cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Part-set cuing of order information in recall tests

Serra and Nairne (2000, Experiment 3) showed that serial reconstruction of lists was better with consistent part-set cues (cues presented in their original positions) and worse with inconsistent part-set cues (cues presented in different positions) than with no cues. To determine if those results can be generalized beyond serial reconstruction, the present research examined the effect of consistent and inconsistent cues on serial and free recall. In Experiment 1, serial recall was facilitated with consistent cues but impaired with inconsistent cues. In Experiment 2, free recall was relatively little influenced by cuing condition. In Experiment 3, part-set cuing inhibition occurred when cues were segregated from the recall protocol but cues were not always inhibitory when cues were integrated. It was concluded that the effect of cues on item memory may be mediated by their effect on order memory.
Effects of Various Sucrose Fatty Acid Ester Emulsifiers on High‐Ratio White Layer Cakes

Sucrose fatty acid esters of various hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) values were found to improve cake volume and softness as HLB increased. When present in high concentrations (1.0-2.0% total flour wt basis), however, the sucrose ester emulsifiers caused drastic changes in surface appearance and in cake symmetry. Visual observations, amylograph data, and microscopic studies indicated that the sucrose esters delayed the pasting and gelatinization of the starch granules. There did not appear to be any synergistic effects of the sucrose esters when blended with a commercial alpha-mono/diglyceride emulsifier.
Early Pastoralists in East Africa: Ecological and Social Dimensions

Abstract This article discusses the development of economies based on nonindigenous domestic cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys in eastern Africa from the Lake Turkana basin south. It specifically addresses a previously noted delay of over a millennium in development of pastoral economies in the region. It argues that this lag could have been caused by novel epizootiological challenges encountered by pastoralists who had thrived in the Lake Turkana basin during the 5th millennium B.P. as they moved south into the Central Rift of Kenya. It reads the archaeofaunas, lithics, and ceramics in early “Neolithic” sites in Kenya and Tanzania as responses by immigrating pastoral groups and indigenous hunter–gatherers to an exceptionally dynamic environment, in which both climatic and veterinary factors made intergroup social alliances and exchange crucial.
Protocol modifications for CT perfusion (CTp) examinations of abdomen-pelvic tumors: Impact on radiation dose and data processing time

To evaluate the effect of CT perfusion (CTp) protocol modifications on quantitative perfusion parameters, radiation dose and data processing time. CTp datasets of 30 patients (21M:9F) with rectal (n = 24) or retroperitoneal (n = 6) tumours were studied. Standard CTp protocol included 50 sec cine-phase (0.5 sec/rotation) and delayed-phase after 70 ml contrast bolus at 5–7 ml/sec. CTp-data was sub-sampled to generate modified datasets (n = 105) with cine-phase(n = 15) alone, varying cine-phase duration (20-40 sec, n = 45) and varying temporal sampling-interval (1–3 sec, n = 45). The estimated CTp parameters (BF,BV,MTT&PS) and radiation dose of standard CTp served as reference for comparison. CTp with 50 sec cine-phase showed moderate to high correlation with standard CTp for BF&MTT (r = 0.96&0.85) and low correlation for BV (0.75, p = 0.04). Limiting cine-phase duration to 30 sec demonstrated comparable results for BF&MTT, while considerable variation in CTp values existed at 20 sec. There was moderate-to-high correlation of CTp parameters with sampling interval of 1&2 sec (r = 0.83–0.97, p > 0.05), while at 3 sec only BF showed high correlation (r = 0.96, p = 0.05). Increasing sampling interval (47–60%) and reducing cine-phase duration substantially reduced dose(30.8–65%) which paralleled reduced data processing time (3–10 min). Limiting CTp cine-phase to 30 sec results in comparable BF&MTT values and increasing cine-phase sampling interval to 2 sec provides good correlation for all CTp parameters with substantial dose reduction and improved computational efficiency.
Effect of error-contingent time-out on spaced responding in rats

Under DRL 20- and 30-sec, rats’ leverpresses with interresponse times shorter than the minimum interresponse time required for reinforcement produced a 15- or 60-sec time-out. The only systematic effect of the time-out procedure was to suppress responses with interresponse times shorter than 2 sec, suggesting that time-out functioned as stimulus feedback for a response. The effect of time-out was interpreted in terms of the dissimilarity between the operant and the consummatory response.
Neutrons (and Neutrinos) from the Galactic Center

The AGASA and SUGAR extensive air shower cosmic ray detectors both find tantalizing evidence of an anisotropic overabundance of cosmic rays towards the Galactic Center (GC) region that ''turns on'' around 1018 eV. I demonstrate that the anisotropy can be explained by extremely high energy neutrons created near the GC through charge-exchange in protonproton collisions (where the incident, high energy protons obey a ~ E−2 power law). The Galactic center gamma ray detections by several instruments, most recently and significantly HESS, provide strong corroborative evidence for this mechanism. This scenario will be tested in the future through direct detection of the neutrons by AUGER and, indirectly, by GC neutrino detection by km3-scale neutrino telescopes including IceCube. Finally, I argue that the required shock acceleration is probably occuring in the shell of Sagittarius A East, an unusual supernova remnant located very close to the GC.
Multisensor reflectance and vegetation index comparisons of Amazon tropical forest phenology with hyperspectral Hyperion data

