cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Citizen Capitalism: How a Universal Fund Can Provide Influence and Income to All

Corporations have a huge influence on the life of every citizen—this book offers a visionary but practical plan to give every citizen a say in how corporations are run while also gaining some supplemental income. It lays out a clear approach that uses the mechanisms of the private market to hold corporations accountable to the public. This would happen through the creation of what the authors call the Universal Fund, a kind of national, democratic, mega mutual fund. Every American over eighteen would be entitled to a share and would participate in directing its share voting choices. Corporations and wealthy individuals would donate stocks, bonds, cash, or other assets to the fund just like they do to other philanthropic ventures now. The fund would pay out dividends to its citizen-shareholders that would grow as the fund grows. The Universal Fund is undoubtedly a big idea, but it is also eminently practical: it uses the tools of capitalism, not government, to give all citizens a direct influence on corporate actions. It would be a major institutional investor beholden not to a small elite group of stockholders pushing for short-term gain but to everyone. The fund would reward corporations that made sure their actions didn't harm people, communities, and the environment, and it would enable them to invest in innovations that would take more than a few months to pay off. Which is another reason corporations would donate to the fund—they could be freed from the constant pressure to maximize their quarterly share price and would essentially be subsidized for doing good. The authors demonstrate that our current economic rules force corporations to be shortsighted and even destructive because for most large investors, nothing matters but share price. The Universal Fund is designed to be a powerful positive balancing force, making the world a better place and the United States a better nation.
Time-of-Flight Neutron Diffraction (TOF-ND) Analyses of the Composition and Minting of Ancient Judaean “Biblical” Coins

TOF-ND elastic scattering of thermal neutrons offers some important advantages over X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and metallography for the study of archaeological and numismatic problems. Traditional analytical methods are usually destructive and often probe only the surface. Neutrons deeply penetrate samples, simultaneously giving nondestructive bulk information about the crystal structure, composition, and texture (alignment of crystallites) from which thermomechanical manufacturing processes (e.g., cast, struck, or rolled) may be inferred. An analysis of the metal composition and minting processes used for making ancient Judaean bronze and leaded bronze coins from first century BCE and CE is used as a case study. One of the first ND analyses of the temperature used for striking bronze coins is also presented.
Center of pressure in a walking boot shifts posteriorly in patients following lower leg fracture.

Abstract Background Studies have shown that the ambulatory behavior and amount of weight bearing performed by lower leg fracture patients, increases over time. It is likely that gait features, such as center of pressure (CoP), also change over time. Research Question The purpose of this study was to characterize changes in CoP exhibited by lower leg fracture patients wearing a walking boot during the recovery period. Methods Approximately 2 weeks post-surgery, seven lower leg fracture patients were fitted with a MaxTrax walking boot which was integrated with the Ambulatory Tibia Load Analysis System, an underfoot load monitoring system. Patients wore the walking boot for 2–12 weeks resulting in continuous load data during the recovery period. Ambulation was filtered from the raw data and daily average CoP values were calculated by averaging the CoP vectors from all steps in a given day. Result In general, the CoP vector varied in both the x and y directions during the initial stages of recovery but was more uniform during the later stages of healing. In 6/7 patients, the CoP in the y direction was closer to the forefoot during the initial stages of healing but shifted posteriorly as time post-surgery increased. The single patient that did not exhibit a posterior shift in CoP was also the only patient to develop a non-union. CoP in the x direction show a less clear trend. CoP in the x direction exhibited a medial shift in 5 patients and a lateral shift in 2 patients. Significance During lower leg fracture recovery in a walking boot, the CoP in the y direction shifts posteriorly as time post-surgery increases and CoP monitoring may become a useful tool to monitor individual patient healing progression.
Effects of picture valence on serial pattern learning performance in humans

Abstract Much comparative work has explored humans’ and nonhuman animals’ sensitivity to sequence structure, mainly under conditions attempting to maximize learning. Conditions in an organism’s everyday reality, though, may not match these ideal circumstances. Organisms must detect and learn about how events are sequenced even when extraneous stimuli are present and/or under threat. Irrelevant information can decrease sequence learning in both humans and rats (e.g., Hersh, 1974 ; Kundey & Fountain, 2011 ; Kundey, De Los Reyes, & Taglang, 2011 ). Additionally, perception of threat or heightened anxiety can interfere with learning and performance in some cases (e.g., Hodges & Spielberger, 1969 ; Straughan & Dufort, 1969 ; Mueller, 1976 ; Mathews & MacLeod, 1986 ; Johns, Inzlicht, & Schmader, 2008 ), and tasks involving explicit learning are more susceptible to such disruption (e.g., Rathus, Reber, Manza, & Kushner, 1994 ; McDowall & Allison, 1995 ). Through two experiments, we investigated college students’ pattern learning as they were exposed to emotionally-valenced pictures. Brief exposure to negatively-valenced pictures decreased learning of patterned sequences relative to brief presentation of positively-valenced pictures or a control condition in which no pictures were presented. This suggests that the process needed to learn the pattern was disrupted by the presentation of negatively-valenced information and that this process is explicit.
Computer tasks for great apes promote functional naturalism in a zoo setting

