cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Self-organized pulse switching for binary sensing and actuation

This paper presents a novel energy-efficient distributed self-organized pulse switching architecture with a cell based event localization for wireless sensor and actuator network applications. The key idea of this pulse switching architecture is to abstract a single pulse, as opposed to multi-bit packets, as the information exchange mechanism. Unlike multi-bit packet communication, the proposed pulse switching architecture is based on pulse communications where a node either transmits a pulse or keeps silent at every time unit. Specifically, an event can be coded as a single pulse in a specific time unit with respect to the global clock. Then the pulse is transported multi-hop while preserving the event’s localization information in the form of temporal pulse position representing its originating cell, destination cell and next-hop cell. The proposed distributed pulse switching is shown to be energy-efficient compared to traditional packet switching especially for binary event sensing and actuation applications. Binary event sensing and actuation with conventional packet transport can be prohibitively energy-inefficient due to the communication, processing, and buffering overheads of the large number of bits within a packet’s data, header, and preambles. This paper presents a joint MAC and Routing architecture for self-organized distributed pulse switching. Through simulation experiments, it is shown that pulse switching can be an effective distributed means for event based networking in wireless sensor and actuator networks, which can potentially replace the packet transport when the information to be transported is binary in nature.
Design Tools For Real-Time Signal Processing Systems

Increasingly complex electronic systems consisting of multiple programmable processors executing multiple processes in real-time require the use of modern software tools for effective design and analysis. Moreover, design and analysis methodologies suitable for realizing such complex systems must be comprehensive and integrated to provide insight into the myriad technical and cost issues attendant on such systems. These issues include system performance, reliability, and testability, all of which must be related to the specified system requirements to ensure that user needs are met. This paper identifies formal methods and supporting tools that are useful in describing, designing, and analyzing complex digital systems, beginning with user requirements and progressing to specific hardware and software implementation issues.
Predicting length of membership in online community "everything2" using feedback

In this paper, we examine how specific features of participation and feedback can predict the length of membership within a user generated content based online community called 'Everything2'. Examining almost 10 years of server data we found that not all feedback is the same: feedback on the user's initial contribution was the strongest factor explaining membership length. Receiving one negative initial feedback did not significantly affect membership, but sequential negative initial feedback decreased the likelihood of staying longer on the site.
When the Social Self Is Threatened: Shame, Physiology, and Health

Our program of research focuses on shame as a key emotional response to "social self" threats (i.e., social evaluation or rejection). We propose that shame may orchestrate specific patterns of psychobiological changes under these conditions. A series of studies demonstrates that acute threats to the social self increase proinflammatory cytokine activity and cortisol and that these changes occur in concert with shame. Chronic social self threats and persistent experience of shame-related cognitive and affective states predict disease-relevant immunological and health outcomes in HIV. Across our laboratory and longitudinal studies, general or composite affective states (e.g., distress) are unrelated to these physiological and health outcomes. These findings support a stressor- and emotional response-specificity model for psychobiological and health research.
Toward a Dynamic Lewis Notation

Because the presently used Lewis diagrams have their roots in static electron theories of the early twentieth century, this paper proposes substituting a double-arrow symbolism for the customary double dots. This means that students should be taught that a bond line (or “stick” as some call it) means a double arrow, not a double dot. Lone pairs are to be represented by double-curved arrows and later abbreviated to the old familiar double dot. There are obvious advantages to this new notation when atoms have different electronegativities. The double arrows can suggest the shifting of the bond pair equilibrium toward the most electronegative atom. The new notation is more compatible with VSEPR theory, and it seems to suggest the loci of largely imaginary MOs and AOs by the configuration of the arrows. With the help of some imagination, the new symbolism can clarify resonance in aromatic molecules and conjugated chains. The most radical suggestion is that resonance forms be abandoned in favor of conjugated blur bonds. The concept of blur bonds has the merit of being easily extendable to the explanation of metal bonding and electron conduction.
Clinical and electrophysiologic observations in patients with concealed accessory atrioventricular bypass tracts

