cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of AFM tips using nanografting

Abstract We introduce a new method, nanografting, to characterize atomic force microscopy tips. Our technique includes three main steps. First, a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of thiol is imaged using AFM with a low imaging force. Second, under a high load, a line of new thiols is fabricated within the matrix SAM in a single scan. Finally, the resulting line is imaged by the same AFM tip under a reduced force. From the topographic image of the line, one can extract information regarding the top portion of the AFM tip and the tip–surface contact area during fabrication. The advantages of this approach include its simplicity, high speed, and the ability to characterize the very top portion of the tip. In addition, tips with multiple asperities, which are difficult to investigate using other approaches, can be easily identified and characterized via nanografting.
Effect of Reduced Frequency on Super Maneuver Delta Wing

The unsteady, three-dimensional, Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes equations (NS) are used to simulate and study the flow response around a delta wing undergoing a pitch-up motion up to 90 degrees amplitude. The governing equations are solved time-accurately using the upwind. Roe flux-difference splitting, finite volume scheme. The primary model under consideration consists of a 76 degree swept, sharp-edged delta wing of zero thickness. The Reynolds number and Mach number are 0.45 X 10(exp 6) and .03 respectively. The wing is forced to pitch-up through a ramp function, using a wide range of reduced frequency to provide a good understanding of reduced frequency effect on high amplitude pitch maneuvers. Three reduced frequency values of .0834, 0.134 and 0.04, are used in this study. The computed results are compared with each other as well as the existing experimental data.
Complications of Orbital Roof Fractures

A spectrum of complications of orbital roof fractures is discussed. The authors have had cooperation with the neurosurgical service in treating nine cases. Careful ocular and neurologic examination of the patient is emphasized in an attempt to avoid ocular complications, orbital deformities, ocular muscular imbalance, enophthalmos, blepharoptosis, and intracranial complications. With intracranial involvement, a combined neurosurgical and ophthalmologic approach is indicated. A superior orbitomy is indicated if there is a simple fracture of the orbital roof without involvement of the inner table of the skull.
High Level Expression of Cd43 Inhibits T Cell Receptor/CD3-Mediated Apoptosis

In a screen designed to identify genes that regulate T cell receptor (TCR)/CD3-mediated apoptosis, we found that high level expression of CD43 protected T cell hybridomas from activation-induced cell death. The protection appears to result from its capacity to block Fas-mediated death signals rather than from inhibition of the upregulation of Fas and/or Fas ligand after T cell stimulation. We found that peripheral CD4+ T cells can be divided into two subsets based on the level of CD43 surface expression. The CD4+CD43low subset exhibits a naive T cell phenotype, being CD62LhighCD45RBhighCD44low, whereas CD4+CD43high cells exhibit a memory phenotype, being CD62LlowCD45RBlowCD44high. Recent studies have demonstrated that engagement of TCR and Fas induces naive CD4+ T cells to undergo apoptosis, and the same treatment enhances the proliferation of memory CD4+ T cells. We confirm here that peripheral CD4+CD43high T cells are resistant to TCR/CD3-mediated cell death. These results suggest that the expression levels of CD43 on naive and memory CD4+ T cells determine their susceptibility to Fas-dependent cell death and that high level expression of CD43 may be used as a marker to define CD4+ memory T cells. Expression of CD43 provides a novel mechanism by which tumor cells expressing abnormally high levels of CD43 may escape Fas-mediated killing.
A scoping review of interprofessional collaborative practice and education using the lens of the Triple Aim

The Triple Aim unequivocally connects interprofessional healthcare teams to the provision of better healthcare services that would eventually lead to improved health outcomes. This review of the in...
Cyclosporine mitigates graft coronary artery disease in murine cardiac allografts: Description and validation of a novel fully allogeneic model

Abstract Background The effect of cyclosporine (CsA) on the development of graft coronary artery disease (GCAD) is controversial. We developed a novel allogeneic mouse model of heart transplantation and investigated the effect of CsA on acute rejection and GCAD. Methods Hearts of FVB mice (H-2 q ) were heterotopically transplanted into 60 C57BL/6 mice (H-2 b ). CsA was administered to recipients at 10, 20 or 30 mg/kg/day for 10 or 30 days after transplantation. Untreated recipients as well as isograft recipients served as controls. Viability of the grafts was assessed daily by palpation. Parenchymal rejection was scored in grafts surviving 30 days in the 30-day treatment groups. GCAD was evaluated by the percentage of luminal narrowing, intima/media ratio and percentage of diseased vessels. Blood CsA and creatinine levels were also evaluated. Results were evaluated statistically. Results All groups except the untreated control group and the allograft groups treated with 10 or 20 mg for 10 days showed significant graft survival (≥33% survival for 30 days). An inverse correlation was observed between CsA treatment dose, parenchymal rejection score and degree of GCAD in the 30-day treatment groups. However, graft survival in the 20-mg/kg/day group was significantly better than that in the 30-mg/kg/day group. Serum creatine levels showed no nephrotoxicity. Conclusions Relatively high-dose CsA mitigated parenchymal rejection and GCAD of the mouse cardiac allografts. In addition, a valuable mouse model mimicking the clinical course of GCAD was achieved with CsA treatment of 20 mg/kg/day for 30 days.
Global Citizens Are Made, Not Born: Multiclass Role-Playing Simulation of Global Decision Making

