cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Critical periods in the development of the Caenorhabditis elegans dauer larva

Abstract The dauer larva of Caenorhabditis elegans is a developmentally arrested stage formed at the second molt under conditions of starvation or overcrowding. It is specialized for long-term survival and dispersal. Dauer-constitutive (daf) mutants form dauer larvae even in an environment favorable for growth. Temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants representing six different genes have been subjected to temperature-shift and -pulse experiments in order to define the times of temperature sensitivity (TSPs). The results for five of the mutants, including one mutant with a maternal effect, show TSPs which bracket the first molt. The exceptional mutant, daf-14, has its TSP within the first larval stage. The TSPs of two mutants, daf-8 and daf-14, exhibit distinct major and minor phases. Temperature-pulse experiments discriminate between alternate interpretations of the temperature-shift data. All the results can be interpreted on the basis of normal and defective execution stages for the ts functions at permissive and restrictive temperatures.
Determinants of disability after lower extremity fracture.

Background: Factors influencing the progression of physical impairment to patient-perceived disability are not well known. We sought to better understand this relationship in the setting of injury. Methods: We followed a cohort of 302 patients with lower extremity fractures over a 1-year period. Physical impairment was assessed by range of motion, strength, and pain. Range of motion and strength were assessed together as a proportion of normal function of the extremity (impairment score). Pain was assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain score. Disability was assessed using the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), a widely used measure of patient-perceived limitations of everyday activities attributable to illness. The SIP was administered during hospitalization to assess preinjury baseline. Impairment assessment and readministration of the SIP were performed at 12 months after injury. Results: Impairment in leg function (range of motion and strength) was highly correlated (p < 0.001) with overall SIP score at 12 months, but accounted for only 23% of the variance in overall SIP scores. Likewise, VAS pain score was highly correlated (p < 0.001) with overall SIP score at 12 months, but accounted for only 29% of the variance in overall SIP scores. In a multivariate linear regression analysis, variables that were independently associated with overall SIP score included impairment score, VAS pain score, preinjury SIP, poverty status, education status, social support, having hired a lawyer, and involvement with workers' compensation. These variables accounted for 52% of the variance in overall SIP scores at 12 months. Conclusion: The degree of physical impairment accounts for only a small amount of the variance in disability from lower extremity fracture. Identifiable patient characteristics including age, socio-economic status, preinjury health, and social support together with impairment account for over half of the variance in long-term disability. Further research is needed to increase understanding of other factors that influence the progression of impairment to disability, especially those factors that may be amenable to intervention.
Acute dendrotoxic changes in the hippocampus of kainate treated rats.

Abstract Kainic acid (KA), a potent neuroexcitatory and neurotoxic analog of glutamate (Glu), induces a widespread pattern of brain damage when administered subcutaneously to adult rats. The hippocampus is among the brain regions most consistently and severely damaged. Here we describe acute swelling of certain spines and branchlets of dendrites as the first detectable sign of KA neurotoxic changes in the hippocampus. These swellings conform to a laminar pattern suggesting selective toxic interaction of KA at specific levels of the dendritic trees of hippocampal pyramidal and dentate granule neurons. The frequency and severity of involvement of each type of hippocampal neuron at each level of its dendritic tree was roughly estimated and neuronal types were ranked from the most to least extensively involved (CA3 > CA4 > CA1 > CA2 > dentate granules). The same rank order has been described for the vulnerability of these neurons to acute destruction following intraventricular KA administration. Because the pattern of dendritic dilatations observed corresponds well with the pattern of termination of putative glutamergic inputs to the hippocampus, we interpret the findings as being consistent with the hypothesis that the toxic effects of KA are mediated through glutamergic excitatory receptors. We propose that the sensitivity of a given neuron to the neurodestructive action of KA may be determined by the percentage of its dendritic surface occupied by Glu receptors. We suspect that most, if not all, hippocampal neurons receive some glutamergic input and, therefore, are sensitive to KA. That CA3 pyramids are substantially more sensitive than dentate granules may signify that the former receive many more Glu terminals than the latter, an assumption quite consistent with our observation that focal dendritic swellings were both more densely and more widely distributed over the dendritic surfaces of the former than the latter.
Psychopathy and Violent Crime: A Prospective Study of the Influence of Socioeconomic Status and Ethnicity

The relationship between psychopathy and violence is well-established. However, few studies have examined the extent to which this relationship is influenced by sociodemographic predictors of violent criminality. In this prospective study we examine the power of psychopathy to predict criminal violence across ethnicity and levels of socioeconomic status in 199 European American and African American U.S. county jail inmates. A Psychopathy × SES × Ethnicity interaction was identified such that among European Americans psychopathy predicted recidivism at lower levels of SES but was unrelated to recidivism at higher levels of SES. The predictive power of psychopathy was relatively stable across SES among African Americans. The implications of our results for psychopathy and violence prediction are discussed.
Sexual allocation ratios in forest ants: food limitation does not explain observed patterns

