cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Insight into the cooling history of the Valhalla complex, British Columbia

Abstract Migmatitic paragneiss and amphibolite gneiss from the Valhalla metamorphic core complex, southeastern B.C. record a complex retrograde history that includes melt-involving net transfer reactions and partial re-equilibration at lower pressure conditions. Pelitic paragneiss from ~ 1.5 km above the Gwillim Creek shear zone contains diffusion zoned garnet porphyroblasts that indicate a slow then fast cooling history that is different from fast cooling from peak recorded in samples from within the shear zone. Fast cooling is consistent with transport of this migmatitic crustal root zone of the Canadian Cordillera up a cold footwall ramp of the thrust sense Gwillim Creek shear zone, followed by exhumation via the Valkyr Shear zone–Slocan Lake detachment after melt crystallization. Forward modeling of the interdiffusivity of Fe + Mg in garnet, governed by a retrograde net transfer reaction, indicates distinctly different cooling histories for rocks above the Gwillim Creek shear zone, suggesting these rocks may have been at similar peak temperatures at different times. Thermobarometry and thermodynamic modeling of these gneisses constrain a cooling and decompression P–T path segment consistent with retrograde amphibolite facies re-equilibration. 2-D thermal modeling suggests that slow followed by fast, then slower cooling can be accommodated by movement up a shallow thrust ramp, then rapid thrusting up a steeper ramp, and finally normal-sense shearing with erosional denudation. Ductile flow onto a cool footwall, coupled with erosion, is a viable mechanism of cooling and partial exhumation of lower crustal rocks.
The initiation of ice sheet growth, Milankovitch solar radiation variations, and the 100 ky ice age cycle

Much work has gone into deciphering the causes of the large scale glacial/interglacial variations in the climate system over the last 900 000 years. While variations on the 41 thousand year (ky) and 23 ky time scales seem to be linearly linked to the variations in the distribution of solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere, Milankovitch solar radiation variations, the causes of the dominant 100 ky cycle in the geologic record are still unknown. One of the aspects of this cycle that is not well understood is how large scale ice sheet growth is initiated. Here we describe the mechanisms by which large scale ice sheet growth may have been initiated by the changes in the seasonal and latitudinal distribution of solar radiation over the past 160 ky. This is done through the use of a coupled energy balance climate-thermodynamic sea ice model that includes a hydrologic cycle which computes precipitation, and a land surface energy balance which determines the net accumulation of snow and ice. Results indicate that the initiation of ice sheet growth is possible during times of extremely low summer solstice solar radiation as a result of a large decrease in ablation during the critical melt season.
Effects of wavelet choice in fast-fading channel estimation using wavelet transform-based deconvolution

In this paper a procedure for deconvolving signals in a Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) framework is applied to the estimation of impulse responses of fast-fading communications channels. Specifically, the effects of using several different wavelets on the performance of such wavelet-domain channel estimation is investigated. Monte Carlo simulations are performed using eight different wavelets. The simulations estimate impulse responses having a fast-fading, multipath, Power Delay Profile (PDP), and include Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) resulting in E b /N 0 ratios from 0 dB to 30 dB. Results show that DWT-based deconvolution is especially effective when wavelets corresponding to short-length filters are used.
The effect of high pin-count ESD tester parasitics on transiently triggered ESD clamps

Conflicting HBM ESD results are presented for several ESD testers/test-configurations, all of which pass the present tester specifications. The discrepancy is attributed to parasitic capacitance, which can deactivate the dV/dt-detection of an ESD circuit. An unexpectedly large (>1 nF) effective parallel capacitance is found by summing tester relay capacitances of unstressed pins, connected through on-chip current paths, while considering the Miller effect. An ESD strike between two pins and the symmetric "reverse-pin, reverse-polarity" strike are shown to be nonequivalent due to a different set of on-chip current paths.
Mobility and Emotional Harmonization in Families

Abstract Families and social relationships are of course highly important, so it is worthwhile to ask how they are being affected by omnipresent mobile communication. In this paper, I will examine how increasingly portable communication technology affects daily activities and social relationships, especially in terms of the relationship between children and parents. While much of my focus will be on practices in other parts of the world, many of these trends may be applicable to China. Prior studies have created a body of generally accepted views about this area, and often concluded that mobile phone use was leading to increased separation between young people and their parents. However, a body of recent research on current practices among older teens does not offer support of this view. Rather, in many cases, mobile phones seem to impede independence-seeking behavior of young people. Thus the proliferation of mobile phones may actually be delaying the psychological maturation of young people even while strengthening and prolonging the process of (two-way) parent-child socialization. The seeming paradox in these results is discussed in my talk, and a synthesis is advanced that seeks to explain the new situation of locational dispersion and familial acculturation under conditions of mobility. Specifically, the current practices go beyond the concept of “hypercoordination” (proposed by Ling in 1999) and can be described as “emotional harmonization.”
Projections from the buccal cavity to brain stem sites involved in feeding behavior