Globalization, global citizenship, and political engagement have become such buzzwords and cliches that we often lose the sense of their meaning. Global citizenship in particular is an elusive concept to operationalize. This article proposes to look at three dimensions of global citizenship: legal (rights and obligations), psychological identification with the global community, and political ones. Heeding the calls to wed traditional liberal education with the experiential learning in pursuit of developing students' global values and competencies, we devised and implemented a simulation called the Global Summit on Sustainability, an active learning assignment we run in large, general education survey classes (Global Politics and Introduction to American Government & Politics) populated by mostly nonpolitical science majors. The total number of students involved in the summit range from 225 to 360 each semester. But how does having a Global Summit influence the development of global citizenship and its thr...
Connecting the ear to the brain: Molecular mechanisms of auditory circuit assembly

Our sense of hearing depends on precisely organized circuits that allow us to sense, perceive, and respond to complex sounds in our environment, from music and language to simple warning signals. Auditory processing begins in the cochlea of the inner ear, where sounds are detected by sensory hair cells and then transmitted to the central nervous system by spiral ganglion neurons, which faithfully preserve the frequency, intensity, and timing of each stimulus. During the assembly of auditory circuits, spiral ganglion neurons establish precise connections that link hair cells in the cochlea to target neurons in the auditory brainstem, develop specific firing properties, and elaborate unusual synapses both in the periphery and in the CNS. Understanding how spiral ganglion neurons acquire these unique properties is a key goal in auditory neuroscience, as these neurons represent the sole input of auditory information to the brain. In addition, the best currently available treatment for many forms of deafness is the cochlear implant, which compensates for lost hair cell function by directly stimulating the auditory nerve. Historically, studies of the auditory system have lagged behind other sensory systems due to the small size and inaccessibility of the inner ear. With the advent of new molecular genetic tools, this gap is narrowing. Here, we summarize recent insights into the cellular and molecular cues that guide the development of spiral ganglion neurons, from their origin in the proneurosensory domain of the otic vesicle to the formation of specialized synapses that ensure rapid and reliable transmission of sound information from the ear to the brain.
Platelet retraction force measurements using flexible post force sensors.

Platelets play an important role in hemostasis by forming a thrombotic plug that seals the vessel wall and promotes vascular healing. After platelets adhere and aggregate at the wound site, their next step is to generate contractile forces through the coordination of physicochemical interactions between actin, myosin, and αIIbβ3 integrin receptors that retract the thrombus' size and strengthen its adhesion to the exposed matrix. Although platelet contractile forces (PCF) are a definitive feature of hemostasis and thrombosis, there are few approaches that can directly measure them. In this study, we describe the development of an approach to measure PCF in microthrombi using a microscopic flexible post force sensor array. Quasi-static measurements and live microscopic imaging of thrombin-activated platelets on the posts were conducted to assay the development of PCF to various hemostatic conditions. Microthrombi were observed to produce forces that monotonically increased with thrombin concentration and activation time, but forces subsided when thrombin was removed. PCF results were statistically similar on arrays of posts printed with fibronectin or fibrinogen. PCF measurements were combined with clot volume measurements to determine that the average force per platelet was 2.1 ± 0.1 nN after 60 min, which is significantly higher than what has been measured with previous approaches. Overall, the flexible post arrays for PCF measurements are a promising approach for evaluating platelet functionality, platelet physiology and pathology, the impacts of different matrices or agonists on hemostatic responses, and in providing critical information regarding platelet activity that can guide new hemostatic or thrombotic strategies.
Nested Grid Iteration for Incompressible Viscous Flow and Transport

We investigate the use of one-way cascadic multigrid strategies (CMG) in the solution of incompressible viscous flow using the finite element method. First we describe the basic CMG approach for representative elliptic boundary value problems and summarize the theoretical error estimates from approximation theory, desired smoother properties, and arithmetic complexity of the method. The extension of these error and complexity estimates to adaptive grids is also given. Then we present the mathematical formulation and the finite element approximation scheme for the class of fluid-thermal problems of interest. In supporting numerical experiments, we examine performance of the algorithm on both serial and distributed parallel systems. We carry out comparison studies with a standard BCG solution strategy on the fine level grid and study diagonal treatments for the zero pressure block.
Analogizing from Linguistics to Folklore

