cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An M-Shaped Asymmetric Nonlinear Oscillator for Broadband Energy Harvesting

Nonlinear oscillators have been given growing attention due to their ability to enhance the performance of energy harvesting devices by increasing the frequency bandwidth. Duffing oscillators are a typical type of nonlinear oscillator characterized by a symmetric hardening or softening cubic restoring force. In order to realize the cubic nonlinearity in a cantilever at reasonable excitation levels, often an external magnetic field or mechanical load is imposed, since the inherent geometric nonlinearity would otherwise require impractically high excitation levels to be pronounced. As an alternative to magnetoelastic structures and other forms of symmetric Duffing oscillators, in this paper, an M-shaped bent beam with clamped end conditions is investigated for bandwidth enhancement under base excitation. The M-shaped beam geometry can exhibit significantly asymmetric spring behavior: hardening in one direction and softening in the other. A particular advantage of the M-shaped structure is its well-pronounced nonlinear characteristics without needing an external component to create hardening or softening. The force-displacement relationship of the M-shaped beam with a central lumped mass attachment is experimentally identified and asymmetric nonlinear behavior is verified. The purely elastic system parameters (such as the linear and nonlinear stiffness components) identified from the experiments are used in numerical simulations and compared with the experimental results. A quadratic damping term is included to account for nonlinear dissipative effects. Bandwidth enhancement with increasing base excitation is investigated experimentally and numerically. Very good agreement is observed between the simulated frequency response curves and experimental measurements.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Byzantine War and Strategy: Pertinent Lessons for Today and Tomorrow

The experience of Byzantium at war is not merely an intellectual exercise for historians but a vital source of insights pertinent to today and tomorrow's wars. The first part of this article offers a brief overview of the topic and the second part draws pertinent “lessons learned” applicable for modern strategy and policymaking. The argument will emphasize the Byzantine experience in the eleventh century—a period of great variation in Byzantine tactical, strategic, and grand strategic (i.e., political) performance. However, relevant evidence is not limited to that time period.
Indentation failure in composite sandwich structures

A combined analytical and experimental investigation of the indentation failure of a composite sandwich panel has been undertaken. Two cases have been studied: a sandwich panel with carbon/epoxy facing and a PVC foam layer supported on a rigid base and indented at the center with a cylindrical indentor; and a sandwich beam with symmetrical facing and core materials as in the sandwich panels. The load-deflection behavior of the loaded facing was monitored during the test. Strains were also measured near the load on both surfaces of the facing using embedded strain gages. A full-field analysis of the in-plane displacements in the foam was conducted using the moire method. The problem was modeled as an elastic beam resting on an elastic-plastic foundation. Initiation of indentation failure occurs when the foundation yields, while catastrophic failure takes place when the compression facing fractures. The experimental results are in good agreement with the results of the analytical modeling based on the Winkler foundation.
Design of a flexible, integrated testing system for STEP and OMG standards

Abstract New software standards supporting integration of manufacturing and engineering systems are emerging at a rapid pace. Two groups, the Object Management Group (OMG) and the community producing the Standard for the Exchange of Product Model Data (STEP, formally known as ISO 10303), dominate in the production of standards for manufacturing and engineering industries. Their standards are based on common methods, which can be exploited in developing tests for systems supporting the standards. This paper describes the methods employed and a system that builds on those methods to support the automatic and rapid development of conformance tests for the emerging standards.
Pin1 modulates the type 1 immune response.

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND/ABSTRACT: Immune responses initiated by T cell receptor (TCR) and costimulatory molecule mediated signaling culminate in maximal cytokine mRNA production and stability. The transcriptional responses to co-stimulatory T cell signalling involve calcineurin and NF-AT, which can be antagonized by interference with the cis-trans peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (PPIase), cyclophilin A and FKBP. Signalling molecules downstream of CD28 which are essential for the stabilization of cytokine mRNAs are largely unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We now show that Pin1, a third member of the PPIase family mediates the post-transcriptional regulation of Th1 cytokines by activated T cells. Blockade of Pin1 by pharmacologic or genetic means greatly attenuated IFN-gamma, IL-2 and CXCL-10 mRNA stability, accumulation and protein expression after cell activation. In vivo, Pin1 blockade prevented both the acute and chronic rejection of MHC mismatched, orthotopic rat lung transplants by reducing the expression of IFN-gamma and CXCL-10. Combined transcriptional and post-transcriptional blockade with cyclosporine A and the Pin1 inhibitor, juglone, was synergistic. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE These data suggest Pin1 inhibitors should be explored for use as immunosuppressants and employed with available calcineurin inhibitors to reduce toxicity and enhance effectiveness.
Prescriptions for justice: using social accounts to legitimate the exercise of professional control.

