cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The compact classifier system: motivation, analysis, and first results

This paper presents an initial analysis of how maximally general and accurate rules can be evolved in a Pittsburgh-style classifier system. In order to be able to perform such analysis we introduce a simple bare-bones Pittsburgh classifier systems---the compact classifier system (CCS)---based on estimation of distribution algorithms. Using a common rule encoding scheme of Pittsburgh classifier systems, CCS maintains a dynamic set of probability vectors that compactly describe a rule set. The compact genetic algorithm is used to evolve each of the initially perturbed probability vectors which represents the rules. Results show how CCS is able to evolve in a compact, simple, and elegant manner rule sets composed by maximally general and accurate rules.
Divination: Epistemology, Agency, and Identity in Contemporary Urban West Africa

Based on fieldwork in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, undertaken in 1997 and 2009, as well as residence in the country in periods that spanned two decades, this study of contemporary urban divination in West Africa shows that it thrives even in the ethnically heterogeneous and religiously plural city. In stark contrast to the stereotypical view that African traditions are unable to offer a viable challenge to the influx of ‘world’ religions and their attendant values of modernity, divination demonstrates their vitality. The practices of divination rest on basic premises so widely shared as to constitute an overarching epistemology, at once trans-ethnic and authentically West African. By recasting contemporary problems into the familiar idioms of the ‘traditional’ worldview, divination enables practitioners to gain leverage over real and pressing concerns, affirming personal agency. It underscores a communal identity, not dependent on territorial or ethnic affiliation or precarious and contested definitions of citizenship.
National Moth Week - a new global citizen science project focused on moths

National Moth Week is a global citizen science project focusing on moths. During the first National Moth Week, which took place in July 2012, people in over 300 locations worldwide observed and documented the presence of moths in various habitats. This article describes the project’s goals and the methods used to achieve those goals. A summary of outreach activities and data collection is presented.
ECONOMIC POLICY AND THE FINANCIAL CRISIS: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF WHAT WENT WRONG

ABSTRACT The financial crisis was in large part caused, prolonged, and worsened by a series of government actions and interventions. The housing boom and bust that precipitated the crisis were enabled by extraordinarily loose monetary policy. After the housing boom came to an end, the Federal Reserve misdiagnosed financial markets' uncertainty about the location and value of risky subprime mortgage‐backed securities as being, instead, a liquidity problem, and it took inappropriate compensatory actions that had side effects that included raising the price of oil. Finally, in mid‐September 2008, the government's ad‐hoc bailouts, and the unpredictable terms of the proposed tarp legislation, appear to have caused a sharp spike in uncertainty in the financial markets.
Association between the actual doubling times of primary breast cancer with histopathologic characteristics and Wolfe's parenchymal mammographic patterns

This study identifies associations between the actual doubling time of primary mammary cancers with histopathologic characteristics and Wolfe's parenchymal mammographic patterns. Seventy microscopic criteria and Wolfe's mammographic parenchymal patterns were coded for 32 primary breast cancers on which actual volume doubling times were calculated from serial mammographic views of tumor nucleus shadows. Circumscribed cancer margin and papillary intraductal growth were associated with slow-growing breast cancers. More anaplastic nuclear grade was associated with faster-growing cancers. No association could be established between doubling time and parenchymal patterns as described by Wolfe.
Activity patterns and rates of movement of two-toed and three-toed sloths (Choloepus hoffmanni and Bradypus infuscatus).

Two-toed sloths ( Choloepus hoffmanni ) and three-toed sloths ( Bradypus infuscatus ) live in sympatry on Barro Colorado Island, Panama Canal Zone. Activity patterns and rates of movement of six two-toed and 15 three-toed sloths were studied by radio-telemetry in 1970 and 1971. Two-toed sloths were nocturnal and showed a cyclic pattern of activity related to the light-dark cycle. Three-toed sloths were active both during the day and at night, but showed decreased activity before and after sunrise. Individual three-toed sloths did not exhibit cyclic patterns of activity. For both species, the bulk of movement was during bouts of continuous activity lasting 2 or more hours. Three-toed sloths were active for more of each diel than were two-toed sloths. Three-toed sloths were in the same tree on successive dates 40 per cent of the time, and rarely moved more than 38 meters per diel. Two-toed sloths tended not to be in the same tree on successive days, and traveled more than 38 meters per diel more than half the time. Results of our study are interpreted in terms of potential competition between the two species, relationship of activity patterns and movements to feeding strategies, and mechanisms of control of the activity patterns.
Graphics software and hardware for RT-11 systems

