cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE PHYSIOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF YOGA CHAKRA EXPRESSION

. Chakras are a basic concept of yoga but typically are ignored by scientific research on yoga, probably because descriptions of chakras can appear like a fanciful mythology. Chakras are commonly considered to be centers of concentrated metaphysical energy. Although clear physiological effects exist for yoga practices, no explanation of how chakras influence physiological function has been broadly accepted either in the scientific community or among yoga scholars. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that yoga is based on subjective experience, and practitioners often shun objective descriptions. This essay builds on earlier work hypothesizing that intercellular gap junction connections provide a physiological mechanism underlying subtle energy systems described in yoga as well as other disciplines such as acupuncture. Three physical aspects of chakras are distinguished that are integrated through gap junction mechanisms and are proposed to have arisen during embryological development. Furthermore, electrical conductance associated with a high concentration of gap junctions could generate phenomena that, when subjectively experienced, have the radiant qualities attributed to chakras. This theory provides a scientific rationale for previously unexplained details of chakra theory and offers a new orientation to conceptualizing and studying such subjective phenomena.
Pollination graphs: quantifying pollen pool covariance networks and the influence of intervening landscape on genetic connectivity in the North American understory tree, Cornus florida L.

The manner by which pollinators move across a landscape and their resulting preferences and/or avoidances of travel through particular habitat types can have a significant impact on plant population genetic structure and population-level connectivity. We examined the spatial genetic structure of the understory tree Cornus florida (Cornaceae) adults (N Adults = 452) and offspring (N Offspring = 736) across two mating events to determine the extent to which pollen pool genetic covariance is influenced by intervening forest architecture. Resident adults showed no spatial partitioning but genotypes were positively autocorrelated up to a distance of 35 m suggesting a pattern of restricted seed dispersal. In the offspring, selfing rates were small (sm = 0.035) whereas both biparental inbreeding (s b;open canopy = 0.16, s b;closed canopy = 0.11) and correlated paternity (r p;open canopy = 0.21, r p;closed canopy = 0.07) were significantly influenced by primary canopy opening above individual mothers. The spatial distribution of genetic covariance in pollen pool composition was quantified for each reproductive event using Pollination Graphs, a network method based upon multivariate conditional genetic covariance. The georeferenced graph topology revealed a significant positive relationship between genetic covariance and pollinator movement through C. florida canopies, a negative relationship with open primary canopy (e.g., roads under open canopies and fields with no primary canopy), and no relationship with either conifer or mixed hardwood canopy species cover. These results suggest that both resident genetic structure within stands and genetic connectivity between sites in C. florida populations are influenced by spatial heterogeneity of mating individuals and quality of intervening canopy cover.
Antibiotic eluting chitosan glycerophosphate implant in the setting of acute bacterial sinusitis: a rabbit model.

BackgroundTopical therapy offers the potential for treatment of sinonasal disease with minimal systemic side effects. Chitosan glycerophosphate (CGP) is a mucoadhesive polymer that can be used as a...
A perturbation analysis of the intrinsic conditioning of an approximate null vector computed with a SVD

Let A be an m ×n real matrix with singular values ?1 ? ··· ? ?n?1 ? ?n ? 0. In cases where ?n ? 0, the corresponding right singular vector ?n is a natural choice to use for an approximate null vector ofA. Using an elementary perturbation analysis, we show that ? = ?1/(?n?1 ? ?n) provides a quantitative measure of the intrinsic conditioning of the computation of ?n from A.
The Mn/V ratio as a tracer of large-scale sources of pollution aerosol for the Arctic☆

Abstract The ratio of noncrustal Mn/noncrustal V is five times greater for Eurasian aerosol than for eastern North American aerosol. When a decrease of this ratio during transport and aging is allowed for, the aerosol of the Norwegian Arctic in winter is seen to be compatible with a Eurasian source and incompatible with an eastern North American source. Winter aerosol of the North American Arctic seems to be affected by an additional source within Eurasia, with a still-higher Mn/V ratio. Chemical and meteorological evidence suggests that this latter source area is in the central U.S.S.R.
On the ability to see rabbits: stories involving a girl, her grandmothers, and aging vision

In this essay, I explore a child’s experience of engaging with animals, and through animals, humans in her life. For children and adults alike, most of life happens in mundane moments. Yet, bumped along through time and mundane everydayness, we are periodically struck by something. This is a story about a child’s experience of out-of-the-ordinariness, of being struck, being struck by and seeing, really seeing rabbits.
A technique for separation of wheat germ by impacting and subsequent grinding

