cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Habitat quality and endoparasitism in the Pacific sanddab Citharichthys sordidus from Santa Monica Bay, southern California

Prevalence, mean abundance and mean intensity of the most common endohelminths infecting Pacific sanddab Citharichthys sordidus were compared among six trawl stations in the Santa Monica Bay. These trawl stations varied in their distance from the 8 km effluent of the Hyperion treatment plant which is situated adjacent to Santa Monica Bay. Juvenile stages of Anisakis sp., Corynosoma sp., Lacistorhynchus dollfusi and Tetraphyllidean plerocercoids were found infecting Pacific sanddabs. Significantly higher prevalence and mean intensity of L. dollfusi and Anisakis sp. were seen at the non-outfall stations compared to outfall stations either immediately surrounding or in the vicinity of the outfall. These differences appeared to be related to changes in invertebrate population densities in response to the presence of contaminants. Canonical analysis of discriminance using parasite abundance data discriminated non-outfall from outfall stations. The cestode L. dollfusi explained most of the variability in discriminant scores generated from the analysis and appears to warrant further investigation as a potential bioindicator of pollution exposure in its fish host.
Untangling research puzzles in Merton's multilevel anomie theory:

The position advanced in this article is that, rather than presenting two analytically distinct theories as often claimed in the literature, the anomie perspective articulated by Robert Merton refl...
W-Coating for MEMS

The integration of miniaturized mechanical components has spawned a new technology known as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Surface micromachining, defined as the fabrication of micromechanical structures from deposited thin films, is one of the core technological processes underlying MEMS. Surface micromachined structures have a large ratio of surface area to volume which makes them particularly vulnerable to adhesion to the substrate or adjacent structures during release or in use--a problem is called stiction. Since microactuators can have surfaces in normal or sliding contact, function and wear are critical issues for reliable operation of MEMS devices. Surface modifications are needed to reduce adhesion and friction in micromechanical structures. In this paper, we will present a process used to selectively coat MEMS devices with Tungsten using a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) process. We will discuss the effect of wet and vapor phase cleans along with different process variables. Endurance of the W coating is important, especially in applications where wear due to repetitive contacts with the film may occur. Further, tungsten is hard and chemically inert, Tungsten CVD is used in the integrated-circuit industry, which makes this, approach manufacturable.
Drawing Threads from Sight to Site

AbstractThis paper considers relationships between textile and architecture. More specifically, it considers ways in which thread, beginning as a line drawn out as matter through the action of spinning, serves as a medium through which sight and space is measured, drawn and “framed'. In this process, thread serves as a sight/site line, mediating visual experience by creating a fine scaffolding of apparent and material structure. The effect is a meta-architecture, a dialog between space and matter, or a form of drawing in which the illusory and the material both alternate and coexist. Thread marks a boundary not only between the material and the visual but also between the visible and the invisible. This drawing with thread, with reference to phenomenology, perspective and perception, is examined through the work of the American artist Fred Sandback. Through the interdisciplinary visual and material practices of thread as both drawn and drawing, hidden sight/site lines become visible as a mapping of space ...
Effects of inhalation exposures and intraperitoneal injections of methyl n-amyl ketone on multiple fixed-ratio, fixed-interval response rates in rats.

Twelve rats were tested daily for 1 hr on a multiple fixed-ratio, fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement. The rats were given ip injections of methyl n-amyl ketone (MAK; 2-heptanone), an industrial solvent, in concentrations ranging from 18 to 175 mg/kg on one to eight occasions each, and were tested 15 min after the injections. When compared to the preceding control (saline) day, there was little or no fixed interval (FI) response rate change at 18 mg/kg, moderate FI rate decreases at 37 and 74 mg/kg and a near cessation of responding at 175 mg/kg MAK. Changes were statistically significant (p<0.01) at 37, 74, and 175 mg/kg. The quantity of MAK which altered behavior was about 5% of the dose that was subsequently determined to be lethal to two-thirds of the test animals. Time course data indicated that the behavioral changes seen at 15 min after 175 mg/kg injections persisted for at least 1 hr but had vanished by 2.25 hr after the injections. Over the course of the study, there was a consistent reduction in the magnitude of the behavioral changes, suggesting that tolerance developed. Inhalation exposures below 1500 ppm did not cause behavioral changes, but those in excess of 1575 ppm had effects similar to the 175 mg/kg injections when testing began 5–10 min after termination of the inhalation exposure. However, a lack of opportunity for replications made it impossible to achieve statistical significance.
A New Nonparametric Growth Model

This paper proposes a new nonparametric reliability growth model for the analysis of the failure rate of a system that is undergoing development test. The only restrictions on the actual, unknown failure distribution for each stage of testing is that it be continuous, have only one unknown parameter ?, and have an associated unimodal likelihood function. No assumptions regarding the parametric form of the failure rate of the development process are made, only that there is no decay in the reliability of the system during the design changes. The parameters are assumed to be ordered from one test stage to the next such that ?1 ? ?2 ? ... ? ?m. The new model performs very well based on relative error and mean square error. The model is generally superior to the popular AMSAA model, regardless of the actual underlying failure process. In addition, the results indicate a notable bias in the AMSAA model, early in the development process, regardless of the actual underlying failure process.
Pulmonary embolism in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome presenting with clinical picture of Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia: report of two cases.

Pneomocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP) is still the leading cause of death in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) who are not receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAAR...
Aberration sensitivity of unstable-cavity geometries

This paper presents a tutorial review of the aberration-sensitivity characteristic of unstable-cavity geometries. The general formulation of the set of aberration-sensitivity coefficients for an unstable cavity is provided, and the geometric approximation of their behavior is fully developed. The influence of the diffractive formation of the transverse-mode field distribution on the aberration sensitivity is considered in detail, and the interrelationship between this sensitivity measure and the diffractive transverse-mode discrimination of the cavity is described. The theory is developed for both standing-wave and traveling-wave (ring) cavities. Methods of modifying the aberration-sensitivity behavior for a given unstable-cavity geometry are also considered; these include aperture apodization, intracavity spatial filtering, and intracavity beam rotation. Finally, the application of an intracavity adaptiveoptic system for the purpose of transverse-mode control in the presence of uncontrollable intracavity aberration sources is considered from both the geometric and the diffractive theories.
Effective Lifetime Estimate of Crimped Powerline Splice Connector Operated at High Temperature

This paper addresses the thermal-mechanical properties and performance characteristics of full tension splice connectors under high temperature operation, in particular those used in overhead transmission and distribution lines. Due to the increase in power demand existing overhead power transmission lines often need to operate at temperatures higher than those originally considered for their design. This has led to the accelerated aging and degradation of splice connectors. The compressive residual stresses induced by the crimping process within the splice connector provide the clamping forces to secure the conductor and therefore, the determination of the state of compressive residual stresses in splice connectors is a necessary requirement to provide an accurate estimate of their service lifetime. This paper presents a protocol for integrating analytical and experimental approaches to evaluate the integrity of a full tension single-stage splice connector assembly.
The Political Economy of Child Mortality Decline in Tanzania and Uganda, 1995-2007

This article identifies political economy factors that help explain dramatic differences in the pace of child mortality reduction between Tanzania and Uganda from 1995 to 2007. The existing literature largely explains divergence in basic health outcomes with reference to economic variables such as GDP per capita. However, these factors cannot explain recent divergence across African countries with similar levels of GDP per capita, rates of economic growth, and levels of health funding. I argue that institutional and governance divergences between Tanzania and Uganda can be linked directly to differing coverage levels of key child health interventions (especially related to malaria control), and thus to differing child health outcomes. These institutional differences can be explained in part by historical factors, but more relevant causes can be found in recent political events. In Tanzania, there was an unusually effective project of institution building in the health sector, while in Uganda, by contrast, there was a negative political shock to the health system. This was driven by the repatrimonialization of the Ugandan state after President Yoweri Museveni’s decision to eliminate term limits in the 2001–2006 period. This repatrimonialization process reversed previous health sector institutional gains and had particularly negative effects on child health service delivery in Uganda over the period in question.
The relative accessibility of semantic and deep-structure syntactic concepts.

Three experiments were conducted to determine the relative accessibility of semantic and deep-structure syntactic concepts. In Experiment 1, which employed a concept-formation task, subjects learned the concept “deep-structure subject” more slowly than the case concept “experiencer.” In Experiments 2 and 3, which employed a new recognition memory procedure, subjects performed more poorly when the sentences to be remembered were differentiated on the basis of deep-structure syntactic relations than when they were differentiated on the basis of semantic relations. These results favor Fillmore’s case grammar, or another semantically based theory, rather than the “standard theory” of Chomsky in a model of linguistic behavior.
Development of a new computer system for aircraft noise prediction

The paper presents an overview of the activities of NASA's Aircraft Noise Prediction Office (ANOPO). The principal goal of ANOPO is to develop a comprehensive, user-oriented, Aircraft Noise Prediction Program (ANOPP). ANOPO's activities in support of ANOPP development are briefly discussed. They include acquisition, implementation, and evaluation of an in-house, interim collection of programs and implementation of a plan for acquiring, in the form of Key Technology Documents, state-of-the-art methodology for aircraft noise prediction. The paper is primarily devoted to a presentation of the general architecture and functional capability planned for ANOPP together with the rationale supporting major design decisions.
Dilution and Distortion Effects in the Induced Polarization Response of a Two-Layer Earth

