cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies on the nucleoside phosphotransferase of carrot. II. Separation of transferase and phosphatase activities.

Abstract The preparation of nucleoside phosphotransferase, whose isolation and partial purification from carrot extracts are described in the preceding paper, can be divided further. By treatment with Celite, a phosphatase fraction devoid of transferase activity is removed by adsorption, whereas a strong nucleoside phosphotransferase remains unadsorbed. A similar separation of activities is brought about by electrophoresis on filter paper. The transferase fraction retains a small amount of hydrolytic activity which, in contrast to that of the phosphatase, is partially inhibited in the presence of an acceptor nucleoside. Other properties of the enzymes are also discussed.
Understanding antibody-antigen associations by molecular dynamics simulations : Detection of important intra-and inter-molecular salt bridges

1 NSec molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of anti-hen egg white antibody, HyHEL63 (HH63), complexed with HEL reveals important molecular interactions, not revealed in its X-ray crystal structure. These molecular interactions were predicted to be critical for the complex formation, based on structure–function studies of this complex and 3-other anti-HEL antibodies, HH8, HH10 and HH26, HEL complexes. All four antibodies belong to the same structural family, referred to here as HH10 family. Ala scanning results show that they recognize ‘coincident epitopes’. 1 NSec explicit, with periodic boundary condition, MD simulation of HH63-HEL reveals the presence of functionally important salt-bridges. Around 200 ps in vacuo and an additional 20 ps explicit simulation agree with the observations from 1 Nsec simulation. Intra-molecular salt-bridges predicted to play significant roles in the complex formation, were revealed during MD simulation. A very stabilizing salt-bridge network, and another intra-molecular salt-bridge, at the binding site of HEL, revealed during the MD simulation, is proposed to predipose binding site geometry for specific binding. All the revealed salt-bridges are present in one or more of the other three complexes and/or involve “hot-spot” epitope and paratope residues. Most of these charged epitope residues make large contribution to the binding free energy. The “hot spot” epitope residue Lys97Y, which significantly contributes to the free energy of binding in all the complexes, forms an intermolecular salt-bridge in several MD conformers. Our earlier computations have shown that this inter-molecular salt-bridge plays a significant role in determining specificity and flexibility of binding in the HH8-HEL and HH26-HEL complexes. Using a robust criterion of salt-bridge detection, this inter-molecular salt-bridge was detected in the native structures of the HH8-HEL and HH26-HEL complexes, but was not revealed in the crystal structure of HH63-HEL complex. The electrostatic strength of this revealed salt-bridge was very strong. During 1 Nsec MD simulation this salt-bridge networks with another inter-molecular salt-bridge to form an inter-molecular salt-bridge triad. Participation of Lys97Y in the formation of inter-molecular triad further validates the functional importance of Lys97Y in HH63-HEL associations. These results demonstrate that many important structural details of biomolecular interactions can be better understood when studied in a dynamic environment, and that MD simulations can complement and expand information obtained from static X-ray structure. This study also highlights “hot-spot” molecular interactions in HyHEL63-HEL complex.
Screening Methods for the Detection of Preclinical Vision Loss in Children in the Community: Technology at Work

There are four vision screening devices that are currently being used to screen children in the United States.The MTI PS-100 Photoscreener™ (Medical Technology and Innovations Inc., Rivera Beach, F...
Effect of coronary reocclusion after initial reperfusion on ventricular function and infarct size

Abstract Reocclusion of a coronary artery after thrombolytic therapy occurs in approximately 12% to 33% of patients; however, there are few experimental data concerning reocclusion. Accordingly, to compare the effects of reocclusion versus sustained occlusion on the myocardium, a canine model (n = 12) of 2 h of left circumflex artery occlusion, 1 h of reperfusion and 1 h of reocclusion was studied. In a control group (n = 11), 3 h of circumflex artery occlusion was followed by 1 h of reperfusion. As a result, both groups had the same total duration of ischemia (3 h) and reperfusion (1 h). Hemodynamic measurements, radioactive microsphere injections and two-dimensional echocardiography were performed at baseline, occlusion and reperfusion for both groups and at the end of reocclusion for the experimental group. In vivo risk area was determined with Evans blue dye and infarct size with triphenyltetrazolium staining methods. Similar decreases in myocardial blood flow after coronary occlusion and similar reperfusion blood flows occurred in both groups. Despite intervening reperfusion in the reocclusion group, no significant difference was found in the infarct size/risk area ratio between the reocclusion and control groups (54.5 ± 6.9% vs. 48.4 ± 5.1%, respectively, p = NS). Two-dimensional echocardiography demonstrated a similar degree and extent (159 ± 9 ° vs. 153 ± 12 °, p = NS) of left ventricular dysfunction with both the occlusion and reocclusion. In addition, there were no significant differences in global or regional left ventricular function between the two groups. However, reocclusion after reperfusion did produce a further deterioration in ischemic zone wall thickening (9.5 ± 2.0% to 0.7 ± 1.8%, p It is concluded that coronary reocdusion after initial reperfusion contributes to additional ischemic damage, so that the beneficial salvaging effects of reperfusion are negated. Furthermore, coronary reocdusion results in further ischemic dysfunction in the reperfused but hypokinetic myocardium.
Rare-earth diffusion in zircon