A general-purpose graphics package is described that allows the user to generate figures with a supraset of the basic CalComp plotting subroutines. The software runs under RT-11 on an LSI-11 with 28K words of memory. The graphics subroutine library is approximately 200 blocks long. The plotting tasks are passed over an RS 232 line to a simple extension of an inexpensive and commercially available graphics controller. The controller implements these tasks as plotting instructions to a color television, a vector display, and a digital plotter. The graphics subroutines are written in FORTRAN and are invoked by the user as subroutine calls from a FORTRAN program. The graphics controller is a modified Motorola “Micro Chroma 68 Kit.” The board is based on the 6808 microprocessor and 6847 video controller. It provides eight graphic modes from 64 by 32 eight-color graphics to 128 by 192 four-color graphics to 256 by 192 two-color graphics. The present software and hardware implements the graphics subroutines as 256 by 192 two-color graphics, as 512 by 512 vector graphics, and as stepping instructions for a digital plotter.
Computer Analysis of Acoustical Responses in a Liquid Layer Overlying a Multilayered Viscoelastic Subbottom

We construct a normal mode Green's function representing the steady-state acoustic response in a liquid layer overlying a viscoelastic multilayered half space. The acoustic responses are calculated for the cases where the subbottom is a single homogeneous layer or multilayered homogeneous subbottom consists of sediments such as course sand, fine sand, very fine sand, silty sand, sand silt clay, sandy-silt, clayey-silt, silty-clay.
Operative Treatment of Stress Fractures of the Metatarsals

A common presenting complaint in athletes and nonathletes alike, metatarsal stress fractures may be a source of persistent pain and loss of lower limb use, resulting in loss of recreational and vocational performance. Although most fractures respond to traditional conservative treatments, some may require more aggressive intervention on the part of the treating orthopaedic surgeon. The identification of these particular problem fractures and the search for associated conditions is important for the optimal outcome of these injuries. Attention to surgical technique is important; the options for adjunctive procedures are presented.
Tetra-μ3-iodo-tetra­kis­[(tri-tert-butyl­phosphine)copper(I)]

The title compound, [Cu4I4(C12H27P)4], recovered from an attempt to prepare triisopropyl­silylthiol­ato(tri-tert-butyl­phosphine)copper(I), is found to be tetra­meric with a distorted heterocubane structure, one of the body diagonals of the cube being a crystallographic threefold rotation axis.
Shifting Perspectives in Recovery: Feminist-Informed Relationship Groups for Male Addicts

Addiction distorts relationships. To reduce the risk of relapse, a healthier relationship must emerge in sobriety. In this article, we present a group therapy curriculum that addresses life and relationship issues for men in recovery, incorporating a feminist-informed perspective to challenge viewing women as objects and themselves as invulnerable. In twice-weekly sessions over 4 weeks, groups of men are encouraged to examine how to find balance in their lives, to challenge their views of intimate sexual relationships, to learn how relationships impact relapse risk, to confirm their roles and responsibilities as men, and to support each other in their efforts to change. Although developed for delivery in a 28-day inpatient treatment facility, the curriculum is compatible with outpatient programs. A feminist-informed, systemic perspective is important because the addict's relationships as well as the addict must change to maintain recovery.
A dynamic controller toolkit

We introduce a toolkit for creating dynamic controllers for articulated characters under physical simulation. Our toolkit allows users to create dynamic controllers for interactive or offline use through a combination of both visual and scripting tools. Users can design controllers by specifying keyframe poses, using a high-level scripting language, or by manipulating the rules of physics through a group of helper functions that can temporarily modify the environment in order to make the desired animation more feasible under physical simulation. The goal of the toolkit is to integrate dynamic control methods into a usable interactive system for noncomputer scientists and non-roboticists, and provide the means to quickly generate physically based motion.
A classification model for distinguishing copy number variants from cancer-related alterations

Both somatic copy number alterations (CNAs) and germline copy number variants (CNVs) that are prevalent in healthy individuals can appear as recurrent changes in comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) analyses of tumors. In order to identify important cancer genes CNAs and CNVs must be distinguished. Although the Database of Genomic Variants (DGV) contains a list of all known CNVs, there is no standard methodology to use the database effectively. We develop a prediction model that distinguishes CNVs from CNAs based on the information contained in the DGV and several other variables, including segment's length, height, closeness to a telomere or centromere and occurrence in other patients. The models are fitted on data from glioblastoma and their corresponding normal samples that were collected as part of The Cancer Genome Atlas project and hybridized to Agilent 244 K arrays. Using the DGV alone CNVs in the test set can be correctly identified with about 85% accuracy if the outliers are removed before segmentation and with 72% accuracy if the outliers are included, and additional variables improve the prediction by about 2-3% and 12%, respectively. Final models applied to data from ovarian tumors have about 90% accuracy with all the variables and 86% accuracy with the DGV alone.
Hilbert versus Hindman

We show that a statement HIL, which is motivated by a lemma of Hilbert and close in formulation to Hindman's theorem, is actually much weaker than Hindman's theorem. In particular, HIL is finitistically reducible in the sense of Hilbert's program, while Hindman's theorem is not.
Effect of methionine-enkephalin plus ZnCl2 on active T cell rosettes

