cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electron Velocity Distribution Function in High Frequency Alternating Fields Including Electronic Interactions

The Boltzmann transport equation has been solved for the electronic velocity distribution function in a high frequency gas discharge. The distribution is examined as a function of the electron density. The conductivity is computed for two electron-molecule cross sections, one, in which the cross section is inversely proportional to the electron velocity and two, in which the cross section is independent of electron energy. The results show the extension of Margenau's distribution to high densities.
An extension of the Hopfield-Tank model for solution of the multiple traveling salesmen problem

The authors develop an efficient neural network algorithm for solving the multiple traveling salesman problem (MTSP). A novel transformation of the N-city, M-salesman MTSP to the standard TSP is introduced. The transformed problem is represented by an expanded version of the Hopfield-Tank neuromorphic city-position map with (N+M-1)-cities and a single fictitious salesman. The dynamic model associated with the problem is based on the basic differential multiplier method. The algorithm was successfully tested on many problems with up to 30 cities and 5 salesmen. In all cases the algorithm converged to valid solutions. >
Response of Pine Seedlings to Mechanical Stimulation

When needles of pine seedlings are deflected downwards there is an electrical response which can be measured.
Learners' attention to input during focus on form listening tasks: the role of mobile technology in the second language classroom

This study explores the differential effects of medium of delivery of aural input during listening tasks on learners noticing and type of comprehension (top-down and bottom-up) of Spanish object pronouns during focus on form listening tasks. Twenty-two college students enrolled in second year Spanish in a technology-enhanced classroom participated in the study. Two types of medium of delivery of input were compared: mobile assisted language learning (MALL), which is learner manipulated, and instructor manipulated language learning (IMLL). A quasi-experimental design was used – treatment and immediate tests – in order to measure participants' reported noticing and type of comprehension. Noticing was operationalized using think-aloud protocols, and measured on the post-test exposure comprehension assessment tasks. The findings of the study, interpreted within the attentional SLA framework, indicate that learners in the MALL group demonstrated significantly higher levels of reported noticing, bottom-up compr...
Electrical stimulation in the prefrontal cortex and delayed response in the cat.

Abstract According to the attention hypothesis prefrontal animals display a deficit in their performance in the delayed-response problem because of increased reactivity and distractability during the delay period. Low frequency electrical stimulation in the prefrontal cortex (gyrus proreus) in the cat will suppress skeletal and autonomic responses, and this method was used to test the attention hypothesis in the normal cat. It was predicted that low frequency stimulation in the gyrus proreus during the delay period would decrease distractability and improve delayed-response performance. This experiment was done and results confirm this prediction.
Edge separation distribution in vicinal silicon (001)

In this article we apply a variation of the transfer matrix method in order to obtain the distribution of terrace edge separations in vicinal silicon (001) and compare with experimental results. Si(001) is characterized by alternating rough edges (called B-type) and smooth edges (called A-type). By calculating the exact eigenvalue for a single sub-system made of ABA-type edges, and separately, for a sub-system of BAB-type edges, the full two-dimensional problem is mapped approximately onto a one-dimensional problem. From there, a second application of the transfer matrix allows an evaluation of the probability distribution P(l) of two A-type edges separated by an amount l.
Measurements of the angular distribution of auroral-zone bremsstrahlung in the middle atmosphere

The angular distributions of atmospheric electron bremsstrahlung at 45-65 km are determined by analyzing NaI-scintillation-detector measurements of X-rays in energy ranges upward of 5, 10, 20, and 40 keV obtained in two rocket flights over Alaska during March 1978 as part of the Aurorozone II project (Goldberg et al., 1984). The data are presented graphically and characterized, with a focus on periods of post-breakup auroral precipitation events. Findings reported include generally uniform upward and downward intensities, with the upward intensity typically 1-10 percent of the total; a smooth zenith-nadir transition of angular width less than + or - 20 deg at 40 keV; a downward energy spectrum dominated by direct X-rays at 65 km but much less so at lower altitudes (where Compton-scattered X-rays play a greater role); and a completely scattered-X-ray-dominated upward energy spectrum. Reasonable agreement is found when these data are compared with the theoretical bremsstrahlung calculations of Berger and Seltzer (1972).
Psychoanalysis, The American Psychological Association, and the Involvement Of Psychologists at Guantanamo Bay

This paper recounts the author's experience attempting to change the policy of the American Psychological Association (APA) that allows the participation of its members in Guantanamo Bay and similar detention centers. The efforts of the Division of Psychoanalysis and other divisions of the APA to oppose any such involvement are described as well as the reaction of the APA leadership to these efforts. The author speculates on the reason for the persistence of the APA governance in protecting the employment of psychologists as consultants to coercive interrogations.
Small languages in an undergraduate PL/Compiler course