Automated methods have a long history of usage in great ape psychology research, from early behaviorism techniques involving levers and lights, to modern-day computerized touch-panel tasks. Beyond research, these methods can also facilitate the well-being of captive apes by offering functionally naturalistic activities aimed at eliciting the same physical and cognitive processes that wild animals are likely to use in their natural habitats. For example, computer tasks that probe memory and spatial reasoning skills may be viewed as analogous mental challenges to those faced by wild apes in search of resources, and the timing and location of computer task opportunities can be informed by the observed feeding rhythms and movement patterns of wild apes. In this paper, we present a methodology for promoting functional naturalism at zoos through computer tasks, and we provide examples of ongoing use-cases at the Indianapolis Zoo orangutan center.
Approach to qualification using E-PBF in-situ process monitoring in Ti-6Al-4V

Abstract Traditional design and qualification methodologies for parts manufactured by traditional methods are being applied to Additive Manufacturing (AM) without understanding the nuances of the machines. While mapping process variables and tracking build data is helpful, some variables such as build geometry, support structure, and part melt order have not been researched in depth. Changing these variables can result in significant variations in material properties and defect structure such that the process appears to be unreliable compared to traditional manufacturing. Therefore, this research focuses on the need to understand the effects of overlooked variables such as melt order and nested geometry on the distribution of defects and bulk material properties in Ti-6Al-4 V alloy builds manufactured using the Arcam AB ® electron beam powder bed fusion process 1 . This study collected and analyzed process log data and near infrared (NIR) images for every layer to correlate trends in porosity formation and mechanical performance. The location of pores, while naturally stochastic, is heavily influenced by the cross-sectional area as detected by NIR images and correlates with the failure sites from uniaxial testing.
How do online learners study?:The psychometrics of students’ clicking patterns in online courses

College students’ study strategies were explored by tracking the ways they navigated the websites of two large (Ns of 1384 and 671) online introductory psychology courses. Students’ study patterns were measured analyzing the ways they clicked outside of the regularly scheduled class on study materials within the online Learning Management System. Three main effects emerged: studying course content materials (as opposed to course logistics materials) outside of class and higher grades are consistently correlated; studying at any time except in the late night/early morning hours was strongly correlated with grades; students with higher Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores made higher grades but accessed course materials at lower rates that those with lower SATs. Multiple regressions predicting grades using just SATs and click rates accounted for almost 43 and 36 percent of the grade variance for the Fall and Spring classes respectively. Implications for using click patterns to understand and shape student learning are discussed.
A complete genome screening program of clinical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates identifies the origin and progression of a neonatal intensive care unit outbreak

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of Staphylococcus aureus is increasingly used as part of infection prevention practices. In this study, we established a long-read technology-based WGS screening program of all first-episode methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood infections at a major urban hospital. A survey of 132 MRSA genomes assembled from long reads enabled detailed characterization of an outbreak lasting several months of a CC5/ST105/USA100 clone among 18 infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Available hospital-wide genome surveillance data traced the origins of the outbreak to three patients admitted to adult wards during a 4-month period preceding the NICU outbreak. The pattern of changes among complete outbreak genomes provided full spatiotemporal resolution of its progression, which was characterized by multiple subtransmissions and likely precipitated by equipment sharing between adults and infants. Compared to other hospital strains, the outbreak strain carried distinct mutations and accessory genetic elements that impacted genes with roles in metabolism, resistance, and persistence. This included a DNA recognition domain recombination in the hsdS gene of a type I restriction modification system that altered DNA methylation. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) profiling showed that the (epi)genetic changes in the outbreak clone attenuated agr gene expression and upregulated genes involved in stress response and biofilm formation. Overall, our findings demonstrate the utility of long-read sequencing for hospital surveillance and for characterizing accessory genomic elements that may impact MRSA virulence and persistence.
Comparative Age-Based Prospective Multi-Institutional Observations of 12,367 Patients Enrolled to the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG) Z901101 Trials (Alliance)

