cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative Biomechanic Study of Flexor Tendon Repair Using FiberWire

Purpose FiberWire, an increasingly popular suture material, allows for strong flexor tendon repair that may allow early mobilization. This study was designed to evaluate the mechanical characteristics of FiberWire for flexor tendon repair and to identify the most effective repair technique using this material. Methods Forty-nine human cadaver flexor tendons were randomized and tested biomechanically using one of the following techniques of flexor tendon repair performed with 3-0 FiberWire: (1) modified Kessler, (2) modified Pennington, (3) 2-strand multiple grasping, (4) 2-strand multiple locking, (5) 2-strand double cross-locks, (6) Massachusetts General Hospital, and (7) 4-strand locked cruciate. The ultimate tensile strength, 2-mm gap resistance, and failure mode of the repairs were evaluated. Results Knot unraveling was the most common failure mode of FiberWire repair in 4 of the 7 techniques. Four-strand repairs and locking repairs provided significantly more strength than 2-strand repairs and grasping repairs. Multiple grasping and multiple locking repairs with 2 knots were significantly weaker than single grasping and locking repairs with a single knot. Four-strand locked cruciate repairs were significantly stronger than the other techniques (mean ultimate tensile strength 107 N, 2-mm gap force 96 N). Two-strand double cross-locks repairs were stronger than the other 2-strand repairs (mean ultimate tensile strength 69 N, 2-mm gap force 53 N). Conclusions The strength of the FiberWire repairs increased with locking repair and with increased number of strands but was not influenced by increased number of locking and grasping stitches. Four-strand locked cruciate and 2-strand double cross-locks provided the greatest strength and likely are appropriate for future clinical use in, respectively, 4-strand and 2-strand repairs. However, the poor knot-holding characteristics of FiberWire with the need of a greater number of knot throws may be of concern for surgeons using this product for flexor tendon repairs.
Post-hurricane Analysis of Citrus Canker Spread and Progress towards the Development of a Predictive Model to Estimate Disease Spread Due to Catastrophic Weather Events

Many factors have been involved in the spread of citrus canker (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri); however, the 2004 hurricane season appears to have been one of the major factors leading to the widespread and numerous citrus canker infections discovered in late 2004 and 2005. Geospatially referenced citrus canker infection data from infections that were discovered after the 2004 hurricanes were examined in relation to wind and rain conditions experienced during the hurricanes and used to develop a predictive model to explain storm-related spread of citrus canker. The model incorporates a "threshold" concept for wind and rains that, in-effect, incorporates only biologically significant weather parameters in the calculations. When applied to three distinct areas of the state, the predictive model accounted for approximately 80% of the hurricane related and subsequent secondary spread of citrus canker over the next 14 months. Therefore, the use of the predictive model shows great promise a tool to predict disease spread as a result of extreme weather events and as a means of targeting resources for citrus canker survey and detection activities.
On the Role of Classical Field Time Correlations in Noisy Light Spectroscopy: Color Locking and a Spectral Filter Analogy†

Physical concepts which have proven to be of substantial aid in the understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms of noisy light spectroscopy are established and discussed. These physical concepts are extracted from the technique of factorized time correlation diagram analysis. Examples are presented to add concreteness the general discussions of the physical concepts with coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering of noisy light serving as a particularly useful example.
Hydrogen generation in nitric acid solutions of plutonium

Literature data on the radiolytic generation of hydrogen in nitric acid solutions of plutonium are used to construct a model that predicts G(H2) as a function of the nitric acid and plutonium concentrations. The model indicates that G(H2) decreases with increasing concentration of nitric acid, in agreement with most experimental observations. The effect of the plutonium concentration on G(H2) is secondary to the effect of the acid concentration. An equation for interpolating Gvalues for total gas is included.
Motion sketching for control of rigid-body simulations

Motion sketching is an approach for creating realistic rigid-body motion. In this approach, an animator sketches how objects should move and the system computes a physically plausible motion that best fits the sketch. The sketch is specified with a mouse-based interface or with hand-gestures, which move instrumented objects in the real world to act out the desired behaviors. The sketches may be imprecise, may be physically infeasible, or may have incorrect timing. A multiple-shooting optimization estimates the parameters of a rigid-body simulation needed to simulate an animation that matches the sketch with physically plausible timing and motion. This technique applies to physical simulations of multiple colliding rigid bodies possibly connected with joints in a tree (open-loop) topology.
GLP-1 at physiological concentrations recruits skeletal and cardiac muscle microvasculature in healthy humans

