cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Incorporating Backchannel Training into Signal Integrity SerDes Compliance

Performed automatically by SerDes hardware, backchannel training is an essential part of signal quality in high performance serial link interfaces. Until recently, there has been no standard way to model this behavior in serial link simulations with commercial tools. But recent enhancements to the upcoming IBIS standard now support backchannel training, enabling IBIS-AMI models to emulate this real-world SerDes behavior. Signal integrity simulations will now have the ability to incorporate backchannel algorithms into their IBIS-AMI models, automating the optimization of transmitter and receiver equalization settings in the same manner as their actual SerDes hardware devices. This will save system designers significant time by avoiding a multitude of computationally intensive sweeping in order to determine optimum equalization settings for their link, while at the same time yielding more realistic and higher quality results that are more consistent with the hardware they seek to model.
The Effectiveness of a Physician-Only and Physician–Patient Intervention on Colorectal Cancer Screening Discussions Between Providers and African American and Latino Patients

BACKGROUND Physician recommendation of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is a critical facilitator of screening completion. Providing patients a choice of screening options may increase CRC screening completion, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities.
Dynamics of a Magnetically Excited Rotational System

This extended abstract investigates the dynamics of a non-contact linear-to-rotary magnetic transmission system. Equations of motion were derived using a Dipole Model. An equilibria and stability analysis revealed coexisting solutions exist as magnets are close, and experimental studies were conducted to verify this trend. Simulation results gave the system’s dynamic response under forward and reverse frequency sweeps, which show good agreement with experimental studies.
The many dimensions of algorithmic fairness in educational applications

The issues of algorithmic fairness and bias have recently featured prominently in many publications highlighting the fact that training the algorithms for maximum performance may often result in predictions that are biased against various groups. Educational applications based on NLP and speech processing technologies often combine multiple complex machine learning algorithms and are thus vulnerable to the same sources of bias as other machine learning systems. Yet such systems can have high impact on people’s lives especially when deployed as part of high-stakes tests. In this paper we discuss different definitions of fairness and possible ways to apply them to educational applications. We then use simulated and real data to consider how test-takers’ native language backgrounds can affect their automated scores on an English language proficiency assessment. We illustrate that total fairness may not be achievable and that different definitions of fairness may require different solutions.
Bayesian statistical dose-response models

In the coming years, NASA will collect nationally representative data to support efforts to develop international standards for permissible noise from commercial supersonic flight over land. The data will elucidate the relationship between sonic boom noise exposure and community response. This presentation introduces several Bayesian statistical models and a method to calculate a summary dose-response curve. Additionally, the statistical models illuminate the trade-off between sample size and precision of estimated quantities such as percent highly annoyed. This trade-off will inform sample size decisions for future community surveys. All models are fit to data from a recent NASA community response test, the Quiet Supersonic Flights 2018 (QSF18) test.
Stabilization of Rice Bran in Broiler Feed with Natural and Synthetic Antioxidants and Heat Treatment

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate different strategies for the oxidative stabilization of rice bran (RB) in the diet of broiler chickens using natural antioxidant additives, synthetic antioxidant additives and heat treatment on performance, breast meat quality and liver fat content and the nutrient digestibility coefficients. Furthermore, the study aimed to evaluate the effects of heat treatment and antioxidants, antioxidant additive treatments, without antioxidants, natural, and synthetic, and to three heat treatments, without heat, dry-heat and moist-heat, after the rice bran was stored for 90 days and then incorporated into the experimental diets. 1080 broilers were arranged in a 3 x 3-factorial randomized design with 10 replicates per treatments. The wet heat treatment of the meal resulted in a higher daily feed intake and body weight at 28 days and better feed conversion than did the meal without heat treatment. No significant interactions were observed between the tested factors on the apparent digestibility of dry matter and ether extract as well as the values of apparent metabolizable energy and apparent metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen. However, there was significant interaction between the tested factors on the nitrogen retention coefficient; the natural antioxidant and dry heat-treated meal combination presented a lower crude protein digestibility coefficient than those without heat treatment. In conclusion, thermal treatment of this bran proved to be more effective as demonstrated by the performance responses of the birds. Broiler chickens reared up to 28 days of age consuming diets containing 6.5% RB stabilized by heat treatment showed better performance, and the use of antioxidants was not necessary.
Chapter 5 – Allosteric Drug Effects

Publisher Summary In this chapter, the reader will learn about characteristic properties of allosteric molecules, how they interact with proteins and strategies for identifying allosterism and the reasons why this is relevant to drug discovery. Specifically, these involve the unique therapeutic properties of allosteric modulators. This chapter describes the use of pharmacologic tools to quantify allosteric behavior of molecules for use in studies aimed at optimization of allosteric activity. Allosteric molecules can bind to virtually any site on the target protein and affect its activity; this greatly expands the possible therapeutic opportunities for a given target. Allosteric interactions on proteins such as receptors and ion channels occur through the binding of a molecule onto the protein to affect its free energy of conformation. Protein allostery describes the process of cooperation between binding sites, i.e., the binding of a molecule at one site on the protein alters the subsequent interaction of the protein with other molecules binding at other sites. Schematic diagram explains various possible effects of an allosteric modulator on the response to an agonist. Three properties of allosterism are explained.
Simulations using telehealth to collaborate with other health-care professionals: effect on pre-licensure nursing students' competencies and amount of collaboration in the clinical setting.