This paper reports on a field study in which pharmacists had to decide whether to fill a potentially erroneous prescription, and how much information to share with their client about the prescription. The study examined the extent to which the pharmacists relied upon professional, organizational, and legal accounts in explaining their actions to clients. The pharmacists faced a prototypical professional dilemma in balancing the client's desire for information and treatment, professional and organizational standards of conduct, physician's desire for collegial protection, and multiparty interest in legal liabilities (i.e., the pharmacist, their employer, the physician). By examining how these professionals resolved this dilemma, the study contributes to our understanding of how individuals are able to draw selectively on a variety of institutionalized norms to make their potentially questionable actions appear more just.
Visuomotor Learning Enhanced by Augmenting Instantaneous Trajectory Error Feedback during Reaching

We studied reach adaptation to a 30° visuomotor rotation to determine whether augmented error feedback can promote faster and more complete motor learning. Four groups of healthy adults reached with their unseen arm to visual targets surrounding a central starting point. A manipulandum tracked hand motion and projected a cursor onto a display immediately above the horizontal plane of movement. For one group, deviations from the ideal movement were amplified with a gain of 2 whereas another group experienced a gain of 3.1. The third group experienced an offset equal to the average error seen in the initial perturbations, while a fourth group served as controls. Learning in the gain 2 and offset groups was nearly twice as fast as controls. Moreover, the offset group averaged more reduction in error. Such error augmentation techniques may be useful for training novel visuomotor transformations as required of robotic teleoperators or in movement rehabilitation of the neurologically impaired.
Is the Internet an Emergent Public Sphere

Much has been made of the power of the Internet and related communication technologies to serve as a new public sphere in which democracy can flourish. The evidence, however, has been limited; like the telephone and the postal letter before that, the Internet has powers as a capable tool for organizing social action and protest. Otherwise, though, it seems to have been co-opted by commercial interests and to be used by the public for arguments concerning already settled opinions, a far cry from the fruitful and thoughtful debates demanded by a true public sphere.
Distributed adaptive backoff reservation (DABR) for IEEE 802.11 wireless networks

Randomness in backoff selection and bounded window size of IEEE 802.11 DCF standard hinder adaptive and collision-free operation of the standard. Reservation and network load estimation schemes proposed in the literature address such issues. This paper proposes a novel network load estimation technique and generalizes a distributed deterministic backoff reservation scheme for arbitrary number of users in IEEE 802.11 networks. The proposed protocol guarantees fair channel access of stations in a round robin fashion irrespective of the number of users in a single hop environment. Backoff assignment uniqueness is proven mathematically, and analytical performance evaluation coupled with extensive simulations verify significant throughput performance enhancement. Protocol effectiveness toward accurately estimating the number of active stations is also investigated through simulation.
Reactive scattering with row-orthonormal hyperspherical coordinates. 4. Four-dimensional-space Wigner rotation function for pentaatomic systems

The row-orthonormal hyperspherical coordinate (ROHC) approach to calculating state-to-state reaction cross sections and bound state levels of N-atom systems requires the use of angular momentum tensors and Wigner rotation functions in a space of dimension N − 1. The properties of those tensors and functions are discussed for arbitrary N and determined for N = 5 in terms of the 6 Euler angles involved in 4-dimensional space.
COLORIMETRY OF DRY BREAKFAST‐TYPE CEREALS

Six lots of dry cereals were chosen to develop guide lines for production line color control. Each pair were samples representing the finished product and the base product. The first pair was tan colored cubes, the second pair was red spheres and the third, orange spheroids. The samples in each pair were very similar in color by visual examination. Four instruments were tested for their ability to distinguish between the samples in each pair. A Color Eye instrument, modified for small area viewing (5 mm diam) could be used to separate the samples in each pair. Similarly, a General Electric Recording Spectrophotometer could also be used to separate the samples in each pair, but with both instruments, the mean values for each pair were close and the coefficient of variability high. Measurement of individual pieces of cereal was deemed impractical. A Hunter Color Difference Meter could also be used to separate the samples in each pair with a low coefficient of variability. An Agtron large area viewer was the most successful instrument in separating the samples in each pair. The differences in the averages between each pair were large due to the scale expansion facility, and the coefficient of variability was low. The red mode was most successful for the tan and red samples and the green mode most appropriate for the orange samples.
The hydromagnetic flow over an oscillating flat plate with arbitrary periodic oscillation

Abstract In this paper, the hydromagnetic flow over a flat plate with arbitrary periodic oscillation is solved exactly. The solution is also applicable for common incompressible viscous flow over a flat plate with arbitrary oscillation. It is found that the penetration of hydromagnetic flow will decrease with increasing non-dimensional magnetic parameter M. The transient part will die away after a certain time for a specific M. The solution will collapse into the steady-state case after a long time. However, for non-hydromagnetic flow, there will be no steady-state solution if the coefficient of the zero-frequency component is not zero.
Site-directed sulfhydryl labeling of the lactose permease of Escherichia coli: helices IV and V that contain the major determinants for substrate binding.