A technique was developed for the separation of the embryo and scutellum, which make up the wheat kernel germ, with improved yield and purity. The wheat embryo was separated prior to grinding by using the impact action of a horizontal scourer. Factors influencing embryo separation and the optimum working parameters of equipment for processing four classes of wheats were studied. A wheat moisture content of 13-5 % (w/w) and a working volume of 5-95 7[ ma/kg for the impacting scourer were the parameters that gave optimal embryo extraction and minimized kernel breakage. The yield of pure and intact wheat embryo ranged from 0-74 to 120 % on a wheat weight basis, which represented 53-6 to 91-6 % of wheat embryos present in samples dissected by hand. Subsequently, in the milling process the scutellum was separated by proper sieve selection of the 2 BK and 3 BKf and a grinding gap of 0279 mm for 3 BKf roll. The scutellum was purified using a gravity table, with a yield ranging from 0-75 to 1-75 % on a wheat weight basis. The embryo and scutellum products had high protein and crude fat contents. Removal of the embryonic axis, scutellum, and some additional flaked embryo during the process did not affect wheat milling quality. The flour's chemical composition was also unaffected, but the protein and fat contents of the mill feed were reduced. The germ products resulting from the new technique retain both morphological integrity and chemical composition.
Functional collagen fiber architecture of the pulmonary heart valve cusp.

Background Defects in the pulmonary valve (PV) occur in a variety of forms of congenital heart diseases. Quantitative information on PV collagen fiber architecture, and particularly its response to diastolic forces, is necessary for the design and functional assessment of approaches for PV repair and replacement. This necessity is especially the case for novel tissue-engineered PV, which rely on extensive in-vivo remodeling for long-term function. Methods Porcine PV and aortic valves (AV) were fixed under a 0 to 90 mm Hg transvalvular pressure. After dissection from the root, small-angle light-scattering measurements were conducted to quantify the collagen fiber architecture and changes with increasing applied transvalvular pressure over the entire cusp. Histomorphologic measurements were also performed to assess changes in cuspal layer thickness with pressure. Results While the PV and AV displayed anticipated structural similarities, they also presented important functionally related differences. In the unloaded state, the AV cusp demonstrated substantial regional variations in fiber alignment, whereas the PV was surprisingly uniform. Further, the AV demonstrated substantially larger changes in collagen fiber alignment with applied transvalvular pressure compared with the PV. Overall, the AV collagen fiber network demonstrated greater ability to respond to applied transvalvular pressure. A decrease in crimp amplitude was the predominant mechanism for improvement in the degree of orientation of the collagen fibers in both valves. Conclusions This study clarified the major similarities and differences between the PV and the AV. While underscoring how the PV can serve as an appropriate replacement of the diseased AV, the observed structural differences may also indicate limits to the ability of the PV to fully duplicate the AV. Moreover, quantitative data from this study on PV functional architecture will benefit development of tissue-engineered PV by defining the critical fiber architectural characteristics.
Abasic and oxidized abasic site reactivity in DNA: enzyme inhibition, cross-linking, and nucleosome catalyzed reactions.

Abasic lesions are a family of DNA modifications that lack Watson–Crick bases. The parent member of this family, the apurinic/apyrimidinic lesion (AP), occurs as an intermediate during DNA repair, following nucleobase alkylation, and from random hydrolysis of native nucleotides. In a given day, each cell produces between 10000 and 50000 AP lesions. A variety of oxidants including γ-radiolysis produce oxidized abasic sites, such as C4-AP, from the deoxyribose backbone. A number of potent, cytotoxic antitumor agents, such as bleomycin and the enediynes (e.g., calicheamicin, esperamicin, and neocarzinostatin) also lead to oxidized abasic sites in DNA.The absence of Watson–Crick bases prevents DNA polymerases from properly determining which nucleotide to incorporate opposite abasic lesions. Consequently, several studies have revealed that (oxidized) abasic sites are highly mutagenic. Abasic lesions are also chemically unstable, are prone to strand scission, and possess electrophilic carbonyl groups. However, ...
Phase diagram of 1,2-dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE):water system at subzero temperatures and at low water contents.

The phase behavior of partially hydrated 1,2-dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) has been studied using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction methods together with water sorption isotherms. DOPE liposomes were dehydrated in the HII phase at 29‡C and in the LK phase at 0‡C by vapor phase equilibration over saturated salt solutions. Other samples were prepared by hydration of dried DOPE by vapor phase equilibration at 29‡C and 0‡C. Five lipid phases (lamellar liquid crystalline, LK ; lamellar gel, LL ; inverted hexagonal, HII ; inverted ribbon, PN ; and lamellar crystalline, Lc) and the ice phase were observed depending on the water content and temperature. The ice phase did not form in DOPE suspensions containing 6 9 wt% water. The Lc phase was observed in samples with a water content of 2^6 wt% that were annealed at 0‡C for 2 or more days. The Lc phase melted at 5^20‡C producing the HII phase. The PN phase was observed at water contents of 6 0.5 wt%. The phase diagram, which includes five lipid phases and two water phases (ice and liquid water), has been constructed. The freeze-induced dehydration of DOPE has been described with the aid of the phase diagram. fl 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Social Welfare and Inequality in a Networked Resource Game with Human Players

This paper introduces the networked resource game with human players, implemented by a graphical online game where players can play their cards and accumulate rewards. We analyze social welfare and inequality through human players experiments, and show how these relate to the results of simulations using algorithms and robots.
Bernays and set theory