Nursing students must gain experience collaborating with other members of the health-care team. Simulation can provide intra- and interprofessional collaboration experience; however, there can be b...
Family Smartphone Practices and Parent-Child Conversations During Informal Science Learning at an Aquarium

Despite the ubiquity of smartphones, no studies to date have investigated family smartphone practices in informal learning environments, notwithstanding museum app studies. Yet, the importance of parent-child interactions for children’s informal learning is well-established. This multi-method pilot study described whether and how families used smartphones during informal learning, assessed fidelity of parental self-reported smartphone use, and compared the quantity and quality of parent-child conversations by smartphone use. Participants were 79 children and parents at a local aquarium. Parents self-reported demographics, amount of smartphone use, and verbal engagement with child. With a subset of families, researchers used systematic observations to document smartphone use and parent-child engagement and audio recording for parent-child conversations. The authors assessed conversation quality by coding verbatim transcripts for parent and child responsiveness and contingency. Triangulation of measures revealed that parents underreported and underestimated their device use. Fifty-five percent of families used a smartphone, primarily for photo and video documentation. More smartphone-using adults reported off-topic talk than did smartphone-free adults (p = .001), and the more parents used their smartphones, the less contingent were their conversations (p = .004). That parents and children were less contingent, and thus less sensitive, at the turn-by-turn conversational level adds to the scarce microanalytic work demonstrating how parent smartphone use impacts the moment-to-moment interactions of parents and children. Such differences in the quantity and quality of language interactions have important implications for the developmental and educational trajectories of children whose families vary in degree of smartphone use during informal learning opportunities.
Discovery of a Population of H I Clouds in the Galactic Halo

A population of discrete H I clouds in the halo of the inner Galaxy has been discovered in 21 cm observations made with the Green Bank Telescope. The halo clouds are seen up to 1.5 kpc from the Galactic plane at tangent points throughout the first longitude quadrant and at several locations in the fourth quadrant. Their velocities follow Galactic rotation. A group of clouds more than 500 pc below the plane near l = 29° was studied in detail. In the median, the 38 clouds have a peak N of a few times 1019 cm-2, a diameter of a few tens of parsecs, an H I density of a few tenths cm-3, and an H I mass of 50 M☉, with a considerable range about the median. Some halo clouds have line widths so narrow that their temperature must be less than 1000 K. Some appear to have a core-halo velocity structure. As much as half the mass of the neutral halo may be in clouds.
Nurturing the developing brain to reduce neurological delay

Abstract Findings consistently link atypical neurological development with developmental delay and lasting mental health problems in large clinical populations. Cascading effects of early neurological disorders result in disrupted psychological health, including deficits in general intellectual ability, executive functioning, self-regulation, and language. This is because synchronized functioning of neural networks rapidly develops in the first 3 years of life. Converging findings from animal and human research indicates caregiving environment is an important factor shaping connectivity of neural systems. This chapter will review contemporary literature suggesting that by leveraging the inherent neuroplasticity of the brain in early childhood, interventions that improve nurturing may serve as important treatments for normalizing neurological development.
A Few of My Favorite Things: Heirloom Exemptions in Bankruptcy

Exemptions in bankruptcy proceedings allow debtors to keep certain pieces of personal property such as bank accounts, vehicles, telephones, and other things. Interestingly, only a few states allow exemptions for "heirloom" property. This article summarizes how jurisdictions that have adopted heirloom exemption statutes define heirloom property and advocates amending the Illinois Bankruptcy Exemption Code to include an exemption for heirloom property.
A meta-heuristic multiple ensemble load balancing framework for real-time multi-task cloud scheduling process

Meta heuristic algorithms play a key role in the load balancing applications due to high computing efficiency and runtime. As the number of tasks and load balancing resources are increasing in size and dimensions, the efficiency of the scalable load balancing metrics and computing power gradually decreases in commercial cloud storage servers. In this paper, a hybrid meta-heuristic-based load balancing framework is designed and implemented in the real-time cloud environment. In this framework, a multiple load balancer is implemented to take decision on the task allocation and resources optimization. In this work, an advanced particle swarm optimization (IPSO) and improved ant colony optimization are used for majority voting process in the cloud computing environment. In this model, hybrid optimization constraints are evaluated to find the optimization in the task scheduling process. Experimental results show that the present ensemble load balancing model has better efficiency in real-time task scheduling process than the conventional models.
Case Presentation – Frontline Treatment of Older Patient with CLL: Options and Consideration

