cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intergroup anxiety effects on the control of racial stereotypes: A psychoneuroendocrine analysis☆

Anxiety associated with an intergroup interaction is often thought to interfere with the cognitive control of automatic racial stereotypes. However, this link remains elusive, as self-reported anxiety is not typically associated with assessments of control. The present research tested a neuroendocrine model for how intergroup anxiety may affect controlled processing. White participants met with a Black or White interviewer to discuss their racial attitudes and to complete a measure of stereotype inhibition. Baseline and post-interaction assessments of self-reported anxiety and salivary cortisol were obtained. Although self-reported anxiety was heightened for participants in the Black interviewer condition, it was not associated with control on the stereotyping task. Rather, greater cortisol reactivity to the interracial interaction predicted reduced controlled processing. This pattern was not observed in the White interviewer condition. Implications for theories of intergroup anxiety, self-regulation, and resource depletion are discussed.
Simulation for outdoor navigation

Simulation is used in robot navigation for testing control algorithms such as obstacle avoidance and path planning. Simulation is also being used for generating expectations to guide sensory processing for robots operating in the real world. In this paper, we present the tradeoffs in designing an environment model for outdoor environments. The models for outdoor environments are significantly different from indoor environment models. Outdoor environments are inherently unstructured due to changing lighting conditions, variation in the form of objects, and the dynamic nature of the environment. We present the design tradeoffs involved in building models of such environments, from the perspective of simulating passive sensors like vision. We point out that a powerful approach to outdoor navigation is to have a detailed model of the environment that can provide expectations both in terms of the spatial location of scene entities and the operators suitable for detecting these entities in an image.
Protein secretion by the mouse trophoblast during attachment and outgrowth in vitro.

Protein secretion from mouse blastocysts undergoing attachment and trophoblast outgrowth in vitro was assessed. When Day 5 blastocysts were cultured in serum-containing medium, secretion of several attachment-associated’ proteins (PAS) was initiated within 24 Ii, coincident with attachment and outgrowth. Those proteins characteristic of the pre-attachment blastocyst disappeared or made-up only a small portion of the secretions once attachment began. The major secreted protein from attached embryos, PAl, is a 35000-45000 M, acidic glycoprotein with multiple isoelecthc forms. PA2, a group of basic 40000 M, proteins and PA3 a group of 72000 M, proteins were also produced during outgrowth. P#�swere secreted during outgrowth on fIbronectincoated plastic in serum-free medium, but not by blastocysts held in a non-attachment state during culture in serum-free medium on uncoated plastic. In pre-attachment blastocysts, secreted proteins were produced by trophoblast vesicles, but not by isolated inner cell masses. Both trophoblast vesicles growing out in vitro and surgically isolated trophoblast from spreading blastocysts had secreted protein patterns qualitatively similar to those of intact blastocyst outgrowths. The results indicate that development of trophoblast protein secretion continues through the period of outgrowth and giant cell transformation. These changes are apparently dependent on attachment of the blastocyst to a suitable substrate, but not dependent on any other serum influence.
Small RNAs: The seeds of silence.

Individual microRNA sequences can suppress the production of hundreds of proteins. Reduction of protein levels in this way is often modest, however, and many such RNAs probably collectively fine-tune gene expression.
Non‐Newtonian tangential flow in cylindrical annuli. IV

Tangential flow of a “power law” model fluid between two concentric cylinders is analyzed. A constant angular pressure gradient is imposed and one of the cylinders is rotating at a constant angular velocity. This type of flow is of interest in screw extrusion theory. The error in the superposition, i.e., linear addition of tangential pressure and drag flows, for a “power law” model fluid, is quantitatively calculated and plotted in the form of a correction factor. Tangential pressure flow is compared to a pressure flow between parallel plates and additional correction factor to account for the curvature is derived and plotted. The applicability of the “power law” model for flow of polymer melts in extruders is also discussed.
Does the developing liver inhibit early lung growth in congenital diaphragmatic hernia

It has been hypothesised that the liver induces lung hypoplasia in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) by non-compressive intrathoracic growth rather than traditional mass herniation. Utilising a co-culture system, we tested the capacity of liver cells to inhibit lung growth by contact rather than compression. Heart, liver, and lungs were microdissected from normal rat embryos (n > 20 from at least three litters) on day 13.5 of gestation. Monolayer cultures of enzymatically dispersed livers and hearts were established at the same cell density. Lung primordia were cultured in direct contact with hepatic cells or partitioned from them by a permeable polytetrafluoroethylene membrane. This permits the contributions of diffusable factors and cell contact to be distinguished. Lungs were similarly cultured in direct contact with or partitioned from cardiac cells. Lungs cultured in isolation served as further controls. Daily inspection permitted assessment of in-vitro lung growth. Growth of lungs in direct contact with hepatic cells was equivalent to that of lungs partitioned from liver cells. Lungs in direct contact with cardiac cells and lungs partitioned from cardiac cells were also not inhibited compared to lungs cultured in isolation. Early lung development is thus not inhibited by humoral or contact-mediated interactions with embryonic liver cells. Lung hypoplasia in CDH is therefore unlikely to originate from contact inhibition with the developing liver. An intrinsic pulmonary defect may better explain hypoplastic lung development in CDH.
Érythropoïétine humaine recombinante chez le nouveau-né prématuré. Évaluation d'une année d'expérience