Using a two-layer Earth model the effective complex resistivity is computed for various frequencies and plotted in the complex Argand plane along with the first- and second-order dilution theoryapproximations. In the first case the frequency dependence of the complex resisitivity for the bottom region has a Cole-Cole form, but theupper layer is nonpolarizable. In this situation we demonstrate that theapparent resistivity does not always agree with dilution theory results,and the departure is most severe when the upper layer is relatively wellconducting. In the second case, both layers are polarizable, and we findthat the resulting dispersion is not a Cole-Cole form.
What do you mean by ‘anti‐oppressive education’? Student interpretations of a high school leadership program

Although theories on anti‐oppressive education abound, few scholars have conducted empirical studies of anti‐oppressive educational curricula to test the alignment of theories—constructed largely by university scholars—and practices carried out by K–12 educators and students. While feminist poststructuralist theorists have critiqued critical pedagogy and multicultural scholars for not interrogating their universalist claims and for overemphasizing rationalist discourses, many of their calls for situated, performative pedagogy remain abstract. The following paper attempts to make some of the conceptualizations of social justice education concrete by examining student responses to two experiential activities in a high school leadership program. Comprising students from eight high schools located in a single metropolitan area, this program sought to increase student consciousness of the pervasive prejudice and discrimination in US society and, subsequently, to move these students to action. This paper analyz...
Synthesis and Characterization of a Dimagnesiated Aromatic Compound: Oligomeric Derivatives of 1,4-Bis(chloromagnesio)-2,5-di-tert-butylbenzene

The synthesis of 1,4-bis(chloromagnesio)-2,5-di-tert-butylbenzene was conducted by treating 1,4-bis(chloromercurio)-2,5-di-tert-butylbenzene with methylmagnesium chloride. The dimagnesiated compound was characterized by hydrolysis, halogenation, and treatment with allyl bromide. NMR spectra suggest that 1,4-bis(chloromagnesio)-2,5-di-tert-butylbenzene exists as a mixture of oligomers.
Coordination Chemistry of a Tripodal S2ON Ligand: Syntheses, Structures, and Reactivity of the Molybdenum(VI) and Nickel(II) Complexes of Bis(2-mercaptoethyl)-2-amino-4-methylphenol (H3btap) and Comparison to VVO(btap)

The tripodal tetradentate ligand H3btap coordinates to VV, MoVI, and NiII via three different bonding modes to yield three complexes with unique ligand-based oxidation chemistry. For VV and MoVI (1), all four of the heteroatom donors are coordinated to the metal ion forming a trigonal bipyramidal complex with the oxovanadium(V) ion, VVO3+, and an octahedral complex with the cis-dioxomolybdenum(VI) ion, [MoO2]2+. Only three of the heteroatom donors of H3btap are used to coordinate to NiII (2), two thiolate sulfurs and the amine nitrogen, yielding a dimeric structure in which each nickel(II) ion has NS3 coordination. The ability of VVO(btap) to form η2-sulfenates, while [MoO2(btap)]- does not form stable η2-sulfenates, has been ascribed to the electron-deficient, π-accepting nature of VVO3+ relative to [MoVIO2]2+. Crystal data for 1 (C11H16NO4S2KMo): space group Pbcn, a = 6.6596(9) A, b = 13.7446(9) A, c = 32.992(2) A, α = β = γ = 90°, Z = 8. Crystal data for 2 (C24H38N2O4S4Ni): space group Pbcn, a = 12.0...
A critical analysis of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for differentiated thyroid carcinoma in young patients on the basis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry.

Background Differentiated thyroid carcinomas (DTC) are the only tumors for which age is a determinant of stage in the American Joint Committee on Cancer’s (AJCC) staging protocol. In this study, we re-examined the relationship between age, extent of disease, and prognosis by using a large dataset with longer follow-up times. Methods We examined the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry data 1973 to 2005 for patients with DTC as their only known malignancy. We used Cox multivariate analyses to generate mortality hazard ratios, controlling for several variables, to evaluate the effects of age and disease extent. Results We identified 55,402 patients with DTC. Of these, 49,240 had sufficient data to generate a TNM stage on the basis of AJCC guidelines. Within stage II, younger patients ( Conclusion The presence of regional and metastatic thyroid cancer bears prognostic significance for all ages. Under current AJCC guidelines, young patients with metastatic thyroid cancer may be understaged.
Further Results of TiO-Band Observations of Starspots

We present measurements of starspot parameters (temperature and filling factor) on five highly active stars, using absorption bands of TiO, from observations made between 1998 March and 2001 December. We determined starspot parameters by fitting TiO bands using spectra of inactive G and K stars as proxies for the unspotted photospheres of the active stars and spectra of M stars as proxies for the spots. For three evolved RS CVn systems, we find spot filling factors between 0.28 and 0.42 for DM UMa, 0.22 and 0.40 for IN Vir, and 0.31 and 0.35 for XX Tri; these values are similar to those found by other investigators using photometry and Doppler imaging. Among active dwarfs, we measured a lower spot temperature (3350 K) for EQ Vir than found in a previous study of TiO bands, and for EK Dra a lower spot temperature (~3800 K) than found through photometry. For all active stars but XX Tri, we achieved good phase coverage through a stellar rotational period. We also present our final, extensive grid of spot and nonspot proxy stars.
Work Patterns Dictate Energy Demands and Thermal Strain During Wildland Firefighting

