cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of junction interface modification of silicon heterojunction solar cells

The interfaces of crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells are extremely sensitive to contamination. SunsV oc measurements using blue and infrared filtered light in conjunction with the standard white light measurement have shown that a contamination problem on the front of the solar cell occurs when a thin film is deposited on the back. Chemical cleaning has indirectly shown that contamination is located between the p-aSi layer and the layer immediately below it. Although the chemical cleaning significantly improves the resulting solar cell performance parameters, their range is very wide. It has been determined that depositing a SiN x :H layer on the surface of the intrinsic a-Si layer on the emitter side of the solar cell and removing before deposition of the p-doped a-Si layer significantly improves the fill factor (FF) of crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells made on n-type crystalline silicon wafers, and significantly narrows the range of the performance parameters of solar cells processed at the same time.
Predicting Child Outcomes at the End of Kindergarten from the Quality of Pre-Kindergarten Teacher–Child Interactions and Instruction

Publicly funded prekindergartens are programs that most states use to promote school readiness, especially of 4-year-old children at risk for academic problems due to poverty. Despite large public expenditures, these programs have not been widely evaluated. We examined 240 randomly selected pre-kindergarten programs in six states with mature programs that serve large numbers of children, and evaluated specific aspects of classroom quality and children's academic achievement in both the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten year for over 700 children. Results showed that, on average, pre-kindergarten teachers were moderately responsive and sensitive, but were less successful in engaging children in learning specific skills. Both sensitive and stimulating interactions with the teacher and the instructional quality aspects of the pre-kindergarten classroom predicted the acquisition of language, pre-academic, and social skills through the end of the kindergarten year.
Simulation of homogeneous ethanol condensation in nozzle flows using a kinetic method

When a liquid rocket engine operates in the space environment, droplets have been observed in the thruster plume that can cause contamination of spacecraft surfaces. Condensation can add to this contamination by contributing to the formation and growth of liquid particles in the flow. The condensation process has been modeled using the direct simulation Monte Carlo method. Models have been developed and incorporated into the direct simulation Monte Carlo code for the processes involved in condensation, which include nucleation, condensation, evaporation, coalescence, and nonsticking collisions. The models are applied to simulate the flow of ethanol in dry air, which has been used to model hydrazine in contamination studies in a vacuum chamber and has been used in several studies of condensation in a supersonic nozzle. Simulations are conducted of the internal flow in the divergent portion of a supersonic nozzle. The results show reasonable agreement with experimental data for the mass fraction of condensed ethanol along the nozzle axis, but the simulations give a lower value in all cases. The simulation results for the point of condensation onset show good agreement with the experimental data. The results are shown to be sensitive to the nucleation and evaporation rates, as well as the inclusion of the carrier gas.
Bilateral brain processes for comprehending natural language

Comprehension of natural language – stories, conversations, text – is very simple for those doing the comprehending and very complex for cognitive neuroscientists. It also presents a paradox: the advantage of the left hemisphere (LH) for most language tasks is one of the best-established facts about the brain; yet, when it comes to comprehending complex, natural language, the right hemisphere (RH) might play an important role. Accumulated evidence from neuropsychology, neuroimaging, and neuroanatomy suggests at least three roughly separable (but highly interactive) components of semantic processing. Each process in turn has bilateral components, with the RH component performing coarser computations for the same general process. Examining asymmetrical brain and cognitive functions provides a unique opportunity for understanding the neural basis of complex cognition.
Ventricular shapes, distortions, and deformities: Mirrors of past cerebral insults. A study based on early sonographic follow-up studies

Ventricular distortions and deformities often represent the endpoint of neuropathologic reactions that evolve early in life. Once fully developed, they may offer no clues as to preceding etiologic agents or pathogenesis. Serial sonography in the neonatal period of 14 patients with periventricular leukomalacia provided documentation of the evolution of certain ventricular patterns. When recognized early, these ventricular changes have prognostic significance because periventricular leukomalacia can produce serious neurologic sequelae. If found later in childhood, periventricular leukomalacia can be suggested as the original pathology. Ventricular deformities can be generalized (12 patients) or focal (11 patients); the various types of distortions are seen frequently in combination. The generalized form of ventricular expansion consisted of uniform expansion of the parieto-occipital components (hydroporencephaly), following extensive periventricular white matter necrosis. Hydroporencephaly is a new form of ex vacuo hydrocephalus in the pediatric age group. Focal changes are caused by more localized white matter cavitations with ventricularization of ensuing porencephalic cysts. These changes result in a footprint-shaped ventricular pattern (10 patients) or in frontal/occipital (polar) ventricular pointing (4 patients). White matter necrosis in other areas may lead to ventricles with bumpy contours (5 patients).
Thermal adaptation in biological membranes: interacting effects of temperature and pH

