The writer discusses various phases of the work (pronunciation, grammar, reading, translation, composition, conversation), and offers suggestions as to the emphasis which may properly be laid on each. Accuracy should be the principal aim throughout the course, and pupils should learn to respect the study of French as a serious intellectual discipline.
Ketorolac for the regression of myopic LASIK overcorrection

Objective: To determine whether ketorolac (AcularTM) treatment and other factors influence regression after LASIK-induced consecutive hyperopia. Methods: Seventy-two eyes of 51 patients who had undergone LASIK for myopia and compound myopic astigmatism and who experienced consecutive hyperopia of at least +0.50 diopters within the first postoperative week were analyzed. The consenting patients were treated with ketorolac (AcularTM). Data were collected over a period of 2 months. Primary preoperative variables included age, eye, preoperative manifest and cycloplegic refractions, and pachymetry. Postoperative variables included presence of microstriae and treatment with ketorolac. Treatment success was measured as reduction of consecutive hyperopia. Results: Thirty-seven eyes were treated, and 35 eyes were in the control group. Mean start time for treatment with ketorolac was 9 days after surgery (range 3–35 days). Mean treatment time was 24.5 days (range 10–63 days). Both groups were matched for all preoperative variables except for age, including manifest and cycloplegic refraction, eye treated, and pachymetry. Treated patients were on average 9 years older than the control group. There was no significant difference in the overall rate of regression between the 2 groups at the 1-month and 2-month periods. Thicker preoperative corneas in all eyes had a sporadic association with reduction of consecutive hyperopia. Conclusions: Ketorolac does not improve consecutive hyperopia after LASIK for myopia and compound myopic astigmatism when compared with a matched control group. Pachymetry appears to be a determining factor in the degree of regression experienced after consecutive hyperopia. This finding warrants further investigation.
Biotechnology Venture Investing and Neurodegenerative Medicine: Promise of New Approaches to Cure an Ailing Model

Neurodegenerative diseases are one of the leading public health challenges of the next 50 years. Pharmaceutical therapies have traditionally targeted the later stages of neurodegenerative diseases; however, this strategy - as the recent failures of clinical trials for Alzheimerâ€™s drugs have highlighted - has been unsuccessful. Venture capital has underperformed as well during this time, as many new companies have been unable to maintain growth once they reach the public market and have produced less than desirable returns. As a result, venture capitalists have opted for later-stage financing. Nevertheless, new technologies are being developed to answer the question of how to best address neurodegeneration. New tools of detection will allow for much earlier diagnosis and a much greater chance of discovering and applying effective treatments. Realizing that genetic knowledge is insufficient to produce innovative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, scientists have begun to apply the genetic knowledge attained towards a future of individualized treatments. As these new tools of detection converge with an increased ability to create very precise individual solutions, the risk of successful future investments should come down and provide the potential for outsized returns that have traditionally governed the venture capital financial model.
OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF EUROPIUM AND BARIUM.

Abstract Observed structure in the real part of the conductivity σ (ω) for the two elements Eu and Ba has been assigned to optical interband transitions with the help of recent energy-band calculations.
STYLOCELLUS RAMBLAE, A NEW STYLOCELLID (OPILIONES, CYPHOPHTHALMI) FROM SINGAPORE, WITH A DISCUSSION OF THE FAMILY STYLOCELLIDAE

A new Stylocellus from Singapore, the smallest species of the genus, is described and fully illustrated. The family Stylocellidae is rediagnosed and emended to include the representatives of the genera Miopsalis and Fangensis based on the results of a phylogenetic analysis of the cyphophthalmid genera (Giribet & Boyer 2002).
Tackling ship pollution from the shore

Electrical power consumption at the shore side has rapidly grown for commercial ships. The environmental impact of the pollution created while at berth has many ports restricting the operation of onboard generators. Shutting off these on-board generators and supplying ship's power from the shore power system can reduce the air pollution emissions. With the development of medium voltage power plugs and receptacle assemblies, cold ironing projects for larger ships are more prevalent. Various organizations are working on developing standards for implementing shore power. This article will highlight the efforts of the IEEE, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) to develop standards for medium-voltage on-shore power supply connections for serving commercial vessels.
Pharmaceutical Aspects of Reserpine