During the past 25 years a number of fields in the humanities and social sciences have looked to generative linguistics as a model for analyzing the phenomena within their respective domains. Among these fields are those as diverse as anthropology, literary criticism, speech, and rhetoric and compositon. The field of folklore, in particular folk narrative, is no exception to this trend. In fact, attempts to justify the analogizing from linguistics to folklore are not hard to find. For example, Georges states that '. . . the theory and work of generative-transformational grammarians has direct implications for the study of traditional narrative' (1970:14). Indeed, terms and concepts borrowed directly from generative grammar (e.g. generate, grammar, transformation, phrase structure, deep and surface structure, tree diagrams, etc.) have become commonplace in studies of folk narrative. The allure that generative linguistics has for folklorists is summed up by Honko, who states that '. . . the only success-story in the humanities in the recent past [is] modern linguistic theor[y] . . .' (1979-80:6). Unfortunately, however, this analogizing is fraught with basic misconceptions, which all too often render the particular application of linguistic theory to the study of folk narrative either confusing or misleading (at best) or devoid of content (at worst). Therefore, our purpose here will be, first, to examine some of the basic misapplications of generative linguistic theory and, second, to try to point out analogies between linguistics and folklore which may turn out to be useful.'
Tsujioka, Takae, & Shoko Hamano. Intermediate Japanese: A Grammar and Workbook. New York/London: Routledge, 2012. Pp. xii, 278. $45.95, paper. ISBN 978–0–41549–859–3.

A review of the book "Intermediate Japanese: A Grammar and Workbook," by Takae Tsujioka and Shoko Hamano, is presented.
DIFFUSION OF DIOXYGEN IN N-ALKANES

The translational diffusion constant, D, of dioxygen, O2, has been measured in n-alkane solutions drawn through a microcapillary by reduced pressure. The passage of O2 through the capillary has bee...
Ultrastructure of HRP-identified sympathetic preganglionic neurons in cats

Electron microscopic studies were conducted on cat sympathetic preganglionic neurons which were labeled using retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase from the injection site in the stellate ganglion to somas in the thoracic spinal cord. Based on size, the identified somas were divided into two groups: large multipolar somas (25-35 micron), usually having three dendrites with a mean diameter of 8 micron, and small fusiform somas (12-24 micron), with two primary dendrites with a mean diameter of about 4 micron. The ultrastructures of the perikarya and dendrites were similar to other spinal neurons. Three types of terminals were identified: 1) round asymmetric terminals, 2) pleomorphic symmetric terminals, and 3) round symmetric terminals. On the soma, pleomorphic terminals were more numerous than round asymmetric terminals. On the dendrites, the density of round asymmetric terminals was similar to pleomorphic symmetric terminals. Round symmetric terminals represent only a small percent on either the soma or dendrites. Because of the greater total density of terminals on the dendrites than soma, pleomorphic symmetric and round asymmetric terminals are primarily located on the dendrites. Very few dense-core vesicles characteristic of monomamine terminals were observed, perhaps due to the fixative used.
Influence of the Madden-Julian Oscillation and Intraseasonal Waves on Surface Wind and Convection of Tropical Atlantic Ocean

AbstractAtmospheric intraseasonal variability in the tropical Atlantic is analyzed using satellite winds, outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), and reanalysis products during 2000–08. The analyses focus on assessing the effects of dominant intraseasonal atmospheric convective processes, the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO), and Rossby waves on surface wind and convection of the tropical Atlantic Ocean and African monsoon area. The results show that contribution from each process varies in different regions. In general, the MJO events dominate the westward-propagating Rossby waves in affecting strong convection in the African monsoon region. The Rossby waves, however, have larger contributions to convection in the western Atlantic Ocean. Both the westward- and eastward-propagating signals contribute approximately equally in the central Atlantic basin. The effects of intraseasonal signals have evident seasonality. Both convection amplitude and the number of strong convective events associated with the MJO are l...
Technique for Measuring Dust Collector Efficiency As a Function of Particle Size

With a specially designed generator, producing an aerosol of concentration, chemical composition, and size distribution similar to incinerator aerosols, a scrubber was tested in the laboratory by sampling before and after the collector. Using an Andersen Sampler as a 7 stage cascade impactor the efficiency for 7 different size classes was determined. This technique provides a rapid and simple method for evaluating the performance of a collector as a function of particle size. The multistage impaction classifies the particles according to their aerodynamic behavior. Gravimetric analysis of each stage eliminates the need for tedious counting and sizing.
Utilizing re-finding for personalized information retrieval

Individuals often use search engines to return to web pages they have previously visited. This behaviour, called re-finding, accounts for about 38% of all queries. While researchers have shown how re-finding differs from traditionally studied new-findings, research on how to predict and utilize re-finding is limited. In this paper we explore re-finding for personalized search. We compared three machine learning algorithms (decision trees, Bayesian multinomial regression and support vector machines) to identify re-findings. We then propose several re-ranking methods to utilize the prediction, including promoting predicted re-finding URLs and combining re-finding prediction with relevance estimation. The experimental results demonstrate that using re-finding predictions can improve retrieval performance for personalized search.
High-Temperature Stabilizers for Jet Fuels and Similar Hydrocarbon Mixtures. 2. Kinetic Studies

While 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline and benzyl alcohol are fine high-temperature (>400 °C) thermal stabilizers that efficiently inhibit the thermal degradation of dodecane, jet fuels, and similar hydrocarbon mixtures, kinetic studies reveal that the rate of dodecane degradation in the mixtures is a very strong function of temperature above 400 °C. In fact, we conclude that it will be extremely difficult to adequately stabilize hydrocarbon fuels using hydrogen donors at temperature much above 500 °C.
Comparisons of successive discrimination reversal performances among closely and remotely related avian species.