The putative link between resource availability and sexual production was examined by field and laboratory experiments on two populations of Leptothorax longispinosus. Protein supplementation had no effect on number of female alates produced by nests but did increase male production and total reproductive investment (Table 1). The resource level did not consistently affect the allocation ratios shown by nests (Table 4). Our work shows that food limitation cannot be responsible for the population differences in allocation ratios in these ants.
Low-temperature magnetic behavior of HoRh4B4

Detailed measurements of the magnetization of HoRh4B4 and GdRh4B4 near the magnetic transition temperature are presented. In contrast to the ferromagnetic behavior of GdRh4B4, no spontaneous magnetization is found to develop below T min HoRh4B4. This raises doubts about the nature of the magnetic order in that material as well as in DyRh4B4 and TbRh4B4. Anisotropy and time dependence of the magnetization are found in these last three compounds. The behavior of the very small remanent magnetization and of the paramagnetic susceptibility of HoRh4B4 is shown. These results point to a complex magnetic order, possibly helical or sinusoidal antiferromagnetism with a long wavelength.
Gramicidin S; relationship of cyclic structure to antibiotic activity.

GRAMICIDIN S is a polypeptide antibiotic elaborated by a strain of Bacillus brevis 1. Its postulated structure, well substantiated by experimental results2, is that of a cyclic decapeptide of the following nature3:
Conditioning of transcranial magnetic stimulation: Evidence of sensory-induced responding and prepulse inhibition

Background Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive method for stimulating the human cortex. Classical conditioning is a phenomenon of developed associations between stimuli. Our primary objective was to determine whether TMS effects could be conditioned. Prepulse inhibition represents another relationship between two stimuli, and a secondary assessment was performed to explore this relationship. Methods An auditory-visual conditioning stimulus (CS) was paired with the TMS unconditioned stimulus (US) over motor cortex producing a motor-evoked potential (MEP) unconditioned response (UR). Two versions of the CS-US pairing paradigms were tested, one with a short intertrial interval (ITI) and another with a long ITI. The short ITI paradigm had more CS-US pairings and shorter session duration than the long ITI paradigm. Tests for conditioned responses (CRs) were performed following CS-US pairing (CS+/US+), by presenting the CS alone (CS+/US−). Reverse testing was also performed after CS-US pairing (CS+/US+) in separate sessions, by presenting the US alone (CS−/US+). Results Evidence for CRs was found only with the short ITI paradigm. The magnitudes of CRs were smaller than TMS-induced MEPs, and the CRs were found only in a percentage of tests. Prepulse inhibition was robustly evident for the long ITI paradigm, but not for the short ITI paradigm. Conclusions We have found evidence that classical conditioning principles can be applied to brain stimulation in humans. These findings provide a method for exploring brain and behavioral relationships in humans, as well as suggesting approaches to enhance therapeutic uses of TMS or other forms of brain stimulation.
Signs of status in bridal portraits

Subjects were shown a series of 17 portraits of brides whose educational levels were known. Brides with a baccalaurate degree are assumed here to be of higher social class than brides who did not attend or complete college. Subjects could usually guess the social class of the brides who were pictured. Facially beautiful brides, and those with particular hair and hat styles, were especially likely to be regarded as belonging to the upper class. When the brides' facial features were blanked out, subjects could still usually guess their social class, apparently on the basis of hair and hat styles.
Genetics of Alcoholism

Alcoholism runs in families. About 20% to 25% of the sons of alcoholics become alcoholics or problem drinkers, and so do about 5% of the daughters (Goodwin, 1979, 1988). These rates are about four or five times greater than the prevalence rate of alcoholism in the general population. Apparently, having two alcoholic parents increases the risk that the children will also become alcoholic, but it is not certain how much the risk is increased. A rough guess would be that children with two parents who are alcoholic have about a 40% chance of becoming alcoholic if they are male and perhaps a 10% to 15% chance if they are female. However, it should be stressed that studies documenting these latter figures are lacking.
A Career Education Approach Self-Determination for Youth with Mild Cognitive Disabilities

Summarizes the framework for identifying skills relevant to self-determination and offers details of a career education curriculum for achieving this outcome
Stomatal mechanics. III. Geometric interpretation of the mechanical advantage

Abstract. Previous mathematical analyses of stomatal mechanics have demonstrated, and experimental measurements have confirmed, that the turgor-generated force of the epidermal cells dominates that of the guard cells in determining aperture. DcMichele & Sharpe (1973) termed the phenomenon the mechanical advantage of the epidermal cells, while Cooke et al. (1976) expressed it as an antagonism ratio. Both of these formulations, however, have theoretical or practical limitations. This study presents a biophysical analysis demonstrating that the effective forces in the stomatal system may be studied in terms of simple stomatal geometry. From this analysis, the mechanical advantage can be redefined and interpreted based upon simple geometric relationships calculated from measurable anatomical dimensions.
COMING THROUGH A CITY NEAR YOU: THE TRANSPORT OF HAZARDOUS WASTES