Diffusion rates for three rare-earth elements (REEs: Sm, Dy, Yb) have been measured in synthetic and natural zircon. REE-phosphate powders were used as the source of diffusant, with Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) used to measure REE depth profiles. Over the temperature range 1150–1400°C, the following Arrhenius relations were obtained (diffusion coefficients in m2 s−1 ): log DYb = (7.40±1.15)+(−769±34 kJ mol−12.303 RT) log DDy = (5.36±0.21)+(−734±35 kJ mol−12.303 RT) log DSm = (8.46±1.61)+(−841±57 kJ mol−12.303 RT) Results for synthetic: and natural zircons were quite similar, and no evidence of significant anisotropy was observed when comparing transport normal and parallel to the c-axis. The data show a systematic increase in diffusivity with decreasing ionic radius (i.e. faster diffusion rates for the heavier REEs). Given these trends the diffusion rates of Lu and La should differ by over two orders of magnitude. Diffusive fractionation is unlikely in the Sm-Nd system because differences in diffusivities are relatively small, but may be a factor in the Lu-Hf system given the much slower diffusion rates of tetravalent cations. The very slow diffusion rates measured for the REEs suggest that they are essentially immobile under most geologic conditions, thus permitting the preservation of fine-scale chemical zoning and isotopic signatures of inherited cores.
Fixed-point algorithms for optimal ascent trajectories of launch vehicles

Abstract A fixed-point formulation and the associated algorithms for rapid generation of optimal ascent trajectories of launch vehicles through the atmosphere are presented. The complete ascent trajectory is tacitly divided into an endo-atmospheric and an exo-atmospheric portion. Since the exo-atmospheric trajectory can be obtained reliably and rapidly, a special form of two-point boundary value problem (TPBVP) is formulated in the endo-atmospheric portion. This special TPBVP leads to a sequence of nested fixed-point problems. Several algorithmic options to solve these problems using modified fixed-point iterations are discussed. The main advantages of the fixed-point formulation and algorithm are software simplicity and more robust convergence. Numerical results, both in open-loop trajectory generation and closed-loop simulations, are presented to demonstrate the discussions. The algorithm is validated and verified by comparing the results with the results obtained from existing method.
Introduction of R-LCS and comparative analysis with FSC and Mahalanobis-Taguchi method for Breast Cancer classification

Classification for medical diagnosis is an important problem in the field of pattern recognition. We introduce a new method for classification based on repeated analysis of information tailored to small data sets - the Rote Learning Classifier System. Using the Wisconsin Breast Cancer study, this method was compared to three other methods of classification: Mahalanobis-Taguchi Systems, Finite State Classifiers, and Neural Networks. It was found that for the given data set, the Rote Learning Classifier System outperformed the other methods of classification. This new algorithm correctly classified over 92% of the data set.
The acute effects of caffeine, cocaine and d-amphetamine on the repeated acquisition responding of pigeons

The acute effects of caffeine, cocaine and d-amphetamine on the repeated acquisition of a four-response chain were investigated in pigeons. Subjects responded on three response keys under different predetermined sequences. Food was presented upon the completion of the four-response sequence under a fixed-ratio schedule. Incorrect responses resulted in a five-second timeout. No consistent increases in within session percent correct were observed following caffeine or d-amphetamine administration. However, cocaine (1.0 mg/kg) did produce consistent increases in within session percent correct. At higher doses of cocaine, d-amphetamine and caffeine the effects observed were similar in that there was a decrease in response rate and percent correct. The drugs did differ in the dose (potency) which decreased response rate and percent correct. Following all three drugs if percent correct was decreased there was a concurrent decrease in response rate.
Frozen Music: Music and Architecture in Vitruvius’ De Architectura

AbstractThis paper explores the convergence of musical and architectural theory in Vitruvius’ De Architectura. Section 1 describes Vitruvius’ architectural lexicon, borrowed from Aristoxenus (I.2), and explores his description of the laws of harmony, modeled on Elementa Harmonica (V.4). Section 2 explores how Vitruvius proposes using music theory in practical architectural design, including construction of columns using architectural orders analogous to Aristoxenian genera (I.2.6; IV.1); acoustical designs for theatres (V.5); and the development of machines, including siege engines ‘tuned’ like musical instruments (X.12) and water-organs [hydrauli] constructed to execute all the different varieties of tuning (X.8). Section 3 reflects on Vitruvius’ use of analogies with a musical instrument, the sambuca, to explain his understanding of cosmic harmony and architectural form, and his possible sources (VI.1). Finally, Section 4 discusses Vitruvius’ ideas about the importance of a liberal arts education that includes study of music theory. The best architects, Vitruvius explains, can discover in music the secrets to forms they both encounter in nature and create themselves.
Asymptotically minimax tests of some nonstandard composite hypotheses

