cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Isolating mechanisms and implications for modes of speciation in Heliantheae (Compositae )

The Heliantheae contain more than 200 genera and 2500 species. To aid understanding of the origin of species within the tribe, a survey of the extant isolating mechanisms between and among closely related species has been undertaken using available monographs. The predominant isolating factor is reproductive isolation, with many closely related taxa differing in chromosome number or being incompatible. Geographical isolation was found in 67% of the groups. Differences in flowering time and habitat have been isolating factors in some instances. The existence of autogamy and pollinator preference as isolating mechanisms is uncertain due to scanty data. Significant differences in pollination systems seem unlikely due to widespread promiscuous pollination in the tribe. The general role of isolating mechanisms in speciation in the Heliantheae suggests geographic and allopolyploid modes as most common with recombinational and quantum speciation of lesser significance.
Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Parkinson’sDisease: The Role of Molecular Chaperones

Adult onset neurodegenerative diseases are thought to be caused by toxic misfolded proteins. Triggered by gene mutations and environmental events, toxic proteins cause cell death in various brain regions and accumulate in intraneuronal inclusion bodies. In Parkinson’s disease (PD), Lewy bodies (LBs) containing the small acidic protein, α-synuclein, are found at autopsy making α-synuclein a candidate for the toxic protein in PD and other synucleinopathies such as dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), where the pathology extends into the cortex. Normally, mutant proteins that fail to fold properly are either refolded by molecular chaperones or degraded by the proteasome or lysosome. The ineffectiveness of these quality control mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease may be due, at least in part, to a natural decline in function of the aging brain. The result is the accumulation of misfolded protein and a disruption in cellular function. Here, we will examine the emerging role of heat shock protein molecular chaperones in Parkinson’s disease and investigate the potential targeting of heat shock protein molecular chaperones as therapeutic drug targets
What Future for the International Monetary System

The time has come to begin contemplating a common currency for the industrialized democracies. This idea is much too radical to garner much political support in the near future, but it does offer a way to overcome a number of difficulties that these economies now face, and that are likely to become more, not less, serious in the coming years. So despite the novelty of the proposal, a common currency provides a focal point for analysis, one that may in turn suggest intermediate steps to accomplish some of the same results with less political commitment.
Types and forms of knowledge (patterns): rules

Classification rules, characteristic rules, and association rules are presented. Their evaluation criteria are discussed, as well as rule applications, strengths, limitations, and relations to other forms of knowledge.
The conformation and dynamics of P-glycoprotein in a lipid bilayer investigated by atomic force microscopy.

Abstract The membrane-bound P-glycoprotein (Pgp) transporter plays a major role in human disease and drug disposition because of its ability to efflux a chemically diverse range of drugs through ATP hydrolysis and ligand-induced conformational changes. Deciphering these structural changes is key to understanding the molecular basis of transport and to developing molecules that can modulate efflux. Here, atomic force microscopy (AFM) is used to directly image individual Pgp transporter molecules in a lipid bilayer under physiological pH and ambient temperature. Analysis of the Pgp AFM images revealed “small” and “large” protrusions from the lipid bilayer with significant differences in protrusion height and volume. The geometry of these “small” and “large” protrusions correlated to the predicted extracellular (EC) and cytosolic (C) domains of the Pgp X-ray crystal structure, respectively. To assign these protrusions, simulated AFM images were produced from the Pgp X-ray crystal structures with membrane planes defined by three computational approaches, and a simulated 80 A AFM cantilever tip. The theoretical AFM images of the EC and C domains had similar heights and volumes to the “small” and “large” protrusions in the experimental AFM images, respectively. The assignment of the protrusions in the AFM images to the EC and C domains was confirmed by changes in protrusion volume by Pgp-specific antibodies. The Pgp domains showed a considerable degree of conformational dynamics in time resolved AFM images. With this information, a model of Pgp conformational dynamics in a lipid bilayer is proposed within the context of the known Pgp X-ray crystal structures.
Neighborhood-scale sky view factor variations with building density and height: A simulation approach and case study of Boston

Abstract This study establishes a relationship between sky view factors (SVF) and building densities and heights in a neighborhood. This research uses simulation to calculate average SVFs of hypothetical neighborhoods with different average height-density combinations, and uses the results to establish mathematical relationships that can be used in lieu of extensive field studies or generic assumptions. The advantage of this model over other methods lies within the fact that this model calculates the SVF for an urban area as opposed to a specific point. Although there are software applications that can calculate the average SVF of a selected area within an existing city, these applications require 3-dimensional shapefiles of the area, whereas the proposed method is free of such requirements and also can be used towards planning purposes for urban areas that do not exist. The method described herein is validated through direct measurement in a case study of Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Drawing on the concept of local climate zones, the estimates are compared with prior research and field measurements. Systematic analysis of impacts of urban morphology on the SVF can reveal how spatial distribution and height of buildings can modify the urban environment through attenuation of solar radiation and shading.
Self-oscillatory operation mode of atmospheric-pressure plasma jet