Results are presented of long‐term formulation and stability studies of reserpine. Procedures are described for the preparation of capsules, compressed tablets, injections, and an elixir of reserpine. Compressed tablets may be prepared either by double compression or by wet granulation. Acacia, gelatin, dextrose, sucrose, lactose, starch, dicalcium phosphate, and Carbowax 4000 and 6000 are compatible with reserpine. Magnesium stearate, calcium stearate, and talc have also been used in tablet and capsule formulations with no adverse effect on reserpine. Citric acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid, alcohol, benzyl alcohol, Tween 80, polyethylene glycol 300, and propylene glycol generally are satisfactory solvents or cosolubilizers in elixirs and injections. Reserpine can be incorporated into tablet coatings when direct combination with other active ingredients causes incompatibility, assay difficulty, or when the reserpine is needed immediately and the other ingredients are better released later. Reserpine is compatible with phenobarbital, veratrum viride, amphetamine sulfate, methyl testosterone, hyoscyamine sulfate, atropine sulfate, and niacinamide. Reserpine solutions in clear glass bottles exposed to diffuse light lost potency. Sensitivity to ultraviolet light is best prevented by storage in amber glassware.
Isolated cough: probably not asthma

Children with cough, unassociated with wheeze or other evidence of systemic disease, are commonly seen in paediatric practice. In the distant past, the association between cough and wheeze was underrecognised but in recent years, as highlighted by McKenzie, children with cough alone have increasingly been diagnosed as having asthma.1 Studies that include cough as an outcome need to be interpreted in light of inherent methodological problems. First, although the history of cough is a commonly used variable in epidemiology,2 3the reporting of cough has poor repeatability. The chance corrected agreement (Cohen’s κ) between two occasions when cough was reported, is unacceptably low (0.14−0.19).4 5 In contrast, wheeze related questions have excellent κ values of 0.76−0.88.4 5 Second, cough, especially nocturnal cough, is unreliably reported compared with objective measures.6 7 In adults, the reporting and scoring of cough is dependent on psychological factors.8 Third, although cough scores using diary cards are widely used as an outcome measure, until recently no validated subjective cough scoring system was available.9 Compared to objective measurements, diary cards have been shown to be inaccurate for nocturnal cough6 and for metered dose inhaler use. Moreover, diary cards in studies can be parent completed6 or child completed, and these are not interchangeable.9 The accuracy of findings based entirely on diary cards is questionable. Finally, a difficulty in the evaluation of the benefits of a therapeutic trial for cough is that cough usually resolves spontaneously (period effect). The widely quoted studies on “cough variant asthma (CVA)” were based on anecdotal evidence or were not placebo controlled.10-13 In trials that included a placebo arm, cough medications were no more effective than placebo.14 15 Guidelines that recommend a therapeutic trial of asthma medications for cough (and thus diagnose …
Progeria: Medical aspects, psychosocial perspectives, and intervention guidelines

Abstract This article discusses pogeria, a rare genetic childhood disorder that invariably results in the individual's death during early adolescence. The article begins by describing the major medical aspects of piogeria. This is, followed by a discussion of the psychosocial implications of the disorder with particular emphasis upon grief-triggered reactions. The article concludes with an overview, of psychosocial intervention guidelines for caregivers who work with, families of dying children and adolescents.
Validation of a New Dyspnea Measure : The UCSD Shortness of Breath Questionnaire

Objective Evaluate the reliability and validity of a new version of the University of California, San Diego Shortness of Breath Questionnaire (SOBQ), a 24-item measure that assesses self-reported shortness of breath while performing a variety of activities of daily living. Design Patients enrolled in a pulmonary rehabilitation program were asked to complete the SOBQ, the Quality of Well-Being Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and a 6-min walk with modified Borg scale ratings of perceived breathlessness following the walk. Setting University medical center pulmonary rehabilitation program. Patients Thirty-two male subjects and 22 female subjects with a variety of pulmonary diagnoses: COPD (n=28), cystic fibrosis (n=9), and postlung transplant (n=17). Measurements and results The current version of the SOBQ was compared with the previous version, the format of which often resulted in a significant number of “not applicable” answers. The results demonstrated that the SOBQ had excellent internal consistency (α=0.96). The SOBQ was also significantly correlated with all validity criteria. Conclusions The SOBQ is a valuable assessment tool in both clinical practice and research in patients with moderate-to-severe lung disease.
Electromyographic studies of muscular tension in psychiatric patients.