Resume L'erythropoietine humaine recombinante est proposee pour reduire le besoin transfusionnel du nouveau-ne premature. Au terme d'une annee d'utilisation, nous avons evalue retrospectivement le gain transfusionnel induit par ce nouveau traitement. Patients et methode Il s'agit d'une etude retrospective realisee sur deux ans incluant des nouveau-nes d'âge gestationnel inferieur ou egal a 32 semaines d'amenorrhee et excluant les enfants decedes ou operes en cours d'hospitalisation et ceux retransferes secondairement. Deux groupes sont compares: le groupe temoin (ne en 1996) non traite et le groupe EPO (1997) traite par erythropoietine humaine recombinante (750 UI/kg/semaine pendant six semaines a partir de j3–j5). Resultats Les deux groupes de 50 enfants sont comparables pour l'âge gestationnel, le poids de naissance, le score de gravite neonatal et le volume total de sang preleve. Sur l'ensemble de l'hospitalisation, il n'existe pas de difference significative du nombre d'enfants transfuses ni du nombre de transfusions par enfant. En revanche, de j15 a j45, il y a une diminution significative dans le groupe EPO du nombre de transfusions par enfant (0,42 ± 0,67 versus 0,8 ± 0,99). Pour les enfants de poids de naissance compris entre 1 000 et 1 250 g, il apparait une reduction significative du nombre d'enfants transfuses (33,3 % versus 72,7 %) et du nombre de transfusions par enfant (0,57 ± 0,87 versus 0,91 ± 1,6). Conclusion Dans notre service, le traitement par erythropoietine humaine recombinante a probablement une place dans une strategie d'epargne transfusionnelle, mais il devra s'accompagner d'autres mesures: reduction des prelevements, limitation des indications transfusionnelles, supplementation martiale precoce. La prescription pourrait etre restreinte aux enfants de moins de 1 250 g.
J/ψ and open charm production

An overview of J/ψ and open charm production is presented, concentrating primarily on experimental results that have come out over the past few years.
Relational Incentives and Moral Hazard in Teams

This paper studies moral hazard in teams using a model where efforts are promoted via the combination of profit shares and relational contracts. The focus is on how these two forms of incentives interact. According to the degree of effort observability and the importance of future interaction, the optimal allocation of profit shares can range from a wide dispersion across players to a full concentration of shares in the hands of a single player. When shares are sufficiently concentrated, the corresponding residual claimant can also adopt the role of administering all relational contracts, therefore serving as an endogenously chosen principal. Copyright 2007, Wiley-Blackwell.
Organellogenesis of the cephalopod iridophore: cytomembranes in development.

The iridophore of the cephalopod iris and skin develop by the concurrent fusion of Golgi-derived vesicles, to form new cell surface, and by the condensation of ribosome-sized granules, to form dense membrane-bound iridosomal platelets. Microtubules parallel the platelets in their formation and appear to be important in either alignment or transport of the Golgi-derived vesicles. Considerable continuity of the various membranous organelles of the cell is evident and the suggestion is made that the Golgi apparatus is the site of plasma membrane synthesis and possibly all membrane development.
Stress Distribution along the Fairweather–Queen Charlotte Transform Fault System

Tectonic loading and Coulomb stress transfer are modeled along the right-lateral Fairweather–Queen Charlotte transform fault system using a three-dimensional boundary element program. The loading model includes slip below 12 km along the transform as well as motion of the Pacific plate, and it is consistent with most available Global Positioning System (gps) displacement rate data. Coulomb stress transfer is shown to have been a weak contributing factor in the failure of the southeastern (Sitka) segment of the Fairweather fault in 1972, hastening the occurrence of the earthquake by only about 8 months. Failure of the Sitka segment was enhanced by a combination of cumulative loading from below (95%) by slip of about 5 cm/yr since 1848, by stress transfer (about 1%) from major earthquakes on straddling segments of the Queen Charlotte fault ( M 8.1 in 1949) and the Fairweather fault ( M 7.8 in 1958), and by viscoelastic relaxation (about 4%) following the great 1964 Alaska earthquake, modeled by Pollitz et al. (1998). Cumulative stress increases in excess of 7 MPa at a depth of 8 km are projected prior to the M 7.6 earthquake. Coulomb stress transferred by the rupture of the great M 9.2 Alaska earthquake in 1964 (Bufe, 2004a) also hastened the occurrence of the 1972 event, but only by a month or two. Continued tectonic loading over the last half century and stress transfer from the M 7.6 Sitka event has resulted in restressing of the adjacent segments by about 3 MPa at 8 km depth. The occurrence of a M 6.8 earthquake on the northwestern part of the Queen Charlotte fault on 28 June 2004, the largest since 1949, also suggests increased stress. The Cape St. James segment of the fault immediately southeast of the 1949 Queen Charlotte rupture has accumulated about 6 MPa at 8 km through loading since 1900 and stress transfer in 1949. A continued rise in earthquake hazard is indicated for the Alaska panhandle and Queen Charlotte Islands region in the decades ahead as the potential for damaging earthquakes increases.
Punishing Individuals for Their Infirmities: Effects of Personal Responsibility, Just‐World Beliefs, and In‐Group/Out‐Group Status