Summary The successive reversal performances of four different avian species, Bob White quail, White Leghorn chickens, Yellow Head parrots, and Red-billed Blue magpies, were studied across twenty-nine reversals of a spatial discrimination, in a form board box. One session of twenty trials was given each training day until a criterion of two or less errors per session was attained. All four groups showed appreciable decline in errors and session per problems, as well as initial errors. All four groups differed significantly in total numbers of errors and sessions across the twenty–nine reversals. Errors and sessions decreased progressively from the chickens, to the quail, to the parrots, with the lowest scores contributed by the magpie. The difference between parrot and magpie scores was less than that between the chicken and the quail. However, it appears that the successive reversal method can provide a system of behavioural calibration that is meaningfully correlated with taxonomic position.
AGE OF COSMIC RAYS AND ABUNDANCE OF ANTIMATTER IN THE GALAXY.

IT is more or less accepted that there is no evidence to rule out the existence of antimatter in the galaxy. Alfven and Elvius have argued1 from symmetry that the galaxy should contain 50 per cent matter and 50 per cent antimatter separated into irregular concentrations of each kind of matter. Burbidge and Hoyle2 limited the average density ratio of antimatter to matter to ≲10−7 by a thermodynamic argument that the energy density of electrons and positrons produced in annihilation should not exceed the energy density of the galactic magnetic field. Their limit is not applicable if matter and antimatter have separated from each other into large fairly pure masses of ≳1 kpc dimension, because annihilation could then take place only rarely and only at the boundaries between such masses.
Differences in the neurons that project from the dorsal column nuclei to the diencephalon, pretectum, and tectum in the cat.

The dorsal column nuclei (DCN) project to a number of targets in the nervous system besides the ventroposterolateral nucleus (VPL) of the thalamus. Recent evidence obtained using double-labeling techniques indicates that DCN's diencephalic-projecting neurons differ in their location and morphology from those that project to some of its other targets, such as the cerebellum and tectum. The purpose of the present study was to characterize anatomically the DCN neurons that project another of DCN's targets, the pretectum, and to determine if any of these neurons have collateral projections to the tectum or diencephalon.The projections were studied using two double-labeling methods. One method made use of either tritiated inactivated horseradish peroxidase ([3H]apoHRP) or tritiated N-acetyl wheatgerm agglutinin ([3H]WGA) as a marker and HRP or WGA conjugated to HRP. The other method made use of the dyes Fast Blue and Nuclear Yellow. In each cat, one marker was injected into the DCN-recipient portions of the pr...
Detection of Oraganophosphorus by Immobilized Wheat Esterase in Chitosan Bead

To detection of organophosphorus in spinach, the plant esterase was immobilized in magnetic chitosan bead by using glutaraldehyde as the cross-linking reagent and used for fast detection of organophosphorus pesticides. The best efficiency of immobilization could be obtained under the condition that the concentration of glutaraldehyde was 2.5%, the pH of glutaraldehyde was 5.5, the adding amount wheat esterase was 500 U, cross-linking time was 12 hours. The pesticides can be detected by the color developed during enzymatic reaction with this immobilization enzyme. The detecting sensitivity is 0.05~0.1 mg-kg -1 . The method is convenient for use and time saving.
Mental Stress-Induced Ischemia and All-Cause Mortality in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease Results From the Psychophysiological Investigations of Myocardial Ischemia Study

Background— Ischemia during laboratory mental stress tests has been linked to significantly higher rates of adverse cardiac events. Previous studies have not been designed to detect differences in mortality rates. Methods and Results— To determine whether mental stress–induced ischemia predicts death, we evaluated 196 patients from the Psychophysiological Investigations of Myocardial Ischemia (PIMI) study who had documented coronary artery disease and exercise-induced ischemia. Participants underwent bicycle exercise and psychological stress testing with radionuclide imaging. Cardiac function data and psychological test results were collected. Vital status was ascertained by telephone and by querying Social Security records 3.5±0.4 years and 5.2±0.4 years later. Of the 17 participants who had died, new or worsened wall motion abnormalities during the speech test were present in 40% compared with 19% of survivors (P=0.04) and significantly predicted death (rate ratio=3.0; 95% CI, 1.04 to 8.36; P=0.04). Eje...
The tract of Lissauer in relation to sensory transmission in the dorsal horn of spinal cord in the macaque monkey