Objective The purpose of this investigation was to characterize the effects of self-selected work activity on energy expenditure, water turnover, and thermal strain during wildland fire suppression. A secondary aim was to contrast current data with data collected 15 years ago using similar methods to determine whether job demands have changed. Methods Participants (n = 15, 26 ± 3 years, 179 ± 6 cm, 78.3 ± 8.6 kg) were monitored for 3 days for total energy expenditure, water turnover, core and chest skin temperature, physical activity, and heart rate. Participants arrived to the mobile laboratory each morning, submitted a nude weight, ingested a temperature transmitter, provided a urine sample, and were equipped with a physiological and activity monitor. Participants completed live wildland fire suppression during their work shifts. Results Mean core temperature was 37.6° ± 0.2°C, mean chest skin temperature was 34.1° ± 1.0°C, mean heart rate was 112 ± 13 beats/min, and the mean physiological strain index score was 3.3 ± 1.0. Wildland firefighters spent 49 ± 8%, 39 ± 6%, and 12 ± 2% in the sedentary, light, and moderate-vigorous intensity categories, respectively. The mean total energy expenditure was 19.1 ± 3.9 MJ/d, similar to 1997 (17.5 ± 6.9 MJ/d). The mean water turnover in 2012 was 9.5 ± 1.7 L/d, which was higher ( P Conclusions Wildland firefighters do not induce consistently high cardiovascular and thermal strain while completing arduous work in a hot environment despite fairly high chest skin temperatures. The total energy expenditure in the current study suggests job demands are similar to those of 15 years ago, while the increased water turnover may reflect a change in drinking habits.
Necessary and sufficient conditions for strictly positive real matrices

In this paper we present some useful properties of strictly positive real transfer matrices for both continuous and discrete-time linear time-invariant systems in the frequency and state space domains. Some of these properties follow from known results and are presented for the sake of completeness. The new results obtained are mainly for discrete-time systems and include the discretetime version of the Lefschetz-Kalman-Yakubovich lemma for transfer matrices.
Reorganization of mitochondrial genomes of cytoplasmic revertants in cms-S inbred line WF9 in maize

Cytoplasmic reversion to fertility in cms-S maize has been previously correlated with changes in mitochondrial genome organization, specifically with loss of the autonomously replicating linear plasmid-like DNAs, S1 and S2, and with accompanying alterations in the high molecular weight mtDNA (main genome) that specifically involved S1 and S2 sequences. These studies, however, dealt with cytoplasmic revertants occurring in the cms-VG M825 inbred line and in the cms-VG M825/Oh07 F1 hybrid. This paper deals principally with patterns of mitochondrial DNA reorganization accompanying cytoplasmic reversion to fertility in the WF9 inbred line nuclear background. Here the free S1 and S2 plasmid-like DNAs are retained in the revertants. Mitochondrial DNA analysis by Southern hybridization using cloned fragments of S1 and S2 shows altered organization around S-homologous regions in the main mitochondrial genome of revertants as compared with that of the male-sterile parental controls, but the pattern of main genome changes involving these regions differs from that of the cytoplasmic revertants that occurred in M825 and M825/Oh07 backgrounds. Similar experiments using a clone of the cytochrome oxidase I (COX I) gene of maize as a probe indicate that reorganization in this region is also involved in the changes in mtDNA that accompany cytoplasmic reversion to male fertility in cms-S WF9. The heterogeneity in patterns of reorganization of the main mtDNA genome that accompany cytoplasmic reversion in the same and different nuclear backgrounds are discussed in relation to cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS).
Prior Knowledge and Health Messages: An Examination of Affect as Heuristics and Information as Systematic Processing for Fear Appeals

This study examines the role prior knowledge plays in the cognitive processing of and response to fear appeals. The Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM) is used as the theoretical frame with results strengthening the HSM by demonstrating that having prior knowledge about a topic reduced the impact of fear arousal and led to systematic processing. Conversely, a lack of prior knowledge resulted in high fear arousal and heuristic processing. The influence of prior knowledge on systematic and heuristic processing provides greater clarity to the HSM as well as suggests future directions for health campaign practitioners that use fear appeals.
Temporal waves of coherent gene expression during Drosophila embryogenesis