Muscle microvascular surface area determines substrate and hormonal exchanges between plasma and muscle interstitium. GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) regulates glucose-dependent insulin secretion and has numerous extrapancreatic effects, including a salutary vascular action. To examine whether GLP-1 recruits skeletal and cardiac muscle microvasculature in healthy humans, 26 overnight-fasted healthy adults received a systemic infusion of GLP-1 (1.2 pmol/kg of body mass per min) for 150 min. Skeletal and cardiac muscle MBV (microvascular blood volume), MFV (microvascular flow velocity) and MBF (microvascular blood flow) were determined at baseline and after 30 and 150 min. Brachial artery diameter and mean flow velocity were measured and total blood flow was calculated before and at the end of the GLP-1 infusion. GLP-1 infusion raised plasma GLP-1 concentrations to the postprandial levels and suppressed plasma glucagon concentrations with a transient increase in plasma insulin concentrations. Skeletal and cardiac muscle MBV and MBF increased significantly at both 30 and 150 min (P < 0.05). MFV did not change in skeletal muscle, but decreased slightly in cardiac muscle. GLP-1 infusion significantly increased brachial artery diameter (P < 0.005) and flow velocity (P = 0.05) at 150 min, resulting in a significant increase in total brachial artery blood flow (P < 0.005). We conclude that acute GLP-1 infusion significantly recruits skeletal and cardiac muscle microvasculature in addition to relaxing the conduit artery in healthy humans. This could contribute to increased tissue oxygen, nutrient and insulin delivery and exchange and therefore better prandial glycaemic control and tissue function in humans.
Optimal design of P and PI controllers for simple SITO plants. Cases study

In this paper an optimal PI design approach is developed and illustrated for the control of plants with one input and two outputs (SITO). The idea is applied to simple discrete-time SITO plants amenable to be stabilized with P and/or PI controllers. Simple linear discrete-time systems are considered, and a 2-norm minimization is used.
On stress assisted dislocation constriction and cross-slip

Abstract A novel semidiscrete Peierls–Nabarro model is introduced which can be used to study dislocation spreading at more than one slip plane, such as dislocation cross-slip and junctions. The strength of the model, when combined with an atomistic simulation for dislocation core properties, is without suffering from the uncertainties associated with empirical potentials. Therefore, this method is particularly useful in providing insight into alloy design when empirical potentials are not available or not reliable for such multi-element systems. The model is applied to study the external stress assisted dislocation cross-slip and constriction process in two fcc metals, Al and Ag, exhibiting different deformation properties. We find that the screw dislocation in Al can cross-slip spontaneously in contrast with that in Ag, where the screw dislocation splits into two partials that cannot cross-slip without first being constricted. The dislocation response to an external stress is examined in detail. The dislocation constriction energy and the critical stress for cross-slip are determined, and from the latter, we estimate the cross-slip energy barrier for straight screw dislocations.
Transrectal Ultrasound Appearance of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Involving the Prostate

Purpose: This report describes the transrectal ultrasound appearance of squamous cell carcinoma of the prostate. Case Reports: One case of squamous cell carcinoma
Opossum insulin, glucagon and pancreatic polypeptide: Amino acid sequences

Pancreatic hormones have been purified from the opossum, a New World marsupial. Opossum insulin contains a Leu substitution at the N-terminus of the B-chain in place of the Phe that is generally present in mammalian insulins. In addition, there are two other amino acid substitutions in the opossum insulin A-chain (positions 8 and 18) compared to pig insulin. Opossum glucagon is identical to chicken glucagon with both differing from the usual mammalian glucagon by Ser in place of Asn at its penultimate C-terminal position. Opossum PP differs from the porcine peptide in only 3 sites (position 3, 19 and 30).
Impacts of property tax on land use change decisions in Georgia

In this paper, we report a study on how property taxes influence land use change decisions of Georgia private landowners. We analyze National Resources Inventory plot-level land use data and county-level socio-economic data using a panel random parameter logit model. Our results indicate that property taxes have significantly negative impacts on private landowners’ land-use change decisions, but these impacts are relatively small.
Breeding bird communities of recently restored and natural prairie potholes

We compared the breeding bird communities of natural and recently restored prairie potholes in northern Iowa in 1989 and 1990. Species richness of breeding birds was higher (P 0.1). Common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), marsh wren (Cistothorus palustris), and swamp sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) were each more abundant at natural than at restored wetlands during at least one year (P<0.05). Brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) parasitized a significantly greater proportion of red-winged blackbird nests at natural than at restored wetlands. Incomplete development of typical vegetation structure evidently depresses bird species richness at recently restored prairie potholes. Drought the year before and during the first year of our study undoubtedly affected our results. Similar studies should be conducted during periods of relatively high precipitation to complement our results.
Relationship between interlayer spacing and crystallite diameter in graphite fibers

Abstract Crystallite dimensions are calculated for high modulus, high tensile strength graphite fibers prepared from acrylic polymers. Some of the fibers have been found to have two coexisting phases by X-ray diffraction. The equation of Takahashi et al. relating interlayer spacing to crystallite dimension is shown to give different results depending on its use for the individual phases or for unresolved (001) lines.
Orthogonal tributary channel exchange of 160-Gbit/s pol-muxed DPSK signal.