Current earth observing satellite sensors have different temporal, spectral and spatial characteristics that present problems in the establishment of long term, time series data records. Vegetation indices (VI's) are commonly used in deriving long term measures of vegetation biophysical properties, which have been shown useful in interannual climate studies and phenology studies. While significant improvements have been made with new sensors, and algorithms, and processing methods, backward compatibility of VI's is desired so that the long term record can extend back and utilize the AVHRR record to 1981. Conversely, any reprocessing of the AVHRR record should consider steps to allow forward compatibility with newer sensors and products. In this study we evaluated the use of sensor-specific enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data sets, using a time sequence of Hyperion images over Tapajos National Forest in Brazil over the 2001 and 2002 dry seasons. We computed NDVI, EVI, and a 2-band version of EVI (EVI2) for different sensor systems (AVHRR, MODIS, VIIRS, SPOT-VGT, and SeaWiFS) and evaluated their differences and continuity in the characterization of tropical forest phenology. We also analyzed the influence of different atmosphere correction scenarios to assess noise in the phenology signal. Our analyses show that EVI2 maintains the desirable properties of increased sensitivity in high biomass forests across all sensor systems evaluated in this study. We further conclude that EVI2 can be extended to the AVHRR time series record and compliment that current NDVI time series record.
Factors influencing elevation of intracellular Ca2+ in the MCF-10A human mammary epithelial cell line by carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and a halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), were evaluated for their effects on intracellular Ca2+ in the human mammary epithelial cell line MCF-10A. After two 18-h incubations with MCF-10A cells, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP; 1, 3, and 10 μM) produced a dose-dependent increase in intracellular Ca2+. 7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene increased Ca2+ at 10 μM, whereas 3-methycholanthrene and TCDD did not. The Ca2+-elevating effect of BaP appeared to be dependent on the influx of extracellular Ca2+, as addition of the Ca2+ chelator EGTA to the extracellular medium prevented the increase in Ca2+. MCF-10A cells were found by polymerase chain reaction to express cytochrome P4501A and P4501B isozymes as well as the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator mRNAs associated with cytochrome P450 induction. Certain cytochrome P450–derived metabolites, including benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-diol (BP-diol) and benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE), were more effective in increasing Ca2+ than was BaP. The Ca2+-elevating effect of BP-diol was prevented by α-naphthoflavone, a cytochrome P4501A and P4501B inhibitor, but not by the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine. These results suggest that cytochrome P450–dependent formation of BPDE from BP-diol is a major mechanism required for elevation of Ca2+ in MCF-10A cells. Mol. Carcinog. 25:48–54, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Reversal of negative charges on the surface of Escherichia coli thioredoxin: pockets versus protrusions.

Recent studies of proteins with reversed charged residues have demonstrated that electrostatic interactions on the surface can contribute significantly to protein stability. We have used the approach of reversing negatively charged residues using Arg to evaluate the effect of the electrostatics context on the transition temperature (Tm), the unfolding Gibbs free energy change (ΔG), and the unfolding enthalpy change (ΔH). We have reversed negatively charged residues at a pocket (Asp9) and protrusions (Asp10, Asp20, Glu85), all located in interconnecting segments between elements of secondary structure on the surface of Arg73Ala Escherichia coli thioredoxin. DSC measurements indicate that reversal of Asp in a pocket (Asp9Arg/Arg73Ala, ΔTm = −7.3 °C) produces a larger effect in thermal stability than reversal at protrusions: Asp10Arg/Arg73Ala, ΔTm = −3.1 °C, Asp20Arg/Arg73Ala, ΔTm = 2.0 °C, Glu85Arg/Arg73Ala, ΔTm = 3.9°). The 3D structure of thioredoxin indicates that Asp20 and Glu85 have no nearby charges ...
Empirically Derived Subtypes of Adolescent Depression: Latent Profile Analysis of Co-Occurring Symptoms in the Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study (TADS)

A latent profile analysis was conducted on the co-occurring symptoms of 423 adolescents diagnosed with major depressive disorder as part of the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS), a multisite, randomized treatment trial. The participants had a mean (SD) age of 14.6 (1.5) years; of the sample, 45.6% was male and 73.8% was white. Scores on the primary subscales of Conners' Parent Rating Scale--Revised were used as indicators in the analysis. Five classes of symptoms best described the clinical presentation of adolescents enrolled in the TADS. Of the adolescents in the sample, 80% were assigned to classes with clinically significant elevations on 1 or more subscales of the Children's Depression Rating Scale--Revised. The 5 classes met empirical criteria for distinctiveness and were validated against clinical diagnoses, child-rated symptoms, and clinician-rated functional impairment. The findings are consistent with prior studies that showed a high rate of co-occurring symptoms among depressed adolescents. The discussion focuses on understanding subtypes and comorbidity in adolescent depression as well as the implications for treatment and for prevention.
Sexual Reorientation Therapy Interventions: Perspectives of Ex-Ex-Gay Individuals