Motivation: Animal development depends on localized patterns of gene expression. Whole-genome methods permit the global identification of differential expression patterns. However, most gene-expression-clustering methods focus on the analysis of entire expression profiles, rather than temporal segments or time windows. Results: In the current study, local clustering of temporal time windows was applied to developing embryos of the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster. Large-scale developmental events, involving temporal activation of hundreds of genes, were identified as discrete gene clusters. The time-duration analysis revealed six temporal waves of coherent gene expression during Drosophila embryogenesis. The most powerful expression waves preceded major morphogenetic movements, such as germ band elongation and dorsal closure. These waves of gene expression coincide with the inhibition of maternal transcripts during early development, the specification of ectoderm, differentiation of the nervous system, differentiation of the digestive tract, deposition of the larval cuticle and the reorganization of the cytoskeleton during global morphogenetic events. We discuss the implications of these findings with respect to the gene regulatory networks governing Drosophila development. Availability: Data and software are available from the UC Berkeley web resource http://flydev.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/GTEM/dmap_dm-ag/index_dmap.htm Contact: dimitri.papatsenko@mssm.edu Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The cancer biomarker osteopontin: combination with other markers.

Osteopontin (OPN) is a biomarker for cancer progression and prognosis in multiple tumor types, however, it has not yet found entry into clinical diagnostics. In recent years, there has been an increasing recognition that marker combinations may have better diagnostic or prognostic potential than individual molecules. While various studies have analyzed OPN in conjunction with other markers, a comprehensive review of their published results is still lacking. OPN in tumor tissue or in the blood has been investigated in conjunction with a broad range of other markers in diverse types of cancer. OPN has been combined with cancer-specific markers, functionally converging biomolecules (angiogenesis, motility/adhesion, extracellular matrix, bone) and synergizing biomolecules (fibrinolytic system, calcium homeostatic proteins, squamous cell carcinoma antigen, NF-κB pathways, proteases). Clinical parameters of interest have been cancer detection, assessment of progression, and prognosis/treatment response. Some marker combinations with OPN are promising for detection, diagnosis or prognosis in various types of cancer. Yet, surprisingly, in many cases, the published results are conflicting, and no clear metrics have been developed for utilizing marker combinations in clinical decision making. With the current intense interest in multiplex marker panels, additional, large-scale studies are needed to realize the full diagnostic and prognostic potential of OPN. Osteopontin (OPN) has been extensively studied as a cancer biomarker, however, it has not yet found routine use in the clinic. We have recently performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic power of OPN. The results indicate that OPN is a cancer biomarker, and is related to stage, grade and early tumor progression in multiple cancer types. It is also a predictor of disease-free and overall survival in various malignancies (1, 2). One aspect that has not been evaluated is the combination of OPN with other markers. Various benefits could conceivably be derived from such combinations. Markers that correlate with OPN and also measure cancer progression could enhance confidence. Markers for other aspects of transformation, such as growth rate, could refine the assessment. Furthermore, as elevated OPN levels are associated with about 30 types of cancer, the combination with cancer-type specific markers may aid in early detection. With the increasing use of multi-marker panels in clinical medicine, such combinations gain importance. This article reviews the literature previously evaluated for the meta-analyses for OPN plus other markers in cancer diagnosis and prognosis (Table I).
Differential dynamic programming methods for solving bang-bang control problems

Differential dynamic programming is a technique, based on dynamic programming rather than the calculus of variations, for determining the optimal control function of a nonlinear system. Unlike conventional dynamic programming where the optimal cost function is considered globally, differential dynamic programming applies the principle of optimality in the neighborhood of a nominal, possibly nonoptimal, trajectory. This allows the coefficients of a linear or quadratic expansion of the cost function to be computed in reverse time along the trajectory: these coefficients may then be used to yield a new improved trajectory (i.e., the algorithms are of the "successive sweep" type). A class of nonlinear control problems, linear in the control variables, is studied using differential dynamic programming. It is shown that for the free-end-point problem, the first partial derivatives of the optimal cost function are continuous throughout the state space, and the second partial derivatives experience jumps at switch points of the control function. A control problem that has an aualytic solution is used to illustrate these points. The fixed-end-point problem is converted into an equivalent free-end-point problem by adjoining the end-point constraints to the cost functional using Lagrange multipliers: a useful interpretation for Pontryagin's adjoint variables for this type of problem emerges from this treatment. The above results are used to devise new second- and first-order algorithms for determining the optimal bang-bang control by successively improving a nominal guessed control function. The usefulness of the proposed algorithms is illustrated by the computation of a number of control problem examples.
Efficient fixpoint computation for invariant checking

Techniques for the computation of fixpoints are key to the success of many formal verification algorithms. To be efficient, these techniques must take into account how sets of states are represented. When BDDs are used, this means controlling, directly or indirectly, the size of the BDDs. Traditional fixpoint computations do little to keep BDD sizes small, apart from reordering variables. In this paper, we present a new strategy that attempts to keep the size of the BDDs under control at every stage of the computation. Our contribution includes also new techniques to compute partial images, and to speed up and test convergence. We present experimental results that prove the effectiveness of our strategy by demonstrating up to 40 orders of magnitude improvement in the number of states computed.
Detection and quantification of vitamin K1 quinol in leaf tissues