I propose to revive the undergraduate PL/compiler course by making it relevant to software engineers – the bulk of our audience. My premise is that developers are not mere users of programming languages; the better developers regularly design small languages, whether they are frameworks with rich APIs, code generators, configuration and data processing languages, or full scripting languages. Our recent experience at Berkeley shows that we may indeed be able to awaken budding language designers while developing at least a better language “taste” in the remaining students. The proposed approach is to go through the development of small languages: the choice of a programming model (abstractions), design of an intuitive concrete syntax, effective static and dynamic type checking, and efficient implementation. It’s hard to fit all this into a single course, of course, especially if the course is to cover enough about both design and implementation of languages. One trick may be to use the language implementation itself as a case study for small language design. For example, regular expressions deserve more attention that we have been giving them in lexical analysis: you could argue that their semantics, as defined in most languages is broken and so is their implementation. Revisiting their semantics is a case study in how to embed a language and their implementation offers an exercise in how to parallelize an algorithm that has been considered inherently sequential. Finally, we can increase the relevance to software developers by focusing on web languages, where new programming models are likely to appear: a well-designed course will prepare students for new web languages, and may encourage them to design these languages themselves. After all, PHP, javascript, Ruby and perl were all designed by language amateurs: the more we teach our undergrads, the better our future languages will be.
Telling My Story From Narrative to Exhibit in Illuminating the Lived Experience of Homelessness among Older African American Women

The authors document the integration of methods from the arts and humanities into a social research and development project, the objectives of which are to create and test promising interventions helpful in assisting older homeless African American women get and stay out of homelessness in the city of Detroit, Michigan, USA. The exhibit incorporates multiple forms of narrative, includes performative features, promotes public awareness of homelessness in the city of Detroit, and engages homeless and formerly homeless women in social action. The authors examine the prototype design and the involvement of participants in creating artistic portrayals of their homeless experience.
Neighbor list collision-driven molecular dynamics simulation for nonspherical hard particles.

We apply the algorithm presented in the first part of this series of papers to systems of hard ellipses and ellipsoids. The theoretical machinery needed to treat such particles, including the overlap potentials, is developed in full detail. We describe an algorithm for predicting the time of collision for two moving ellipses or ellipsoids. We present performance results for our implementation of the algorithm, demonstrating that for dense systems of very aspherical ellipsoids the novel techniques of using neighbor lists and bounding sphere complexes, offer as much as two orders of magnitude improvement in efficiency over direct adaptations of traditional event-driven molecular dynamics algorithms. The practical utility of the algorithm is demonstrated by presenting several interesting physical applications, including the generation of jammed packings inside spherical containers, the study of contact force chains in jammed packings, and melting the densest-known equilibrium crystals of prolate spheroids.
MO‐D‐BRB‐02: Maximum Kinetic Energy Considerations in Coplanar Arc‐Based Proton Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Purpose: To determine the maximum proton kinetic energy required to treat a given percentage of patients eligible for stereotactic radiosurgery(SRS) with coplanar arc‐based proton therapy, contingent upon the number and location of gantry angles used. Methods: Treatment plans from 100 consecutive patients treated with SRS at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center between June of 2007 and March of 2010 were analyzed. For each target volume within each patient, in‐house software was used to place proton pencil beam spots over the distal surface of the target volume from 51 equally spaced gantry angles over 360 degrees. For each beam spot, the radiological pathlength from the surface of the patient to the distal boundary of the target was then calculated along a ray from the gantry location to the location of the beam spot. This data was used to generate a maximum proton energy requirement for each patient as a function of the arc length that would be spanned by the gantry angles used in a given treatment. Results: If only a single treatment angle is required, 100 percent of the patients included in the study could be treated by a proton beam with a maximum kinetic energy of 118 MeV. As the length of the treatment arc is increased to 90, 180, 270, and 360 degrees, the maximum energy requirement increased to 127, 145, 156, and 179 MeV, respectively. Conclusions: A large percentage of SRS patients could be treated at relatively low proton energies if the gantry angles used in the treatment plan do not span a large treatment arc. Maximum proton kinetic energy requirements increase linearly with size of the treatment arc. A dedicated protonSRS system could cost much less than existing proton systems due to decreased energy requirements. This work was supported by the Department of Defense (DoD) through the National Defense Science & Engineering GraduateFellowship (NDSEG) Program and by a National Science Foundation GraduateFellowship. This work utilized the National Science Foundation and University of Wisconsin funded Grid Laboratory of Wisconsin (GLOW) computer cluster (NSF award number 0320708). Support from an NIH Training Grant T32 CA09206 is acknowledged. One author has financial interest in TomoTherapy, Inc., which is participating in the commercialization of DWA technology.
Propagator matrices as matrices of power's series. I. Its zeroth-order and the Pople–Santry model