Current figures (compiled in 1995) indicate that hazardous waste transporters (19,567 in number) ship approximately 16 million tons of hazardous waste annually in the US (US Environmental Protection Agency, 1995). While some state and local governments have enacted hazardous waste transport regulations for the protection of their citizens, the federal government has had primacy in initiating and setting the course of hazardous waste transport regulation. As a result, the predominant perspective on hazardous waste transport has been technical in orientation. This paper identifies and discusses how this technical perspective and the social perspective differ and what the consequences are for government policies and actions regarding hazardous waste transport.
To fight or die — inhibitor of apoptosis proteins at the crossroad of innate immunity and death

The processes of dying are as tightly regulated as those of growth and proliferation, and together they establish a finely tuned balance that ensures proper organ size and function. Failure in the regulation of these responses lies at the heart of many human diseases. Certain members of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) protein family function as important gatekeepers of cell death and survival. While IAPs can regulate cell death by controlling caspases, they also modulate other signalling processes that impact on cell viability. Probably the most important contribution of IAPs to cell survival and tumorigenesis resides in the ability of a number of IAPs to act as ubiquitin-E3 ligases regulating NF-κB signalling. Here, we discuss the latest insights into the ubiquitin-related roles of IAPs and how this contributes to the survival of cells and the organism.
Drakes, seadevils, and similarity fetishism

Homeostatic property clusters (HPCs) are offered as a way of understanding natural kinds, especially biological species. I review the HPC approach and then discuss an objection by Ereshefsky and Matthen, to the effect that an HPC qua cluster seems ill-fitted as a description of a polymorphic species. The standard response by champions of the HPC approach is to say that all members of a polymorphic species have things in common, namely dispositions or conditional properties. I argue that this response fails. Instances of an HPC kind need not all be similar in their exhibited properties. Instead, HPCs should instead be understood as unified by the underlying causal mechanism that maintains them. The causal mechanism can both produce and explain some systematic differences between a kind’s members. An HPC kind is best understood not as a single cluster of properties maintained in stasis by causal forces, but as a complex of related property clusters kept in relation by an underlying causal process. This approach requires recognizing that taxonomic systems serve both explanatory and inductive purposes.
Fast distributed coloring algorithms for triangle-free graphs

Vertex coloring is a central concept in graph theory and an important symmetry-breaking primitive in distributed computing. Whereas degree-Δ graphs may require palettes of Δ+1 colors in the worst case, it is well known that the chromatic number of many natural graph classes can be much smaller. In this paper we give new distributed algorithms to find (Δ/k)-coloring in graphs of girth 4 (triangle-free graphs), girth 5, and trees, where k is at most $(\frac{1}{4}-o(1))\ln\Delta$ in triangle-free graphs and at most (1−o(1))ln Δ in girth-5 graphs and trees, and o(1) is a function of Δ. Specifically, for Δ sufficiently large we can find such a coloring in O(k+log*n) time. Moreover, for any Δ we can compute such colorings in roughly logarithmic time for triangle-free and girth-5 graphs, and in O(logΔ+logΔ logn) time on trees. As a byproduct, our algorithm shows that the chromatic number of triangle-free graphs is at most $(4+o(1))\frac{\Delta}{\ln\Delta}$, which improves on Jamall's recent bound of $(67+o(1))\frac{\Delta}{\ln\Delta}$. Also, we show that (Δ+1)-coloring for triangle-free graphs can be obtained in sublogarithmic time for any Δ.
When Does Targeting Make Sense for an Attacker

How do so many Internet users escape harm? The range of attacks is enormous and growing; we know that most users neglect even basic defense measures. Yet things somehow muddle along: 2 billion people use the Internet and seem to derive more good than harm from it. If security is only as good as the weakest link, why don't worst-case outcomes happen regularly? Why isn't everyone hacked every day? The answer might lie in economics rather than technology.
Dynamic Aspects of the Impact of the Use of Perfect Climate Forecasts in the Corn Belt Region

A general equilibrium model is linked to a decision model to determine the impact of perfect growing season forecasts for corn produced in the Corn Belt region over a 10-yr period. Five different timing scenarios are examined to determine the effect of different orderings in the occurrence of good and bad crop years over this period. The use of the climate forecasts is shown to have both positive and negative financial and economic effects depending on the specific year within any given scenario. The expected present value of changes in net surplus (consumer plus producer surplus) varied from $1.270 to $2.917 billion from the use of the perfect forecasts over different 10-yr planning horizons. Consumers are the clear winners (positive values) and producers are the losers (negative values) over the entire horizon.
Natural genetic variation in selected populations of Arabidopsis thaliana Is associated with ionomic differences