Abstract Phylloquinone (2-methyl-3-phytyl-1,4-naphthoquinone; vitamin K 1 ) is vital to plants. It is responsible for the one-electron transfer at the A 1 site of photosystem I, a process that involves turnover between the quinone and semi-quinone forms of phylloquinone. Using HPLC coupled with fluorometric detection to analyze Arabidopsis leaf extracts, we detected a third redox form of phylloquinone corresponding to its fully reduced – quinol–naphthoquinone ring (PhQH 2 ). A method was developed to quantify PhQH 2 and its corresponding oxidized quinone (PhQ) counterpart in a single HPLC run. PhQH 2 was found in leaves of all dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous species tested, but not in fruits or in tubers. Its level correlated with that of PhQ, and represented 5–10% of total leaf phylloquinone. Analysis of purified pea chloroplasts showed that these organelles accounted for the bulk of PhQH 2 . The respective pool sizes of PhQH 2 and PhQ were remarkably stable throughout the development of Arabidopsis green leaves. On the other hand, in Arabidopsis and tomato senescing leaves, PhQH 2 was found to increase at the expense of PhQ, and represented 25–35% of the total pool of phylloquinone. Arabidopsis leaves exposed to light contained lower level of PhQH 2 than those kept in the dark. These data indicate that PhQH 2 does not originate from the photochemical reduction of PhQ, and point to a hitherto unsuspected function of phylloquinone in plants. The putative origin of PhQH 2 and its recycling into PhQ are discussed.
Symbolic Noise, Signal Processing, and Signal Enhancement by the Use of Chaos

In this paper, we discuss the symbolic and visual approach to combinations of noise plus noise. Just as in other application chaos is used to disguise noise, we suggest that their is a dual process where chaos may be used to amplify signals in noise. An example of this is presented and some of the implications are discussed
Some Recent Approaches to the Study of Heterogeneous Redox Kinetics of Metal Complexes. Comparisons with Homogeneous Redox Processes

Some experimental and conceptual aspects of the electrode kinetics of metal complexes are reviewed, with emphasis on the comparison between heterogeneous and homogeneous redox behavior, using cobalt(III)/(II) and chromium(III)/(II) couples as illustrative examples. Experimental methods for determining the position of the heterogeneous reaction sites and for distinguishing between outer-sphere and ligand-bridged electrode reactions are examined, along with the interpretation of electrochemical activation parameters for outer-sphere pathways. The possible roles of bridging ligands in catalyzing electrode reactions are discussed in terms of “intrinsic” and “thermodynamic” contributions to the observed rate constants.
Relativistic and correlation effects in the 2s3p configuration of berylliumlike ions

Relativistic and correlation effects cause several inversions of the triplet and singlet J = 1 levels in the 2s3p configuration of berylliumlike ions. We have studied these effects in the range of atomic number Z = 6–54 by using both relativistic and nonrelativistic multiconfiguration wave functions. Theoretical predictions of energies of these levels with respect to the 2s21S0 ground level are compared with experimental data, and we conclude that overall the predictions for the ions having Z ≥ 15 are probably more accurate than the available measurements. Calculated oscillator strengths for these resonance transitions are also reported. Near cadmium (Z = 48), we confirm still another inversion that is due to the complete dominance of relativistic effects, which was reported previously. The 2p3s (1/2,1/2)1 level, a doubly excited state, goes below the 2s3p (1/2,3/2)1 level, owing to relativistic hydrogenic ordering. This type of level crossing due to hydrogenic ordering is anticipated in other sequences as well, contrary to our usual experience in atomic spectroscopy.
Development and Testing of an Assay for Soil Ecosystem Health Using the Bacterial-Feeding NematodeCruznema tripartitum☆☆☆

Survival and respiration rates of the bacterial-feeding nematode Cruznema tripartitum after incubation in soil for 48 hr provided a useful bioassay of the presence and concentration level of biologically active toxicants. The assay provided an indication of toxicant activity at sublethal levels, and a means of determining when the toxicant had declined to levels not deleterious to physiological function. Assays of soil contaminants based on the community structure of resident soil nematodes were more useful in undisturbed soils than in agricultural soils where the range of taxa was relatively narrow. Assays involving measurement of survival and respiration rates of nematodes after immersion in an aqueous extract of contaminated soils were not useful due to degradation and loss of contaminant during the extraction process.
Science, Technology, and Society: Considerations of Method

