cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Implementing the MPI-3.0 Fortran 2008 Binding

MPI-3.0 defines a new interface for the Fortran 2008 language standard. This is the first Fortran support method for MPI that is consistent with the Fortran standard. This paper introduces our implementation of the Fortran 2008 binding in MPICH. Issues discussed include the binding framework, the implementation of wrapper functions, and the implementation of named constants. Our implementation is neat, efficient, and portable, in the sense that we limit the layers of wrappers, avoid Fortran-specific initialization, avoid unnecessary runtime overhead in wrappers, and rely only on standard Fortran and C.
Heavy metal analyses in the marine environment - approaches to quality control

Abstract The validity of analyses of elements in the femto- and picomolar ranges in waters and sediments can be assessed on the basis of several criteria: an evaluation of the chemical technique; the use of primary standards and intercalibration exercises; and chemical and geochemical coherence of the results. Herein are reported analyses of ruthenium, platinum, palladium, rhenium, iridium and gold in oceanic samples. The gold concentrations in surface seawaters, at least 25 times less than those previously reported, are in accord with the concentrations of their periodic table neighbors as well as with crustal and sedimentary contents. The remarkable concentration of rhenium in seawater, in relation to its very low crustal abundance, can be explained by the inertness of the perrhenate ion.
Transcriptional control of a whole chromosome: emerging models for dosage compensation

Males and females of many animal species differ in their sex-chromosome karyotype, and this creates imbalances between X-chromosome and autosomal gene products that require compensation. Although distinct molecular mechanisms have evolved in three highly studied systems, they all achieve coordinate regulation of an entire chromosome by differential RNA-polymerase occupancy at X-linked genes. High-throughput genome-wide methods have been pivotal in driving the latest progress in the field. Here we review the emerging models for dosage compensation in mammals, flies and nematodes, with a focus on mechanisms affecting RNA polymerase II activity on the X chromosome.
The structure of gloeosporone, a novel germination self-inhibitor from conidia of Collectotrichum gloeosporioides

Abstract Gloeosporone, a germination self-inhibitor from Colletotrichum gloeosporioides , has the constitution 4 , as deduced from IR, 13 C and 1 H NMR, and MS data.
Graduate Student-Faculty Collaboration in Research and Publication

The nursing profession advocates developmewnt of theoretical knowkdge as a basisfor nursing practice and promotes preparation of graduate students as nursing scholars. his study explored the influence of selectedfactors on the publishing efforts of student authors who published in the Weste Joual of Nursing Resnch during a 5-yearperiod Assignments, particularlyfora dissertation, provided a signfficant impetusfor publishing. Se#f-sececton ofa topic of interest also was an important factor. Approximately one third of the student authors had collaborated withfaculty as coauthors. Graduate students make a significant contribution to the creation and dissemination of nursing knowledge. The influence of collaboration with faculty, the defining elements ofcollaborative mentorship, and inherent ethical issues should be investigated infuture studies.
Pancreatic carcinoma is associated with delayed gastric emptying

Fifteen patients with histologically confirmed pancreatic carcinoma, without evidence of gastroduodenal invasion or obstruction, were prospectively studied to determine the frequency of gastric emptying disorders as determined by a solid-phase gastric emptying study. Nine of these (60%) had gastric emptying curves more than two standard deviations below normal mean values. The majority of patients did not have symptoms of gastric stasis. Nausea and/or vomiting was present in 33% of patients with abnormal gastric emptying and in none of those with normal emptying. Abdominal and/or back pain was present in 8/9 with delayed gastric emptying and in 3/6 with normal emptying. Disordered gastric emptying did not correlate with tumor stage, histology, location, or hyperbilirubinemia. Delayed solid-food gastric emptying may be responsible for the nonspecific abdominal complaints that occur during the course of pancreatic carcinoma, although more frequently, gastroparesis exists on a subclinical level.
Sensitization of Vanilloid Receptors TRPV3

Vanilloid receptors of the transient receptor potential family have functions in thermal sensation and nociception. Among them, TRPV3 is expressed in skin keratinnocytes and has also been implicated in flavor sensation in oral and nasal cavities as well as being a molecular target of some allergens and skin sensitizers. The channel displays a unique property that repeated stimulation results in gradual increases of its activity, a process that is known as sensitization and is observed in both native cells and cell lines. Transient calcium release from internal stores has been thought to underlie the sensitization process through a mechanism involving relief of Ca2+-dependent inhibition of the channel due to calmodulin binding at the distal N-terminal. In support of the hypothesis is the differential effect of the calcium chelators BAPTA and EGTA, where BAPTA, which has a fast buffering kinetics, is able to modulate the sensitization, while EGTA is ineffective. Here we suggest an alternative mechanism for the sensitization process. We distinguish two types of sensitizations; one is reversible and the other irreversible. The irreversible sensitization is intrinsic to the gating of the channel, while the reversible one such as that mediated by BAPTA is attributable to a modulation effect. We show that analogs of BAPTA that apparently lack Ca2+ buffering capability similarly sensitize the channel. We conclude that the sensitization of the channel, including the effects of BAPTA, also involves a membrane-delimited mechanism.
A phonetically switched ADPCM speech coder