This research examined how derogation of cancer victims was moderated by (a) the perceived responsibility of the victim, (b) individual differences in just-world beliefs, and (c) whether the victim was an in-group versus out-group member. Participants formed an impression of an in-group or an out-group member who was known to have a terminal case of cancer. Half of the participants were informed that the target person was partially responsible for this medical condition, whereas the remaining participants were not given this information. Results showed that blaming judgments of high versus low responsibility targets were moderated by just-world beliefs, but this was only true when the person being judged was an out-group member. The implications of these results for research and theory on differential processing of in-group versus out-group members are discussed.
Planning on Mistakes: An Approach to Incorporate Error Checking Into the Design Process

Mistakes in the design process have been recognized as a major source of product quality loss. There are several methods currently used to identify and quantify these mistakes. However, these methods typically do not provide a useful context within which to quantitatively incorporate mistakes into the design process in a beneficial way. This paper presents an approach to determine when it is appropriate to perform error checking to eliminate a potential mistake. The proposed approach is intended to be used when time is a limited design resource and design goals are technically attainable. It is proposed that the cost of a mistake can be quantified as the amount of time a mistake adds or subtracts from the overall time required to achieve the design’s objectives. To determine this, an optimization problem is formulated which minimizes time spent in the design process. In this optimization problem the design variables are the binary choice whether or not to perform an error check. The approach is demonstrated in two case studies, one a simple theoretical design problem and the other the design of an I-beam. The results of these case studies demonstrate the approach’s effectiveness, and present several avenues for future work.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Re-examining overlap between tactile and visual motion responses within hMT+ and STS.

Abstract Here, we examine overlap between tactile and visual motion BOLD responses within the human MT + complex. Although several studies have reported tactile responses overlapping with hMT +, many used group average analyses, leaving it unclear whether these responses were restricted to subregions of hMT +. Moreover, previous studies either employed a tactile task or passive stimulation, leaving it unclear whether or not tactile responses in hMT + are simply the consequence of visual imagery. Here, we carried out a replication of one of the classic papers finding tactile responses in hMT +. We mapped MT and MST in individual subjects using visual field localizers. We then examined responses to tactile motion on the arm, either presented passively or in the presence of a visual task performed at fixation designed to minimize visualization of the concurrent tactile stimulation. To our surprise, without a visual task, we found only weak tactile motion responses in MT (6% of voxels showing tactile responses) and MST (2% of voxels). With an unrelated visual task designed to withdraw attention from the tactile modality, responses in MST were reduced to almost nothing (
PULMONARY VALVOTOMY UNDER NORMOTHERMIC CAVAL INFLOW OCCLUSION

Pulmonary valve stenosis may require urgent surgical relief in infancy or elective valvotomy in childhood. A retrospective study has been made of 94 children who underwent pulmonary valvotomy for pulmonary valve stenosis between 1972 and 1983 using the technique of normothermic caval inflow occlusion. There were no early deaths nor late deaths. The group included 13 neonates less than 1 week old and 14 other infants under 1 year of age. The mean follow-up is 45 months. No child has had a second valvotomy for recurrent valvar stenosis. Two children have required re-operation for placement of a transannular right ventricular outflow patch for hypoplastic pulmonary annulus. Neonates who present early with critical pulmonary valve stenosis may remain moderately to severely cyanosed for several days after a satisfactory valvotomy but this is almost invariably followed by a progressive increase in oxygen saturation to an acceptable level. One neonate, who had a Blalock-Taussig shunt at 2 weeks of age for persistent postvalvotomy cyanosis, had the shunt ligated at 2 years. Pulmonary valvotomy under normothermic caval inflow occlusion is a safe, cost-effective technique which provides excellent early and late haemodynamic results. This operation sets a standard against which the newly introduced technique of percutaneous balloon pulmonary valvotomy should be assessed.
Capsules of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Other Bacteria: Paradigms for Polysaccharide Biosynthesis and Regulation

Capsular polysaccharides and exopolysaccharides play critical roles in bacterial survival strategies, and they can have important medical and industrial applications. An immense variety of sugars and glycosidic linkages leads to an almost unlimited diversity of potential polysaccharide structures. This diversity is reflected in the large number of serologically and chemically distinct polysaccharides that have been identified among both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Despite this diversity, however, the genetic loci and mechanisms responsible for polysaccharide biosynthesis exhibit conserved features and can be classified into a small number of groups. In Streptococcus pneumoniae, capsule synthesis occurs by one of two distinct mechanisms that involve the polymerization of either individual sugars in a processive reaction (synthase dependent) or discrete repeat units in a nonprocessive reaction (Wzy dependent). Characterization of these systems has provided novel insights that are applicable to polymers synthesized by many gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as eukaryotes.
Comparisons of two-part models with competitors.