We report the orthogonal tributary channel exchange of a polarization-multiplexed (pol-muxed) differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) optical time-division multiplexed (OTDM) signal by exploiting the Kerr effect-induced nonlinear birefringence in a highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF). We first implement Kerr effect-based 40-to-10, 80-to-10, and 160-to-10 Gbit/s demultiplexing of DPSK OTDM signals with power penalties of less than 0.5, 1.5, and 2.6 dB, respectively, at a bit-error rate (BER) of 10−9. We further demonstrate 10-Gbit/s tributary channel exchange between two orthogonal polarizations of a 160-Gbit/s pol-muxed DPSK OTDM signal with a power penalty of less than 4 dB at a BER of 10−9. Moreover, Jones matrix analyses are applied to the orthogonal polarization exchange, indicating the exchange condition of orthogonal polarization exchange with the characteristic of transparency to the modulation format. The exchange performance is analyzed in terms of the extinction ratio (ER) of the newly converted signal to the original residual signal. The dynamic range of the product of nonlinear coefficient, pump power, and effective fiber length, the dynamic range of pump power, the impact and tolerance of pump polarization offset are discussed to characterize and optimize the performance of orthogonal polarization exchange.
Field demonstration of a multichannel fiber‐optic laser‐induced fluorescence system in a cone penetrometer vehicle

A laser-induced fluorescence system for in situ detection of soil contamination with cone penetrometer technology, capable of collecting three-dimensional fluorescence fingerprints (excitation–emission matrices, or EEMs) as the probe is advanced vertically, has been developed. In this report, we describe a recent field test at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, in which we demonstrated successful operation of the system. The system uses a pair of silica-clad-silica optical fibers for each of its channels (eight of which were used in the work described), one to deliver excitation light from the multiwavelength laser excitation source to the sample, and the other to conduct contaminant fluorescence to a grating spectrograph that utilizes a charge-coupled-device detector to record fluorescence intensity as a function of both excitation and emission wavelength. The matrix-formatted field data are displayed as three-dimensional fingerprints of contamination at given push locations and depths; they are also reduced in dimension by summing over one or both wavelength axes and plotting summed fluorescence versus depth to facilitate visualization of the approximate extent of the contaminant plume. Selected EEMs from each push location are examined for characteristic patterns and compared to standard EEMs of pure compounds and fuels. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Field Analyt Chem Technol 1: 343–355, 1997
Welwistatin Support Studies: Expansion and Limitation of Aryllead(IV) Coupling Reactions

Recent support studies on the total synthesis of the welwitstatin system are described. The target step involves lead-mediated arylation of sterically demanding aryl groups and carbon acid coupling partners in order to establish the highly congested tetracyclic core structure. Type 7 β-ketoesters and β-ketonitriles were successfully arylated with a variety of ortho- and meta-subsituted aryllead compounds generated by a halogen-boron-lead exchange sequence. The enolates of compounds 15, 19 and 25, each bearing all-carbon quaternary centers adjacent to the arylation site, failed to couple.
A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) investigation of the wake closure phenomenon

Using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, the gas dynamics of the open-wake and closed-wake conditions of an annular-slit high-pressure gas atomization (AS-HPGA) nozzle were investigated to validate the predictions of a pulsatile atomization model that was recently proposed. The location of the recirculation zones, the oblique shocks and the Mach disks were analyzed for this type of closed-coupled gas atomization nozzle. The stagnation pressures located downstream of the Mach disk, in closed-wake condition, were found to be approximately twice as high as the stagnation pressure in an open-wake condition at a slightly lower atomization gas pressure. The turbulence model utilized within the CFD calculation scheme appeared to be inadequate for calculating aspiration pressure just below wake-closure pressure when the recirculation zone is extremely long and narrow. However, overall, the CFD calculation correlated well with the experimental results, showing that the aspiration pressure progressively lowers as operation pressure increases in open-wake condition, and rises as operation pressure increases in closed-wake condition.
Characteristics of coupled slow-wave microstrip lines

The spectral-domain technique has been applied to investigate the characteristics of coupled slow-wave microstrip lines.
Evidences for the formation of bisbenzamidine–heme complexes in cell-free systems

Abstract Infrared and colorimetry data suggest that bisbenzamidines connected by various rigid or flexible linkers are able to interact with heme in cell-free systems. At pH 5.0 the inhibition of formation of β-hematin could be ascertained by infrared spectroscopy whereas at pH 7.0 the interaction yielded insoluble complexes for which a sandwich-type structure of stoichiometry 2:1, heme–drug, is tentatively proposed.
The effects of fuel chemistry and feedstock powder structure on the mechanical and tribological properties of HVOF thermal-sprayed WC–Co coatings with very fine structures

