cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Decline of Legally Mandated Minority Representation

The Supreme Court launched the practice, twenty years ago, of creating safe minority election districts. To comply with the Court's mandate, election districts throughout the United States were redrawn in the wake of the 1990 Census. Ironically, though, ever since the Court spawned this practice, it has been trying to cabin its own creation. In every single plenary decision since that initial moment of creation, the Court has cut back on the obligation to create safe minority districts, whether through constitutional limits on racial redistricting or though narrow readings of the scope of the Voting Rights Act. Nonetheless, the politics of safe districting has retained a life of its own. Even as the Court has reduced the force of legal obligations, the political practice of safe districting remains much as it became in the early 1990s. Whether due to the increased political power of minority communities, the power of incumbent minority officeholders, or misunderstandings about the legal obligations the Voting Rights Act actually imposes today, safe minority districts where such districts can be created remains the norm. In the first Voting Rights Act decision of the Roberts Court, the Court found part of Texas' recent congressional redistricting to violate the Act. As the first full decision on the merits to find the design of a congressional district to violate the Act, the Court's decision has been celebrated by many commentators as signaling a new Court commitment to the race-conscious design of safe election districts. This Article argues to the contrary. Properly understood, the Court's decision is yet another step in the Court's efforts to pull back from the implications of its initial intervention that revolutionized the design of election districts. Even so, this Article concludes, the political practice of safe districting will remain unaffected by the Court's most recent effort to limit it. If so, it will not be the first time a revolution has consumed its own creators.
Erythrocyte receptor recognition varies in Plasmodium falciparum isolates.

Abstract N-Acetylneuraminic acid (NeuNAc) is the terminal sugar residue of the O-linked tetrasaccharide linked to erythrocyte sialoglycoproteins, glycophorins. Erythrocytes lacking NeuNAc have been shown previously to be resistant to invasion by certain isolates of Plasmodium falciparum merozoites. We report here variation between different geographic isolates of P. falciparum in their dependency on NeuNAc for invasion of host erythrocytes. Seven different geographic isolates of P. falciparum were examined for their ability to invade neuraminidase treated erythrocytes. For all isolates invasion was reduced significantly, although considerable variation in NeuNAc dependency was apparent. Three isolates, FCR-3, FVO and It2, exhibited a very high-dependence on NeuNAc residues for invasion (invasion reduced > 90%), whereas two isolates (Thai-Tn and FC-27) exhibited a moderately high dependence (invasion reduced 75%). Two other isolates (CDC-1 and 7G8) exhibited moderate dependence on NeuNAc (invasion reduced 50%). Cleavage of the complete O-linked tetrasaccharide by O-glycanase removes all carbohydrate from glycophrin A, B and C except the single N-linked oligosaccharide on glycophorin A and C. Invasion of FCR-3 and CDC-1 isolates into O-glycanase treated erythrocytes was not markedly different from that into neuraminidase treated cells indicating that NeuNAc is the important residue of the tetrasaccharide for both isolates. Invasion into endo-β-galactosidase treated erythrocytes, in which the lactosaminoglycan side chain of band 3 and band 4.5 is cleaved, was not significantly reduced for either the CDC-1 or FCR-3 isolates. Additional results on the trypsin insensitivity of band 3 also suggest that this erythrocyte protein is not important in P. falciparum recognition. The greatest divergence in receptor specificity between FCR-3 and CDC-1 isolates was apparent in invasion into periodate-treated erythrocytes. Periodate oxidation results in cleavage of the exocyclic hydroxyl groups of the terminal NeuNAc but leaves its COOH group unaltered. These experiments also illustrated that the negatively charged COOH group of NeuNAc is not the important group in the interaction of the merozoite with the NeuNAc. Trypsin-treated erythrocytes were almost fully resistant to invasion by CDC-1 as well as the FCR-3 isolates suggesting that the CDC-1 isolate, in addition to interacting with NeuNAc, depends on a trypsin sensitive site for invasion. This site could involve the N-linked saccharide on glycophorin A and C or a protein on the erythrocyte surface unrelated to the glycophorins.
Infections and systemic vasculitis.