While the topic of sexual reorientation therapy, that is, therapy intended to change one's sexual orientation from lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) to heterosexual, is not a new one, there is renewed interest in reorientation therapy. While most of the debate surrounding this controversial practice has focused on whether or not it should be banned, relatively few studies exist that detail what the process of reorientation therapy entails. The purpose of this investigation was to find out more about the typical modalities and interventions of reorientation therapy. Participants were 38 individuals who had gone through at least one episode of reorientation therapy and later reclaimed a LGB identity (113 total episodes). Participants’ open-ended responses to questions about their therapy experiences were coded into broader themes, and participants selected from a list of possible treatment methods that were used in their most recent intervention experience. Results indicated that frequently used reorientation...
Silicon core–hollow carbon shell nanocomposites with tunable buffer voids for high capacity anodes of lithium-ion batteries

Silicon core-hollow carbon shell nanocomposites with controllable voids between silicon nanoparticles and hollow carbon shell were easily synthesized by a two-step coating method and exhibited different charge-discharge cyclability as anodes for lithium-ion batteries. The best capacity retention can be achieved with a void/Si volume ratio of approx. 3 due to its appropriate volume change tolerance and maintenance of good electrical contacts.
Temporal Measures of Human Finger Tapping: Effects of Age

A computerized finger-tapping test was used in which nonclinical subjects were asked to tap a telegraph key with their index finger as rapidly as possible during five 10-s trials. Comparisons were made between young (mean age = 18 years) and aged (mean age = 75 years) subjects. Consistent with previous findings, aged subjects performed significantly fewer taps than younger subjects. Computerized analysis of finger-tapping patterns in the present study allowed for the determination of novel temporal parameters of tapping responses. Response initiation time was defined as the time from the offset of one finger tap until the onset of the next finger tap. Aged subjects had significant and substantially longer response initiation times than younger subjects. Response duration times also were measured: this parameter was defined as the time from the onset of one finger tap until the offset of the same finger tap. Although the magnitude of the effect was small, aged subjects had significantly longer response duration times than younger subjects. Thus, although the deficit in response rate of a voluntary repetitive response in aged subjects was largely due to impairments in response initiation times, the response duration also contributes to the overall deficit in responding. Using these methods it is possible that greater insight into aging or extrapyramidal motor disorders, such as parkinsonism, may be obtained; it is also possible that these data may be useful as a research tool to aid in drug development and evaluation.
On the Shape and Stability of a Drop on a Solid Surface

The shape and stability of a liquid drop on a bare planar solid surface are analyzed by minimizing its total potential energy calculated microscopically. The solution of the obtained differential equation for the drop profile shows that there is a rapid variation of the angle between the tangent to the profile and the solid surface in the region near the leading edge. At the leading edge, this angle is equal to 180° and is independent of the interaction parameters and drop size. For a large droplet, the profile of which is close to a circular one everywhere except in the microscopically small region near the solid surface, a macroscopic contact angle θm is introduced, which is identified as the experimentally measured contact angle. The following simple expression was derived for this angle: cos θm = (a − 2)/2, where a depends on the microscopic parameters of the intermolecular interactions (see section III.D for details). For cylindrical droplets, an analytical criterion was found that connects the drop...
Image Transmission by the Troposphere I

Quantitative treatment of the apparent luminance of distant objects and the reduction of apparent contrast along inclined paths of sight through real atmospheres has been accomplished by means of optical data taken from an aircraft in flight. Sample data from a single flight are used to illustrate some of the principles involved. Correlation has been found between the humidity profile of the atmosphere and its optical properties.
Effect of Keratolytic Drugs on Oral Hyperkeratosis in Syrian Hamsters

SYNOPSIS IN INTERLINGUALE EFFECTO DE PHARMACOS KERATOLYTIC SUPER HYPERKERATOSIS ORAL.—Leslones hyperkeratotic del mucosa oral esseva inducite in albin hamsters syrian per le administration topic de 9,10-dimethyl-l,2-benzanthraceno. Post 6 applicationes de un solution de 20 pro cento de acido salicylic, un significative declino quantitative esseva observate clinicamente in le keratosis. Associate alterationes microscopic del processo de keratinisation esseva le formation de un amorphe, non-laminate strato cornee, perdita de strato lucide, e disruption del strato granulose. Mucosa hyperkeratotic tractate similemente con un solution de 20 pro cento de podophyllina manifestava nulle comparabilemente significative effecto keratolytic. Es stipulate que le inefficacia relative de podophyllina in le presente studio esseva conditionate per su supponite incapacitate de penetrar epithelio cornificate o per su inactivation therapeutic in le saliva alcalin del hamster.
Local drug delivery to conserve hearing: mechanisms of action of eluted dexamethasone within the cochlea.