Abstract In 12 of 46 consecutive patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia or atrial flutter-fibrillation, without electrocardiographic evidence of ventricular preexcitation, electrophysiologic studies suggested the presence of accessory atrioventricular (A-V) pathways capable only of retrograde conduction (concealed Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome). The ages of these patients ranged from 29 days to 71 years (mean 39.2 years). Most patients were clinically symptomatic with palpitations, dizziness, weakness or congestive heart failure. One patient had “cardiac dysrhythmia” described by an obstetrician during intrauterine life. Eleven patients manifested A-V reciprocating tachycardia involving the normal pathway for anterograde conduction and the accessory pathway for retrograde conduction. The remaining patient manifested recurrent paroxysms of atrial flutter-fibrillation as a result of rapid ventriculoatrial activation through the accessory pathway during the atrial vulnerable phase. The electrophysiologic observations were analyzed with regard to clinical and electrocardiographic characteristics in these patients. The presence of concealed accessory pathways should be suspected in patients presenting with (1) an “incessant” form of tachycardia, (2) spontaneous onset of A-V reciprocal rhythms or reciprocating tachycardias after acceleration of the sinus rate without antecedent atrial extrasystoles or P-R interval prolongation, (3) slowing of the tachycardia rate consequent to the development of functional bundle branch block, (4) retrograde P waves (negative in leads II, III and aVF) discernible after the QRS complexes, with the R-P interval being shorter than the P-R interval during both A-V reciprocal rhythm and reciprocating tachycardia, and (5) oc-currence of atrial flutter-fibrillation in association with A-V reciprocal rhythms. It is suggested that medical treatment in patients having concealed accessory pathways should be aimed at increasing the refractoriness of either the A-V node or the accessory pathway for reciprocating tachycardia, while increasing the refractoriness of the atrium and the accessory pathway in cases with atrial flutter-fibrillation. Pacemaker therapy and surgical intervention may be indicated in selected patients refractory to antiarrhythmic agents.
Intracavity terahertz-wave generation in a synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator using quasi-phase-matched GaAs.

We generated 1 mW of average output power at 2.8 THz (bandwidth of ∼300 GHz) in a diffraction-limited beam by placing a 6-mm-long quasi-phase-matched GaAs crystal inside the cavity of a synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator (OPO). The OPO used type-II-phase-matched periodically poled lithium niobate as a gain medium and was pumped by a mode-locked laser at 1064 nm, with a 7 ps pulse duration, 50 MHz repetition rate, and 10 W average output power. The terahertz radiation was generated by difference frequency mixing between the signal and idler waves of the near-degenerate doubly resonant OPO.
SwRI's Alice line of ultraviolet spectrographs

Southwest Research Institute's (SwRI's) "ALICE" line of ultraviolet spectrographs (UVS) is founded on a lightweight, low power, and highly versatile instrument design. Generally small changes in detector photocathode, pixel size, slit shape, optical coatings, pinhole aperture implementations, and other minor tweaks have enabled a wide variety of applications for the ALICE design, including investigations of comets (Rosetta-ALICE), Pluto (New Horizons-ALICE), the Moon (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)-Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP)), and Jupiter (Juno-UVS). ALICE's high capability and our experience with high radiation environment and outer solar system requirements make this UVS a good choice for future planetary mission concepts.
Migration policies for multi-core fair-share scheduling

In this paper, we describe an extension of the Linux kernel scheduler called the Practical Fair-Share Scheduler (PFS). PFS is a fair-share process scheduler designed to support real-time workloads with soft (i.e., elastic) timeliness requirements. Fair-share scheduling is a common choice for soft real-time systems since it is work conserving and ensures a minimum CPU allocation for each process. A novel aspect of PFS is its treatment of placement and migration in SMP or multi-core settings. Other fair-share schedulers have used ad hoc policies for handling these issues, often leading to underutilization and increased system lag. In contrast, PFS uses a strategy that maintains utilization without unfairly penalizing processes. We spend the remainder of this paper discussing placement and migration. A more extensive description of PFS, including source code, can be found at the download site listed in the citations.
Some observations on spermatogenesis in Gelastocoris oculatus (Hemiptera) with the aid of the electron microscope.

The nuclear cap in the spermatogonial and early spermatocyte cells of Gelastocoris is an aggregate of closely packed mitochondria with their long axes perpendicular to the nuclear membrane. Eventually in the early growth period, the mitochondria move from the cap and appear to become more or less equally distributed in the cytoplasm where they remain until their fusion in the spermatid to form the nebenkern. The Golgi complex consists of clusters of lamellae and vesicles, the Golgi bodies. Granules form within the vesicles, increase in size, move from their place of origin and become distributed at random in the cytoplasm. They are the pro-acrosomal granules and at the end of the growth period fuse to form the proacrosome, about which Golgi bodies collect. The Golgi bodies, however, never fuse into an acroblast. At one end of the oval-shaped pro-acrosome is a small dark body and a less dense vesicle the future of which is uncertain. The dark body eventually occupies a position at the tip of the acrosome. The pro-acrosome, after moving to the side of the nucleus opposite the nebenkern, differentiates into the acrosome which elongates into a tail-like structure. The nuclear membrane of some spermatocytes may appear wave-like in cross section, with the crest and trough different in appearance. Near the membrane and in the troughs of the waves large clusters of granules are frequently present. Similar clusters may be found elsewhere in the cytoplasm. Presumably they had their origin near the membrane but this is not conclusive. Bodies of indeterminate origin and structure may be present in the cytoplasm. They could be lysosomes but evidence is lacking. In late spermatocytes and in spermatids, a group of ten or twelve granules is present. They are smaller than the pro-acrosomal granules, are always closely associated and pass as a group into the tail. Their significance is unknown. The endoplasmic reticulum is typical of cells in general. There are no granule accumulations within the vesicles as in some secretory cells. Vesicles of various shapes and sizes are present within the centrosphere of the first meiotic division. While their location is similar to that of the centriole, the identity of the vesicles is uncertain.
Chemical and physical studies of type 3 chondrites, VII. Annealing studies of the Dhajala H3.8 chondrite and the thermal history of chondrules and chondrites