Neyman (1959) constructed a test for a one-sided hypothesis on a single parameter in the presence of nuisance parameters. The test had a certain optimal property in an asymptotic sense. Neyman assumed the observations are i.i.d., but mentioned that the technique should be extendible to certain non-i.i.d. cases. Bartoo and Puri (1967) extended the technique to cases where the observations are not identically distributed, and Biihler and Puri (1966) constructed an analogous test for testing a hypothesis about several parameters. Tsiatis and Javitz (1974) modified Neyman’s test for use in censored survival studies. Weiss and Wolfowitz (1969) derived Neyman’s test as a Bayes decision rule. It is the purpose of this note to extend the result to the class of non-i.i.d. cases described in Weiss (1973), and also to point out that in a variety of situations a simple transformation of parameters allows Neyman’s test to be used.
Thermoelectric effect in a bi-layer system

Abstract We show that an electric field appears in one layer of a bi-layer semiconductor system when a temperature gradient is applied in the other one. This trans-layer Seebeck effect exists on account of the inter-layer long-range electron–electron scattering and represents a generalization of the Coulomb drag phenomenon, defined as the mutual friction of two electron systems, to thermal perturbations. An effective thermopower coefficient α D is calculated within the random-phase approximation for the Coulomb interaction. At low temperature, α D is found to be directly proportional to the electron–electron scattering rate in 2D, τ ee − 1 .
Activity of phosphorylase in Solanum tuberosum during low temperature storage

Abstract Changes in the activity of phosphorylase were measured during storage of potatoes at + 2° when the sugar content rises rapidly and subsequently at + 10° when the accumulated sugar is converted mainly to starch. The observed changes were relatively small and could not be related to any of the components of the phosphorylase system, which was shown to be complex.
Analogies Between Fuel Cells and Heat Exchangers: From Phenomena to Design Principles

Fuel cells and heat exchangers have numerous similarities. Both technologies are used to produce an “energy-in-transit.” Heat exchangers foster thermal transport (heat) as a result of thermal potential differences between streams; fuel cells foster charge transport across electrodes (current leading to power) as a result of electrochemical/electric potential differences between the reactant streams and fuel cell electrodes. Additional analogs include series resistance formulations, active regions for transport phenomena and pertinent capacity rates. These similarities have motivated the extension of heat exchanger design philosophies to fuel cells development. Pilot simulations have been done wherein solid oxide fuel cell geometries and process settings are being optimized via electrochemical pinch points, electroactive area optimization (patterned after optimal area allocation within heat exchangers), electrode “fins” for diminished polarization, and electrochemical multi-staging (motivated by heat exchanger network concepts). The prevailing theme has been to bridge methodologies from the mature field of heat exchanger design to improve fuel cell design practices.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Induction, Emergence, and Generalization of Logical Operations in Retarded Children: A Training-To-Criterion Procedure

Thirty mildly retarded children participated in a study in which 24 of the children were trained to a prespecified criterion on one of 3 logical operations tasks involving length: identity conservation, equivalence conservation, or transitivity. The ease with which the concepts were trained suggested that the natural order of emergence was transitive inference → equivalence conservation → identity conservation. Significant amounts of generalization to untrained concepts (interconceptual) were evident, as well as generalization to the untrained dimension of weight (intraconceptual). It was concluded that intensive training to a prespecified criterion is capable of producing generalization to concepts dealing with logicomathematical reasoning in mentally retarded children.
Longitudinal control of heavy trucks: environmental and fuel economy considerations

We design, analyze, simulate and experimentally test longitudinal vehicle following controllers for heavy trucks with different spacing policies and evaluate their performance in mixed traffic with passenger vehicles. A new vehicle following controller for trucks is developed that has better properties than existing ones with respect to performance and impact on fuel economy and pollution during traffic disturbances. Validated emission models for passenger vehicles and trucks are used to investigate fuel economy and emission benefits in mixed traffic in the presence of traffic disturbance. The simulation models used are validated using experiments with actual vehicles.
Earnings Equality and Relationship Stability for Same-Sex and Heterosexual Couples