This article attributes the many conflicting theories about the nature and direction of contemporary technological society to the revolutionary and paradoxical character of technology itself. Commentators come to very different conclusions about the same basic phenomena; but their differences, while reflecting divergent assumptions and intellectual styles, also reveal contradictions within the subject matter. Dialectical and historical methods are introduced as ways to redefine the basic terms involved, augment traditional studies, and indicate directions for authentic interdisciplinary research. A neo-Hegelian approach can help resolve problems of method and interpretation in the field of science, technology, and society, and reveal new possibilities for rational action and effective social control.
Sensor Selection for Machine Olfaction Based on Transient Feature Extraction

Machine olfaction devices, which are often called electronic noses (e-noses), are gaining favor for odor assessment applications in several industrial sectors, such as beverage, perfumery, and food. From a design point of view, the number of sensors in these devices for a particular odor application should be minimized without degrading classification accuracy. This paper deals with selecting sensors for e-noses to make small portable devices with fast response times and reduced cost possible. Prior research efforts have been reported in the open literature and have shown that many advantages can be gained by properly selecting the input features before forwarding to a pattern classification algorithm. This selection process can reduce the dimensionality of the feature space, remove redundant and irrelevant features, speed up classification, and improve classification performance. In this paper, the transient features of an array of sensors obtained by applying a multiresolutional approximation technique from the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) are investigated to search for an optimal sensor array to be implemented in the e-nose system. A genetic algorithm is adapted to tailor a gas sensor array for two different odor data sets (coffee and soda). From the experimental results, the input features obtained by applying the DWT to the transient sensor responses not only provide a significant reduction in the number of sensors when compared to traditional features but also improve the classification rate to near 100%.
Optimal weights for multi-atlas label fusion

Multi-atlas based segmentation has been applied widely in medical image analysis. For label fusion, previous studies show that image similarity-based local weighting techniques produce the most accurate results. However, these methods ignore the correlations between results produced by different atlases. Furthermore, they rely on pre-selected weighting models and ad hoc methods to choose model parameters. We propose a novel label fusion method to address these limitations. Our formulation directly aims at reducing the expectation of the combined error and can be efficiently solved in a closed form. In our hippocampus segmentation experiment, our method significantly outperforms similarity-based local weighting. Using 20 atlases, we produce results with 0.898 ± 0.019 Dice overlap to manual labelings for controls.
Visual Evaluation of Voice Transformation Based on Knowledge of Speaker

Voice transformation techniques are maturing. The ability to automatically change a source voice to a target voice, using a model built from a small amount of target speaker data, has brought with it the need to better understand how to evaluate the quality of a transformation model. This paper presents a simple experiment to measure how familiarity with the particular source and target speakers affects perception of the transformation. The results show that listeners' views of the transformation are not affected by familiarity with the speakers. In addition to these results, we also introduce Transformation Triangle Diagrams, a graphical mechanism to better display certain relationships that are important in the evaluation of voice transformation.
Biotransformation of uranium and other actinides in radioactive wastes

Microorganisms affect the solubility, bioavailability, and mobility of actinides in radioactive wastes. Under appropriate conditions, actinides are solubilized or stabilized by the direct enzymatic or indirect nonenzymatic actions of microorganisms. Biotransformation of various forms of uranium (ionic, inorganic, and organic complexes) by aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms has been extensively studied, whereas limited information is available on other important actinides (Th, Np, Pu, and Am). Fundamental information on the mechanisms of biotransformation of actinides by microbes under various environmental conditions will be useful in predicting the long-term performance of waste repositories and in developing strategies for waste management and remediation of contaminated sites.
Demonstration of 20 Gbps digital test signal synthesis using SiGe and InP logic

This paper demonstrates the signal performance obtained by combining data from two 10 Gbps SiGe serializers using a very high-speed, low-jitter InP exclusive-OR gate. The technique has been proven for lower-speed (i.e. ≤12.8Gbps) applications [1–3]. But its success at higher speeds depends upon tight control of timing and signal integrity. Relatively low-cost components are selected so that the method can be applied to test scenarios requiring many high-speed channels. Careful analysis of the demonstration circuit performance reveals the challenges, capabilities, and limitations of the method.
61.3: Amorphous Silicon TFT Technology for Rollable OLED Displays

Amorphous silicon thin-film transistors were designed for roll-out OLED screens in hand-held devices. Separate TFTs reached a saturation current of 6 μA/square, an output current half-life extrapolating to 1,000 years, and were rolled to 1 mm diameter. All three parameters set new world records.
Bacterial Superantigen Exposure after Resolution of Influenza Virus Infection Perturbs the Virus-Specific Memory CD8+-T-Cell Repertoire

Heterologous viral infections have been shown to impact the preexisting memory CD8 + -T-cell repertoire. Bacterial superantigens are products of common human pathogenic bacteria, including staphylococci and streptococci, that are potent T-cell-stimulatory molecules. In this report, we show that exposure to staphylococcal enterotoxin B, a bacterial superantigen, causes a selective functional deletion of cross-reactive influenza virus-specific CD8 + memory T cells. This perturbation of the memory repertoire can have a significant impact on viral clearance after secondary challenge.
Non-negative solutions in ∑T The case 1<p<2