We discuss the work of Paul Bernays in set theory, mainly his axiomatization and his use of classes but also his higher-order reflection principles.
Taxonomic Reassessment of North American Granite Outcrop Isoetes Species with Emphasis on Vegetative Morphology and I. piedmontana (Pfeiffer) Reed sensu lato

Abstract A taxonomic study of collections previously identified as Isoetes melanospora, I. piedmontana, and I. tegetiformans was undertaken emphasizing vegetative characters. The taxonomic position of I. piedmontana was also assessed using cytogeography and a cursory examination of the allozyme locus TPI-2. Isoetes melanospora, I. piedmontana, and I. tegetiformans can be sufficiently distinguished using characters derived from leaves and corms. Isoetes piedmontana occurs as diploid, triploid, and allotetraploid entities. Diploids in the western and eastern parts of the geographic range are genetically distinct. Allotetraploids in eastern Alabama are composed of different genomes than those in North Carolina. Isoetes piedmontana is currently interpreted as an assemblage of morphologically indistinguishable species and is undergoing further taxonomic investigation. The typification of I. piedmontana is clarified, and a key with descriptions of the granite outcrop Isoetes species of the southeastern United ...
Thermodynamic properties of small systems

We investigate the dependence of the pressure of a homogeneous system, at a given density $\ensuremath{\rho}$ and temperature $T$, on the number of particles $N$. The particles of the system are assumed to interact via forces of finite range $a$ and are confined to a periodic cube of volume ${L}^{3}$, $\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\equiv}\frac{N}{{L}^{3}}$. We find that there are generally two types of $N$ dependencies in the pressure and other intensive properties of the system. There is a simple dependence which goes essentially as a power series in ($\frac{1}{N}$) and may be computed explicitly in terms of the grand-ensemble averages of these properties where it is absent. The other, more complex, dependence comes from the volume dependence of those cluster integrals which are large enough to wind at least once around the periodic torus. These do not appear in a virial expansion for terms $k\ensuremath{\le}{(\frac{N}{\ensuremath{\rho}{a}^{3}})}^{\frac{1}{3}}$. They play however a dominant role in the $N$ dependence observed by Alder and Wainwright in their machine computations on a hard-sphere gas. While the explicit calculation of these terms is very difficult and has been carried through only in a few special cases, they may be related, approximately at least, to the radial distribution function in an infinite system. We also find an expression for the correlation between the particles of an ideal gas represented by a microcanonical ensemble.
Effects of grain boundary sliding on the flow properties of Incoloy 800 H

Abstract The nature of grain boundary sliding (GBS) is investigated in Incoloy 800 H in terms of the effects of stress, temperature and grain size on the flow behavior obserced the load relaxation test. Flow behaviors are obtained for average grain sizes ranging from 6 to 225 μm at temperatures between 614 and 746°C. The flow behavior of large-grain-size material plotted as stress vs. strain rate in a doubly logarithmic scale, exhibits a sigmoidal shape which has been commonly associated with the effects of GBS on creep deformation. For the materials of smaller grain sizes the deformation properties tend toward those characteristic of structural superplasticity. It is shown that in Incoloy 800H there may exist, as a function of the grain size, a continuous scale of flow properties ranging from the normal creep to superplastic-like behavior.
Individual Differences in Working Memory Capacity and Site Complexity Predict Recall from Web Pages

Participants with either high or low working memory operation spans interacted with one of three websites and then recalled both the layout and content they experienced. Websites varied in terms of complexity, with more complex sites containing more dense text and additional animations. Results showed that site complexity predicted general content recall, whereas working memory span predicted both specific layout recall and specific content recall. Working memory operation span is an important predictor of interactions with websites, and this variable predicts beyond information about site complexity.
The Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Legal History

In late 17th-century New England, the eternal battle between God and Satan was brought into the courtroom. Between January 1692 and May 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts, neighbours turned against neighbours and children against parents with accusations of witchcraft, and 19 people were hanged for having made pacts with the devil. Peter Charles Hoffer, a historian long familiar with the Salem witchcraft trials, now reexamines this notorious episode in American history. He tells the real story of how religious beliefs, superstitions, clan disputes and Anglo-American law and custom created an epidemic of accusations that resulted in the investigation of nearly 200 colonists and, for many, the ordeal of trial and incarceration. He also examines life during this crisis period of New England history - a time beset by Indian wars, disease, severe weather, and challenges to Puritan hegemony - to show how an atmosphere of paranoia contributed to this outbreak of persecution. Hoffer examines many aspects of this history, from accusations to grand jury investigations to the conduct of the trials themselves. He shows how rights we take for granted today - such as rules of evidence and a defendant's right to legal counsel - did not exist in colonial times, and he demonstrates how these cases relate to current instances of children accusing adults of abuse. ""The Salem Witchcraft Trials"", a concise history written expressly for students and general readers, sheds important light on the period and shows that our horror of these infamous proceedings must be tempered with sympathy for a people who gave in to panic in the face of a harsh and desolate existence.
The MESSENGER mission to Mercury: Development history and early mission status