Dexamethasone is a synthetic corticosteroid that is routinely administered via intratympanic injections for the treatment of sudden idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss (Plontke et al., 2009) with...
Chemical signals in the reproduction of Asian (Elephas maximus) and African (Loxodonta africana) elephants

Asian (Elephas maximus) and African (Loxodonta africana) elephants exhibit polygynous mating that involves female choice of mates and male-male competition for access to females. Chemical signals mediate intersexual and intrasexual interactions associated with reproduction. The need for reliable and honest signals is accentuated by the markedly different social structure of adult males and females. Adult female elephants live in matriarchal herds consisting of a dominant female and several generations of offspring. Adult males are solitary or travel with other males except during breeding periods. Because females have a long 16-week oestrous cycle with a brief 1-week receptive period and a 4-5 year interval between births, a sexually active female is a limited resource. Asian elephant females advertise a forthcoming ovulation by releasing (Z)-7-dodecen-1-yl acetate in their urine during the preovulatory period. African elephants probably produce a sex pheromone as well. Females regularly contact the ano-genital region of other females and show heightened chemosensory responsiveness to urine during the follicular phase. The physiological impacts of this ability to detect reproductive condition (e.g. possible synchronizing or suppressing of oestrus) are uncertain. Males experience an annual period of heightened aggressiveness and highly elevated testosterone concentrations known as musth. Males secrete fluid copiously from their temporal gland and dribble strongly odoriferous urine during musth. Females appear to prefer musth males as mates, and captive Asian females exhibit greater chemosensory responses to urine from males in musth than not. Males in musth are competitively dominant to all other males, even those larger than themselves. Nonmusth males avoid males in musth, and captive Asian bulls show greater interest in musth than nonmusth urine. In captivity subordinate Asian females back away from musth secretions, and females with calves sometimes display protective behaviour. Clearly, chemical signals play an important role in communication by elephants between and within the sexes. Further work is needed to identify more of these chemical messengers and to understand their complete function in mediating reproductive interactions in the elephant social system.
Genome-wide analyses of Nkx2-1 binding to transcriptional target genes uncover novel regulatory patterns conserved in lung development and tumors

The homeodomain transcription factor Nkx2-1 is essential for normal lung development and homeostasis. In lung tumors, it is considered a lineage survival oncogene and prognostic factor depending on its expression levels. The target genes directly bound by Nkx2-1, that could be the primary effectors of its functions in the different cellular contexts where it is expressed, are mostly unknown. In embryonic day 11.5 (E11.5) mouse lung, epithelial cells expressing Nkx2-1 are predominantly expanding, and in E19.5 prenatal lungs, Nkx2-1-expressing cells are predominantly differentiating in preparation for birth. To evaluate Nkx2-1 regulated networks in these two cell contexts, we analyzed genome-wide binding of Nkx2-1 to DNA regulatory regions by chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by tiling array analysis, and intersected these data to expression data sets. We further determined expression patterns of Nkx2-1 developmental target genes in human lung tumors and correlated their expression levels to that of endogenous NKX2-1. In these studies we uncovered differential Nkx2-1 regulated networks in early and late lung development, and a direct function of Nkx2-1 in regulation of the cell cycle by controlling the expression of proliferation-related genes. New targets, validated in Nkx2-1 shRNA transduced cell lines, include E2f3, Cyclin B1, Cyclin B2, and c-Met. Expression levels of Nkx2-1 direct target genes identified in mouse development significantly correlate or anti-correlate to the levels of endogenous NKX2-1 in a dosage-dependent manner in multiple human lung tumor expression data sets, supporting alternative roles for Nkx2-1 as a transcriptional activator or repressor, and direct regulator of cell cycle progression in development and tumors.
The perils of protection: vulnerability and women in clinical research

Subpart B of 45 Code of Federal Regulations Part 46 (CFR) identifies the criteria according to which research involving pregnant women, human fetuses, and neonates can be conducted ethically in the United States. As such, pregnant women and fetuses fall into a category requiring “additional protections,” often referred to as “vulnerable populations.” The CFR does not define vulnerability, but merely gives examples of vulnerable groups by pointing to different categories of potential research subjects needing additional protections. In this paper, I assess critically the role of this categorization of pregnant women involved in research as “vulnerable,” both as separate entities and in combination with the fetuses they carry. In particular, I do three things: (1) demonstrate that pregnant women qua pregnancy are either not “vulnerable” according to any meaningful definition of that term or that such vulnerability is irrelevant to her status as a research participant; (2) argue that while a fetus may be vulnerable in terms of dependency, this categorization does not equate to the vulnerability of the pregnant woman; and (3) suggest that any vulnerability that appends to women is precisely the result of federal regulations and dubious public perceptions about pregnant women. I conclude by demonstrating how this erroneous characterization of pregnant women as “vulnerable” and its associated protections have not only impeded vital research for pregnant women and their fetuses, but have also negatively affected the inclusion of all women in clinical research.
Comparison of Acoustic Spectrometry, Compression and Shear Force Measurements in Ripening Pear Fruit