We report new type of helium atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) which operates in self-oscillatory mode, namely periodic excitation of streamer breakdowns are occurring under application of pure DC high voltage to the electrode similar to that in flashing streamer corona in air. The repetition frequency of the breakdowns is governed by the geometry of discharge electrodes/surroundings and gas flow rate. Each next streamer is initiated when the electric field on the anode tip recovers after the previous breakdown and reaches the breakdown threshold value of about 2.5 kV/cm. One type of the helium plasma gun designed using this operational principle is demonstrated. The gun operates on about 3 kV DC high voltage and is comprised of the series of the repetitive streamer breakdowns at a frequency of about 13 kHz. Temporal evolution of the electron density and gas temperature were measured by Rayleigh microwave scattering and optical emission spectroscopy.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Superior Thalamic Radiation and Cerebrospinal Fluid Distribution in Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus.

Background and purpose Ventricular enlargement in elderly raises a challenging differential diagnosis to physicians. While Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) constitutes a potentially reversible syndrome. iNPH has a unique pathophysiology pertaining to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics and periventricular white matter. We aimed to determine the effects of iNPH on periventricular white matter bundles and to further characterize its ventricular and sulcal CSF distribution by using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) and CSF volumetrics on high resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data. Methods Deterministic DTT and validated volumetric parcellation were performed on 20 healthy elderly, 13 Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 9 iNPH patients. The superior thalamic radiation, corticospinal tract, and dentatorubrothalamic tract were traced and quantified using DTI studio software. Cloud-based volumetric parcellation was also performed on 138 healthy subjects across the lifespan, 13 AD, and 9 iNPH-patients. Ventricular and sulcal CSF volumes in the three groups were compared. Results Combining increased mean diffusivity of the superior thalamic radiation with ventricular volume resulted in clear separation of iNPH from the AD and age-matched healthy subject groups. Additionally, ventricular to sulcal CSF ratio, utilizing fully automated methods, was significantly greater in the iNPH patients compared to AD and healthy age-matched controls. Conclusions Combined microstructural (DTT) and macrostructural (ventricular volume) changes is a promising radiological approach in studying ventriculomegaly. Automated estimation of the disproportionate ventricular and sulcal CSF ratio in patients presenting with ventriculomegaly may be important as radiologic markers in differentiating iNPH from other causes of ventriculomegaly.
Biochemical screening approach to identify regulatory DNA-binding proteins

The interaction between transcription factors, promoter elements and RNA polymerase is crucial to bacterial adaptation to physical and chemical changes in the environment. Transcription factor discovery has strongly relied on the isolation of regulatory mutants followed by biochemical confirmation. However, highly pleiotropic regulatory mutations can often be deleterious, unstable and difficult to select, or could directly or indirectly affect gene expression at multiple levels. Here, we describe a biochemical approach to identify trans-acting regulatory proteins independent of their cellular function that could be used as an alternative to genetic screens. The method consists in (i) incubating bacterial lysates with an immobilized DNA encompassing a promoter as defined by RNA-Seq data (ii) pull down of bound proteins and (iii) liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). We tested the usefulness of this approach by identifying proteins binding to the Vibrio cholerae rpoS promoter that drives the expression of the general stress response regulator RpoS. The approach identified several proteins binding to the rpoS promoter that included the factor for inversion stimulation (FIS), and the master quorum sensing regulator HapR. Binding of both purified proteins to the rpoS promoter was confirmed by electrophoresis mobility shift assays. The role of fis and hapR on rpoS expression was examined in strains containing a chromosomally-integrated rpoS-lacZ fusion. Deletion of fis had little effect while HapR appeared to enhance rpoS expression.
A heat shock-activated cDNA rescues the recessive lethality of mutations in the heterochromatin-associated protein HP1 of Drosophila melanogaster.

HP1 is a small nonhistone chromosomal protein of Drosophila melanogaster predominantly localized to the pericentric heterochromatin. We have shown previously that mutations in the HP1 coding sequences are associated with dominant suppression of heterochromatic position-effect variegation, and with recessive lethality. When fused to an Hsp70 heat shock gene promoter, the cDNA encoding HP1 supports the heat shock-inducible accumulation of HPI protein in transgenic flies; this cDNA construct complements the dominant suppression of position-effect variegation associated with mutations in the HP1 gene. Here, we report experiments demonstrating that the heat shock-driven HP1 cDNA is capable of fully rescuing the recessive lethality associated with HP1 mutations in a heat shock-dependent fashion. If heat shock-induced HP1 expression is delayed for as long as 5 days, more than half of the mutant flies still survive until adulthood, consistent with a substantial maternal contribution to embryonic and larval viability. Elevating HP1 levels as late as 7–8 days of development is sufficient to enhance variegation three-fold, suggesting that the extent of heterochromatic position effect can be modified subsequent to the initial appearance of HP1 in the nuclei of syncytial blastoderm embryos.
N‐1 and C‐2 substituted tryptophans as potential inhibitors of sickle cell hemoglobin gelation