Abstract We have deposited a series of WC–Co coatings by the high velocity oxy fuel (HVOF) process, using three different powders, and different spray conditions. The powders are a nanocrystalline (Nanocarb), a near-nanostructured powder (Infralloy) containing a proprietary additive aimed at retarding grain growth, and multimodal (mixed micro and nano) powder (Nanomyte). HVOF spray conditions were stoichiometric, fuel rich and oxygen rich. ‘In-flight’ feedstock powder temperature and velocity were measured. The hardness and toughness of the coatings are found to depend on WC-binder adhesion and adhesion between splats. High flame temperatures increase WC-binder adhesion but increase decarburization. The latter is found to decrease adhesion between the splats. Decarburization is most pronounced for nanostructured powders because of their high specific surface. The additive in Infralloy decreases adhesion between WC grains and binder, but it also reduces decarburization. The wear resistance of the coatings increases with hardness and decreases with increasing decarburization. Sliding wear occurs by a attrition of the WC grains and the lifting of entire splats; abrasive wear occurs by ductile cutting, grain loss and lifting of splats; the low wear rate in sliding leads to splat-boundary weakening by fatigue. The effect of decarburization predominates in sliding wear and is less pronounced in abrasion; the high abrasive wear removes material before fatigue becomes important. The coating deposited at high temperature, from the multimodal powder Nanomyte, presents outstanding sliding and abrasive wear resistance but inflicts large wear on the opposing silicon nitride surface in sliding. Coatings deposited with the near nanostructured powder containing an additive present high sliding wear resistance, independent of the deposition parameters, and cause low wear of the opposing silicon nitride. Coatings deposited with spray-dried nanostructured powders offer comparatively low wear resistance, in agreement with previous reports.
Endogenous Growth, Increasing Returns and Externalities: An Alternative Interpretation of the Evidence

A number of recent papers have used aggregate production functions in an attempt to measure the degree of returns to scale and possible external effects in US manufacturing industries. In this paper I argue that the methods used and the results obtained are deceptive. The reason is that underlying every aggregate production function is the income accounting identity that relates output in value terms to the sum of wages and profits. This identity can be transformed, depending on the empirical paths of the wage and profit rates and of the factor shares, into different mathematical forms which resemble neoclassical production functions. Estimation of these forms, as is done in the literature discussed in the paper, poses serious problems for the interpretation of the results.
Acceptance of Rape Myths among Prosecuting Attorneys

Surveys containing a measurement of acceptance of rape myths were mailed to 310 prosecuting attorneys from 87 counties in Ohio. Among the 182 (58.7%) participants who responded, self-reported acceptance of rape myths was low. Males endorsed rape myths more strongly than females, but the sex differences were small in magnitude. No demographic variables were significant in predicting the acceptance of rape myths in a regression analysis. The current findings are informative because they provide the only direct measure of prosecutors' attitudes towards rape victims that have been reported in the past 15 years.
An “Ideology in Pieces” Approach to Studying Change in Teachers’ Sensemaking About Race, Racism, and Racial Justice

This article makes a unique contribution to the literature on teachers’ racialized sensemaking by proposing a framework of “ideology in pieces” that synthesizes Hall's (1982, 1996) theory of ideology and diSessa's (1993) theory of conceptual change. Hall's theory of ideology enables an examination of teachers’ sensemaking as situated within a structured society and diSessa's research on conceptual change provides an analytical lens to understand the elements of ideological sensemaking and the processes of ideological transformation. I use the framework of ideology in pieces to analyze and interpret the ideological sensemaking and transformation of a teacher engaged in a collaborative teacher research group in which participants explored issues of social justice in their high school math and science classrooms. The framework and analysis presented in the article offer a more comprehensive theory of teachers’ ideological sensemaking and transformation that includes their cognitive, social, and structural di...
A Review of: “Keepin' On: The Everyday Struggles of Young Families in Poverty”

Keepin' On provides a personal and in-depth look into the lives of nine young mothers living in poverty. The mothers, who ranged from 15 to 23 years old, were enrolled in Early Head Start (EHS) and...
Feature space analysis: effects of MRI protocols.

We present a method for exploring the relationship between the image segmentation results obtained by an optimal feature space method and the MRI protocols used. The steps of the work accomplished are as follows. (1) Patients with brain tumors were imaged on a 1.5 T General Electric Signa MRI System using multiple protocols (T1 and T2-weighted fast spin–echo and FLAIR). T1-weighted images were acquired before and after gadolinium injection. (2) Image volumes were co-registered, and images of a slice through the center of the tumor were selected for processing. (3) For each patient, several image sets were defined by selecting certain MR images (e.g., 4T2’s+1T1, 4T2’s+FLAIR, 2T2’s+1T1). (4) Using each image set, the optimal feature space was generated and images were segmented into normal tissues and different tumor zones. (5) Segmentation results obtained using the different MRI sets were compared. Based on the analysis results from 27 image sets, we found that the locations of the clusters for the tumor zones and their corresponding regions in the image domain changed as a function of the MR images (MRI protocols) used. However, the segmentation results for the total lesion and normal tissues remained relatively unchanged.
UROPLAKIN AND ANDROGEN RECEPTOR EXPRESSION IN THE HUMAN FETAL GENITAL TRACT: INSIGHTS INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE VAGINA