Controlling elemental composition is critical for plant growth and development as well as the nutrition of humans who utilize plants for food. Uncovering the genetic architecture underlying mineral ion homeostasis in plants is a critical first step towards understanding the biochemical networks that regulate a plant's elemental composition (ionome). Natural accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana provide a rich source of genetic diversity that leads to phenotypic differences. We analyzed the concentrations of 17 different elements in 12 A. thaliana accessions and three recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations grown in several different environments using high-throughput inductively coupled plasma- mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Significant differences were detected between the accessions for most elements and we identified over a hundred QTLs for elemental accumulation in the RIL populations. Altering the environment the plants were grown in had a strong effect on the correlations between different elements and the QTLs controlling elemental accumulation. All ionomic data presented is publicly available at www.ionomicshub.org.
Probing Molecular Mechanisms of the Hsp90 Chaperone: Biophysical Modeling Identifies Key Regulators of Functional Dynamics

Deciphering functional mechanisms of the Hsp90 chaperone machinery is an important objective in cancer biology aiming to facilitate discovery of targeted anti-cancer therapies. Despite significant advances in understanding structure and function of molecular chaperones, organizing molecular principles that control the relationship between conformational diversity and functional mechanisms of the Hsp90 activity lack a sufficient quantitative characterization. We combined molecular dynamics simulations, principal component analysis, the energy landscape model and structure-functional analysis of Hsp90 regulatory interactions to systematically investigate functional dynamics of the molecular chaperone. This approach has identified a network of conserved regions common to the Hsp90 chaperones that could play a universal role in coordinating functional dynamics, principal collective motions and allosteric signaling of Hsp90. We have found that these functional motifs may be utilized by the molecular chaperone machinery to act collectively as central regulators of Hsp90 dynamics and activity, including the inter-domain communications, control of ATP hydrolysis, and protein client binding. These findings have provided support to a long-standing assertion that allosteric regulation and catalysis may have emerged via common evolutionary routes. The interaction networks regulating functional motions of Hsp90 may be determined by the inherent structural architecture of the molecular chaperone. At the same time, the thermodynamics-based “conformational selection” of functional states is likely to be activated based on the nature of the binding partner. This mechanistic model of Hsp90 dynamics and function is consistent with the notion that allosteric networks orchestrating cooperative protein motions can be formed by evolutionary conserved and sparsely connected residue clusters. Hence, allosteric signaling through a small network of distantly connected residue clusters may be a rather general functional requirement encoded across molecular chaperones. The obtained insights may be useful in guiding discovery of allosteric Hsp90 inhibitors targeting protein interfaces with co-chaperones and protein binding clients.
Complex discriminant features for object classification

A new algorithm for the design of complex features, to be used in the discriminant saliency approach to object classification, is presented. The algorithm consists of sequential rotations of an initial basis of simple features, so as to maximize the discriminant power of the feature set for image classification. Discrimination is measured in an information theoretic sense. The proposed algorithm has lower complexity than popular techniques for learning parts, and is evaluated on classification tasks from the PASCAL challenge. It is shown that complex features consistently outperform simple features.
Continuations from generalized stack inspection

Implementing first-class continuations can pose a challenge if the target machine makes no provisions for accessing and re-installing the run-time stack. In this paper, we present a novel translation that overcomes this problem. In the first half of the paper, we introduce a theoretical model that shows how to eliminate the capture and the use of first-class continuations in the presence of a generalized stack inspection mechanism. The second half of the paper explains how to translate this model into practice in two different contexts. First, we reformulate the servlet interaction language in the PLT Web server, which heavily relies on first-class continuations. Using our technique, servlet programs can be run directly under the control of non-cooperative web servers such as Apache. Second, we show how to use our new technique to copy and reconstitute the stack on MSIL.Net using exception handlers. This establishes that Scheme's first-class continuations can exist on non-cooperative virtual machines.
Performance evaluation of stereo for tele-presence

In an immersive tele-presence environment a 3D remote real scene is projected from the viewpoint of the local user. This 3D world is acquired through stereo reconstruction at the remote site. In this paper we start a performance analysis of stereo algorithms with respect to the task of immersive visualization. As opposed to usual monocular image based rendering, we are also interested in the depth error in novel views because our rendering is stereoscopic. We describe an evaluation test-bed which provides a world-wide first available set of registered dense "ground-truth" laser data and image data from multiple views. We establish metrics for novel depth views that reflect discrepancies both in the image and in 3D-space. It is well known that stereo performance is affected by both erroneous matching as well as incorrect depth triangulation. We experimentally study the effects of occlusion and low texture on the distributions of the error metrics. Then, we algebraically predict the behavior of depth and novel projection error as a function of the camera set-up and the error in the disparity. These are first steps towards building a laboratory for psychophysical judgement of depth estimates which is the ultimate performance test of tele-presence stereo.
A Monte Carlo EM Algorithm for De Novo Motif Discovery in Biomolecular Sequences