Two-part models arise when there is a clump of 0 observations in a distribution of continuous non-negative responses. Several methods for comparing two such distributions are available. These include the straightforward application of the z-test (or t-test), the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank sum test, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and three tests that use a 2 degree of freedom chi(2) test based on the sum of the test for equality of proportions and a conditional chi(2) test for the continuous responses. This conditional test may be the z-test, the rank sum test, or the chi(2) corresponding to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. This study compares the size and power of several of these methods. All tests have the appropriate distribution under the null hypothesis if the distribution of the continuous part has finite moments. If it does not, the z-test has no power to detect any alternatives. It is found that the 2 d.f. tests are superior to the others when the larger proportion of 0 values corresponds to the population with the larger mean. If the reverse holds, the difference in the proportion of zeros reinforces the difference in means and some single-part models (the rank sum or Kolmogorov-Smirnov) do best. In those cases, the two-part models are not far behind, although statistically significantly poorer with respect to power. Published in 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Biotechnology and the fear of Frankenstein.

It is a commonplace in the scientific and corporate discourse advocating biotechnology that the public is largely uneducated or scientifically illiterate when it comes to understanding the research methods and goals of biotechnology. Public dissent from biotechnology is, in this understanding, based exclusively in irrational fears. The way to dispel these public fears is for scientists in the research community and among corporate culture to engage in education of the public. At one level, it is argued that public educational forums will provide the information the public needs to make an informed choice about the scientific, ethical, and social implications of biotechnology or will provide guidance on such practical questions as whether to consume genetically modified food. However, the educational agenda is not quite that innocent of normative intent: rather, the assumption is that information the public is provided about biotechnology will persuade them of its benefits, its minimal risks, and its ultimate prospects for reshaping our world for the good of all. Objections to biotechnology will then largely dissipate, perhaps voiced occasionally by extremists who will represent the inevitable Luddite resistance to all things technological.
Ocular Dominance and Patterned Lateral Connections in a Self-Organizing Model of the Primary Visual Cortex

A neural network model for the self-organization of ocular dominance and lateral connections from binocular input is presented. The self-organizing process results in a network where (1) afferent weights of each neuron organize into smooth hill-shaped receptive fields primarily on one of the retinas, (2) neurons with common eye preference form connected, intertwined patches, and (3) lateral connections primarily link regions of the same eye preference. Similar self-organization of cortical structures has been observed experimentally in strabismic kittens. The model shows how patterned lateral connections in the cortex may develop based on correlated activity and explains why lateral connection patterns follow receptive field properties such as ocular dominance.
Quantitative phosphorus measurement: A field test procedure for archaeological site analysis at Piedras Negras, Guatemala

Currently there is a wide interest in the use of chemical analyses for the evaluation of anthropogenically altered soils and other archaeological deposits. Because soil phosphorus levels increase in areas of human habitation, and leave a permanent signature that can only be removed by erosion of the soil itself, phosphorus mapping has become a popular field procedure to indicate areas of habitation where overt evidence of ancient occupance is absent. We have developed a methodology to obtain accurate acid-extractable phosphorus concentrations (mg/kg) in calcareous soils under the primitive field conditions of Piedras Negras, Guatemala. Predicated on Mehlich-II acid extractant and colorimetric methods, this procedure processed 36 samples per hour at very low cost per sample. Based on eight replicate measurements of a group of samples, the coefficient of variation of the procedure was 8.3%. Subsequent analysis of 35 soil samples in a controlled laboratory revealed a moderate correlation of 0.44 between the Mehlich-extractable phosphorus and total phosphorus. The correlation was 0.91 between the Mehlich procedure and Olsen bicarbonate extractable phosphorus, indicating that Mehlich-based results are similar to those obtainable using a traditional extractable phosphorus method on soils of neutral to alkaline pH. There was a moderate correlation between Mehlich P and ring-test rating (r = 0.42). The wider dynamic range of the Mehlich extraction, coupled with the use of a battery-operated colorimeter, facilitated the finding of a refuse midden within an area of phosphate enriched soils. Further tests indicated that phosphorus concentrations measured in the field deviated by only 7% from those made under controlled laboratory conditions. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
On geostrophic reference levels in the Bering Sea basin