Abstract Methionine-enkephalin (Met-Enk) and ZnCl 2 in combination enhances active T cell rosette formation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes to a greater degree than either of the agents used separately. Enhancement of rosette formation by Met-Enk plus ZnCl 2 was not inhibited by the opiate receptor antagonist naloxone but was completely blocked by the zinc chelator 1, 10-phenathroline. The results suggest a relationship between zinc and Met-Enk and that zinc may be a modulator of enkephalin binding and function in the immune system as well as the nervous system.
Economic Development: Changing Practices in a Changing US Economy:

In this paper, economic development is viewed in the context of a rapidly changing US economy. It is argued that economic development is no longer a policy or functional reserve of the national government, nor even an activity exclusively public. All sectors and governmental levels are currently engaged in its practice. Economic development, in effect, has become everyone's business although obvious inadequacies exist in defining what it is, let alone results. The paper provides an historical overview of national involvement in economic development and covers the recent debates over the federal government's appropriate role in fostering development. The remainder of the article traces the evolving and dynamic functioning of US States in the development arena, and the strategies and actions they are taking for strengthening their individual economic foundations. Yet, it is concluded that promising and creative as these ventures may be, it is unclear how much of a measurable impact they have had set against...
Ballistic electronics: breaking the barrier in terahertz speed processing

Novel device called the Ballistic Deflection Transistor (BDT) is presented. BDT is a unique planar device that possesses both a positive and a negative transconductance region and is capable of operating into the THz frequency regime at the room temperature. BDT is based upon an electron steering and a ballistic deflection effect. Modeling and experimental measurements have indicated that the transconductance of the device increases with applied drain-source voltage. The differential mode of operation provides two drain outputs, which depending on the gate bias, are either complementary or non-complementary. The latter facilitates a wide variety of circuit design techniques. The extremely low gate capacitance of the BDT planar structure predicts THz performance. We present measured results from the fabrication of a BDT NAND gate and other BDT gate structures. The measured results in the quasi-ballistic regime are further supported by an empirical model generated from a fabricated BDT output response. Future plans to facilitate large-scale integration are also discussed. Our Monte Carlo analysis reports on the effect of different geometry parameters on the transfer characteristics. The strength of the gate control in the InGaAs channel is analyzed. We propose different models for the surface charge density to explain the observed experimental measurements. Finally, we present our time-domain spectroscopy studies used to successfully demonstrate a THz response of ballistic nanodevices at room temperature, excited by picosecond electrical pulses.
Biological response of chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), to various regimes of chemical and biorational insecticides.

Abstract The chilli thrips Scirtothrips dorsalis (Hood) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), a new invasive pest in the USA, is an economically important pest of certain vegetable, ornamental and fruit crops in southern and eastern Asia, Oceania and parts of Africa. These crops cannot be protected from the pest without resorting to the use of chemical insecticides. In order to forestall or delay the development of insecticide resistance in S. dorsalis, we continued our focus on the discovery of insecticides with different modes of action for rotational use. In this study we evaluated candidate insecticides to control S. dorsalis on ‘Jalapeno’ pepper, Capsicum annuum L.; these materials belong to different IRAC mode of action classes as follows: (i) 4A – neonicotinoids, i.e., imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and dinotefuran, (ii) 5 – spinosyns, i.e., spinosad and spinetoram, (iii) 3A – pyrethroids, i.e., β-cyfluthrin, esfenvalerate, ζ-cypermethrin and λ-cyhalothrin and (iv) 8D – borax mixed together with orange oil and detergents in the TriCon® formulation. In addition we evaluated the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana (Botanigard®) alone and in combination with the borax formulation at ½ of their usual rates of application. Each of the 3 neonicotinoid insecticides when applied either as a single foliar spray or as a soil drench significantly suppressed both adults and larvae for at least 10 days; indeed imidacloprid did so for 15 days. Dinotefuran was more effective as a foliar spray than as a soil drench. Spinosyns applied as a single foliar spray, significantly suppressed both adults and larvae through 15 days after treatment (DAT). None of the 4 pyrethroids provided significant suppression of either adults or larvae. The borax formulation suppressed adults and larvae through 10 DAT. B. bassiana significantly suppressed only the larvae at 5 DAT and not at 10 DAT. This study brings the number of insecticides known to be effective against S. dorsalis to 10 and these belong to 7 different modes of action classes. The use of such insecticides in rotation belonging to different classes will help delay the development of insecticide resistance in S. dorsalis.
Self-report and official measures: A further examination of the validity issue

The relationship between self-report and official measures of crime remains unclarified. Adequate examinations of the comparability of the two measures have been limited because of the difficulty of obtaining both official and self-report data on the same subjects. In the present study, the authors use police records and self-report data on police contacts for members of a birth cohort, and find a substantial level of agreement between the two data sources. However, by incorporating data on police contact seriousness and a variety of demographic characteristics, the authors find some evidence of under- and over-reporting by various groups of cohort members. The authors suggest reasons for both the over- and under-reporting, and offer suggestions for future research.
CASE STUDY Clomipramine Treatment of Delusional Disorder-Somatic Type