This paper examines a topic of continuing interest for demographers and sociologists of the family: which factors promote relationship stability among couples. Two competing theories have been highly debated to explain how relative earnings relate to relationship quality and stability. The neoclassical economic theory posits that specialization of home and work duties leads to stability because partners fill complementary roles. Gender scholars propose an alternative explanation, suggesting that when couples violate the traditional male-breadwinner model, they experience relationship strain and are more likely to experience a breakup. Using the new How Couples Meet and Stay Together (HCMST) data set, this paper offers a unique perspective on the debate, by comparing same-sex couples to heterosexual couples. The paper presents three sets of analyses to determine how relative earnings relate to relationship stability. The first analysis employs discrete-time event history models to assess the likelihood of breakup for both heterosexual and same-sex cohabiting couples. Next, the paper presents results predicting self-reported relationship quality among married and cohabiting couples. The final analysis focuses on non-cohabiting couples from wave I of the HCMST survey and examines the likelihood of entering cohabitation in subsequent survey waves. Results demonstrate that the economic or specialization model does not hold in same-sex relationships, suggesting that the effect of earnings equality is dependent upon gender norms in heterosexual relationships. When earnings power is disentangled from gender, as in the case of same-sex couples, equality in earnings promotes stability.
Comparisons of some Andean Butterfly Faunas

Observations of the butterfly fauna at significant points along the top of the Andean mountain chain from near Venezuela in Colombia to central Ecuador in comparable ecologic niches has brought out some interesting facts concerning the sub-ecological prererences of the species and their mtercombination in building up the fauna of a particular region.
Calibrationless Parallel MRI with Joint Total Variation Regularization

In this paper, a calibrationless method is proposed for parallel magnetic resonance imaging (pMRI). It is motivated by the observation that the gradients of the aliased images are jointly sparse. Therefore, the pMRI problem can be formulated as a joint total variation regularization task. The field of view is finally obtained via a sum of square approach. We develop an iterative algorithm to efficiently solve this problem. Experiments on pMRI datasets demonstrate that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art pMRI methods even when they can achieve sufficient calibration data, and far better than existing calibrationless pMRI algorithms. Clinic MR applications could benefit from this method even when accurate calibration is limited or not possible at all.
Using the Codification to Research a Complex Accounting Issue: The Case of Goodwill Impairment at Jackson Enterprises

ABSTRACT: This case is designed to help students develop research skills using the Financial Accounting Standards Board's (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (Codification or ASC). The case also helps develop students' abilities to analyze and recommend alternatives for a complex accounting issue, goodwill impairment, which is very relevant in today's business world. This case can be used in an undergraduate or graduate accounting class, either in groups of students or as an individual student project.
Detection of pathogenic elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus in routine trunk washes from healthy adult Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) by use of a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay

Objective—To investigate the pathogenesis and transmission of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV1) by analyzing various elephant fluid samples with a novel EEHV1-specific real-time PCR assay. Animals—5 apparently healthy captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) from the same herd. Procedures—A real-time PCR assay was developed that specifically detects EEHV1. The assay was used to evaluate paired whole blood and trunk-wash samples obtained from the 5 elephants during a 15-week period. Deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing and viral gene subtyping analysis were performed on trunk-wash DNA preparations that had positive results for EEHV1. Viral gene subtypes were compared with those associated with past fatal cases of herpesvirus-associated disease within the herd. Results—The PCR assay detected viral DNA to a level of 1,200 copies/mL of whole blood. It was used to detect EEHV1 in trunk secretions of 3 of the 5 elephants surveyed during the 15-week period. Viral gene subtyping analysis identified 2 dis...
Improved selective logging detection with Landsat images in tropical regions

Logging is a major form of forest degradation in the tropical regions like Brazilian Amazon. It alters the tropical habitat environments and results in release of carbons as well. The traditional way of logging is through forest clearing, which converts forest to other land uses such as agriculture or rangeland. Recently a new form of forest degradation is selective logging, removing only those good quality tree species. This form of deforestation does not result in land use conversion, but degradation. Logging by means of clear-cutting can be easily detected and monitored from satellite images such as those from Landsat sensors. However, detection and monitoring selective logging is difficult with satellite images because the process only removes a small number of trees per area, resulting in subtle disturbances but substantial removal of biomass. Therefore, traditional classification technique is unable to detect and monitor this type of disturbances effectively. In order to detect selective logging, and to better understand carbon sequestrations, a continuous field ought to be used that can quantify the degree of disturbances due to selective logging, instead of using binary classification techniques. In this paper, we used signal-unmixing techniques in a spectral vegetation index domain as a continuous field measure of forest density, with which selective logging is mapped and quantified. The spectral index used is the MSAVI further modified to enhance its sensitivity to subtle forest degradations in the tropical environments in Brazilian Amazon as well as in Southeast Asia.
Demonstration of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with Fluorescent Antibody in Patients with Disseminated Gonococcal Infection

Among patients with disseminated gonococcal infection and pustular skin lesions, Neisseria gonorrhoeae was identified in exudates from the skin lesions by the direct fluorescent antibody test in 57%, by gram stain in 11%, and by culture in only 9%. However, gonococci were cultured from four of seven pustular biopsies of skin lesions. Gonococci were also identified by fluorescent antibody examination in four of eight buffy coat smears from patients with negative blood cultures, but in only one of eight culture-negative synovial fluids. Among patients without disseminated gonococcal infection, smears of synovial fluid, buffy coat, and exudate from skin pustules were uniformly negative by the fluorescent antibody test. This test has contributed to studies of the pathogenesis of disseminated gonococcal infection and is frequently useful in the diagnosis of this condition.
Ion Channels In Cultured Calvarial Osteoblasts