Abstract The advent of novel targeted therapies, specifically Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors and the B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) inhibitor, venetoclax, has revolutionized the treatment approach in the frontline setting for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). By targeting BTK, a critical kinase in proximal B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling, this class of small molecule inhibitors impairs BCR-signaling and activation of NF-κB, and inhibits cell proliferation and migration.1,2 BCL2 is an antiapoptotic protein that is overexpressed in various B-cell cancers, including CLL.3 Venetoclax disrupts antiapoptotic signaling through BCL2, thereby inducing programmed cell death of CLL cells.4 Both of these options have significantly improved the efficacy of treatment in older patients in which efficacy of more traditional chemoimmunotherapy regimens was often hampered by increased toxicity limiting therapy. When embarking on initial therapy for patients with CLL and deciding between various options, it has become important to consider age, comorbidities, and functional condition as well as their disease specific features such as the results of their FISH and IGHV mutational status. Armed with this information, a provider can then review potential options of therapy with each patient focusing on both their disease specific features and comorbidities while taking into consideration their desire for continuous treatment versus time-limited therapy.
Technical note: Investigating sub-city gradients of air quality: lessons learned with low-cost PM 2.5 and AOD monitors and machine learning

Abstract. Accurate sub-city fine particulate matter (PM2.5) estimates could improve epidemiological and health-impact studies in cities with heterogeneous distributions of PM2.5, yet most cities globally lack the monitoring density necessary for sub-city-scale estimates. To estimate spatiotemporal variability in PM2.5, we use machine learning (Random Forests; RFs) and concurrent PM2.5 and AOD measurements from the Citizen Enabled Aerosol Measurements for Satellites (CEAMS) low-cost sensor network as well as PM2.5 measurements from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) reference monitors during wintertime in Denver, CO, USA. The RFs predicted PM2.5 in a 5-fold cross validation (CV) with relatively high skill (95% confidence interval R2=0.74–0.84 for CEAMS; R2=0.68–0.75 for EPA) though the models were aided by the spatiotemporal autocorrelation of the PM2.5 measurements. We found that the most important predictors of PM2.5 were factors associated with pooling of pollution in wintertime, such as low planetary boundary layer heights (PBLH), stagnant wind conditions, and, to a lesser degree, elevation. In general, spatial predictors were less important than spatiotemporal predictors because temporal variability exceeded spatial variability in our dataset. Finally, although concurrent AOD was an important predictor in our RF model for hourly PM2.5, it did not improve model performance with high statistical significance. Regardless, we found that low-cost PM2.5 measurements incorporated into an RF model were useful in interpreting meteorological and geographic drivers of PM2.5 over wintertime Denver. We also explored how the RF model performance and interpretation changes based on different model configurations and data processing.
Robust Inference of Long-Horizon Predictability

Examination over multiple horizons has been a routine in testing asset return predictability in finance and macroeconomics. In a simple predictive regression model, we find that the popular scaled test for multiple-horizon predictability has zero null rejection rate if the forecast horizon increases at a faster rate than the inverse of proximity of the predictor autoregressive root to the unity. Correspondingly, the scaled test has zero power for long horizons, e.g. if the horizon increases faster than n^(1/2), where n is the sample size, when the predictor is stationary. The t-test based on an implication of the short-run model, together with Bonferroni correction we suggest, is shown to have controlled size agnostic of persistence of the predictor, and is uniformly more powerful than the robust scaled test. Simulation experiments support the asymptotic results and show substantial power gain of the implied test over various other widely-used tests. In the empirical application, we re-examine predictive ability of the short interest and the dividend-price-ratio for aggregate equity premium.
Search for gamma ray bursts with coincident balloon flights

A search was conducted for cosmic gamma ray bursts of small size and of sufficient frequency of occurrence to be detected during a one day observation program. Two similar detectors, successfully balloon-borne from launch sites in South Dakota and Texas, achieved about 20 hours of simultaneous operation at several millibars atmospheric depth, with continuous separation of over 1,500 km. Fluctuations of the counting rates of less than 150 keV photons with temporal structures from microseconds to several minutes were compared in order to detect coincident or associated responses from the two instruments. No coincident gamma-ray burst events were detected. The resulting integral size spectrum of small bursts, from this and from all other searches, remains a spectrum of upper limits, consistent with an extrapolation of the size spectrum of the largest known bursts, fitting a power low of index -1.5.
Relational and Physical Victimization Within Friendships: Nobody Told Me There'd Be Friends Like These