Abstract Clomipramine was used to successfully treat a 17-year-old adolescent male who had developed, 2 years earlier, an ego-dystonic, circumscribed, somatic delusion presenting with distinct obsessional features. The development of Delusional Disorders among adolescents is described, along with problems raised for accurate diagnosis when attempting to determine precise positions on the continua of belief-obsession-delusion, nonpsy-chosis-psychosis, and syntonicity-dystonicity. A relationship between childhood Obsessive-compulsive Disorder and Delusional Disorder is posited, with consequent implications for further research in the treatment of the latter disorder with Clomipramine. J. Am. Acad Child Adolesc. Psychiatry , 1988, 27. 2:188–192.
Transient current spectroscopy of lattice matched InAlN/AlN/GaN HFETs for identification of traps resulting in gate lag

GaN-based heterojunction field effect transistors (HFETs) are strong contenders to replace vacuum tubebased devices in the high power, and high frequency arena. However, the piezoelectric stain, exploited to generate high density two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) in AlGaN/GaN devices is not necessarily desirable nor might it bode well in terms of device reliability. By using lattice-matched InAlN as the barrier, even higher densities of 2DEG and now respectable DC and RF performance can be achieved while at the same time avoiding the strain and subsequent reliability issues in the devices. However, little work has been done in identification of trapping mechanisms in the InAlN-based devices. The trapping is at the heart of the reduced RF performance of all the GaN-based devices, limiting the maximum attainable RF power. In this work, transient current spectroscopy, which observes the dynamics of the drain current during gate lag measurements, is utilized to ascertain information about the trapping levels, cross sections, and spatial locations of traps in the InAlN-based devices. Preliminary measurements indicate that one of the traps identified in this work (at 0.12eV) is similar to one measured by deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) in similar structures. Investigations of this type are imperative for the further development and implementation of this highly promising material system.
Scalar length scales and spatial averaging effects in turbulent piloted methane/air jet flames

Abstract The effects of spatial averaging in measurements of scalar variance and scalar dissipation in three piloted methane/air jet flames (Sandia flames C, D, and E) are investigated. Line imaging of Raman scattering, Rayleigh scattering, and laser-induced CO fluorescence is applied to obtain simultaneous single-shot measurements of temperature, the mass fractions of all major species, and mixture fraction, ξ , along 7-mm segments. Spatial filters are applied to ensembles of instantaneous profiles to quantify effects of spatial averaging on the Favre mean and variance of mixture fraction and scalar dissipation at several locations in the three flames. The radial contribution to scalar dissipation, χ r = 2 D ξ (∂ ξ /∂ r ) 2 , is calculated from the filtered instantaneous profiles. The variance of mixture fraction tends to decrease linearly with increasing filter width, while the mean and variance of scalar dissipation are observed to follow an exponential dependence. In each case, the observed functional dependence is used to extrapolate to zero filter width, yielding estimates of the “fully resolved” profiles of measured quantities. Length scales for resolution of scalar variance and scalar dissipation are also extracted from the spatial filtering analysis and compared with length scales obtained from spatial autocorrelations. These results provide new insights on the small scale structure of turbulent jet flames and on the spatial resolution requirements for measurements of scalar variance and scalar dissipation.
The extreme points of a set of positive semidefinite operators

Abstract We determine the extreme points and exposed points of the convex set of positive semidefinite operators less than a given positive semidefinite operator A on a finite dimensional space. The extreme and exposed points are the same, and are obtained by shorting the operator A to all subspaces of the space on which it is defined. The extreme and exposed subsets are the intervals between the shorted operators corresponding to two subspaces, one contained in the other.
Aortopulmonary window due to balloon angioplasty after arterial switch operation

We report 2 cases of aortopulmonary window that developed after balloon angioplasty for pulmonary artery stenosis. Both patients had undergone arterial switch operations for complete transposition of the great arteries before the angioplasty. These aortopulmonary windows were repaired through elective operations. The clinical features, diagnosis, management, and proposed mechanisms of this complication are described.
Transformation to an Equitable Socioeconomic Dispensation: Observations and Reflections on South Africa

The corporate divestment movement is generally acknowledged as one of the catalysts that transformed South African society from apartheid rule to a democratic social order. However, the dream that ...
Salivary testosterone measurements: Collecting, storing, and mailing saliva samples

Salivary testosterone measurements can be especially useful in field studies, but reliable ways of collecting and handling samples need to be established. Using cotton dental rolls to collect saliva leads to inflated testosterone scores. Sugarfree gum can be used satisfactorily to stimulate saliva among both male and female subjects. Leaving unpreserved saliva samples at room temperature for 2 weeks or mailing them unrefrigerated is satisfactory for male subjects but leads to inflated scores for female subjects.
Rheological and heat transfer aspects of the melt spinning of monofilament fibers of polyethylene and polystyrene