Single osteoblasts were dissociated by repeated cycles of enzymatic digestion from the parietal bones of 18-20 days old embryonic chick calvaria and grown in primary culture. Single-channel currents were recorded on cells from day 4 to day 14 of culture using cellattached and excised patches and the patch-clamp technique. A variety of potassium-selective channels were observed. A large conductance (207.7k28.9 pS) voltage-dependent potassium-channel was most often observed. Other smaller conductance potassium-selective channels with single-channel conductances of 146, 85, 48 and 25 pS were also observed. In addition, sodium, calcium and stretch-activated channels are also present. The presence of these channels suggest that osteoblast membranes, normally thought of as nonexcitable, share many channel types commonly found in excitable membranes.
Fingerprinting noncanonical and tertiary RNA structures by differential SHAPE reactivity.

Many RNA structures are composed of simple secondary structure elements linked by a few critical tertiary interactions. SHAPE chemistry has made interrogation of RNA dynamics at single-nucleotide resolution straightforward. However, de novo identification of nucleotides involved in tertiary interactions remains a challenge. Here we show that nucleotides that form noncanonical or tertiary contacts can be detected by comparing information obtained using two SHAPE reagents, N-methylisatoic anhydride (NMIA) and 1-methyl-6-nitroisatoic anhydride (1M6). Nucleotides that react preferentially with NMIA exhibit slow local nucleotide dynamics and usually adopt the less common C2′-endo ribose conformation. Experiments and first-principles calculations show that 1M6 reacts preferentially with nucleotides in which one face of the nucleobase allows an unhindered stacking interaction with the reagent. Differential SHAPE reactivities were used to detect noncanonical and tertiary interactions in four RNAs with diverse str...
Fully adaptive FEM based fluorescence optical tomography from time-dependent measurements with area illumination and detection

Using an area-illumination and area-detection scheme, we acquire fluorescence frequency domain measurements from a tissue phantom with an embedded fluorescent target and obtain tomographic reconstructions of the interior fluorescence absorption map with an adaptive finite element based scheme. The tissue phantom consisted of a clear acrylic cubic box 512 ml filled with 1% Liposyn solution, while the fluorescent targets were 5 mm diameter glass bulbs filled with 1 M Indocyanine Green dye solution in 1% Liposyn. Frequency domain area illumination and detection employed a planar excitation source using an expanded intensity modulated 100 MHz 785 nm diode laser light and a gain modulated image intensified charge coupled device camera, respectively. The excitation pattern was characterized by isolating the singly scattered component with cross polarizers and was input into a dual adaptive finite element-based scheme for three dimensional reconstructions of fluorescent targets embedded beneath the phantom surface. Adaptive mesh refinement techniques allowed efficient simulation of the incident excitation light and the reconstruction of fluorescent targets buried at the depths of 1 and 2 cm. The results demonstrate the first clinically relevant noncontact fluorescence tomography with adaptive finite element methods. © 2006 American Association of Physicists in Medicine. DOI: 10.1118/1.2190330
TGF-β Signaling Activates Steroid Hormone Receptor Expression during Neuronal Remodeling in the Drosophila Brain

Metamorphosis of the Drosophila brain involves pruning of many larval-specific dendrites and axons followed by outgrowth of adult-specific processes. From a genetic mosaic screen, we recovered two independent mutations that block neuronal remodeling in the mushroom bodies (MBs). These phenotypically indistinguishable mutations affect Baboon function, a Drosophila TGF-β/activin type I receptor, and dSmad2, its downstream transcriptional effector. We also show that Punt and Wit, two type II receptors, act redundantly in this process. In addition, knocking out dActivin around the mid-third instar stage interferes with remodeling. Binding of the insect steroid hormone ecdysone to distinct ecdysone receptor isoforms induces different metamorphic responses in various larval tissues. Interestingly, expression of the ecdysone receptor B1 isoform (EcR-B1) is reduced in activin pathway mutants, and restoring EcR-B1 expression significantly rescues remodeling defects. We conclude that the Drosophila Activin signaling pathway mediates neuronal remodeling in part by regulating EcR-B1 expression.
High impedance layer for CMOS on-chip antenna at millimeter waves