In past research, relational and physical forms of peer victimization have been identified that have been shown to be significantly associated with social–psychological maladjustment. These forms of victimization, although studied primarily within the group peer context, also occur within dyadic relationships such as friendships. Gender differences in friend victimization and the association between friend victimization and children's social–psychological adjustment were examined. Results showed that boys were more physically victimized by their friends than were girls. Girls were more relationally than physically victimized by their friends. Friend victimization was related to adjustment difficulties for both boys and girls; however, friend physical victimization was particularly related to boys whereas friend relational victimization was particularly related to girls. The implications of these findings for future research and intervention with victimized children are discussed.
Noninvasive dynamic fluorescence imaging of human melanomas reveals that targeted inhibition of bFGF or FGFR-1 in melanoma cells blocks tumor growth by apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Two prominent biological features of the advanced stages of human melanoma are their high degree of vascularity and high-level expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 (FGFR-1). Given these characteristics, human melanoma serves as an ideal model to address an important question regarding the efficacy of angiogenesis-based cancer therapy. To induce tumor growth arrest and regression, does it suffice to block expression of bFGF and/or FGFR-1 in only the melanoma cells, or is it essential to inhibit expression of bFGF and/or FGFR-1 in both the melanoma cells and the melanoma cell-interspersing vasculature? MATERIALS AND METHODS: Primary and metastatic human melanomas, grown as subcutaneous tumors in nude mice, were injected twice a week with vector constructs containing the human tyrosinase promoter and antisense- oriented human bFGF or FGFR-1 cDNA. On alternating days, the bFGF and FGFR-1 antisense-targeted tumors received injections of cyanine fluorochrome-conjugated antibodies to a human melanoma and mouse blood vessel marker. Noninvasive, dynamic fluorescence imaging was used to document the cellular events that took place inside the tumors as the result of blocking expression of bFGF or FGFR-1 in the melanoma cells. RESULTS: In vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro fluorescence imaging of the bFGF and FGFR-1 antisense-targeted tumors demonstrated that inhibiting bFGF and FGFR-1 signaling in only the melanoma cells suffices to inhibit tumor growth due to massive induction of melanoma cell apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: The investigations presented in this study document that inhibiting expression of bFGF or FGFR-1 in only the melanoma cells is as effective in blocking tumor growth as simultaneously inhibiting bFGF or FGFR-1 synthesis in the melanoma cells and the melanoma cell-interspersing vasculature. Furthermore, blocking expression of bFGF or FGFR-1 in the melanoma cells did not lead to activation or increased production of another angiogenic molecule, suggesting the absence of a "salvage pathway" that can circumvent or rescue the blockage of bFGF/FGFR-1 in the melanoma cells.
Intraperiplasmic growth of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus on heat-treated Escherichia coli.

Abstract Heat treatment (55°C for 40 min) of cell suspensions in buffer (ca. 3 × 109 cells per ml) of Escherichia coli ML35 caused a 4- to 4.5-log loss of cell viability. Similar results were found for several other E. coli strains that were examined. As a result of this heat treatment, 260-nm- and 280-nm-absorbing materials were released into the suspending buffer, along with about 10% of the total cellular radioactivity, when cells uniformly labeled with 14C were used. In comparison with untreated cells, heat-treated E. coli ML35 cells showed (i) no significant changes in macromolecular composition other than ca. 22% less RNA content, (ii) an increased permeability to o-nitrophenyl-β-d-galactopyranoside (a compound to which untreated cells are impermeable), (iii) almost complete loss of respiratory potential, and (iv) substantial losses of numerous glycolytic enzyme activities in cell extracts prepared from these cells. Intraperiplasmic development of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus 109J with heat-treated E. coli ML35 as substrate cells appeared normal when observed microscopically, although bdellovibrio attachment and resultant bdelloplast formation were slightly retarded. No significant changes were observed in cell yields or in the ratios and contents of DNA, RNA, or protein between bdellovibrios harvested from untreated cells and those from heat-treated substrate cells after single-developmental-cycle growth on these cells. The average YATP values for intraperiplasmic growth on untreated and heat-treated substrate cells were 16.0 and 17.9, respectively. It is concluded that intraperiplasmic bdellovibrio growth on gently heat-treated E. coli substrate cells is very similar to growth on untreated substrate cells, even though the former substrate cells are nonviable and substantially impaired in many metabolic activities.
Experiments with a Malone engine

A complete four-cylinder experimental Malone (Stirling-cycle) engine has been built. It uses liquid propylene (C/sub 3/H/sub 6/) as its working substance. Extensive measurements made with the propylene engine are reported and compared to the predictions of a theoretical model. The predictions are in good agreement with the engine's observed performance. The test engine is very versatile. It can operate as a prime mover or as a heat pump, and crankshaft speed, piston displacement, static and dynamic pressure, and temperatures can be varied while the shaft power and heat flow are measured. The engine operates near room temperature with temperature differences up to about 30 degrees C, frequencies up to 5 Hz, heat flows up to 1000 W, and shaft power up to 300 W. >
Resolution of galaxy and third image of gravitational lens 2016+112.