Abstract The implementation and calculation of the principal propagator matrix elements as a power's series are presented. The scheme is applied to singlet- and triplet-type properties at random phase approach (RPA) level of approximation. Its application to both the polarizability and the J-NMR spectroscopic parameter by using localized molecular orbitals shows (i) any element of the principal propagator matrix can be expressed as a series, (ii) each series has a different rate of convergence which depends on the type of property analyzed, the model compound and the relative magnitude of the first element of that series, (iii) the Pople–Santry model is related with the first element of each series, (iv) convergence also depends on stability conditions, and (v) this scheme can easily be applied to ab initio post-RPA calculation of molecular properties.
Structural Insights into the Bovine Casein Micelle: Small Angle X-Ray Scattering Studies and Correlations with Spectroscopy

Abstract In the processing of milk into dairy products, the structure, stability, and dynamics of the casein micelle play definitive roles. These colloidal casein complexes are the result of an ensemble of multiple competing equilibria, arising from 1°, 2°, 3°, and 4° interactions of the individual caseins with themselves and with milk salts. Our laboratory has studied the fundamental principles of casein structure by application of modern methods of protein chemistry. The dynamics and quaternary structure of this interacting system have been examined using small-angle x-ray scattering. These data are now correlated with information obtained from [ 2 H] nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation techniques, and with insights into the secondary structures of the caseins gained by Raman and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Results are interpreted in terms of a model where hydrophobically stabilized inhomogeneous submicelles are incorporated into the colloidal micelle while retaining most of their structural and dynamic properties.
Analysis of k0 neutron activation analysis at the University of Missouri Research Reactor.

Abstract k0 Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (k0 INAA) was evaluated at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR). The MURR, unlike many other research reactors that employ k0 INAA, is refueled on a weekly basis. To determine if the neutron spectrum is stable enough for routine k0 INAA analysis, the neutron spectrum parameters α and f were measured over a 9 month period. The average values of f and α measured using the Cd ratio multi monitor technique were 57.4±4.5 and 0.039±0.012, respectively. It was determined that k0 INAA could be used at the MURR by employing the average value of α and f. However, significant measurement bias could occur for elements with high Q0 values if the true spectral parameters deviate by more than 10% from the average value.
Cluster subtypes within the precontemplation stage of change for sun protection behavior

The aim of this study is to identify replicable cluster subtypes within the precontemplation stage of change for sun protection. Secondary data analysis of baseline data from a sample of participants in a home-based expert system intervention was performed. Three random samples were selected from participants in the precontemplation stage (N = 570). Cluster analyses were performed using the scales of pros, cons, and self-efficacy. Interpretability of pattern, pseudo F-test, and dendograms were used to determine the number of clusters. A four-cluster solution replicated across subsamples. Significant differences between clusters on the nine processes of change and on behavioral measures were found. Cluster solutions were robust, interpretable and with good initial external validity. They replicated patterns found for other behaviors, demonstrating long-term predictability and providing basis for tailored interventions.
A case for systemic environmental analysis of cultured meat

The environmental implications of cultured meat are profound. An anticipatory life cycle assessment of cultured meat published in 2011 suggested it could have a smaller impact than agricultural meat in all categories except energy consumption. As with most technologies, cultured meat will almost certainly be accompanied by unintended consequences as well as unforeseen costs and benefits that accrue disproportionately to different stakeholders. Uncertainty associated with new engineered products cannot be completely eliminated prior to introduction, but ongoing environmental assessments of the technologies as they advance can serve to reduce unforeseen risks. Given the pace at which tissue engineering is advancing, systemic assessments of the technology will be pivotal in mitigating unintended environmental consequences.
Consistent dynamic PCA based on errors-in-variables subspace identification

Abstract In this paper, we make a comparison between dynamic principal component analysis (PCA) and errors-in-variables (EIV) subspace model identification (SMI) and establish consistency conditions for the two approaches. We first demonstrate the relationship between dynamic PCA and SMI. Then we show that when process variables are corrupted by measurement noise dynamic PCA fails to give a consistent estimate of the process model in general whether or not process noise is present. We then propose an indirect dynamic PCA approach for the consistent estimate of the process model resorting to EIV SMI algorithms. Consistent dynamic PCA models are obtained with and without process disturbances. Additional features of the indirect approach include (i) easy determination of the number of lagged variables in the model; (ii) determination of the number of significant process disturbances; and (iii) consistent estimate of the dynamic PCA models with and without process disturbances. We conduct two simulation examples and an industrial case study to support our theoretical results, where the relationship between dynamic PCA and EIV SMI is numerically verified.
Computer generation of physical system differential equations using bond graphs