The interacting effects of pH and temperature on membrane fluidity were studied in plasma membranes isolated from liver of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) acclimated to 5 and 20°C. Fluidity was determined as a function of temperature under conditions of both constant (in potassium phosphate buffer) and variable pH (in imidazole buffer, consistent with imidazole alphastat regulation) from the fluorescence anisotropy of two probes: 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene, which intercalates into the bilayer interior, and 1-(4-trimethylammoniumphenyl)-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene which is anchored at the membrane/water interface. The temperature dependence of the anisotropy parameter for 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene in plasma membranes of 20°C-acclimated trout was greater when determined in phosphate (ΔAP per °C=-0.047) than in imidazole buffer (ΔAP per °C=-0.022); similar, but less significant, trends were noted with 1-(4-trimethylammoniumphenyl)-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene. In contrast, the temperature dependence of fluidity (ΔAP/°C in the range-0.0222 to-0.027) did not vary with buffer composition in membranes of 5°C-acclimated trout. In phosphate buffer, anisotropy parameter values for 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene were significantly lower in 5°C-than 20°C-acclimated trout, indicating a less restricted probe environment following cold acclimation and nearly perfect compensation (∼91%) of fluidity. Temperature-dependent patterns of acid-base regulation were estimated to account for 11–40% of the fluidization evident in membranes of 5°C-trout, but a period of cold acclimation was required for complete fluidity compensation. In contrast, no homeoviscous adaptation was evident in imidazole buffer, indicating that membrane fluidity is sensitive to buffer composition. Accordingly, vesicles of bovine brain phosphatidylcholine, suspensions of triolein, and plasma membranes of 5°C-acclimated trout were consistently more fluid in imidazole than phosphate buffer. Membranes of 5°C-acclimated trout were enriched in molecular species of phosphatidylcholine containing 22:6n3 (at the expense of species containing 18:1n9 and 18:2n6) compared to membranes of 20°C-trout; consequently, the unsaturation index was significantly higher (3.29 versus 2.73) in trout maintained at 5 as opposed to 20°C. It is concluded that: 1) the chemical composition of the internal milieu can significantly influence the physical properties of membrane lipids; 2) temperature-dependent patterns of intracellular pH regulation may partially offset the ordering effect of low temperature on membrane fluidity in 20°C-acclimated trout transferred to 5°C, but not in 5°C-acclimated trout transferred to warmer temperatures; 3) the majority of the thermal compensation of plasma membrane fluidity resulting from a period of temperature acclimation most likely reflects differences in membrane composition between acclimation groups; 4) imidazole apparently interacts with trout hepatocyte plasma membranes in a unique way.
Ensuring quality and sustainability in after-school programs.

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education are engaged in a unique public-private partnership that strives to integrate the assets and flexibility of philanthropy with the breadth of a major federal program to support meaningful after-school programs and school-community partnerships for children, youth, families, and communities.
Properties of Low Precision Analog-to-Digital Converters

The problem of quantization and saturation noise introduced by the process of analog-to-digital conversion is addressed. Analog-to-digital converters (ADC) with even versus odd numbers of output states are compared. Expressions are derived and evaluated which yield the signal-to-noise ratio and the gain versus signal level input when the input signal has an assumed Gaussian probability density. The results presented should have application in all fields in which digital signal processing is performed.
Near-optimal adaptive control of a large grid application

This paper develops a performance model that is used to control the adaptive execution the ATR code for solving large stochastic optimization problems on computational grids. A detailed analysis of the execution characteristics of ATR is used to construct the performance model that is then used to specify (a) near-optimal dynamic values of parameters that govern the distribution of work, and (b) a new task scheduling algorithm. Together, these new features minimize ATR execution time on any collection of compute nodes, including a varying collection of heterogeneous nodes. The new adaptive code runs up to eight-fold faster than the previously optimized code, and requires no input parameters from the user to guide the distribution of work. Furthermore, the modeling process led to several changes in the Condor runtime environment, including the new task scheduling algorithm, that produce significant performance improvements for master-worker computations as well as possibly other types of grid applications.
Auditory capacities of the Mexican blind cave fish (Astyanax jordani) and its eyed ancestor (Astyanax mexicanus)

Abstract The auditory capacities of two species of characid fish, Astyanax mexicanus and A. jordani, were determined using avoidance conditioning techniques. Pressure thresholds for both species were as low as those reported for other ostariophysines and the minimum threshold for both species was at 1000 Hz. Both species of fish could hear a wider range of sounds than that reported for any other species of fish tested in a quantitative manner. There is no evidence that the Mexican blind cave fish can detect pressure stimuli any better or more poorly than its ancestral eyed relative. There is no obvious selective advantage for maintenance of a wide auditory range upon entry into the cave since no source of sounds above about 1000 Hz are present there. There may be selective pressures for maintenance of the ear for less obvious reasons, such as the need for the equilibrium information that the ear provides. Although not enough ostariophysines have yet been investigated, these data substantiate earlier findings that they can hear a wider range of sounds and lower intensities than non-ostario-physines. The behaviour of the fish in the avoidance apparatus differs strikingly during initial training and during testing, and this is probably due to the different orientation of these two species.
Nonequilibrium statistical mechanics of tropical sea surface temperature variability