A series of N-1 or C-2 phenylalkyl substituted tryptophans and C-1 phenylalkyl substituted 3,4-dihydro-β-carbolines were prepared from the apropriate aniline, 1b or 1e, or tryptophan, 8 or 11, by ring closure methods. None of the compounds prepared were more potent than 5-bromotryptophan (11) as inhibitors of sickle cell hemoglobin gelation.
Exploiting Irregular Memory Parallelism in Quasi-Stencils through Nonlinear Transformation

Non-stencil kernels with irregular memory accesses pose unique challenges to achieving high computing performance and hardware efficiency in high-level synthesis (HLS) of FPGA. We present a highly versatile and systematic approach to effectively synthesizing a special and important subset of non-stencil computing kernels, quasi-stencils, which possess the mathematical property that, if studied in a particular kind of high-dimensional space corresponding to the prime factorization space, the distance between the memory accesses during each kernel iteration becomes constant and such an irregular non-stencil can be considered as a stencil. This opens the door to exploiting a vast array of existing memory optimization algorithms, such as memory partitioning/banking and data reuse, originally designed for the standard stencil-based kernel computing, therefore offering totally new opportunity to effectively synthesizing irregular non-stencil kernels. We show the feasibility of our approach implementing our methodology in a KC705 Xilinx FPGA board and tested it with several custom code segments that meet the quasi-stencil requirement vs some of the state-of the art methods in memory partitioning. We achieve significant reduction in partition factor, and perhaps more importantly making it proportional to the number of memory accesses instead of depending on the problem size with the cost of some wasted space.
Paclobutrazol inhibits growth of woody landscape plants.

Abstract Paclobutrazol, applied as a spray or drench, suppressed growth of 8 woody landscape species. Magnitude of growth inhibition was directly correlated with application rate, whereas both magnitude and duration of growth inhibition was influenced by application method. Generally, paclobutrazol when applied as a drench suppressed growth to a greater degree than did spray applications. Flowering or fruiting of 3 species was generally promoted with paclobutrazol, while phytotoxicity symptoms were observed on 4 species.
Nuclear-mitochondrial communication involving miR-181c plays an important role in cardiac dysfunction during obesity.

Abstract Aims In cardiomyocytes, there is microRNA (miR) in the mitochondria that originates from the nuclear genome and matures in the cytoplasm before translocating into the mitochondria. Overexpression of one such miR, miR-181c, can lead to heart failure by stimulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and increasing mitochondrial calcium level ([Ca2+]m). Mitochondrial calcium uptake 1 protein (MICU1), a regulatory protein in the mitochondrial calcium uniporter complex, plays an important role in regulating [Ca2+]m. Obesity results in miR-181c overexpression and a decrease in MICU1. We hypothesize that lowering miR-181c would protect against obesity-induced cardiac dysfunction. Methods and results We used an in vivo mouse model of high-fat diet (HFD) for 18 weeks and induced high lipid load in H9c2 cells with oleate-conjugated bovine serum albumin in vitro. We tested the cardioprotective role of lowering miR-181c by using miR-181c/d−/− mice (in vivo) and AntagomiR against miR-181c (in vitro). HFD significantly upregulated heart levels of miR-181c and led to cardiac hypertrophy in wild-type mice, but not in miR-181c/d−/− mice. HFD also increased in ROS production and pyruvate dehydrogenase activity (a surrogate for [Ca2+]m), but the increases were alleviated in miR-181c/d−/− mice. Moreover, miR-181c/d−/− mice fed a HFD had higher levels of MICU1 than did wild-type mice fed a HFD, attenuating the rise in [Ca2+]m. Overexpression of miR-181c in neonatal ventricular cardiomyocytes (NMVM) caused increased ROS production, which oxidized transcription factor Sp1 and led to a loss of Sp1, thereby slowing MICU1 transcription. Hence, miR-181c increases [Ca2+]m through Sp1 oxidation and downregulation of MICU1, suggesting that the cardioprotective effect of miR-181c/d−/− results from inhibition of Sp1 oxidation. Conclusion This study has identified a unique nuclear-mitochondrial communication mechanism in the heart orchestrated by miR-181c. Obesity-induced overexpression of miR-181c increases [Ca2+]m via downregulation of MICU1 and leads to cardiac injury. A strategy to inhibit miR-181c in cardiomyocytes can preserve cardiac function during obesity by improving mitochondrial function. Altering miR-181c expression may provide a pharmacologic approach to improve cardiomyopathy in individuals with obesity/type 2 diabetes.
Microstructural characterization and toughness evaluation of 10 wt% Ni steel weld metal gas tungsten arc and gas metal arc weld fusion zones