Abstract A Computer Aided Modeling Program (CAMP) is developed to process a bond graph representation of a physical engineering system into suitable source input used by Digital Simulation Languages such as IBM DSL (Digital Simulation Language), CSMP (Continuous System Modeling Program), ACSL (Advanced Continuous Simulation Language) or CSSL (Continuous System Simulation Language). The basic philosophy and fundamental principles behind the design of CAMP are presented here. The preprocessed information includes the state variable representation of the system differential equations in first-order form. The appropriate input and interface software that simulation programs require is included in CAMP. The design and simulation of nonlinear systems and control systems has been investigated using this approach. The combination of a bond graph oriented program with a block diagram and FORTRAN oriented program is unique, and offers the best of both worlds, namely, the unified approach to modeling, automatic equation derivation from bond graphs and the extensive and flexible block modules of a continuous system simulator. A variety of cases are considered for mechanical, electromechanical, hydraulic and electrical systems.
Visible surface ray-tracing of stereoscopic images

Ray-tracing is a well-known method for producing realistic images. If we wish to view a ray-traced image stereoscopically, we must create two distinct views of the image: a left-eye view and a right-eye view. The most straight-forward way to do this is to ray-trace both views, doubling the required work for a single perspective image. We have developed a reprojection algorithm that produces stereoscopic images efficiently with little degradation in image quality. In this paper, we derive the necessary stereoscopic separation technique required to transform a ray-traced left-eye view into an inferred right-eye view. Minor changes in the technique needed to expand from single to multiple rays per pixel are noted. Finally, results from evaluating several random scenes are given, which indicate that the second view in a stereo image can be computed with less than 16 percent of the effort of computing the first.
Can older adults enhance the intelligibility of their speech

Speech understanding difficulties for older adults (OAs) are well documented. Very little is known about whether age-related changes affect their speech production as well. Intelligibility of conversational and clear speech sentences produced by five OA talkers was examined. The results of the sentence-in-noise listening tests revealed that OAs enhanced their intelligibility for young adult (YA) listeners through clear speech modifications. Importantly, though, OAs were less effective at improving their speech to benefit listeners compared to YA talkers [reported in Smiljanic and Bradlow, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 118(3), 1677–1688 (2005)]. The results suggest that auditory and cognitive changes across lifespan can affect OA's speech patterns and intelligibility.
Medical Education: A Key Partner in Realizing Personalized Medicine in Gastroenterology

Completion of the human genome sequence heralds an era that utilizes the “individual patient’s genome [to] help determine the optimal approach to care, whether it is preventive, diagnostic, or therapeutic,”1 defining personalized medicine broadly to provide biomarkers for disease prevention and treatment, new targets for drug development, and tools to make drugs safer and more efficacious. Limitations to personalized medicine include genetic testing availability, cost, insurance coverage, ethical concerns, scientific progress, and evidence of clinical usefulness; education in these areas may help to bridge a growing knowledge gap between science and practitioners. Genomic information and pharmacogenetic testing have already improved our understanding and treatment of common gastrointestinal disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), peptic ulcer disease, and colon cancer, but training at every level must integrate new concepts and treatment options. Medical educators must prepare physicians, the public, trainees, and other health care workers to realize personalized medicine’s promise to deliver “the right dose of the right drug for the right patient at the right time.” Along with scientific advances, educational tools have advanced significantly in the communication age and can reach target audiences more quickly than previously, for example, the delay of teaching Mendelian genetic principles until Gregor Mendel’s work was rediscovered and disseminated almost 40 years after publication. The gastrointestinal tract represents a unique model for investigating, understanding, and teaching the broadest implications of personalized medicine and clinical genomics. Uniquely, the digestive tract contains complex interactions between networks of host mucosal defense mechanisms and a vast, coexistent luminal microflora and other luminal contents, with important ramifications in disorders such as IBD and Helicobacter pylori-associated disorders. In addition, recent insights offer new strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of colon cancer and other malignancies. A targeted survey of important recent breakthroughs will provide a basis for educational strategies in personalized medicine in gastroenterology.
Superior Vena Caval Thrombosis

A 56-year-old man presented with dyspnea and chest discomfort following gastrectomy for metastatic adenocarcinoma. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a mass in the right atrium (RA); he subsequently underwent transesophageal echocardiography using a biplane …
A phase I study of Foscan-mediated photodynamic therapy and surgery in patients with mesothelioma