Purpose: Although a dual origin of the vagina has been popularized, other theories support a mullerian or wolffian duct origin or various combinations of these structures and the urogenital sinus. Uroplakins are specialized membrane proteins of the urothelial plaque, constituting the asymmetrical unit membrane of the bladder, and represent specific molecular markers of urothelial differentiation. We hypothesize that the epithelium of the dorsal wall of the urogenital sinus is involved in the formation of the sinovaginal bulbs and will express uroplakins. In addition, localization of the androgen receptor and its temporal expression during development may in part explain the varied effects of androgens on the lower female genital tract in congenital adrenal hyperplasia.Materials and Methods: Lower genitourinary tracts from 4 human female fetuses (9 to 18 weeks) were serially sagittally sectioned. Representative sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, rabbit antibodies against panuroplakin and ant...
Positive-Pion Production Asymmetry with Polarized Bremsstrahlung Near Second Resonance

The azimuthal asymmetry $\ensuremath{\Sigma}=\frac{({\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{II}})}{({\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}+{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{II}})}$ in ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}$ photoproduction by linearly polarized bremsstrahlung was measured at photon energies from 475 to 750 MeV at 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 135\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} in the center-of-mass system. The experimental results show that even in this energy region, ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}$ are produced predominantly in the plane of the magnetic vector.
298 ALTERED PERINATAL GLUCAGON-PHOSPHOENOLPYRUVATE CAR BOXYKINASE (PEPCK) RELATIONS IN THE GROWTH RETARDED RAT

Since diminished gluconeogenic enzyme activity is a cause of hypoglycemia in the growth retarded neonate, we characterized the relation of glucagon, an inducer of gluconeogenic enzymes, to the appearance of hepatic PEPCK, a key gluconeogenic enzyme. Fetal and neonatal rat pups were rendered growth retarded by maternal bilateral uterine artery ligation (L) on day 18.5 (term 21.5). Pups of L, sham (S), and nonoperated (N) mothers had significantly different body and placental mass on days 19.5 - 21.5 (L < S < N). Glucose availability was limited in L on day 19.5 since fetal glucose (L 37±5; S 65±6; N 72±5 mg/dl; p < .01) and fetal/maternal glucose ratios differed (L < S < N). Despite this, glucagon and PEPCK were not stimulated in L fetuses. Glucagon (516-552 pg/ml), insulin, and hepatic PEPCK (.078-.096 μmoles PEP/g liver/min) did not differ between L, S, and N fetuses. At birth, L pups had significantly greater glucagon surge than S and N, but did not increase PEPCK as S and N did (120 min: L .147±.019; S .223±.031; N .201±.019 μmoles PEP/g liver/min; p < .01). Exogenous glucagon induced PEPCK equivalently in L, S, and N (day 20.5) fetuses and newborns but not in day 19.5 fetuses. Little PEPCK induction occurs during late fetal life, and exogenous glucagon can induce PEPCK on day 20.5 and at birth. L newborns, despite excessive glucagon surge, cannot induce PEPCK due to either limited secretory capability or relative insensitivity to glucagon.
Molecular sonography with targeted microbubbles: Current investigations and potential applications

Sonography using targeted microbubbles affords a variety of diagnostic and potentially therapeutic clinical applications. It provides a whole new world of functional information at the cellular and molecular level. This information can then be used to diagnose and possibly prevent diseases at early stages as well as devise therapeutic strategies at the molecular level. It is also useful in monitoring tumor response to therapy and devising treatment timing and plans based on the molecular state of an individual's health. Moreover, targeted microbubble-enhanced sonography has several advantages over other imaging modalities, including widespread availability, low cost, fast acquisition times, and lack of radiation risk. These traits are likely to advance it as one of the imaging methods of choice in future clinical trials examining the impact of molecular imaging on treatment outcome. This review describes the fundamental concepts of targeted microbubble-enhanced sonography as well as its potential clinical applications.
Technical Advances of Radiation Therapy for Thymic Malignancies

Radiation therapy often plays a critical role in the treatment of thymic malignancies. However, because of the location of these tumors, historically patients have been at a significant risk for radiation- related toxicity such as pericardial effusions, radiation pneumonitis, long-term pulmonary fibrosis, and occasional long-term esophageal stricture, particularly for unresectable thymoma. Recent advancements in technology have provided the treating radiation oncologist with the ability to more accurately target the region at risk while sparing normal structures. In this review, we provide an overview of key advances in radiation techniques for thymoma over the past two decades. These techniques include 3D conformal therapy, intensity-modulated radia- tion therapy, 4D treatment planning, adaptive radiation therapy, and proton therapy. Each advancement has brought with it unique advan- tages in maintaining long-term disease control while improving quality of life in this manageable disease.
Experimental study of electron impact ionization in field emission-driven microdischarges