Voice activity detection and phonetically-based segmentation are used to classify input speech into four modes: onset, silence, unvoiced and voiced. Each phonetic segment is coded at a suitable bitrate depending on the mode type, using a G.726 ADPCM encoder and preserving distinct encoder state information for each mode. The proposed speech coder achieves PESQ-MOS equivalent to G.726 ADPCM at 24 kbps but at an average rate less than 16 kbps while encoding a typical telephone conversation. A moderate 40 ms encoder delay is incurred.
An attractive male trait and aggressiveness are negatively correlated in wild field crickets, but uncorrelated in lab-reared crickets

It is generally thought that attractive male traits are positively correlated with dominance (aggressiveness). However, growing evidence suggests that this is not necessarily the case. We investigated whether calling song, a male mating display used by females to evaluate potential mates in a field cricket (Gryllus integer), is correlated with aggressiveness. In this species, females prefer males with longer durations of singing time. We measured singing time by measuring song over three continuous days using a custom-designed audio-monitor and assessed aggressiveness by pairing males in agonistic interactions. Our results showed that for males caught in the field, the percentage of time spent singing was negatively correlated with aggressiveness. However, in males that were raised in the laboratory, the percentage of time spent singing was not correlated with aggressiveness. Since calling duration is an attractive male trait in these crickets, our data show that the attractiveness of males can be either negatively related to aggressiveness (field) or unrelated to aggressiveness (lab). Neither of these results fit the traditional view that preferred male mating cues should be positively correlated with dominance (aggressiveness). These results also suggest that measurements of aggressiveness made in the lab do not necessarily correspond with aggressiveness in the field.
Search algorithms for vector quantization and nearest-neighbor classification

The problem of finding the stored template that is closest to a given input pattern is a typical problem in vector quantization (VQ) encoding and nearest neighbor (NN) pattern classification. This paper presents a new Triangle Inequality Nearest Neighbor Search (TINNS) algorithm that significantly reduces the number of distance calculations. This algorithm is appropriate in applications for which the computational cost of making a distance calculation is relatively expensive. Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) is one such application. This new algorithm achieves improved performance by guiding the order in which templates are tested, and using inequality constraints to prune the search space. We compare TINNS with another competing approach, as well as exhaustive search, and show that there is an appropriate application domain for each algorithm. Results are given for three applications, VQ for image compression, NN search over random templates, and target recognition in synthetic aperture radar image data.
Calmodulin an activator of human erythrocyte (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase phosphorylation

The effect of purified calmodulin on the calcium-dependent phosphorylation of human erythrocyte membranes was studied. Under the conditions employed, only one major peak of phosphorylation was observed when solubilized membrane proteins were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of this phosphorylated protein band was estimated to be 130000 and in the presence of purified red blood cell calmodulin, the rate of phosphorylation of this band was increased. These data suggest that calmodulin activation of (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase could be a partial reflection of an increased rate of phosphorylation of the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase of human erythrocyte membranes.
1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D downregulation of TGFα/EGFR expression and growth signaling: a mechanism for the antiproliferative actions of the sterol in parathyroid hyperplasia of renal failure

Elevated serum levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) contribute to the increased morbidity and mortality in renal failure patients. Parathyroid gland hyperplasia is a major cause of high serum PTH. The present studies used the rat model of renal failure to address the mechanisms underlying uremia-induced parathyroid hyperplasia and the antiproliferative properties of vitamin D therapy (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)) or its less calcemic analogs). Enhanced TGFalpha/EGFR co-expression is the major mitogenic signal in uremic parathyroid glands. At early stages of renal failure, vitamin D therapy efficiently counteracts uremia- and high phosphorus-induced hyperplasia by inhibiting the increases in parathyroid-TGFalpha/EGFR co-expression. In established hyperparathyroidism, characterized by highly enhanced-TGFalpha/EGFR co-expression, vitamin D therapy arrests growth by suppressing EGFR-growth signals from the plasma membrane and nuclear EGFR actions as a transactivator of the cyclin D1 gene, an important contributor to parathyroid hyperplasia in humans. In advanced renal failure, reduced-parathyroid vitamin D receptor levels limits the antiproliferative efficacy of vitamin D therapy. However, non-antiproliferative doses of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D enhance the anti-EGFR actions of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). In fact, combined 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D/TKI therapy inhibits parathyroid hyperplasia more efficiently than phosphorus restriction, the most powerful promoter of parathyroid growth arrest available at present.
Teacher usage of oral expressions of logic, critical thinking ability, and geometry achievement