Abstract The present experiment was designed to explore the possibility that afferent information from orogastric receptors plays a key role in the regulation of the activity of brain stem feeding centers. Electrical stimulation was applied to the inferior alveolar nerve of immobilized adult cats. Short-latency evoked responses were recorded from the specific thalamic projection nucleus, ventralis posteromedialis. Potentials of longer latency were observed in mesencephalic and diencephalic regions which are involved in the regulation of feeding behavior. The extent to which afferent information from buccal receptors may influence brain stem sites involved in feeding behavior is discussed.
Interaction of theBacillus stearothermophilusRibosomal Protein S15 with 16 S rRNA: I. Defining the Minimal RNA Site

The ribosomal RNA binding site of Bacillus stearothermophilus ribosomal protein S15 (BS15) was analyzed using synthetic RNA oligonucleotides derived from the 16 S rRNA central domain. Native gel electrophoresis mobility shift assays demonstrate that BS15 can specifically interact with an RNA oligonucleotide containing nucleotides 585 to 756 (helices 20 to 23) of 16 S rRNA with an apparent dissociation constant of 35 nM. A series of deletion mutants of the rRNA fragment that contains the BS15 specific binding site was tested for their capacity to bind protein using a competition binding assay. The major determinant of the BS15-rRNA interaction is a three-way junction between helices 20, 21, and 22, while helix 23 (nucleotides 673 to 733 of 16 S rRNA) was dispensable for high affinity binding. Helix 22 contains BS15 binding determinants in an internal loop containing two phylogenetically conserved purine-purine base-pairs. In contrast, only small segments of helices 20 and 21 are required to maintain the integrity of the junction. Kinetic measurements of the dissociation and association rate of the bimolecular complex between BS15 and various minimal rRNA binding sites demonstrate that the basic properties of this interaction were not altered as a result of the deletions. The minimal binding site is a 61 nucleotide RNA that is a good model for the wild-type BS15-16 S rRNA interaction.
Meta-analysis of clinical studies of the efficacy of plasma exchange in the treatment of chronic progressive multiple sclerosis

OBJECTIVE : To examine the hypothesis that addition of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPEX) to an immunosuppressive drug regimen increases that regimen's efficacy to halt the progression of chronic progressive multiple sclerosis (CPMS). METHODS : The literature was searched for prospective controlled clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of TPEX in CPMS. Six studies were eligible for meta-analysis. Their results were combined, using Cochran's and Peto's methods. Three outcome measures were studied : 1) the change in Kurtzke's disability status scale (DSS) scores, 2) the relative odds of neurologic decline by 1 or more DSS grades, and 3) the relative odds of neurologic improvement by I or more DSS grades, in the treatment versus the comparison group of patients. Reported results of neurologic evaluations at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months of follow-up were analyzed separately. RESULTS : TPEX significantly (P <.05) reduced the proportion of patients who experienced neurologic decline (by 1 or more DSS grades) at 12 months of follow-up (relative odds of decline = 0.441, 95% confidence interval = 0.210-0.929). CONCLUSIONS : There is a need for further clinical research into the possibility of a beneficial effect of TPEX in patients with CPMS likely to experience neurologic decline over the ensuring 12 months. Targeting treatment to a particular subgroup of CPMS patients may be necessary for TPEX to prove effective.
Cone Beam Computed Tomography: A Link with the Past, a Promise for the Future

During the last quarter of the 20th century, changes in clinical orthodontics were largely driven by improvements in bracket design, attachment mechanisms, and arch wire materials. This focus on the mechanical aspects of treatment led to decreased clinical interest in the underlying biology of facial growth and, for a time, craniofacial practitioners often ignored the bio in biomechanics. There was even more disappointment after the completion of the Human Genome Project. Although this project promised exciting possibilities for biologically based manipulation of the growing face, the resulting data were interesting but in most cases not clinically useful. In 2001, the introduction of low-cost, low-radiation dose, high-resolution cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in clinical orthodontics created the potential for new discoveries in craniofacial biology and facial growth. This technology provides researchers and clinicians with the tools needed to study 3-dimensional changes in craniofacial anatomy associated with the growth process and clinical care. In the 20th century, radiographic cephalometry was a pioneering advance that led to many fundamental insights into the behavior of the face and neurocranium during growth. CBCT imaging promises similar advances in the 21st century. However, to take advantage of this opportunity, clinicians will need to interpret 3D anatomic changes in the context of the underlying growth process. This paper presents a short history of imaging in orthodontics, reports on the current state of the art, and suggests 3 ways CBCT imaging may influence the future of the specialty.
The Neuregulin Precursor proARIA Is Processed to ARIA after Expression on the Cell Surface by a Protein Kinase C-Enhanced Mechanism