Summary The two main points shown by these experiments are: 1) There was no evidence of a relatively constant state of neuromotor hypertension in the patient group, being treated by psychotherapy and hospitalization only. 2) On the other hand, the patients as a group appear to have a considerable amount of neuromuscular hypertension as compared to the control group, which agrees with findings of other investigators in E.M.G. The work proved to be very interesting, and numerous areas of investigation appear to be possible with these means, both in localized and generalized neuromuscular overactivity.
Performance reports on quality--prototypes, problems, and prospects.

In recent years, it seemed that regular performance reports on the quality of health care would soon be de facto if not de jure national policy. Several states established statewide reporting systems for hospitals. Voluntary coalitions of employers and health plans developed performance-report prototypes and began pilot testing. The Clinton administration's proposal for comprehensive health care reform1 and those of its competitors -- proposals from Representative Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) and Senator John Chafee (R-R.I.) -- included provisions for federally mandated reports on quality. Comprehensive health care reform in the United States is now dead. The prospect of a national reporting . . .
Dockside Landings and Threshold Spaces: Reckoning Architecture's Place in Marine Environmental History

AbstractFor centuries, American architecture and, more broadly speaking, American cultural landscapes, have been both instruments and emblems of the modern environmental temperament that Europeans ...
Performance modeling based on core/cache design validation results for predictive analysis

The product development phase of a single processor design from inception till production is an extremely long process taking up to ∼4 years per cycle. Along the way, numerous tools have been developed for pre-silicon performance prediction in order to forecast the yield, power and frequency of the product. These data are critical in order for product and resource planning to be carried out efficiently. However, with the ever changing market trends, we can rarely predict with great accuracy the desired performance range or feature set which is currently in demand. Therefore, there is a dire need for a systematic and effective method of post-silicon predictive analysis with regards to silicon performance parameters such as power, frequency/level and yield. Prediction based on post-silicon measured data are often more accurate (albeit heuristic) if compared to pre-silicon predictions. With the availability of a post-silicon based performance model, ad-hoc predictive analysis can be carried out for a variety of performance configurations without the need of having to carry out a full scale volume characterization on the silicon.
Effect of dietary carbohydrate type on lipoprotein lipase, hepatic lipase, and lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase activities in cynomolgus monkeys.

Abstract The effects of dietary sucrose and starch with and without exogenous cholesterol on postheparin plasma lipoprotein lipase (PHLA) and hepatic lipase (HLA) were studied in cynomolgus monkeys. Serum triglyceride levels were higher in sucrosefed animals than starch and exogenous cholesterol lowered serum triglyceride levels when added to sucrose diet but not starch diets. Sucrose markedly increased insulin levels, more so than starch; however, dietary cholesterol lowered insulin levels in sucrose diet but increased the levels in starch diet. PHLA activity was increased two- to threefold greater in sucrose than in starch diets. Exogenous cholesterol lowered PHLA activity in sucrose diet but increased PHLA activity in starch diet. HLA activity was increased with sucrose more than starch. Lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity was significantly higher in sucrose diets than in the starch diet. Addition of cholesterol to either of these diets lowered the LCAT activity. These results indicate that PHLA, HLA, and LCAT activities not only are affected by the nature of carbohydrates, but also are related to triglyceride metabolism. The interaction of carbohydrates and cholesterol in the diet by influencing these selected enzymes plays an integrated role in lipoprotein particle interconversion processes.
Primal-dual bilinear programming solution of the absolute value equation