Field emission can act as a significant source of primary electrons in direct current microdischarges generated in geometries truly at the microscale (! 1‐10µm). Using field emission as a source of primary electrons, it is possible to produce a stable pre-breakdown Townsend discharge with modestly high current at pressures up to atmospheric. Recent theories for field emission-driven Townsend discharges, or more simply field emission-driven microdischarges, show that the field emission current will be multiplied by electron impact ionization in the electrode gap. In this work, experiments using microfabricated, parallel-plate discharge devices showed that the measured anode current increases exponentially with pressure, consistent with the theory for field emission-driven microdischarges operated in a pre-breakdown regime. Furthermore, extracted average ionization cross-sections on the order of 10 " 19 ‐10 " 20 m 2 are comparable to those predicted by particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision simulations of the same experimental conditions.
Home Environment Classification System: A Model for Assessing the Home Environments of Developing Children

A two-tiered system for classifying inputs from the environment is presented. For the first (or outer) tier, each environmental element is categorized along three structural dimensions: 1) the function which the element serves in behalf of development (stimulation, structure, sustenance, surveillance, support); 2) the modality through which the element is received (visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, olfactory); and 3) the source from which the element comes (person, object, event, setting). For the second (or inner) tier, items are rated along three dynamic dimensions: 1) reactivity 2) complexity and 3) intensity. The classification system is presented as a heuristic approach to organizing information on environment/development relationships. It allows for a multi-dimensional description of any type of input to persons in such a way as to incorporate most of the ways of describing environments previously presented in the literature on human development. The advantage of the proposed classification sy...
Geometric combination lags as flexible infinite distributed lag estimators

Abstract This paper considers a new class of distributed lag estimators, the geometric combination lag (GCL), with several desirable properties. The estimated weight structure is flexible in practice and satisfies a theoretical approximation theorem. The truncated remainder terms can be estimated rather than simply being dropped. Estimation requires very little computational effort and, under the maintained assumptions, has the properties of OLS. These features will make the GCL attractive to applied researches.
Declines in deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii energy density associated with the disappearance of Diporeia spp. in lakes Huron and Michigan

The deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii is a glacial relict in the Laurentian Great Lakes that primarily consumes two glacial relict crustaceans, Mysis relicta and Diporeia spp. Deepwater sculpin were collected in Lake Michigan off Little Sable Point (in 2001) and Muskegon, Michigan (in 2001 and 2009), and in Lake Huron off Harbor Beach, Michigan (in 2007) for energy density and diet analyses. These sites and years represented differences in available prey. In Lake Michigan, energy densities of deepwater sculpin in 2001 were similar to those reported in 1969-1971. In contrast, energy content declined at least 26% at Muskegon between 2001 and 2009. Overall, energy density was 31-34% higher at a site with abundant Diporeia spp. compared with two sites without Diporeia spp. Deepwater sculpin diets consisted primarily of M. relicta at all sites, but included 10-17% (dry mass) Diporeia spp. at sites where this crustacean was still abundant. Food biomass in stomachs was higher at sites with abundant Diporeia spp. than at those without Diporeia spp. Deepwater sculpin energy density and food biomass in stomachs were similar between two sites without Diporeia spp. despite differences in abundance of remaining prey, M. relicta. Declines in deepwater sculpin energy density suggest the potential for further effects on other species and changes in the flow of energy through the food web of the Great Lakes.
The average order of a permutation.

We show that the average order $\mu_n$ of a permutation in $S_n$ satisfies $$ \log\mu_n\ =\ C\sqrt{\frac n{\log n}} + O\left(\frac{\sqrt n\log\log n}{\log n}\right), $$ which refines earlier results of Erdős and Turan, Schmutz, and Goh and Schmutz.
A neural computation model with short-term memory

A study of the memory characteristics of the brain and the computer prompts the creation of a new neuron architecture for neural computation. We hypothesize that neural responses resemble hysteresis loops. The upper and lower halves of the hysteresis loop are described by two sigmoids. Generalizing the two sigmoids to two families of curves accommodates loops of various sizes. This model, which we call the 'hystery model', is capable of memorizing the entire history of its bipolar inputs in an adaptive fashion, with larger memory for longer sequences. We theorize and prove that the hystery model's response converges asymptotically to hysteresis-like loops. A simple application to temporal pattern discrimination demonstrates the nonlinear short-term memory characteristics of the hystery model. This model may have important applications for time-based computations such as control, signal processing and spatiotemporal pattern recognition, especially if it can take advantage of existing hysteresis phenomena in semiconductor materials. >
The Health Consequences of Early Soy Consumption