The risk of surgery, particularly for older cancer patients with serious, extensive comorbidities, can make this otherwise curative modality precarious. Leveraging data from the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, this study sought to characterize age-based comparative demographics, adverse event rates, and study completion rates to define how best to conduct research in older cancer patients. This study relied on clinical data from 21 completed studies to assess whether older patients experienced more grade 3 or worse adverse events and were more likely to discontinue study participation prematurely than their younger counterparts. The study enrolled 12,367 patients. The median age was 60 years, and 36% of the patients were 65 years of age or older. Among 4008 patients with adverse event data, 1067 (27%) had experienced a grade 3 or worse event. The patients 65 years or older had higher rates of grade 3 or worse adverse events compared to younger patients [32% vs. 24%; odds ratio (OR), 1.5; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.3–1.7; p < 0.0001]. This association was not observed in multivariate analyses. The study protocol was completed by 97% of the patients. No association was observed between age and trial completion (OR 0.8; 95% CI 0.7–1.1; p = 0.14). Only the older gastrointestinal cancer trial patients were less likely to complete their studies compared to younger patients (OR 0.50; 95% CI 0.30–0.70; p < 0.0001). Despite higher rates of adverse events, the older patients typically completed the study protocol, thereby contributing relevant data on how best to render care to older cancer patients and affirming the important role of enrolling these patients to surgical trials.
An uninformed electorate: identity-motivated elaboration, partisan cues, and learning

ABSTRACTA deliberative democracy is reliant on an informed electorate discussing issues and presenting persuasive arguments. Individuals acquire information from exposure to political messages. Par...
Microsoft Uses Machine Learning and Optimization to Reduce E-Commerce Fraud

The authors discuss Microsoft’s development of a fraud-management system that uses customized long-term and short-term sequential machine learning models to detect both historical and emerging frau...
Rigid-Body Pose Hybrid Control Using Dual Quaternions: Global Asymptotic Stabilization and Robustness

A hybrid feedback control scheme is proposed for stabilization of rigid-body dynamics (position, orientation, and velocities) using unit dual quaternions, in which the dual quaternions and velociti...
Plastics and cardiovascular disease.

Plastics are synonymous with modern life. Nevertheless, the ubiquity of plastics has resulted in their continuous exposure to humans, which can be harmful. The available literature suggests that this daily exposure might be contributing to cardiovascular disease. In this Comment, Nikki Gillum Posnack discusses how the increasing use of plastics in everyday life has potentially harmful effects on cardiovascular health.
Technical analysis: the psychology of the market of dry bulk freight rates

Financial technical analysis of markets and trends differs from fundamental analysis in that econometrics are used on “fundamental” economic data in fundamental analysis. Technical analysis, however, adds to the overall trend analysis an additional examination of the psychology of markets. For freight rate predictions, there has been an exclusive reliance on typical fundamental analysis. Our results indicate that adding technical analysis to freight rate prediction can provide a better overall result. Psychological forces such as “irrational exuberance” or severe bearishness can influence trend predictions making them at best incomplete and at worst inaccurate for predicting the demand for shipping services. Further, ship construction decisions use freight rate predictions. In this paper, we perform a 20-year technical analysis of the BDI/Baltic Dry Index (formerly BFI/Baltic Freight Index) This analysis is a better, richer evaluation of freight rate trends that influence ship construction. Furthermore, technical analysis requires specific in-depth knowledge of the psychology of the market and experience in this type of trend analysis.
Regulation of RNA Methylation by TET Enzymes

The ten-eleven-translocation (TET1/2/3) proteins are capable of oxidizing 5-methylcytosine (m5C) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (hm5C) and further oxidized derivatives in the process of active demethylation to cytosine. This process has been investigated almost exclusively in the context of DNA demethylation and epigenetics. However, a handful of recent studies have demonstrated that m5C and TET protein-mediated oxidation are also important in the context of the epitranscriptome and mRNA, leading to modified RNA binding protein profiles and ultimately altering translation efficiency and mRNA stability. Here we summarize the current state of knowledge on the presence and function of m5C in eukaryotic mRNA and its oxidation.
Enzyme activation by water-mimicking dual-functionalized ionic liquids

Abstract Biocatalytic synthesis represents a green alternative to metal-catalyzed reactions. However, enzymes typically display much lower catalytic activities in nonaqueous solvents than in aqueous media. To mimic the aqueous environment for enzyme activation, this study designed a series of sixteen dual-functionalized ionic liquids (ILs) that comprising both glycol ether (hydrogen-bond acceptor) and tert-alcohol (hydrogen-bond donor) groups. These “water-like” ILs enabled high transesterification activities for immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) known as Novozym 435 and immobilized Bacillus licheniformis protease (known as subtilisin A) respectively. Several water-mimicking ILs containing 2–3 v% water significantly increased the CALB activity by 1.8-fold of that in tert-butanol, and 1.6-fold of that in diisopropyl ether (both organic solvents are highly enzyme-compatible). To a smaller degree, subtilisin was activated by these ionic solvents up to 1.2-fold (with 100% selectivity at 2 v% water) than by diisopropyl ether. Fluorescence emission spectra suggested that the characteristic emission maximum peaks were maintained in “water-like” ILs in most cases.
A Review of Forensic Hypnosis

There has been a recent resurgence of interest in forensic hypnosis in connection with memory enhancement and restoration of witnesses.
Downregulation of key regulatory proteins in androgen dependent prostate tumor cells by oncolytic reovirus