Abstract A study of the mechanical properties of four pear varieties demonstrated that indices of texture obtained by Acoustic Spectrometry, Compression and Shear analyses showed similar patterns of change on ripening. Furthermore, studies on gel model systems indicated that stiffness coefficients obtained from acoustic spectra were influenced by pectin concentration, soluble and insoluble solids. The pectin fraction isolated from two of these varieties showed a trend in dissolution comparable to texture measurements. The data indicate that acoustic spectrometry, like shear and compression analyses, can be a useful monitor of pear texture.
Quenching of electronically-excited UF6 emission by selected organics☆

Abstract Rate constants at 25°C have been evaluated for the quenching of electronically excited UF6 by selected organic molecules. Values for the rate constants at 25°C (units of 1011 ρ/mole s) for CH4, C2H6, C2F6, CHF2CHF2, C2H2, and C2H4 are 0.061, 3.8, 0.022, 0.072, 6.0, and 5, respectively.
Cataracts. Lifting the clouds on an age-old problem.

PREVIEWAbout half of the general population between the ages of 65 and 75 years has cataracts—and that number increases another 20% after age 75. While they are the most common treatable cause of vision loss in older adults, cataracts sometimes are unrecognized or are considered just another normal consequence of growing older. In this article, Drs Trudo and Stark explain the causes, symptoms, and differential diagnosis of cataracts and discuss treatment options that can improve independence and quality of life for many patients.
Short-term mood repair through art-making: Positive emotion is more effective than venting

We examined two mechanisms by which creating visual art may serve as a form of short-term mood repair. After viewing a film that induced a negatively valenced mood, participants were given a self-report affect grid that assessed mood valence and arousal. Participants then engaged in one of three tasks: creating a drawing expressing their current mood (venting), creating a drawing depicting something happy (positive emotion), or scanning a sheet for specific symbols (distraction control). Mood valence and arousal were then reassessed. Arousal remained unchanged after the interventions in all conditions. Valence became more positive in all three conditions, but the greatest improvement occurred after the positive emotion intervention. Valence improved no more after venting than after the control task. Results show that in the short-term, attending to and venting one’s negative feelings through art-making is a less effective means of improving mood than is turning away from a negative mood to something more positive. These findings are consistent with research on the beneficial effects of positive emotions and cast doubt on the often assumed view that artists improve their well being by expressing suffering.
Steroid-induced alterations in mRNA expression of the long form of the prolactin receptor in the medial preoptic area of female rats: Effects of exposure to a pregnancy-like regimen of progesterone and estradiol

Abstract It is firmly established that the onset of maternal behavior in the female rat is stimulated by a combination of hormones that include prolactin (PRL), estradiol (E 2 ), and progesterone (P 4 ). Specifically, nulliparous rats display short latencies to respond to foster young when primed with Silastic capsules filled with P 4 and E 2 and then administered PRL centrally to the medial preoptic area (MPOA), an area integrally involved in the expression of maternal behavior in this species. PRL or P 4 treatments alone are ineffective in stimulating the expression of maternal care. Since the actions of PRL in the MPOA appear to be mediated by PRL receptors, it was of interest to determine whether and how treatment with P 4 and E 2 together or separately might alter mRNA expression of the long form of the PRL receptor (PRL-R L ) in the MPOA. Using in situ hybridization histochemistry (ISHH), mRNA expression of the PRL-R L was measured in the MPOA of ovariectomized, nulliparous rats treated with various combinations of P 4 and E 2 . Treatment of animals with P 4 alone for 10 days or with P 4 followed by E 2 for 1 or 4 days resulted in reductions in PRL receptor mRNA expression in the MPOA when compared with the expression in animals treated with E 2 alone or blank capsules. The actions of P 4 on mRNA expression of the PRL-R L were more pronounced in the dorsal MPOA. Circulating PRL levels collected at the time of sacrifice were elevated in all groups treated with E 2 , but no association between PRL levels and receptor mRNA expression within the MPOA was evident. These findings indicate that the dorsal MPOA may be one site of progesterone's action in facilitating prolactin-mediated maternal behavior.
CONDITIONAL MOMENTS ANALYSIS OF TRANSIENTS WITH APPLICATION TO HELICOPTER FAULT DATA

Abstract Conditional time-frequency moments are discussed and applied to the Westland helicopter test data. The conditional moments we use have a simple physical interpretation, namely, they are the mean, median and mode frequencies at a given time, and the spread about the mean frequency at a given time (the ‘instantaneous spectral bandwidth’). We show that they characterise the faults well and can differentiate between different fault classes. Using spectrograms for their calculation enables real-time computation. Accordingly, these conditional moments are a sparse feature set that can potentially serve as an on-line diagnostic tool for detecting and monitoring developing faults.
Pragmatic Liberalism and President Obama: An Analysis of U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Bangladesh