Bacterial infections can clinically mimic a primary vasculitic syndrome and can directly cause a vasculitis that may respond to prompt recognition and treatment of the infection. Increasing direct and indirect evidence is establishing links between certain infections and vasculopathies, including ao
Novel line spectrum frequency estimation method based on Mathematical Morphology filters

Line spectrum frequency estimation is very important to feature extraction for underwater target radiated noise. A novel method which could effectively reduce the influence of environment noises and find the position of line spectrum frequency on the power spectrum is studied in this paper. Dilation filter and Erosion filter, which are basic tools in Mathematical Morphology, are used to estimate the spectrum fluctuation range. The spectrum fluctuation range and the spectrum shape are two parts of which composing the estimation of the continuous spectrum. The line spectrum is obtained by subtracting the continuous spectrum from the power spectrum. Monte Carlo computer simulations are carried out to test the performance of the method proposed in this paper. The results verify that the estimation is accurate when the Line-spectrum-power-to-Continuous-spectrum-power Ratio (LCR) is above −5dB.
Physical Optics Simulation in Matlab for High-Performance Systems

Two advanced optical system applications are implemented in a Matlab™ based simulation engine. The applications are aligning a micro-optic fiber coupler and scanning an optical disk with a readout system having an effective numerical aperture of 1.8. Many phenomena, like scalar diffraction, vector diffraction, addition of aberrations, thin-film interactions, and Babinet decomposition are described in the examples. A powerful graphical user interface (GUI) is also described that allows users to define optical elements, program operations and control program flow. Users can also easily interface custom field operations to the simulation engine.
What Constitutes Plant-Available Molybdenum in Sandy Acidic Soils?

Molybdenum (Mo) is critical for the function of enzymes related to nitrogen cycling. Concentrations of Mo are very low in sandy, acidic soils, and biologically available Mo is only a small fraction of the total pool. While several methods have been proposed to measure plant-available Mo, there has not been a recent comprehensive analytical study that compares soil extraction methods as predictors of plant Mo uptake. A suite of five assays [total acid microwave digestion, ethylenediamenetetraaacetic acid (EDTA) extraction, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protocol 3050B, ammonium oxalate extraction, and pressurized hot water] was employed, followed by the determination of soil Mo concentrations via inductively coupled mass spectroscopy. The concentrations of soil Mo determined from these assays and their relationships as predictors of plant Mo concentration were compared. The assays yielded different concentrations of Mo: total digest > EPA > ammonium oxalate ≥ EDTA > pressurized hot water. Legume fol...
Clinical Pharmacology of Mezlocillin

Mezlocillin is a new broad-spectrum semisynthetic penicillin that has shown encouraging in vitro activity against the infecting organisms most likely to cause mortality and morbidity in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The serum clearances and urine recoveries of mezlocillin, ampicillin, and carbenicillin were compared after the intravenous administration of single 3-g doses. The peak mean serum concentrations of mezlocillin and carbenicillin were 269 and 278 μg/ml, respectively, whereas the peak ampicillin level was lower at 167 μg/ml. The terminal half-life of mezlocillin, 66 min, was not significantly different from those of ampicillin and carbencillin (63 and 77 min, respectively). Recoveries of mezlocillin, ampicillin, and carbenicillin from urine over 6-h periods after drug dosage were 45, 61, and 80%, respectively. A further study in 11 cancer patients examined serum maintenance levels of mezlocillin when 3-g doses were given intravenously every 4 h for at least 7 consecutive days. After 3 days of therapy, the mean serum concentrations were maintained above 50 μg/ml. Although therapeutic efficacy was not an objective of this study, all of three documented bacterial infections were cured, and no serious toxicity was encountered.
Add-On Testing in the Clinical Laboratory: Observations From Two Large Academic Medical Centers

Add-on testing is an inefficient process that occurs frequently in clinical laboratories; however, literature describing add-on testing and its effects on laboratory operations continues to be sparse. We compare 1 week of add-on testing in the clinical chemistry laboratory of 2 large academic medical centers, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital. A detailed examination of add-on testing at each institution reveals many common features including frequency of add-ons, test distribution, and average number of tests requested, suggesting that our observations may be extrapolated to other academic medical centers. Process improvements such as automation, order communication, alteration of order entry screens, and expansion of test panels may reduce add-on testing.
Diffraction corrections to the Kirchhoff approximation in the problem of rough surface scattering

Diffraction corrections to geometrical optics (GO) values of currents induced by a plane incident wave at a perfectly conducting rough surface were derived by two iterations of a corresponding integral equation. These diffraction corrections were obtained with an accuracy of ~1/k², where k is the wave number of the incidence radiation. Based on these corrections to the surface currents, the backscattering cross sections at normal incidence from a statistically rough Gaussian surface were derived. In an explicit form they depend on the second and fourth moments of the roughness spatial power spectrum. It was found that for gentle roughness, diffraction results in effective “smoothing” of roughness and an increase in the co-polarized backscattering cross sections. The cross-polarized backscattering, which is absent in the GO limit, is caused exclusively by diffraction at the surface curvature.
Image deblurring using inertial measurement sensors