We propose a finitely terminating primal-dual bilinear programming algorithm for the solution of the NP-hard absolute value equation (AVE): Ax − |x| = b, where A is an n × n square matrix. The algorithm, which makes no assumptions on AVE other than solvability, consists of a finite number of linear programs terminating at a solution of the AVE or at a stationary point of the bilinear program. The proposed algorithm was tested on 500 consecutively generated random instances of the AVE with n = 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000. The algorithm solved 88.6% of the test problems to an accuracy of 10−6.
Spelling on the Fly: Investigating a Pentop Computer to Improve the Spelling Skills of Three Elementary Students with Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a pentop computer and accompanying spelling software on the spelling accuracy and academic engagement behavior in three elementary students w...
Studies in magnetochemical engineering: Part V. An experimental study of fluidized beds with screen packing and applied magnetic field

Abstract An experimental study has been made of the characteristics of fluidized beds of ferromagnetic iron and/or paramagnetic manganese(II) oxide (MnO) particles subjected to both external magnetic field and internal screen packing. Key variables investigated include particle size and shape, magnetic properties of particles, superficial gas velocity, screen packing density, and applied field intensity. This study of screen-packed magnetofluidized beds (SPMFBs) has fundamental importance to the development of fluidized-bed high-gradient magnetic separation (FBHGMS) described in Part IV. The primary objective of the study is to gain some basic understanding of SPMFBs, focusing on the practical implications of experimental results to improve the technical performance of FBHBMS for dry coal desulfurization. This study also extends the concept of magnetic stabilization (that is, bubble elimination) in fluidized beds by examining the role of internal screen packing, in addition to that of external magnetic field. The results show that in SPMFBs of ferromagnetic particles, magnetic stabilization can be achieved, but both the minimum fluidization velocity and the pressure drop at minimum fluidization significantly increase with increasing field intensity. By adding a small fraction of iron, SPMFBs of paramagnetic MnO particles can also be stabilized. Of particular interest to FBHGMS in the observation that magnetized screens tend to serve as distributor plates in SPMFBs, creating a staged bed appearance. The tendency to exhibit staging increases with increasing field intensity and increasing gas velocity. In addition, screens appear to promote the field-induced particle agglomeration. Both bed staging and particle agglomeration are undesirable in many applications of SPMFBs, and their occurrence can be effectively avoided by auxiliary mechanical vibrations as is done in FBHGMS. This study also shows that there exists a trade-off with increasing screen packing density in SPMFBs, particularly in FBHGMS. Denser screen packing increases the surface area for magnetic particle capture, but also increases the occurrence of particle agglomeration as well as bed staging and slugging, which degrades the performance of FBHGMS for dry coal desulfurization.
Electrostatically actuated stylus profiler with capacitive displacement sensing in vertical and lateral directions

A new profiler is under development that uses a commercially available electrostatic device normally used for nanoindentation as its primary sensing element. The new profiler can measure the force applied to the sample and the displacement of the stylus tip in both the vertical (Z) and lateral (X) directions, while the tip is moved in the forward (Y) direction. The sensor has a range of 100 microns and a resolution of 0.2 nm in the Z and X directions. The sensor can measure the force between the tip and the sample with a resolution of 100 nN up to 10 mN. The sensor is normally used to measure indentation force and distance simultaneously during nanoindenting. The instrument allows the force between the stylus tip and the sample to be controlled to a predetermined level and records the displacement of the tip as it scans the sample. Windows based software allows the data to be analyzed for roughness and waviness. The sensor can also move the tip in a lateral (X) direction by applying an electrostatic force to the tip. Lateral motion allows scans to be taken parallel to one another within a 100 micron range. The instrument can be operated in this manner to produce a limited 3D scan of the surface. This instrument offers a low cost device capable of high-resolution profilometry and limited 3D scanning.
Extraposition and expletive-movement: A minimalist account

CP expletives have generally been construed as substitutions of, or replacements for, CP arguments. This article argues that these expletives are actually generated in the Spec of CPs at base argument structure and that they then must move into the Spec of an AGR projection to satisfy Case checking. Support for this movement analysis of base-generated CP expletives comes from a wide range of extraction data.
Poster Child or Victim of Imperialist Globalization? Explaining Argentina's December 2001 Political Crisis and Economic Collapse