This research seeks to examine the foreign policy of President Obama with special reference to Bangladesh from the point of pragmatic liberalism. Pragmatism means understanding the realities of the...
Optical Beam Diagnostics on PEP

In designing the PEP optical diagnostics we have been able to build on the experience gained with SPEAR. Most of the problems at SPEAR could be traced to the optical diagnostic system being inside the tunnel. A machine shutdown is required for any maintenance or modification. This implies that in order to make such an instrument successful, a large engineering effort must be mounted to ensure 100% operation at startup. The functions that do not work at startup may never be made to work; this has happened at several machines. Experimental setups are likewise risky and time consuming. A point which has been borne out in both SPEAR and PEP is that the mechanical part of the instrument, the special vacuum chamber, the optical mounts, the alignment and adjustments, require approximately 60% of the effort and cost of the optical diagnostics. It is far better to economize on detectors and electronics than on mechanical and optical essentials.
Aneurisma del seno de Valsalva con obstrucción del tracto de salida del ventrículo derecho

Resumen es: Los aneurismas del seno de Valsalva representan una patologia infrecuente, congenita o adquirida, que puede permanecer asintomatica por largo tiempo, o p...
Hybrid finite element-boundary integral method for cavities recessed in an elliptic cylinder

The highly versatile finite element-boundary integral method is presented for accurate modeling of fields within cavities recessed in a perfectly conducting, infinite, elliptic cylinder. Properties of flush-mounted cavities and antennas are explored and compared with prior developments. This formulation represents a significant advancement over prior techniques since surface curvature variation, either across a single element or across an array of elements, is now accurately included into the antenna model. An advantage of this approach is the ability to model cavities with curvature varying from planar to the constant curvature of a circular cylinder. Computed eigenvalues for planar-rectangular and cylindrical-rectangular closed cavities are compared with theoretical values. Eigenvalues are presented for elliptic-rectangular cavities. Furthermore, the input impedance of a conformal cavity-backed patch antenna mounted on an elliptic cylinder is presented and compared with a similar antenna on a circular cylinder.
Self-packaged wrappable patch antenna and circuit system for a universal wireless endoscope platform

A patch antenna and an electronic circuit/sensor system implemented on a flat flexible substrate are rolled up to form a wireless endoscope capsule. A flexible Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) substrate is used. A conventional wirelesses endoscope system is assembled by stacking up multiple layers of PCBs comprising a transceiver, a microprocessor, a sensor, and an antenna etc., and communication between different layers are realized by vertical vias, which usually cause loss and cost to design and implement. The approach used here is to design all the necessary components on a single piece of a flexible substrate and assemble them by rolling up. No via is needed for communication between components and layers. Further, the layout is designed to enclose all other electronics by the wrapped patch antenna, which offers an omnidirectional radiation pattern as well as electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding to the enclosed analog/digital circuits as well as sensitive sensors.
Improved single-photon detector performance

High efficiency single-photon detectors are needed for many applications including quantum cryptography and linear-optics quantum computing. We present experimental results showing improved detection efficiency of silicon avalanche photodiodes by reducing reflective losses.
How is a motor skill learned? Change and invariance at the levels of task success and trajectory control

The public pays large sums of money to watch skilled motor performance. Notably, however, in recent decades motor skill learning (performance improvement beyond baseline levels) has received less experimental attention than motor adaptation (return to baseline performance in the setting of an external perturbation). Motor skill can be assessed at the levels of task success and movement quality, but the link between these levels remains poorly understood. We devised a motor skill task that required visually guided curved movements of the wrist without a perturbation, and we defined skill learning at the task level as a change in the speed–accuracy trade-off function (SAF). Practice in restricted speed ranges led to a global shift of the SAF. We asked how the SAF shift maps onto changes in trajectory kinematics, to establish a link between task-level performance and fine motor control. Although there were small changes in mean trajectory, improved performance largely consisted of reduction in trial-to-trial variability and increase in movement smoothness. We found evidence for improved feedback control, which could explain the reduction in variability but does not preclude other explanations such as an increased signal-to-noise ratio in cortical representations. Interestingly, submovement structure remained learning invariant. The global generalization of the SAF across a wide range of difficulty suggests that skill for this task is represented in a temporally scalable network. We propose that motor skill acquisition can be characterized as a slow reduction in movement variability, which is distinct from faster model-based learning that reduces systematic error in adaptation paradigms.
Fast interpolation method for periodic unit cell problems

A fast interpolation method (FIM) is presented for rapidly evaluating electromagnetic fields in a periodic unit cell of general periodic problems. For a problem with N sources and N observers, the computational cost is of O(N) with O(1) evaluations of the periodic Green's functions (PGF). The method is kernel independent, i.e. it can be applied to many period problem types, and it allows using simple Floquet summations for the evaluation of the PGF.
Characterization of Fluorescent Chimeras of Cholera Toxin and Escherichia coli Heat-Labile Enterotoxins Produced by Use of the Twin Arginine Translocation System