Samples of the Dhajala meteorite were annealed at 600-1000 C for 1, 2, 10, 20 and 100 h and their thermoluminescence (TL) properties were measured. After annealing at less than 900 deg, the TL sensitivity decreased by a factor of two; at higher temperatures, it fell by an order of magnitude. Data indicate that the annealing treatment caused the low-temperature feldspar in Dhajala to be converted to feldspar of a high-temperature (disordered) form. Low-temperature feldspar was found in the meteorite's TL-sensitive chondrules which comprised about 20 percent of those separated. It is suggested that these chondrules suffered greater crystallization of their mesostasis than the other chondrules, and equilibrated to lower temperatures. Based on TL data, there appears to be no relationship between post-metamorphic cooling rate and petrologic type for the 3.5-3.9 chondrites.
Father Involvement among Young Hispanics

This study presents an analysis of young Hispanic fathers’ involvement with their children during and following a fatherhood program. It was conducted through a teen parenting program and uses a nonprobability sample of young men who volunteered for the program. Results indicated that father involvement increased steadily and significantly from the program pretest to 2 years post program, there were no differences between father involvement for male and female children, and younger fathers differed from older fathers in their involvement with their children. Despite a number of study shortcomings, results bolster the argument that parenting programs are needed and useful, and highlight the need for more research on Hispanic parenting. Public policy implications and suggestions for further research are included.
The nearfield acoustical holography (NAH) experimental method applied to vibration and radiation in light and heavy fluids

Abstract This paper presents recent experimental and theoretical research in the area of nearfield acoustical holography (NAH) aimed specifically at the study of the vibration, radiation and scattering from acoustic sources under the water and in the air. Development of the theory in various geometries is presented, hopefully enabling the application of the method to the experimental analysis of a wide variety of sources. The shape of the actual source dictates which of the geometries discussed in this paper should be considered. Furthermore, we discuss NAH for both the external problem, which applies to externally radiating sources such as aircraft engines and submarines; and the internal problem which encompasses room acoustics including noise control in enclosed spaces such as in the interior of an aircraft fuselage. In the latter case we present some new Green functions specifically for the application of NAH to a cylindrical cavity.
Baryogenesis at the weak phase transition

Abstract The weak phase transition of the hot big bang can produce quarks, leptons and weak bosons which are out of thermal equilibrium. In a simple extension of the standard model it is shown that the reactions following top quark decays can generate the cosmological baryon asymmetry. The top quark mass must be close to 80 GeV and the Higgs boson must be lighter than 1 GeV. This baryogenesis mechanism can be directly tested at e+e− and hadron collider by searching for spectacular events containing six or more bottom quarks and a violation of baryon number at the decay vertex of a long lived neutral particle.
The optical absorption bands and their anisotropy in the various modifications of SiC

Abstract The optical absorption of 4H, 6H, 8H, and 15R Si C crystals has been measured in the wavelength range from 0.35 to 2.5 μ with polarization of light parallel and perpendicular to the c-axis of the crystals. The observed absorption bands are assumed to be due to electron excitation from the conduction band minimum to other sites of increased density of states in the higher, empty bands. In all modification a strong anisotropy of free carrier absorption is found.
Report on active and planned spacecraft and experiments

This report provides the professional community with information on current and planned spacecraft activity (including both free-flying spacecraft and Shuttle-attached payloads) for a broad range of scientific disciplines. By providing a brief description of each spacecraft and experiment as well as its current status, it is hoped that this document will be useful to many people interested in the scientific, applied, and operational uses of the data collected. Furthermore, for those investigators who are planning or coordinating future observational programs employing a number of different techniques such as rockets, balloons, aircraft, ships, and buoys, this document can provide some insight into the contributions that may be provided by orbiting instruments. The document includes information concerning active and planned spacecraft and experiments. The information covers a wide range of scientific disciplines: astronomy, earth sciences, meteorology, planetary sciences, aeronomy, particles and fields, solar physics, life sciences, and material sciences. These spacecraft projects represent the efforts and funding of individual countries, as well as cooperative arrangements among different countries.
Signs of truth: enchantment, modernity and the dreams of peasant women