Abstract The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission, launched 3 August 2004, will be the first spacecraft to orbit the planet Mercury. Mercury holds answers to several critical questions regarding the formation and evolution of the terrestrial planets. The MESSENGER mission will fly by Mercury in 2008 and 2009 and will orbit Mercury for one Earth year beginning in March 2011. The >14 kW m −2 solar thermal input and the large velocity change required to reach Mercury orbit make this a very challenging mission from thermal and mass perspectives. MESSENGER overcomes these challenges with innovative applications of existing technologies and materials. Seven miniaturized instruments, along with the spacecraft telecommunications system, satisfy all scientific objectives of the mission. The Mercury flybys are preceded by gravity assists at the Earth (2005) and at Venus (2006 and 2007). This paper offers an overview of mission history and objectives, spacecraft and payload, current status, and data acquisition plans.
The Polanyian Way? Voluntary Food Labels as Neoliberal Governance

Abstract: Voluntary food labels that express ecological, social, and/or place-based values have been posed as an important form of resistance to neoliberalization in the Polanyian sense of protecting land, other natural resources, and labor from the ravages of the market. At the same time, these labels are in some respects analogs to the very things they are purported to resist, namely property rights that allow these ascribed commodities to be traded in a global market. After reviewing the Polanyian claims about these labels, the paper examines how these labels are operationalized and notes important differences in the sort of barriers to entry they erect, which in turn have quite different distributional consequences. It then goes on to discuss how these labels look to be an expression of roll-out neoliberalization. Following Heynen and Robbins who note four dominant aspects of neoliberalization of environmental governance (governance, privatization, enclosure, and valuation), to which a fifth (devolution) is added, the paper shows how these labels not only concede the market as the locus of regulation, but in keeping with neoliberalism's fetish of market mechanisms, they employ tools designed to create markets where none previously existed. In recognition that neoliberal political economies and subjectivities have delimited the possible, the paper also grapples with how these labels may produce political openings outside of their most proximate effects.
Treatment of keratin intermediate filaments with sulfur mustard analogs

Sulfur mustard (SM) is an alkylating agent with a history of use as a chemical weapon. The chemical reactivity of sulfur mustard toward both proteins and nucleic acids coupled with the hours long delay between exposure and appearance of blisters has prevented the determination of the mechanism of blister formation. We have treated assembled keratin intermediate filaments with analogs of sulfur mustard to simulate exposure to SM. We find that treatment of intact filaments with chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES) or mechlorethamine (MEC) produces aggregates of keratin filaments with little native appearing structure. Treatment of a mix of epidermal keratins 1/10 (keratin pair 1 and 10) and keratins 5/14 with a sulfhydryl-specific modification reagent also results in filament abnormalities. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that modification of keratins by SM would result in keratin filament destruction, leading to lysis of epidermal basal cells and skin blistering.
Stability criterion for critical points of a model in micromagnetics

A recent modification of a classic Landau-Lifshitz equation that includes the socalled spin-transfer torque is widely recognized in physics community as a model of magnetization dynamics in certain nanodevices. Motivated by some experimental evidence, we introduce a generalization of this model, coupled Landau-Lifshitz equations with spin-transfer torque terms, and analyze it from dynamical systems standpoint. An explicit stability criterion for the critical points in terms of all parameters of the system is derived and illustrated with stability diagrams. Our analysis provides certain guidelines for the design of magnetic nanodevices with optimized response to control parameters.
Insulin and estrogen regulation of lipid synthesis in adipose tissue.

1. 1. The addition of estrone, estradiol and estriol at extremely low levels (10−9 μmoles/ml) stimulates the synthesis of tritium-labeled lipids from [1-3H]glucose by-sections of adipose tissue of the female rat in vitro. 2. 2. There is a marked synergistic action of estradiol with insulin on the stimulation of lipid synthesis from glucose by the adipose tissue of the female rat. 3. 3. The adipose tissue of the male rat fails to respond to estrogen in vitro but is stimulated by insulin. 4. 4. Other steroid hormones such as cortisol, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone and testosterone were without significant effect on the synthesis of lipid from [1-3H]glucose in adipose tissue from the female rat. 5. 5. A homogenate system was prepared from adipose tissue from female rats which rapidly synthesized tritium-labeled lipids from [1-3H]glucose and [1-3H]glucose 6-phosphate but preliminary experiments have not demonstrated any response to insulin or estrogen.
Proof of a conjecture of Erdös and Turán

Abstract We prove a conjecture of Erdos and Turan concerning the average order of the elements in the symmetric group Sn. If μn is the expected order of a random permutation, then log μ n = O(√ n log n ) .
Complement and Opsonins in Alveolar Secretions and Serum of Rats with Pneumonia Due to Streptococcus pneumoniae