Helices IV and V in the lactose permease of Escherichia coli contain the major determinants for substrate binding [Glu126 (helix IV), Arg144 (helix V), and Cys148 (helix V)]. Structural and dynamic features of this region were studied by using site-directed sulfhydryl modification of 48 single-Cys replacement mutants with N-[14C]ethylmaleimide (NEM) in the absence or presence of ligand. In right-side-out membrane vesicles, Cys residues in the cytoplasmic halves of both helices react with NEM in the absence of ligand, while Cys residues in the periplasmic halves do not. Five Cys replacement mutants at the periplasmic end of helix V and one at the cytoplasmic end of helix V label only in the presence of ligand. Interestingly, in addition to native Cys148, a known binding-site residue, labeling of mutant Ala122 → Cys, which is located in helix IV across from Cys148, is markedly attenuated by ligand. Furthermore, alkylation of the Ala122 → Cys mutant blocks transport, and protection is afforded by substrate, ...
Two methanes are better than one: a density functional theory study of the reactions of Mo2Oy- (y = 2-5) with methane.

The mechanisms of chemical reactions of molybdenum suboxide clusters Mo2On- (n = 2−5) with methane are investigated using B3LYP hybrid density functional theory and polarized basis sets. In particular, we focus on the reactions of the most stable structural isomers of Mo2O2,3,4,5- that lead to single molybdenum species such as HMoO2CH3-, as seen in the recent experimental study of Jarrold and co-workers. We find that, while all experimentally observed products are unfavorable due to the high amount of energy required to cleave the metal oxide, the formation of HMoO2CH3- is least endothermic. Even in this case, the thermodynamics of these reactions is very unfavorable when a single methane is reacted with the metal oxide. However, we find that the sequential addition of two methanes produces HMoO2CH3- (and another neutral molecule whose identity depends on the number of oxygens in the metal oxide) at a much lower thermodynamic cost. Further, the overall reaction barriers are much lower when the second meth...
Collapse and concentration of vortex sheets in two-dimensional flow

Numerical evidence is presented for the existence of collapse configurations of vortex sheets (one-dimensional singular distributions of vorticity) in a two-dimensional ideal fluid. Point vortices are used to approximate the vortex sheets. These and related motions cause a significant concentration of vorticity, with possible relevance to the concentration seen in the evolution of turbulent flows.
Loss concealment for multi-channel streaming audio

With the advent of high-speed networks such as Internet2, high quality uncompressed transmission of multi-channel audio streams has become possible. For interactive applications, such as a distributed musical performance, minimizing latency is of paramount importance. Given the strict latency requirements, error recovery (via either retransmission or FEC) may not always be successful, and thus concealment is frequently required. In this paper we propose a novel concealment algorithm, based on inter-channel redundancy, for multi-channel, professional quality, uncompressed audio streams, with particular emphasis on an experimental 10.2 audio standard, which provides an immersive experience for the audience and the players in a performance. We also propose a smoothing method based on Bezier curves. We focus on interactive applications; thus we investigate concealment techniques that can be performed in real time. Our algorithms are implemented in a testbed capable of streaming up to 24 uncompressed audio channels with end-to-end latency of less than 6 ms. Our results show that our techniques outperform existing methods. We expect that our protocol will become an important part of a distributed immersive musical performance system currently being developed at our university.
Strongly adhesive gold electrodes on Melinex

Abstract Gold films 10–50 nm thick vacuum evaporated onto commercially produced polyester sheets treated for ink adhesion and printing applications (Melinex® 505, ICI Americas Inc.) exhibit an adhesion to the substrate of greater than 30 MPa(4500 lbf in−2). Tensile pull tests are limited by the cohesive failure of the polyester substrate. The gold films are electrically conducting at 5–6 nm and approach bulk resistivity at a few tens of nanometers. The polyester sheets are resistant to most solvents and have been used in a variety of electrochemical and radiation environments without degradation of the film adhesion. The relatively low resistivity and critical thickness for electrical conduction indicate an enhanced nucleation of the gold films. Transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Auger analyses of the film microstructure and composition show no anomalies and do not clarify the mechanism of adhesion. Copper, nickel, aluminum and palladium films on Melinex are also strongly adherent and some data for these metals are presented.
Isoerization of allylic acetates catalyzed by palladium. New method for stereocontrol.