We have investigated how the transmembrane precursor proARIA is processed to ARIA (acetylcholine receptor-inducing activity). Pulse-chase labeling in transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells showed that proARIA was cleaved to release ARIA into the medium. Cell surface biotin-labeling experiments demonstrated that proARIA was first expressed on the cell surface before being rapidly cleaved to release biotin-labeled ARIA into the medium. While not essential for proteolytic cleavage of proARIA, serum or phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), which activates protein kinase C (PKC), was needed for the efficient release of the processed ARIA. Proteolytic cleavage was blocked by brefeldin A, suggesting that processing occurred distal to Golgi compartments, and by NH4Cl, suggesting a need for intracellular acidic compartments. Serum and PMA also stimulated ARIA release from cultured sensory neurons, suggesting that a similar regulated release mechanism occurs in neurons and may be important in determining where ARIA is released in the developing nervous system.
Diastereoselective protein methionine oxidation by reactive oxygen species and diastereoselective repair by methionine sulfoxide reductase.

Abstract Recent studies have shown that the “calcium-sensor” protein calmodulin (CaM) suffers an age-dependent oxidation of methionine (Met) to methionine sulfoxide (MetSO) in vivo. However, MetSO did not accumulate on the Met residues that show the highest solvent-exposure. Hence, the pattern of Met oxidation in vivo may give hints as to which reactive oxygen species and oxidation mechanisms participate in the oxidation of this important protein. Here, we have exposed CaM under a series of different reaction conditions (pH, [Ca 2+ ], [KCl]) to various biologically relevant reactive oxygen species and oxidizing systems (peroxides, HOCl, peroxynitrite, singlet oxygen, metal-catalyzed oxidation, and peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation) to investigate whether one of these systems would lead to an oxidation pattern of CaM similar to that observed in vivo. However, generally, these oxidizing conditions led to a preferred or exclusive oxidation of the C-terminal Met residues, in contrast to the oxidation pattern of CaM observed in vivo. Hence, none of the employed oxidizing conditions was able to mimic the age-dependent oxidation of CaM in vivo, indicating that other, yet unidentified oxidation mechanisms may be important in vivo. Some oxidizing species showed a quite-remarkable diastereoselectivity for the formation of either l -Met- d -SO or l -Met- l -SO. Diastereoselectivity was dependent on the nature of the oxidizing species but was less a function of the location of the target Met residue in the protein. In contrast, diastereoselective reduction of l -Met- d -SO by protein methionine sulfoxide reductase (pMSR) was efficient regardless of the position of the l -Met- d -SO residue in the protein and the presence or absence of calcium. With only the l -Met- d -SO diastereomer being a substrate for pMSR, any preferred formation of l -Met- l -SO in vivo may cause the accumulation of MetSO unless the oxidized protein is substrate for (accelerated) protein turnover.
Esophageal dilation in eosinophilic esophagitis: safety and predictors of clinical response and complications

Background Esophageal strictures resulting from eosinophilic esophagitis present management challenges, and high rates of rents and perforation have been reported. Objective To assess the safety of esophageal dilation in eosinophilic esophagitis and to characterize predictors of both clinical response and complications of the procedure. Design Retrospective study of the University of North Carolina eosinophilic esophagitis database. Setting Tertiary care referral center. Patients Cases of eosinophilic esophagitis were defined as per consensus guidelines. Intervention Dilation with either Savary or through-the-scope balloon techniques. Main Outcome Measurements Complications (deep mucosal rents, contained or free perforation, and chest pain requiring medical attention or hospitalization) and the global clinical symptom response. Results Of 130 eosinophilic esophagitis cases identified, 70 dilations (12 Savary, 58 balloon) were performed in 36 patients. Esophageal size improved from 12 to 16 mm (P Limitations Single center, retrospective study. Conclusions Esophageal dilation can be performed in eosinophilic esophagitis with low rates of tears, chest pain, and hospitalization. No perforations were found in our database. The effectiveness of dilation was best when a larger esophageal caliber was achieved, but patients undergoing more procedures was associated with complications.
Vocal development in vervet monkeys

Abstract Observations and playback experiments were used to study the development of grunts and alarm calls among free-ranging vervet monkeys. Results indicate that the production of vocalizations, their use in appropriate circumstances, and the response to the vocalizations of others emerge gradually during an individual's first 4 years. Particularly in the case of grunts, different acoustic components develop at different rates. Immatures respond appropriately to the calls of others before they produce appropriate vocalizations themselves. Finally, immature vocal development may be aided by cues received from adults. If an infant gives an alarm call to a genuine predator (as opposed to a non-predator), adults respond more strongly. When infants hear a playback of an alarm, they are more likely to respond appropriately if they first look at an adult.
Assessment of pulmonary vein anatomic variability by magnetic resonance imaging: implications for catheter ablation techniques for atrial fibrillation.