Various data sets in the deep Bering Sea are examined in an effort to find suitable reference levels for geostrophic transport computations. Because of the lack of other data, classical methods are used: mainly vertical structure of differences in geopotential (method of Defant) and mass conservation. In the western Bering Sea, maximum transports are usually, but not always, obtained by using reference levels near the bottom. In the central region, there is considerable variability, both spatial and temporal, in the depth of the most suitable reference level, which varies from ∼500 to at least 1500 db. The variations seem to be related to depth of inflow in the passes, to near-surface salinity gradients, and to features such as upward movement of water or well-developed eddies.
Effect of R Factors and Other Plasmids on Ultraviolet Susceptibility and Host Cell Reactivation Property of Escherichia coli

Some R factors, like some colicin factors, confer partial protection against the bactericidal effect of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Of 31 plasmids (17 R, 3 col, and 11 R-col factors) tested in Escherichia coli K-12, 15 protected, 11 had little or no effect, and 5 caused increased UV susceptibility. The effect of representative plasmids was qualitatively the same in K-12 of wild-type UV sensitivity, lambda-lysogenic or non-lysogenic, and in UV-sensitive mutants of classes uvrA, uvrB, uvrC, and recA (except that a sensitizing factor did not increase the sensitivity of two recA hosts). It is inferred that the UV-protecting effect of some plasmids does not result from their specifying enzymes similar to those deficient in such mutants. UV killing of multiply auxotrophic K-12, of wild-type sensitivity or recA or uvrC, was reduced by deprivation of required amino acids for 2 hr before irradiation, and further reduced if "starvation" was continued for 2 hr after irradiation. The plasmids tested in these conditions produced qualitatively the same effects as in nonstarved cells-except that in K-12 of wild-type UV sensitivity the effect of protecting plasmids was reversed (i.e. they caused decreased survival) when the cells were starved after irradiation. Two UV-protecting R factors reduced the ability of HCR(+) K-12 to support growth of irradiated phage T1.
Percutaneous Absorption and Distribution of Methanol in a Homicide

A woman was alleged to have committed suicide by consuming a gasoline additive shortly before jumping from a second floor balcony within her home. She was found dead by police with a multitude of injuries, lying nude in a partially evaporated unknown residue that was later determined to be methanol. Samples collected at autopsy were found to contain methanol in the following concentrations: femoral blood 31.2 mg/dL, pulmonary artery blood 111.0 mg/dL, aortic blood 77.8 mg/dL, vitreous fluid 196.4 mg/dL, brain 22.0 mg/100 g, liver 21.2 mg/100 g, and kidney 25.9 mg/100 g using a headspace gas chromatographic method. Significantly, no methanol was detected in samples recovered from the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, small intestine, bile, or urine. These findings are inconsistent with either recent or delayed oral ingestion of methanol. We concluded that absorption of methanol occurred dermally and through the oral mucosa as she lay dying and saturated in the fuel additive. Based upon the toxicological data and a comprehensive forensic investigation (including documentation and analysis of evidence recovered at the scene and the autopsy), the cause of death was determined to be blunt impact trauma and methanol poisoning.
Association between the rs1333040 polymorphism on the chromosomal 9p21 locus and sporadic brain arteriovenous malformations

Background Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosome 9p21 have been recently associated with intracranial aneurysms and stroke. In this study, we tested the association between the rs1333040C>T polymorphism on the 9p21 locus and sporadic brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs). Methods We studied 78 patients with sporadic BAVMs and 103 unaffected controls. Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood and the rs1333040C>T polymorphism was assessed by PCR–restriction fragment length polymorphism using the BsmI restriction endonuclease. Results We found that the distribution of the three genotypes (TT/TC/CC) of the rs1333040 polymorphism was significantly different between cases and controls (p=0.02). Using dominant, recessive and additive genetic models, we found that the TT genotype and the T allele were significantly more common in the BAVM group than in controls. We also evaluated whether the rs1333040 polymorphism was associated with prototypical angio-architectural features of BAVMs (such as nidus size, venous drainage pattern and Spetzler–Martin grading) and with the occurrence of seizures and bleeding. We detected a significant association between the homozygous T allele in the recessive model and BAVMs with a nidus >4 cm in diameter. Deep venous drainage was significantly more frequent among subjects carrying at least one T allele in the dominant model. Patients with seizures showed a significant association with the TT genotype and the T allele in all genetic models examined whereas those who experienced intracranial bleeding showed a significant association with the T allele in the trend model. Conclusions This is the first study demonstrating an association between an SNP of the 9p21 region and sporadic BAVMs. Our results emphasise the relevance of this chromosomal locus as a common risk factor for various forms of cerebrovascular diseases.
Determination of Planetary Boundary Layer Height on Short Spatial and Temporal Scales: A Demonstration of the Covariance Wavelet Transform in Ground-Based Wind Profiler and Lidar Measurements*