Infants fed soy formula are the segment of the U. S. population that consumes the most soy. Before birth and after weaning, most Americans are not exposed to appreciable levels of soyfoods other than foods that have small amounts of processed soy components. The opposite scenario occurs in Asia, because Asians are more likely to consume relatively high levels of soyfoods throughout life, except between birth and weaning, when breastfeeding or milk-based formula are common. Soy formula is made with soy protein isolate containing isoflavones (SPI+) and supports normal growth and development in term infants. Recent data suggest that there are no long-term adverse effects of early exposure to soy formula through young adulthood. It is as yet unknown whether soy formula consumption by infants will result in health problems or benefits upon aging, but multigenerational animal studies with diets made with SPI+ have not revealed any problems. Soy isoflavones can function as estrogen agonists, antagonists or selective estrogen receptor modulators, depending on the conditions, and much research has focused on health effects of purified isoflavones. Results from several studies suggest that the effects of diets made with SPI+ differ significantly from those of diets to which purified soy isoflavones are added. Furthermore, it seems that soy protein processed to contain lower levels of isoflavones also provides significant health benefits. Further research is needed to confirm the results of the few studies that have been conducted and new studies are needed to investigate the more subtle effects that could occur during development or that could surface later in life.
Solution structure of the 2A protease from a common cold agent, human rhinovirus C2, strain W12.

Human rhinovirus strains differ greatly in their virulence, and this has been correlated with the differing substrate specificity of the respective 2A protease (2Apro). Rhinoviruses use their 2Apro to cleave a spectrum of cellular proteins important to virus replication and anti-host activities. These enzymes share a chymotrypsin-like fold stabilized by a tetra-coordinated zinc ion. The catalytic triad consists of conserved Cys (C105), His (H34), and Asp (D18) residues. We used a semi-automated NMR protocol developed at NMRFAM to determine the solution structure of 2Apro (C105A variant) from an isolate of the clinically important rhinovirus C species (RV-C). The backbone of C2 2Apro superimposed closely (1.41–1.81 A rmsd) with those of orthologs from RV-A2, coxsackie B4 (CB4), and enterovirus 71 (EV71) having sequence identities between 40% and 60%. Comparison of the structures suggest that the differential functional properties of C2 2Apro stem from its unique surface charge, high proportion of surface aromatics, and sequence surrounding the di-tyrosine flap.
Capacity of the Nationwide VHF Air/Ground Radio System for Air Traffic Services

Increasing the capacity of the very high frequency air/ground (A/G) radio system that supports United States air traffic control is a major reason for upgrading the system to a four-slot time-division multiple-access (TDMA) architecture. Since aviation safety requires a dedicated, immediately accessible A/G circuit for each controller, the thousands of circuits in the nationwide system must have compatible frequency/slot assignments that will allow them all to operate simultaneously if necessary. System capacity may be defined as the size to which the system can grow before it will no longer be feasible to find a compatible assignment for every required new circuit. This paper describes a strategy for combining A/G circuits into multislot TDMA "bundles" in a way that will enhance capacity by efficiently using available frequencies and slots. To quantify the resultant capacity gain, the authors have applied the strategy in a series of nationwide system growth simulations, noting the numbers of hypothetical future circuit requirements that were met before frequency denials started to become necessary in some cases. Their results indicate that the capacity of the TDMA version of the system would be 2.8-3.7 times that of the present-day AM analog version
Software history under the lens: A study on why and how developers examine it

Despite software history being indispensable for developers, there is little empirical knowledge about how they examine software history. Without such knowledge, researchers and tool builders are in danger of making wrong assumptions and building inadequate tools. In this paper we present an in-depth empirical study about the motivations developers have for examining software history, the strategies they use, and the challenges they encounter. To learn these, we interviewed 14 experienced developers from industry, and then extended our findings by surveying 217 developers. We found that history does not begin with the latest commit but with uncommitted changes. Moreover, we found that developers had different motivations for examining recent and old history. Based on these findings we propose 3-LENS HISTORY, a novel unified model for reasoning about software history.
Structural determinants of slow conduction in the canine sinus node.

Structure of Sinus Node Gap Junctions. Introduction: To elucidate the role of tissue structure as a determinant of the unique conduction properties of the sinus node. we compared the spatial distribution of intercellular connections at gap junctions in the sinus node to the more rapidly conducting crista terminalis and left ventricle, which have been studied previously. Methods and Results: Samples of four canine sinus nodes were prepared for electron microscopy. The total number and spatial orientation of neighboring myocytes connected by ultrastructurally identified intercalated disks and gap junctions to nine randomly selected index cells were determined by sequentially examining subserial sections. Sinus node cells were sparsely interconnected compared to the extent of interconnections observed previously in other tissues. A typical sinus node cell was connected to only 4.8 ± 0.7 neighbors compared with 11.3 ± 2.2 cells in the left ventricle and 6.4 ± 1.7 cells in the crista terminalis. Sinus node interconnections occurred at small intercalated disks that usually connected cells in partial side-to-side and end-to-end juxtaposition. In contrast, left ventricular myocytes are interconnected at large intercalated disks that adjoin many cells in pure side-to-side and end-to-end orientations. Crista terminalis myocytes are connected primarily in end-to-end fashion. The aggregate gap junction profile length per unit myocyte area was 26.5 times greater in the left ventricle and 5.0 times greater in the crista terminalis than in the sinus node. Conclusion: Sinus node myocytes exhibit small, sparsely distributed gap junctions that interconnect cells in complex patterns of lateral and terminal apposition. These structural features are consistent with the unique conduction properties of the sinus node.
Constructive neural network ensemble for regression tasks in high dimensional spaces