The classical method for study of the area of innervation of skin by one nerve root, isolated by section of three neighboring roots on either side, was used to study the contribution of neighboring segments of spinal cord to transmission at the first sensory synapse. The area from which response to pinscratch could be obtained in the conscious monkey was greatly increased if the spinal cord was sectioned just below the test segment, or hemisected above it, particularly if vascular infarction was avoided. The enlarged area was hypersensitive. The maximal area of skin innervated by any one nerve root was approximately twice as large as had been found by previous investigators. Each sensory point in the ventral parts of dermatomes must be innervated by at least five nerve roots. Work previously reported had shown that the area of test dermatome was reduced by sectioning neighboring roots medial to their ganglia after previous distal section of the same roots, or by section of more than three neighboring roots. These restrictions of area could be reversed by a subconvulsive dose of strychnine. The facilitatory and suppressive effects from neighboring nerve roots and spinal segments respectively were traced to the mechanism of Lissauer's tract, of which the medial division exerts a facilitatory effect and the lateral division a suppressor effect on transmission through the first synapse of the test root. These excitatory and inhibitory effects, thought to be derived from collaterals of nerve fibers of like and unlike function of all sizes entering the substantia gelatinosa of neighboring segments, must be transmitted by small cells with axons in the tract of Lissauer. The reversal of the inhibition by strychnine indicates a post-synaptic mechanism at the first synapse. The prolongation of either tonic excitatory or tonic inhibitory influence for as long as five days after section of the corresponding input pathway represents a unique feature of the mass polysynaptic effects of the small interneurones making up the substantia gelatinosa, rather than the presence of a long-lasting transmitter substance. There was evidence that both dorsal root ganglion cells and substantia gelatinosa continue to contribute to fringe effects after isolation from the periphery. The mechanism of the substantia gelatinosa could provide correlation for the type of sequential directional information such as is necessary for the spinal scratch reflex.
Spontaneous live recurrent ectopic pregnancy after ipsilateral partial salpingectomy leading to tubal rupture

Introduction Ectopic pregnancy accounts for 1–2% of all pregnancies in the United States. The most common site of implantation for an ectopic pregnancy is the fallopian tube. We present the first case describing a recurrent ectopic pregnancy with a fetal heartbeat after ipsilateral salpingectomy that led to tubal rupture.
Bayesian methods for adaptive models

The Bayesian framework for model comparison and regularisation is demonstrated by studying interpolation and classification problems modelled with both linear and non-linear models. This framework quantitatively embodies 'Occam's razor'. Over-complex and under-regularised models are automatically inferred to be less probable, even though their flexibility allows them to fit the data better. When applied to 'neural networks', the Bayesian framework makes possible (1) objective comparison of solutions using alternative network architectures; (2) objective stopping rules for network pruning or growing procedures; (3) objective choice of type of weight decay terms (or regularisers); (4) on-line techniques for optimising weight decay (or regularisation constant) magnitude; (5) a measure of the effective number of well-determined parameters in a model; (6) quantified estimates of the error bars on network parameters and on network output. In the case of classification models, it is shown that the careful incorporation of error bar information into a classifier's predictions yields improved performance. Comparisons of the inferences of the Bayesian framework with more traditional cross-validation methods help detect poor underlying assumptions in learning models. The relationship of the Bayesian learning framework to 'active learning' is examined. Objective functions are discussed which measure the expected informativeness of candidate data measurements, in the context of both interpolation and classification problems. The concepts and methods described in this thesis are quite general and will be applicable to other data modelling problems whether they involve regression, classification or density estimation.
Carcinoembryonic Antigen and CD44 Variant Isoforms Cooperate to Mediate Colon Carcinoma Cell Adhesion to E- and L-selectin in Shear Flow

Selectin-mediated adhesion of tumor cells to platelets, leukocytes, and endothelial cells may regulate their hematogenous dissemination in the microvasculature. We recently identified CD44 variant isoforms (CD44v) as functional P-, but not E- or L-, selectin ligands on colon carcinoma cells. Moreover, an ∼180-kDa sialofucosylated glycoprotein(s) mediated selectin binding in CD44-knockdown cells. Using immunoaffinity chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry, we identify this glycoprotein as the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Blot rolling assays and flow-based adhesion assays using microbeads coated with CEA immunopurified from LS174T colon carcinoma cells and selectins as substrate reveal that CEA possesses E- and L-, but not P-, selectin ligand activity. CEA on CD44-knockdown LS174T cells exhibits higher HECA-452 immunoreactivity than CEA on wild-type cells, suggesting that CEA functions as an alternative acceptor for selectin-binding glycans. The enhanced expression of HECA-452 reactive epitopes on CEA from CD44-knockdown cells correlates with the increased CEA avidity for E- but not L-selectin. Through the generation of stable knockdown cell lines, we demonstrate that CEA serves as an auxiliary L-selectin ligand, which stabilizes L-selectin-dependent cell rolling against fluid shear. Moreover, CEA and CD44v cooperate to mediate colon carcinoma cell adhesion to E- and L-selectin at elevated shear stresses. The novel finding that CEA is an E- and L-selectin ligand may explain the enhanced metastatic potential associated with tumor cell CEA overexpression and the supportive role of selectins in metastasis.
High-performance clock routing based on recursive geometric matching