This study investigated relationships among four variables: two teacher variables, critical thinking ability and frequency of oral expressions of logic; and two student variables, critical thinking ability and geometry achievement. Data were secured from geometry classes using audiotape recordings to tabulate teachers' frequency of oral expression of logic, and from standardized tests as measures of critical thinking ability and geometry achievement. Conclusions included a positive relationship between teachers' critical thinking ability and teachers' frequency of oral expressions of logic, and between students' critical thinking ability and students' geometry achievement. Teachers' critical thinking ability and teachers' frequency of oral expressions of logic were not found to be related to students' or class critical thinking ability, or to students' or class geometry achievement.
Intervention to Increase Mammography Utilization in a Public Hospital

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of three approaches to increasing utilization of screening mammography in a public hospital setting in Northwest Louisiana. DESIGN: Randomized intervention study. POPULATION: Four hundred forty-five women aged 40 years and over, predominantly low-income and with low literacy skills, who had not had a mammogram in the preceding year. INTERVENTION: All interventions were chosen to motivate women to get a mammogram. Group 1 received a personal recommendation from one of the investigators. Group 2 received the recommendation plus an easy-to-read National Cancer Institute (NCI) brochure. Group 3 received the recommendation, the brochure, and a 12-minute interactive educational and motivational program, including a soap-operastyle video, developed in collaboration with women from the target population. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Mammography utilization was determined at 6 months and 2 years after intervention. A significant increase (p=.05) in mammography utilization was observed after the intervention designed in collaboration with patients (29%) as compared with recommendation alone (21%) or recommendation with brochure (18%) at 6 months. However, at 2 years the difference favoring the custom-made intervention was no longer significant. CONCLUSIONS: At 6 months there was at least a 30% increase in the mammography utilization rate in the group receiving the intervention designed in collaboration with patients as compared with those receiving the recommendation alone or recommendation with brochure. Giving patients an easy-to-read NCI brochure and a personal recommendation was no more effective than giving them a recommendation alone, suggesting that simply providing women in a public hospital with a low-literacy-level, culturally appropriate brochure is not sufficient to increase screening mammography rates. In a multivariate analysis, the only significant predictor of mammography use at 6 months was the custom-made intervention.
You Can't Rock the Boat if You're Rowing It: And Other Observations About Life as a Student Affairs Administrator

Life as a college administrator offers a complex set of challenges, frustrations, and learning opportunities that are seldom recorded or shared. Drawing from a journal he has kept for many years, Gregory Blimling shares his observations about student affairs administration and the lessons he has learned from more than 30 years as a professional in the field, nearly 20 of which has been as a senior student affairs officer. He cautions readers that he is not offering advice and that his comments reveal his weaknesses, frustrations, and his maturing beliefs about higher education and the role of student affairs.
Prevention of bacterially induced hypersensitive reaction by living bacteria

Abstract Infiltration of tobacco leaf with the low concentration (5 × 10 5 cells/ml) resulted in decreased capacity of the tissue to develop hypersensitive reaction (HR) against higher concentration of the same bacterium. Development of HR against 5 × 10 6 cells/ml (the lowest HR-inducing concentration) was prevented as early as 3 h after inoculation with 5 × 10 5 cells/ml. HR induction with bacterial concentration up to 10 8 cells/ml could be prevented by preinoculation of the tissue with 5 × 10 5 cells/ml twice at 24-h intervals. Preventive effect was light dependent and is translocatable to the untreated surrounding tissue.
Time Varying Toxicity of Effluents from the Electrochemical Oxidation of Phenol

The Microtox® test was used to quantify the impact of holding time on toxicity of compounds formed in the electrochemical treatment of phenol. Phenol was treated in the presence of a sodium chloride (NaCl) or sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) electrolyte using either a boron-doped diamond anode/stainless steel cathode, or graphite anode/SS cathode. The intermediates from both oxidative and chlorine-substitution pathways were measured concurrently using HPLC immediately after the application of constant current was stopped and at time intervals up to 18 days. The toxicity of the samples were measured using the Microtox® basic test protocol at each of these time points as well. Chlorine-substitution pathway effluents, consisting mainly of chlorinated phenols, exhibited little toxicity change over the 18 day storage period considered in the study. Oxidative pathway effluents, however, consisting of quinone products, most notably the highly toxic benzoquinone, exhibited significant toxicity loss over the time period of the study. Over a period of 18 days, a 0.092 mM solution of benzoquinone alone lost over 92% of its initial toxicity. Over a 13 day period, an electrochemical effluent from conditions conducive to the oxidative pathway and benzoquinone formation also lost over 96% of its initial toxicity.
Topography and biomass characteristics of a forested catchment in the Northern Appalachians

Abstract Using data from 241 plots the variability of site index and biomass in a forested catchment was represented by the distribution of the appropriate differences between plot values and the average values for the whole catchment period. Relationships were derived that express the above differences as functions of azimuth and inclination of forest sites. They yield highest site index values for east-facing slopes and highest biomass values for north-facing slopes. The west-facing slopes are characterized by minimum values of site index and biomass. On west-facing slopes site index decreases when slope inclination increases; on east- and north-facing slopes site index increases with inclination. On south-facing slopes biomass decreases when slope inclination increases; on north-facing slopes biomass increases with slope inclination. For partial areas of the catchment, the difference between computed and observed site index appears between 3.5% and 6.9% of its average value for the whole catchment. The appropriate difference for biomass is from 12.2% of 35.6% of its average value for the whole catchment. Both differences reach maximum values in the northern part of the catchment that is characterized by greater stoniness.
Partial purification of the ovalbumin gene.