The application of high impedance layer (HIL) in (Bi)CMOS millimeter wave on-chip antennas is studied. The HIL consists of grounded two-dimensional periodic dogbone-shaped elements that use a metal layer of the CMOS structure. Two different mechanisms that take advantage of the HIL in on-chip antenna design are investigated. First, we implant the HIL below the on-chip dipole antenna to act as an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC), which enhances the radiation of the dipole. We have obtained 1.2 dB realized gain for a dipole antenna placed above a 4×5 dogbone array at 90 GHz. The second use of the HIL is directly as a radiating antenna, without the need of the dipole antenna on top. In this case we have obtained −2dB accepted gain from a HIL made of 5×5 dogbone array, fed by two microstrip lines having 180° phase difference. The results are obtained by full-wave simulation.
Polyphenylethersulfone adhesive for EPDM elastomer-to-stainless steel joints in a hydrothermal environment

Hot-melt polyphenylethersulfone (PES) adhesive was used to link ethylene-propylenediene terpolymer (EPDM) elastomer, which can protect geothermal drill pipes, to a stainless steel (SS) substrate.These joints then were exposed for up to 70 days in steam at 200 °C to evaluate the durability of the bond. Although the preparation and modification of EPDM and SS surfaces played an important role in ensuring a strong bond in the EPDM-to-SS adhesive joint system, the susceptibility of the PES adhesive to hydrothermal oxidation led to conformational transformation of its sulfone group into a fragmental sulfonic acid derivative during the exposure.Moreover, a prolonged exposure time caused the decomposition of polyphenylethersulfonic acid derivative, forming two additional derivatives, aryl radical and H2SO4. Hot H2SO4 favorably reacted with Fe in the SS to yield a water-soluble Fe2(SO4)3 reaction product. This reaction product generated at the interfaces between PES and SS caused a decrease in peel strength. In fact, the loss of adhesion occurred in the SS adjacent to the PES.
Multimode solution for the reflection properties of an open-ended rectangular waveguide radiating into a dielectric half-space: the forward and inverse problems

Open-ended rectangular waveguides are extensively used in nondestructive dielectric material evaluation. The dielectric properties of an infinite-half space of a material are calculated from the measured reflection properties referenced to the waveguide aperture. This calculation relies on a theoretical and numerical derivation of the reflection coefficient likewise referenced to the waveguide aperture. Most of these derivations assume the dominant mode field distribution across the waveguide aperture. However, when dealing with low permittivity and low loss dielectric materials, there may exist significant errors when calculating the dielectric properties from the measured reflection coefficient. These errors have also shown to be more significant in the upper frequency portion of a waveguide band. More accurate results are obtained when higher order modes are considered in addition to the dominant waveguide mode. However, most studies incorporating higher-order modes have used various approximations when calculating the reflection properties and have not provided a full discussion on the influences of dielectric properties of the infinite-half space and the frequency of operation. This paper gives a rigorous and exact formulation in which the dominant mode and the evanescent higher-order modes are used as basis functions to obtain the solution for the reflection coefficient at the waveguide aperture. The analytic formulation uses Fourier analysis in addition to the forcing of the necessary boundary conditions at the waveguide aperture. The solution also readily accounts for the complex contributions of both TE and TM higher-order modes. Finally, the influences of the dielectric properties of the infinite-half space and the frequency of operation are investigated.
Human Aortic Valve Calcification Is Associated With an Osteoblast Phenotype

Background— Calcific aortic stenosis is the third most common cardiovascular disease in the United States. We hypothesized that the mechanism for aortic valve calcification is similar to skeletal b...
A versatile burst generator for LDV

A laser-Doppler velocimeter (LDV) burst generator developed for calibration of an LDV before an actual test is described. This generator uses voltage-controlled oscillators to produce the information frequency up to 1 MHz and the pedestal frequency up to 10 MHz. The amplitude and the frequency of each signal can be adjusted independently, and the generator is capable of producing a single burst or a variety of periodic and aperiodic bursts. Variable symmetry in the burst signal can be introduced to the point of producing the 'double-pulse' burst. An LED display is used for the readout of the information and the pedestal frequencies.
Facing climatic hazards: Paleolithic foragers and Neolithic farmers

Abstract Food security intertwined with the need to maintain biological survival of a demographically viable population is the basic long-term policy for all societies. This paper compares selected cases of successful and failed Paleolithic groups of hunter-gatherers, as recorded archaeologically across Eurasia and Africa, in responding to the impacts of abrupt climatic changes. The complex prehistory of Pleistocene foragers is briefly compared to strategies adopted by Neolithic farmers. The major difference between forager and farmer economies is not their social organization as much as the access options to alternative territories and food resources. Open Pleistocene landscapes across Eurasia and Africa allowed for movements of Paleolithic groups over large distances with or without adopting new exploitation techniques. Successes and failures that we measure in a chronological macro-scale left archaeological evidence (lithic assemblages, faunal remains, occasional flimsy dwellings, etc.) in various regions, recorded by systematic and comprehensive surveys and excavations. However, we miss the chronological micro-scale of most of the Paleolithic period that could inform us about extinctions. We can identify only survival stories explained as successful adaptations. When farming communities were established during the course of the Holocene, variable modes of social and economic interactions and group resilience evolved in order to secure survival in years of bad harvests. Interactions with foragers and herders, competition, raids, village abandonment, migration into others' territories, were among the optional strategies. Due to the difference in chronological scales between 2.6 Ma of the Paleolithic period and the 12 Ka of the Holocene (or Anthropocene), we can more easily recognize the role of abrupt climatic changes among prehistoric societies during the Terminal Pleistocene and the Holocene and evaluate the success and failure of both, hunter-gatherers and farmers.
Righteous Aim: Zulu Guns, British War Plans and the 'Dangerous Trade' at Delagoa Bay in the 1870s