Minimizing clock skew is a very important problem in the design of high performance VLSI systems. We present a general clock routing scheme that achieves extremely small clock skews, while still using a reasonable amount of wire length. This routing solution is based on the construction of a binary tree using recursive geometric mat thing. We show that in the average case the total wire length of the perfect path-balanced tree is within a constant factor of the wire length in an opt imal Steiner tree, and that in the worst case, is bounded by O(@) when the n leaves are arbitrarily distributed in the unit square. we tested our algorithm on numerous random examples and also on industrial benchmark circuits and obtained very promising results: our clock routing yieIds near-zero average clock skew while using similar or even shorter total wire length in comparison with the methods of [7].
Optimization of a GPU Implementation of Multi-Dimensional RF Pulse Design Algorithm

Modern graphics processing units work efficiently in the RF Pulse Design for MR image reconstruction, which could make the reconstruction of images quicker with higher signal to noise ratio (SNR) and higher resolution. This paper introduces using GPU techniques, such as multithreads, sharedMem, coalesce, and constMem to optimize the performance of the conjugate gradient least square algorithm for reconstructing MR images. Compared to a full CPU implementation, a version utilizing the conjugate gradient least square algorithm on the NVIDIA Tesla C 1060 is significantly faster. The total image reconstruction time, including all CPU to GPU setup and overhead, also improves dramatically.
Maximum signal-to-noise ratio data combining for one-shot asynchronous multiuser CDMA detector

Using a one-shot matched filter followed by a decorrelating detector, results in outputs corresponding to the main user and the left (earlier bit) and right (current bit) portion of the code of the other users. Due to reduced power, these outputs will result in a degradated probability of error. The purpose of this paper is to propose a method of combining for the data of the split code users. We suggest to use combining gain in proportion to the relative user delays. The resulting decorrelating detector always performs better than the split-output detector. Such diversity data combining eliminates the need for the multiple one-shot filters, one for each user.
The seasonal cycle of planetary boundary layer depth determined using COSMIC radio occultation data

[1] The seasonal cycle of planetary boundary layer (PBL) depth is examined globally using observations from the Constellation Observing System for the Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) satellite mission. COSMIC uses GPS radio occultation to derive the vertical profile of refractivity at high vertical resolution (~100 m). Here, we apply an algorithm to determine PBL top height and thus PBL depth from the maximum vertical gradient of refractivity. PBL top detection is sensitive to hydrolapses at nonpolar latitudes but to both hydrolapses and temperature jumps in polar regions. The PBL depths and their seasonal cycles compare favorably with selected radiosonde-derived estimates at tropical, midlatitude, and Antarctic sites, adding confidence that COSMIC can effectively provide estimates of seasonal cycles globally. PBL depth over extratropical land regions peaks during summer consistent with weak static stability and strong surface sensible heating. The subtropics and tropics exhibit a markedly different cycle that largely follows the seasonal march of the Intertropical Convergence Zone with the deepest PBLs associated with dry phases, again suggestive that surface sensible heating deepens the PBL and that wet periods exhibit shallower PBLs. Marine PBL depth has a somewhat similar seasonal march to that over continents but is weaker in amplitude and is shifted poleward. The maximum seasonal amplitude over oceans occurs over the Arctic. Over subtropical/tropical oceans there is seasonal asymmetry about the equator, with winter maxima in the Northern Hemisphere but fall maxima in the south. The seasonal march of PBL depth is largely modulated by the seasonal cycle of static stability in the extratropics and by the monsoon circulations at tropical and subtropical latitudes.
The Literature on Multicultural Education: Review and Analysis.

This paper presents a comprehensive review of journal articles on multicultural education about which much has been written. The location and tracing of this literature is described.
Phenomenology and Structure: The Binocular Vision of Iris Marion Young

In 1990, the same year Iris Marion Young published Justice and the Politics of Difference, she also published a volume of essays called Throwing Like a Girl and Other Essays in Feminist Philosophy and Social Theory. The title essay in this volume, along with several others in the same volume, explores a range of women's embodied and sentient experiences, using a style of phenomenology explicitly indebted to the work of Simone de Beauvoir and Maurice Merleau-Ponty.
Cutting Edge: Recipient MHC Class II Expression Is Required to Achieve Long-Term Survival of Murine Cardiac Allografts After Costimulatory Blockade