Abstract A novel 10 wt% Ni steel weld metal under development for use in high strength/high toughness applications was used to fabricate gas tungsten arc (GTAW) and gas metal arc (GMAW) welds. Both welds exhibit excellent toughness at sub-ambient temperatures, yet the toughness of the GTAW is superior to the GMAW. Using scanning electron microscopy, three differences in microstructure were identified in the GMAW compared to the GTAW, all of which are known to be detrimental to toughness: (1) an overall coarser effective grain size of the martensitic microstructure, (2) a larger presence of a coarse martensite constituent, and (3) a higher number density of oxide inclusions. The difference in the effective grain size of the two welds is rationalized based on inherent differences in the welding processes that produces much larger weld beads and a finger penetration profile in the GMAW thereby limiting the amount of reheating each bead receives. The higher number density of oxide inclusions in the GMAW is from the use of a 98% Ar/2% O2 shielding gas, as compared to 100% Ar used in the GTAW. A GMAW produced using 100% Ar as the shielding gas demonstrated improvements in toughness because of smaller oxide inclusions, yet the toughness was not as high as the GTAW, demonstrating the complexity of the interactions of the three different toughness influences. These results are significant in that they allow modifications to be made to the alloy composition and/or welding process parameters based on a sound scientific basis.
An analysis of the disagreement about added value by regional climate models

In this paper we consider some questions surrounding whether or not regional climate models “add value,” a controversial issue in climate science today. We highlight some objections frequently made about regional climate models both within and outside the community of modelers, including several claims that regional climate models do not “add value.” We show that there are a number of issues involved in the latter claims, the primary ones centering on the fact that different research questions are being pursued by the modelers making the complaints against regional climate models. Further issues focus on historical deficiencies of particular—but not generalizable—failures of individual regional models. We provide tools to sort out these different research questions and particular failures, and to improve communication and understanding surrounding added value in climate modeling and philosophy of climate science.
EXPERIMENTS FOR NEUTRINOLESS DOUBLE-BETA DECAY

The recent neutrino oscillation experimental results indicate that at least one neutrino has a mass greater than 50 meV. The next generation of double-beta decay experiments will very likely have a sensitivity to an effective Majorana neutrino mass below this target. Therefore this is a very exciting time for this field of research as even null results from these experiments have the potential to elucidate the nature of the neutrino.
Potential effectiveness of a surgeon-delivered exercise prescription and an activity tracker on pre-operative exercise adherence and aerobic capacity of lung cancer patients.

Abstract Objectives Pre-operative exercise may improve functional outcomes for lung cancer patients, but barriers associated with cost, resources, and burden make it challenging to deliver pre-operative exercise programs. The goal of this proof-of-concept study was to determine level of moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and change in aerobic capacity after participation in a home-based pre-operative exercise intervention. Materials and methods Eighteen patients scheduled for surgery for suspected stage I-III lung cancer received an exercise prescription from their surgeon and wore a commercially-available device that tracked their daily MVPA throughout the pre-operative period. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate adherence to the exercise prescription. A one-sample t-test was used to explore change in aerobic capacity from baseline to the day of surgery. Results Participants exhibited a mean of 20.4 (sd = 46.2) minutes of MVPA per day during the pre-operative period. On average, the sample met the goal of 30 min of MVPA on 16.4% of the days during the pre-operative period. The mean distance achieved at baseline for the 6-min walk test was 456.7 m (sd = 72.9), which increased to 471.1 m (sd = 88.4) on the day of surgery. This equates to a mean improvement of 13.8 m (sd = 37.0), but this difference was not statistically different from zero (p = 0.14). Eight of the 17 participants (47%) demonstrated a clinically significant improvement of 14 m or more. Conclusion A surgeon-delivered exercise prescription plus an activity tracker may promote clinically significant improvement in aerobic capacity and MVPA engagement among patients with lung cancer during the pre-operative period, but may need to be augmented with more contact with and support from practitioners over time to maximize benefits. Trial registration The study protocol was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov prior to initiating participant recruitment (NCT03162718).
Linear viscoelastic properties of adhesive soft particle glasses

A model is presented to predict the linear viscoelastic rheology of hydrophobically modified adhesive soft particle glasses in an aqueous solution. The hydrophobes on the surfaces of particles in contact preferentially associate with each other, creating an adhesive force between particles. The extent of this adhesive force depends on the number of associating or physically bonded hydrophobes and the strain on the bonds. The model is first presented for two horizontal surfaces with hydrophobes attached to them. The force required for oscillatory movement between these adhesive surfaces exhibits a Maxwellian behavior with a single relaxation time that is about the time for hydrophobe dissociation. The model is extended to predict the storage and loss moduli of adhesive soft particle glasses in ordered cubic lattices. In addition to the adhesive force, the particles also exhibit repulsive elastic and elastohydrodynamic interparticle forces. For situations where there is no adhesive force between particles, the storage modulus is independent of frequency, and the loss modulus is a linear function of frequency. The storage and loss moduli as functions of frequency are richer with adhesive forces. The storage modulus exhibits two plateaus, one at low and one at high frequency. The loss modulus exhibits a local maximum in frequency that occurs at approximately the dissociation rate of the hydrophobes.
Local response to the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of Nepal