Abstract Background Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a light-based cancer treatment that, in the correct setting, can be delivered intraoperatively as an adjuvant therapy. A phase I clinical trial combining surgical debulking with Foscan-mediated PDT was performed in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. The purpose of the study was to define the toxicities and to determine the maximally tolerated dose (MTD) of Foscan-mediated PDT. Methods A total of 26 patients completed treatment. Tumor debulking was accomplished with either an extrapleural pneumonectomy (7 patients) or a lung-sparing pleurectomy–decortication (19 patients). Patients were injected with Foscan before surgery, and 652 nm light was delivered intraoperatively after completion of surgical debulking. Four light sensors were placed in the chest, allowing delivery of light to a uniform measured dose throughout the hemithorax. Results Four dose levels were explored. The MTD was 0.1 mg/kg of Foscan injected 6 days before surgery in combination with 10 J · cm −2 652 nm light. Dose limiting toxicity at the next higher dose was a systemic capillary leak syndrome leading to death in 2 of 3 patients treated at that dose. Other PDT-related toxicities included wound burns and skin photosensitivity. In all, 14 patients were treated at the MTD without significant complications. Conclusions Foscan-mediated PDT can be safely combined with surgery at the established MTD. Unlike most other surgery-based multimodal treatments for mesothelioma, Foscan-mediated PDT affords the option, in selected patients, of accomplishing tumor debulking with a lung-sparing procedure rather than an extrapleural pneumonectomy. A phase II study is warranted.
Sex-Typed Motor Behaviors of "Feminine" Boys, Conventionally Masculine Boys, and Conventionally Feminine Girls.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether, in four commonly observed childhood behaviors, the gross impression conveyed by “feminine” boys is distinctive from that of conventional boys, and in the direction of conventional girls. Three samples of children age 4–10 years were included in the study: boys with atypical sexual identity (N=12); age-matched conventionally sex-typed boys (N=8); and age-matched girls (N=7). The children were identically costumed to conceal gender and were videotaped while throwing a ball, walking, running, and telling a story. Videotaped segments of behaviors were randomly presented to four raters who judged the sex of the child on a five point scale which ranged from very likely male to very likely female. The analyses indicate that the sample to which the child belonged was the most important factor in explaining the rating the child received. The “feminine” boys occupied an intermediate position, one that was neither distinctly “feminine” nor distinctly “masculine.”
Synthesis of biomedical tissue

Image quality assessment in medical imaging requires realistic textured background that can be statistically characterized for the computation of model observers' performance. We present a modeling framework for the synthesis of texture as well as a statistical analysis of both sample and synthesized textures. The model employs a two-component image-decomposition consisting of a slowly, spatially varying mean-background and a residual texture image. Each component is synthesized independently. The technique is demonstrated using radiological breast tissue. For statistical characterization, we compute the two-point probability density functions for the real and synthesized breast tissue textures in order to provide a complete characterization and comparison of their second-order statistics. Similar computations for other textures yield further insight into the statistical properties of these types of random fields.
An end-to-end architecture for distributing weather alerts to wireless handsets

This paper describes the current National Weather Service's (NWS) system for providing weather alerts in the U.S. and will review how the existing end-to-end architecture is being leveraged to provide non-weather alerts, also known as "all-hazard alerts", to the general public. The paper then describes how a legacy system that transmits weather and all-hazard alerts can be extended via commercial wireless networks and protocols to reach 154 million Americans who carry cell phones. This approach uses commercial SATCOM and existing wireless carriers and services such as Short Messaging Service (SMS) for text and emerging Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) protocol, which would allow for photos, maps, audio and video alerts to be sent to end users. This wireless broadcast alert delivery architecture is designed to be open and to embrace the National Weather Service's mandate to become an "" warning system for the general public. Examples of other public and private sector applications that require timely and intelligent push mechanisms using this alert dissemination approach are also given.
Nanometer-scale surface potential and resistance mapping of wide-bandgap Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin films

We report microscopic characterization studies of wide-bandgap Cu(In,Ga)Se2 photovoltaic thin films using the nano-electrical probes of scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy and scanning spreading resistance microscopy. With increasing bandgap, the potential imaging shows significant increases in both the large potential features due to extended defects or defect aggregations and the potential fluctuation due to unresolvable point defects with single or a few charges. The resistance imaging shows increases in both overall resistance and resistance nonuniformity due to defects in the subsurface region. These defects are expected to affect open-circuit voltage after the surfaces are turned to junction upon device completion.
Asymptotic Normality of a New Nonparametric Statistic for Use in Organ Transplant Studies

Abstract This article presents a proof of the asymptotic normality of a recently proposed nonparametric test statistic which has been used in analyzing heart transplant data.
Calcium dependent neurotransmitter release and protein phosphorylation in synaptic vesicles