Abstract Reaction of allylic acetates with tetrakis (triphenylphosphine) palladium leads to positional and stereochemical isomerism. A mechanism is proposed. Elimination of allyl acetates to dienes is also observed and constitutes a useful synthetic procedure. The use of bis(benzenesulfonyl)methane as a Θ CH 2 Θ equivalent is reported.
A conservative finite difference algorithm for the unsteady transonic potential equation in generalized coordinates

An implicit, approximate-factorization, finite-difference algorithm has been developed for the computation of unsteady, inviscid transonic flows in two and three dimensions. The computer program solves the full-potential equation in generalized coordinates in conservation-law form in order to properly capture shock-wave position and speed. A body-fitted coordinate system is employed for the simple and accurate treatment of boundary conditions on the body surface. The time-accurate algorithm is modified to a conventional ADI relaxation scheme for steady-state computations. Results from two- and three-dimensional steady and two-dimensional unsteady calculations are compared with existing methods.
Simulation Anxiety Syndrome: Presentation and Treatment

There are many initial barriers preventing faculty new to simulation from welcoming or even tolerating simulation. One of the most significant barriers is fear of failure. A distance-based, video-supported orientation and initial course providing a defined low-risk environment supporting new-to-simulation faculty's gradual, self-determined engagement results in a cost-effective, enthusias- tically accepted simulation experience.
Exploring the history of social work as a human rights profession

English The IFSW has declared that social work is a human rights profession. This historical review explores social work contributions to human rights. The compatibility of principles, accomplishme...
Identification of Functionally Distinct TRAF Proinflammatory and Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase/Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase Kinase (PI3K/MEK) Transforming Activities Emanating from RET/PTC Fusion Oncoprotein

Thyroid carcinomas that harbor RET/PTC oncogenes are well differentiated, relatively benign neoplasms compared with those expressing oncogenic RAS or BRAF mutations despite signaling through shared transforming pathways. A distinction, however, is that RET/PTCs induce immunostimulatory programs, suggesting that, in the case of this tumor type, the additional pro-inflammatory pathway reduces aggressiveness. Here, we demonstrate that pro-inflammatory programs are selectively activated by TRAF2 and TRAF6 association with RET/PTC oncoproteins. Eliminating this mechanism reduces pro-inflammatory cytokine production without decreasing transformation efficiency. Conversely, ablating MEK/ERK or PI3K/AKT signaling eliminates transformation but not pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion. Functional uncoupling of the two pathways demonstrates that intrinsic pro-inflammatory pathways are not required for cellular transformation and suggests a need for further investigation into the role inflammation plays in thyroid tumor progression.
A novel multiple species ringdown spectrometer for in situ measurements of methane, carbon dioxide, and carbon isotope

We have developed a standalone, user-friendly, multi-species ringdown spectrometer for in situ measurements of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and a carbon dioxide isotope (13CO2). The instrument is based on near-infrared continuous-wave cavity ringdown spectroscopy (NIR cw-CRDS) and engineered to be of approximately 16 kg with dimensions of 50 cm × 40 cm × 15 cm. The instrument design, optical configuration, electronic control, and performance are described. CH4, CO2, and 13CO2 are measured at different wavelengths that are obtained through multiplexing two distributed feedback laser diodes with central wavelengths at 1597 and 1650 nm. The spectrometer has low power consumption and runs for 4–6 h when powered by a standard car battery. The instrument is operated either locally by interacting with a 7-inch touch screen or remotely via an Internet connection. The 1-σ detection limits for CH4 and CO2 are 0.2 and 120 ppmv, respectively. The measurement uncertainty is better than ±4% of full-scale reading for CH4 and CO2 and ±1.5‰ for δ13C (part per thousand relative to the Pee Dee Belemnite scale). Measurement of each species is near real-time; switching from measuring one species to another takes less than one minute. This work demonstrates a novel multiple-species CRDS-instrumentation platform, which can be adopted for development of an array of ringdown spectrometers for portable, user-friendly, field analysis of a variety of gases in environmental and industrial applications. Discussion of a future version of the spectrometer with better detection sensitivity, higher accuracy, and a smaller geometry is also presented.
Fluctuation of Intracranial Pressure Associated with the Cardiac Cycle

Within the intensive care setting, a portable microcomputer system was used to extract three parameters from the intracranial pressure fluctuation associated with the cardiac cycle. One parameter, the mean of sampled intracranial pressure, was defined as the average value of pressure for a 1.08-second interval following the R wave of the electrocardiogram. Another parameter, the amplitude of intracranial pressure, was defined as the difference between the mean and the peak value of the sampled intracranial pressure for the interval considered. The third parameter, a latent interval, was defined as the time period between the occurrence of the R wave and the occurrence of the peak value of the subsequent intracranial pressure fluctuation. Six adults and one pediatric patient were monitored. Both the amplitude and the mean of sampled pressure tended to vary inversely with the latent interval. For the adult patients, the latent interval varied between 503 and 804 ms; the mean pressure ranged between 2.4 and 19.0 mm Hg and the amplitude pressure ranged between 0.6 and 7.2 mm Hg. The latent interval for the child was much shorter (ranging between 269 and 325 ms), and both the mean and the amplitude pressures were much higher (ranging between 38.4 and 57.3 mm Hg and 14.2 and 16.5 mm Hg, respectively). Statistical correlation between hourly pulse rates and the latent interval among the adult cases revealed little association (r = -0.20). For all patients considered, the correlation between the amplitude and the mean of sampled intracranial pressure was quite high, with an r value of +0.91. These reported observations support a conceptual model in which blood volume changes associated with the cardiac cycle occurring within the semirigid craniospinal sac are assumed to underlie the fluctuation of intracranial pressure.
Some Nonfarm Effects of Changes in Agricultural Technology