Motif discovery methods play pivotal roles in deciphering the genetic regulatory codes (i.e., motifs) in genomes as well as in locating conserved domains in protein sequences. The Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm is one of the most popular methods used in de novo motif discovery. Based on the position weight matrix (PWM) updating technique, this paper presents a Monte Carlo version of the EM motif-finding algorithm that carries out stochastic sampling in local alignment space to overcome the conventional EM's main drawback of being trapped in a local optimum. The newly implemented algorithm is named as Monte Carlo EM Motif Discovery Algorithm (MCEMDA). MCEMDA starts from an initial model, and then it iteratively performs Monte Carlo simulation and parameter update until convergence. A log-likelihood profiling technique together with the top-k strategy is introduced to cope with the phase shifts and multiple modal issues in motif discovery problem. A novel grouping motif alignment (GMA) algorithm is designed to select motifs by clustering a population of candidate local alignments and successfully applied to subtle motif discovery. MCEMDA compares favorably to other popular PWM-based and word enumerative motif algorithms tested using simulated (l, d)-motif cases, documented prokaryotic, and eukaryotic DNA motif sequences. Finally, MCEMDA is applied to detect large blocks of conserved domains using protein benchmarks and exhibits its excellent capacity while compared with other multiple sequence alignment methods.
Nonlinearity of photosynthetic responses to growth in rising atmospheric CO2: an experimental and modelling study

Nonlinear responses of photosynthesis to the CO2 concentration at which plants were grown (Cg) have been often reported in the literatu~e. This study was designed to develop mechanistic understanding of the nonlinear responses with both experimental and modelling approaches. Soybean (Glycine max) was grown in five levels of Cg (280, 350, 525, 700, 1000 ppm) with either a high or low rate of nitrogen fertilization. When the rate of nitrogen fertilization was high, the photosynthetic rate measured at Cg was highest in plants from the 700 ppm CO2 treatment. When the rate of nitrogen fertilization was low, little variation was observed in the photosynthetic rates of plants from the different treatments measured at their respective Cg. Measurements of CO2-induced changes in mass-based leaf nitrogen concentration (nnlf an index of changes in biochemical processes) and leaf mass per unit area (h, an index of morphological properties) were used in a model and indicate that the nonlinearity of photosynthetic responses to Cg is largely determined by relative changes in photosynthetic sensitivity, biochemical downregulation, and morphological upregulation. In order to further understand the nonlinear responses, we compiled data from the literature on CO2-induced changes in nm and h. These compiled data indicate that h generally increases and nm usually decreases with increasing Cg, but that the trajectories and magnitudes of the changes in h and nm vary with species and growth environments. Integration of these variables (nm and h) into a biochemically based model of photosynthesis enabled us to predict diverse responses of photosynthesis to Cg. Thus a general mechanism is suggested for the highly variable, nonlinear responses of photosynthesis to Cg reported in the literature.
Coordination of the Vernalization Response through a VIN3 and FLC Gene Family Regulatory Network in Arabidopsis

Vernalization is an environmentally induced epigenetic switch in which winter cold triggers epigenetic silencing of floral repressors and thus provides competence to flower in spring. Vernalization triggers the recruitment of chromatin-modifying complexes to a clade of flowering repressors that are epigenetically silenced via chromatin modifications. In Arabidopsis thaliana, VERNALIZATION INSENSITIVE3 (VIN3) and its related plant homeodomain finger proteins act together with Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 to increase repressive histone marks at floral repressor loci, including FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) and its related genes, by vernalization. Here, we show that VIN3 family of proteins nonredundantly functions to repress different subsets of the FLC gene family during the course of vernalization. Each VIN3 family protein binds to modified histone peptides in vitro and directly associates with specific sets of FLC gene family chromatins in vivo to mediate epigenetic silencing. In addition, members of the FLC gene family are also differentially regulated during the course of vernalization to mediate proper vernalization response. Our results show that these two gene families cooperated during the course of evolution to ensure proper vernalization response through epigenetic changes.
Influence of host stress on emerald ash borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) adult density, development, and distribution in Fraxinus pennsylvanica trees

Emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), a phloem-feeding beetle native to East Asia, was first discovered in southeast Michigan and Essex County, Ontario, in June 2002 and has since killed millions of ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees in North America. Initial studies in southeast Michigan indicated that the life cycle of A. planipennis was univoltine but more recent observations indicated some larvae feed for two summers, resulting in a 2-yr life cycle. Understanding factors that affect A. planipennis attraction to and development on host trees could improve detection and predictions of its population dynamics. We assessed adult A. planipennis attraction and larval density, distribution, and development rates in 2006 and 2007 on pole-sized green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall) trees that were girdled, exposed to the stress-elicitor methyl jasmonate, or left untreated. The study was conducted in a homogenous plantation with low levels of infestation. Overall, adult captures increased fivefold and four times as many larvae were recorded in 2007 compared with 2006. In both years, girdled trees captured significantly more adult A. planipennis, had higher larval densities, and larvae developed faster than on untreated control trees or trees exposed to methyl jasmonate. In 2006, larvae feeding below the girdle developed significantly faster than larvae feeding above the girdle. Adult A. planipennis captures, larval density and development did not differ significantly between untreated trees and trees exposed to methyl jasmonate in either year.
Effect of pH of silane solution on the adhesion of polyimide to a silica substrate

We show that the pH of the aminosilane solution has a significant effect on its efficacy as an adhesion promoter. Furthermore, the maximum adhesion is observed to be in the pH range close to the natural pH of the dilute silane solution. It would be interesting to extend this kind of study to other silanes as well as to various coating materials.
Pregnancies Observed in the Likely-To-Abort Patient with or Without Hormone Therapy Before or After Conception

Summary Bleeding suggesting threatened abortion may be expected in 20 to 25 per cent of pregnancies. When abortion threatens: A.Approximately 28 per cent will abort if treatment consists only of bed rest. B.The routine administration of stilbestrol to all pregnant patients does not reduce the incidence of abortion or fetal loss. A cytologically demonstrable deficiency of progesterone was noted in 38 per cent (approximately one-third) of the patients who later aborted- their pregnancies. A.The 11 per cent of patients with evidence of a progesterone deficiency accounted for 36.6 per cent (approximately one third) of the spontaneous abortions we have observed. B.The routine administration of stilbestrol to all patients who show cytological evidence of a progesterone deficiency in early pregnancy does not seem to decrease significantly the incidence of spontaneous abortion even among such patients (21.4 to 19.3 per cent 23 ). C.Prompt administration of progesterone (intravenously) to all patients who threaten to abort reduces the proportion actually aborting from 28 to 18 per cent 15 (the one-third who show progesterone deficiency? In the management of the patient likely to abort because of a bad obstetrical history: A.We have observed no fetal survival when a patient with a bad history also had a cytologically evident deficiency of progesterone early in the pregnancy. B.The postconceptional administration of stilbestrol might be credited for some fetal survivals but such live births were observed only when there had been no cytological evidence of progesterone deficiency early in the pregnancy. C.The placental adequacy characteristic of the pregnancy associated with a good smear and a. relatively lower incidence of fetal loss seems most likely to be assured by preconceptional "priming" 11 of the endometrium.
The Ghosts of Normativity: Temporality and Recurrence in Adorno's Ethics of Dissonance

What are the “normative foundations” of Critical Theory? Can Critical Theory be understood in the context of normative ethics? In particular, what is at stake in a normative reformulation of Adorno and Horkheimer's arguments, given that they insistently refused to provide any such “normative foundations”? This article addresses these questions of Critical Theory's alleged “normative turn” by offering a closer look at, on the one hand, Adorno's views on moral philosophy, and, on the other hand, his aesthetics of dissonance. The article argues that in his reflections on moral philosophy Adorno warns against the social and political dangers of positively formulated “normative foundations”; in his writings on questions of art and aesthetics, in particular his writings on music, Adorno explicitly articulates his understanding of theory and practice that counteracts the hazards of what he calls “repressive normativity.” Adorno's concept of dissonance, a centerpiece of his aesthetic theory, is explicated in this...
Science and the Quest for a New Metaphysics

Although we have, as Blake devoutly wished, awakened from the depressingly mechanistic vision of classical physics, the new vision of the cosmos, based on the testimony of a number of well-known physicists, appears anything but comforting. “The more the universe seems comprehensible,” writes Steven Weinberg, “the more it seems pointless.”1 “Man,” says Jacques Monod, “lives on the boundary of an alien world. A world that is deaf to his music, just as indifferent to his sufferings or his crimes.”2 “Life,” comments Gerald Feinberg, appears simply as a “disease of matter.”3 The sense that modern physics has presented us with a view of nature that is bereft of human meaning or purpose seems remarkably pervasive in the community of physicists. Although it is possible to make the argument that science need not have any relationship to our larger sense of meaning and purpose in the cosmos, the dynamics of human consciousness are such that we can never completely obviate the connection. We cannot escape the fact, as Schrodinger put it, “that all science is bound up with human culture in general, and that scientific findings, even those which at the moment appear the most advanced and esoteric to grasp, are meaningless outside their cultural context.”4
Concurrent Effects of Fire Regime, Grazing and Bison Wallowing on Tallgrass Prairie Vegetation