This lecture is in three sections. The first discusses the role of classificatory practices distinguishing magic from religion in social life and in narratives of modernity. Concepts of enchantment have been reintroduced into theories of modernity as the Weberian notion of 'ridding the world of magic' has been questioned. The second part sketches some of the characteristic tensions in the Qur'an concerning the signs of truth in the Islamic community. The final section reflects on modern Egyptian denunciations and defences of the dreams of peasant women, dreams that are claimed as direct experiential proofs of the sacred.These dreams command visits to the shrines that are centres for mass ritual, social, and economic activity and whose powers are resistant to regulation by worldly authorities. Such dreams, and the denunciations of them by those self-perceived as religiously orthodox and modern, are part of continuing contests over state and patriarchal authority, citizenship, and exchange with the divine. In the first part of this Myers lecture I want to discuss two closely related topics: the place of the religion-magic coupling in narratives of modernity, and the significance of conceptions of the disenchantment, and reenchantment, of the world. I shall then offer some reflections on the problematic nature of Islamic signs of truth in theory and practice. In the final section, I shall turn to the practices of saints' days and the disordering power of'the dreams of peasant women' in modern Egypt.The context of the denunciations of such dreams and deploring of what are held to be shameful mass spectacles of pilgrimage days is established in attempts by different authorities and institutions to produce and discipline the citizen, in part by eliminating 'the magical' and what is taken to be the self-evidently pre-modern. There is a broader set of anthropological questions to be addressed concerned with the use or abuse of conceptions of religion, culture, and power. In the social sciences, even if the category of 'religion' is constantly in question, the kinds of phenomena which traditionally tended to be grouped within it have re-emerged from what had been a kind of theoretical and empirical marginality. That modernity entailed 'ridding the world of magic', with all that the Weberian phrase implied, has ceased to be plausible, at least in its standard interpretations. Derrida (1996), to take one recent example, has meditated on the 'return of religion' (which of course implies its departure), unfortunately but predictably with a particular eye on Islamic integrisme and violence. * Henry Myers Lecture, 1999
Improving usability of information flow security in java

This paper focuses on improving the usability of information flow type systems. We present a static information flow type inference system for Middleweight Java (MJ) which automatically infers information flow labels, thus avoiding the need for a multitude of program annotations. Additionally, policies need only be specified on IO channels, the critical flow boundary. Our type system includes a high degree of parametric polymorphism, necessary to allow classes to be used in multiple security contexts, and to properly distinguish the security policies of different IO channels. We prove a noninterference property for programs that interactively input and output data. We then describe a mechanism that allows users to define top-level policies, which automatically inserts the security policies at the proper points in the program. This provides the further benefit that whomever is defining the policy does not necessarily need intimate knowledge of the program source
Effects of Point Pattern Shape on Home-Range Estimates

Abstract Home-range estimators are commonly tested with simulated animal locational data in the laboratory before the estimators are used in practice. Although kernel density estimation (KDE) has performed well as a home-range estimator for simulated data, several recent studies have reported its poor performance when used with data collected in the field. This difference may be because KDE and other home-range estimators are generally tested with simulated point locations that follow known statistical distributions, such as bivariate normal mixtures, which may not represent well the space-use patterns of all wildlife species. We used simulated animal locational data of 5 point pattern shapes that represent a range of wildlife utilization distributions to test 4 methods of home-range estimation: 1) KDE with reference bandwidths, 2) KDE with least-squares cross-validation, 3) KDE with plug-in bandwidths, and 4) minimum convex polygon (MCP). For the point patterns we simulated, MCP tended to produce more ac...
Recursive estimation method for predicting residual bladder urine volumes to improve accuracy of timed urine collections

Clinical research studies often collect data via repeated measurements of collected urine. Unfortunately, the accuracy of timed urine collections is limited by the presence of a residual volume of urine remaining in the bladder following each timed void due to incomplete emptying of the bladder. This residual urine volume adds significant imprecision to the urine collection method, rendering an important and fundamental clinical research tool inaccurate. We present an unbiased method to estimate the residual bladder volumes via a mathematical model of the bladder process. Regardless of the substance of primary interest, the model leverages conservation of mass and conservation of concentration principles towards a substance of secondary interest in order to solve a system of recursive equations, resulting in our Recursive Residual Estimation method to predict the residual volumes at each time point. We verify the model on simulated patients and also investigate the sensitivity of the model to initial value specification.
Wearable security services

Active spaces and smart rooms are quickly gaining popularity in both the research arena, and in commercial projects. Active spaces are physical spaces populated with massive numbers of specialized embedded computing devices that increase human productivity by enabling users to interact seamlessly with the surrounding environment. Security for active spaces is necessary. In such settings, it is essential to have lightweight, mobile and convenient security services for users that enable them to prove their identities and interact securely with the smart devices that populate the surrounding environment. We propose embedding the security services in a basic wearable device that is already being worn and used by many people on daily basis, the wristwatch. We describe our implementation of these wearable security services, and show how the system is used in our active space test-bed.
Minimum energy per bit for secret key acquisition over multipath wireless channels