Two experimental studies of the melt spinning of fibers have been carried out using low-density polyethylene and polystyrene. First, isothermal spinning experiments were carried out and the relationship between the fiber kinematics and drawdown force was studied. The data were correlated by using the following two methods: (1) the concept of a non-Newtonian elongational viscosity and (2) a nonlinear integral theory of viscoelastic fluids. In the second experiment, the spinline temperature profile of a monofilament fiber being pulled down from a spinneret through stagnant air was measured and the heat transfer coefficient computed. A correlation between the local Nusselt number and a fiber Reynolds number was obtained. An integral boundary layer analysis of forced convection heat transfer from a descending fiber was carried out.
PUNISHMENT OF AUTOSHAPED KEY‐PECK RESPONSES OF PIGEONS

The effects of different voltages of response-dependent and response-independent electric shock on the frequency of key-peck responses engendered by an autoshaping procedure were studied. In Experiments I and II, each response produced a brief electric shock, and response frequency generally decreased more with higher-voltage shock. Preshock frequencies of responding were generally recovered across successive sessions of relatively low-voltage shock delivery but not at higher shock voltages. The effects of response-dependent and response-independent shock were compared in Experiment III by using a yoked-control procedure in which each pigeon received each type of shock delivery at different times. Response-dependent shock generally produced greater decreases in response frequency. In the final experiment, one response-independent shock per autoshaping trial was scheduled. The number of autoshaped responses per trial was related to shock voltages. These results suggest that response-dependent and response-independent electric shock effectively decrease frequency of autoshaped responses.
2D electrochemical time of flight and its application in the measurements of the kinetics of lateral electron hopping in monolayer films at the air/water interface.

A 2D electrochemical time-of-flight (ETOF) method was developed to measure diffusion constants of lateral mobility of amphiphiles and lateral electron hopping in Langmuir monolayers at the air/wate...
In vitro Inhibition of Growth of M. tuberculosis by Certain 11-Oxygenated Steroids

SummaryHydrocortisone and corticosterone in a concentration of 100 μg/ml markedly inhibit growth of isoniazid sensitive and resistant strains of tubercle bacilli grown in a simple synthetic culture medium. Ten and 20 μg/ml produce slight slowing of growth in some strains.
CURRENT STATUS OF THE NDA TRACKING SYSTEM AT THE FDA

At the beginning of the fiscal year (FY) 1987, the Center for Drug and Biologics (CDB)-FDA, implemented an upgraded version of the Management Information System (MIS) used previously to track new drug applications (NDAs), amendments, and supplements through the review process. This upgrade was part of the Centerwide Oracle Management Information System (COMIS) now under development at CDB. The presentation will focus on what COMIS adds to the previous system, the levels of information available to users, and future activities impacting on COMIS.
Magnetic field tuning of the S-I transition in thin Al films

Abstract We describe superconducting to insulating transitions in ultra-thin granular Al films driven by magnetic fields applied either perpendicular or parallel to the film surface. In a parallel field, we find that at low temperatures increasing field will drive a superconducting film first into a super-resistive phase and then eventually into a more conventional insulating phase.
Efficient Approximate Wordlength Optimization

In this paper, the problem of finding good wordlength combinations for fixed-point digital signal processing flowgraphs is addressed. By formulating and solving an approximate optimization problem, an estimated Pareto-optimal curve for attainable cost/quality combinations is rapidly calculated. This curve and the associated wordlength combinations are useful in several situations and can serve as starting points for real design searches. Examples that illustrate these concepts are given.
The commutative cohomology of finite semigroups

Abstract The second cohomology group of any commutative semigroup is computed from its presentation; special attention is paid to the finite case.
Topographic inversion of badland buttes in Montana

A combined sequence of geomorphic features and processes occurring at the outer edges of badland butte micropediments can lead to minor topographic inversions by which buttes are transformed into depressions. Evidence from field observation, profiling, spot measurements, and air-photo analysis shows that buttes can be partly or fully ringed by moats that developed at the toe of micropediments. Moat downcutting destroys or regrades micropediments to base levels so low that the very gently inclined micropediment surfaces, developed at the expense of the buttes, fail to rise back up to the level of surrounding land-surfaces. As a consequence, shallow depressions appear to replace some buttes in the study area.
Normal Mode Initialization Procedure Applied to Forecasts with the Global Shallow Water Equations

Abstract Conventional procedures designed to balance global initial data for primitive equation forecast models often result in unrealistic large-amplitude, high-frequency oscillations during the initial stages of the forecasts. In an attempt to reduce these oscillations, Dickinson and Williamson (1972) proposed a method to initialize data by expanding the data into the normal modes or free oscillations of the linearized version of the forecast model. Once the data are expanded into the normal modes, the modal amplitudes thought to be erroneously large can be reduced or set to zero. This procedure is tested here with the shallow water equations. In the first set of one-day forecasts performed, the method eliminates the large-amplitude, high-frequency waves which occur when using analyzed heights and winds for initial data by removing the gravity waves and computational Rossby waves from the initial data. The standard deviation of the error and the S1 skill score show substantial improvement in the filtere...
Exchange-mediated contrast in CEST and spin-lock imaging.