Introduction: Pulmonary vein (PV) isolation for atrial fibrillation (AF) currently is performed using either an ostial or an extra-ostial approach. The objective of this study was to analyze by three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) the anatomy of the PVs in order to detect structural variability that would impact the choice of ablation approach. Methods and Results: Three-dimensional MRA was performed in 105 patients undergoing PV isolation. The ostial diameter, branching pattern, and PV angulation were analyzed. Fifty-nine (56%) patients had the typical pattern of 4 PVs with 4 separate ostia, 30 (29%) patients had an additional PV, and 18 (17%) patients had a left common PV trunk. In two patients, there were three right-sided veins and a common left-sided trunk, giving rise to four ostia: three on the right and one on the left. Two different populations of right middle PVs were noted: one where the additional vein projected anteriorly to drain the right middle lobe and one posterior to drain the superior portion of the right lower lobe. The average intrapatient variability in PV diameter was 7.9 ± 4.2 mm. The PV ostium was 25 mm in 15 (14%) patients. The first branch originated 6.7 ± 2.3 mm from the ostium. The left superior, right superior, right inferior, and left inferior PVs were found to enter the left atrium at the following angles: 32 ± 13°, 131 ± 11°, 206 ± 16°, and 329 ± 14°, respectively. Forty-nine patients (47%) had at least one funnel shaped PV. Conclusion: This largest PV imaging study to date demonstrates that MRA is a valuable tool that allows detection of marked intrapatient and interpatient anatomic variability of the PVs. These findings suggest that, at least in some patients, circumferential extra-ostial left atrial encirclement of the PVs may be preferable to ostial PV isolation. These findings also may have significant implications on the future development of coil- and balloon-based catheter ablation designs for AF ablation. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 15, pp. 387-393, April 2004)
A small detailed chemical-kinetic mechanism for hydrocarbon combustion

Abstract A chemical-kinetic mechanism is presented that is designed to be used for autoignition, deflagrations, detonations, and diffusion flames of a number of different fuels. To keep the mechanism small, attention is restricted to pressures below about 100 atm, temperatures above about 1000 K, and equivalence ratios less than about 3 for the premixed systems, thereby excluding soot formation and low-temperature fuel–peroxide chemistry. Under these restrictions, hydrogen combustion is included with 21 steps among 8 chemical species, combustion of carbon monoxide with 30 steps among 11 species, methane, methanol, ethane, ethylene, and acetylene combustion with 134 steps among 30 species, and propane, propene, allene, and propyne combustion with 177 steps among 37 species. The mechanism has been extensively tested previously for all of these fuels except propane, propene, allene, and propyne. Tests are reported here for these last four fuels through comparisons with experiments and with predictions of other mechanisms for deflagration velocities and shock-tube ignition.
Transforming Regulatory Science 2012: Making a Difference

The world is in the midst of scientific revolutions that can transform medicine and public health. Yet translation to needed products remains slow and expensive. There are major opportunities for new regulatory science to help transform product development and evaluation. A plan by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “Advancing Regulatory Science,” identifies eight priorities and numerous actions to help catalyze transformation. Scientific excellence and collaboration, including public and private sectors, are essential for change that benefits health and economies globally. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2012); 91 3, 375–377. doi:10.1038/clpt.2011.329
Effect of mechanical ventilation on regional variation of pleural liquid thickness in rabbits.

We studied the effect of ventilation on the regional distribution of pleural liquid thickness in anesthetized rabbits. Three transparent pleural windows were made between the second and eight intercostal space along the midaxillary line of the right chest. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled dextran (1 ml) was injected into the pleural space through a rib capsule and allowed to mix with the pleural liquid. The light emitted from the pleural space beneath the windows was measured by fluorescence videomicroscopy at a constant tidal volume (20 ml) and two ventilation frequencies (20 and 40 breaths/min). Pleural liquid thickness was determined from the light measurements after in vitro calibration of pleural liquid collected postmortem. At 20 breaths/min, pleural liquid thickness increased with a cranial–caudal distance from 5 μm at the second to third intercostal space to 30 μm at the sixth through eighth intercostal space. At 40 breaths/min, pleural space thickness was unchanged at the second to third intercostal space but increased to 46 μm at the sixth through the eighth intercostal space. To determine this effect on pleural liquid shear stress, we measured relative lung velocity from videomicroscopic images of the lung surface through the windows. Lung velocity amplitude increased with cranial–caudal distance and with ventilation frequency. Calculated shear stress amplitude was constant with cranial–caudal distance but increased with ventilation frequency. Thus, pleural liquid thickness is matched to the relative lung motion so as to maintain a spatially uniform shear stress amplitude in pleural liquid during mechanical ventilation.
Energy density of the glasma

The initial energy density produced in an ultrarelativistic heavy ion collision can, in the color glass condensate framework, be factorized into a product of the integrated gluon distributions of the nuclei. Although this energy density is well defined without any infrared cutoff besides the saturation scale, it is apparently logarithmically ultraviolet divergent. We argue that this divergence is not physically meaningful and does not affect the behavior of the system at any finite proper time.
Carbon Sequestration Potential of Extensive Green Roofs