The components of 2016+112 are variable. It is probable that all three compact objects are variable, but the absolute flux density scale is difficult to determine. The strong variation of C is contrary to expectations, because VLBI observations show C is extended and must vary more slowly than a compact object. If the C flux density decrease is due to variation of a third image, this image must have very large percentage flux density changes. Any third image, C′, must be very near C, < 0.19 arcseconds away for images with A/C′ flux density ratios < 2 magnitudes. Component C has been resolved, but measuring the contribution of the quasar image to the radio flux density requires further observations. The Narasimha et al. model that is not excluded by these observations suggests that a massive galaxy is located at the radio component C.
Sociodemographic Profile of Women Entering a Military Substance Use Disorder Treatment Center

ABSTRACT This retrospective study reviewed medical records to determine sociodemographic characteristics of women in a substance use treatment center at a Pacific Regional Medical Command facility. Data were collected from records between September 1, 1999, and August 31, 2002. Three questions were investigated, as follows. (1) What are the sociodemographic characteristics of women entering substance abuse treatment? (2) Are there coexisting conditions (psychiatric history and/or family history of abuse or psychiatric conditions) that accompany the substance abuse problem? (3) What are the referral sources for patients entering treatment? Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics. The sample was primarily Caucasian, between 18 and 25 years of age. The most frequently occurring conditions were depression and anxiety. The smallest number of referrals was from primary care managers. The findings support the need for thorough screening and assessment for substance use in women and assessment of prima...
Reduction and Mutagenic Activation of Nitroaromatic Compounds by a Mycobacterium sp

Mycobacterium sp. strain Pyr-1 cells, which were grown to the stationary phase in media with and without pyrene, were centrifuged and resuspended in a medium containing 1-nitropyrene. Cells that had been grown with pyrene oxidized up to 20% of the added 1-nitropyrene to 1-nitropyrene-cis-9,10- and 4,5-dihydrodiols. However, cells that had been grown without pyrene reduced up to 70% of the 1-nitropyrene to 1-aminopyrene but did not produce dihydrodiols. The nitroreductase activity was oxygen insensitive, intracellular, and inducible by nitro compounds. Nitroreductase activity was inhibited by p-chlorobenzoic acid, o-iodosobenzoic acid, menadione, dicumarol, and antimycin A. Extracts from cells that had been grown without pyrene activated 1-nitropyrene, 1-amino-7-nitrofluorene, 2,7-dinitro-9-fluorenone, 1,3-dinitropyrene, 1,6-dinitropyrene, and 6-nitrochrysene to DNA-damaging products, as shown in Salmonella typhimurium tester strains by the reversion assay and by induction of the umuC gene. Activation of nitro compounds, as shown by the umu test, was enhanced by NADPH. This study shows that Mycobacterium sp. strain Pyr-1 metabolizes nitroaromatic compounds by both oxidative and reductive pathways. During reduction, it generates products that are mutagenic.
Changes in Olfactory Sensory Neuron Physiology and Olfactory Perceptual Learning After Odorant Exposure in Adult Mice

The adult olfactory system undergoes experience-dependent plasticity to adapt to the olfactory environment. This plasticity may be accompanied by perceptual changes, including improved olfactory discrimination. Here, we assessed experience-dependent changes in the perception of a homologous aldehyde pair by testing mice in a cross-habituation/dishabituation behavioral paradigm before and after a week-long ester-odorant exposure protocol. In a parallel experiment, we used optical neurophysiology to observe neurotransmitter release from olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) terminals in vivo, and thus compared primary sensory representations of the aldehydes before and after the week-long ester-odorant exposure in individual animals. Mice could not discriminate between the aldehydes during pre-exposure testing, but ester-exposed subjects spontaneously discriminated between the homologous pair after exposure, whereas home cage control mice cross-habituated. Ester exposure did not alter the spatial pattern, peak magnitude, or odorant-selectivity of aldehyde-evoked OSN input to olfactory bulb glomeruli, but did alter the temporal dynamics of that input to make the time course of OSN input more dissimilar between odorants. Together, these findings demonstrate that odor exposure can induce both physiological and perceptual changes in odor processing, and suggest that changes in the temporal patterns of OSN input to olfactory bulb glomeruli could induce differences in odor quality.
Protein synthesis in normal and scrapie mouse brain.