Abstract Purpose Magnetic resonance images of biological media based on chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) show contrast that depends on chemical exchange between water and other protons. In addition, spin–lattice relaxation rates in the rotating frame (R1ρ) are also affected by exchange, especially at high fields, and can be exploited to provide novel, exchange-dependent contrast. Here, we evaluate and compare the factors that modulate the exchange contrast for these methods using simulations and experiments on simple, biologically relevant samples. Methods Simulations and experimental measurements at 9.4 T of rotating frame relaxation rate dispersion and CEST contrast were performed on solutions of macromolecules containing amide and hydroxyl exchanging protons. Results The simulations and experimental measurements confirm that both CEST and R1ρ measurements depend on similar exchange parameters, but they manifest themselves differently in their effects on contrast. CEST contrast may be larger in the slow and intermediate exchange regimes for protons with large resonant frequency offsets (e.g. > 2 ppm). Spin-locking techniques can produce larger contrast enhancement when resonant frequency offsets are small ( Conclusion CEST and R1ρ measurements provide different and somewhat complementary information about exchange in tissues. Whereas CEST can depict exchange of protons with specific chemical shifts, appropriate R1ρ-dependent acquisitions can be employed to selectively portray protons of specific exchange rates.
Signal processing criteria and statistical error analysis for acoustic measurements in duct systems

A one-dimensional acoustic theory for random sound fields is presented. The theory is applied to the description of a random sound field in a tube of finite length terminated at the source and passive ends by arbitrary acoustical impedances. The theory is used to illustrate the spatial and spectral features of the acoustic field. These features are in many respects analogous to the well-known characteristics of a pure-tone sound field in a duct. However, the formulation in terms of a random sound field permits a more general investigation of measurement error than is possible using the pure-tone analysis. For example, it is shown that the familiar standing wave measurement problem is complicated by the presence of bias errors introduced by signal processing requirements.
The Bit Operation Complexity of Approximate Evaluation of Matrix and Polynomial Products Using Modular Arithmetic

Abstract The approximate evaluation with a given precision of matrix and polynomial products is performed using modular arithmetic. The resulting algorithms are numerically stable. At the same time they are as fast as or faster than the algorithms with arithmetic operations over real or complex numbers.
Biogeochemical impacts of CO2 storage in the ocean

Abstract The impact of CO 2 storage in the deep ocean is a function of the CO 2 concentration and local carbonate equilibrium conditions. The discharge of stored CO 2 into the deep ocean in the Northwestern Atlantic near New York and the Northeastern Pacific near San Francisco. Strong currents in the Atlantic simulation resulted in more extensive dispersion of CO 2 . Lower concentrations of CO 2 and a higher initial pH and calcite saturation state resulted in a lower environmental impact in the Atlantic. Most notably, in the Pacific simulation stored CO 2 lowered the calcite saturation state to nearly undersaturated conditions.
Retrieval rate, accuracy and vocabulary elaboration (RAVE)in reading-impaired children: a pilot intervention programme

Although most severely reading-impaired children are characterized by two core deficits in phonological and naming speed processes, most current interventions emphasize only phonological skills. The present study assessed the efficacy of an eight-week pilot intervention programme designed to increase the speed and accuracy of naming or lexical retrieval skills. Because of the close relationship between word knowledge and the speed with which a word is retrieved, a second goal was to increase the depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge. Subjects for the intervention included 17 severely impaired readers (mean age 13 years). Included for pre-intervention reader group comparisons were 31 average readers matched for reading age (mean age 10 years). Significant pre-intervention differences favouring controls were found on all naming speed measures and two measures of vocabulary depth. There were no differences in receptive vocabulary. Pre- and post-intervention comparisons for impaired readers indicated significant gains on word retrieval accuracy and vocabulary depth. There was significant generalization to an untrained naming speed task. Implications for diagnosis and treatment of reading-impaired children are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Temporal and spatial distribution of type XII collagen in high cell density culture of periosteal-derived cells