Abstract Cellulose-bound DNA complementary to ovalbumin mRNA was used in a continuous hybridization system to isolate single-stranded DNA molecules containing the ovalbumin gene. Fragmented DNA segments containing the ovalbumin gene were enriched 300–350 fold in one cycle of purification. Two cycles of purification resulted in a DNA fraction which was enriched 2300 fold in the ovalbumin sequence. The method is suitable for purification of the ovalbumin sequence from both sheared DNA fragments, as well as larger molecular weight DNA containing more than twice the number of nucleotides necessary to code for ovalbumin mRNA. The chromatographic procedures were specific and reproducible. In addition, the recovery of ovalbumin DNA was essentially quantitative (80–100%), even when large amounts of starting DNA (70–75 mg) were used. This purification scheme should also be useful for the enrichment of other unique sequence genes from eucaryotic DNA.
Compilation of out-of-core data parallel programs for distributed memory machines

We are developing a compiler and runtime support system called PASSION (Parallel And Scalable Software for Input-Output), to translate out-of-core programs written in a data parallel language like HPF to message passing node programs with explicit parallel I/O. This paper describes the basic model of the compiler and the various steps involved in the compilation. We also discuss the runtime routines used by the compiler for I/O and communication. The working of the compiler is illustrated using the example of an out-of-core Laplace equation solver, with performance results on the Intel Touchstone Delta.
High Voltage Compliance Constant Current Ballast

A ballast circuit employing a constant current diode and a vacuum tube that can provide a constant current over a voltage range of 1000 volts. The simple circuit can prove useful in studying voltage breakdown characteristics.
Central role of PPARα in the mechanism of action of hepatocarcinogenic peroxisome proliferators

Peroxisome proliferators (PP) are a large class of structurally dissimilar chemicals. These chemicals have diverse effects in rodents and humans, including regulation of lipid metabolism, growth promotion, and induction of hepatocarcinogenesis. Most, if not all, effects of PP are mediated by three members of the nuclear receptor superfamily called PP-activated receptors (PPAR). In this review, we discuss the evidence that PPARalpha, the predominant PPAR in the, liver is involved in the growth promoting and hepatocarcinogenic effects of PP.
Phosphodiesterase in Tongue Epithelium: Activation by Bitter Taste Stimuli

THE role of cyclic nucleotides in stimulus-response coupling at the cellular level has received much attention1. The level of adenosine cyclic 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP) is dependent on its rate of synthesis, catalysed by adenyl cyclase, and on its rate of destruction, catalysed by phosphodiesterase. Although most investigators have measured the regulation of cAMP levels by alterations in adenyl cyclase activity, others have noted the presence of high levels of phosphodiesterase in certain sensory receptors and have suggested that this enzyme may be of special importance in such cells2. We studied the phosphodiesterase activity in tongue epithelium to determine whether unusually high levels of this enzyme might also be associated with taste receptors, and to explore the possibility that taste stimuli might affect phosphodiesterase activity, thereby altering the intracellular cAMP concentrations.
Differential, integral, and momentum-transfer cross sections for elastic electron scattering by neon - 5 to 100 eV

Relative elastic-scattering differential cross sections were measured in the 5-100-eV impact energy and 10-145 deg angular ranges. Normalization of these cross sections was achieved by utilizing accurate total electron-scattering cross sections. A phase-shift analysis of the angular distributions in terms of real phase shifts has been carried out. From the differential cross sections, momentum-transfer cross sections were obtained and the values of the critical energy and angle were established (associated with the lowest value of the differential cross section) as 62.5 + or - 2.5 eV and 101.7 deg + or - 1.5 deg, respectively. The present phase shifts, the critical parameters, and differential, integral, and momentum-transfer cross sections are compared to previous experimental and theoretical results. The error associated with the present data is about 10 percent.
Synthesis of novel chiral bisazetidines by the hydroalane reduction of bis-beta-lactams

Abstract A series of novel chiral bisazetidines in which two azetidine rings are either directly connected or coupled in tandem style, are synthesized in good yields by the hydroalane reduction of the corresponding bis-beta-lactame.
Distribution of catecholamines in the central nervous system of the pig