We study fundamental limits on the generation of secret keys based on the randomness inherent to reciprocal wireless multipath channels. Estimates of the common channel at the two ends of a link are jointly Gaussian sources from which secret keys can be generated. The key generation problem is cast as an equivalent communication problem to characterize the secret key capacity. We analyze the low-SNR regime to quantify the minimum energy per secret key bit required for reliable key acquisition. Our results show that, in contrast to the low SNR behavior of conventional channel capacity, there is a non-zero SNR γ* that achieves the minimum energy per key bit. A time-sharing scheme is proposed to achieve the minimum energy per key bit at any SNR below γ*. We also investigate the reliability of secret key generation via error exponent analysis. In particular, our results yield a tight upper bound on the minimum energy required to generate a finite-length key with a specified probability of error in key acquisition.
Serum Drug Concentrations in Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease After Administration of a Sustained Release Procainamide Preparation

Despite widespread marketing of a sustained release preparation of procainamide hydrochloride (PROCAN-SR, Parke-Davis), published literature demonstrating its efficacy in maintaining uniform serum drug levels over a 6-hour dosing interval is derived from only normal healthy volunteers. Thirty-three patients with ischemic heart disease, ages 30-88 years, were administered 1-4g/24 hours (mean dose 34 mg/kg/day) of PROCAN-SR in 4 equally divided doses on a Q6H schedule. After achievement of steady-state equilibrium drug concentration, procainamide and N-acetylprocainamide levels were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography on sera obtained from blood samples drawn 2, 3.5 and 5 hours after an oral dose. Mean maximal procainamide and N-acetylprocainamide serum concentrations were 4.6 +/- 1.8 microgram/ml and 4.2 +/- 2.1 micrograms/ml respectively. Mean minimal concentrations were 3.5 +/- 1.7 microgram/ml and 3.6 +/- 2.0 micrograms/ml respectively. The mean change in drug concentration was small (1.1 microgram/ml procainamide and 0.6 microgram/ml N-acetylprocainamide) with procainamide and N-acetylprocainamide concentrations varying only by 27 and 15 percent respectively. These data demonstrate in a population of patients with ischemic heart disease, that Q6H dosing with a sustained release procainamide hydrochloride preparation (PROCAN-SR, Parke-Davis) is associated with only a small acceptable variation between maximal and minimal serum procainamide and N-acetylprocainamide concentrations. This preparation should, therefore, offer greater patient convenience and compliance without sacrificing antiarrhythmic efficacy.
Optimistic validation of electronic tickets

Electronic tickets, or e-tickets, give evidence that their holders have permission to enter a place of entertainment, use a means of transportation, or have access to some Internet services. E-tickets can be stored in desktop computers or personal digital assistants for future use. Before being used, e-tickets have to be validated to prevent duplication, and ensure authenticity and integrity. The paper discusses e-ticket validation in contexts in which users cannot be trusted and validation servers may fail by crashing. The paper considers formal definitions for the e-ticket problem and proposes an optimistic protocol for validation of e-tickets. The protocol is optimistic in the sense that its best performance is achieved when e-tickets are validated only once.
Toward a Smart Cyber-Physical Space: A Context-Sensitive Resource-Explicit Service Model

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) are combinations of physical devices controlled by software systems to accomplish specified tasks under stringent real-time and physical resource constraints. The major benefit of these systems lies in their potentially positive impacts on real world systems by enabling high dependability assurance. However, a key challenge is to determine not only correct but also cost-effective dynamic operation of all physical devices in the system in the context of real world constraints.In this paper, we present a novel context-sensitive resource-explicit service model and develop the corresponding composition formalisms to help automate the composition process under real-time constraints as well as under various physical resource constraints. The approach is illustrated using an emergency response system.
Using energy audits to investigate the impacts of common air-conditioning design and installation issues on peak power demand and energy consumption in Austin, Texas

a b s t r a c t This study presents an analysis of a unique dataset of 4971 energy audits performed on homes in Austin, Texas in 2009-2010. We quantify the prevalence of typical air-conditioner design and installation issues such as low efficiency, oversizing, duct leakage, and low measured capacity, and estimate the impacts that resolving these issues would have on peak power demand and cooling energy consumption. We estimate that air-conditioner use in single-family residences currently accounts for 17-18% of peak demand in Austin, and we found that improving equipment efficiency alone could save up to 205 MW, or 8%, of peak demand. We estimate that 31% of systems in this study were oversized, leading to up to 41 MW of excess peak demand. Replacing oversized systems with correctly sized higher efficiency units has the potential for further savings of up to 81 MW. We estimate that the mean system could achieve 18% and 20% in cooling energy savings by sealing duct leaks and servicing their air-conditioning units to achieve 100% of nominal capacity, respectively. Although this analysis is limited to the City of Austin, understanding the methods described herein could allow electric utilities in similar climates to make better-informed decisions when considering efficiency improvement programs.
Gene conversions and their relation to homologous chromosome pairing