In 1877, Thomas Alva Edison developed a crude recording device that was to become the phonograph. Although Edison soon abandoned the phonograph in order to perfect the incandescent light, he eventually returned to the possibility of reproducing sound. By 1920, the phonograph was available for public purchase and many homes proudly displayed the machine that could reproduce sound on command. The phonograph was a new technology. Once perfected, it brought good music to any home able to afford the device and the records to go with it. Once a single record was obtained, the contents of the record could be heard as frequently as its owner desired. Because only the better artists were recorded, the phonograph's music was better and it could be heard oftener than the music provided by the fire department band, the itinerant musician, or the traveling symphony orchestra.
The composition, structure, and stability of guinier-preston zones in lunar and terrestrial orthopyroxene

Lunar and terrestrial orthopyroxenes (Mg,Fe,Ca)2Si2O6 contain varying abundances of coherent, Ca-enriched Guinier-Preston (G.P.) zones. G.P. zones 5–6 unit cells thick have been found in one lunar sample whereas all other examples (lunar and terrestrial) are only one unit-cell-thick. Electron diffraction maxima from the larger lunar G.P. zones indicate that d100=18.52 A whereas, d100=18.2 A for the host. This increase in the a direction corresponds to an increase in calcium content in the G.P. zones over that of the host of ∼25 mol% Ca2Si2O6. Diffraction patterns of the hk0 net from an area containing G.P. zones show extra spots (h=2n+1) not observed in the host orthopyroxene (Pbca), that violate the a-glide of the host. The G.P. zones, therefore, have space group Pbc21 if it is assumed that the c-glide of pyroxene is retained and the space group of the G.P. zone is a subgroup of Pbca. The loss of the a-glide in the G.P. zones results in 4 distinct silica chains and 4 distinct cation sites M1A, M1B, M2A, M2B; by symmetry, equivalent M2A or M2B sites are clustered together in only one-half of the unit cell. As one-fourth of the divalent cations in the G.P. zones are calcium, ordering of Ca on M2A or M2B would produce a zone 9 A thick extended parallel to (100) with the composition of Ca(Mg,Fe)Si2O6, but constrained by the host to the structure of orthopyroxene. This zone and the Ca-poor half-unit-cell then constitute an 18 A thick G.P. zone.
Targeted inhibition of phospholipase C γ2 adaptor function blocks osteoclastogenesis and protects from pathological osteolysis

Phospholipase C γ2 (PLCγ2) is a critical regulator of innate immune cells and osteoclasts (OCs) during inflammatory arthritis. Both the catalytic domain and the adaptor motifs of PLCγ2 are required for OC formation and function. Due to the high homology between the catalytic domains of PLCγ2 and the ubiquitously expressed PLCγ1, molecules encompassing the adaptor motifs of PLCγ2 were designed to test the hypothesis that uncoupling the adaptor and catalytic functions of PLCγ2 could specifically inhibit osteoclastogenesis and bone erosion. Wild-type (WT) bone marrow macrophages (BMM) that overexpress the tandem Src homology 2 (SH2) domains of PLCγ2 (SH2(N+C)) failed to form mature OCs and resorb bone in vitro. Activation of the receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK) signaling pathway, which is critical for OC development, was impaired in cells expressing SH2(N+C). Arrest in OC differentiation was evidenced by a reduction of p38 and Iκ-Bα phosphorylation as well as decreased NFATc1 and c-Fos/c-Jun levels. Consistent with our hypothesis, SH2(N+C) abrogated formation of the RANK-Gab2 complex, which mediates NF-κB and AP-1 activation following RANK ligand (RANKL) stimulation. Furthermore, the ability of SH2(N+C) to prevent inflammatory osteolysis was examined in vivo following RANKL or LPS injections over the calvaria. Both models induced osteolysis in the control group, whereas the SH2(N+C)-treated cohort was largely protected from bone erosion. Collectively, these data indicate that inflammatory osteolysis can be abrogated by treatment with a molecule composed of the tandem SH2 domains of PLCγ2.
The influence of early repolarization variant on the exercise electrocardiogram: a correlation with coronary arteriograms.