Two studies were conducted with the objective of quantifying the carbon storage potential of extensive green roofs. The first was performed on eight roofs in Michigan and four roofs in Maryland, ranging from 1 to 6 years in age. All 12 green roofs were composed primarily of Sedum species, and substrate depths ranged from 2.5 to 12.7 cm. Aboveground plant material was harvested in the fall of 2006. On average, these roofs stored 162 g C·m−2 in aboveground biomass. The second study was conducted on a roof in East Lansing, MI. Twenty plots were established on 21 April 2007 with a substrate depth of 6.0 cm. In addition to a substrate only control, the other plots were sown with a single species of Sedum (S. acre, S. album, S. kamtshaticum, or S. spurium). Species and substrate depth represent typical extensive green roofs in the United States. Plant material and substrate were harvested seven times across two growing seasons. Results at the end of the second year showed that aboveground plant material storage...
Primary reticulum-cell sarcoma of gingiva

Abstract A review of the literature and a case of primary reticulum-cell sarcoma of the gingiva have been reported. A combination of surgical treatment and radiation therapy were used in this case because of the easy access to the primary site and the radiosensitivity of the tumor. To date there is no evidence of secondary recurrence.
Artificial Intelligence, Pattern Recognition, and Neurobiology

A discussion is presented of models of ‘intelligence’ from the early computer to the complex robot, focussing on the role of modelling and related considerations in neurobiology.
Hospitalization of medicaid children: analysis of small area variations in admission rates.

Population-based hospitalization rates were computed and analyzed for AFDC children among 14 small area subdivisions of the State of Washington. Medical-surgical admission rates ranged from 65.3 to 161.7 per 1,000 person-years among the 14 areas. Surgical admission rates were significantly higher in urban areas; medical admission rates were significantly higher in rural areas. The majority of variance in overall rates was accounted for by admissions for four diagnostic categories: gastroenteritis (18-fold differences), lower respiratory infections (15-fold differences), upper respiratory infections (8-fold differences), and ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgery (6-fold differences). Secondary analysis indicates that these differences in admission rates were not associated with: medical need or demographic factors, epidemic patterns of disease, physician supply, hospital bed supply or occupancy rates, or severity of disease or delay in seeking medical care as reflected by average length of stay. It is possib...
Safety and Tolerability of Bipolar Disorder Treatment in Youth

Bipolar disorder is an increasingly common diagnosis given to children and adolescents. Most studies of lithium, anticonvulsants, and atypical antipsychotics have been conducted in adult populations, but new data are providing information on the safety and tolerability of these medications for treating children and adolescents. Although generally well tolerated, psychotropic agents have different side effect profiles that should be considered when planning treatment regimens for pediatric patients. Additional controlled and comparative trials are needed on the safety and tolerability of these medications in young patients, especially for long-term maintenance treatment.
Peptide delivery into the central nervous system: invasive, physiological and chemical approaches

The capillary endothelium of the brain and spinal cord possesses tight junctions and, thus, behaves as a continuous lipid bilayer that prevents the passage of highly polar and lipid-insoluble substances. Highly active enzymes expressed in the brain endothelial cells and cerebral pericytes also represent a metabolic component that contributes to the homeostatic balance of the central nervous system (CNS). Peptides cannot enter the brain and spinal cord from the circulating blood because they are highly polar and lipid insoluble, metabolically unstable, and generally do not have active transport systems in this membranous barrier. Hence, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the major obstacle to peptide-based therapeutics that are potentially useful for combating diseases affecting the central nervous system. The article discusses invasive, physiological-based and chemical-enzymatic approaches to overcome the BBB by reviewing both primary and patent literature.
Activation of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase from human red blood cells

Abstract Experiments designed to elucidate the nature of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase from human red blood cells have shown that NADP+ activates and protects the enzyme, while also serving as substrate for the reaction. Enzyme activity was measured by the conversion of 17β-estradiol to estrone and by the production of NADPH with 17β-estradiol-3-sulfate as substrate. It appears that the reaction sequence is first, binding with NADP+ and second, binding with the steroid. The binding with NADP+ is essentially irreversible: the activated enzyme is completely protected against loss of activity by dilution. On dilution of the unactivated enzyme, much of the activity is lost. The bireactant rate equation of the sequential type has been restated for the case of activation by one of the reactants. Since it has been found that activation of enzyme is linear with NADP+ concentration, it follows that the Michaelis constant for the steroid substrate is independent of the concentration of NADP+ activating the enzyme. This is substantiated by the determination of the Michaelis constant for 17β-estradiol-3-sulfate from data on double-reciprocal plots of activated and unactivated enzyme with limiting amounts of steroid. The activating effect increases linearly up to a concentration of 1.2 × 10−5 m of NADP+ and then levels off. The activation is highly specific for NADP+; neither NAD+, ATP, NADPH, nicotinic acid, ncr nicotinamide prevent the loss of activity after storing the enzyme for 1 hr at 37 °C. The steroid substrate appears to interfere with the activation of NADP+.
On the Origin, 3D Structure and Dynamic Evolution of CMEs Near Solar Minimum