As prostate tumor cell growth depends on hormones, androgen ablation is an effective therapy for prostate cancer (PCa). However, progression of PCa cells to androgen independent growth (castrate resistant prostate cancer, CRPC) results in relapse and mortality. Hypoxia, a microenvironment of low oxygen that modifies the activity of PCa regulatory proteins including the androgen receptor (AR), plays a critical role in progression to CRPC. Therapies targeting hypoxia and the AR may lengthen the time to CRPC progression thereby increasing survival time of PCa patients. Mammalian Orthoreovirus (MRV) has shown promise for the treatment of prostate tumors in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we found that MRV infection induces downregulation of proteins implicated in CRPC progression, interferes with hypoxia-induced AR activity, and induces apoptosis in androgen dependent cells. This suggests MRV possesses traits that could be exploited to create novel therapies for the inhibition of progression to CRPC.
Bilinear Social and Biological Control Systems

The purpose of this paper is to: 1. Review briefly some relevant results of bilinear system theory and its socioeconomic application. 2. Develop a bilinear model for the realization of a biological process from experimental tracer data.
Characterization of a malonyl-enzyme intermediate and identification of the malonyl binding site in malonyl coenzyme A-acyl carrier protein transacylase of Escherichia coli.

Abstract A malonyl-enzyme intermediate, which functions in the transacylation of malonate from coenzyme A to acyl carrier protein (ACP) in Escherichia coli fatty acid synthesis, was isolated and characterized using purified and reduced malonyl-CoA-ACP transacylase. An enzymatically active malonyl-enzyme complex was isolated by Sephadex chromatography in 8 m urea, by trichloroacetic acid precipitation, and by Sephadex chromatography in aqueous buffer. The intermediate isolated by these procedures was shown to be free of CoA and capable of transferring the covalently bound malonyl group to CoA or ACP. Formation of malonyl-enzyme appeared to be a readily reversible reaction with a pH optimum between 6.0 and 7.5. Stability measurements of the malonyl-enzyme indicated a marked lability at pH values above 6.0, with a half-life of 30 to 40 min at pH 7.0 at 0°. The malonyl-enzyme linkage was shown to be stable to performic acid oxidation and labile to neutral hydroxylamine and alkaline pH. Denaturation of the malonyl-enzyme by urea at concentrations of 2.0 m or greater increased the stability of the malonyl-enzyme at various pH values and stabilized it to cleavage by hydroxylamine. Dilution of the urea concentration to 0.1 m permitted renaturation of the malonyl-enzyme, as indicated by its ability to transfer bound malonyl groups to CoA and its sensitivity to hydroxylamine and alkaline pH. A pH dependent inhibition of malonyl-enzyme formation was observed with the alkylating agents, N-ethylmaleimide and iodoacetamide. Treatment of the enzyme with phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride and p-chloromercuribenzoate also resulted in inhibition of malonyl-enzyme formation. p-Chloromercuribenzoate effects were shown to be reversed by 2-mercaptoethanol. Preincubation of the enzyme with malonyl-CoA prevented the inhibitory effects of all agents tested. Identification of the malonyl binding site on the enzyme was accomplished by proteolytic hydrolysis of [14C]malonyl-enzyme. Digestion of carboxymethylated [14C]malonyl-enzyme with thermolysin and purification of the labeled peptides by paper chromatography and Dowex 50 column chromatography resulted in the separation of five groups of labeled peptides, B through F. Treatment with performic acid indicated that the [14C]malonyl groups were not cleaved from these peptides by this treatment. Further purification of the major [14C]malonyl-peptide, D, by paper electrophoresis and by Dowex 50 chromatography after performic acid oxidation resulted in the isolation of a pure peptide with the amino acid composition alanine, glycine, histidine, and serine. Digestion of two of the [14C]malonyl-peptides, E and F, with aminopeptidase plus pronase resulted in the quantitative release of radioactive products having chromatographic properties identical with those of synthetic malonyl-O-serine. These experiments indicate that a serine residue of malonyl transacylase is the covalent binding site of malonyl groups in the malonyl-enzyme intermediate.
Directly and Indirectly Reducing Visual Impact of Electric Railway Overhead Contact Systems

This paper discusses the visual impact of the overhead wiring, known more formally as an overhead contact system, that is an integral part of a light rail transit network. In situations in which this type of impact causes community concern, the traditional approach has been to employ design concepts that minimize the amount of visible electrical hardware that is installed. This is a valid and worthy objective, but there are additional ways to address this issue. This paper explores various components of a traction power distribution system, including contact wires, feeder cables, and supporting structures. It discusses past and current practices to make some of these components less intrusive and suggests additional methods that might be employed. It also suggests, in some situations, applying design concepts that would address the issue of visual impact in a different manner. The essence of this initiative is that the visible elements might be reconfigured into a form of street art so that their appearance would actually enhance the local environment. It suggests that the concept of art in transit, now largely oriented to station areas, might be expanded to include the traction power infrastructure along the entire line.
CRB-Tree: An Efficient Indexing Scheme for Range-Aggregate Queries