Abstract Outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic is testing governments' capacity. Generally, considerable attention is paid to the capacity and response of the central or national governments;however, COVID-19 pandemic is local in nature. Although central authorities have important roles to play in COVID-19 response, local governments, being closer to people, are best-positioned to form the first line of defense.
Bacteriophage-Bacteria Interactions in the Gut: From Invertebrates to Mammals

Bacteria and their viruses (bacteriophages or phages) interact antagonistically and beneficially in polymicrobial communities such as the guts of animals. These interactions are multifaceted and ar...
Extension of SCALE/Sampler’s sensitivity analysis

Abstract Nuclear data are a major source of uncertainties in reactor physics calculations. The propagation of nuclear data uncertainties to important system responses is instrumental when determining appropriate safety margins in reactor safety analyses. It is also important to understand the major contributors to the observed uncertainties to make recommendations for further measurements and evaluations and aid in the understanding of the studied system. The SCALE code system allows for nuclear data uncertainty analysis based on the random sampling approach as implemented in SCALE’s Sampler sequence. Sampler was recently extended by a sensitivity analysis in terms of the calculation of two correlation-based sensitivity indices. This analysis allows for the identification of the top contributing nuclear reactions to any analyzed output uncertainty. This paper presents the sensitivity indices, along with their interpretation and limitations. It demonstrates the application in an eigenvalue and decay heat analysis for a boiling water reactor fuel assembly.
Intussusception in Children: Diagnostic Imaging and Treatment

Children with clinically suspected intussusception should undergo enema reduction after surgical consultation. The only absolute contraindications to enema are signs of peritonitis on clinical exam or free air on abdominal radiographs. Air enema has better overall reduction rates than liquid enema, but the outcome depends on the experience of the radiologist (moderate evidence). Ultrasound (US) should be the primary imaging modality in the initial diagnosis of intussusception because it is a noninvasive test with high sensitivity and specificity. US also plays a role in the evaluation of reducibility of intussusception, presence of a lead point mass, potential incomplete reduction after enema, and of intussusception limited to small bowel (limited evidence). Barium should not be used due to the poorer outcomes compared with iodinated liquid contrast in those children who perforate (moderate evidence). Abdominal radiographs have poor sensitivity for the detection of intussusception, but may serve to screen for other diagnoses in the differential diagnosis, such as constipation, and for free peritoneal air. For evaluating children with a low probability for intussusception, sonography is the preferred screening test (limited evidence). The use of delayed repeat enema for the reduction of intussusception shows promise, but there are few data on the appropriate methods or time (limited evidence). For recurrence of intussusception, including multiple recurrences, enema is the preferred method for reduction (limited evidence).
Building your own ERMS

Purpose – The paper aims to demonstrate a method for creating an electronic resource management system (ERMS) from freely available open source tools. This system will help manage bibliographic data, holdings and statistical and financial data for electronic databases and periodicals. Design/methodology/approach – The paper demonstrates how to create a database and interface for managing serials and electronic resources using PHP and MySQL within a *AMP framework. Findings – By following this approach, libraries can maintain structured data regarding their electronic and print holdings with minimal expense and with flexibility that is not necessarily possible through large commercial products, while avoiding the burden of implementing a large, open source solution. Originality/value – While many products exist on the market, either commercial or large open source solutions, there is little documentation on how to create a small scalable ERMS. This paper attempts to demonstrate a method.
Exercise attenuates α-adrenergic-receptor responsiveness in skeletal muscle vasculature

Attenuation of sympathetic vasoconstriction (sympatholysis) in working muscles during dynamic exercise is controversial. A potential mechanism is a reduction in α-adrenergic-receptor responsiveness...
When Is a Heterophile Antibody Not a Heterophile Antibody? When It Is an Antibody against a Specific Immunogen

Heterophile antibodies are antibodies produced against poorly defined antigens. These are generally weak antibodies with multispecific activities. Human anti-animal antibodies that develop as a result of treatments with animal immunoglobulins are antibodies with strong avidities, produced against well-defined antigens. Although heterophile antibodies and human anti-animal antibodies interfere with immunological assays by similar mechanisms, modes for identifying the sources of the antibodies and for circumventing or retarding the interference may differ. Unfortunately, there has not been a well-organized attempt to encourage correct definition of these antibodies. This problem of inexact definition is highlighted by recent articles in this Journal. In the present discussion, we examine the history leading to this problem and discuss the origins and the reasons that the nature of the antibody is important for rectifying the problem. We propose a simple nomenclature for general usage that should appropriately characterize these antibodies in most cases.
Structure and metrology for an analog testability bus

This paper gives a proposal for an analog testability bus that could be used as the basis for a standard such as IEEE P1149.4. The proposed testability structure is imposed on the I/O pin cells of the analog and mixed technology ICs. It is a superset of the existing IEEE/ANSI 1149.1 testability standard for digital ICs and is intended to cooperate with it. This allows for the testing of interconnect failures such as shorts and opens, the testing of discrete analog components and networks between ICs, and supports the testing of analog functions within the ICs themselves. This paper is a companion to the result of a cooperative effort between AT&T, Ford Motor, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. >
Evaluation of driving behavior on rural 2-lane curves using the SHRP 2 naturalistic driving study data.