We present a deblurring algorithm that uses a hardware attachment coupled with a natural image prior to deblur images from consumer cameras. Our approach uses a combination of inexpensive gyroscopes and accelerometers in an energy optimization framework to estimate a blur function from the camera's acceleration and angular velocity during an exposure. We solve for the camera motion at a high sampling rate during an exposure and infer the latent image using a joint optimization. Our method is completely automatic, handles per-pixel, spatially-varying blur, and out-performs the current leading image-based methods. Our experiments show that it handles large kernels -- up to at least 100 pixels, with a typical size of 30 pixels. We also present a method to perform "ground-truth" measurements of camera motion blur. We use this method to validate our hardware and deconvolution approach. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that uses 6 DOF inertial sensors for dense, per-pixel spatially-varying image deblurring and the first work to gather dense ground-truth measurements for camera-shake blur.
Photometric quantities for solar irradiance modeling

[1] We analyze photometric quantities for the modeling of the total solar irradiance, S. These quantities are derived from full-disk solar images taken at the San Fernando Observatory. We introduce a new quantity, the photometric sum, Σ, which is the sum over an entire image of each pixel's contribution to the irradiance in that image. Σ combines both bright and dark features; and because the sum is over the entire image, it will include low contrast features that cannot be identified directly. Specifically, we examine Σr, Σb, and ΣK, the photometric sums over broadband red, broadband blue, and 1-nm bandpass Ca II K images, respectively. Σr and Σb measure the effects of solar features on the variability in S at two different continuum wavelengths. ΣK measures the variability in spectral lines due to solar features. We find that Σr and Σb have no long-term trend. ΣK, however, varies in phase with the solar cycle. We carry out several multiple linear regressions on the value of S from cycle 22; the best fit uses Σr and ΣK and reproduces the observed composite S with a multiple regression coefficient R = 0.96. We conclude that the long-term change in S over the solar cycle can be accounted for by the variability in the spectral lines as measured by ΣK, assuming no change in the quiet Sun; the contribution of the continuum to the variations in S is only on active region timescales.
Plasma CEA, tumor CEA, and tumor histology

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) has been thought to be a diagnostic and prognostic indicator of colorectal cancer. Initial descriptions of CEA as a tumor specific antigen suggests a relationship between tumor CEA and circulating plasma CEA. To define the relationship between CEA and colorectal carcinoma, we have studied the CEA concentration of preoperative plasma, tumor tissue, and normal bowel distant from tumor in 35 patients who had clinically curative resections. Tumor histology was evaluated for Dukes class, histologic grade, necrosis, and vessel invasion. Regression analysis yielded no evidence of correlation between tumor CEA and plasma CEA. No correlation could be shown between tumor concentration of CEA and the histological parameters previously noted. CEA was found in all specimens of normal bowel. Furthermore, in 34% of the cases studied, the tumor CEA was not significantly higher than in normal bowel. No significant difference was shown when histopathological findings were compared to normal and abnormal plasma CEA values. These findings suggest the following conclusions: CEA is not tumor specific. Increased levels of CEA in tumor tissue are not a constant finding in colorectal carcinoma. Tumor levels of CEA do not appear to correlate with histologic degree of tumor differentiation. Elevated plasma levels of CEA do not necessarily connote elevated tumor tissue levels of CEA, and conversely, normal plasma levels of CEA do not necessarily mean low levels of tumor CEA.
Neuropeptide Y: stimulation of feeding and drinking by injection into the paraventricular nucleus.

Abstract Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a peptide contained within numerous presynaptic terminals in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), was injected directly into the PVN of satiated, brain-cannulated rats, and food and water intake were measured 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 hrs postinjection. Neuropeptide Y (24 and 78 pmoles/0.3 μl isotonic saline) caused a dose-dependent increase in food intake, as well as a small, dose-dependent increase in water intake. This effect on feeding occurred even when food was not presented until 4 hrs postinjection. To determine the behavioral specificity of this effect, the impact of PVN injection of NPY (78 pmoles) on various behaviors was observed. With food available, only feeding and drinking behavior were affected. No change in other behaviors, including grooming, rearing, sleeping, resting or different levels of activity, was observed. With food absent, NPY still elicited drinking, suggesting that this is a primary effect, rather than secondary to the feeding. In addition to drinking, NPY reliably increased activity while decreasing sleep and grooming. These results suggest an important role for hypothalamic NPY, or a structurally-related peptide, in the regulation of feeding and drinking behavior.
Nutrition Review: Diet and Nutrients in the Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

Lifestyle factors, including diet, are critical in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. Because weight gain increases diabetes risk, and even modest weight reduction reduces risk, weight management is paramount in lessening the occurrence and effects of diabetes. Weight loss interventions should include patient education, behavioral strategies, physical activity, energy intake deficits of 500 to 1000 kcal/day, and prevention of recidivism. Macronutrient distribution ranges of diets for diabetic patients follow those of the Dietary Reference Intakes, allowing for individualization according to a patient's metabolic responses, needs, and preferences. Nutrients to be limited include saturated fats, artificial trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium, whereas nutrients to be emphasized include monounsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, fibers, antioxidants, and minerals, including potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chromium. Food sources are advised rather than supplements. Sugar...
Potential role of potassium as a determinant of morbidity and mortality in patients with systemic hypertension and congestive heart failure