Curtailing the flow of firearms to Africans emerged as a central focus of the functionaries gathered in London in August 1876 for the Conference on South African Affairs. The conferees also resolved that the unregulated trade in munitions through the Mozambican port at Delagoa Bay posed the greatest threat to Britain’s regional interests. At the conclusion of the conference, the British Colonial Secretary dispatched a secret message to subordinates in Cape Town and Pietermaritzburg. Those messages included instructions to both men to put their network of clandestine informants to the task of gathering intelligence that might pressure the Portuguese to end the dangerous trade in guns to African people at Delagoa Bay. Before long, this network produced a report containing vague details about a merchant ship bound for Mozambique, bearing a cargo of advanced weapons for sale to the Zulu Army. This single report, from a source of dubious credibility, was more than sufficient for British officials to justify a preemptive naval incursion into Mozambican waters, thereby operationalizing plans laid in London. This episode, reconstructed from diplomatic correspondence archived in the British Public Records Office at Kew and the Western Cape Provincial Archives in Cape Town, demonstrates the centrality of clandestine information gathering in the expansion of the British Empire on the eve of the Anglo-Zulu war.
Gross substitutes and endowed assignment valuations

We show that the class of preferences satisfying the gross substitutes condition of Kelso and Crawford (1982) is strictly larger than the class of endowed assignment valuations of Hatfield and Milgrom (2005), thus resolving the open question posed by the latter paper. In particular, our result implies that not every substitutable valuation function can be “decomposed” into a combination of unitdemand valuations.
Healthcare License Turf Wars: The Effects of Expanded Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant Scope of Practice on Medicaid Patient Access

The provision of health care to low-income Americans remains an ongoing policy challenge. In this paper, I examine how important changes to occupational licensing laws for nurse practitioners and physician assistants have affected cost and access to health care for Medicaid patients. The results suggest that allowing physician assistants to prescribe drugs (including controlled substances) is associated with a substantial (more than 11 percent) reduction in the dollar amount of outpatient claims per Medicaid recipient. I find little evidence that expanded scope of practice has affected proxies for access to care such as total claims and total care days. Relaxing occupational licensing requirements by broadening the scope of practice for healthcare providers may represent a low cost alternative to providing quality care to America’s poor.
THE NATIONAL MARROW DONOR PROGRAM: HOW IT WORKS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE

As the use of bone marrow transplantation increases, the lack of a suitable matched sibling donor for approximately 60% of patients is a growing problem. Recently, marrow transplantation has been done successfully using HLA-matched unrelated donors. In an effort to provide more donors, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) was established. It involves 50 blood banks and 20 marrow transplant centers throughout the United States. More than 20,000 HLA-typed apheresis donors from these blood banks have agreed to be listed in the NMDP registry. A preliminary search for donors has been carried out for 1,116 patients. Donors suitably matched for HLA-A and B antigens were located for 99% of the patients.
Inventory of Shelf Projects by Subject Matter (May 2012)

The Shelf Project is a collaboration of Tax Professionals to propose ways to raise U.S. federal revenue without a rate increase or a VAT. Shelf Projects improve the efficiency and fairness of the tax while raising revenue. The inventory breaks down the 66 Shelf Projects completed as of May 2012 by subject matter, including Tax Accounting, Basic Tax Issues, Business Entities, Employee Benefits, Environmental, Estate and Gift Taxes, Exempt Entities, Foreign issues, Financial Instruments and Institutions, Industry-specific Reforms, and Tax Procedures. The inventory has links to the proposals themselves.
Capital, Corporations, and Their Discontents in Making California's Constitutions, 1849–1911

This article traces California9s constitutional development from 1849 through 1911, examining how and why California9s constitution developed into a quasi-legislative document that constitutionalized policies involving corporations, banks, railroads, taxes, and other economic relationships, thereby limiting the power of the legislature. I argue that drafters of California9s constitutions deliberately curtailed legislative power and transformed class issues into constitutional ones. California9s experience was consistent with state constitutional developments throughout the United States, especially in the West. Advocates of constitutional reform saw state legislatures as corrupt captives of "capitalists" and other "special interests" that could not to be trusted to serve the people9s interests. These issues permeated debates over constitutional reform in California and other states from the 1840s through the initial decades of the twentieth century, leading to the adoption of the initiative and referendum.
Respiratory disease in Army recruits: surveillance program overview, 1995-2006.