We propose a newindexing scheme, called the CRB-tree, for efficiently answering range-aggregate queries. The range-aggregate problem is defined as follows: Given a set of weighted points in Rd, compute the aggregate of weights of points that lie inside a d-dimensional query rectangle. In this paper we focus on range-COUNT, SUM, AVG aggregates. First, we develop an indexing scheme for answering two-dimensional range-COUNT queries that uses O(N/B) disk blocks and answers a query in O(logB N) I/Os, where N is the number of input points and B is the disk block size. This is the first optimal index structure for the 2D range-COUNT problem. The index can be extended to obtain a near-linear-size structure for answering range-SUM queries using O(logB N) I/Os. We also obtain similar bounds for rectangle-intersection aggregate queries, in which the input is a set of weighted rectangles and a query asks to compute the aggregate of the weights of those input rectangles that overlap with the query rectangle. This result immediately improves a recent result on temporal-aggregate queries. Our indexing scheme can be dynamized and extended to higher dimensions. Finally, we demonstrate the practical efficiency of our index by comparing its performance against kdB-tree. For a dataset of around 100 million points, the CRB-tree query time is 8-10 times faster than the kdB-tree query time. Furthermore, unlike other indexing schemes, the query performance of CRB-tree is oblivious to the distribution of the input points and placement, shape and size of the query rectangle.
CD-Trees: An Efficient Index Structure for Outlier Detection

Outlier detection is to find objects that do not comply with the general behavior of the data. Partition is a kind of method of dividing data space into a set of non-overlapping rectangular cells. There exists very large data skew in real-life datasets so that partition will produce many empty cells. The cell-based algorithms for outlier detection don’t get enough attention to the existence of many empty cells, which affects the efficiency of algorithms. In this paper, we propose the concept of Skew of Data (SOD) to measure the degree of data skew, and which approximates the percentage of empty cells under a partition of a dataset. An efficient index structure called CD-Tree and the related algorithms are designed. This paper applies the CD-Tree to detect outliers. Compared with cell-based algorithms on real-life datasets, the speed of CD-Tree-based algorithm increases 4 times at least and that the number of dimensions processed also increases obviously.
Are Revived Customers as Good as New

Customers come and go, and some return. Is their behavior the same, better or worse when they return? To answer this we first define revived customers in a non-contractual setting. Next, we compare the purchasing behavior of revived customers before and after the period of inactivity. The Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) models in the targeting literature make the implicit assumption that the buying behavior of revived customers is the same as the buying behavior of active customers (Equality Assumption). The third objective of our study is to investigate whether this assumption holds or not. For our analyses, we use an extended Pareto/NBD model. We have three main findings from our study. First, we find that revived customers exist in non-contractual settings. Second, we show that higher past purchase frequency (strongly habitual) customers have greater consistency in purchasing behavior than lower past purchase frequency (weakly habitual) customers. The final key finding is that the equality assumption is not valid for, i.e., revived customers have different purchasing behavior than active customers.
Theories of Culture in Postmodern Times

Theories of Culture in Postmodern Times. Marvin Harris. Walnut Creek. CA. London, and New Delhi: Altamira Press. 1999.224 pp.
Combating Hate Through Young Adult Literature

Young adult literature can help readers look beyond tolerance toward a cosmopolitan ethics of difference as a more sophisticated position for combating hatred. In popular discourse, the ideal of tolerance is generally presented uncritically and deployed as the best response to a perceived difference in another. However, the ideal of tolerance presents many problems. Rather than discouraging hatred, tolerance merely asks us not to act upon related feelings. Additionally, tolerance is often deployed not only as an idealized set of behaviors, but also as a moral imperative. Thus tolerance encourages cultural relativism where we are expected to be tolerant of all views, no matter how troubling. This essay argues that to discourage hate and violence, we must criticize underlying values that evoke them. Young adult fiction that deals with white supremacist characters creates an interesting lens for evaluating how neo-Nazis can be seen as standing at the very limits of tolerance, as well as how texts with neo-Nazi characters can be used as tools to assess values that are not worth living by. Reading these fictional texts may help to discourage in young adults the development of hatred while fostering a cosmopolitan ethics of difference that stands in opposition to the presumed morality of tolerance.
Global Norms on Arms: The Significance of the Arms Trade Treaty for Global Security in World Politics