— Damage to the brain as a result of an intracerebral injection of physiological saline does not appreciably affect the rate of protein synthesis in mouse brain. The in vivo and in vitro incorporation of labelled amino acids into mitochondria and their in vivo incorporation into nuclei, microsomes, nerve ending particles, myelin and cell sap were compared in normal and scrapie-affected mice. No significant differences were found.
Single Photon Counting from Individual Nanocrystals in the Infrared

Experimental restrictions imposed on the collection and detection of shortwave-infrared photons (SWIR) have impeded single molecule work on a large class of materials whose optical activity lies in the SWIR. Here we report the successful observation of room-temperature single nanocrystal photoluminescence at SWIR wavelengths using a highly efficient multielement superconducting nanowire single photon detector. We confirm that the photoluminescence from single lead sulfide nanocrystals is strongly antibunched, demonstrating the feasibility of performing sophisticated photon correlation experiments on individual weak SWIR emitters, and, more broadly, paving the way for sensitive measurements of spectral observables on infrared quantum systems that are incompatible with current detection techniques.
Bromodeoxyuridine inhibits the rDNA compensatory response of Drosophila melanogaster

The compensatory response is a regulatory event influencing the redundancy of the ribosomal RNA cistrons (rDNAs) of Drosophila melanogaster. In this report we attempt to demonstrate that the compensatory event and the thymidine analogue bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) specifically interact. We conclude that the drug inhibits the compensatory response of Drosophila melanogaster XO males and argue that the compensatory event is not the passive consequence of replicational dominance known to occur in Drosophila polytene tissues.
Brain-computer interfaces: a powerful tool for scientific inquiry.

Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) are devices that record from the nervous system, provide input directly to the nervous system, or do both. Sensory BCIs such as cochlear implants have already had notable clinical success and motor BCIs have shown great promise for helping patients with severe motor deficits. Clinical and engineering outcomes aside, BCIs can also be tremendously powerful tools for scientific inquiry into the workings of the nervous system. They allow researchers to inject and record information at various stages of the system, permitting investigation of the brain in vivo and facilitating the reverse engineering of brain function. Most notably, BCIs are emerging as a novel experimental tool for investigating the tremendous adaptive capacity of the nervous system.
A Review of “WWII Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West”

In a sequence of six lengthy chapters, Laurence Rees's WWII behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West reviews the close and helpful alignment of the Soviet Union with Germany in the first...
Low-density lipoproteins and lipoprotein lipase activity in tissues from rats bearing Walker carcinosarcoma 256.

Abstract It has been observed that the low-density lipoproteins, especially the triglyceride-carrying S f 20–400, are present in large quantities in sera of rats with the Walker carcinosarcoma 256. At the same time, although the lipoprotein lipase activity is maintained at high levels in the sera to the 21st day after implantation, the hyperlipemia remains. Large quantities of similar lower density lipoproteins were observed also in tumor tissue between the 14th and 21st day, suggestive of transport to and penetration of triglyceride hydrolysis products into the tumor tissue. By the 28th day, the S f 20–400 lipoproteins had accumulated greatly in the blood along with diminished lipoprotein lipase activity, while virtually no lipoproteins nor enzyme activity could be measured in the tumor tissue.
The incorporation of C14-labeled nucleosides into rabbit kidney cells infected with pseudorabies virus.

Abstract The pattern of incorporation of thymidine-2-C14 displayed by monolayer cultures of rabbit kidney (RK) cells after infection with pseudorabies (Pr) virus is age dependent. By 9.5 hours after inoculation, 9-day-old cultures incorporate thymidine at a rate approximately twenty times greater than that of noninfected cultures. In contrast, 5-day-old cultures are inhibited by infection, so that they incorporate less thymidine than the noninfected controls of the same age. Moreover, virus infection causes an increase in the rate of DNA synthesis in old, but not in young, RK cultures. The effect of age on the ability of young and old cultures to incorporate thymidine is illustrated by experiments carried out at daily intervals which show that the rate of uptake by noninfected cultures decreases while that of infected cultures increases with increasing age. The incorporation of uridine-2-C14 is inhibited by virus infection in both young and old RK cultures. This inhibition is, however, more pronounced in young cultures. Experiments on the effect of the multiplicity of infection on the incorporation of thymidine by old RK cultures show that: (1) one plaque-forming unit (PFU) per cell suffices to induce a maximal increase in thymidine uptake; (2) every PFU is capable of inducing this response; (3) at least 90% of the infected cells are able to respond to infection in this manner.
Beyond Server Consolidation: Server consolidation helps companies improve resource utilization, but virtualization can help in other ways, too.