We have conducted a statistical study 27 coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from January 2007 – June 2008, using the stereoscopic views of STEREO SECCHI A and B combined with SOHO LASCO observations. A flux-rope model, in conjunction with 3D triangulations, has been used to reconstruct the 3D structures and determine the actual speeds of CMEs. The origin and the dynamic evolution of the CMEs are investigated using COR1, COR2 and EUVI images. We have identified four types of solar surface activities associated with CMEs: i) total eruptive prominence (totEP), ii) partially eruptive prominence (PEP), iii) X-ray flare, and iv) X-type magnetic structure (X-line). Among the 27 CMEs, 18.5% (5 of 27) are associated with totEPs, 29.6% (8 of 27) are associated with PEPs, 26% (7 of 27) are flare related, and 26% (7 of 27) are associated with X-line structures, and 43% (3 of 7) are associated with both X-line structures and PEPs. Three (11%) could not be associated with any detectable activity. The mean actual speeds for totEP-CMEs, PEP-CMEs, flare-CMEs, and X-line-CMEs are 404 km s−1,247 km s−1,909 km s−1, and 276 km s−1, respectively; the average mean values of edge-on and broadside widths for the 27 CMEs are 52 and 85 degrees, respectively. We found that slow CMEs (V≤400 km s−1) tend to deflect towards and propagate along the streamer belts due to the deflections by the strong polar magnetic fields of corona holes, while some faster CMEs show opposite deflections away from the streamer belts.
The Integration of the Inter-American Security System Into the United Nations

After the outbreak of World War II, when a successor to the discredited League of Nations was being discussed, considerable interest centered on the status of regional systems in the new general international organization. It was felt by many that, in the drafting of the Covenant of the League of Nations, a mistake had been made in failing to provide a more definite place for regionalism in the new world order. It is true, of course, that the Covenant recognized regional arrangements by providing in Article 21 that "nothing in the Covenant shall be deemed to affect the validity of international engagements, such as treaties of arbitration or regional understandings like the Monroe Doctrine, for securing the maintenance of peace." This article, as is well known, was inserted into the League Covenant in order to obviate any, doubt that the Monroe Doctrine was unaffected by the League's jurisdiction. The phrase "regional understanding" was coined only as a consequence of the effort to define the Monroe Doctrine,' and most certainly was not the result of a belief that provision should be made in the Covenant to coordinate the League with regional arrangements. Since the text of the Covenant published on February 15, 1919 contained no mention of regional arrangements or understandings,2 it is a fair inference that this ignoring
Systems Engineering Specification Techniques

The primary purpose of the Specifications Techniques Supported by CASE Tools (STCT) is to improve the effectiveness of Systems Engineer's (SE) efforts in design and development processes. These techniques help SE's by guiding them through the system's design and development (D&D), architecture, documentation, requirements, and verifications phases. This practice is a practical and efficient alternative to the traditional procedures of developing specifications, in which the specifications developed do not necessarily follow modern engineering approaches. STCT applies to both systems and software specifications as well as firmware and high-level hardware requirements.
Altered probabilistic learning and response biases in schizophrenia: behavioral evidence and neurocomputational modeling.

Objective: Patients with schizophrenia (SZ) show reinforcement learning impairments related to both the gradual/procedural acquisition of reward contingencies, and the ability to use trial-to-trial feedback to make rapid behavioral adjustments. Method: We used neurocomputational modeling to develop plausible mechanistic hypotheses explaining reinforcement learning impairments in individuals with SZ. We tested the model with a novel Go/NoGo learning task in which subjects had to learn to respond or withhold responses when presented with different stimuli associated with different probabilities of gains or losses in points. We analyzed data from 34 patients and 23 matched controls, characterizing positive- and negative-feedback-driven learning in both a training phase and a test phase. Results: Consistent with simulations from a computational model of aberrant dopamine input to the basal ganglia patients, patients with SZ showed an overall increased rate of responding in the training phase, together with reduced response-time acceleration to frequently rewarded stimuli across training blocks, and a reduced relative preference for frequently rewarded training stimuli in the test phase. Patients did not differ from controls on measures of procedural negative-feedback-driven learning, although patients with SZ exhibited deficits in trial-to-trial adjustments to negative feedback, with these measures correlating with negative symptom severity. Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that patients with SZ have a deficit in procedural “Go” learning, linked to abnormalities in DA transmission at D1-type receptors, despite a “Go bias” (increased response rate), potentially related to excessive tonic dopamine. Deficits in trial-to-trial reinforcement learning were limited to a subset of patients with SZ with severe negative symptoms, putatively stemming from prefrontal cortical dysfunction.
Locality Sensitive Outlier Detection: A ranking driven approach