[1] Climate variability has significant human impact but is difficult to model and predict. Recent theoretical developments in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics cover a class of stochastic models often used for climate phenomena. The theory for a coarse-grained entropy production is developed for simple stochastic climate models and applied to observed tropical sea surface temperatures (SST), demonstrating that nonequilibrium properties can be quantified with climate datasets, and that tropical SST variability is approximately consistent with fluctuations about a nonequilibrium steady-state with relatively few degrees-of-freedom. Fluctuations with negative entropy production demonstrate that seasonal tropical SST variability is small and fast in a thermodynamic sense, indicating that nonequilibrium fluctuation theory is applicable. This work demonstrates that nonequilibrium theory can address climate-scale phenomena, suggests that it could provide insight into how climate change will affect climate variability, and perhaps provide a fundamental theory for variability of the climate system.
Target characterization using decomposition of the time-reversal operator: electromagnetic scattering from small ellipsoids

Decomposition of the time-reversal operator for an array, or equivalently the singular value decomposition of the multistatic response matrix, has been used to improve imaging and localization of targets in complicated media. Typically, each singular value is associated with one scatterer even though it has been shown in several cases that a single scatterer can generate several singular values. In earlier papers Chambers and Berryman (2004 Phys. Rev. Lett. 92 0239021–4; 2004 IEEE Trans. Ant. Prop. 52 1729–38) showed that a small spherical scatterer can generate up to six singular values depending on the array geometry and sphere composition. It was shown that the existence and characteristics of multiple singular values for each scatterer can, in principle, be used to determine certain properties of the scatterers, e.g. conducting or non-conducting material. In this paper, we extend this analysis to non-spherical targets and show how orientation information about the target may be obtained from the spectrum of singular values. The general properties of the decomposition for small non-spherical dielectric (and possibly conductive) targets in an electromagnetic field are derived and detailed results are obtained for the specific cases of non-magnetic and perfectly conducting needles and discs. It is shown that scatterer orientation can be estimated by tracking the singular values of a linear array as it is rotated around its midpoint.
Inadequate Standard for Glove Puncture Resistance: Allows Production of Gloves with Limited Puncture Resistance

The National Fire Protection Association has developed standards for glove puncture resistance using a metal puncture probe. Biomechanical performance studies have demonstrated that glove puncture resistance to the probe is significantly greater than that of the hypodermic needle, suggesting that these standards have no clinical relevance. These standards give a false sense of security to health care personnel and sanction the production and use of gloves that give inadequate protection. The result is potentially harmful for medical personnel.
The reaction of rhodospirillum rubrum cytochrome c2 with iron hexacyanides

The reaction of Rhodospirillum rubrum cytochrome c2 with the non-physiological reactants ferrocyanide and ferricyanide has been investigated as a function of ionic strength temperature and pH using both stopped-flow and temperature-jump kinetic methods. The results are consistent with a complex reaction mechanism involving the formation of two intermediate complexes. The site of electron transfer appears to be at the front of the cytochrome c2 molecule near the heme crevice with interaction of both ferri and ferrocyanide with a positively charged region of the molecule. Comparison of the proposed electron transfer mechanism of cytochrome c2 with ferro-ferricyanide is made with the mechanism proposed based upon structural considerations.
Genetic associations between neuregulin-1 SNPs and neurocognitive function in multigenerational, multiplex schizophrenia families.

Objectives—Recent work shows promising associations between schizophrenia and polymorphisms in Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) and a large literature also finds strong familial relationships between schizophrenia and cognitive deficits. Given the role of NRG1 in glutamate regulation and glutamate’s effect on cognition, we hypothesized that cognitive deficits may be related to variation within NRG1, providing a possible mechanism to increase risk for schizophrenia. Method—This study examined the associations between NRG1, cognition, and schizophrenia using a multigenerational multiplex family sample (total N = 419, 40 families), including 58 affected participants (schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder-depressed type) and their 361 unaffected relatives. Participants were genotyped for 40 NRG1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), chosen largely based on previous associations with schizophrenia. All participants completed structured diagnostic interviews and a computerized neurocognitive battery assessing eight cognitive domains. Variance component quantitative trait analyses tested for associations between individual NRG1 SNPs and cognitive performance in the total sample, a subsample of healthy participants with no DSM diagnosis, and using general intelligence as a covariate. Results—Effect sizes (within-family beta coefficients) ranged from 0.08 to 0.73, and 61 of these associations were nominally significant (p≤.05), with 12 associations at p≤.01, although none achieved the modified Bonferroni significance threshold of p<.0003. Attention was the most frequently nominally associated domain and rs10503929, a non-synonymous SNP, was the most frequently nominally associated SNP. Conclusions—Although not significant experiment-wise, these findings suggest that further study of the associations between variation in NRG1 and cognition may be productive.
The effect of fluoride intake on the total lipid, cholesterol and vitamin E levels in sera and liver of guinea pigs on high fat diet.