To study the role of the direct and indirect pathways in achieving tolerance, we used genetically altered mouse strains in two ways: 1) MHC class II-deficient mice were used as donors of skin and cardiac grafts to eliminate the direct CD4+ T cell response, and 2) B6 II−4+ mice, which are MHC class II-deficient mice expressing an MHC class II transgene only on thymic epithelium, were used as recipients of normal grafts. These mice cannot mount an indirect response. Eliminating the indirect pathway actually made it more difficult to achieve prolonged allograft survival when we used costimulatory blockade than when both pathways were available. Costimulatory blockade was ineffective even when CD4+ T cells from normal animals were transferred into recipients that lacked MHC class II molecules. These results suggest that an active CD4+ response through the indirect pathway is necessary for costimulatory blockade to be effective in prolonging allograft survival.
Effects of denervation on acetylcholine receptor clusters on frog cardiac ganglion neurons as revealed by quantitative laser scanning confocal microscopy

We examined the effects of denervation on clusters of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) on autonomic neurons in the frog heart using immunofluorescence techniques and laser scanning confocal microscopy. We showed previously that normally innervated neurons have both large, brightly stained AChR clusters and small, dim AChR clusters. A majority (80%) of the large/bright AChR clusters are located at synaptic sites, whereas the small/dim clusters are distributed widely over the cell surface. Here, we use image analysis to identify these two classes of clusters on images generated from stacks of optical sections through neuronal cell bodies and to examine the effects of denervation on their number, size, and brightness (pixel intensity). Denervation reduces the number of large/ bright AChR clusters per cell to < 10% of sham-operated values and increases the number of small/dim clusters per cell by two- to threefold. These changes occur at 4 d of denervation, the earliest time examined, and are sustained for 6 weeks. The size of large/bright AChR clusters is decreased compared with sham-operated controls, and their brightness is unchanged. The size of small/dim AChR clusters is unchanged by denervation, but their brightness is increased. Denervation results in a shift in the contribution of each AChR cluster class to the total measurable AChR pool-from one dominated by large/bright clusters to one dominated by small/dim clusters. These results show that the nerve terminals on cardiac ganglion neurons appear to exert a continual and reversible influence on the organization of the postsynaptic membrane.
Shock-Tube Experiments and Kinetic Modeling of Toluene Ignition

Recent ignition delay time studies of toluene ignition (using shock tubes and rapid-compression machines) have not achieved a strong consensus at intermediate temperatures (900-1200 K) and high pressures (near 50 atm). However, the development and refinement of reaction mechanisms for toluene at engine-relevant conditions demand an accurate knowledge of these ignition delay times. To help resolve this issue, we have measured ignition delay times for toluene/air mixtures (φ = 1.0) at high pressures (near 50 atm) over the temperature range of 966 to 1211 K using pressure and emission measurements behind reflected shock waves. The new ignition delay times were found to be in good agreement with the previous study of Davidson et al. [Davidson, D. F., Gauthier, B. M., and Hanson, R. K., "Shock Tube Ignition Measurements of Iso-Octane/Air and Toluene/Air at High Pressures," Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, Vol. 301, 2005, pp. 1175-1182.]. Although the preignition pressure-time histories varied with the shock-tube loading protocol (e.g., cleaning and passivating), the ignition delay times were not significantly affected. Ignition delay time measurements were also compared with the predictions of several current toluene reaction mechanisms, and updated reaction rate values were suggested to improve modeling performance.
The PET/CT Report: The Most Important Part of the Study

The collaboration between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the nuclear medicine community to develop and implement the National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR) was a major step forward in defining the utility of 18F-FDG PET in areas of oncology not previously reimbursed. The effort
How Does Religion Promote Forgiveness? Linking Beliefs, Orientations, and Practices

Scholars have long observed that religion and forgiveness are generally positively linked, but it is unclear why this is the case. This article proposes and tests potential mechanisms by which religion promotes forgiveness. Using data from the 1998 General Social Survey, I find that holding a collaborative orientation toward God, subscribing to a pervasive role of religion, and believing God forgives are primary factors promoting one's propensity to forgive both oneself and others. These factors have varying influence on interpersonal forgiveness compared to self-forgiveness and further illuminate the differences between the two processes. My findings demonstrate the importance of analyzing a person's religious beliefs and orientations directly, in addition to examining other dimensions of religion, such as affiliation, frequency of religious activity, and official religious teachings.
An unequal error protection method for packet loss resilient 3D mesh transmission

A packet-loss resilient, bandwidth-scalable 3D graphics streaming system is proposed. It uses the compressed progressive mesh (CPM) algorithm (see Pajarola, R. and Rossignac, J., IEEE Trans. on Visualization and Computer Graphics, vol.6, no.1, p.79-93, 2000) to generate a hierarchical bit-stream to represent different levels of details (LODs). We assign forward error correction (FEC) codes to each layer in the encoded bit-stream according to its importance. To this end, we develop a new distortion measure that quantifies the distortion in the reconstructed mesh when part of the bit-stream is lost. Experimental results with a collection of 3D meshes have been conducted to demonstrate the efficacy of our solution. They indicate that with our proposed unequal error protection (UEP), the decoded mesh quality degrades more gracefully, compared to either no error protection (NEP) or equal error protection (EEP) methods, as the packet loss rate increases.
Building numerical sensitivity analysis systems using a knowledge based approach