A highly purified preparation of synaptic vesicles was prepared to study the relationship between calcium-dependent neurotransmitter release and protein phosphorylation. Calcium ions simultaneously produced significant increases in both the endogenous release of norepinephrine from the synaptic vesicles and the endogenous incorporation of [32p] phosphate into specific synaptic vesicle proteins. The results are compatible with the hypothesis that the action of calcium on the phosphorylation of specific synaptic vesicle proteins is the molecular mechanism mediating some of the effects of calcium on neurotransmitter release and synaptic vesicle function.
Persistent and non-persistent changes in gene expression result from long-term estrogen exposure of MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Abstract Life-long estrogen exposure is recognized as a major risk factor for the development of breast cancer. While the initial events in the regulation of gene expression by estrogen have been described in detail, far less is known of the role of estrogen in the long-term regulation of gene expression. In this study, we investigated the effects of long-term exposure of MCF-7 breast cancer cells to 1 nM 17β-estradiol on gene expression with the goal of distinguishing between gene expression that is continually reliant on estrogen receptor (ER) function as opposed to secondary and persistent effects that are downstream of ER. To assess the direct involvement of ER in the differential gene expression of long-term estrogen exposed (LTEE) cells in comparison with that of control cells, we exposed cultures to the selective estrogen receptor modulator raloxifene (RAL). cDNA microarray analysis showed that exposure to RAL inhibited expression of numerous characterized estrogen-regulated genes, including PGR, GREB1, and PDZK1. Genes that were increased in expression in LTEE cells yet were unaffected by RAL exposure included the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and numerous other genes that were not previously reported to be regulated by estrogen. Epigenetic regulation was evident for the AHR gene; AhR transcript levels remained elevated for several cell passages after the removal of estrogen. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1); STAT1-regulated genes including ISG15, IFI27, and IFIT1; and MHC class I genes were also up-regulated in LTEE cells and were unaffected by RAL exposure. STAT1 is commonly overexpressed in breast and other cancers, and is associated with increased resistance to radiation and chemotherapy. This is the first study to relate estrogen exposure to increased STAT1 expression in breast cancer cells, an effect that may represent an additional role of estrogen in the pathogenesis of breast cancer.
Ultrastructural study of the relations between Leptomonas oncopelti (Noguchi and Tilden), protozoa trypanosomatidae, and the rectal wall of adults of Oncopeltus fasciatus dallas, hemiptera lygaeidae

A laboratory colony of Oncopeltus fasciatus was found to be infected by Leptomonas oncopelti. The flagellates form a carpet attached to the cuticular intima of the rectal glands of adult bugs. The epithelial cells of these glands are characterized by infolded apical plasma membranes associated with mitochondria; the overlying cuticular intima shows endocuticular canals. The Leptomonas are attached by hemidesmosomes, located most often at the tip of the flagella. The Protozoa multiply by budding and the resultant straphangers cling to the parental flagellum. Adhesion of the flagellates to the cuticular lining is so strong that detaching flagellates carry with them the outer part of the epicuticle. Epicuticle repair presumably occurs through the endocuticular canals.
Revision of failed transoral incisionless fundoplication by subsequent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication

AIM: To evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication after failed transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF). METHODS: TIF is a new endoscopic approach for treating gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In cases of TIF failure, subsequent laparoscopic fundoplication may be required. All patients from 2010 to 2013 who had persistence and objective evidence of recurrent GERD after TIF underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. Primary outcome measures included operative time, blood loss, length of hospital stay and complications encountered. RESULTS: A total of 5 patients underwent revisional laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LNF) or gastrojejunostomy for recurrent GERD at a median interval of 24 mo (range: 16-34 mo) after TIF. Patients had recurrent reflux symptoms at an average of 1 mo following TIF (range: 1-9 mo). Average operative time for revisional surgical intervention was 127 min (range: 65-240 min) and all surgeries were performed with a minimal blood loss (< 50 mL). There were no cases of gastric or esophageal perforation. Three patients had additional finding of a significant hiatal hernia that was fixed simultaneously. Median length of hospitalization was 2 d (range: 1-3 d). All patients had resolution of symptoms at the last follow up. CONCLUSION: LNF is a feasible and safe option in a patient who has persistent GERD after a TIF. Previous TIF did not result in additional operative morbidity.
Electropolymerization of a Ruthenium(II) Bis(pyrazolyl)pyridine Complex to Form a Novel Ru-Containing Conducting Metallopolymer.

A new derivative of 2,6-bis(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (bpp) symmetrically substituted with 3,4-ethylenedioxy-thienyl (EDOT) substituent groups, and the corresponding ruthenium(II) complex was synthesized and characterized by NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. A new linear conducting metallopolymer consisting of [Ru(bpp-(EDOT)(2) )(terpy)](2+) fragments was deposited directly on to electrode surfaces as a transparent, deep red film by electrochemical coupling of the pendant EDOT moieties. XPS analysis reveals that the film has the expected structure consisting of monomer repeats without degradation or loss of metal ions. Additionally, the absorption spectrum of the polymer film shows a broad absorption range from 310 to 700 nm.
Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal spore production as influenced by plant species