Abstract Guinea pigs were raised on a diet containing 18 percent fat and were provided 25 or 0 ppm fluoride in the drinking water. Animals were sacrificed at the end of 0, 3, 6, 9 and 13 weeks on the dietary regimen and blood serum was analyzed for fluoride, total lipid, cholesterol and alpha tocopherol. The serum total lipid levels, cholesterol and alpha tocopherol levels were increased in the high fluoride group between 9 and 13 weeks. An increase in total lipid and alpha tocopherol levels was also observed in the livers of these animals. The increase in liver content of alpha tocopherol was proportional to the increase in total lipid content whereas the corresponding increase in serum alpha tocopherol content was significant even when the increase in total lipid was taken into account. The data suggest a specific effect of fluoride on the serum alpha tocopherol levels of the high fluoride animals.
Unsteady motion of airfoils with boundary-layer separation

It is shown that the condition that determines circulation about an airfoil with boundary layers is identical with the usual inviscid-flow condition based on conservation of total circulation and the Kutta-Joukowski condition, in both steady and unsteady flow. This implies interesting relationships between the viscous and inviscid models, namely, between boundary-layer vorticity and bound-vortex strength, viscous-wake vorticity and freevortex strength, and vortex/vorticity fluxes, in both steady and unsteady flow. The unsteady aerodynamics of airfoils with rounded trailing edges is discussed in this light, and it is concluded that a dual model is needed, involving a boundary-layer calculation over a smooth body to determine circulation, and a vortex-sheet model to determine the perturbed potential flowfield needed in this calculation, as well as forces and moments on the airfoil.
Regulation of necrosis of H9c2 myogenic cells upon transient energy deprivation. Rapid deenergization of mitochondria precedes necrosis and is controlled by reactive oxygen species, stress kinase JNK, HSP72 and ARC.

Subjecting myogenic H9c2 cells to transient energy deprivation leads to a caspase-independent death with typical features of necrosis. Here we show that the rupture of cytoplasmic membrane, the terminal event in necrosis, is shortly preceded by rapid depolarization of mitochondrial membranes. The rapid deenergization of mitochondria critically depended upon prior generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during ATP depletion stage. Accordingly, expression of catalase prevented mitochondrial depolarization and averted subsequent necrosis. Interestingly, trifluoperazine, a compound that protects cells from ischemic insults, prevented necrosis of H9c2 cells through inhibition of ROS production. Other factors that regulated the mitochondrial membrane depolarization and subsequent loss of plasma membrane integrity include a stress kinase JNK activated at early steps of recovery from ATP depletion, as well as an apoptotic inhibitory protein ARC. Accordingly, inhibition of JNK or overexpression of ARC prevented mitochondrial depolarization and rescued H9c2 cells from necrosis. ROS and JNK affected mitochondrial deenergization and necrosis independently of each other since inhibition of ROS production did not prevent activation of JNK, whereas inhibition of JNK did not suppress ROS accumulation. Therefore, JNK activation and ROS production represent two independent pathways that control mitochondrial depolarization and subsequent necrosis of cells subjected to transient energy deprivation. Overexpression of ARC, although preventing mitochondrial depolarization, did not affect either JNK activation or production of ROS. The major heat shock protein Hsp72 inhibited JNK-related steps of necrotic pathway but did not affect ROS accumulation. Interestingly, mitochondrial depolarization and subsequent necrosis can be suppressed by an Hsp72 mutant Hsp72ΔEEVD, which lacks chaperone function but can efficiently suppress JNK activation. Thus, Hsp72 is directly implicated in a signaling pathway, which leads to necrotic death.
Relativistic temperature-dependent Hartree-Fock calculation of spherical nuclei.

The temperature-dependent Hartree-Fock approach is extended to the relativistic quantum-field-theory framework; exchange of {sigma}, {omega}, {rho}, and {pi} mesons and photons are included. Application is made to two spherical nuclei, {sup 16}O and {sup 40}Ca. Temperature dependences of excitation energies, single-particle spectra, charge densities, and entropies are evaluated and compared to corresponding nonrelativistic calculations. We find a considerably larger thermal response for these nuclei when compared to the nonrelativistic results.
Horizons: 2000 A Model for Gender Fair Education

This article presents evidence that girls are not receiving an equal education and describes a program model which offers solutions for counselors and teachers to adopt.
Acetylacetonate (acac) anion in the gas phase: predicted structures, vibrational spectra, and photodetachment energies