Prehistoric animals and humans consumed a diet low in sodium but high in potassium, and thus, evolutionary forces fostered the development of physiologic systems that conserved sodium and excreted potassium. With the advent of civilized societies, food cooking and processing have greatly increased the sodium but decreased the potassium content of the diet. However, there has been little time for physiologic systems to adapt. The resulting excess of sodium has been implicated as an important factor in the development of hypertension and congestive heart failure. This traditional focus on sodium has ignored the potential role that an inadequate dietary intake of potassium might play in the degenerative diseases of the heart, brain and kidney. Yet dietary potassium may be as powerful a determinant of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality as dietary sodium. In experimental and clinical hypertension, an increased intake of potassium (without a change in dietary sodium) can reduce blood pressure, may suppress the activity of the sympathetic nervous and renin-angiotensin systems, and can prevent the development of vascular injury; conversely, potassium depletion has been associated with an increase in stroke and sudden death. In patients with chronic heart failure, potassium can modify both the mechanical and electrical properties of the heart, it can exert diuretic effects, and it can reduce the frequency and complexity of potentially lethal ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Given this central role, the effects of many pharmacologic interventions on the morbidity and mortality of patients with hypertension or chronic heart failure can be enhanced or diminished by the effect that these treatments might have on potassium homeostasis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Data: data to algorithm translator analysis

During the past several years, software engineers have developed various programming environments to aid in the software development process. Some of these environments, serving as pedagogical tools have focused on the coding phase (Chandhok et al 1985), (Johnson and Soloway 1983) and (Shapiro et al 1981). It is a firm belief that the emphasis, especially with novice programmers, should be placed upon the design phase. The tools developed should aid in the step-wise decomposition of the problem. This view has been stated by researchers (Dijkstra 1968), (Soloway 1986) and (Wirth 1971). Doran (1986, 1987, 1988) developed an environment based upon a graphical tree representation of an algorithm. This tree, developed and refined by Law (1986), is called a structure chart. These structure charts were used to allow introductory level students to design algorithms for their programming problems. The environment, SLAW, was created to allow students to create these charts and also allows for automatic translation into various programming languages. SLAW has been used in classroom settings in an attempt to allow students who know one language to acquire the syntax of others quickly and easily (Doran 1986). Doran (1988) also developed a prototype system to add intelligent tutoring powers to the environment.
Changes in Faculty Reading Behaviors: The Impact of Electronic Journals on the University of Georgia

Abstract This study explored the role electronic journals currently play in faculty’s weekly scholarly reading habits. Survey results indicated that electronic access to journals—particularly library-funded access—is integral to research activities, with the vast majority of respondents reporting they read at least one article from an electronic source every week.
Ethical foundations of the contemporary living wage movement

Faith‐based activism in living wage campaigns is on the rise. Summarizes recent campaigns to enact living wage ordinances in US municipalities, underscoring the role of community‐church partnerships such as Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, and other local organizations in the struggle for wage justice. Explores the theological bases of this activism by tracing the evolution of the concept of a just, living wage in Christian social economic thought. To illustrate the historical and philosophical roots of living wage discourse, provides textual analysis of major Roman Catholic and Episcopal Church documents and briefly considers writings by US social economists in the first half of the twentieth century.
Nod1 mediates cytoplasmic sensing of combinations of extracellular bacteria

During mucosal colonization, epithelial cells are concurrently exposed to numerous microbial species. Epithelial cytokine production is an early component of innate immunity and contributes to mucosal defence. We have previously demonstrated a synergistic response of respiratory epithelial cells to costimulation by two human pathogens, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. Here we define a molecular mechanism for the synergistic activation of epithelial signalling during polymicrobial colonization. H. influenzae peptidoglycan synergizes with the pore-forming toxin pneumolysin from S. pneumoniae. Radiolabelled peptidoglycan enters epithelial cells more efficiently in the presence of pneumolysin, consistent with peptidoglycan gaining access to the cytoplasm via toxin pores. Other pore-forming toxins (including anthrolysin O from Bacillus anthracis and Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin) can substitute for pneumolysin in the generation of synergistic responses. Consistent with a requirement for pore formation, S. pneumoniae expressing pneumolysin but not an isogenic mutant expressing a non-pore-forming toxoid prime epithelial responses. Nod1, a host cytoplasmic peptidoglycan-recognition molecule, is crucial to the epithelial response. Taken together, these findings demonstrate a role for cytosolic recognition of peptidoglycan in the setting of polymicrobial epithelial stimulation. We conclude that combinations of extracellular organisms can activate innate immune pathways previously considered to be reserved for the detection of intracellular microorganisms.
Potassium ion influx measurements on cultured Chinese hamster cells exposed to 60-hertz electromagnetic fields.