INTRODUCTION: Over half of motor vehicle fatalities are roadway departures, with rural horizontal curves being of particular interest because they make up only a small share of the system mileage but have a crash rate that is significantly higher than tangent sections. However the interaction between the driver and roadway environment is not well understood, and, as a result, it is difficult to select appropriate countermeasures. METHOD: In order to address this knowledge gap, data from the SHRP 2 naturalistic driving study were used to develop relationships between driver, roadway, and environmental characteristics and risk of a road departure on rural curves. The SHRP 2 NDS collected data from over 3,000 male and female volunteer passenger vehicle drivers, ages 16-98, during a three year period, with most drivers participating between one to two years. A Roadway Information Database was collected in parallel and contains detailed roadway data collected on more than 12,500 centerline miles of highways in and around the study sites. RESULTS: Roadway data were reduced for rural 2-lane curves and included factors such as geometry, shoulder type, presence of rumble strips, etc. Environmental and traffic characteristics, such as time of day, ambient conditions, or whether the subject vehicle was following another vehicle, were reduced from the forward roadway video view. Driver characteristics, such as glance location and distraction were reduced from the driver and over the shoulder videos. CONCLUSIONS: Logistic regression models were developed to assess the probability (odds) of a given type of encroachment based on driver, roadway, and environmental characteristics. At the point this study was undertaken, crashes and near crashes were not yet available and only around 1/3 of the full SHRP NDS dataset could be queried. As a result, the likelihood of crossing the right or left lane line (encroachments) and speeding were used as dependent variables. Keywords: Driver distraction; Language: en
Pramono U. Tanthowi, Muslims and tolerance; Non-Muslim minorities under shariah in Indonesia

Book review of Muslims and Tolerance; Non-Muslim Minorities under Shariah in Indonesia written by Pramono U. Tanthowi.
Assessing varied instructional approaches in the instruction of online graduate students

Distance learners, and in particular distance graduate students, can be a neglected portion of the student body; however, the library needs for this growing student group are real and important. This paper explores an Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Assessment in Action: Academic Library and Student Success project which examined two different instructional methods offered to students in an online graduate education programme. Specifically, the study assessed the effect of an online tutorial and individual contact with a librarian. The tutorial showed a statistical difference between pre- and post-test results. The limited number of students participating in the individual contact did not allow for the establishment of statistical difference, but the study did provide evidence on how to improve the current reference system.
The EcoRI site of simian virus 40 deoxyribonucleic acid: nucleotide sequences of the minus and plus strands.

Abstract The nucleotide sequences of the minus and plus strands of simian virus 40 DNA in a 17-base-pair segment spanning the Eco RI restriction site have been identified. The minus-strand sequence is (5′) T-G-G-C-G-A-G-A-A-T-T-C-C-T-T-T-G and the plus-strand sequence is its complement: (5′) C-A-A-A-G-G-A-A-T-T-C-T-C-G-C-C-A.
Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion in Gastric Bypass Patients with Hypoglycemic Syndrome: No Evidence for Inappropriate Pancreatic β-cell Function

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) has been associated with a hypoglycemic syndrome characterized by postprandial hypoglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. The syndrome is believed to occur due to insulin hypersecretion from either pancreatic β-cell hyperplasia or hyperfunction. Eight RYGB patients with hypoglycemic syndrome had insulin secretion rates determined during a 240-min graded intravenous glucose infusion. They were compared to 34 nondiabetic, nonsurgical individuals who were divided based on their insulin sensitivity status as measured by the insulin suppression test: insulin-sensitive (n = 8), insulin intermediate (n = 7), and insulin-resistant (n = 19). RYGB patients had insulin concentrations and HOMA-IR similar to the insulin-sensitive reference group. In addition, integrated insulin secretion rates were comparable to the insulin-sensitive group and significantly lower than the insulin intermediate (p ≤ 0.046) and insulin-resistant groups (p ≤ 0.001). Pancreatic β-cell sensitivity to glucose (slope relating glucose and ISR) was lowest in the RYGB group (p ≤ 0.04). Patients with hypoglycemic syndrome post-RYGB do not have generalized hypersecretion of insulin and appear to have appropriate insulin secretion rate in response to intravenous glucose.
Cigarette smoke-induced lung endothelial apoptosis and emphysema are associated with impairment of FAK and eIF2α