Gene conversion is the non-reciprocal transfer of DNA sequences from one gene to a related gene elsewhere in the genome. Molecular evidence for its occurrence in higher eukaryotes was first described by our laboratory in 1980 in the two linked human foetal $\gamma$ -globin genes. Over a kilobase of DNA was converted in this initial example. Other investigators have since described more examples of gene conversion including some in which the sequence that was transferred is much shorter. We have now accumulated evidence for a series of such small gene conversions in the human foetal globin gene pair. The number of small gene conversions that we have been able to detect leads us to suggest that gene conversions are the consequence of a general mechanism whereby DNA strand invasions enable chromosomes to find their homologues during meiosis.
NADPH oxidases: an overview from structure to innate immunity-associated pathologies

Oxygen-derived free radicals, collectively termed reactive oxygen species (ROS), play important roles in immunity, cell growth, and cell signaling. In excess, however, ROS are lethal to cells, and the overproduction of these molecules leads to a myriad of devastating diseases. The key producers of ROS in many cells are the NOX family of NADPH oxidases, of which there are seven members, with various tissue distributions and activation mechanisms. NADPH oxidase is a multisubunit enzyme comprising membrane and cytosolic components, which actively communicate during the host responses to a wide variety of stimuli, including viral and bacterial infections. This enzymatic complex has been implicated in many functions ranging from host defense to cellular signaling and the regulation of gene expression. NOX deficiency might lead to immunosuppression, while the intracellular accumulation of ROS results in the inhibition of viral propagation and apoptosis. However, excess ROS production causes cellular stress, leading to various lethal diseases, including autoimmune diseases and cancer. During the later stages of injury, NOX promotes tissue repair through the induction of angiogenesis and cell proliferation. Therefore, a complete understanding of the function of NOX is important to direct the role of this enzyme towards host defense and tissue repair or increase resistance to stress in a timely and disease-specific manner.
CFD modeling and image analysis of exhaled aerosols due to a growing bronchial tumor: Towards non-invasive diagnosis and treatment of respiratory obstructive diseases

Diagnosis and prognosis of tumorigenesis are generally performed with CT, PET, or biopsy. Such methods are accurate, but have the limitations of high cost and posing additional health risks to patients. In this study, we introduce an alternative computer aided diagnostic tool that can locate malignant sites caused by tumorigenesis in a non-invasive and low-cost way. Our hypothesis is that exhaled aerosol distribution is unique to lung structure and is sensitive to airway structure variations. With appropriate approaches, it is possible to locate the disease site, determine the disease severity, and subsequently formulate a targeted drug delivery plan to treat the disease. This study numerically evaluated the feasibility of the proposed breath test in an image-based lung model with varying pathological stages of a bronchial squamous tumor. Large eddy simulations and a Lagrangian tracking approach were used to model respiratory airflows and aerosol dynamics. Respirations of tracer aerosols of 1 µm at a flow rate of 20 L/min were simulated, with the distributions of exhaled aerosols recorded on a filter at the mouth exit. Aerosol patterns were quantified with multiple analytical techniques such as concentration disparity, spatial scanning and fractal analysis. We demonstrated that a growing bronchial tumor induced notable variations in both the airflow and exhaled aerosol distribution. These variations became more apparent with increasing tumor severity. The exhaled aerosols exhibited distinctive pattern parameters such as spatial probability, fractal dimension, and multifractal spectrum. Results of this study show that morphometric measures of the exhaled aerosol pattern can be used to detect and monitor the pathological states of respiratory diseases in the upper airway. The proposed breath test also has the potential to locate the site of the disease, which is critical in developing a personalized, site-specific drug delivery protocol.
Voluntary exercise training enhances glucose transport in muscle stimulated by insulin-like growth factor I

Hokama, Jason Y., Ryan S. Streeper, and Erik J. Henriksen.Voluntary exercise training enhances glucose transport in muscle stimulated by insulin-like growth factor I. J. Appl. Physiol. 82(2): 508–5...
Functional Integrals for a Theory Containing Fermion Fields

In Chapter 24 we showed that many important physical quantities in quantum mechanics and quantum field theory can be represented in the form of functional integrals. The integrands of these integrals contain the exponential of either the action functional of the classical theory, or its Euclidean analogue (obtained by passing to imaginary time). The ideas of Chapter 24, however, cannot be directly applied if the theory contains fermions. One reason is that we cannot speak of a classical fermion field. Indeed, in the boson case quantization is based on the canonical commutation relations
Silicon Waveguide Based Dispersion Compensation by Optical Phase Conjugation