AbstractThis article explores the application of the covariance wavelet transform (CWT) to lidar and, for the first time to the authors' knowledge, wind profiler data to examine the possibility of accurate and continuous planetary boundary layer (PBL) height measurements on short temporal resolution (1- and 15-min averages, respectively). Determining the mixing in the PBL was one goal of a study of the spatial and diurnal variations of the PBL height over Maryland for July 2011, during NASA's Earth Venture mission DISCOVER-AQ. The PBL heights derived from ground-based lidars [at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC); 39.25°N, 76.70°W], a 915-MHz wind profiler, and radiosondes (at Beltsville, Maryland; 38.92°N, 77.02°W) were compared. Results from the comparison show an R2 = 0.89, 0.92, and 0.94 correlation between the radiosonde PBL heights and two lidars and wind profiler PBL heights, respectively. Accurate determination of the PBL height by applying the CWT to lidar and wind profilers will all...
Future of simulation in biotechnology industry

In the 21st century, the biotechnology industry has the potential to inspire a number of management tools and theories, just as the automobile industry did in the 20th century. This paper explores the opportunities for simulation in biotechnology over the next few years and provides structure for the panel discussion in biotechnology and health care track. We detail the structure for biotechnology industry, review status and opportunities for simulation and present gap analysis of opportunities and tools available. The purpose of the panel discussion is to discuss the role for simulation community in biotechnology industry over the next few years and identify key areas where simulation can add value.
Requirements of phylogenetic databases

We examine the organizational impact on phylogenetic databases of the increasing sophistication in the need and use of phylogenetic data. A primary issue is the use of the unnormalized representation of phylogenies in Newick format as a primitive data type in existing phylogenetic databases. In particular we identify and enumerate a list of potential applications of such databases and queries (use-cases) that biologists may wish to see integrated into a phylogenetic database management system. We show there are many queries that would best be supported by a normalized data model where phylogenies are stored as lists of edges. Since many of the queries require transitive traversals of the phylogenies we demonstrate, constructively, that complex phylogenetic queries can be conveniently constructed as Datalog programs. We address concerns with respect to the cost and performance of the normalized representation by developing and empirically evaluating a feasibility prototype.
Sintering of Alumina in Microwave‐Induced Oxygen Plasma

Small cylindrical tubes were sintered in a microwave- induced oxygen plasma, initiated and sustained inside a tunable, single-mode cavity. Temperature and shrinkage measurements of the specimens were achieved using an optical-fiber thermometer black-body sensor and a dilatometer, respectively. Sintering experiments at constant heating rate were accomplished to obtain the activation energy for sintering of alumina in the plasma and in a conventional rapid-heating furnace. Diffusion of aluminum interstitials along grain boundaries was believed to be the dominant sintering mechanism, with an estimated activation energy of 488 ± 20 kj/mol for conventional sintering and an average activation energy of 468 ± 20 kj/mol for plasma sintering. A comparison of specimens sintered in the plasma to those sintered in a conventional furnace under the same temperature-time excursions and oxygen pressures showed an athermal effect due to the plasma. To further explore this athermal effect, sintering experiments in plasmas of different oxygen pressure were conducted. The athermal effect was ascribed to an increase of aluminum interstitial concentration during plasma sintering. Sintering data were interpreted using the combined-stage sintering model.
Comparative CFD Simulations of the Dark Spots of Uranus and Neptune

Farther out and smaller than Jupiter and Saturn, Neptune and Uranus are less frequently observed gas-giant planets in the outer solar system. However, like the better known Great Red Spot and the new Little Red Spot on Jupiter, both atmospheres have exhibited large vortex features, commonly known as Great Dark Spots. The Great Dark Spots are roughly elliptical regions in the planetary atmosphere identifled by their darker albedo. In 1989, the Voyager II encounter with Neptune revealed the flrst Great Dark Spot (GDS-89), arguable the most dynamic large vortex feature in the outer solar system. Later Hubble Space Telescope observations revealed two other Dark Spots on Neptune in the northern hemisphere, dubbed NGDS-32 and NGDS-15. All of the Neptune Dark Spots are transient, lasting months to a few years, and the most recent HST observations evidenced no GDS activity. In contrast, Uranus showed no vortex features during the Voyager II encounter, but in the summer of 2006 what is likely the flrst observed GDS on Uranus was spotted. The spot is located at 27 ‐ latitude in the northern hemisphere, where spring is coming after about two decades of near-total darkness. This paper will present General Circulation Model (GCM) simulations of the large vortices on Neptune and Uranus, with a comparison of the behavior of GDSs on these two gas-giant planets.
Controls over invasion of Bromus tectorum: The importance of climate, soil, disturbance and seed availability