In the early 1990s, Argentina was the poster child for successful proglobalization "economic adjustment" policies. However, the economic crisis and social explosion of December 2001, resulting in the overthrow of two presidents in a week and the catastrophic collapse of the Argentine economy, challenge the assumption that globalization is irreversible.' As the Argentine economy imploded, domestic politics gained center stage and the hegemonic proglobalization discourse was replaced by a new emphasis on the domestic market and on pulling the country out of a four-year recession. The conventional wisdom in the United States is that the Argentine crisis was Argentina's own fault-that if Argentine politicians had implemented the "right" macroeconomic policies the crisis would not have occurred. The
Verbally Modeling Thinking for Infants: Middle-class Mothers' Presentation of Information Structures During Book Sharing

Abstract Fourteen middle-class mother-infant dyads were videotaped monthly over a six-month period (beginning when babies were six months old) as they engaged in a book sharing routine in order to explore the nature of the earliest social guidance mothers provide in shaping culturally valued ways of giving meaning to books. Mothers' behaviors were coded into categories of attention getting, fostering the baby's participation, responding to the baby, and talking about the book. The study focused on the categories of information (information structures) mothers provided when talking about the book. It was found that, although most maternal energy was devoted to getting and keeping the baby's attention and encouraging participation in the routine, there was also a substantial amount of discussion about the book. The mothers modeled information structures of varying levels of cognitive demand, most frequently modeling the simplest of labeling pictures, with decreasing frequency of usage of information structu...
Langmur-Blodgett films of potential organic rectifiers: New scanning tunneling microscopy and non-linear optics results

Abstract Our quest for the organic rectifier is reviewed. We discuss Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of molecules of the type D-σ-A ( D = one-electron donor, σ = carbamate, a covalent “sigma” bridge, A = one electron acceptor ) and quote preliminary results on third-order non-linear optical properties, on efforts to see electrical rectification, and on new scanning tunneling micrographs of the LB films.
Macromolecular aspects of biocompatible materials--a review.

This paper is limited chiefly to the question of blood compatibility and will not cover areas such as dental applications and mechanical support prostheses. The demand for blood compatible materials has become important for cardiac and pulmonary assist devices and artificial hearts. Since the second World War, a larger number of synthetic materials became available ranging from elastomeric to hard, hydrophobic to hydrophilic systems, but almost all of these were developed for large-scale commercial end-use where the presence of small quantities of impurities, traces of catalysts, plasticizers, etc., is not too critical. For medical implants, it is necessary to prepare the appropriate polymers in the chemically pure state. The ultimate goal is the fabrication of practical, economical, and working devices. This goal demands that the material not only be compatible with blood, but also be able to perform distinct mechanical and physico-chemical functions or be useful for the isolation of implantable prostheses from body fluids.
Cardiac regeneration: harnessing the power within.

The ability of the heart to regenerate to a meaningful extent after injury has been demonstrated in animal models, such as zebrafish1; however, higher organisms seem to have lost this advantageous capacity, leading to cell loss and subsequent heart failure after insult. Recent studies found a narrow window of regenerative opportunity during the first 7 days after birth in mice, but this capacity fades away by the second week of life.2 In this study, Aguirre et al hypothesize that molecular mechanisms underlying cardiomyocyte regeneration in lower organisms are present, although dormant, in mammals creating a powerful prospect for regenerative interventions.3 The authors concentrate on the study of miRNAs as regulators of multiple simultaneous processes potentially involved in regeneration. Leveraging the established zebrafish model of cardiac regeneration after amputation of the ventricular apex, they identify changes in miRNA expression during regeneration, focusing on entities evolutionary conserved across vertebrates. Predictive algorithms are used to pinpoint downstream targets of miRNAs of interest, which are validated through luciferase reporter assays before subsequent experiments. Levels of candidate miRNAs, as well as their targets of interest, are assessed in zebrafish during heart development and regeneration using quantitative RT-PCR and immunofluorescence. With these readouts, direct functional correlation between miRNAs and target proteins is tested by modulation of miRNA/target levels using mimics, antago miRs, morpholinos, as well as rescue mRNAs. Additionally, bromodeoxyuridine incorporation is also monitored to identify cell proliferation. Levels of miR-99/100 and Let-7a/c together with target genes FNTβ (beta subunit of farnesyl-transferase) and SMARCA5 (SWI/SNF-related matrix–associated actin-dependent regulator of chromatin subfamily a, member 5) are also examined in various samples representative of human and murine cardiomyocyte differentiation and heart development, including …
Productivity analysis of object-oriented software developed in a commercial environment