The objective of this study was to document, through comprehensive means, normal distribution and concentration of catecholamines in various regions of the CNS of pigs, an increasingly popular animal model used for transgenic manipulation of neural genes. The effects of gonadal steroidal status on this distribution were also assessed by comparing CNS catecholamine concentrations among mature male pigs (boars), immature (gilts) and mature female pigs (sows), and adult male pigs castrated prepuberally (barrows). Dissected tissue samples from the CNS were extracted in 2 N acetic acid, filtered through a 0.2 micron filter, then quantitated by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography using a C-18 reverse phase column with electrochemical detection. In both boars and sows the highest concentrations of norepinephrine (NE) were found in the diencephalic areas and brain stem. Gilts exhibited elevated concentrations of NE in the olfactory bulbs (OB), hypothalamus, pons, and corpus trapezoideum-locus ceruleus (LC) compared to lower concentrations in corresponding areas of sows. Prepuberal castration of the male was associated with significantly lower NE concentrations in the striatum, periaqueductal area (PAG), pons, LC, and spinal cord. The sow exhibited significantly lower NE concentrations in the mammillary area (Mam), PAG, pons, and spinal cord than those in corresponding areas of the boar. Dopamine concentrations appeared to be similar in all areas of the brain and spinal cord studied in the sow and boar. Results demonstrated that prepuberal castration of the male appears to significantly alter the DA content of the Mam and dorsal spinal cord, in contrast to gilts who possess significantly higher concentrations of DA. It is concluded from our studies that in general, catecholamine concentrations in various regions of the brain and spinal cord of sexually mature pigs parallel distributions of neuropeptides, substance P, and methionine enkephalin, as previously reported. In addition, significant association was found between gonadal activity and catecholamine concentrations in discrete areas of the pig brain.
Phenylethynyl Substituent Effects on the Photophysics and Electrochemistry of [Cu(dpp)2]+ (dpp = 2,9-Diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline)

The syntheses, absorption spectra, emission spectra, electrochemical behavior, and excited-state lifetimes of a series of phenylethynyl-substituted copper(I) complexes are reported. These results are compared to those of the parent complex, [Cu(dpp)2]+ (dpp = 2,9-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline), to explore the effects of extended electronic delocalization on the photophysics of luminescent copper(I) bis(phenanthroline) complexes. Visible excitation of these complexes leads to emission from metal-to-ligand charge-transfer excited states. Room-temperature excited-state lifetimes range from 91 to 243 ns in dichloromethane. The effects of the phenylethynyl group(s) on the photophysical and electrochemical properties vary with the position of substitution. The most profound effects are observed when the parent complex is substituted at the 4- and 7-positions of the phenanthroline ligand. The positional effects are discussed with respect to the nature of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals.
Ontogeny and homology of the paranasal sinuses in Platyrrhini (Mammalia: Primates).

The identity and taxonomic distribution of paranasal sinuses among living platyrrhines has remained a contentious issue (e.g., Cave [1967] Am J Phys Anthropol 26:277–288 vs. Hershkovitz [1977] Chicago: University of Chicago Press) largely because the ontogenetic data required for their detection and identification (e.g., Cave [1967]; Maier [2000] Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 99–132.) were not attainable without sacrificing valuable juvenile and subadult specimens. Non-invasive computed tomography (CT) scanning of ontogenetic series of skulls for 10 platyrrhine genera demonstrates the presence of maxillary and ethmoid sinuses, as well as homologs of the human sphenoid and frontal sinuses. Differences in the latter two sinuses between platyrrhines and hominoids highlight the need for early developmental data in establishing sinus homology. In particular, the identification of homologous recesses in the cartilaginous nasal capsule, from which sinuses later develop, emerges as the critical step. This developmental approach also reveals that the anterior and posterior ethmoid sinuses are each sets of serial homologs, a point which reconciles previous difficulties in establishing sinus homologies across mammalian orders (e.g., Paulli [1900] Gegenbaurs Morphol Jahrb 28:147–178, 179–251, 483–564). © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Erythrocyte phosphofructokinase in rat strains with genetically determined differences in 2,3-diphosphoglycerate levels

We have studied the erythrocyte enzyme phosphofructokinase (PFK) from two strains of Long-Evans rats with genetically determined differences in erythrocyte 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) levels. The DPG difference is due to two alleles at one locus. With one probable exception, the genotype at this locus is always associated with the hemoglobin (Hb) electrophoretic phenotype, due to a polymorphism at the IIIβ-globin locus. The enzyme PFK has been implicated in the DPG difference because glycolytic intermediate levels suggest that this enzyme has a higher in vivo activity in High-DPG strain rats, although the total PFK activity does not differ. We report here that partially purified erythrocyte PFK from Low-DPG strain cells is inhibited significantly more at physiological levels of DPG (P<0.01) than PFK from High-DPG strain erythrocytes. Citrate and adenosine triphosphate also inhibit the Low-DPG enzyme more than the High-DPG enzyme. Therefore, a structurally different PFK, with a greater sensitivity to inhibitors, may explain the lower DPG and ATP levels observed in Low-DPG strain animals. These data support a two-locus (Hb and PFK) hypothesis and provide a gene marker to study the underlying genetic and physiologic relationships of these loci.
Optimization of Monte Carlo Algorithms and Ray Tracing on GPUs

To take advantage of the computational power of GPUs, algorithms that work well on CPUs must be modified to conform to the GPU execution model. In this study, typical task-parallel Monte Carlo algorithms have been reformulated in a data-parallel way, and the benefits of doing so are examined. In-progress 3D ray tracing work is also touched upon as a milestone in developing a full-featured neutron transport code. Possible solutions to problems are examined.
Effect of cholestyramine on composition of duodenal bile in obese human subjects.