Potassium ion influx was measured by monitoring /sup 42/KCl uptake by Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells grown in suspension culture and exposed in the culture medium to 60-Hz electromagnetic fields up to 2.85 V/m. In the presence of the field CHO cells exhibited two components of uptake, the same as previously observed for those grown under normal conditions; both these components of influx were decreased when compared to sham-exposed cells. Although decreases were consistently observed in exposed cells when plotted as loge of uptake, the differences between the means of the calculated fluxes of exposed and sham-exposed cells were quite small (on the order of 4-7%). When standard deviations were calculated, there was no significant difference between these means; however, when time-paired uptake data were analyzed, the differences were found to be statistically significant. Cells exposed only to the magnetic field exhibited similar small decreases in influx rates when compared to sham-exposed cells, suggesting that the reduction in K+ uptake could be attributed to the magnetic field. Additionally, intracellular K+ levels were measured over a prolonged exposure period (96 h), and no apparent differences in intracellular K+ levels were observed between field-exposed and sham-exposed cultures. These results indicate that high-strengthmore » electric fields have a small effect on the rate of transport of potassium ions but no effect on long-term maintenance of intracellular K+.« less
Electrophoretic Patterns of Proteins in Cystic Fibrosis Sweat

The abnormal gene product in cystic fibrosis has not been identified. We report that two-dimensional poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis of 125 I-labeled sweat proteins coupled with fluorography and rare earth screen radioautography reveals an absence of an acidic protein of molecular weight 60,000 in sweat collected from 9 patients with cystic fibrosis. The protein spot was present in sweat from heterozygotes and from controls.
Are Comparative Risk Judgments Consistent Across Time and Events

Research reveals pervasive optimism in people's comparative risk judgments such that people believe they are less likely than others to experience negative events. Two studies explored the extent to which people are consistent in their comparative risk judgments across time and events. Both studies found strong evidence for consistency across time and some evidence for consistency across events. The consistency across time and events was moderated by experience. Specifically, when viewed together, the studies suggest that experience produces an initial decrease in the consistency of comparative judgments (Study 2), followed by greater consistency in subsequent judgments (Study 1). The discussion focuses on reconciling evidence demonstrating consistency with evidence demonstrating variability.
Analysis of expression of a cytosolic enzyme on the surface of Streptococcus pyogenes.

The normally cytosolic glycolytic enzyme, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, (GAPDH) has been reported to be expressed on the surface of Streptococcus pyogenes, group A, where it can act as a plasmin binding protein (Plr), and potentially a signaling molecule. In studies of wild-type and isogenic mutants, an association between surface expression of antigenic GAPDH/Plr and M and M-related fibrinogen-binding proteins was identified. Inactivation of the mga gene, whose product controls expression of M and M-related proteins also influenced expression of surface GAPDH/Plr. Revertants or pseudorevertants of mga mutants led to concomitant re-expression of surface GAPDH/Plr and M and M-related proteins. Using surface enhanced laser desorption ionization (SELDI) mass spectroscopy, a physical association between GAPDH/Plr and streptococcal fibrinogen-binding proteins was demonstrated. These studies support the hypothesis that surface M and M-related proteins are involved in anchoring GAPDH/Plr on the surface of group A streptococci.
Local Drug Delivery Strategies for Cancer Treatment: Gels, Nanoparticles, Polymeric Films, Rods, and Wafers