We examined the effects of fire regime and bison activity on the plant communities of active bison wallows and the surrounding grazing lawns at Konza Prairie Biological Station in northeastern Kansas, USA. In both mid-June and late July the grazed sites had higher species richness and more vegetation cover than the wallow edges regardless of fire regime. The percent cover of most dominant perennial species was significantly higher on grazing lawns than in wallows. Annual species and exotic species had significantly higher cover in wallows than in grazing lawns and in annually burned sites compared to those burned at a 4-y interval. Overall, treatment effects on community structure and individual species abundance were stronger in the June. However, in July there was significantly more bare ground wallows around sites burned at a 4-y interval, suggesting increased wallowing activity at these sites. This finding suggests a strong effect of fire regime on seasonal bison activity, which further indicates the importance of multiple interacting disturbances for generating local- and landscape-level vegetation patterns in tall grass prairie.
Mechanical effect of combined piezoelectric and electromagnetic energy harvesting

The recent progress in microelectronics, combined with the increasing demand from numerous industrial fields in terms of autonomous sensor networks, has placed a particular attention on ways to power up such devices. In order to bypass the drawbacks of batteries, harvesting power from ambient sources has been proposed. Among all the available sources, particular attention has been placed on scavenging energy from vibrations, which are commonly available in many environments. In this case, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy is typically done using either piezoelectric or electromagnetic transduction. Recently, the combination of these two conversion mechanisms has been proposed, allowing benifits from the advantages of the two techniques and leading to the concept of hybrid energy harvesting. This paper proposes an investigation of the combination of the two conversion effects on the mechanical behavior of the host structure, both in terms of damping and stiffness changes. Particularly, for highly coupled, weakly damped systems, it is shown that combining the piezoelectric and electromagnetic effects does not lead to a power increase, but allows enhancing both the bandwidth and the load independency of the harvester.
Nano-array integrated monolithic devices: toward rational materials design and multi-functional performance by scalable nanostructures assembly

The scalable three-dimensional (3-D) integration of functional nanostructures into applicable platforms represents a promising technology for meeting the ever-increasing demands of fabricating high performance devices featuring cost-effectiveness, structural sophistication and multi-functional enabling. Such an integration process generally involves a diverse array of nanostructural entities (nano-entities) consisting of dissimilar nanoscale building blocks such as nanoparticles, nanowires, and nanofilms made of metals, ceramics, or polymers. Various synthetic strategies and integration methods have enabled the successful assembly of both structurally and functionally tailored nano-arrays into a unique class of monolithic devices. The performance of nano-array based monolithic devices is dictated by a few important factors such as materials substrate selection, nanostructure composition and nano-architecture geometry. Therefore, the rational material selection and nano-entity manipulation during the nano-array integration process, aiming to exploit the advantageous characteristics of nanostructures and their ensembles, are critical steps towards bridging the design of nanostructure integrated monolithic devices with various practical applications. In this article, we highlight the latest research progress of the two-dimensional (2-D) and 3-D metal and metal oxide-based nanostructural integrations into prototype devices applicable with ultrahigh efficiency, good robustness and improved functionality. Select examples of nano-array integration, scalable nanomanufacturing and representative monolithic devices such as catalytic converters, sensors and batteries will be utilized as the connecting dots to display a roadmap from hierarchical nanostructural assembly to practical nanotechnology implications ranging from energy, environmental, to chemical and biotechnology areas.
Adaptive Aerostructures: Curriculum Changes Needed to Close the Aerospace Knowledge Gap

This paper is intended to alert the aerospace academic community to growing gap which exists between aerospace professionals, students and academicians and an understanding of a new class of structures which is bringing significant benefits to aerospace vehicles. The paper will show that a fundamental lack of understanding of adaptive materials and structures exists at all levels of the aerospace community from undergraduate students through practicing aerospace engineers and managers. An historical overview highlighting a few of the significant successes of adaptive materials, the field's long history, current incarnations and future potential is shown. A series of surveys of undergraduate and graduate aerospace engineering students, practicing professionals and aerospace managers demonstrates a profound lack of knowledge of even basic material properties or how they are used. The study shows that the primary source of information on these materials and structures comes not from coursework or technical publications, but the popular press. A review of all US aerospace engineering programs and departments shows that not one requires even the basics of adaptive materials or structures education on the undergraduate or graduate level. The paper is rounded out with recommendations for methodical curricular changes which should be implemented by ABET so as to keep US aerospace education up to date.
Rôle of Pituitary Stalk in Regulation of Thyrotropic and Thyroid Activity

SummaryIn rats with intact pituitary stalks, exposure to cold stimulates the thyrotropic function of the anterior pituitary and the thyroid gland. After pituitary stalk section, rats at room temperature produce enough thyrotropic hormone to keep the thyroid histologically normal. In rats similarly operated on, but exposed to cold, the thyroid reaction is lacking. It is concluded that the pathways in the pituitary stalk transmit impulses regulating the secretion of thyrotropic hormone in the emergency state of exposure to cold.
Chraracterization of a Pulsed Catalytic Micro-Combustor