Abstract The effects of the oral hypocholesterolemic drug, cholestyramine (16 g/day), upon the composition of duodenal bile were studied in four obese, normolipidemic subjects (three female, one male) while they slowly lost weight during prolonged periods of constant liquid formula feeding on the metabolic ward. Four-week periods of drug treatment (during which the anticipated lowering of plasma total cholesterol level occurred) were alternated with similar periods without treatment or with administration of placebo. Fasting duodenal bile samples were obtained at intervals by intubation followed by intravenous cholecystokinin and were analyzed for cholesterol, total phospholipid, and both total and individual bile acids. Cholestyramine treatment resulted in large and significant changes in the relative proportions of the major individual bile acids, which were reversible when the drug was withdrawn. The primary (hepatic-synthesized) cholic acid was increased from 38.0 ± 1.6% (mean ± SE) to 67.3 ± 1.4%; primary chenodeoxycholic acid was decreased from 37.4 ± 1.4% to 26.1 ± 1.1%; and secondary (bacterially modified) deoxycholic acid was decreased from 25.0 ± 2.0% to 6.6 ± 0.8%. The greatly increased rate of hepatic bile acid synthesis under the influence of cholestyramine was probably partly responsible for these changes. In addition, the ratio of glycine-conjugated to taurine-conjugated bile acids in duodenal bile was greatly increased during cholestyramine treatment (from 2.7 ± 0.2% to 7.3 ± 0.6%), so that glycocholic acid became the predominant conjugated bile acid. Evidence that these marked bile composition changes are either beneficial or otherwise in relation to cholelithiasis is not available, but their occurrence should be borne in mind in considering long-term use of cholestyramine or similar bile acid sequestering substances as hypocholesterolemic agents.
The roles of imagery, language, and metamemory in cross-modal transfer in children.

The relative strengths of association of imagery, language, and metamemory to cross-modal transfer were evaluated in 5-year-olds and 7-year-olds. Children were administered either tactual-visual or visual-tactual cross-modal transfer tasks, as well as two visual imagery tasks (spatial recall and mental rotation), two language competence tasks (vocabulary and word usage), metamemory questions, and a general intelligence task. With intelligence and handedness controlled, only visual imagery related significantly to cross-modal transfer. These findings suggest that mental imagery, as opposed to language competence or metamemory, is a principal component of cross-modal transfer, and they are consistent with the observation that preverbal human infants and infrahuman primates exhibit cross-modal transfer.
Relative permittivity and Hubbard U of pentacene extracted from scanning tunneling microscopy studies of p-doped films

Abstract Temperature-dependent I – V measurements determine that pentacene is effectively p -doped by tetrafluoro-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F 4 -TCNQ). It has been shown by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) that the donated hole is localized by the ionized dopant counter potential, and that the hole can be visualized [4] . Here, it is argued that the effect of the localized hole on STM images should depend on distance as 1/ ϵr , as per the Coulomb potential. By fitting line profiles of localized hole features to the Coulomb potential, it is shown that approximate values for the relative permittivity and Hubbard U of pentacene can be extracted.
Infrared CO line for the X 1 Sigma(+) state

A complete line list with improved accuracy for all the rotation-vibration transitions of the fundamental, first, and second overtone bands up to v = 20 and J = 149 of the gradual state X 1 Sigma(+) of the seven CO isotopes -- (12)C(16)O, (13)C(16)O, (12)C(17)O, (12)C(18)O, (13)C(18)O, (14)C(16)O, and (13)c(17)O -- is made available to the astronomical community. A line list of the pure rotational transitions up to v = 5 and J = 60 is also made available for these seven isotopes. This line list contains the transition frequency, the lower state energy, the Einstein A-value, the g f-value, the transition strength at 3000 K or 1000 K for the pure rotational transitions, the expectation value of the effective dipole moment operator, and the quantum numbers of each transition. Individual partition functions are reported in the temperature range of 500 to 10,000 K. This line list is available as four text files from the author using an anonymous file transfer protocol (ftp) transfer and in computer-readable form in the AAS CD-ROM Series, Vol. 3.
Foreword papers in honor of chester I. Barnard

I hope that I will not be regarded as demeaning either myself or my fellow contributors to these papers in honor of Chester Barnard if I suggest that the most valuable product of this exercise may be to cause some readers who have never done so to read The Functions of the Executive, and some others who have done so in the distant past, to read it again.(1) Barnard's book is often referred to as "hard," both in the senses of hard to read and rigorous; no one is likely to recommend if for bedtime or ocean beach reading. But I believe that its "hardness" is closely related to the depth and rigor of its ideas, and that it is written about as clearly and simply as the nature of these ideas will admit. Barnard does not use long words where short words will do, nor many words where few will do. For anyone who devotes thought to organizations, its messages are pretty clear, and refreshingly creative. When read attentively, it can be read with enjoyment.
Minimal length diagnostic tests for analog circuits using test history