Outlier detection is fundamental to a variety of database and analytic tasks. Recently, distance-based outlier detection has emerged as a viable and scalable alternative to traditional statistical and geometric approaches. In this article we explore the role of ranking for the efficient discovery of distance-based outliers from large high dimensional data sets. Specifically, we develop a light-weight ranking scheme that is powered by locality sensitive hashing, which reorders the database points according to their likelihood of being an outlier. We provide theoretical arguments to justify the rationale for the approach and subsequently conduct an extensive empirical study highlighting the effectiveness of our approach over extant solutions. We show that our ranking scheme improves the efficiency of the distance-based outlier discovery process by up to 5-fold. Furthermore, we find that using our approach the top outliers can often be isolated very quickly, typically by scanning less than 3% of the data set.
Structural changes in surfactant‐modified sorbents during furnace injection

This paper discusses a calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH){sub 2}) sorbent, modified by the addition of calcium lignosulfonate, that was recently developed for use in EPA's LIMB (limestone injection multistage burners) process. The increased reactivity with sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}) displayed by this modified sorbent has been shown to be caused, in part, by its decreased particle (agglomerate) size compared to conventional Ca(OH){sub 2}. Subsequent work has shown that surfactant-modified Ca(OH){sub 2} also undergoes significantly different structural changes during furnace injection. For a given reactor temperature and residence time, the modified sorbent calcines to a greater extent that unmodified sorbent. It also loses surface area more slowly, and retains more of its porosity, suggesting that it sinters more slowly than conventional sorbent. Therefore, in addition to reducing the particle size of Ca(OH){sub 2} in some applications, calcium lignosulfonate also appears to cause the water of hydration to be bound less tightly, and to inhibit one or more of the diffusion mechanisms responsible for the process of sintering.
Docking station relocation for maximizing longevity of distributed robotic teams

Distributed robotic teams have long been touted as potential means to avoid sending humans into harmful situations. The ability of robotic teams to operate for extended periods without the fatigue human teams can experience, coupled with the ability to transport a variety of sensing and manipulation equipment and reducing costs of operation make them an attractive solution. Limited sensing capabilities, power, and mobility of individual robotic platforms can be overcome by forming teams of heterogeneous robots. This work addresses the power limitations associated with individual robots, which have finite amounts of power, and thus limited operational lifetimes. This work presents a method by which mobile docking stations can optimize their locations in order to maximize the power available to the deployed robots. Simulated results are presented in which teams of docking stations continuously recover and recharge a much larger team of deployed robots. It is assumed that the deployed robots are able to maintain a communication link between themselves and the docking station. This communication link is used to provide position information and available power to the docking stations. The communication link may be direct from the robot to docking station or it may require the use of ad hoc routing through other deployed robots
An improved potential energy surface for the degenerate rearrangement of (HF) 2

Abstract We report a new potential energy surface for the (HF)2 van der Waals molecule and quantum mechanical nine-dimensional eigenvalue calculations of vibrational energy levels on this surface. The new surface has been adjusted to give an accurate tunneling splitting but is otherwise based on the SQSBDE potential energy surface of Quack and Suhm. We obtain a ground-state dissociation energy of 1076.1 cm−1 and a ground-state tunneling splitting of 0.65 cm−1, in good agreement with the experimental values of 1062 cm−1 and 0.659 cm−1, respectively.
Microstereolithography of lead zirconate titanate thick film on silicon substrate

The microstereolithography mSL of lead zirconate titanate PZT thick films on platinum-buffered silicon substrates is reported for . the first time in this paper. Crack-free PZT thick films 80-130 mm thick have been fabricated by laser direct-write UV polymerization from the HDDA-based UV curable PZT suspensions. The characterization of the fired films shows dielectric permittivities of 120-200, 2 . tangent loss of 0.92-2.5% and remnant polarization of 0.9-1.7 mCrcm . The field-induced longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient d of 33 . y3 an 84-mm thick film is 100 pCrN and the piezoelectric voltage coefficient g is about 59.5 = 10 V mrN. These results 33 demonstrated the potential for mSL of advanced piezoelectric microsensors and microactuators. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Inverse Static Analysis for a Planar Compliant Platform Mechanism

This paper studies the inverse static analysis of a planar parallel mechanism with compliant limbs. A known force and moment is applied to the moving platform, and it is required to determine the assembly configurations, or equilibrium points. Partial derivatives of the potential energy function yields the equilibrium conditions. The geometric and static constraints lead to a system of ten polynomials with ten unknowns. We use polynomial homotopy method to find that there are as many as 70 equilibrium configurations. Two examples with equilateral geometry are provided. We also examine the system behavior during a movement between selected equilibrium positions.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Metals and RNA: scenes from a road trip.