Complement appears to have an important role in the early defense against Streptococcus pneumoniae, but the role of complement as a defense mechanism within the lung is not well defined. Complement and heat-labile opsonins in pneumococcal pneumonia were studied by analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of rats inoculated intratracheally with type 3 S. pneumoniae. BALF and serum were obtained at 0, 6, and 24 hr after infection. Leukocyte counts in BALF and histologic studies revealed an acute inflammatory response in the lung at 6 hr; this inflammation progressed for 24 hr. Levels of C1, C2, C3, and alternative pathway activity in pooled, concentrated (20X) BALF of normal and infected rats varied according to the stage of infection and the complement parameter studied, but in all cases the levels were only a small fraction of the levels in serum. Concentrated BALF had measurable levels of pneumococcal heat-labile opsonins, but these were also low as compared with serum levels. A small amount of C3 was detected by immunofluorescence on pneumococci recovered from BALF of infected animals, but these same organisms could be coated much more fully with C3 by brief incubation in serum. The milieu in the lung during bacterial infection is very different from that in serum and may be marginally suitable for effective opsonization of successful pulmonary pathogens such as type 3 S. pneumoniae.
Efficient matrix rank computation with application to the study of strongly regular graphs

We present algorithms for computing the p-rank of integer matrices. They are designed to be particularly effective when p is a small prime, the rank is relatively low, and the matrix itself is large and dense and may exceed virtual memory space. Our motivation comes from the study of difference sets and partial difference sets in algebraic design theory. The p-rank of the adjacency matrix of an associated strongly regular graph is a key tool for distinguishing difference set constructions and thus answering various existence questions and conjectures. For the p-rank computation, we review several memory efficient methods, and present refinements suitable to the small prime, small rank case. We give a new heuristic approach that is notably effective in practice as applied to the strongly regular graph adjacency matrices. It involves projection to a matrix of order slightly above the rank. The projection is extremely sparse, is chosen according to one of several heuristics, and is combined with a small dense certifying component. Our algorithms and heuristics are implemented in the LinBox library. We also briefly discuss some of the software design issues and we present results of experiments for the Paley and Dickson sequences of strongly regular graphs.
Managing the Complexity of Revising Across Languages

investigated this relationship in the context of the revising process. This article examines revision in controlled Li and L2 writing tasks. Four advanced ESL writers with differing first language backgrounds wrote two argumentative essays in their native languages and two in English. Revisions were then analyzed for specific discourse and linguistic features. The results, for the most part, indicate striking similarities across languages. However, some differences are noted, suggesting that while proficient writers are capable of transferring their revision processes across languages, they are also capable of adapting some of those processes to new problems imposed by a second language. Until quite recently, process-oriented research in ESL writing was dominated by studies that sought to identify those strategies and behaviors second language writers share and do not share with their first language counterparts (Raimes, 1985). Such comparisons between primary and nonprimary speakers of English are, of course, valuable if ESL researchers and teachers are to determine the relevance of first language pedagogy for second language writers. Yet they do not represent the only direction for comparative studies with consequences for theory and practice. Researchers are now beginning to examine ESL writers' behaviors and strategies in both their first and second languages, a much needed area of investigation that Zamel (1984) has claimed may have implications for the notion that composing processes are universal and transitive across languages. While most of these crosslanguage studies have focused on general surveys of composing processes (Chelala, 1981) or concentrated on text planning (Lay, 1982, 1983; Jones & Tetroe, 1987), to date, only one significant study has been conducted on revising (Gaskill, 1987). Yet "revision," as
Acoustic Trauma Augments the Cochlear Immune Response to Antigen

Objectives/Hypothesis: To test whether noise-exposure, which activates a cochlear immune response with cytokine expression and infiltration of circulating leukocytes could augment the response to antigen (Ag). Study Design: Randomized, prospective, mice. Methods: We sensitized mice to an Ag, injected it intrathecally, and subsequently exposed the mice to noise (8–16 kHz, 90, 100, or 118 dB for 2 hours). Control mice received either noise exposure alone (100 or 118 dB), Ag challenge alone, intrathecal surgery and phosphate-buffered saline injection or no treatment. Four hours or 7 days later the mice were killed and cochlear sections were evaluated immunohistochemically for CD45, ICAM-1, and phospho-nuclear transcription factor-κB expression. Results: Intrathecal Ag injection caused no hearing loss, but did result in a small immune response. Loud noise (118 dB) caused severe hearing loss and slight inflammation. The number of CD45-positive cells was significantly greater in the Ag plus-118 dB noise group relative to the Ag-alone group or 118 dB noise-exposure group. ICAM expression was seen in the lower part of the spiral ligament and small vessels within the normal cochlea. The amount of expression increased after Ag injection and acoustic trauma. Activated nuclear transcription factor-κB occurred in the nuclei of hair cells, supporting cells, spiral ligament fibrocytes, and neurons 4 hours after noise exposure. Conclusions: It seems that noise exposure can activate a cochlear immune response, which in the presence of Ag, allows for greater recruitment of inflammatory cells than occurred in response to Ag alone.
Statistically almost optimum nonlinear network design