In this paper we propose an efficient transient test generation method to comprehensively test analog circuits using minimum test time. A divide and conquer strategy is formulated to sequentially synthesize the test stimulus for the entire duration of test. We use a novel measurement procedure to resolve ambiguities in the present measurement sample by using class association information from the previous samples. This sequential formulation of test generation problem enables fault dropping and greatly reduces simulation and optimization effort. Additionally, this method is immune to noise and tests can be easily calibrated for use in hardware testers.
Studying porn cultures

This article uses the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas as a lens through which to examine the business and culture of pornography. I argue that adult-industry trade shows are data-rich field sites that allow pornography scholars to move beyond a focus on the pornographic text and examine the wider industry context that gives rise to contemporary porn cultures. These events are also occasions to practice ‘porn studies-in-action,’ a research approach that involves scholars spending time in those places where pornography is made, distributed, and consumed in an effort to better understand how cultural discourses and practices are organized in specific institutional and organizational contexts. Porn studies-in-action is a form of engaged scholarship that can take as its focus any number of cultural sites, from erotic film festivals to feminist porn sets to adult video stores, with the aim of empirically deepening our porn studies archives.
Superconducting transport properties of epitaxial YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 − δ thin films: A consistent description based on thermally-activated flux motion

The electrical-transport current properties of a series of epitaxial ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}}$ thin films have been investigated using a range of techniques, including the activated electrical resistivity for fields Bg${\mathit{B}}_{\mathrm{irr}}$, the irreversibility field; the I-V curves for both Bg${\mathit{B}}_{\mathrm{irr}}$ and B${\mathit{B}}_{\mathrm{irr}}$; and the resistive transitions in magnetic fields. The results are analyzed in the framework of a model for thermally-activated flux motion. The model utilizes a pinning barrier that is dependent on the current density J, temperature T, and applied magnetic field B, given by ${\mathit{U}}_{0}$\ensuremath{\propto}exp(-J/${\mathit{J}}_{\mathit{c}0}$)(1-t${)}^{\mathit{n}}$/B, with n\ensuremath{\sim}1.8. The exponential J dependence agrees well with the behavior U\ensuremath{\propto}${\mathit{J}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}$ (\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\sim}0.8) of the collective-flux-creep model in the regime J${\mathit{J}}_{\mathit{c}0}$, while properly describing the finite pinning potential observed in the activated-flux-flow regime as J\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0. The resulting analysis using this form for ${\mathit{U}}_{0}$ provides a quantitatively self-consistent interpretation of all sets of measurements.
Validity of chiral perturbation theory for K0-K0 mixing

Chiral perturbation theory relates the |ΔS|=2 matrix element 〈K―0|(s―d)V-A×(s―d)V-A|K0〉 to the |ΔS|=1 matrix element 〈π+π0|(s―d)V-A(u―u)V-A+(s―u)V-A×(u―d)V-A-(s―d)V-A(d―d)V-A|K+〉. The latter matrix element is measured in K+→π+π0 decay and the former matrix element is relevant for the predictions that the standard model makes for CP nonconservation in K0-K―0 mixing. In this paper the corrections of order mK4 lnmK2 to lowest-order chiral perturbation theory (i.e., order mK2) for these matrix elements are computed. The correction is large for the |ΔS|=2 matrix element indicating a breakdown of chiral perturbation theory.
Genetically modified food from crops: progress, pawns, and possibilities.

seems puzzling. Why would anyone opposeGM food and animal feed (herein called GM food)produced using the tools of agricultural biotechnology?The answers behind this controversy are complicated andvaried [1, 2]. The arguments against GM food range fromthe ethical and religious to concerns over inherent orpotential risks to health and safety, and the environmentalimpact such technologies may have. Intellectual propertyrights and control over seeds by multinational corporationsalso bring out the ire of opposition groups [1]. Thearguments in support of GM food range from the ethicaland practical—how will we feed the world without GMfood and animal feed?—to the scientific in which evidenceis collected to address some of the opposition’s concernsand to fill in gaps in our knowledge. Despite the concernsover GM food, the scope and number of GM crops plantedeach year continues to grow, and, interestingly, has madethe adoption of GM seeds one of the most rapidly adoptedfarming technologies ever (Ref. [3] and Fig. 1). Therefore,it is reasonable to assume that agricultural biotechnologywill continue to be adopted by farmers and thus thecontroversy will continue. It is also reasonable to assumethat agricultural biotechnology will be introduced to newcountries around the world including many developingcountries as one component of agricultural innovation.Agricultural innovation, in the broadest sense, potentiallycan assist in meeting the first of the United Nation’sMillennium Development Goals (MGD)—to reduce by halfthe number of people in extreme poverty and hunger by 2015[4]. This MGD goal may be partially addressed by focusingon agricultural needs such as sufficient food production,access to water for agricultural purposes, and improved foodquality [5]. Agricultural biotechnology has the potential toaddress some of these needs [6]. Recently, a World Bankreport pointed out that science and technology can play a rolein helping to improve the food security and alleviation ofpoverty of the 600 million rural poor in the developingnations [7]. But this report, while acknowledging the greatpromise of agricultural biotechnology, also acknowledges thecontroversial nature of agricultural biotechnology through theproduction of GM food [7]. GM food has become a pawn indebates over trade and globalization and other issues whichaffect international development [8]. Whether GM crops willplay a role in agricultural development, especially in thedeveloping world, seems mixed and dependent upon thepublic investment in such work [5, 7]. China has made amajor commitment to investment in government-basedagricultural biotechnology and has made much progress,especially in cotton production, and therefore serves as agood case study for the benefits of GM crops in agriculturalinnovation and development [8, 9].Agricultural innovation must also address climatechange and ecosystem services issues. Production of foodcrops using less energy, less water, and fewer chemicalinputs—such as energy-intensive fertilizer— are going tobe important in order to reduce carbon emissions [10] and
Optocouplers: Fundamentals and Hardness Assurance for Space Applications