This research focuses on the development of constructive neural networks (NN)for regression tasks in high dimensional spaces. A constructive algorithm which is referred to as modified cascade correlation (MCC) has been developed. MCC has several improvements relative to the original algorithm. They include stopping the training when the minimum squared error on a small unseen dataset is reached. This method is known to improve the generalization ability of the NN, i.e. its ability to accurately predict cases not in the training set. The subject of this paper is to investigate committee networks trained with the MCC. A mathematical function is used to study the generalization properties of the network for input space dimension ranging from five to thirty. The study shows that "ensemble averaged" network committees greatly improve the generalization performance of the MCC algorithm. Areas of further research are outlined and include investigating other types of committees.
Ethanol Activation of Protein Kinase A Regulates GABAA α1 Receptor Function and Trafficking in Cultured Cerebral Cortical Neurons

Ethanol exposure produces alterations in GABAergic signaling that are associated with dependence and withdrawal. Previously, we demonstrated that ethanol-induced protein kinase C (PKC) γ signaling selectively contributes to changes in GABAA α1 synaptic receptor activity and surface expression. Here, we demonstrate that protein kinase A (PKA) exerts opposing effects on GABAA receptor adaptations during brief ethanol exposure. Cerebral cortical neurons from day 0–1 rat pups were tested after 18 days in culture. Receptor trafficking was assessed by Western blot analysis, and functional changes were measured using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of evoked and miniature inhibitory postsynaptic current (mIPSC) responses. One-hour ethanol exposure increased membrane-associated PKC and PKA, but steady-state GABAA α1 subunit levels were maintained. Activation of PKA by Sp-adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphothioate triethylamine alone increased GABAA α1 subunit surface expression and zolpidem potentiation of GABA responses, whereas coexposure of ethanol with the PKA inhibitor Rp-adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphothioate triethylamine decreased α1 subunit expression and zolpidem responses. Exposure to the PKC inhibitor calphostin-C with ethanol mimicked the effect of direct PKA activation. The effects of PKA modulation on mIPSC decay τ were consistent with its effects on GABA currents evoked in the presence of zolpidem. Overall, the results suggest that PKA acts in opposition to PKC on α1-containing GABAA receptors, mediating the GABAergic effects of ethanol exposure, and may provide an important target for the treatment of alcohol dependence/withdrawal.
Characterization of logic circuit techniques for high leakage CMOS technologies

Channel subthreshold and gate leakage currents are predicted by many to become much more significant in advanced CMOS technologies and are expected to have a substantial impact on logic circuit design strategies. To reduce static power, techniques such as the use of monotonic logic and management of various evaluation and idle modes within logic stages may become important options in circuit optimization. In this paper, we present a general, multilevel model for logic blocks consisting of logic gates that include a wide range of options for static power reduction, in both the domains of topology and timing. Existing circuit techniques are classified within this framework and experiments are presented showing how aspects of performance might vary across this range in a hypothetical technology. The framework also allows exploration of optimal mixing of techniques.
Adolescents' Triangulation in Marital Conflict and Peer Relations

This study examined the association between youths' triangulation in marital conflict and three aspects of their peer relations in 416 families during early adolescence. A 4-wave, longitudinal research design was used. As hypothesized, triangulation was associated negatively with perceived support from friends and positively with perceived peer rejection. Triangulation was a risk factor for both sons and daughters. Adolescent problem behavior did not mediate the significant association between triangulation and perceived friendship support. Adolescent problem behavior, particularly internalizing problems, completely me diated the association between triangulation and adolescents' perceptions of peer rejection, suggesting the important developmental role of adolescents' anxiety, depressive affect, and withdrawal. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of Bowen's multigenerational family systems theory and social learning principles.
On interpreting the imaginary values of Durbin's h-statistic

Evidence is provided here that indicates an imaginary value of Durbin's often used h-statistic has no information value in determining the presence or absence of serial correlation in dynamic linear models. However, in many designs an imaginary h value may signal specification problems such as omitted variables or structural shift in coefficients.
Psychological and Biological Perspectives on Altruism

This paper presents the case for viewing altruism as an inherent part of human nature. The argument is first made that 'inclusive fitness', the key concept in modern evolutionary biology, dictates that (a) humans are programmed not only to be egoistic but also, under certain conditions, to help another at cost to themselves; and (b) what was selected was not altruistic action but mediators of action, because this provided the necessary flexibility. Psychological evidence is then presented that complements this view. Thus (a) there appears to a general human tendency to help others in distress, which has properties analagous to egoistic motivation and yet comes into play independently of egoistic motivation; and (b) the evolutionary requirements for a mediating mechanism appear to be met by empathy, e.g., it is reliably aroused in humans in response to misfortune in others, it predisposes the individual toward helping action and yet is amenable to perceptual and cognitive control, and its physiological bas...