Question: Predicting the future abundance and distribution of invasive plants requires knowing how they respond to environmental conditions. In arid and semi-arid ecosystems where water is a limiting resource, environmental conditions and disturbance patterns influence invasions by altering acquisition and utilization of water over space and time. We ask: 1. How do variations in climatic and soil properties influence temporal soil water dynamics? 2. How does this variation affect the establishment of Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass), a cool-season annual grass that has successfully colonized much of the U.S. Great Basin? Location: Short-grass Steppe in northeastern Colorado, USA; Arid Lands Ecology reserve in southeastern Washington, USA; and the Patagonian steppe of the Chubut province in Argentina. Methods: We utilized a soil water model to simulate seasonal soil water dynamics in multiple combinations of climatic and soil properties. In addition, we utilized a gap dynamics model to simulate the impact of disturbance regime and seed availability on competition between B. tectorum and native plants. Results: Our results suggest that climate is very important, but that soil properties do not significantly influence the probability of observing conditions suitable for B. tectorum establishment. Results of the plant competition model indicate that frequent disturbance causes more Bromus tectorum in invaded areas and higher seed availability causes faster invasion. Conclusions: These results imply a general framework for understanding Bromus tectorum invasion in which climatic conditions dictate which areas are susceptible to invasion, disturbance regime dictates the severity of invasion and seed availability dictates the speed of invasion.
Requirement of calcium-activated chloride channels in the activation of mouse vomeronasal neurons.

In terrestrial vertebrates, the vomeronasal organ (Vno) detects and transduces pheromone signals. Vno activation is thought to be mediated by the transient receptor potential C2 (TRPC2) channel. The aberrant behavioural phenotypes observed in TRPC2 − / − mice are generally attributed to the lost Vno function. Recently, calcium-activated chloride channels have been shown to contribute to Vno activation. Here we show that CACCs can be activated in Vno slice preparations from the TRPC2 − / − mice and this activation is blocked by pharmacological agents that inhibit intracellular Ca 2 + release. urine-evoked Cl − current is sufficient to drive spiking changes in Vno neurons from both wild-type (WT) and TRPC2 − / − mice. moreover, blocking Cl − conductance essentially abolishes Vno activation in WT neurons. These results suggest a TRPC2-independent signalling pathway in the Vno and the requirement of calcium- activated chloride channels currents to mediate pheromone activation. our data further suggest that TRPC2 − / − mice retain partial Vno function.
The Components of VARA, a Nutrient-Metabolite Combination of Vitamin A and Retinoic Acid, Act Efficiently Together and Separately to Increase Retinyl Esters in the Lungs of Neonatal Rats

Retinoic acid (RA), produced from vitamin A (VA, retinol), is required for normal lung development and postnatal lung maturation. The concentration of retinyl ester (RE), the major storage form of retinol, decreases in the lungs in the perinatal period. Previously, we tested VARA, a nutrient-metabolite combination of VA and RA (10:1 molar ratio), on lung RE formation in postnatal rats and showed that the components of VARA acted synergistically to increase lung RE, as compared with the effects of equal amounts of VA and RA given alone. In this study, we first determined the equivalency of orally administered VARA in comparison to a standard oral supplement of VA, with respect to lung and liver RE storage. In a dose-dilution study, VARA was 4 times as effective as the standard dose of VA (VARA-25% did not differ from VA-100%). The synergistic effect of VARA was selective for the lungs, compared with the liver, in which VA and VARA had equal effects. Secondly, we tested whether the 2 components of VARA must be coadministered to exert their synergistic effect on lung RE content. RA and VA and were administered separately and together as VARA. Although RA alone had no effect on lung RE in this 24-h experiment, RA synergized with VA administered either 12 h before RA or 12 h after RA, as well as when coadministered as VARA. We infer that VA and RA are both limiting for lung RE formation in neonates. Given the importance of bioactive retinoids in cell differentiation and lung development, assuring an adequate lung RE content postnatally could be of benefit for lung maturation.
High-speed recording of neural spikes in awake mice and flies with a fluorescent voltage sensor

Genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs) are a promising technology for fluorescence readout of millisecond-scale neuronal dynamics. Previous GEVIs had insufficient signaling speed and dynamic range to resolve action potentials in live animals. We coupled fast voltage-sensing domains from a rhodopsin protein to bright fluorophores through resonance energy transfer. The resulting GEVIs are sufficiently bright and fast to report neuronal action potentials and membrane voltage dynamics in awake mice and flies, resolving fast spike trains with 0.2-millisecond timing precision at spike detection error rates orders of magnitude better than previous GEVIs. In vivo imaging revealed sensory-evoked responses, including somatic spiking, dendritic dynamics, and intracellular voltage propagation. These results empower in vivo optical studies of neuronal electrophysiology and coding and motivate further advancements in high-speed microscopy.
Design Option of Heat Exchanger for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant

The next generation nuclear plant (NGNP), a very high temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR) concept, will provide the first demonstration of a closed-loop Brayton cycle at a commercial scale, producing a few hundred megawatts of power in the form of electricity and hydrogen. The power conversion unit for the NGNP will take advantage of the significantly higher reactor outlet temperatures of the VHTRs to provide higher efficiencies than can be achieved with the current generation of light water reactors. Besides demonstrating a system design that can be used directly for subsequent commercial deployment, the NGNP will demonstrate key technology elements that can be used in subsequent advanced power conversion systems for other Generation IV reactors. In anticipation of the design, development, and procurement of an advanced power conversion system for the NGNP, the system integration of the NGNP and hydrogen plant was initiated to identify the important design and technology options that must be considered in evaluating the performance of the proposed NGNP. As part of the system integration of the VHTRs and the hydrogen production plant, the intermediate heat exchanger is used to transfer the process heat from VHTRs to the hydrogen plant. Therefore, the design and configuration of the intermediate heat exchanger are very important. This paper describes analyses of one stage versus two-stage heat exchanger design configurations and simple stress analyses of a printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE), helical-coil heat exchanger, and shell-and-tube heat exchanger.
Dialysis in acute renal failure: Is more better?