Polymer-based drug delivery depots have been investigated over the last several decades as a means to improve upon the lack of tumor targeting and severe systemic morbidities associated with intravenous chemotherapy treatments. These localized therapies exist in a variety of form factors designed to facilitate the delivery of drug directly to the site of disease in a controlled manner, sparing off-target tissue toxicities. Many of these depots are biodegradable and designed to maintain therapeutic concentrations of drug at the tumor site for a prolonged period of time. Thus a single implantation procedure is required, sometimes coincident with tumor excision surgery, and thereby biodegrading following complete release of the loaded active agent. Even though localized polymer depot delivery systems have been investigated, a surprisingly small subset of these technologies has demonstrated potentially curative preclinical results for cancer applications, and fewer have progressed toward commercialization. The aims of this article are to review the most well-studied and efficacious local polymer delivery systems from the last two decades, to examine the rationale for utilizing drug-eluting polymer implants in cancer patients, and to identify the patient cohorts that could most benefit from localized therapy. Finally, a discussion of the physiological barriers to localized therapy (i.e. drug penetration, transport), technical hurdles, and future outlook of the field is presented.
Cell-shape regulation of smooth muscle cell proliferation.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) play an important role in vascular remodeling. Heterogeneity and phenotypic changes in SMCs are usually accompanied by a morphological difference, i.e., elongated/spindle-like versus spread-out or epithelioid/rhomboid cell shapes. However, it is not known whether the cell shape directly regulates SMC proliferation, and what the underlying mechanisms are. In this study, microgrooves and micropatterned matrix islands were used to engineer the cell shape and investigate the associated biophysical and biological mechanisms. Compared to spread-out SMCs on nonpatterned surfaces, SMCs on micropatterned surfaces demonstrated elongated morphology, significantly lower cell and nucleus shape indexes, less spreading, a lower proliferation rate, and a similar response (but to a lesser extent) to platelet-derived growth factor, transforming growth factor-β, and mechanical stretching. DNA microarray profiling revealed a lower expression of neuron-derived orphan receptor-1 (NOR-1) in elongated SMCs. Knocking down NOR-1 suppressed DNA synthesis in SMCs, suggesting that NOR-1 is a mediator of cell elongation effects. Regulation of DNA synthesis in SMCs by the cell shape alone and a decrease in DNA synthesis in the case of small cell spreading area were achieved by micropatterning SMCs on matrix islands of different shapes and spreading areas. Changes in the cell shape also affected the nucleus shape, whereas variations in the cell spreading area modulated the nucleus volume, indicating a possible link between nucleus morphology (both shape and volume) and DNA synthesis. The findings of this investigation provide insight into cell shape effects on cell structure and proliferation, and have direct implications for vascular pathophysiology.
Machinic articulations: experiments in non-verbal explanation

The essay presents a novel theory of meaning-as-response inspired by the pragmatist cultural historian Morse Peckham in the mid-twentieth century. This approach is useful here in consideration of how artistic behavior can make a difference in technical culture and in relation to innovative technical practices. Continuing from Felix Guattari's notion of the machine as a partial object, this essay examines the essentialist idea of computational machines as creative collaborators which haunts the model of interaction prevailing today. Following this negative critique, the essay advances a positive approach emphasizing partiality in experimental design practices as a step toward a renewed art of living.
An Exploration of the Concept of Quality in Vocational Education and Training

One concept of ‘quality’ has evolved from management theory and seeks to offer a customer‐driven approach to meeting market requirements. However, the application of this concept to vocational education and training has been problematic given both difficulties in defining the term and lack of consensus where definitions are offered. This article offers a concept of ‘quality’ which recognizes and promotes the centrality of the learner in the learning process and the role of educational providers in facilitating quality learning outcomes. It concludes that this view of quality is in line with the managerial tenets of total quality management and the liberal educational traditions which underpin notions of student autonomy.
Leveraging Process-Mining Techniques

Semi-structured processes are data-driven, human-centric, flexible processes whose execution between instances can vary dramatically. Due to their unpredictability and data-driven nature, it's becoming increasingly important to mine traces of events collected from these processes. This enables the extraction of mined process models that could help users handle new process instances. Process-mining techniques can help facilitate this goal, but it can be daunting for users new to process-aware analytics to sift through the literature and available software to determine which process-mining algorithm to use. The authors compare five process-mining algorithms and present a decision tree to help readers determine which mining algorithm to use for a specific problem. Semi-structured processes, however, present challenges that these mining techniques don't address. So, the authors also identify three key characteristics of semi-structured processes and the mining challenges they present, highlighting a selection of emerging mining approaches that can address these challenges.
Health Beliefs and Intentions: Predictors of Return Compliance in a Tuberculosis Detection Drive1

A prospective design was employed to study the ability of various factors to predict return compliance in a tuberculosis detection drive. Five hundred fiftythree participants in the drive were asked to complete a questionnaire tapping their views of TB (based on the Health Belief Model) and their intentions to return for the recommended skin test reading. Behavioral intention was found to be an important predictor of return rates, and the inclusion of the HBM variables aided in the classification noncompliers. Practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
Design and fabrication of novel II-IV semiconductor quantum wire infrared detectors/sensors

A nanoporous alumina template made from a multilayer metal film structure has been developed that allows for the in situ removal of the electrically insulating alumina barrier layer, exposing a Pt electrode at the pore bases. This barrier free nanoporous system has great potential for DC electrodeposition of a wide variety of materials in the alumina pores. The nanoporous template is fabricated in a more practical way than existing techniques and can be used for the fabrication of nanowires of many materials. Because the template is fabricated directly on the final substrate, no film transfer technique is needed and the substrate can include electrical circuitry. A silicon substrate may be used that provides mechanical stability, facilitates processing, and allows integration with IC components. This will allow for cheap and high efficiency infrared detectors to be fabricated in a practical and cost effective way. The quantum wire devices fabricated in this way can be customized to be used as infrared sensors at a variety of infrared wavelengths.
The Energetic Structure of Observation: A Philosophical Disquisition