The statistically-optimum unstable filter to separate desired signals from noise and other undesired signals is shown to take the form of a high gain amplifier, with several output channels, each one of which computes the best statistical measure of one of the signals or the noise. The sum of these outputs comprises a negative feedback circuit. The imposition of the requirement of stability on the overall system is shown to be the same as the imposition of stability on each component plus a small correction in the zero locations. The addition of nonlinear components follows from differences in the amplitude probability distributions. The methods of automatically compensating for the unalterable dynamic characteristics of the output device, of the high gain amplifier, and for changes in the ratio of signal to noise power, are shown. The information needed for this design is the power density spectrum or autocorrelation function of each signal and noise, and the amplitude probability distribution of each. The mechanics of the design are quite simple, and can be done with only a conventional knowledge of circuit theory. A new philosophy of statistically optimum systems is formulated, which embraces both linear and nonlinear systems, and eliminates the necessity of minimizing the error power.
THE OTHER TWO SOLITUDES: GENDER AND CANADIAN STUDIES

(1985). THE OTHER TWO SOLITUDES: GENDER AND CANADIAN STUDIES. American Review of Canadian Studies: Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 497-508.
INTRA- AND INTERMODAL WORD-RECOGNITION CUES: A REASSURING METHODOLOGICAL NOTE

-A matching-to-sample task was administered to 64 first graders (32 girls and 32 boys) under four conditions, two intramodal and two intermodal. The correct response was selected most frequently in all conditions. A two-factor (sex X task) analysis of variance with repeated measures on the task factor was performed on the number of correct responses. The interaction was not significant, nor did number correct vary with sex; but number correct did vary with task condition ( p < ,001). Performance was significantly better in the visual-visual condition than in the auditory-auditoty, visual-auditory or auditory-visual conditions. Performance in all four conditions was significantly related to reading achievement. The five cue types or stimulus alterations were not used differentially within condition. Proportional frequency of reversal-cue choice as compared to other cues, did not appear to be affected by the change in instructions to include the correct response.
Mutational Anatomy of an HIV-1 Protease Variant Conferring Cross-resistance to Protease Inhibitors in Clinical Trials COMPENSATORY MODULATIONS OF BINDING AND ACTIVITY

Site-specific substitutions of as few as four amino acids (M46I/L63P/V82T/I84V) of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease engenders cross-resistance to a panel of protease inhibitors that are either in clinical trials or have recently been approved for HIV therapy (Condra, J. H., Schleif, W. A., Blahy, O. M. , Gadryelski, L. J., Graham, D. J., Quintero, J. C., Rhodes, A., Robbins, H. L., Roth, E., Shivaprakash, M., Titus, D., Yang, T., Teppler, H., Squires, K. E., Deutsch, P. J., and Emini, E. A. (1995) Nature 374, 569-571). These four substitutions are among the prominent mutations found in primary HIV isolates obtained from patients undergoing therapy with several protease inhibitors. Two of these mutations (V82T/I84V) are located in, while the other two (M46I/L63P) are away from, the binding cleft of the enzyme. The functional role of these mutations has now been delineated in terms of their influence on the binding affinity and catalytic efficiency of the protease. We have found that the double substitutions of M46I and L63P do not affect binding but instead endow the enzyme with a catalytic efficiency significantly exceeding (110-360%) that of the wild-type enzyme. In contrast, the double substitutions of V82T and I84V are detrimental to the ability of the protease to bind and, thereby, to catalyze. When combined, the four amino acid replacements institute in the protease resistance against inhibitors and a significantly higher catalytic activity than one containing only mutations in its active site. The results suggest that in raising drug resistance, these four site-specific mutations of the protease are compensatory in function; those in the active site diminish equilibrium binding (by increasing Ki), and those away from the active site enhance catalysis (by increasing kcat/KM). This conclusion is further supported by energy estimates in that the Gibbs free energies of binding and catalysis for the quadruple mutant are quantitatively dictated by those of the double mutants.
Poster: gait-based smartphone user identification

Biometric signatures based on a user’s physical features form a natural approach to authentication, as they are often high in entropy and hard to forge or forget. Gait, the rhythmical body movements of human beings as they walk, is a particularly appealing biometric because of its distinguishability [2]. In this work, we provide a proof-of-concept implementation of gait-based user identification using the tri-axial accelerometer sensor of the Motorola Droid phone. It is envisioned that this means of user identification could be utilized as a component of a larger recognition system, one that might fully amalgamate all relevant sensed data to generate an idea of whether a legitimate user has possession of the phone at any given instant. 1
The war of the whorls : genetic interactions controlling flower development

The analysis of mutations affecting flower structure has led to the identification of some of the genes that direct flower development. Cloning of these genes has allowed the formulation of molecular models of how floral meristem and organ identity may be specified, and has shown that the distantly related flowering plants Arabidopsis thaliana and Antirrhinum majus use homologous mechanisms in floral pattern formation.
Four-terminal phase-coherent conductance.