The introduction of object-oriented technology does not appear to hinder overall productivity on new large commercial projects, but nor does it seem to improve it in the first two product generations. In practice, the governing influence may be the business workflow, and not the methodology. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Heart Failure and CRT: Insights from Noninvasive ECG Imaging (ECGI)

Delayed left ventricular (LV) activation and asynchronous contraction accompany more than 30% of advanced heart failure (HF) cases. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) using biventricular pacing is an electrical approach aimed at restoring synchrony. However, detailed electrical information on the electrophysiologic substrate of HF and the effects of CRT has been limited, mostly because of the requirement for invasive mapping. Electrocardiographic Imaging (ECGI) is a method for noninvasive epicardial electrophysiologic mapping, developed in our laboratory. In my presentation, I will describe ECGI images of native cardiac activation in patients with both ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy, and how they are altered by CRT. The results may provide new insights into yet unresolved issues such as patient selection for CRT, lead placement, efficacy of LV pacing alone, and why CRT is not beneficial in 30% of patients. References: 1. P. Jia, C. Ramanathan, R. N. Ghanem, K. Ryu, N. Varma, Y. Rudy. Electrocardiographic Imaging of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Heart Failure: Observations of Variable Electrophysiological Response. Heart Rhythm 2006; 3:296–310. 2. S. Ghosh, J. N. A. Silva, R. M. Canham, T. M. Bowman, J. Zhang, E. K. Rhee, P. K. Woodard, Y. Rudy. Electrophysiological Substrate and Intraventricular LV Dyssynchrony in Non-ischemic Heart Failure Patients Undergoing Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy. Heart Rhythm 2011; 8:692–699.
Dynamic proteome analysis of Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142 under constant light.

Understanding the dynamic nature of protein abundances provides insights into protein turnover not readily apparent from conventional, static mass spectrometry measurements. This level of data is particularly informative when surveying protein abundances in biological systems subjected to large perturbations or alterations in environment such as cyanobacteria. Our current analysis expands upon conventional proteomic approaches in cyanobacteria by measuring dynamic changes of the proteome using a 13C15N-l-leucine metabolic labeling in Cyanothece ATCC51142. Metabolically labeled Cyanothece ATCC51142 cells grown under nitrogen-sufficient conditions in continuous light were monitored longitudinally for isotope incorporation over a 48 h period, revealing 414 proteins with dynamic changes in abundances. In particular, proteins involved in carbon fixation, pentose phosphate pathway, cellular protection, redox regulation, protein folding, assembly, and degradation showed higher levels of isotope incorporation, su...
Environmental estrogens and breast cancer risk

Controversy exists over the role that environmental estrogens, such as pesticides or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), might play as risk factors for breast cancer. Several laboratory studies have suggested that these chemicals function as weak estrogens, binding to the estrogen receptor and inducing various measures of estrogen response. However, epidemiologic studies assessing the link between exposure to pesticides or PCBs and breast cancer have generally not shown enhanced breast cancer risk with higher levels of xenoestrogen exposure. These findings heighten our uncertainty about the relevance of the preclinical findings to human breast cancer risk.
Employment and low birth weight in black women