The effect of plant species on vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungal spore production was compared using corn, bahiagrass, soybean, and sudangrass as the nurse crops. The VAM endophytes wereGlomus claroideum, Gl. etunicatum, Gl. mosseae, Gl. macrocarpum, andGigaospore margarita. At 14 weeks after planting (WAP), spore production byGl. claroideum, Gl. etunicatum, Gl. mosseae, andGl. macrocarpum was greater with bahiagrass than with corn or sudangrass. There were no differences between bahiagrass or sudangrass withG. margarita at 14 WAP. Soybean was not a suitable host plant for VAM spore increase. The general ranking of plant species was bahiagrass > corn ≫ sudangrass≫≫ soybeans.
Selective IgA deficiency in children and adults with systemic lupus erythematosus

The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and clinical characteristics of selective IgA deficiency (SIgAD) in children and adults with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and evaluate potential differences in presentation and course of the SLE. IgA deficiency was defined as a serum IgA concentration ≤0.01 mg/mL determined on two sera by radial diffusion. SLE was classified by the 1982 criteria of the American College of Rheumatology. Seventy-seven children with SLE followed prospectively for ≥20 years and 152 adults surveyed during a one-year period were assayed for serum IgA levels. Disease characteristics were compared among the deficient patients and the IgA-normal patients. Twelve patients with SIgAD were identified: 1) Juvenile(J)-SLE: four children with juvenile onset (≤18 years) and four others encountered as adults; and 2) Adult(A)-SLE: four patients with adult onset. No significant differences were found in clinical presentation or course except for a possible increase in recurre...
Dual Governance: The Contemporary Politics of Posts and Telecommunications in Japan

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) has jurisdiction over two policy areas which are significant in contemporary Japanese politics--telecommunications and postal business. In pursuing policy-making in these areas, the MPT has had distinctive policy goals which have produced dual governance. In its operation of postal businesses, the MPT has played an old-guard role by protecting inefficient and intrusive government operations and opposing reform attempts. In the telecommunications arena, particularly in its promotion of the Internet, the MPT has played the role of a vanguard, taking on the telecommunications giant NTT I explain this dual governance by highlighting an important sectoral divide in the Japanese economy which separates it into developmental and distributive sectors.The MPT operation of postal businesses is an integral part of the distributive sector; thus the MPT needs to protect the current system of postal businesses. In contrast, telecommunications is part of the developmental sector and is thus a policy area in which the MPT tries to wield greater influence over private-sector activities through vanguard policy-making.
Polarography of sulfur dioxide (sulfite) in aqueous hydrofluoric acid

Abstract A well-formed polarographic wave exists for sulfur dioxide (sulfite) in aqueous hydrofluoric acid at a half-wave potential (E 1 2 ) of about -0.4 V vs. S.C.E. The characteristics of the wave are similar to those of the wave for sulfite in aqueous solutions of hydrochloric acid and of nitric acid. The relation of sulfite concentration (C) to diffusion current (id) is linear, and the wave is reproducible. Polarography in aqueous hydrofluoric acid media is indicated to be a suitable method for the detection and direct determination of sulfur dioxide. Possible significant applications of the method are to determine contaminative sulfur dioxide in hydrogen fluoride gas, in reagent-grade hydrofluoric acid and fluorosulfuric acid, and in the atmosphere.
A SIMPLIFIED PARAMETER DESIGN METHOD FOR TRANSFORMATION OPTICS-BASED METAMATERIAL INNOVATIVE CLOAK

Transformation optics-based innovative cloak which combines the virtues of both internal and external cloaks to enable arbitrary multi-objects hidden with visions and movements was first proposed by Huang et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett.101, 151901 (2012)]. But it is rather difficult to implement in practice, for the required material parameters vary with radius and even have singular values. To accelerate its practical realization but still keep good performance of invisibility, a simplified innovative cloak with only spatially varying axial parameter is developed via choosing appropriate transformation function. The advantage of such a cloak is that both radial and azimuthal parameters are constants, and all three components are nonsingular and finite. Full-wave simulation confirms the perfect cloaking effect of the cloak. Besides, the influences of metamaterials loss and parameter deviation on the performance of cloak are also investigated. This work provides a simple and feasible solution to push metamaterial-assisted innovative cloak more closely to the practice.
Shear-induced isotropic-to-lamellar transition.