Periosteal-derived cells of young chicks have been reported to possess the potential to undergo terminal differentiation into osteogenic or chondrogenic phenotypes under high cell density culture conditions. In this culture, the temporal and spatial distribution of type XII collagen was immunocytochemically assessed using a monoclonal antibody. These high-density plated cells first formed a multilayer of fibroblast-like cells, in which type I and XII collagen were evenly distributed throughout the full thickness of the culture. With time, the top portion of the culture differentiated into bone tissue, while cells below this top layer differentiated into hypertrophic chondrocytes. In this transition, type XII collagen was temporally and spatially colocalized primarily with type I collagen: the top portion of bone layer was positive for both type I and XII collagens, whereas their staining intensity in the bottom portion decreased with time in culture. Using this antibody, type XII collagen was also found in developing embryonic chick tibiotarsus. These observations, taken together, suggest that type XII collagen production is a characteristic property of bone-forming cells.
Glasslike Transition of a Confined Simple Fluid

A simple globular-shaped liquid (octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, OMCTS) was placed between two solid plates at variable spacings comparable to the size of this molecule and the linear shear viscoelasticity of the confined interfacial film was measured. Strong monotonic increase of the shear relaxation time, elastic modulus, and effective viscosity were observed at spacings less than about 10 molecular dimensions. Frequency dependence showed good superposition at different film thickness. The observed smooth transition to solidity is inconsistent with a first-order transition from bulk fluid to solidity.
Twenty-year experience with the St Jude Medical mechanical valve prosthesis

Abstract Background We have prospectively followed all adult St Jude Medical mechanical valve recipients at the Medical University of South Carolina since the initial implant in January 1979 and now present our 20-year experience. Methods We prospectively followed 837 valve recipients (aortic valve replacement; n = 478; mitral valve replacement; n = 359) from January 1979 to December 2000 at 12-month intervals. Results Ages ranged from 19 to 84 years. Follow-up averaged (mean ± standard deviation) 7 ± 5 years (98% complete). Patients were in New York Heart Association class III or IV in 77% (aortic valve replacement) and 89% (mitral valve replacement) preoperatively. A 19-mm valve was implanted in 15.5% of aortic valve replacement patients. Coronary bypass was required in 31% of aortic valve replacements and 20% of mitral valve replacements. Operative mortality was 17/478 (3.6%) in aortic valve replacement and 19/359 (5.3%) in mitral valve replacement, and multivariable predictors were 19-mm valve size, 3 or more coronary bypass grafts, and New York Heart Association class IV for aortic valve replacement and New York Heart Association class IV and age for mitral valve replacement. Actuarial survivorship at 10 and 20 years was 57% ± 3% and 26% ± 5% for aortic valve replacement and 61% ± 3% and 39% ± 4% for mitral valve replacement. Multivariable predictors of late death were African-American ethnicity, New York Heart Association class III or IV, coronary bypass, and age for aortic valve replacement and New York Heart Association class III or IV, coronary bypass, and age for mitral valve replacement. For aortic valve replacement, effective orifice area was univariately ( P = .002) but not multivariately ( P = .378) predictive of late death. Structural valve deterioration was not observed. For aortic valve replacement, actuarial freedom (at 10 and 20 years) from reoperation was 93% ± 1% and 90% ± 2%; thromboembolism, 82% ± 3% and 68% ± 8%; bleeding events, 77% ± 3% and 66% ± 6%; prosthetic valve endocarditis, 94% ± 1% and 94% ± 1%; valve-related mortality, 94% ± 2% and 86% ± 4%; and valve-related mortality or morbidity, 58% ± 3% and 32% ± 8%. For mitral valve replacement, actuarial freedom (at 10 and 20 years) from reoperation was 96% ± 1% and 90% ± 3%; thromboembolism, 77% ± 3% and 59% ± 7%; bleeding events, 86% ± 2% and 65% ± 8%; prosthetic valve endocarditis, 98% ± 1% and 96% ± 2%; valve-related mortality, 89% ± 0.2% and 74% ± 8%; and valve-related mortality or morbidity, 63% ± 3% and 29% ± 7%. Conclusions After 2 decades of observation with close follow-up, the St Jude Medical mechanical valve continues to be a reliable prosthesis.
Deleterious network hypothesis of apoptosis

Apoptosis or programmed cell death (PCD) plays crucial roles in a number of physiological and pathological processes. Growing evidence has suggested that oxidative damage, altered calcium homeostasis and abnormal mitochondrial functions are three key factors of PCD. Because a number of studies have also indicated that a deleterious network is formed on the basis of the close interactions among these major apoptotic factors, it is proposed that the deleterious network is just the common pathway in PCD. A variety of apoptotic stimuli can trigger the network, leading to the characteristic apoptotic changes. This new theory - the deleterious network hypothesis of apoptosis - appears to unify some major theories of PCD, providing consistent explanations of a significantly larger number of the observations about apoptosis than other hypotheses. Based on this unifying hypothesis, it is suggested that the three major factors of the deleterious network could be targeted for treatment of multiple apoptosis-related disorders.
Aedes aegypti: A Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) Influencing Filarial Worm Intensity Is Linked to QTL for Susceptibility to Other Mosquito-Borne Pathogens