Abstract The geometry and vibrational spectrum of the gas-phase acetylacetonate anion [acac − ; (CH 3 CO) 2 CH − ] are predicted using ab initio molecular orbital theory. At the MP2/6-31+G∗∗//HF/6-31+G∗ level there are three stable conformers. In order of increasing energy, they are ( 1 ) a C s structure with the carbonyl groups in an anti conformation, ( 2 ) a C 2 structure with the carbonyls pointed exo (about 21 kJ mol −1 higher than 1 ), and ( 3 ) a C 2v structure with the carbonyls endo (about 27 kJ mol −1 higher than 1 ). The third, least stable conformation corresponds to the geometry found in most β-diketonate coordination complexes. These three conformations are separated by barriers of about 60 kJ mol −1 . The infrared spectra of 1 and 2 are quite similar, but that of the endo structure 3 features two strong peaks instead of only one in the 1400–1700 cm −1 region. The enol ( 4 ) and di-enol ( 5 ) isomers are 60 kJ mol −1 and 230 kJ mol −1 , respectively, less stable than structure 1 . Vertical photodetachment of acac − can produce neutral acac in a few low-lying electronic states. At the spin-restricted B3LYP/6-31+G∗//HF/6-31+G∗ level, the lowest vertical detachment energies are predicted to be 2.9, 2.9, 2.9, 2.1, and 1.2 eV for 1 – 5 , respectively, with an estimated uncertainty 2σ = 0.2 eV. The corresponding adiabatic detachment energies (EA 0 ) are predicted to be 2.8, 2.8, 2.8, 2.1, and 1.2 eV. The vibrational spectra of the neutral radicals are also predicted and the vibrational structure on the photodetachment spectra is discussed.
Effect of distance between feeders on aggression in captive chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra)

Abstract The distance between feeding troughs was systematically manipulated to determine the relationship between spacing and aggression during feeding in a herd of captive chamois ( R. rupicapra ) at the Oklahoma City Zoo. Ten troughs containing grain (one per adult animal; one male and nine females) were spaced at 1.65, 1.1, 0.55 and 0 m between their ends. Each condition was observed twice for 20 min each time. Female to female and female to juvenile aggressive acts increased significantly with decreasing inter-trough distance. The average number of females feeding decreased, and more feed troughs were left unused, at the shorter distances. At shorter distances, other animals tended not to feed next to the herd male. Chamois females appear to maintain enough space while feeding to allow slightly more than one meter between themselves and adjacent animals. To reduce aggression and stress, and to allow all herd members access to favored food, aggressive wild species with weapons (horns) such as chamois should be provided with one feeder per adult, spaced so that adjacent animals can feed without violating each other's individual distance.
Occurrence of Fumonisin B1 in Maize Grown in Costa Rica

Fusarium moniliforme is one of the most frequent fungal pathogens found in corn. Samples of corn grown in three different regions of Costa Rica were collected and analyzed for the presence of fumonisins, metabolites produced by F. moniliforme. Results indicate that fumonisin B1 was present in 89% of the samples. Maize grown in Costa Rica is therefore contaminated with fumonisin B1, and contamination depends on geographical region and period of collection. Microbiological analysis revealed the presence of F. moniliforme-type isolates in 86% of the maize samples. Average levels of fumonisin B1 per regionBrunca, Huetar Norte, and Huetar Atlanticawere 2.50, 3.58, and 1.81 ppm, respectively. Mean fumonisin B1 values were 2.13 ppm with a minimum of 0.00 ppm and a maximum of 6.32 ppm. Maize from the Huetar Atlantica region showed significantly (a = 0.05) higher levels of F. moniliforme-type isolates than maize from the Brunca and Huetar Norte regions. Keywords: Fumonisin; maize; Costa Rica
A genome scan for renal function among hypertensives : the HyperGEN study

Decreased renal function is often a complication of hypertension. Although it has been suggested that the response of the kidney to hypertension has an underlying genetic component, there is limited information suggesting that specific genetic regions or candidate genes contribute to the variability in creatinine clearance, a commonly used measure of kidney function. As part of the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN) study, creatinine clearance measurements were assessed in a large biracial sample of hypertensive siblings (466 African American subjects and 634 white subjects in 215 and 265 sibships, respectively). All participants were hypertensive before the age of 60 years, and the mean age of the siblings was 52 years among the African American subjects and 61 years among the white subjects. Two residual models were created for creatinine clearance: a minimally adjusted model (which included age and age2) and a fully adjusted model (which included age, age2, lean body mass, pulse rate, pulse pressure, hormone-replacement therapy, educational status, and physical activity). Standardized residuals were calculated separately for men and women in both racial groups. The heritability of the residual creatinine clearance was 17% and 18% among the African American and white subjects, respectively. We conducted multipoint variance components linkage analysis using GENEHUNTER2 and 387 anonymous markers (Cooperative Human Linkage Center screening set 8). The best evidence for linkage in African American subjects was found on chromosome 3 (LOD = 3.61 at 214.6 cM, 3q27) with the fully adjusted model, and the best evidence in white subjects was found on chromosome 3 (LOD = 3.36 at 115.1 cM) with the minimally adjusted model. Positional candidate genes that are contained in and around the region on chromosome 3 (214.6 cM) that may contribute to renal function include enoyl-CoA hydratase/3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (EHHADH) and apolipoprotein D (ApoD). These findings suggest there may be genetic regions related to the variability of creatinine clearance among hypertensive individuals.
INDEPENDENCE OF ADRENAL HYPERPLASIA AND GONADAL MASCULINIZATION IN THE EXPERIMENTAL ADRENOGENITAL SYNDROME OF FROGS