Experiments have been conducted to determine the effect of operating conditions and design parameters on the performance of a pulsed catalytic micro-combustor. The micro-combustor test rig was designed to simulate the combustor in a prototype version of a solid-piston micro-engine. The performance parameters of interest were the difference between the minimum and maximum catalyst tube temperature and the efficiency with which the chemical energy of the fuel is converted to mechanical work, as defined by the overall system efficiency. The change in the catalyst tube temperature, which is a measure of the mechanical work produced by the expansion of the catalyst tube, was found to decrease with increasing frequency and to increase with increasing duty cycle, velocity, equivalence ratio and combustor diameter. While the overall system efficiency was found to decrease with increasing frequency, duty cycle, velocity, equivalence ratio and combustor diameter. Therefore there is a trade-off between increasing the power output and the efficiency with which that power is produced. The main factor limiting the overall system efficiency was found to be the thermal-to-mechanical efficiency. It was shown that the overall system efficiency can be increased by optimizing the catalyst tube dimensions and by using a material with a larger coefficient of thermal expansion and/or modulus of elasticity. The information obtained from this study will be used to design a new version of the pulsed catalytic micro-combustor with improved power output and overall system efficiency.© 2005 ASME
Research of spalling under impulse loading

Adopting of failure criteria is one of major factors that restrict the mechanism research of dynamic spalling.According to one-dimensional elastic-brittle plane wave theory and the cumulating damage failure criteria,spalling process under explosion or impact loading is investigated.The variation of the first spalling thickness is studied for analyzing triangular impulse loading considering rise time.The analysis result indicates that the spalling layer thickness considering rise time is less than that of without considering rise time;the spalling thickness calculated with cumulating damage failure criteria is larger than that with maximum tensile stress instant fracture criteria.The research findings are valuable in the study of the ground-shock-induced collapse of tunnel.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Axial Vibration from Draft Fan Motor

In view of the fault that the vibration damper of a draft fan motor can not work normally due to too tight pressing force existing between the outer ring of its bearing and the inner bore of its bearing seat,causes leading to the problem are analyzed.The vibration is finally eliminated after some countermeasures are taken.
Indocyanine Green Test and Thrombelastogram in Perioperative Nursing Care of Cirrhosis Patients

Objective To improve the scientificity of specific nursing service using indocyanine green test and thrombelastogram for directing perioperative nursing in cirrhosis patients.Methods From June 2004 to June 2008,317 cirrhosis patients were divided into normal hepatic reserve function group,mild and moderate impaired hepatic reserve function group and severe impaired hepatic reserve function group according to the detection value of the retention rate of 15 min indocyanine green.Targeted nursing service were applied in all the patients.Coagulation index in patients with cirrhosis were used to comprehend the coagulation status,guide nursing of invasive operation so as to reduce bleeding and soft tissue ecchymosis,hematoma and other complications.Perioperative nursing were enhanced by stages guided by the retention rate and coagulation index of perioperative 15 min indocyanine green.Results 317 patients with mild and moderate impaired hepatic reserve function did not develop any nursing complications and erros and all smoothly recovered from operation.Conclusion Indocyanine green test and thrombelastogram can guide the perioperatve nursing of cirrhosis patients,improve the efficiency and quality of special nursing and thus deserve further perfection and popularization.
Sci-Sat AM: Radiation Dosimetry and Practical Therapy Solutions - 11: Commissioning of a system for the measurement of electron stopping powers

Purpose: To develop the techniques required to experimentally determine electron stopping powers for application in primary standards and dosimetry protocols. Method and Materials: A large-volume HPGe detector system (>80% efficiency) was commissioned for the measurement of high energy (5–35 MeV) electron beams. As a proof of principle the system was used with a Y-90/Sr-90 radioactive source. Thin plates of absorbing material (< 0.1 gcm-2) were then placed between the source and detector and the emerging electron spectrum was acquired. The full experimental geometry was modelled using the EGSnrc package to validate the detector design, optimize the experimental setup and compare measured and calculated spectra. Results: The biggest challenge using a beta source was to identify a robust spectral parameter to determine for each measurement. An end-point-fitting routine was used to determine the maximum energy, Emax, of the beta spectrum for each absorber thickness t. The parameter dEmax/dt is related to the electron stopping power and the same routine was applied to both measured and simulated spectra. Although the standard uncertainty in dEmax/dt was of the order of 5 %, by taking the ratio of measured and Monte Carlo values for dEmax/dt the uncertainty of the fitting routine was eliminated and the uncertainty was reduced to less than 2 %. The agreement between measurement and simulation was within this uncertainty estimate. Conclusion: The investigation confirmed the experimental approach and demonstrated that EGSnrc could accurately determine correction factors that will be required for the final measurement setup in a linac beam.