Because intensity of infection was significantly increased in a substrain of Aedes aegypti selected for susceptibility to the filarial worm, Brugia malayi, experiments were designed to assess numbers of microfilariae (mf) ingested and midgut penetration by mf in this susceptible substrain as compared to a refractory substrain selected from the same parental stock. Refractory mosquitoes ingested significantly fewer mf than susceptible mosquitoes and significantly fewer numbers of mf penetrated through refractory midguts as compared to susceptible midguts. In 16.7% of the refractory midguts, no mf were able to penetrate the midgut and in three refractory mosquitoes over 250 mf were ingested, but no mf penetrated the midgut. These results indicate that permissiveness of the midgut for penetration by microfilariae can determine not only parasite intensity, but also prevalence of infection. The genetic basis for ingestion of mf and midgut penetration was assessed using restriction fragment length polymorphism markers and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping. This mapping identified a QTL on chromosome 2, idb[2,LF181] (idb, intensity determinant for Brugia), that seems to influence ingestion ability. This QTL is linked to a previously identified QTL for susceptibility to B. malayi, fsb[2,LF98], as well as to loci for susceptibility to the malaria parasite, Plasmodium gallinaceum, and yellow fever virus. These results suggest that this region of chromosome 2 contains one or more genes that influence susceptibility of A. aegypti to several mosquito-transmitted pathogens.
Influence of hygrothermal environment on thermal and mechanical properties of carbon fiber/fiberglass hybrid composites

The absorption and diffusion of water in a carbon fiber/glass fiber hybrid composite was investigated. Water-sorption experiments, mechanical property tests and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) were performed after immersion in water at different temperatures for up to 32 weeks. The moisture uptake mechanism exhibited by the hybrid fiber system was determined to be more complex than the single fiber type. Weight-change profiles for the composites fitted the theoretical Fickian diffusion curve during the initial immersion time, but diverged substantially as time progressed. The shear properties and the glass transition temperature (Tg) were sensitive to the effects of hygrothermal environment, and values for both decreased with increasing water uptake. Microscopic inspection of water-soaked samples showed no cracking when the absorption was less than saturation. The thermal and mechanical properties were mostly retained (after drying), provided the moisture absorption did not exceed the saturation point.
Interfacial pH during mussel adhesive plaque formation

Mussel (Mytilus californianus) adhesion to marine surfaces involves an intricate and adaptive synergy of molecules and spatio-temporal processes. Although the molecules, such as mussel foot proteins (mfps), are well characterized, deposition details remain vague and speculative. Developing methods for the precise surveillance of conditions that apply during mfp deposition would aid both in understanding mussel adhesion and translating this adhesion into useful technologies. To probe the interfacial pH at which mussels buffer the local environment during mfp deposition, a lipid bilayer with tethered pH-sensitive fluorochromes was assembled on mica. The interfacial pH during foot contact with modified mica ranged from 2.2 to 3.3, which is well below the seawater pH of ~ 8. The acidic pH serves multiple functions: it limits mfp-Dopa oxidation, thereby enabling the catecholic functionalities to adsorb to surface oxides by H-bonding and metal ion coordination, and provides a solubility switch for mfps, most of which aggregate at pH ≥ 7-8.
A negative-stiffness phase in elastic composites can produce stable extreme effective dynamic but not static stiffness

We investigate the effective elastic properties and overall stability of four specific two-phase elastic composite systems having a non-positive-definite phase (often referred to as a negative-stiffness phase) to determine whether or not the presence of the negative-stiffness phase can lead to stable extreme overall stiffness. We start with an instructive spring-mass model to illustrate the underlying physical mechanisms before proceeding to the two- and three-dimensional two-phase solids of coated cylindrical and coated spherical inclusions, and we finally study a general particle-matrix composite. For all examples, we correlate effective stiffness with overall stability to demonstrate that the static effective stiffness measures can never reach extreme values due to the inclusion of a negative-stiffness phase in a stable manner, while dynamic loading indeed permits resonance-induced extreme effective stiffness.
Manufacture of rigid PVC/wood-flour composite foams using moisture contained in wood as foaming agent

Relationships between the density of foamed rigid PVC/wood-flour composites and the moisture content of the wood flour, the chemical foaming agent (CFA) content, the content of all-acrylic foam modifier, and the extruder die temperature were determined by using a response surface model based on a four-factor central composite design. The experimental results indicated that there is no synergistic effect between the CFA content and the moisture content of the wood flour. Wood flour moisture could be used effectively as foaming agent in the production of rigid PVC/wood-flour composite foams. Foam density as low as 0.4 g/cm 3 was produced without the use of chemical foaming agents. However. successful foaming of rigid PVC/wood-flour composite with moisture contained in wood flour strongly depends upon the presence of all-acrylic foam modifier in the formulation and the extrusion die temperature. The lowest densities were achieved when the all-acrylic foam modifier concentration was between 7 phr and 10 phr and extruder die temperature was as low as 170°C.