Cholera toxin (CT) is an AB5 toxin responsible for the profuse secretory diarrhea resulting from Vibrio cholerae infection. CT consists of a pentameric, receptor-binding B subunit (CTB) and a monomeric A subunit (CTA) that has latent enzymatic activity. In addition to its enterotoxicity, CT has potent mucosal adjuvant activity and can also function as a carrier molecule with many potential applications in cell biology. In earlier studies, the toxic CTA1 domain was replaced by several other antigenic protein domains to produce holotoxin-like chimeras for use as potential mucosal vaccines. In the present study we utilized the twin arginine translocation (tat) system to produce fluorescent CT chimeras, as well as fluorescent chimeras of Escherichia coli heat-labile toxins LTI and LTIIb. Fusion proteins containing either green fluorescent protein (GFP) or monomeric red fluorescent protein (mRFP) and the A2 domain of CT, LTI, or LTIIb were transported to the periplasm of E. coli by the tat system, and the corresponding B polypeptides of CT, LTI, and LTIIb were transported to the periplasm by the sec system. The fluorescent fusion proteins were shown to assemble spontaneously and efficiently with the corresponding B polypeptides in the periplasm to form chimeric holotoxin-like molecules, and these chimeras bound to and entered cultured cells in a manner similar to native CT, LTI, or LTIIb. The GFP and mRFP derivatives of CT, LT, and LTIIb developed here are useful tools for studies on the cell biology of trafficking of the CT/LT family of bacterial enterotoxins. In addition, these constructs provide proof in principle for the development of novel chimeric CT-like or LT-like vaccine candidates containing CTA2 fusion proteins that cannot be delivered to the periplasm of E. coli by use of the sec secretion pathway.
VDPilot: feasibility study of hosting virtual desktops for classroom labs within a federated university system

Providing pervasive access to expensive, computational software such as Matlab and SPSS has always been a logistical and licensing challenge for a faculty who want to train their students with industry standard software. In addition, the faculty who want to manage lab exercises, assignments and exams are led to use e-mail to send and receive large files, thus limiting their ability to access and assist in the work-in-progress of students. In this paper, we present the methodology and results from our ‘VDPilot’ feasibility study to address such challenges by hosting virtual desktops for classroom labs within a federated university system in Ohio. The study leverages universities’ pre-existing high-speed network access at the regional-level in order to: 1) assess the user quality of experience (QoE) of accessing desktop applications remotely compared to physically going to a computing lab, and 2) analyse the challenges and requirements for a shared service amongst collaborating universities.
Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy of brightly colored commercially available dyestuffs and pigments

Fourier transform (FT) Raman spectroscopy is shown to be a very powerful and valuable technique for the analysis of brightly colored dyestuffs and pigments. The use of a near-infrared Nd: YAG laser, as opposed to visible lasers used in conventional Raman instrumentation, virtually eliminates fluorescence from the dye, thus allowing high-quality Raman spectra to be collected. The small amount of sample required and the limited sample preparation involved also make FT Raman spectroscopy attractive when the amount of sample available is limited or when a rapid, reliable analysis is needed. FT Raman spectra along with the complementary FT-IR spectra of various commercially available dyestuffs and pigments are presented.
GLC Determination of Heroin and Its Metabolites in Human Urine

Abstract Heroin and its metabolites, 6‐monoacetylmorphine, morphine, and normorphine, were determined in human urine with a GLC procedure. Heroin was extracted with chloroform at pH 4.5 and chromatographed at a temperature programmed from 200–250° by 8°/min. 6‐Monoacetylmorphine and morphine were extracted with ethylene dichloride containing 30% isopropanol at pH 8.5, and normorphine was extracted at pH 10.4 with the same solvent. The extract was derivatized with trimethylsilylimidazole and chromatographed at 230° for the determination of 6‐monoacetylmorphine and morphine and at 220° for normorphine and morphine.
Hands-free, speech-based navigation during dictation: difficulties, consequences, and solutions

Speech recognition technology continues to improve, but users still experience significant difficulty using the software to create and edit documents. In fact, a recent study confirmed that users spent 66% of their time on correction activities and only 33% on dictation. Of particular interest is the fact that one third of the users' time was spent simply navigating from one location to another. In this article, we investigate the efficacy of hands-free, speech-based navigation in the context of dictation-oriented activities. We provide detailed data regarding failure rates, reasons for failures, and the consequences of these failures. Our results confirm that direction-oriented navigation (e.g., Move up two lines) is less effective than target-oriented navigation (e.g. Select target). We identify the three most common reasons behind the failure of speech-based navigation commands: recognition errors, issuing of invalid commands, and pausing in the middle of issuing a command. We also document the consequences of failed speech-based navigation commands. As a result of this analysis, we identify changes that will reduce failure rates and lessen the consequences of some remaining failures. We also propose a more substantial set of changes to simplify direction-based navigation and enhance the target-based navigation. The efficacy of this final set of recommendations must be evaluated through future empirical studies.
An initial animal proof-of-concept study for central administration of clozapine to schizophrenia patients