A conductance formula for a sample of arbitrary shape with four terminals is derived to describe transport in the limit where carriers can traverse the sample without suffering phase-destroying events. The Onsager-Casimir symmetry relations are deduced. Experiments measure an off-diagonal Onsager coefficient and the magnetoconductance of such a sample is asymmetric even in the presence of an Aharonov-Bohm flux only. Symmetry relations between conductance measurements which exchange the role of current and voltage leads are predicted.
W. E. B. Du Bois and the Atlanta University studies on the Negro, Revisited

Elliott Rudwick’s 1957 examination of the methodology and sociological significance of the Atlanta Sociological Laboratory served as the singular treatise on this topic for nearly fifty years. This query departs from Rudwick’s publication through its critique of the Atlanta Sociological Laboratory beyond a conceptual frame that compares the school’s methodological techniques with advancements in the discipline at a later period in time, but, instead, challenges Rudwick’s conclusion that the methodology was unsophisticated and of low quality and that the sociological significance was, at best, minimal.
Vibrational structure theory: new vibrational wave function methods for calculation of anharmonic vibrational energies and vibrational contributions to molecular properties

A number of recently developed theoretical methods for the calculation of vibrational energies and wave functions are reviewed. Methods for constructing the appropriate quantum mechanical Hamilton operator are briefly described before reviewing a particular branch of theoretical methods for solving the nuclear Schrodinger equation. The main focus is on wave function methods using the vibrational self-consistent field (VSCF) as starting point, and includes vibrational configuration interaction (VCI), vibrational Moller–Plesset (VMP) theory, and vibrational coupled cluster (VCC) theory. The convergence of the different methods towards the full vibrational configuration interaction (FVCI) result is discussed. Finally, newly developed vibrational response methods for calculation of vibrational contributions to properties, energies, and transition probabilities are discussed.
Electrical resistance and thermophysical properties of solid solutions of germanium in iron

Temperature dependence of thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity, and electrical resistance is studied in solid solutions of germanium in iron at impurity concentrations of 0.49–18.0 at.% Ge over the temperature range 300–1300‡K. The results obtained are evaluated and compared to similar dependences for the system Fe-Si.
Physiological responses of preterm infants to breast-feeding and bottle-feeding with the orthodontic nipple.

Background Although the orthodontic nipple has been recommended for many years to supplement breast-feeding infants, it is not known if this nipple is suitable for hospitalized preterm infants whose mothers wish to breast-feed. Objectives To describe and compare short-term physiologic responses of preterm infants serving as their own controls for two feeding methods, breast-feeding and bottle-feeding with the orthodontic nipple. Method The sample consisted of eight preterm infants, mean birth weight of 1,370 grams and mean gestational age at birth of 30.2 weeks' gestation, who served as their own controls for breast- and bottle-feeding sessions. The dependent variables, sucking, breathing, and oxygen saturation, were measured noninvasively throughout breast- and bottle-feeding sessions and recorded on a polygraph. Data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively for 14 breast-feeding sessions and 15 bottle-feeding sessions. Results Statistically significant differences were found in that infants breathed more during sucking bursts for breast-feeding sessions when compared to bottle-feeding sessions and had fewer episodes of oxygen desaturation during breast-feeding. A characteristic sucking waveform associated with organized breathing was observed for some infants during bottle-feeding with the orthodontic nipple. Conclusions These data suggest that the orthodontic nipple is appropriate for supplementing breast-feeding for some preterm infants. Further research is needed to examine long-term outcomes.
Glycan Builder for in Silico Glycosylation: Template-Based Structure Prediction of Carbohydrate Structures of Glycoconjugates

Glycosylation is an important post-translational modification of proteins. Considerable efforts have been made to understand how glycosylation affects the structure, dynamics and function of proteins, but it remains an enigma due to the diversity and variability in the glycosylation. Primary sequences and the glycan composition on a glycosylation site can be identified using mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, however, it is still a daunting task to obtain a crystal structure of a glycoconjugate with intact glycosylation. Here we present a web-based toolset, Glycan Builder, for in silico glycosylation of a protein. Previously, we have developed Glycan Reader, a web-based toolset for glycan modeling and simulation input generation, which allowed us to build a glycan structure database from PDB. The survey of carbohydrate structures in PDB shows that current PDB structures can cover many of the biologically relevant carbohydrates, particularly those used in glycosylation of protein. Test results on 43 glycoprotein structures demonstrates the template-based structure prediction method can reliably predict glycoconjugate carbohydrate structures. The toolset and database will be freely available through the web-based GlycanStructure portal (www.glycanstructure.org).
Mechanisms of β cell failure in the pathogenesis of Type 2 diabetes