Progress in the scientific study of the material world in the last few decades has shown conclusively that Nature is energetically stratified, and that nearly all observable systems are made up of hierarchies of such strata. A characteristic feature of these strata is that each is mapped by its own specific language, reflecting the fact that each stratum is characterised by its own laws, and is therefore irreducible to any other energetic stratum. Among the many types of energetic hierarchies, one is of special interest in the present context. It will be referred to here as a cognitive system. A cognitive system is identified by the fact that its emergent stratum is conceptual rather than physical, though its energetic substrate is of course physical, and indeed quantal. The functional relationship between its more energetic, or causal stratum, and the less energetic or emergent one is, operationally, that of a semantic filter. Functionally, this last may be defined as the filtering out of intelligence fr...
Metabolic cost of acute physical stress in juvenile steelhead

Abstract Juvenile steelhead Salmo gairdneri were subjected to three consecutive 2-min disturbances, separated by 0.5-h intervals, and then forced to swim at 0.5 body length/s for 1 h in a modified Blazka respirometer. Mean oxygen consumption (±SE) was 223 ± 19 mg˙kg−1˙h−1 in the stressed fish and 101 ± 9.7 in unstressed fish. There was no significant correlation between oxygen consumption and fish weight or water temperature within the ranges used (40–150 g and 8–11°C, respectively). Elevated plasma cortisol levels and oxygen consumption rates in stressed fish were positively correlated (r = 0.76). An acute physical stress may adversely affect fish by reducing, by about one-quarter, the energy available for other activities within the scope for activity of the fish.
Tg and reactivity at the nanoscale

Abstract Nanoscale constraint is known to have a significant impact on the thermal properties of materials. In this work, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is used to investigate the depression in the glass transition temperature ( T g ) and the reactivity of a monofunctional and of a difunctional cyanate ester cured under nanoscale constraint. Both reactants undergo trimerization, but the former forms a small molecular-weight compound, whereas the latter forms a polycyanurate network material. A T g depresssion is observed for both the reactants and their products; the magnitude of the depression seems to be related to the size of the molecule being confined relative to the confinement size. The trimerization reaction is accelerated relative to the bulk when the reactants are confined in nanopores. This is clearly observed by a shift in the reaction exotherms to lower temperatures for dynamic temperature scans. Quantification of the acceleration is accomplished by converting the dynamic temperature scan data to conversion versus time data assuming constant activation energy. The results are consistent with acceleration factors obtained from isothermal cure studies, but the dynamic data is considerably easier to obtain.
Enthalphic calibrations of a DTA apparatus

Abstract This paper proposes a method of attack and a technique of calculation in calibrating DTA apparatus for calorimetric applications. The equations are intended to be applicable only to the instrument on which they were taken and at the time they were taken. The equations reported, perfectly reasonable predictors for the specific instrument used and over the range for which they were obtained, are satisfactory provided they are not extrapolated beyond the limits of any of the variables or even interpolated between the various R and W values. No attempt is made to compare the two equations since there is no reason to believe that the instrument should produce the same results after change or repair of a part.
Propagation of surface sound in superfluid 3 He - 4 He

"Surface sound," a longitudinal compressional wave in $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ adsorbed on the surface of superfluid $^{4}\mathrm{He}$, has been propagated in the temperature range from 20 to 120 mK. Measurements of the surface-sound velocity and of the surface tension are compared to a model of interacting surface $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ quasiparticles. A least-squares fit to the model is used to obtain the $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ binding energy, $\frac{{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{0}}{{k}_{B}}=2.28\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.03$ K, the $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ effective mass, $\frac{M}{{m}_{3}}=1.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1$, and some limits on the sign and magnitude of the effective interaction between the quasiparticles. The interaction is found to be very weak and predominantly repulsive at large distances.
Semiclassical electrodynamics of alien atoms in interacting media I. Self-consistent mean field approximation

Abstract A self-consistent mean field theory of alien atoms injected into an interacting medium is presented, in which the response of the medium to an arbitrary time-dependent atomic state, or a mixture of states, is viewed as a classical field acting back on alien atoms. The atomic spectrum resulting from the self-consistent mean field approximation is determined by the medium response function and a scattering data set.
Analysis and Design for Two-Handed Heavy Part Assembly Methods

In spite of advances in industrial automation, manual assembly tasks continue to be an important feature of many industrial operations. In heavy part assembly, some pieces of raw material or equipment are too heavy to be safely handled by just one operator. Material handling devices such as Jib cranes or overhead cranes are employed to help operators work safer and, in some cases, faster. However, during full-load productions, access to these devices could become limited due to insufficient resources and hence, delay or extend the cycle times. The authors studied how people perform the assembly and subsequently applied Fitts’ Index of Difficulty to develop a model which indicates factors that increase the task difficulty. This model can also be used as an assembly time predictor. Since improving the efficiency of an overhead crane could significantly reduce the total cycle times and production costs, the authors modified the crane by adding a spring between the hook and the gripper to help support the weight. Two sets of experiments were conducted. The first set was to investigate the effect of spring stiffness on assembly time. The result indicated that using a spring that was too soft could create a parasitic oscillation, which increases the assembly time. The objective of the second set was to compare the assembly time of using the regular crane to that of the modified crane in situations where the part weights and the task difficulty vary. As a result of the modifications, assembly performance tended to increase by approximately 250% from using the modified crane.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Signal peptidases and signal peptide hydrolases