Sensitivity analysis provides a good mechanism for experimenting with parameters to achieve desired changes in the behavior of a problem model. The authors have built an interactive system for sensitivity analysis that combines the use of an object-oriented inheritance network for knowledge representation and qualitative reasoning for automated guidance. This system helps a user carry out sensitivity analysis experiments in the domain of financial analysis of acquisitions. The authors describe the architecture of this system, with an emphasis on how the relevant AI technologies used play a critical role towards the usability and power of the system. >
The effect of nitrogen partitioning on the magnetic properties of FeAlN films

The amount of /spl gamma/'-Fe/sub 4/N phase in FeAlN films has been manipulated by varying the substrate temperature during RF diode sputter deposition. It was found that increasing substrate temperature leads to greater amounts of /spl gamma/'-Fe/sub 4/N precipitation under constant nitrogen flow. It is shown that this precipitation correlates with low coercivities at elevated temperatures and leads to a more negative saturation magnetostriction constant in the films. On the other hand, the magnetostriction constant increases with increasing nitrogen flow at the same substrate deposition temperature. This increase is attributed to the increasing amount of nitrogen in the /spl alpha/-Fe phase. It is shown that the amount of nitrogen in the /spl alpha/-Fe phase is controlling the magnetostriction constant of the film, rather than the /spl gamma/'-Fe/sub 4/N phase.
Prenatal ethanol exposure permanently reduces the number of pyramidal neurons in rat hippocampus

Abstract The effect of prenatal ethanol exposure in the rat on the development of dorsal hippocampal pyramidal and dentate gyrus granule cells was examined. Ethanol was administered in a nutritionally adequate liquid diet to pregnant rats during days 10–21 of gestation. Control groups were either pair-fed the same liquid diet, except for equicaloric substitution of sucrose for ethanol, or received free access to pelleted laboratory food. The brains of 60-day-old offspring exposed to ethanol during gestation were found to have 20% fewer dorsal hippocampal pyramidal cells than did those of controls. Prenatal ethanol exposure, however, did not affect the number of dentate gyrus granule cells. Prenatal exposure to ethanol permanently reduced the number of prenatally formed hippocampal neurons without altering physical growth, which suggested that the developing nervous system is particularly sensitive to the toxic effects of ethanol.
Acute and chronic effects of a contraceptive compound RTI-4587-073(l) on testicular histology and endocrine function in miniature horse stallions.

Contents The objective of this study was to evaluate acute endocrine effects as well as histological changes in testicular parenchyma induced by the contraceptive compound RTI-4587-073(l). Six miniature stallions were used in this experiment. The treatment group (n = 3) received one oral dose of 12.5 mg/kg of RTI-4587-073(l), and the control group (n = 3) received placebo only. The stallions' baseline parameters (semen, testicular dimensions, endocrine values) were collected and recorded for 5 weeks before treatment and for 6 weeks after treatment. Multiple blood samples were collected for endocrine analysis. Testicular biopsies were obtained before treatment, 1 day after treatment and every other week after treatment. Ultrasound exams were performed to monitor the dimensions of the stallions' testes. All stallions were castrated 6 weeks after treatment. Sperm numbers, motility and percentage of morphologically normal sperm decreased (p < 0.05), while the number of immature germ cells increased in ejaculates from treated animals (p < 0.05). Serum concentrations of inhibin and follicle-stimulating hormone did not change. Testosterone concentrations initially transiently decreased (p < 0.05) after administration of RTI-4587-073(l), and increased several days later (p < 0.05). Testicular content of testosterone and estradiol 17-β was lower in treated stallions than in control stallions on Day 1 after treatment (p < 0.05). Severe disorganization of the seminiferous tubules, significant loss of immature germ cells and complete depletion of elongated spermatids were observed in testicular biopsies obtained from treated stallions 1 day, 2 and 4 weeks after treatment. These changes were still present in the testicular samples taken from treated stallions after castration. The results of this study confirmed that RTI-4587-073(l) has antispermatogenic effects in stallions. Furthermore, we concluded that this compound causes acute sloughing of immature germ cells from the seminiferous tubules. RTI-4587-073(l) has significant but transient effects on Leydig cell function in stallions.
Pioneer leaders in plant pathology: ralph m. Caldwell.

Ralph Caldwell was a dynamic, innovative plant pathologist and plant breeder. His contributions to small grain cereal production in the Eastern United States were at the top of his field, and his achievements brought respect and honor to the Purdue University/US Department of Agriculture small grain research and breeding program, which he led. His approach to scientific problems was incisive. Dr. Caldwell was practically oriented, never losing sight of the societal benefits of his work. Nevertheless, he was a strong participant in and supporter of more basic research—believing that it was essential but not the total answer. One of his guidelines was that the applied program—breeding for disease resistance—was central and required a team effort. It inevitably would run into problems that were not easily addressed in the ongoing team effort. These problems, in turn, became the objects of research studies, which were individually approached on second tracks by members of the “team.” Research results were sub...