After a complex negotiation involving security, trade, human rights law (HRL), international humanitarian law (IHL) and general principles of international relations, on 2 April 2013, 154 states, including the US, voted to adopt the first-ever comprehensive, legally binding international treaty governing the transfer of arms: the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) came to life. This survey article explores the meaning of the ATT for a key global challenge, controlling the global arms trade and its implications for global security and the legal order. At the time of writing, September 2014, the ATT is almost about to enter into force as almost 50 states ratified it, including some of the largest arms producers and some of the rising arms producers and importers. This signals the embrace of the treaty's momentum in changing long-established practices of an ungoverned arms trade. The ATT was the result of a long journey and the persistent efforts of committed individuals to fill a much-needed gap in the international system. The treaty will be a contribution to strengthening human security worldwide if well implemented and helped by the continuous efforts of an engaged civil society.
Heterodyne swept-source optical coherence tomography for complete complex conjugate ambiguity removal

Fourier domain (FD) techniques have increasingly gained attention in optical coherence tomography (OCT). This is primarily due to their demonstrated sensitivity of two to three orders of magnitude over conventional time-domain techniques. FDOCT images are subject to two primary sources of artifacts. First, a complex conjugate ambiguity arises because the Fourier transform of the real-valued spectral interferometric signal is Hermitian symmetric. This ambiguity leads to artifactual superposition of reflectors at positive and negative pathlength differences between the sample and reference reflectors. Second, noninterferometric and sample autocorrelation terms appear at dc, obscuring reflectors at zero pathlength difference. We show that heterodyne detection in swept-source OCT (SSOCT) enables the resolution of complex conjugate ambiguity and the removal of noninterferometric and autocorrelation artifacts. We also show that complex conjugate ambiguity resolution via frequency shifting circumvents falloff induced by finite source linewidth in SSOCT when samples are shifted to large pathlength differences. We describe an efficient heterodyne SSOCT design that enables compensation of power losses from frequency-shifting elements. Last, we demonstrate this technique, coupled with wavenumber triggering and electronic demodulation, for in vivo imaging of the human anterior eye segment.
The effect of biliary obstruction upon canine gastric secretory activity.

Summary Gastric secretory activity was studied in six dogs with Heidenhain pouches before and after ligation of the common bile duct. Significant rises in secretion occurred in animals with significant biliary obstruction. The possible mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon are discussed.
Dissipative Hydrodynamics of Rigid Spherical Particles

A unified version of particle dynamics simulation, dissipative hydrodynamics (DHD), is proposed by selecting advantageous features of Brownian dynamics, Stokesian dynamics, and dissipative particle...
A high-temperature hydrothermal deposit on the seabed at a gulf of California spreading center

Abstract A submersible dive on a turbidite-covered spreading axis in Guaymas Basin photographed and sampled extensive terraces and ledges of talc. The rock contains siliceous microfossils, smectite, and euhedral pyrrhotite as well as rather pure iron-rich talc. Sulfur and oxygen isotopes indicate precipitation around a hydrothermal vent, at about 280°C.
Male wing-gland pheromone ofEphestia elutella

Sex pheromone extracted from glands on the forewings of maleEphestia elutella (Hubner) elicits a stereotyped courtship response from conspecific females. A bioassay for this sex pheromone was developed based on this behavior. Maximum production and responsiveness for males and females, respectively, occurred in insects more than 24 hr old.E. elutella females were not responsive to extracts made fromE.figulilella Gregson,E. kuehniella Zeller,E. cautella (Walker), orPlodia interpunctella (Hubner) males.
Deamidation of adenosine phospharamidate by hog eye ciliary process

Abstract 1. 1. Adenosine phosphoramidate was hydrolyzed by an extract prepared from hog eye ciliary process. AMP was identified as the hydrolysis as the hydrolysis product. The enzymatic hydrolysis of the P-N bond of adenosine phosphoramidate was thus shown. 2. 2. The problem of enzymatic hydrolysis of the P-N bond is discussed.
Coordination mechanisms for dependency relationships among multiple agents

A recent observation about multiagent coordination is that one can describe possible mechanisms in a domain-indepen\-dent way,as simple or complex responses to certain dependency relationships between the activities of different agents. Thus agent programmers can separate encoding agent domain actions from the solution to particular coordination problems. This paper explores the specification of a large range of coordination mechanisms for the common hard enablement relationship between tasks at different agents. This paper also presents the implementation of this idea in the DECAF agent architecture and an initial exploration of the separation of domain action from meta-level coordination actions for eight simple coordination mechanisms.
Persistent dynamic attractors in activity patterns of cultured neuronal networks