THE similarity of the estrogen-induced adrenal and gonadal effects in larval frogs with the characteristic picture of the so-called adrenogenital syndrome of human pathology was pointed out in an earlier publication (Witschi 1953). However, experiments then in progress and already referred to in the discussion of the same paper, furnish proof that in the case of the frogs the gonadal and the adrenal changes are independent parallel reactions to the estrogen administrations. The present paper gives the full account of the recent set of experiments. METHODS The experiments were started with a large lot of eggs of Rana pipiens and repeated with smaller batches of R. temporaria and R. sylvatica cherokiana. Since the results were identical, as far as the present work is concerned, no further distinction of the three species will be made in this report. Of about 1000 specimens at the beginning, one-third were hypophysectomized through removal of the hypophyseal placode at the late neurula stage.
Impressions from the 1982 ACM Symposium on Lisp and Functional Programming

I returned from this conference with three distinct impressions: firstly, having Alonzo Church, Barkley Rosser and Haskell Curry together as Honored Guests of the conference; secondly, being totally entertained by the "performer" Peter Henderson presenting a rational reconstruction of an Escher woodcut using recursive function definitions1; and feeling that there were a number of astute British scientists who were thinking about foundational issues, who may soon make fundamental contributions to novel ways of computing!
American Newspapers and the Great Meteor Storm of 1833: A Case Study in Science Journalism:

American newspaper coverage of the great meteor storm of 1833 provides an opportunity to observe that era's science journalism in action. The results are surprising. Newspapers in this period from the Revolution to the Civil War focused almost entirely on politics and were highly partisan, with little concern for local happenings and even less for science. Yet confronted with a completely unexpected celestial spectacle that had substantial scientific implications, most newspaper editors rose to the occasion by adopting uncharacteristic practices. They sought out observers and got interviews. They published letters from witnesses. They consulted scientific texts and printed explanations from scientists. Most editors tried to keep their articles factual, although their political stories had no such scruples. Almost all tried to assuage the fear that many witnesses felt as they watched a sight utterly unlike any they had seen before or could have imagined. Newspapers assured readers that what they saw was na...
Severe microcytic anemia but increased erythropoiesis in mice lacking Hfe or Tfr2 and Tmprss6.

Abstract Cell surface proteins Hfe, Tfr2, hemojuvelin and Tmprss6 play key roles in iron homeostasis. Hfe and Tfr2 induce transcription of hepcidin, a small peptide that promotes the degradation of the iron transporter ferroportin. Hemojuvelin, a co-receptor for bone morphogenic proteins, induces hepcidin transcription through a Smad signaling pathway. Tmprss6 (also known as matriptase-2), a membrane serine protease that has been found to bind and degrade hemojuvelin in vitro , is a potent suppressor of hepcidin expression. In order to examine if Hfe and Tfr2 are substrates for Tmprss6, we generated mice lacking functional Hfe or Tfr2 and Tmprss6. We found that double mutant mice lacking functional Hfe or Tfr2 and Tmprss6 exhibited a severe iron deficiency microcytic anemia phenotype mimicking the phenotype of single mutant mice lacking functional Tmprss6 ( Tmprss6 msk/msk mutant) demonstrating that Hfe and Tfr2 are not substrates for Tmprss6. Nevertheless, the phenotype of the mice lacking Hfe or Tfr2 and Tmprss6 differed from Tmprss6 deficient mice alone, in that the double mutant mice exhibited much greater erythropoiesis. Hfe and Tfr2 have been shown to play important roles in the erythron, independent of their role in regulating liver hepcidin transcription. We demonstrate that lack of functional Tfr2 and Hfe allows for increased erythropoiesis even in the presence of high hepcidin expression, but the high levels of hepcidin levels significantly limit the availability of iron to the erythron, resulting in ineffective erythropoiesis. Furthermore, repression of hepcidin expression by hypoxia was unaffected by the loss of functional Hfe, Tfr2 and Tmprss6.
The infrared spectra of glycine adsorbed on various cation-substituted montmorillonites☆

The i.r. spectra (4000-1200 cm−1) are obtained for several cation-substituted-montmorillonite-glycine complexes. Interpretation of the spectra for Cu-montmorillonite containing less than 20 meq intercalated glycine/100 g. clay and prepared at a pH near the isoelectric point of glycine indicates the presence of both a bidentate complex and a monodentate complex in which a Cu2+ ion is coordinated to the N-atom of the amino acid. The monodentate complex is the predominant adsorbed species on clay films prepared at a pH below the isoelectric point while the bidentate and adsorbed species on clay films prepared at a pH below the isoelectric point while the bidentate complex predominates on films prepared at higher pH's. Glycinium cations are the adsorbed species on H-montmorillonite. These cations become a major adsorbed species on Cu-montmorillonite as one increases the concentration of glycine adsorbed on the clay film. Similar observations have been made for glycine adsorbed on Ni- and Zn-montmorillonite.
Tortuous Axillary Artery Aneurysm Causing Median Nerve Compression