An increasing body of evidence indicates therapy dose and intensity influence the outcome of dialyzed ARF patients. However, a number of unanswered questions remain on this issue. These questions need to be addressed in future prospective, controlled trials that assess the effect of dose and intensity on outcome both within and between the various ARF renal replacement therapies, with appropriate and clinically relevant control arms. Such investigations should provide guidelines ultimately for the dialytic management of critically ill patients with ARF.
Vibrio cholerae Biofilms and Cholera Pathogenesis

Vibrio cholerae can switch between motile and biofilm lifestyles. The last decades have been marked by a remarkable increase in our knowledge of the structure, regulation, and function of biofilms formed under laboratory conditions. Evidence has grown suggesting that V. cholerae can form biofilm-like aggregates during infection that could play a critical role in pathogenesis and disease transmission. However, the structure and regulation of biofilms formed during infection, as well as their role in intestinal colonization and virulence, remains poorly understood. Here, we review (i) the evidence for biofilm formation during infection, (ii) the coordinate regulation of biofilm and virulence gene expression, and (iii) the host signals that favor V. cholerae transitions between alternative lifestyles during intestinal colonization, and (iv) we discuss a model for the role of V. cholerae biofilms in pathogenicity.
Media as a Mechanism of Institutional Change

A large literature establishes the connection between institutions and economic performance. Comparatively little work, however, explores the process of institutional change. How do development-enhancing institutions emerge where they do not already exist? This paper investigates this question by examining the role of mass media as a mechanism of institutional change. Our analysis considers three case studies: Mexico, Russia, and Poland. We find that a free media facilitates institutional change in the direction of liberal economic and political institutions. In contrast, where government owns or controls the media, media's ability to facilitate such change is constrained.
First-principles study of the structural and elastic properties of rhenium-based transition-metal alloys

Structural, energetic, and elastic properties of hexagonal-close-packed rhenium-based transition-metal alloys are computed by density-functional theory. The practical interest in these materials stems from the attractive combination of mechanical properties displayed by rhenium for structural applications requiring the combination of high melting temperature and low-temperature ductility. Single-crystal elastic constants, atomic volumes, axial $c/a$ ratios, and dilute heats of solution for Re-$X$ alloys are computed, considering all possible transition-metal solute species $X$. Calculated elastic constants are used to compute values of a commonly considered intrinsic-ductility parameter $K/G$, where $K$ is the bulk modulus and $G$ denotes the Voigt average of the shear modulus, as well as the anisotropies in the Young's modulus and shear modulus. The calculated properties show clear trends as a function of $d$-band filling, which can be rationalized through tight-binding theory. The results indicate that solutes to the left of rhenium in the periodic table show a tendency to increase the intrinsic ductility parameter, a trend that correlates with an increase of the $c/a$ ratio towards the ideal value associated optimal close packing. The Young's modulus shows a trend towards increasing isotropy with alloying of solutes $X$ to the left of Re, while the shear modulus shows the opposite trend but with an overall weaker dependence on solute additions.
THE OLEFIN METATHESIS REACTION

Review: Ubersicht uber katalytische Systeme und Mechanismen, wobei Diolefin- und Nichtpaarweise-Mechanismen diskutiert werden.
Identifying Remote Halo Giants in High-Latitude Fields with Kepler 2

This work sketches how SDSS ugr colors and Kepler 2 in halo fields can identify red giants 50–100 kpc distant with minimal metallicity bias. For these mildly-reddened, metal-poor giants, ( g - r ) o yields the effective temperature T eff to 100 K. K2 can detect the p-mode oscillations of red giants and measure their frequency of maximum power ν max . This sets the luminosity L bol and thus the distance, plus an estimate of metallicity [Fe/H].
The Qigital Medical Imaging Diagnosis and Communication System in XuanWu Hospital

An introduction to digital medical picture archiving and communication system in XuanWu hospital is presented in this paper. The system, which a substitute for the mode of traditional screen - film and processor, speed transfers and archives the patient's pictures between the isolation ward and the cleanly area without pollution in the period of SARS.
Thermo optic properties of a-Si film: ellipsometry measurements

Abstract: Amorphous silicon film was deposited with magnetron sputtering on fused silica substrate. The thin film was measured with an ellipsometer equipped with cryostat. The refractive indices and thermo-optic coefficient were extracted.