We will investigate the structure of non-negative solutions in the stripETof the singular p.d.e $$ u_t - div|Du|^{p - 2} Du = 0, 1 < p < 2. $$ (1.1) A striking feature of these singular equations is that, unlike the degenerate casep>2, non-negative solutions of (1.1) are not restricted by any ‘growth condition’ as |x|→∞ .Nevertheless they have initial traces that are Radon measures. Moreover they areuniquewhenever the initial traces are in L1 loc (RN).
Earth’s Biosphere in Peril

Eight global crises – human economy, climate change, exponential human population growth, ecological overshoot, biotic impoverishment and the reduction of biodiversity, renewable resource depletion, energy allocation, and environmental refugees – affect each other and affect and are affected by the biosphere. Some, perhaps all, are close to tipping points that, if tipped, will result in irreversible change. And yet, no sense of urgency is apparent. If any one of the eight interactive crises passes a tipping point, it will probably act as a threat multiplier for the remaining crises. Both politicians and the average citizen believe that priorities can be established for these interactive crises, but such an option is not viable for a highly interactive system. Polls indicate that most people place economic growth as the highest priority for human society, even though the highest status should be given to the master biospheric life support system to which all other systems are subordinate.
Direct Analog Simulation of Hysteretic Heat Buildup in Rubber

Abstract An instrument has been constructed for real-time analog simulation of temperature rise in a rubber article subjected to periodic strains. In an illustrative application to a tire tread; the effects of changes in ambient temperature, degree of internal cooling, addition of frictional heating and changes in distribution of hysteretic heat were studied. The results were in general agreement with experience on actual tires. Some suggestions are given for modifications to the instrument to increase its validity and versatility.
New treatments for atopic dermatitis : Facts, comparisons and uncertainties

1 Department of Dermatolgoy Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, Massachusetts, USA Address for Correspondence: Dr Michael Bigby, Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA. * Presented at the 18th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Dermatological Society of Singapore on 10 July 2005. Professor Chan Heng Leong Memorial Lecture
Cardioscopic Tool-Delivery Instrument for Beating-Heart Surgery

This paper describes an instrument that provides solutions to two open challenges in beating-heart intracardiac surgery—providing high-fidelity imaging of tool-tissue contact and controlling tool penetration into tissue over the cardiac cycle. Tool delivery is illustrated in the context of tissue removal for which these challenges equate to the visualization of the tissue as it is being removed and to control of cutting depth. Cardioscopic imaging is provided by a camera and illumination system encased in an optical window. When the optical window is pressed against tissue, it displaces the blood between the camera and tissue allowing clear visualization. Control of cutting depth is achieved via precise extension of the cutting tool from a port in the optical window. Successful tool use is demonstrated in ex vivo and in vivo experiments.
Stereospecificity of the uterine nuclear hormone receptors.

SummaryThe inhibitory effects of several compounds on the in vitro binding of estradiol to the rat uterine nuclear pellet were tested. The binding properties of the compounds tested were related to their known physiological effects. Chemical modifications of the estradiol molecule produced marked changes in binding properties, indicating a high degree of specificity for the transfer reactions.
Electrocardiographic changes in donors during bloodletting.

test, after a five-minute period of rest, and after withdrawal of 250 ml. and of 500 ml. of blood. The entire phlebotomy was completed within ten minutes. Five minutes after the withdrawal of 500 ml., another electrocardiogram was taken; this was followed immediately by a repetition of the exercise test. Electrocardio­ grams were also taken immediately after the test and five minutes, 15 minutes, and 25 minutes after completion of the test, while the subject was at rest. At the same time blood was taken for determination of the hemoglobin and hema­ tocrit values, erythrocyte and leukocyte counts, concentration of total serum protein and albumin, and prothrombin time. These data were previously re­ ported. 4 In analyzing the electrocardiographic findings, particular attention was directed to changes in rate, alteration in the ST segment levels and T waves, as well as axis deviations in the four standard leads. Altogether 42 donors were tested, each having 10 electrocardiographic tracings, making a total of 420 ob­ servations. Results. No significant changes were found in the ST segments, T waves or axis alteration, which were not easily explained by change in the heart rate. A summary of the statistical analysis of the changes in rate is given in Table 1 The heart rate was significantly greater immediately following the post-phle­ botomy exercise test. Similarily at this time the ST and T wave changes related to the tachycardia were most marked. However, electrocardiographic tracings obtained after five minutes' rest following the post-phlebotomy exercise tolerance test showed a complete reversion of the rate and of the form of the ST segment and T wave to those obtained prior to the first test. When the changes in the heart rates were subjected to statistical analysis, significant differences were found on comparing the rates at rest with those immediately after phlebotomy; the rates immediately after phlebotomy with those five minutes later; and the