Axillary artery aneurysms are rare entities that warrant surgical intervention. Reported complications include thrombosis, distal embolization, and debilitating neurologic symptoms caused by median nerve compression. Common etiologies include trauma or repetition injuries. Less recognized associations include atherosclerotic, connective tissue, or mycotic processes. We report a case of a rare tortuous axillary artery aneurysm causing neurologic symptoms in a woman with an unused arteriovenous fistula.
Moving from assumption to observation: Implications for energy and emissions impacts of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

Abstract Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are currently for sale in most parts of the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. These vehicles are promoted as providing distinct consumer and public benefits at the expense of grid electricity. However, the specific benefits or impacts of PHEVs ultimately relies on consumers purchase and vehicle use patterns. While considerable effort has been dedicated to understanding PHEV impacts on a per mile basis few studies have assessed the impacts of PHEV given actual consumer use patterns or operating conditions. Instead, simplifying assumptions have been made about the types of cars individual consumers will choose to purchase and how they will drive and charge them. Here, we highlight some of these consumer purchase and use assumptions, studies which have employed these assumptions and compare these assumptions to actual consumer data recorded in a PHEV demonstration project. Using simulation and hypothetical scenarios we discuss the implication for PHEV impact analyses and policy if assumptions about key PHEV consumer use variables such as vehicle choice, home charging frequency, distribution of driving distances, and access to workplace charging were to change.
Ethics across the computer science curriculum

The aim of this workshop is to assess the current practices and project future trends for the integration of ethics across the computer science curriculum. The workshop organizers are developing a computer security and information assurance curriculum across which ethical content is integrated. Through this workshop, they will share their experiences and facilitate a dialog with others involved in teaching ethics.
Test generation and fault detection for VLSI PPL circuits

The problem of design for testability of PPL logic circuits is addressed. A test generation package was developed which utilizes the special features of PPL logic to generate high fault coverage test vectors at a reduced computational cost. The test strategy assumes that one of the scan design techniques is used. A new methodology for test vectors compaction without compromising the fault coverage is also proposed. A fault oriented test generation algorithm combined with a heuristic test generation algorithm are the essential ingredients of this package. The fault oriented algorithm uses a modified D-algorithm which includes look ahead features and a new seven valued logic to improve the average speed of the test generation process. Fault coverages in the 90% range were obtained using the test sequences generated by this package.
Relationship between hamstring activation rate and heel contact velocity: Factors influencing age-related slip-induced falls

The purpose of this research was to determine whether a decreased hamstring activation rate among the elderly is responsible for a higher horizontal heel contact velocity and increased likelihood of slip-induced falls compared to their younger counterparts. Twenty-eight subjects from two age groups (14 young and 14 old) walked across a linear walking track with embedded force platforms while wearing a fall arresting harness attached to an overhead arresting rig for safety. In order to obtain realistic unexpected slip-induced fall data, a soapy vinyl floor surface was hidden from the subjects and unexpectedly introduced. Synchronized kinematics, kinetic and electromyography (EMG) analyses during the heel contact phase of the gait cycle while walking over slippery and non-slippery floor surfaces were examined in the study. Normalized EMG data were examined in terms of hamstring activation rate and evaluated with heel contact velocity and friction demand characteristic (as measured by peak required coefficient of friction (RCOF)) on the dry vinyl floor surface. Furthermore, slip parameters (i.e. slip distances and slipping velocity) were assessed on the soapy vinyl floor surface. The results indicated that younger adults' hamstring activation rate was higher than older adults, whereas younger adults' heel contact velocity was not different from older adults. These results suggested that heel contact velocity in younger adults was sufficiently reduced before the heel contact phase of the gait cycle. This could be due to the outcome of higher hamstring activation rate in younger adults in comparison to older adults. However, lower friction demand (peak RCOF), shorter slip distances, slower peak sliding heel velocity and more falls among older adults suggested that the slip initiation characteristics were not the only factors contributing to slip-induced falls among the elderly.
Global Vegetation and Climate Change due to Future Increases in CO2 as Projected by a Fully Coupled Model with Dynamic Vegetation

Abstract Transient simulations are presented of future climate and vegetation associated with continued rising levels of CO2. The model is a fully coupled atmosphere–ocean–land–ice model with dynamic vegetation. The impacts of the radiative and physiological forcing of CO2 are diagnosed, along with the role of vegetation feedbacks. While the radiative effect of rising CO2 produces most of the warming, the physiological effect contributes additional warming by weakening the hydrologic cycle through reduced evapotranspiration. Both effects cause drying over tropical rain forests, while the radiative effect enhances Arctic and Indonesian precipitation. A global greening trend is simulated primarily due to the physiological effect, with an increase in photosynthesis and total tree cover associated with enhanced water-use efficiency. In particular, tree cover is enhanced by the physiological effect over moisture-limited regions. Over Amazonia, South Africa, and Australia, the radiative forcing produces soil dr...
Internal 238U-series systematics of pumice from the November 13, 1985, eruption of Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia☆