Operating principles and hardness assurance methods are discussed for various types of optocouplers. Radiation damage in light-emitting diodes is addressed, along with the impact of phototransistors and internal amplifiers on overall performance. Hardness assurance for optocouplers is contrasted with the approach used for conventional microelectronics. Methods of detecting abnormal devices are discussed, along with the implementation of special screening measurements.
Cenozoic tectonic and topographic evolution of the northern Sierra Nevada, California, through stable isotope paleoaltimetry in volcanic glass

We determine the paleoelevation of the northern Sierra Nevada (California) in the Oligocene based on hydrogen stable isotope compositions of meteoric water preserved within volcanic glass from ignimbrites sampled across the range. A 48‰ decrease in the isotopic composition of hydrated glass from ignimbrites located near paleosea level to ignimbrites 100 km to the east refl ects the effect of ancient high topography on precipitation. These data show that 31–28 Ma ago, the northern Sierra Nevada had a steep western gradient and elevations similar to the present. This study, placed in the context of other paleoaltimetry studies, suggests that the range was a high topographic feature throughout the Cenozoic and that the majority of uplift occurred in the Late Cretaceous to early Cenozoic, much earlier than some studies have proposed.
Electronic Mail: a Useful Communication Tool for the College Student

Describes an exploratory survey of e-mail use pattern and attitudes towards e-mail among students at the California State University. On average students sent three and receives four messages per day. The results indicate that students felt that e-mail use was useful in the classroom to communicate with their instructors and classmates. They also felt that e-mail would be an appropriate medium to send brief messages and lengthy assignments. Students were comfortable with their keyboarding skills and were confident about using computers and found the system use-friendly. Ratings on computer anxiety was found to be positively correlated to e-mail use (r.=.47, p<.05) as well as system user-friendliness and e-mail use (r=.38, p<.05).
Response surface methodology as a means for efficient data storage and retrieval

Managing the volume of experimental and/or simulation data required for large-scale design studies can be a significant problem. This paper describes a method for dealing with this problem, using response surface methodology. The method involves (1) determining a summary parameterization of the response of the underlying process mechanism generating the data, in order to characterize this response in terms of a manageable set of performance measures, and (2) deriving a model of the data, in order to summarize the dependence of the performance measures on selected predictor or design variables. The method is illustrated by its application to a problem in vehicle collision research.
Identity, Grievances, and Political Action: Recent Evidence from the Palestinian Community in Israel

In ethnically non-neutral states, why do some disadvantaged minorities protest their status, while others acquiesce? Given the difficult circumstances in many cases, why do they not protest more than they do, or turn to violence? This article argues that the key to ethnic protest is the identity that one holds: state-bound identities weaken the grievance– protest relationship. The closer one identifies with the state, the less likely one is to protest, even when significant grievances exist. The case of Israel and its Arab citizens is used to illustrate this relationship. When Arabs identify themselves as more “Israeli,” they are less protest-prone than other Arabs with more anti-establishment identities. This article provides empirical evidence that fostering state-friendly identities may be a desirable goal for many ethnically tense states.
Speech Enhancement Using Perceptual Wavelet Thresholding with the Ephraim and Malah Noise Suppressor and Auditory Masking

This paper presents a novel algorithm for single channel speech enhancement. The algorithm is based on the Ephraim and Malah noise suppressor with modified a priori signal-to-noise ratio estimator. The a priori SNR is biased depending on the masking threshold used for that particular frequency bin. The algorithm is performed in the wavelet domain instead of the Fourier domain. We match the sub-band of the decomposition to the critical band used in perceptual auditory modeling. Our simulation shows that the proposed algorithm is able to reduce in-band noise significantly while minimally distorting the speech signal