Recent studies have not shown adverse effects of employment during pregnancy on the pregnancy outcome, but most have not successfully distinguished factors due to work-related physical and mental strain from differences in social, economic and cultural characteristics between employed and non-employed women. We analyzed data from the Alameda County Case-Control Study of Low Birth Weight to address the question of employment as a risk factor for low birth weight in more depth. Subjects in the study were singleton infants without congenital malformations born in 1987 to black or white, non-hispanic residents of Alameda County, a large urban community in California. Cases were all infants weighing less than 2500 g at birth; controls were chosen at random from the infants weighing 3000 g or more. The mothers of 377 black cases, 389 black controls, 233 white cases and 239 white controls could be located and interviewed. This analysis excluded the white women because evidence of response bias in regard to employment was found for them but not for black women. The percentage of black women in the study who were employed during pregnancy was 49.9%. Employment was associated with a significantly lower relative risk of low birth weight before and after controlling for age, parity, smoking, heavy alcohol use, prior low birth weight infants and low pre-pregnancy weight. After adjustment for known risk factors for low birth weight, employment explained more of the variance of low birth weight than other commonly used measures of 'social class', including income, education and marital status.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Facets of emotional Expressivity: Three self-report factors and their correlates

Abstract Using an explicit model of emotion, we developed the Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire. This measure of emotional expressivity has three facets: impulse strength, negative expressivity, and positive expressivity. After evaluating its factor structure and psychometric properties, we tested propositions derived from an analysis of display rules. As predicted, women were more expressive than men; Asian-Americans less expressive than other ethnic groups; and Democrats more expressive than Republicans. Expressivity also was related to two mood dimensions and to four of the Big Five personality dimensions. The pattern of findings for the subscales showed convergent and discriminant validity. Positive mood, Extraversion, and Agreeableness were most strongly related to the Positive Expressivity subscale. Negative mood, Neuroticism, and somatic complaints were most strongly related to the Impulse Strength and Negative Expressivity subscales.
Low power on-chip thermal sensors based on wires

Current thermal scaling trends in multilevel low-k interconnect structures suggest an increasing heat density as we move from substrate to higher metal levels. Thus, the deterioration of interconnect performance at extreme temperatures has the capability to offset the degradation in device performance when operating at higher-than-normal temperatures. Existing thermal sensing approaches rely heavily on devices (MOS/diodes). They are optimized for a low area and power overhead but continue to suffer from leakage and self-heating and also, tend to disregard the thermal impact on interconnects. We propose an alternate approach of using interconnects to perform the thermal sensing. With feature-size shrinking, metal layers are closer to the substrate suggesting a strong correlation between interconnect temperature and thermal profile of the underlying substrate. Thus, in addition to quantifying the temperature impact on interconnect signal delay; output of proposed sensors can be used to estimate substrate thermal status as well. The simplistic schemes proposed allow reuse of existing on-chip resources such as drivers and time-digitizers, have a low power requirement and are robust against variations in wire dimensions, non-uniform temperature distribution and supply noise.
The New ‘Creative’Brick Lane A Narrative Study of Local Multicultural Encounters

This article is a narrative study of local multicultural encounters taking place along Brick Lane in East London, UK. Although the area has been primarily researched for its Bangladeshi community, this article focuses on the ‘creative’ professionals who work and/or reside within the vicinity. It is a narrative investigation into their attitudes towards difference, ethnicity and the ethnic self. A multiplicity of local multicultural tales comes to the fore. In short, the multicultural realities of the area become narrated in many different ways, which clearly manifest a narrative complexity, unfolding within the new ‘creative’ Brick Lane. These different local multicultural narratives could also be indicative of the ways that multicultural meaning is created within London at large.
A Test of the Arbitrage Pricing Theory Using Canadian Security Returns