We experimentally demonstrate the use of a silicon based optical phase conjugator for dispersion compensation, enabling transmission of 40 Gb/s optical data over 320 km of standard fiber with negligible power penalty.
5-((3-Amidobenzyl)oxy)nicotinamides as Sirtuin 2 Inhibitors

Derived from our previously reported human sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) inhibitors that were based on a 5-aminonaphthalen-1-yloxy nicotinamide core structure, 5-((3-amidobenzyl)oxy)nicotinamides offered excellent activity against SIRT2 and high isozyme selectivity over SIRT1 and SIRT3. Selected compounds also exhibited generally favorable in vitro absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion properties. Kinetic studies revealed that a representative SIRT2 inhibitor acted competitively against both NAD+ and the peptide substrate, an inhibitory modality that was supported by our computational study. More importantly, two selected compounds exhibited significant protection against α-synuclein aggregation-induced cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. Therefore, 5-((3-amidobenzyl)oxy)nicotinamides represent a new class of SIRT2 inhibitors that are attractive candidates for further lead optimization in our continued effort to explore selective inhibition of SIRT2 as a potential therapy for Parkinson’s disease.
Odorik z Pordenone a jeho zpráva o „východních krajích světa“ ve světle rukopisů

Odorik z Pordenone (asi 1275/1285–1331), frantiskanský misionař, patři k nejdůležitějsim osobam cestujicim v 13./14. stoleti do Ciny. Cetne kopie Odorikova cestopisu (jak původniho textu, tak verzi ve francouzstině, italstině, němcině apod.), ktere se dochovaly do nasi doby, hlavně ze 14. stoleti, ukazuji, jak si cestopis rychle ziskal popularitu v sirokem měřitku. Mezi latinskými rukopisy můžeme rozeznat sest zakladnich typů redakci Odorikova cestopisu: recensio Guillelmi ; recensio Marchesini , recensio Henrici (+ copia Calvi ); recensio Guecelli ; recensio Germanica ; recensiones breviores . Důležite pro nas je, že některe z nich byly pořizeny v Praze. Tato kratka informace o Odorikově zpravě o „východnich krajich světa“ konci udaji o nejranějsich tistěných edicich a středověkých překladatelich Odorikova cestopisu.
Graphic differentiation between competitive and functional synergism.

A graphic method is presented which permits one to differentiate between otherwise indistinguishable dose-effect plots of drugs displaying competitive synergism (both drugs acting on the same receptor) and functional synergism (drugs acting on different receptors linked to the same effector system).
Economic Crisis — Innovation Crisis — Management Crisis?

It is a great honor and pleasure to have been invited to this working conference. Heinz Hubner has given me the assignment to offer “food for thought and work” for the consecutive workshops, and I will try to fulfill this request by offering my view on some trends and problems which have become visible over the last few years in our economy.
Curcumin Analogs, Oxidative Stress, and Prostate Cancer

Abstract The plant natural product curcumin (diferuloylmethane) and its related naturally occurring curcuminoids are remarkable polyphenols with respect to their many biological activities of interest to human oncology, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumorigenic, and antimetastatic effects. Their chemical structures are thus utilized in combinatorial chemistry toward the generation of synthetic analogs in an effort to improve bioavailability and bioefficacy. Traditionally, curcuminoids have been known to be potent antioxidants, neutralizing the deleterious effects of oxidative stress mediated by excess reactive oxygen species, including free radicals. The antioxidant activity constitutes their implication as chemopreventive alimentary components in Southeast Asian populations and their reduced cancer incidence, as well as their use as popular and pharmacologically safe dietary supplements. However, curcuminoids and their analogs have been identified as possible hormetics with respect to their ability to also act as pro-oxidant agents. This chapter focuses on the seemingly paradoxical, dual oxidative effect of curcuminoids as it applies to prostate cancer, the second most lethal malignancy in men in Western countries.
Eulerian formulation of the interacting particle representation model of homogeneous turbulence

The original interacting particle representation model (IPRM) is a stochastic Lagrangian model that focuses on turbulent structures to improve prediction of Reynolds stresses. A deterministic Eulerian formulation of the IPRM that increases the rate of statistical convergence is introduced.
PSOAS MUSCLE MASS INDEX PREDICTS MORTALITY IN PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE WITH PRESERVED EJECTION FRACTION

Background: Several studies have shown that muscular strength is associated with an increased risk of mortality. Additionally, psoas muscle mass index (PMI) predicts mortality in cardiovascular surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between PMI and mortality in patient with
WOUND HEALING AND COLLAGEN FORMATION: IV. Distortion of Ribosomal Patterns of Fibroblasts in Scurvy