Signal peptidases, the endoproteases that remove the amino-terminal signal sequence from many secretory proteins, have been isolated from various sources. Seven signal peptidases have been purified, two fromE. coli, two from mammalian sources, and three from mitochondrial matrix. The mitochondrial enzymes are soluble and function as a heterogeneous dimer. The mammalian enzymes are isolated as a complex and share a common glycosylated subunit. The bacterial enzymes are isolated as monomers and show no sequence homology with each other or the mammalian enzymes. The membrane-bound enzymes seem to require a substrate containing a consensus sequence following the −3, −1 rule of von Heijne at the cleavage site; however, processing of the substrate is strongly influenced by the hydrophobic region of the signal peptide. The enzymes appear to recognize an unknown three-dimensional motif rather than a specific amino acid sequence around the cleavage site. The matrix mitochondrial enzymes are metallo-endopeptidases; however, the other signal peptidases may belong to a unique class of proteases as they are resistant to chelators and most protease inhibitors. There are no data concerning the substrate binding site of these enzymes.
Hyperbolic Value Addition and General Models of Animal Choice

Three mathematical models of choice--the contextual-choice model (R. Grace, 1994), delay-reduction theory (N. Squires & E. Fantino, 1971), and a new model called the hyperbolic value-added model--were compared in their ability to predict the results from a wide variety of experiments with animal subjects. When supplied with 2 or 3 free parameters, all 3 models made fairly accurate predictions for a large set of experiments that used concurrent-chain procedures. One advantage of the hyperbolic value-added model is that it is derived from a simpler model that makes accurate predictions for many experiments using discrete-trial adjusting-delay procedures. Some results favor the hyperbolic value-added model and delay-reduction theory over the contextual-choice model, but more data are needed from choice situations for which the models make distinctly different predictions.
Sol–gel synthesis of fluoride optical materials for planar integrated photonic applications

Abstract The sol–gel synthesis of fluoride materials provides a viable and low-cost method for achieving planar and bulk devices for integrated photonic applications. This paper describes these prospects and methods for the experimental development of patterned and waveguiding films. The sol–gel synthesis from both metal-organic and inorganic precursor systems is discussed in relation to their potential for passive and active device applications.
Effect of crystalline fields on charge densities and magnetic form factors

The effects of crystalline fields on $3d$ charge densities and magnetic form factors for transition metal ions are discussed on the basis of recent theoretical investigations augmented by an analysis of optical absorption data. It is shown that the crystalline field has two effects on the free ion $3d$ wave functions and hence on their form factors as well: (1) a differentiation or "splitting" of the two types of cubic $3d$ functions by an expansion of the ${t}_{2g}({e}_{g})$ orbitals and a contraction of the ${e}_{g}({t}_{2g})$ orbitals resulting in two different radial charge densities, and (2) a net expansion of the charge distribution from the free ion value. The magnetic form factors due to this "splitting" effect when calculated according to the methods of Weiss and Freeman show measurable deviations from the free atom results. A form factor for ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{+2}$ based on optical absorption data shows a large expansion of the $3d$ charge density, in agreement with the magnetic form factor measurements of Hastings, Elliott, and Corliss. This agreement, based on the use of theoretical ${F}^{k}(3d, 3d)$ integrals, indicates that the well-known discrepancy between theoretical and experimental values of these integrals arises from the fact that the quantities obtained experimentally are not true ${F}^{k}(3d, 3d)$ integrals. The crystalline potential due to an array of negative ion charge densities has been employed to discuss these various effects and their meaning with respect to a proper (essentially molecular) treatment.
Papillomaviruses as targets for cancer gene therapy

The human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are a diverse group of infectious agents, some of which are a causative agent of human cancers. Cervical cancer and oral cancer are closely associated with specific types of HPV, and the tumors grow only if there is continual expression of the viral E6 and E7 genes. Evidence from in vitro studies shows that when expression of these genes is inhibited by gene therapy approaches such as antisense RNA, ribozymes, or siRNA, the transformed phenotype of the cells is lost. Although it seems possible that clinical applications of this approach could help in the management of cervical and oral cancers there have been no clinical trials of gene therapy for HPV-associated cancers. Since the basic information is now available, a shift to translational research would be greatly welcomed.