Lung endothelial cell (EC) apoptosis has been implicated in the pathogenesis of emphysema. However, the mechanism underlying cigarette smoke (CS)-induced lung EC apoptosis and emphysema is not well defined. We have previously shown that cigarette smoke extract (CSE) decreased focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activity via oxidative stress in cultured lung EC. In this study, we compared FAK activation in the lungs of highly susceptible AKR mice and mildly susceptible C57BL/6 mice after exposure to CS for three weeks. We found that three weeks of CS exposure caused mild emphysema and increased lung EC apoptosis in AKR mice (room air: 12.8±5.6%; CS: 30.7±3.7%), but not in C57BL/6 mice (room air: 0±0%; CS: 3.5±1.7%). Correlated with increased lung EC apoptosis and early onset of emphysema, FAK activity was reduced in the lungs of AKR mice, but not of C57BL/6 mice. Additionally, inhibition of FAK caused lung EC apoptosis, whereas over-expression of FAK prevented CSE-induced lung EC apoptosis. These results suggest that FAK inhibition may contribute to CS-induced lung EC apoptosis and emphysema. Unfolded protein response (UPR) and autophagy have been shown to be activated by CS exposure in lung epithelial cells. In this study, we noted that CSE activated UPR and autophagy in cultured lung EC, as indicated by enhanced eIF2α phosphorylation and elevated levels of GRP78 and LC3B-II. However, eIF2α phosphorylation was significantly reduced by three-weeks of CS exposure in the lungs of AKR mice, but not of C57BL/6 mice. Markers for autophagy activation were not significantly altered in the lungs of either AKR or C57BL/6 mice. These results suggest that CS-induced impairment of eIF2α signaling may increase the susceptibility to lung EC apoptosis and emphysema. Taken together, our data suggest that inhibition of eIF2α and FAK signaling may play an important role in CS-induced lung EC apoptosis and emphysema.
Evaluation of atomic absorption with a heated graphite atomizer for the direct determination of trace transition metals in sea water

Abstract The heated graphite atomizer has been evaluated for its potential utilization in the direct injection analysis of sea water for trace transition metals. Direct atomization was found to be impossible owing to the scattering interference of the major salts. Selective volatilization techniques were unsuccessful in separating Zn, Cd, Pb and Ag from the major salts. Selective volatilization was successful in analyses for Cu, Fe, Mn, Co, Ni and V, the major salts being removed at a lower temperature than required for subsequent atomization of the element concerned. Covolatilization losses of copper, manganese, cobalt and nickel with the major salts reduce the sensitivity attainable, so that only iron may be determined in unpolluted sea water by this method.
Conjugated Phenols in the Fusarium Wilt Syndrome

VASCULAR, discoloration is a prominent symptom of Fusarium wilt of tomato. Phenols are naturally occurring substances capable of discolouring plant tissues upon oxidation by phenoloxidases and polymerization to melanins. Phenoloxidases have been shown to occur in tomato stems1. Accordingly, the pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum f. lycopersici, could cause vascular discoloration by liberating phenols into the host's vascular system.
Scaling by Binormalization

We present an iterative algorithm (BIN) for scaling all the rows and columns of a real symmetric matrix to unit 2-norm. We study the theoretical convergence properties and its relation to optimal conditioning. Numerical experiments show that BIN requires 2–4 matrix–vector multiplications to obtain an adequate scaling, and in many cases significantly reduces the condition number, more than other scaling algorithms. We present generalizations to complex, nonsymmetric and rectangular matrices.
Occipital neuralgia manifesting as orofacial pain

This is a case report and brief review of the literature on occipital neuralgia presenting as dental pain. A patient with a chief complaint of long-standing pain in the maxillary right posterior quadrant was evaluated. Dental examination demonstrated the pain was not of odontogenic origin. The patient was referred to a neurologist who was a chronic pain specialist and was diagnosed with a rare neurologic disorder, occipital neuralgia referring to the facial region. After conservative treatment, local nerve blocks, and physical therapy, the patient reported a dramatic improvement of symptoms and total absence of all orofacial pain. The case demonstrates an unusual cause of orofacial pain.
Soil solarization: effects on soil properties, crop fertilization and plant growth

Abstract Summer solarization of six wet field soils of four different textures raised soil temperatures by 10–12°C at 15cm depth. Soil solarization increased concentrations of NO − 3 N and NH + 4 N up to six times those in nontreated soils. Concentrations of P, Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ and electrical conductivity (EC) increased in some of the solarized soils. Solarization did not consistently affect available K + , Fe 3+ , Mn 2+ , Zn 2+ , Cu 2+ , Cl − concentrations, soil pH or total organic matter. Concentrations of mineral nutrients in wet soil covered by transparent polyethylene film, but insulated against solar heating, were the same as those in nontreated soil. Increases in NO − 3 N plus NH + 4 N were no longer detected in fallowed soils 9 months after solarization. No significant correlation between mineral-nutrient concentration in plant tissue and plant growth was found. Fresh and dry weights of radish, pepper and Chinese cabbage plants usually were greater when grown in solarized soils than in nontreated soils. Fertilization of solarized soils sometimes resulted in greater plant growth responses than observed in solarized but nonfertilized soils.
A technique for validating image-guided gene therapy