About twenty years ago, I began working with ribozymes as an Assistant Professor trained in the world of metalloproteins. In retrospect, moving to the RNA world was a naive but brilliant move. Naive, because I had little idea of the complexities and challenges inherent to ribozyme studies. Brilliant, for personal career satisfaction, because I've been present for amazing discoveries in RNA biology over two decades.
Improving disk cache hit-ratios through cache partitioning

An adaptive algorithm for managing fully associative cache memories shared by several identifiable processes is presented. The on-line algorithm extends an earlier model due to H.S. Stone et al. (1989) and partitions the cache storage in disjoint blocks whose sizes are determined by the locality of the processes accessing the cache. Simulation results of traces for 32-MB disk caches show a relative improvement in the overall and read hit-ratios in the range of 1% to 2% over those generated by a conventional least recently used replacement algorithm. The analysis of a queuing network model shows that such an increase in hit-ratio in a system with a heavy throughput of I/O requests can provide a significant decrease in disk response time. >
Activity of the Calcium Channel Pore Cch1 Is Dependent on a Modulatory Region of the Subunit Mid1 in Cryptococcus neoformans

Calcium (Ca(2+))-mediated signaling events in fungal pathogens such as Cryptococcus neoformans are central to physiological processes, including those that mediate stress responses and promote virulence. The Cch1-Mid1 channel (CMC) represents the only high-affinity Ca(2+) channel in the plasma membrane of fungal cells; consequently, cryptococci cannot survive in low-Ca(2+) environments in the absence of CMC. Previous electrophysiological characterization revealed that Cch1, the predicted channel pore, and Mid1, a binding partner of Cch1, function as a store-operated Ca(2+)-selective channel gated by depletion of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca(2+) stores. Cryptococci lacking CMC did not survive ER stress, indicating its critical role in restoring Ca(2+) homeostasis. Despite the requirement for Mid1 in promoting Ca(2+) influx via Cch1, identification of the role of Mid1 remains elusive. Here we show that the C-terminal tail of Mid1 is a modulatory region that impinges on Cch1 channel activity directly and mediates the trafficking of Mid1 to the plasma membrane. This region consists of the last 24 residues of Mid1, and the functional expression of Mid1 in a human embryonic cell line (HEK293) and in C. neoformans is dependent on this domain. Substitutions of arginine (R619A) or cysteine (C621A) in the modulatory region failed to target Mid1 to the plasma membrane and prevented CMC activity. Interestingly, loss of a predicted protein kinase C (PKC)-phosphorylated serine residue (S605A) had no effect on Mid1 trafficking but did alter the kinetics of Cch1 channel activity. Thus, establishment of Ca(2+) homeostasis in C. neoformans is dependent on a modulatory domain of Mid1.
Evaluating the Congruence among Methods of Reading Disability Identification

Diagnostic procedures used to identify reading disabilities must meet acceptable psychometric standards and produce groups of subjects who possess known characteristics of the disorder. The issue addressed in this study is whether there are significant differences in the numbers of children identified as reading disabled according to an achievement cut-off method and a regression method of discrepancy analysis. These approaches then are compared to clinic diagnosis and other criteria. The achievement cut-off approach identified a significantly higher number of subjects as reading disabled than did the other methods. This approach also resulted in significant reading-disabled/non-disabled group differences that were not seen when groups were formed using the regression method. The achievement cut-off approach had a lower level of agreement with clinic diagnosis than did the regression method and met fewer of the evaluative criteria than did the regression method. Use of the achievement cut-off approach res...
Discovery and frequency measurement of short-wavelength far-infrared laser emissions from optically pumped 13CD3OH and CHD2OH

A three-laser heterodyne system was used to measure the frequencies of twelve previously observed far-infrared laser emissions from the partially deuterated methanol isotopologues 13 CD3OH and CHD2OH. Two laser emissions, a 53.773 μm line from 13 CD3OH and a 74.939 μm line from CHD2OH, have also been discovered and frequency measured. The CO2 pump laser offset frequency was measured with respect to its center frequency for twenty-four FIR laser emissions from CH3OH, 13 CD3OH and CHD2OH.
An active divide-and-conquer algorithm for sparse recovery support: Fluctuating targets case

We introduce a novel sparse signal detection algorithm, whose goal is to localize an unknown number of fluctuating targets in a sparse scenario, for example composed by N target sites. Rather than probing each cell with standard detection techniques, we employ an adaptive, step-by-step, tree-structured algorithm, that iteratively narrows the set of possible candidate locations. More specifically, assume that the transmitter is able to illuminate partitions of the target space at time and that the receiver acquires noisy nonlinear measurements of the partitions. Based on a comparison between these measurements and a threshold, the algorithm decides which partitions may contain targets (and, thus, they need to be probed at the next step) and which should be immediately discarded (as targets may not be present). Results show that the described algorithm is able to determine the location of the targets with fairly low False Discovery Proportion (FDP) and decreasing Non Discovery Proportion (NDP), as the available budget energy allocated to the algorithm increases.