While clozapine is the acknowledged superior pharmacotherapeutic for the treatment of schizophrenia, the side effect profile, which includes potentially fatal complications, limits its usefulness. Central administration of clozapine directly into the brain could circumvent many of the side effect issues due to the dramatic reduction in dose and the limitation of the drug primarily to the CNS. The present study demonstrates that clozapine can be formulated as a stable solution at physiological pH, which does not have in vitro neurotoxic effects at concentrations which may be effective at treating symptoms. Acute central administration improved auditory gating deficits in a mouse model of schizophrenia-like deficits. Assessment of behavioral alterations in rats receiving chronic central infusions of clozapine via osmotic minipump was performed with the open field and elevated plus mazes. Neither paradigm revealed any detrimental effects of the infusion. While these data represent only an initial investigation, they none-the-less suggest that central administration of clozapine may be a viable alternate therapeutic approach for schizophrenia patients which may be effective in symptom reduction without causing behavioral or neurotoxic effects.
Fair and Efficient TCP Access in IEEE 802.11 WLANs

We illustrate the transport layer unfairness problem in the IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs). We propose a novel and simple analytical model to calculate the per-flow congestion window limit that provides fair TCP access in a wired/wireless scenario where the wireless hop is an 802.11 link. The proposed analysis is unique in that it considers the effects of varying number of uplink and downlink TCP flows, varying round trip times (RTTs) of TCP connections, and the use of delayed TCP acknowledgment (ACK) mechanism. The comparison with simulation results validates the accuracy of the analytical estimations on the congestion window limit. When the TCP connections use the congestion window limits calculated from the proposed model, not only fair access can be provisioned, but also the channel can be utilized efficiently in a wide range of scenarios.
Case Report: Pheochromocytoma-related catecholamine cardiomyopathy with successful outcomes after orthotopic heart transplantation

Pheochromocytomas (rare catecholamine-producing neuroendocrine tumors) have many different manifestations, and complications can occasionally include myocardial infarction and cardiomyopathy. In a majority of cases, cardiomyopathy reverses following medical or surgical treatment of the pheochromocytoma. We report a case of a 28-year-old male patient with preoperative diagnosis of pheochromocytoma and for whom a successful adrenalectomy revealed a benign pheochromocytoma. The patient had decompensation of heart failure and subsequent needed heart transplantation for irreversible cardiomyopathy; this gave a good outcome three years post-transplant. The heavy burden of atherosclerosis and fibrosis in a young patient with few cardiac risk factors and the irreversible cardiac damage are unique features of this case. This is also the first report (to our knowledge) of a patient with a pheochromocytoma that was surgically resected but who subsequently needed cardiac transplantation. We conclude that catecholamine-induced cardiomyopathy may be irreversible if there is structural damage to myocytes despite adequate medical and surgical treatment of a pheochromocytoma.
Effects of variation in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus molarity and stoichiometry on sex determination in the fern Ceratopteris richardii

Carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorous (P) are needed by all organisms for basic biological processes. When an individual macronutrient is not accessible, nutrient limitation occurs. The stochiometric balance between multiple nutrients and individual concentrations are both vital for normal growth and development. Labile sex expression in plants is a phenotypic trait predicted to be sensitive to local nutrient conditions because males and females differ in their nutritional demands. We applied concepts from ecological stoichiometry to assess the effects of variation in individual nutrient concentration and multiple macronutrient stoichiometry on sexual development in the fern Ceratopteris richardii Brongn. Manipulation of N, P, and organic and inorganic C was expected to yield variation in the ratio of males to females, consistent with environmental sex-determination theory. Our results suggest nutrient stoichiometry, not strictly concentration, influences sex determination at ambient CO2. However, an ...
Interfacial Considerations in Polysulfide Sealant Bonding

Abstract It is necessary to examine the sealant-coating interface and consider the polymer-primer interaction for a complete understanding of interfacial bonding. Why a polysulfide sealant sticks to a fresh or “imaged” polyurethane coating surface and not to an “aged” polyurethane surface has been determined. Also, we were able to artificially age polyurethane coated surfaces and correlate artificial aging with natural aging by surface tension and contact angle measurements. The polyurethane kinetic studies indicate that unreacted isocyanate (NCO) groups at the surface quickly deplete in a matter of few hours under 60°C/95 percent R.H. condition. Both heat and moisture reduce the NCO concentration in bulk but at a moderately slower rate. Room temperature cure of the polyurethane was found to be very slow. Disappearance of residual NCO groups during aging coupled with hardening of the polyurethane surface appears to be the primary reason for inadequate adhesion with a polysulfide sealant to an aged polyure...
Lp Soboley-space Estimates for the -operator on Polycylinders

In trying to copy what has been done for the -operator on domains which satisfy the so called condition z(q) as far as Sobolev spaces are concerned, we are led to estimates in some Sobolev spaces for the -operator on polycylinders for (r, q)-forms. This generalizes our results for the same operator on polycylinders for (0, 1)-forms.