High-precision mass spectrometer and alpha scintillation measurements of 238U-series nuclides were obtained for whole-rock pumice and constituent mineral and glass separates to help interpret the timing and nature of magmatic processes that led up to the 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz volcano. Internal isochron diagrams for (226Ra)Ba vs. (230Th)Ba and (230Th232Th) vs. (238U232Th) show that data define linear arrays, indicating an average crystallization age of 6.1 ± 0.5 ka (Ra-Th isochron) and 7 ± 6 ka (Th-U isochron). Stratigraphic, petrographic, geochemical, repose time, and eruption volume data for the Holocene eruptive sequence of Nevado del Ruiz indicate that significant changes occurred in the subvolcanic magma chamber between eruptions R9 (≈8.6 ka) and R8 (≈3.0 ka). This coincides with the average crystallization age derived from the U-series data and may represent the injection of a new batch (or batches) of mantle-derived magma into the subvolcanic magma chamber.
Pipelined ALU for Signal Processing to Implement Interval Arithmetic

There are many applications within digital signal processing (DSP) that require the user to know how various numerical errors (uncertainty) affect the result. This uncertainty is represented by replacing non-interval values with intervals. Since most DSPs operate in real time environments, fast processors are needed to implement interval arithmetic. The goal is to develop a platform in which interval arithmetic operations are performed at the same computational speed as present day signal processors. We have proposed a design for an interval based arithmetic logic unit (I-ALU) whose computational time for implementing interval arithmetic operations is equivalent to many digital signal processors. Many DSP and control applications require a small subset of arithmetic operations that must be computed efficiently. This design has two independent modules operating in parallel to calculate the lower bound and upper bound of the output interval. The functional unit of the ALU performs the basic fixed-point interval arithmetic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and the interval set operations of union and intersection. In addition, the ALU is optimized to perform dot products through the multiply-accumulate instruction. Division traditionally is not implemented on digital signal processors unless computed with a shift operation. In this design, division by shifting is implemented. The ALU is designed to have maximum throughput while minimizing area.
Spacecraft autonomy and the missions of exploration

All practitioners are playing a critical role in developing NASA's next generation of flight software. The goal is spacecraft autonomy. If we achieve this key ingredient of space exploration's next phase, NASA can have many more space platforms operating at once, make more effective use of limited communications resources and attempt bolder mission concepts involving direct investigation of remote environments.
Evolutionary and flare-associated magnetic shear variations observed in a complex, flare-productive active region

Evolution of nonpotential structures in a complex, flare-productive active region NOAA AR 6555 has been studied during the period March 23–26, 1991, using a quantitative description of the degree of magnetic shear at both local and regional scales. Distinct shear evolution in four subareas of AR 6555 is inferred from daily variation of their shear indices. Subareas which showed significant evolution in their overall magnetic structure are found to be most active. Hα flare ribbons mostly formed bordering, andnot within, areas of large shear and expanded over areas of lower shear. Magnetic shear changes are also detected during several flares, including a major X4.7/4B flare. Out of the 14 events for which temporally contiguous magnetograms were available, a decrease, or dip, in area-averaged shear index around flare onset time followed by an increase was observed in eight cases. There were two events with increase, three events with continuous decrease, and one event with no change in the shear index during the flare.
A comparison of the sensitivity of two prose analysis models to developmental differences in free recall of text

Two prose analysis models (Kintsch, 1974; Meyer, 1975) were compared to determine the sensitivity of each to developmental differences in children's recall of prose. The Meyer analysis revealed that older “good” readers showed significantly higher recall of certain idea units than younger “good” readers or “poor” readers of any age. This analysis suggests that older “good” readers are better able to recall certain implicit semantic relationships than their younger or less skilled counterparts. The analysis using the Kintsch model did not reveal any such apparent developmental differences. The authors conclude that the Meyer model, because it explicitly describes the high‐level organization of text of a passage, is more sensitive to such developmental differences.
Nitrate Tolerance in Angina Therapy: How to Avoid It

Tolerance is the attenuation, or loss, of one or several of the effects of organic nitrates after long term administration. All organic nitrate regimens using frequent doses of long-acting nitrates (3 or more times daily), continuous delivery systems [transdermal nitroglycerin (glyceryl trinitrate) patches or continuous intravenous infusions of nitroglycerin] or long-acting (sustained release) preparations will result in partial or complete nitrate tolerance. There are several proposed mechanisms which may contribute to the development of tolerance including activation of neurohormonal mechanisms, plasma volume expansion and depletion of intracellular sulfhydryl cofactors. To avoid tolerance to long term nitrate therapy, regimens should be tailored to provide a 10- to 12-hour nitrate-free interval when possible. This means that antianginal prophylaxis can only be provided by nitrate therapy for some portion of each day, and that some patients will develop an increase in angina in the nitrate-free intervals which will necessitate short term therapy with sublingual nitroglycerin or a similar preparation.