Three remarkable features of the nervous system—complex spatiotemporal patterns, oscillations, and persistent activity—are fundamental to such diverse functions as stereotypical motor behavior, working memory, and awareness. Here we report that cultured cortical networks spontaneously generate a hierarchical structure of periodic activity with a strongly stereotyped population-wide spatiotemporal structure demonstrating all three fundamental properties in a recurring pattern. During these "superbursts," the firing sequence of the culture periodically converges to a dynamic attractor orbit. Precursors of oscillations and persistent activity have previously been reported as intrinsic properties of the neurons. However, complex spatiotemporal patterns that are coordinated in a large population of neurons and persist over several hours—and thus are capable of representing and preserving information—cannot be explained by known oscillatory properties of isolated neurons. Instead, the complexity of the observed spatiotemporal patterns implies large-scale self-organization of neurons interacting in a precise temporal order even in vitro, in cultures usually considered to have random connectivity.
Reduced alloreactive T-cell activation after alcohol intake is due to impaired monocyte accessory cell function and correlates with elevated IL-10, IL-13, and decreased IFNgamma levels

Background: Immunosuppression associated with chronic alcohol use is characterized by reduced antigen-specific T-cell response and impaired delayed type hypersensitivity. Increasing evidence suggests in chronic alcohol consumption models that reduced antigen-specific T-cell proliferation is due to insufficient accessory cell function. Accessory cell function, a critical step in recognition of viral antigens, is reduced in chronic hepatitis C. The severity of hepatitis C is increased by alcohol consumption. Thus, we investigated the effects of alcohol consumption on accessory cell activity of monocytes in supporting alloreactive T-cell proliferation. Methods: Alloreactive T-cell proliferation was evaluated in a one-way mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). Mononuclear cells were isolated by Ficoll density gradient and monocytes by adherence. Alcohol (0.8 g/kg body weight, an equivalent of approximately three drinks) was given to nonalcohol-consuming individuals and blood samples were collected before, 4 hr, or 18 hr after alcohol consumption. Alcohol in vitro was administered at concentrations of 25–100 mM. Results: T-cell proliferation in MLR was significantly reduced in the presence of physiologically relevant concentrations of alcohol in vitro (25–100 mM ethanol) (p < 0.05). In vivo alcohol consumption also depressed proliferation in the MLR when stimulator cells were obtained 4 hr after alcohol consumption. MLR was not decreased, however, in the presence of alcohol-exposed responder cells and normal stimulator cells, suggesting that the accessory cell population and not T cells are affected by alcohol. Decreased accessory cell function was further evidenced by reduced superantigen-induced (SEB) but not mitogen-induced (PHA) T-cell proliferation in samples obtained 18 hr after alcohol intake (35% reduction). Reduced accessory cell function was not due to changes in surface expression of monocyte costimulatory molecules (HLA class I, HLA-DR, CD80, CD86, CD40). We found reduced IFNγ, elevated IL-10, and unchanged IL-4 levels during T-cell proliferation in samples obtained 18 hr after alcohol consumption. Acute alcohol treatment resulted in increased IL-13 in the MLR. Conclusion: These data suggest that even on one occasion moderate alcohol intake can reduce allostimulatory T-cell activation via decreasing accessory cell function. Increased IL-10 and IL-13 plus the reduced IFNγ production after acute alcohol use are likely to contribute to both the reduced T-cell proliferation and monocyte accessory cell function. These accessory cell mediated defects in T-cell activation may result in impaired antiviral and antitumor immunity after moderate acute alcohol use.
The biotin requirements of the genus Propionibacterium.

Abstract Data are presented giving the exact nutritional requirements of several strains of propionibacteria for biotin, oxybiotin, and dethiobiotin. Certain interesting and unexpected properties of biotin are revealed by this study.
A Fully Integrated Three-Level Isolated Single-Stage PFC Converter

For low-cost isolated ac/dc power converters adopting high-voltage dc-link, research efforts focus on single-stage multilevel topologies. This paper proposes a new single-stage three-level isolated ac/dc PFC converter for high dc-link voltage low-power applications, achieved through an effective integration of ac/dc and dc/dc stages, where all of the switches are shared between two operations. With the proposed converter and switching scheme, input current shaping and output voltage regulation can be achieved simultaneously without introducing additional switches or switching actions. In addition, the middle two switches are turned on under zero current in discontinuous conduction mode operation, and the upper and bottom switches are turned on under zero voltage. Due to the flexible dc-link voltage structure, high power factor can be achieved at high line voltage. A 500 W/48 V prototype is designed to serve as the proof of concept, which exhibits 90.8% peak efficiency at low input line voltage.
Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews: The Next Generation of Progress

This volume represents the inaugural issue of Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews. As an annual publication, the offering is designed to provide authoritative and timely coverage of contemporary topics in the field. As subscribers to Neuropsychopharmacology, members of the College have early access to these reports both on line and in print.
The Internet Cathedral, Internetization, Infostrada, and Globalization