Reciprocating shear is found to increase the isotropic-to-lamellar transition temperature in a symmetric diblock copolymer melt. The temperature at which the isotropic state becomes unstable rapidly approaches the ordering transition as the shear rate increases. Shear-induced ordering results in lamellae orientation with wave vectors directed normal to the shear and velocity gradient directions. These results are anticipated by a recent theory that accounts for the suppression of fluctuations by a symmetry breaking field in this class of weakly first-order phase transitions.
Enzymic and immunochemical properties of lysozyme—VIII. Modification of two carboxyl groyps and their role in the antigenic reactivity

Reaction of lysozyme with carbodiimide followed by coupling with glycine methyl ester (GME) or with histidine methyl ester (HME) resulted in the preparation of two derivatives. After column chromatgoraphy the two derivates were homogeneous by starch gel electrophoresis. Both derivatives were modified at aspartic acid 119 and at the carboxyl group of the end-chain leucine residue. However, the one derivative the two carboxyl groups were coupled to GME (GME2-Lysoz) and in the other, these two carboxyl groups were couple to HME (i.e. HME2-Lysoz). Each derivative suffered a dreastic loss in enzymic activity, most likely as a result of conformational changes which accompained the modification. HNE2-Lysoz showed a greater loss in lytic activity than GME2-Lysoz. With antisera to lysozyme, GME2-Lysoz possessed equal antigenci reactivity ot that of the homologous antigen, while HME2-Lysoz suffered an appreciable decrease in reactivity. Antisera were also raised against GME2-Lysoz and with these antisera, lysozyme and GME2-lysoz possessed equal antigenic reactivities. On the other hand, HME2-Lysoz showed lower antigenic reactivity. From these results and previously reported conformational studies, which showed very slight conformational changes in GME2-Lysoz and large changes in HME2-Lysoz, it was concluded that aspartic acid 119 and the C-terminal leucine residue are not essential parts of an antigenic reactive region in lysozyme.
On states, traits, and processes: A transactional alternative to the individual difference assumptions in Type A behavior and physiological reactivity

Exaggerated cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses to environmental stressors are believed to contribute to coronary heart disease (CHD). Further, such heightened physiological reactivity may link Type A behavior to CHD. The present review critiques the individual difference assumptions underlying current models of Type A behavior, reactivity, and disease. These approaches view individual differences in physiological reactivity as a static, general trait (associated with Type A behavior) that is activated by environmental challenges and demands to produce the heightened transitory state of physiological arousal. An alternative, transactional approach to this problem is offered. Briefly, Type As are seen as not simply responding to challenge and demand with enhanced reactivity. Instead, they are seen as creating such situations through their choices, cognitions, and behaviors. Empirical evidence for the Type A demand and challenge-engendering style is reviewed, and its potential impact on physiological reactivity is detailed. Further, the implications of this transactional approach for the assessment and modification of Type A behavior, reactivity and related CHD risk are discussed.
A comparative study of GPU programming models and architectures using neural networks

Recently, General Purpose Graphical Processing Units (GP-GPUs) have been identified as an intriguing technology to accelerate numerous data-parallel algorithms. Several GPU architectures and programming models are beginning to emerge and establish their niche in the High-Performance Computing (HPC) community. New massively parallel architectures such as the Nvidia’s Fermi and AMD/ATi’s Radeon pack tremendous computing power in their large number of multiprocessors. Their performance is unleashed using one of the two GP-GPU programming models: Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) and Open Computing Language (OpenCL). Both of them offer constructs and features that have direct bearing on the application runtime performance. In this paper, we compare the two GP-GPU architectures and the two programming models using a two-level character recognition network. The two-level network is developed using four different Spiking Neural Network (SNN) models, each with different ratios of computation-to-communication requirements. To compare the architectures, we have chosen the two extremes of the SNN models for implementation of the aforementioned two-level network. An architectural performance comparison of the SNN application running on Nvidia’s Fermi and AMD/ATi’s Radeon is done using the OpenCL programming model exhausting all of the optimization strategies plausible for the two architectures. To compare the programming models, we implement the two-level network on Nvidia’s Tesla C2050 based on the Fermi architecture. We present a hierarchy of implementations, where we successively add optimization techniques associated with the two programming models. We then compare the two programming models at these different levels of implementation and also present the effect of the network size (problem size) on the performance. We report significant application speed-up, as high as 1095× for the most computation intensive SNN neuron model, against a serial implementation on the Intel Core 2 Quad host. A comprehensive study presented in this paper establishes connections between programming models, architectures and applications.
Using a game-like module to reinforce student understanding of recursion

Recursion is one of the most powerful problem-solving techniques in computer science, but many students seem to struggle with the concept of recursion. In addition, the instructors find it hard to teach this concept using traditional teaching method. This paper presents a game module titled "Recursive Runner" that aims to reinforce student understanding of recursion in a game. Four undergraduate students developed the game with GameMaker Studio in three months. The game was designed for short gameplay time and it does not require any prior experience in gaming. The objective of the game is to provide the students with a fun environment to visualize and follow the flow of execution of recursive functions. This paper presents the game design and implementation in detail and shares our experiences in using this module in the CSC1311 Computer Programming II and CSC2331 Data Structures classes at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU). A pretest, a posttest and a survey were developed and used in the evaluation process. In addition, a lab assignment was designed to use with the game to evaluate student understanding of the concept. Initial assessment outcomes show promising results and the feedback is positive according to the survey and interview.