β cell failure plays a key role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. It consists of impaired insulin secretion and decreased β cell mass. Recent insight into the pathogenesis of diabetes-associated β cell failure has shown that (1) β cell compensation to insulin resistance occurs primarily via increased β cell replication; (2) commonly employed diabetes treatments are associated with a seemingly irreversible loss of β cell function; and (3) most diabetes-associated genes identified in recent genome-wide association studies appear to regulate β cell mass and/or function, as opposed to insulin action. Experimental studies in animal models have contributed to establishing the idea that pancreatic β cells are an “insulin target tissue,” in which insulin signaling links insulin secretion with cellular proliferation and survival. It is possible that β cell failure represents but another aspect of insulin resistance. Prevention of β cell dysfunction is a critical goal of diabetes therapy, and it will require the identification of “druggable” cellular pathways that can be enlisted in the clinic to achieve durability of treatment. Drug Dev Res 69:111–115, 2008 © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
2D array transducers for real-time 3D ultrasound guidance of interventional devices

We describe catheter ring arrays for real-time 3D ultrasound guidance of devices such as vascular grafts, heart valves and vena cava filters. We have constructed several prototypes operating at 5 MHz and consisting of 54 elements using the W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. micro-miniature ribbon cables. We have recently constructed a new transducer using a braided wiring technology from Precision Interconnect. This transducer consists of 54 elements at 4.8 MHz with pitch of 0.20 mm and typical -6 dB bandwidth of 22%. In all cases, the transducer and wiring assembly were integrated with an 11 French catheter of a Cook Medical deployment device for vena cava filters. Preliminary in vivo and in vitro testing is ongoing including simultaneous 3D ultrasound and x-ray fluoroscopy.
Influence of potato composition on chip color quality

Potato constituents were monitored to evaluate their contribution to potato chip color. Five chipping potato varieties: Snowden, AC Ptarmigan, FL 1625, FL 1815 and ND2471-8 were evaluated. Ascorbic acid, sugars, phenolic acids, and amino acids were determined and quantified by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and the color of potato chips was measured by both CIELab Hunter-ColorQuest and Agtron instruments. Composition and chip color varied among the different varieties. AC Ptarmigan and ND2471-8 produced the darkest chip color (on average L*= 49.0, chroma=19.5, and hue angle= 62.9) compared with FL 1815 (L*= 58.4, chroma= 28.3 and hue angle= 75.7). Reducing sugar concentration did not completely explain or predict color quality when it was present in low concentrations (ca. < 60 mg/100g). Other reactants present in the potato slices played an important role in the final color quality of potato chips. Multiple correlation analysis showed negative association of ascorbic acid (r= -0.7), fructose (r= -0.7), a chlorogenic acid isomer (r= -0.7), glucose (r= -0.7) and glutamine (r= -0.5) with potato chip color. Sucrose, chlorogenic acid and asparagine were poor estimators of chip color quality.
A structural basis for the unequal sensitivity of the major cardiac and liver gap junctions to intracellular acidification: the carboxyl tail length

The regulation of junctional conductance (Gi) of the major cardiac (connexin43; Cx43) and liver (connexin32; Cx32) gap junction proteins by intracellular hydrogen ion concentration (pH; pHi), as well as well as that of a truncation mutant of Cx43 (M257) with 125 amino acids deleted from the COOH terminus, was characterized in pairs of Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing homologous channels. Oocytes were injected with 40 nl mRNAs (2 micrograms/microliters) encoding the respective proteins; subsequently, cells were stripped, paired, and incubated for 20–24 h. Gj was measured in oocyte pairs using the dual electrode voltage-clamp technique, while pHi was recorded simultaneously in the unstimulated cell by means of a proton-selective microelectrode. Because initial experiments showed that the pH-sensitive microelectrode responded more appropriately to acetate than to CO2 acidification, oocytes expressing Cx32 and wild type and mutant Cx43 were exposed to a sodium acetate saline, which was balanced to various levels of pH using NaOH and HCl. pH was changed in a stepwise manner, and quasi-steady-state Gj -pHi relationships were constructed from data collected at each step after both Gj and pHi had reached their respective asymptotic values. A moderate but significant increase of Gj was observed in Cx43 pairs as pHi decreased from 7.2 to 6.8. In both Cx32 and M257 pairs, Gj increased significantly over a wider pH range (i.e., between 7.2 and 6.3). Further acidification reversibly reduced Gj to zero in all oocyte pairs. Pooled data for the individual connexins obtained during uncoupling were fitted by the Hill equation; apparent 50%-maximum (pK;pKa) values were 6.6 and 6.1 for Cx43 and Cx32, respectively, and Hill coefficients were 4.2 for Cx43 and 6.2 for Cx32. Like Cx32, M257 had a more acidic pKa (6.1) and steeper Hill coefficient (6.0) than wild type Cx43. The pKa and Hill coefficient of M257 were very similar to those of Cx32. These experiments provide the first direct comparison of the effects of acidification on Gj in oocyte pairs expressing Cx43 or Cx32. The results indicate that structural differences in the connexins are the basis for their unequal sensitivity to intracellular acidification in vivo. The data further suggest that a common pH gating mechanism may exist between amino acid residues 1 and 256 in both Cx32 and Cx43. However, the longer carboxyl tail of Cx43 relative to Cx32 or M257 provides additional means to facilitate acidification-induced gating; its presence shifts the pKa from 6.1 (Cx32 and M257) to 6.6 (Cx43) in the conductance of these channels.