Virtualization technology was developed in the late 1960s to make more efficient use of hardware. Hardware was expensive, and there was not that much available. Processing was largely outsourced to the few places that did have computers. On a single IBM System/360, one could run in parallel several environments that maintained full isolation and gave each of its customers the illusion of owning the hardware. Virtualization was time sharing implemented at a coarse-grained level, and isolation was the key achievement of the technology. It also provided the ability to manage resources efficiently, as they would be assigned to virtual machines such that deadlines could be met and a certain quality of service could be achieved.
Scattering theory for systems with different spatial asymptotics on the left and right

We discuss the existence and completeness of scattering for one-dimensional systems with different spatial asymptotics at ±∞, for example −d2/dx2+V(x) whereV(x)=0 (resp. sinx) ifx 0). We then extend our results to higher dimensional systems periodic, except for a localised impurity, in all but one space dimension. A new method, “the twisting trick”, is presented for proving the absence of singular continuous spectrum, and some independent applications of this trick are given in an appendix.
STRATEGIES FOR USING POPULAR MUSIC TO TEACH FORM TO INTERMEDIATE INSTRUMENTALISTS

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate three instructional strategies using popular music and selected band literature to teach concepts of music form to intermediate instrumentalists. The strategies included in-class instruction, programmed instruction, and a combination of these techniques. All strategies were constructed with identical objectives, sequence, time frame, and music examples. A criterion test was designed to measure knowledge of formal concepts. This test was employed as a pretest/posttest instrument with the seventh and eighth grade instrumentalists who represented four middle school bands, and who served as subjects in the final stage of the study. Statistical analysis confirmed that all strategies could be used successfully to teach formal concepts, that subjects could apply these concepts to unfamiliar band literature, and that grade level of the subjects had no significant effect on concept understanding.
Discrete element method for simulation of early-life thermal fracturing behavior in ceramic nuclear fuel pellets

Abstract A discrete element method (DEM) representation of coupled solid mechanics, fracturing and heat conduction processes is developed and applied to explicitly simulate the random initiation and subsequent propagation of interacting thermal cracks in a ceramic nuclear fuel pellet during initial rise to power and during power cycles. The DEM model clearly predicts realistic early-life crack patterns including both radial and circumferential cracks. Simulation results clearly demonstrate the formation of radial cracks during the initial power rise and formation of circumferential cracks as the power is ramped down. In these simulations, additional early-life power cycles do not lead to the formation of new thermal cracks. They do, however clearly indicate changes in the apertures of thermal cracks during later power cycles due to thermal expansion and shrinkage. The number of radial cracks increases with increasing power, which is consistent with the experimental observations.
Solution of the recirculant multilayer graph problem using compensated simulated annealing

Stochastic simulated annealing (SSA) is a popular method for solving optimization functions in which the objective function has multiple minima. Not only can SSA find minima, but it has been proven to converge (under certain conditions) to the global minimum. The principal drawback to SSA has been its convergence rate. In order to preserve the conditions of the convergence proof, the algorithm must be run so slowly as to be impractical for many applications. In this paper, an extension to SSA is described which allows the user to provide additional a priori information to the algorithm which may allow much more rapid convergence. The new method, called `compensated simulated annealing' (CSA) is also guaranteed to converge. A problem of finding a minimum path through a recurrent multilayer graph is described. Then a practical motivating application from medical imaging is presented. The graph structure is used to model the boundary of an artery in an intra-arterial ultrasound image. The optimization problem is posed and solved by SSA and CSA as a means of comparing the two methods. The CSA approach is shown to converge significantly faster than SSA.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Experimental constraints on J PC =1 −+ , I =1, Hybrid mesons

Using data on coherent production of π+π+π- systems in π+ collisions with nuclei we exclude the existence ofJ PC=1−+,I=1, exotic hybrid mesons with masses below 1.5 GeV and widths greater than 20 MeV, provided that their primary coupling is to πρ systems. Hybrid states with just such properties have recently been predicted from arguments based on QCD sum rules. Our experimental limit is based on Primakoff production of these states, and on an argument using vector dominance to relate their radiative widths to πρ channels. There has been increasing interest of late in the existence of hybrid states, which, in the case of mesons, contain a valence gluon in addition to aq $$\bar q$$ pair in a color-octet state [1–5]. The pursuit of spectroscopic gluon degrees of freedom has been strongly motivated by the general QCD picture of hadrons, as well as by many specific calculations based on QCD sum rules, lattice simulations, and more phenomenological approaches such as QCD-bag models. Although much effort, both thoretical and experimental, has been devoted to the spectroscopy of glueballs, for which several candidates exist [6], it has also been realized that hybrid states may be as amenable to discovery, and perhaps less ambiguous to interpretation.
The Tramezzo in Santa Croce, Florence, Reconstructed

In a previous publication I tried to show that the tramezzo (rood screen) and choir were two separate structures in the Florentine church of Santa Croce.1 New evidence now makes it possible to reconstruct the tramezzo in considerable detail and with a surprisingly high degree of certainty. A trecento drawing, often published but not fully interpreted, shows the design for a chapel dedicated to St. Martin belonging to the Baroncelli family (Fig. 1).2 The identification of patron and titular saint is made certain by the presence of the Baroncelli arms on the superstructure and a relief of St. Martin Dividing His Cloak with a Beggar. This stone relief survives, though somewhat cut down, and will be displayed again when the Museo di Santa Croce reopens (Fig. 2).3 A chapel of St. Martin patronized by a branch of the Baroncelli family is documented as having been in Santa Croce. Scholars have failed to connect the drawing with this chapel, or to read the drawing correctly, largely because the eighteenth-century...
A dimensionality paradigm for surface interrogations