Abstract The purpose of this investigation is to define the historic roots of the Internet and its implications in the 21st century. The interdisciplinary, civilizational methodology is applied to evaluate the evolution of the Internet. Among findings are; the possible atomic war in 1962 led to the conceptualization (by Paul Baran) and development (as the Internet Cathedral) of the Internet to communicate “a day after.” Later it was split into two nets; Milinet and Internet. Behind the Iron Curtain the similar project led to the launching a pilot INFOSTRADA, later adapted as the Information Superhighway in the U.S. Today, the Internet communicated the whole world. It empowered individuals, organizations and the society. The society is particularly strengthened by the dissemination of negative feedback as “Occupy Wall Street” movement. It has been developing since the Internet triggered Global Economy and allowed for outsourcing jobs to countries with low labor cost. Practical implications suggest that individuals like the Internet but the Western Civilization is losing its leading role in the world due to the activation the Asian societies and taking over Global Economy. Social implications require certain corrections in modus operandi of the Societies, depending too much upon the Internet. Since people communicate more but having less to say. The findings of this investigation are original and go beyond of a traditional approach to research of the Internet.
Diabetic Nephropathy and Pregnancy

Diabetic nephropathy, the most common etiology for end-stage renal disease, complicates approximately 5% of insulin-dependent diabetic pregnancies. Assessment for vasculopathy is important before pregnancy because nephropathy can increase perinatal risks including potential for preeclampsia and preterm birth. Counseling women receiving renoprotective medications including angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors has recently become complicated in light of new information suggesting a teratogenic risk for these agents. Most reproductive age women with overt diabetic nephropathy have preserved renal function and do not seem to have the progression of their disease affected by pregnancy. Perinatal outcomes are excellent for these women who have received care in tertiary institutions. However, there are relatively few women with significant renal impairment included in case series of pregnancies complicated by diabetic nephropathy. For these women, adverse perinatal outcomes are more common, and the effect of pregnancy on the course of their disease is less certain.
Relaxation Criteria for Iterated Traffic Simulations

Iterative transportation microsimulations adjust traveler route plans by iterating between a microsimulation and a route planner. At each iteration, the route planner adjusts individuals' route choices based on the preceding microsimulations. Empirically, this process yields good results, but it is usually unclear when to stop the iterative process when modeling real-world traffic. This paper investigates several criteria to judge relaxation of the iterative process, emphasizing criteria related to traveler decision-making.
Upper bound on dynamic quantization error in digital control systems via the direct method of Liapunov

The "direct method" of Liapunov is utilized to obtain an upper bound on dynamic (transient and steady-state) quantization error in digital control systems. If a linear digital control system is designed such that its motions (solutions) are uniformly asymptotically stable in-the-large, it is shown that its motions are uniformly bounded, in the sense of Liapunov, with the addition of quantization in the presence of any finite excitation. A quadratic form Liapunov function is used to evaluate an upper bound, on the domain of uniform boundedness of solutions, in the presence of quantization. The technique is unique, as compared to previous publications, in that an explicit analytical solution is available in general for a dynamic upperbound regardless of whether the system impulse response matrix is overdamped or underdamped.
Freeze-drying of plant material

Abstract Various freeze-drier designs have been evaluated. Drying efficiency was measured by continuous weighing of plant, animal and nonbiological materials during dehydration. Infiltration characteristics and the quality of the final preparations were correlated with the method of drying. On the basis of these measurements and observations, the best freeze-drier for plant material was found to be a moving gas arrangement employing moist gas and permitting wax infiltration within the apparatus. The design is simpler and gives more uniform results than previously suggested schemes. Drying time is shortened and wax infiltration greatly improved. This same design was not found to be the most efficient means of drying animal tissue. A theory based on the known physics of cellulose can account for the success of the new design as well as the different freeze-drying behavior of plant and animal tissue.
Computational improvement in the calculation of the natural log of a square matrix

A computational improvement on an algorithm previously derived for the calculation of the natural log of a square matrix is presented, allowing a more general use of the algorithm. This algorithm is useful in estimating the state-space model of a continuous-time multivariable system from data obtained with a discrete-time model.
Design of an Actively Controlled Snow Ski Release Binding

A new electronic ski binding has been designed which may better protect skiers from lower extremity injuries. A four-step procedure for developing binding release criteria aimed at preventing specific injuries is outlined. Using simplified biomechanical models, the release criteria for tibia fracture in both torsion and flexion are derived. A binding design which embodies the derived release criteria is described. The binding consists of three subsystems: 1) a dynamometer, 2) an analog computer controller, and 3) an electromechanical release mechanism. The strain gage dynamometer directly measures torsion and bending moments between the boot and ski. An analog computer controlled processes dynamometer signals. Dual release mode capability is achieved by parallel solution of differential equations which model the leg in both medial-lateral rotation and flexion. When the model solution reaches a critical value, the controller actuates the release mechanism. The release mechanism incorporates a unique closed circuit hydraulic system which rigidly locks the boot to the ski until release. Laboratory tests on a prototype confirm that the computer-controlled binding prevents inadvertent release under noninjurious high-magnitude, short-duration loads but releases before quasi-static loads reach injurious levels. Language: en