The changes in scorbutic wounds following the administration of ascorbic acid have been investigated using the techniques of electron microscopy, histochemistry, and autoradioggraphy. Particular attention has been paid to the changes seen in the endoplasmic reticulum of the fibroblasts and to the identity of the extracellular filamentous material characteristic of scorbutic wounds. Seven-day-old wounds in scorbutic guinea pigs were examined prior to and from one to 72 hours following the administration of vitamin C. Fibroblasts from wounds of normal animals demonstrate a characteristic configuration of the ribosomes of the endoplasmic reticulum which is suggested to be analogous to polyribosomes described in cells synthesizing protein such as the reticulocyte. Tangential views of the membranes of the ergastoplasm show the ribosomes to be grouped in paired rows which take both straight and curved paths. This configuration is lost in scurvy and can be seen to begin to reappear as early as 4 hours after giving ascorbic acid. With increasing time, the morphology of the ribosomal aggregates approximates that seen in normal cells, so that by 24 hours their reorientation is complete. It is suggested that one of the disturbances in scurvy may relate to an alteration either in messenger RNA, in the ability of the ribosomes to relate to the messenger, or in the membranes of the ergastoplasm. In addition, the lack of formation of hydroxyamino acids necessary for completing collagen synthesis may be related to the architecture of the ribosomal aggregates. Extracellular collagen fibrils appear concomitant with the restoration of ribosomal and ergastoplasmic morphology as early as 12 hours after administration of ascorbic acid, with complete disappearance of the scorbutic extracellular material within 24 hours. Observations of this scorbutic material do not support the concept that it is a collagen precursor.
Mechanism of Action of Thyroid Hormone on the Cardiac Vascular System

The influences of thyroid hormone action on cardiovascular function present a complex mix of beneficial adaptive and maladaptive effects. Increased thyroid hormone action mediates an increased speed of diastolic relaxation and an increased speed and force of systolic contraction. Beneficial thyroid hormone effects are caused in part by alterations in calcium handling, which are based on changes in the expression of important proteins involved in this process. These include increases in the level of calcium ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SERCa2) and decreases in phospholamban levels. Increased thyroid hormone action also has marked electrophysiological effects resulting in increased heart rate and an increased propensity for cardiac arrhythmias, especially atrial fibrillation. In addition, thyroid hormone exerts marked effects, on the vascular system, decreasing arterial resistance and thus diminishing cardiac afterload. Hyperthyroidism of some duration results in cardiac hypertrophy. Recently, thyroid hormone analogues have been developed that target the thyroid hormone receptor-β in the liver, mediating the lowering of lipid levels without significant other cardiac effects, especially without an increase in heart rate or cardiac arrhythmias. Severe heart failure of different causes can lead to the nonthyroidal illness syndrome, resulting in decreased thyroid hormone levels. Studies in human beings and animal models have also shown that the levels of thyroid hormone receptor-α and-β are decreased in the failing heart. Alternatively, the syndrome may lead to a cardiac status compatible with a “hypothyroid heart.” It is currently unclear whether the nonthyroidal illness syndrome presents an adaptive or a maladaptive phenomenon whit respect to cardiac function. In some clinical trials, administration of thyroid hormone to patients with heart-failure-induced nonthyroidal illness syndromes has had beneficial effects; however, other trials did not show improvements in cardiac function.
Imaging covert consciousness

Imaging and electroencephalography help to detect covert consciousness after acute brain injury.
An Integrated Talent Management System for Maintaining an Up-to-Date Technical Workforce

Maintaining the intellectual capital of organizations is addressed by examining the problem of knowledge and skill obsolescence among technical professionals. An open systems model applied to obsolescence is presented that identifies internal system components and their interactions among each other as well as with the external environment. The components of the obsolescence model are each addressed through a proposed integrated talent management system. Such a system utilizes appropriate talent management interventions and practices intended to develop and maintain an up-to-date technical workforce, as part of the overall organizational strategy.
Code Modernization Tools for Assisting Users in Migrating to Future Generations of Supercomputers

Usually, scientific applications outlive the lifespan of the High Performance Computing (HPC) systems for which they are initially developed. The innovations in the HPC systems’ hardware and parallel programming standards drive the modernization of HPC applications so that they continue being performant. While such code modernization efforts may not be challenging for HPC experts and well-funded research groups, many domain-experts and students may find it challenging to adapt their applications for the latest HPC systems due to lack of expertise, time, and funds. The challenges of such domain-experts and students can be mitigated by providing them high-level tools for code modernization and migration. A brief overview of two such high-level tools is presented in this chapter. These tools support the code modernization and migration efforts by assisting users in parallelizing their applications and porting them to HPC systems with high-bandwidth memory. The tools are named as: Interactive Parallelization Tool (IPT) and Interactive Code Adaptation Tool (ICAT). Such high-level tools not only improve the productivity of their users and the performance of the applications but they also improve the utilization of HPC resources.
The Aerodynamics Development of the New Volkswagen Polo

The Polo is entering its 7th generation. The car is based on a new architecture concept using a new modular design. Both the car body and the platform are newly designed. The platform will be used by several brands of the Volkswagen group for a variety of vehicles.