Abstract We propose a paradigm for analyzing problems involving complex curved surfaces in a manner suitable for practical implementation. Rather than deriving closed-form expressions for certain surfaces and problems, we reformulate the problem in a higher-dimensional space with more variables but simpler equations, thus avoiding complex symbolic manipulation and numerically delicate operations. In particular, we consider the formation of offsets, spherical blends of fixed or variable radius, and Voronoi surfaces.
Transposition Graphs: An Intuitive Approach to the Parity Theorem for Permutations

(2005). Transposition Graphs: An Intuitive Approach to the Parity Theorem for Permutations. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 78, No. 2, pp. 124-130.
EVIDENCE THAT ENDORPHIN (S) MODIFY THE RESPIRATORY RESPONSE TO NEONATAL ASPHYXIA

Endorphins are endogenous polypeptides with morphine-like activity which are widely distributed in the central nervous system and bind to opiate receptors. They presumably function as inhibitory neurotransmitters in pain pathways. We tested the hypothesis that endorphins modified the respiratory response to asphyxia in newborn rabbit pups (3-5 days of age). Pups from the sane litter were injected I.P. with either 1 ml saline or 1 ml (0.4mg) naloxone, a specific endorphin antagonist. Five minutes later asphyxia was produced by tracheal occlusion and maintained until gasping resumed after primary apnea. Four occlusions were done on each pup and 3 minutes allowed for recovery between occlusions. The time to primary apnea increased by 20% from 44.2±1.5 (S.E.) sec in saline pups to 52.9±1.9 sec in naloxone pups (p<.001) while the duration of primary apnea decreased by 60% (45.5±11.1 vs 18.3±2.0 sec) (p=.01). The tracheal pressure achieved during the first gasp following primary apnea was identical in saline and naioxone pups (54.2±2.7 vs 54.3±2.5 cm H2O). Naloxone acts by competitive blockada of opiate (endorphin) receptors. These data therefore provide evidence that endorphins modify the respiratory response to asphyxia by decreasing the frequency of respiratory center discharge but do not appear to decrease the amplitude of the respiratory center output at the time of the first gasp.
Distribution of two basement membrane proteoglycans through hair follicle development and the hair growth cycle in the rat

The distribution of two distinct populations of basement membrane proteoglycans has been monitored through hair growth development in the rat embryo and subsequent hair growth cycle. An antiserum against a small heparan sulfate proteoglycan uniformly stained the dermal-epidermal junction of embryonic rats throughout the period of hair follicle formation. On the other hand, monoclonal antibodies recognizing a basement membrane-specific chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan only weakly stained 16-d embryo dermal-epidermal junction, but strong staining was associated with hair follicle buds as they developed. Through the hair growth cycle, it was found that the heparan sulfate proteoglycan persisted around the follicles, while the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan decreased in amount through catagen until it was undetectable at the base and dermal papilla of the telogen follicle. As anagen commenced, expression of the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan was again demonstrated. It therefore appears that a basement membrane-specific proteoglycan shows variation in its distribution in rat skin, expression correlating with morphogenetic activity in hair follicles. It is possible that this newly described basement membrane component is involved in the complex processes of dermal-epidermal interaction that lead to skin appendage formation and growth.
Survival of Clostridium perfringens sepsis in a liver transplant recipient.

Clostridium perfringens sepsis following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a rare but reported complication that historically results in mortality or emergent retransplantation (ReTx).1–7 Complications from C. perfringens emphysematous gastritis have contributed to the death of a healthy live liver donor as well.8 Herein, we describe the first documented survivor of C. perfringens sepsis following OLT managed without laparotomy or emergent ReTx. Liver Transpl 15:1469–1472, 2009. © 2009 AASLD.
A quasi-one-dimensional premixed flame model with cross-stream diffusion

A differential quasi-one-dimensional flame model which accounts for flame curvature, lateral flow expansion, and cross-stream diffusion is formulated. Expressions for the flame propagation speed (or displacement speed) are obtained by integration of the governing equations. The analysis shows that three mechanisms contribute to the enhancement of the displacement speed: a chemical mechanism associated with modifications to the reaction zone structure, lateral flow expansion, and cross-stream diffusion. An approach to study the sensitivity of the flame structure and propagation to curvature and strain rate is proposed based on the model formulation. In particular, a method for computing the curvature Markstein lengths from the solution of one-dimensional flames is described. Contributions to the Markstein length based on sensitivity analysis are shown to be associated primarily with processes in the reaction zone.