Abstract Sixteen adult patients with S-T segment elevation in their resting electrocardiograms characteristic of early repolarization variant (ERV) and chest pain syndromes of possible myocardial ischemia were evaluated with both treadmill exercise electrocardiography and coronary arteriography. Of 14 patients with normal coronary arteriograms, 13 had their resting S-T elevation return (“normalize”) to the isoelectric baseline with physical exercise, while one patient with normal arteriograms and normal left ventricular contractility but moderately elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure of unknown etiology developed significant S-T depression with exercise. Two patients with significant coronary atherosclerotic occlusive lesions developed “ischemic” S-T depression during treadmill testing. Symptoms developed during treadmill exercise did not distinguish patients with coronary artery disease from those without. Thus, while ERV at rest may be “normalized” by graded physical exercise in the absence of significant coronary atherosclerosis, the presence of ERV does not prevent the usual electrocardiographic manifestations of exercise-induced myocardial ischemia.
Inelastic Dark Matter in Light of DAMA/LIBRA

Inelastic dark matter, in which weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP)-nucleus scatterings occur through a transition to an excited WIMP state {approx}100 keV above the ground state, provides a compelling explanation of the DAMA annual modulation signal. We demonstrate that the relative sensitivities of various dark matter direct detection experiments are modified such that the DAMA annual modulation signal can be reconciled with the absence of a reported signal at CDMS-Soudan, XENON10, ZEPLIN, CRESST, and KIMS for inelastic WIMPs with masses O(100 GeV). We review the status of these experiments, and make predictions for upcoming ones. In particular, we note that inelastic dark matter leads to highly suppressed signals at low energy, with most events typically occurring between 20 and 45 keV (unquenched) at xenon and iodine experiments, and generally no events at low ({approx}10 keV) energies. Suppressing the background in this high-energy region is essential to testing this scenario. The recent CRESST data suggest seven observed tungsten events, which is consistent with expectations from this model. If the tungsten signal persists at future CRESST runs, it would provide compelling evidence for inelastic dark matter, while its absence should exclude it.
Formation of novel central and peripheral connections between molluscan central neurons in organ cultured ganglia

An in vitro organ culture system for buccal ganglia of the adult snail, Helisoma, is described. The system supports: (1) maintenance of characteristic electrophysiological parameters of identified neurons over seven days of culture; (2) choline metabolism including uptake and synthesis over the same duration; (3) sprouting and growth of neurons in response to axotomy; (4) the formation of novel central electrotonic connections between identified neurons as a result of sprouting and growth. These observations on neuronal growth and the formation of connections are similar to those made with in vivo culture. The use of in vitro culture allows precise manipulations not previously possible. When buccal ganglia are cultured in vitro with the cut distal ends of peripheral nerve trunks held closely apposed, axons of neurons 5R and 5L in the nerve trunks are capable of forming electrotonic connections similar to central connections. The capability of these neurons to form electrotonic connections via their peripheral axons implies that special structures (i.e., central neurites) are not required for the formation of connections; and neither are special environments (i.e., the central neuropile) required for these connections.
Note: Micromechanical testing of toughness in nylon 6/PDMS block copolymers and blends

Small specimens of nylon 6/PDMS compositions were screened for relative levels of toughness using a micromechanical testing device. Measurements were made of the total crack length emanating from pre-cut notches in a specially designed specimen. At room temperature, cracks propagated readily in nylon 6 homopolymer and somewhat more slowly in a composition containing 4 wt% PDMS ; at 10 and 28 wt% PDMS the cracks were blunted in a diffuse whitened zone and did not propagate through the specimens. At -40°C, the 10 wt% blend appeared to be as tough as the 4 wt% blend at room temperature.
Optimizing relational store for e-catalog queries: a data mining approach

A frequent use of database management systems in electronic commerce is to provide electronic product catalogs (e-catalogs) that allow users to search for products of interest via constraints on attributes. An intuitively straightforward representation of e-catalogs is to use one table for the whole e-catalog as it is conceptually easy to maintain and query. However, for any e-commerce business with a reasonably large number of products and product types, its e-catalog usually involves a large number of attributes due to the great variety of the products, and at the same time, contains a large number of null values due to the fact that each product only has values under a relatively small number of attributes. Because of these properties, the above intuitive method does not work well in current relational database systems. Techniques have been proposed in the literature to deal with this problem, namely binary and vertical schemas. However, these techniques fail to take advantage of inherent properties of realistic e-catalogs to provide superior performance. This paper proposes a novel decomposition method for e-catalogs based on association rule discovery, a data mining technique. The method discovers groups of attributes that frequently appear together, i.e., are frequently used together to describe products, and generates schemas that contain these groups. This paper also reports experimental results showing the efficiency of the method.
Genome Sequence of the Psychrophilic Deep-Sea Bacterium Moritella marina MP-1 (ATCC 15381)

Moritella marina MP-1 is a bacterial species known for its production of docosahexaenoic acid. We present the draft genome sequence of the type strain Moritella marina MP-1 (ATCC 15381), having 4,636,778 bp with a G+C content of 40.5% and consisting of 83 contigs.
Advances in venous surgery: SEPS and phlebectomy for chronic venous insufficiency.

Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) and its complications of chronic pain, intractable ulceration, and infection are important conditions to treat by modern surgical techniques. As early as the 1930s, perforating veins with outward flow were implicated in the pathogenesis of this condition, 1 Recognition that such outward flow promotes leukocyte adhesion and activation as the principal microcirculatory cause for the cutaneous changes has explained the importance of perforating vein interruption. 2,3 Because of disability of CVI, surgeons and patients reluctantly tolerated the open Linton perforator interruption operation with its morbid knee-to-ankle incisions. It was tolerated because it worked. 4,5 Modifications to reduce the morbidity of the procedure eliminated two of the three incisions used in the explorations of the 1930s. 6 Other modifications such as DePalma's modification of the incisions further reduced wound complications. 7 However, the most significant surgical alteration was to utilize the endoscopic techniques introduced in Europe by Fischer 8 and Hauer. 9 Very quickly it was obvious that the endoscopic technique minimized postoperative complications. 10 Application of endoscopic perforator interruption to varicose vein surgery validated the safety of the procedure but did not contribute to knowledge about treating CVI.
Ternary phase equilibria of polystyrene with a second polymer and a solvent

Phase diagrams including tie lines for nine ternary solvent–polymer–polymer systems have been obtained using size exclusion chromatography. The systems studied were toluene–polystyrene (PS)–isoprene rubber (IR), toluene–PS–butadiene rubber (BR), cyclohexane–PS–BR, tetrahydrofuran(THF)–PS–poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and THF–PS–poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) at temperatures between 30 and 75°C. The results indicate PS-PMMA is less compatible than PS-PBMA in the presence of THF. Also, the combination of trans- and 3,4–IR-PS is less compatible than cis–IR-PS in the presence of toluene. The original Flory–Huggins model for ternary systems has been modified to account for the concentration dependence of the interaction parameters. The modified Flory–Huggins model consists of two interaction parameters per binary. Using this model, six parameters have been regressed for each of the experimental systems studied. Although the parameters are not physically meaningful, the model and the parameters obtained using it are useful for correlating the experimental phase diagrams. The results obtained using the modified six parameter model are shown to be superior to those obtained using the original three parameter model. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Migration of cranial neural crest cells in a cell-free hyaluronate-rich matrix.

Neural crest cells in the cranial region of the chick embryo initially migrate into a cell-free space between the head ectoderm and mesoderm. The primary objective of the present study was to define the nature of the matrix in this cell-free space. In ovo administration of various labeled compounds showed that the cell-free space became heavily labeled with glucosamine between stages 9 and 10 with little or no incorporation of fucose or sulfate. The results obtained by autoradiography and biochemical analysis of labeled macromolecules selectively extracted from this cell-free space suggest that hyaluronic acid is a major component. The appearance of hyaluronic acid correlates with an increase in size of the cell-free space and crest cell migration.
Alterations In Phase And Morphology Of A Lung Surfactant Monolayer in contact with surfactant in the sub-phase induced by cholesterol and native surface active proteins

Although the presence of cholesterol, the major neutral lipid component, is well known in native surfactants (upto 10 % mass), its role in the surfactant remains uncertain. The most recently FDA approved clinical surfactant contain cholesterol, while two that have been used for 20 years have cholesterol carefully removed. However, they are all successful in treating neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) resulting from a lack of surfactant. As a result the optimal concentration of cholesterol, if any at all, remains debated. Here we present indications for an optimal cholesterol concentration by presenting alterations to the phase and morphology of Survanta, a clinically used bovine lung surfactant extract, induced by both physiological and elevated concentrations of cholesterol when the monolayer is in contact with surfactant in the subphase. We find that low cholesterol concentrations (1-2 wt %) help to achieve a lower surface tension by enhancing surfactant material adsorption to the interface. However, increasing the cholesterol concentrations to higher values (≈ 20 wt %) significantly alters the normal surfactant isotherm. Alterations in a typical signature plateau for Survanta at ∼ 40 mN/m are noted suggesting a change in the solid phase fraction of the film. Fluorescence microscopic imaging reveals the coexistence of discrete monolayer along with “multilayer reservoir” adjacent to the air/water interface. Differences in the collapse structures of the monolayer are also noted indicating an alteration in the mechanical properties of the monolayer film. Alterations in these properties in the absence of surface active lung surfactant proteins were also observed indicating that interactions between the monolayer at the interface, the “multilayer reservoir” and the subphase are essential for the proper functioning of the lung surfactant.
Persistence of thin ice regions in Europa's ice crust