This paper is an empirical test of the Arbitrage Pricing Theory using monthly security returns for 220 Canadian firms for the ten-year period 1971-80. Specific hypotheses tested are the existence of multiple factors generating Canadian security returns, the APT pricing relationship, the existence of a constant intercept when a security's expected return is expressed as a linear function of the risk premia on the factors, and the equality of the constant intercept to the riskfree rate of interest. A partial test of the congruence of the factor structure across groups of securities is also performed. Empirical procedures include factor analysis and the formation of minimum-variance portfolios in order to derive the time series of returns on general economic factors, sensitivities of each firm's return to that of each factor, and the expected returns on the factors. It is found that at least twelve common factors generate Canadian security returns and that three to four of these factors have statistically significant risk premia. There is strong support for the existence of a constant intercept and marginal support for its being the riskfree rate. It is also found that, while there is a consistency in the underlying factor structures of the two groups, an identification problem prohibits matching the factors between groups. Resume Ce texte presente des tests empiriques de la theorie de l'etablissement des prix des titres par arbitrage (APT), fondes sur les taux de rendement mensuels de 220 titres canadiens pour la periode 1971–1980. Les hypotheses testees sont celles de l'existence de facteurs multiples qui generent les taux de rendement, la structure des prix proposee par l'APT, l'existence d'une constante lorsqu'un taux de rendement est relie lineairement aux primes de risque attachees aux facteurs, et l'egalite de la constante et du taux d'interět sans risque. Les techniques utilisees comprennent l'analyse factorielle et la formation de portefeuilles a variance minimale, qui permettent d'etablir la serie chronologique des rendements inherents a chacun des facteurs, la sensibilite de chacun des titres aux variations de chacun des facteurs et la partie du rendement qui lui est attribuable. On decouvre qu'au moins douze facteurs differents generent les rendements des titres canadiens et que les primes de risque de trois ou quatre d'entre eux sont statistiquement significatives. Les resultats appuient fortement l'hypothese d'une constante, et faiblement celle de son egalite au taux d'interět sans risque. Bien que les structures des deux groupes soient similaires, on ne peut les accoupler a cause d'un probleme d'identification.
Query length impact on misuse detection in information retrieval systems

Misuse is the abuse of privileges by an authorized user and is the second most common form of computer crime after viruses. Earlier we proposed a misuse detection approach for information retrieval systems that relied on relevance feedback. The central idea focused on the building of a user profile containing both query and feedback terms from prior queries. Our algorithm matched new activities to existing profiles and assigned a likelihood of misuse to an activity. Only initial evaluation was provided.We now expand and evaluate our system using both short and long queries noting the effect of query length in the accuracy of the detection. The results indicate an overall precision of 83.9% when short queries are used, and 82.2% for long queries. The rate of the undetected misuse for short queries is less than 2% and for long queries less than 6%. Although higher precision score configurations result in a lower false alarm rate, unfortunately, they increase the rate of undetected misuse both for short and long queries. Given this tradeoff, for any particular application constraint, system behavior can be tuned to minimize either false alarms or undetected misuse.
Kinematically-Redundant Variations of the 3-RRR Mechanism and Local Optimization-Based Singularity Avoidance

To avoid the singular loci of the 3-RRR mechanism that exist within its workspace, this paper applies kinematic redundancy. First, three feasible kinematic redundancy configurations for the 3-RRR mechanism are presented and singularity analysis of the kinematically redundant mechanisms is described. Then, based on local optimization suitable for real-time control, a general, simple, and effective redundancy resolution algorithm for the mechanisms is developed. Here, the cost function in the optimization is designed to avoid the most problematic singularity configurations, where the end-effector can be locally moved even though all actuated joints are locked. The kinematically redundant mechanisms are shown to effectively avoid singularities and correspondingly increase the singularity-free workspace.
Generics-related refactorings in eclipse

We present refactorings that automate the process of migrating pre-generics Java programs to use generics. The task is divided in two parts: introduction of formal type parameters (parameterization) and inference of actual type parameters (instantiation). We developed efficient techniques and tools to assist developers in both parts. We will present them during the demonstration.
Mesomorphic materials for electro-optical application

A review of recent studies in the synthesis and physical chemistry of mesomorphic (liquid crystal) materials is presented. The material parameters which affect both the mesomorphic and electro-optical behavior of the compounds are discussed. Compounds which possess a resultant dipole moment oblique to the long axis of the molecule exhibit flow alignment or dynamic scattering while those compounds which have a dipole moment along the molecular axis can be used to align various guest molecules.