Delivery of gene therapy by injection remains governed by a limited diffusion distance. We propose the use of image-guidance to increase the accuracy of delivery, allowing for multiple delivery locations within the tumor. An outcome based approach to validation was developed. We have developed a series of optically tracked devices including an optically tracked syringe used for gene therapy delivery. Experiments were designed to quantify the accuracy in recording known points (fiducial localization error) and delivering a substance to a target within a phantom. The second experiment required the design of a rigid structure with mounted fiducials capable of securely holding an apple. This apparatus was CT scanned and targets in the apple we recorded and inserted in the images. The tracked syringe was guided to the target and a small amount of barium was injected. The apparatus was then re-imaged and the distal points of injections were determined. The mounted fiducials allow the two image sets to be registered and the distance between the targets and injection points to be calculated. This experiment was also performed on a rat carcass. The apple possesses no intrinsic traits possible to help guided the syringe to a known location, thus the validation process remains blind to the user.
Recipes for degrees of freedom of frequency stability estimators

The Allan variance for an averaging time tau can be estimated either from all available phase samples or from a subgrid of samples with spacing tau . The author gives a set of computational recipes that yield the variance of both estimators, with less than 2% error, for the five power-law components of the classical continuous-time clock noise model. >
Continuous Fiberoptic Arterial and Venous Blood Gas Monitoring in Hemorrhagic Shock

Study objective To compare the performance of continuous fiberoptic blood gas monitoring with standard, intermittent blood gas sampling in the measurement of arterial and central venous blood gases during marked hemodynamic changes. Design Prospective, consecutive, enrollment, experimental study. Setting Research laboratory at a university medical center. Participants Seven anesthetized, mechanically ventilated pigs. Interventions Severe shock was induced by hemorrhage in pigs monitored by a pulmonary artery catheter, an arterial line, and two fiberoptic blood gas sensors: one intra-arterial, and the other inserted into the superior vena cava via right internal jugular vein cutdown. Fiberoptic blood gas monitor measurements were compared with standard intermittent blood gas sampling. Measurements and results A total of 184 blood gas samples were compared in seven animals at baseline, during shock, and after resuscitation. The baseline mean (±1 SD) cardiac output decreased from 4.0±0.9 to 1.2±0.6 L/min during shock and returned to baseline after retransfusion (3.9±1.3 L/min). The comparison of continuous fiberoptic blood gas monitoring with intermittent blood gas sampling showed a bias±precision of 0.035±0.047 for arterial pH, 0.021 ±0.031 for central venous pH, −4.09±2.96 mm Hg (−0.55 ±0.39 kPa) for arterial Pco 2 , −3.67±2.44 mm Hg (−0.49±0.33 kPa) for central venous Pco 2 , −5.79±9.64 mm Hg (−0.77±1.29 kPa) for arterial Po 2 , and −7.85±8.52 mm Hg (−1.05±1.14 kPa) for central venous Po 2 . Conclusions Continuous fiberoptic blood gas monitoring agrees closely with standard intermittent blood gas sampling during severe hemodynamic shifts and has a comparable accuracy for both arterial and venous blood gas measurements. Changes in venous Pco 2 have recently been shown to correlate with changes in global tissue perfusion (eg, changes in cardiac output). Such data, available immediately via continuous venous blood gas monitoring, may be useful for monitoring shock and the response to resuscitation.
Matched filter response of a linear array with time-varying phase weights

Phased-array antennas used in radars to transmit broadband linear frequency modulated (LFM) signals suffer from array dispersion. Array dispersion decreases the matched filter signal-to-noise ratio and the range resolution of the radar. By allowing the phase weights to vary in time the amount of array dispersion can be greatly reduced and the useful instantaneous bandwidth of the array increased. Results are presented for the array output and matched filter response for a linear array using time-varying phase weights and are compared with those for a traditional phased array. >
Metal alkoxide primers in the adhesive bonding of mild steel

The effects of metal alkoxide type and relative humidity on the durability of alkoxide-primed, adhesively bonded steel wedge crack specimens have been determined. Aluminum tri-secbutoxide, aluminum tri-tert-butoxide, tetrabutyl orthosilicate, and titanium(IV ) butoxide were used as alkoxide primers. Grit-blasted, acetone-rinsed mild steel adherends were the substrates bonded with epoxy and polyethersulfone. The two aluminum alkoxides significantly enhanced the durability of the adhesively bonded steel, while the titanium alkoxide showed no improvement in durability over a nonprimed control. The silicon alkoxide-primed samples gave an intermediate response. The failure plane in the adhesively bonded samples varied with the relative humidity during the priming process.
Instructor Ratings: Controlling for Bias from Initial Student Interest

Abstract Congruent with previous findings, initial student interest in course content was found to be related to student ratings of instructor, course, and goal attainment. A commonly used measure of initial student interest was shown to confound course-related and instructor-related interest. Path analysis was used to illustrate the causal interrelationships among these variables. The importance of accurately assessing initial student interest in course content to ensure the fair evaluation of teaching effectiveness, particularly in business schools, is discussed, and an implementation strategy is recommended.