[1] Extensive data from planetary spacecraft as well as celestial mechanics models support the existence of a subsurface ocean on Europa ∼100 km thick, maintained by a tidal heat flux. Models in which the overlying ice crust is less than 20 km thick permit breaches in the ice due to impact events or thermal plumes from the tidally heated core. We apply a two-dimensional thermal model to the analysis of the refreezing of a hole in the ice crust following a breach event. Our model incorporates heat produced by tidal heating of Europa in two ways: a basal heat flux from Europa's silicate and iron core, together with volumetric heating of the ice shell. We compare our refreezing timescales to those obtained from a model where viscous flow in the base of the ice crust fills the hole. We find that catastrophic breaches in Europa's ice crust may produce regions of relatively thin ice persisting up to ∼1 My. These breaches are closed by viscous flow when radii are small (<10–50 km) and by conductive refreezing for larger radii, especially if Europa's crust has a high basal heat flow due to a hot core. Detection of the ice/ocean interface by orbital detection of the temperature anomalies or radar sounding would be most probable in the vicinity of these events.
Situating the “Secular”: Negotiating the Boundary between Religion and Politics

In recent decades, scholars in the field of international relations (IR) have increasingly paid attention to issues of religion—often linked to “civilizational” and “cultural” identities. The IR field at large unconsciously assumes, however, that there is a “secular”“norm” against which the “religious” dimensions of IR can be analyzed or compared. Western IR scholars often take the “secular” for granted, rarely considering how the boundaries of the “secular” are defined and deployed in scholarship and policy. Building on decades of debate over “secularization theory” by sociologists of religion (see Hadden 1987; Chaves 1994; Stark 1999; Cox 2000), William E Connolly’s (1999) critique of “secularism,” and Elizabeth Shakman Hurd’s (2004, 2007) examination of secularist assumptions in IR theory, this article suggests that defining secularism as a political negotiation over the accepted role of religion in public life rather than as an a priori category (Hurd 2004; Goldstone 2007) has methodological and theoretical consequences to which IR scholars and policy makers, particularly those interested in issues of democratization and religious fundamentalism should pay attention. Using illustrations from the Middle East—a current focal point for debate on both democratization and religious fundamentalism—this article builds on the secularization debate to suggest that IR scholarship treating the “secular” and “religious” as opposing categories obscures more than it explains in terms of analyzing the role of religion in contemporary Middle Eastern politics.
The Role of Epigenetic Regulation in the Development of Obesity: A Comprehensive Review

1 in 6 children and 1 in 3 adults in the United States are obese. Estimated costs in 2010 relating to obesity exceed $300 billion. Although the etiology of obesity may be well characterized, the advent of the epigenome has increased the complexity of pinpointing causes of obesity. Ovine and murine models show that maternal overnutrition and maternal undernutrition are implicated in epigenetic dysregulation of endogenous energy-balance mechanisms.
Design and Implementation of effective Brain-wave Data Base(DB) building system using the five senses

Ubiquitous systems have grown explosively over the past few years. Nowadays users' need for high quality service leads to a variety of types of user terminals. As a result of these changes, various types of effective human computer interface methods have been developed. In many studies, researchers have focused on using brain-wave interface, that is to say, brain computer interaction (BCI). BCI is one of the research areas in human computer interaction (HCI). Nowadays, research which is related to BCI is under way to find out effective methods. But, most research related to BCI is not centralized and not systematic. These problems bring about ineffective results in research. In most research related to HCI and BCI, that is to say -pattern recognition, the most important foundation of the research is to build correct and sufficient database (DB). On this score, in this paper, we propose an effective brain wave DB building system for BCI. Apart from other kinds of pattern recognition, BCI has difficulties being stored in DB. Subjects as well as researchers do not know effective methods for gathering DB. Researchers do not know how to instruct subjects and subjects also do not know how to follow researchers' instruction. To solve these kinds of problems, we propose a novel architecture of DB building system using the five senses. Researcher instructs the subject to use the five senses. Subjects imagine the instructed senses. In real time, researches verify gathered brain wave data using spectrogram. To verify effectiveness of our proposed system, we analyze the spectrogram of gathered brain wave DB and pattern. On the basis of spectrogram and pattern analysis, we propose an effective brain wave DB building method using the five senses.
The ten point clock test: a quick screen and grading method for cognitive impairment in medical and surgical patients.

Objective:The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of the ten point clock test in screening for and grading cognitive deficits in medical and surgical patients.Method:The se...
A load-balancing algorithm for N-cubes

A parallel scheduling algorithm for N-cube networks is presented. This algorithm can fully balance the load and maximize locality by using global load information. Communication costs are significantly reduced compared to other existing algorithms.
Computer Simulation of Volume Conduction Based Data Communication Channel for Neuroprosthetic Devices

Neuroprosthetic devices often require an information channel to communicate with external computers through biological tissue. Traditionally, this channel is provided either by a bundle of wires penetrating the skin or by a radio-frequency coupler. In a different approach, the ionic fluid within the human body is utilized to establish a data communication channel. We investigate a number of important issues related to the antenna of this channel, including the surface shape, curvature, and orientation. The finite element method is utilized to optimally select system parameters according to the dimensions of the neuroprosthetic device and the site of implantation