Background Since 1966, the U.S. Army has had in place a comprehensive surveillance system for acute respiratory disease (ARD) because of its continued high incidence in the recruit population. A retrospective review of the program from 1995 to 2006, a continuation of an earlier analysis from 1985–1994, was performed to describe the program and to summarize group A streptococcal (GAS) outbreaks identified through this program. Methods Weekly incidence data and daily sentinel case data collected as part of the ARD surveillance program were analyzed in 2007 to report rates of ARD and GAS outbreaks over this 12-year period (1995–2006) for five participating Army sites. Results Average ARD rates were consistently higher from 2000 to 2006 than from 1995 to 1999. Rate ratios of winter rates to summer rates were greater than 1.0 prior to 2000, but from 2000 to 2006, ratios were consistently near 1.0. Rheumatogenic M types were available for three of five outbreaks. Conclusions Continuing high incidence of ARD in the military, re-emerging rheumatogenic M types, and a highly mobile military underscore the need for continued surveillance efforts. The continued employment of interventions with demonstrated effectiveness, such as chemoprophylaxis and basic preventive measures, is essential to reducing the burden of ARD.
The effect of global brain ischemia in normal and diabetic animals: the influence of calcium channel blockers.

Diabetes with hypertension is characterized by increased cerebrovascular pathology and poorer outcomes following stroke. In this study we evaluated the effect of global brain ischemia on brain metabolic parameters in normal and diabetic rats treated with a dihydropyridine calcium antagonist, felodipine. Normal and diabetic rats were treated daily with felodipine (5 mg/kg) or saline. After 4 wk global ischemia was produced by occluding the carotid arteries for 1 h. In other groups the occlusion was removed and the animals were allowed to reperfuse for an additional 2 h. Following 1 h global ischemia, with or without reperfusion, the animals and controls were killed by decapitation. Cerebral water, lactate, ATP, and glutamate were measured. Global ischemia with or without reperfusion increased cerebral water and lactate, but decreased ATP. Treatment with felodipine decreased lactate, but increased water content. Ischemia in diabetics with or without reperfusion decreased water and lactate. Treated diabetics had higher ATP levels after reperfusion. Glutamate levels were increased in diabetics and were further increased by treatment. We conclude that the enhanced CNS damage following cerebral ischemia in diabetes is not correlated with ATP or lactate levels and may be mediated in part by increased glutamate. Calcium channel antagonist may augment this process.
Slow-Light in Semiconductor Materials

We experimentally demonstrate slow-light in semiconductor quantum well structures. A group velocity as small as 9600 m/s is inferred from the measured dispersive characteristics via Mach-Zehnder interferometry.
Aphid-Borne Virus Dynamics in the Potato-Weed Pathosystem

Alternate hosts that are reservoirs of the vector and/or virus in a pathosystem can significantly affect the epidemiology of the virus. The potato–viral pathosystem is characterized by the presence of numerous such hosts. These weeds are known to serve as reservoirs of persistently and non-persistently transmitted potato viruses such as potato leaf roll virus (PLRV) and potato virus Y (PVY). They are also reproductive hosts of several potato colonizing aphids, including the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae (Sulzer)) and the potato aphid (Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas)). The role of these weeds as potential inoculum sources has largely been discounted in the temperate ecosystems due to severe winters. However, recent research has indicated that weed species can play a very important role in the epidemiology of potato viruses even there. Using various Solanum spp. as model hosts, numerous studies have been conducted to understand aphid–virus–host plant interactions. These studies have provided an enormous amount of information on the effect of weed hosts on aphid biology and behavior. The biology and behavior of aphids are influenced by numerous intricate interactions with their host plants with and without virus infection. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the weed–virus–vector–crop interactions in the potato viral pathosystem and discuss potential management options.
Strategic Pricing for High Technology Goods and Services

To say that pricing of products is an important marketing decision variable is obviously a cliche. The specification of a price for a particular product has both revenue generation and promotion ramifications. And nowhere is this more true than in the marketing of high technology products and services. The extreme volatility of pricing structures, and cost configurations, typical of high tech marketing, introduces the high risk levels so familiar to those who deal with the introduction of new products of all types.
A Seat at the Table: Changing the Governing Structure of Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program Administration to Reflect Civil Rights Values and Fair Housing

The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (“LIHTC”) program is the largest existing program for the development of low-income affordable rental housing in the country. The program is administered by the United States Department of Treasury and the Office of Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”), federal agencies by statute that have regulatory and supervisory authority over financial institutions. However, while 42 U.S.C. § 3608(d) provides that federal agencies that have regulatory authority over financial institutions need to administer their programs in a manner that affirmatively furthers fair housing, part of Treasury’s policies under the LIHTC statute gives preference for affordable housing projects being developed in areas that are already predominantly minority and contain concentrated poverty. Neither the Treasury nor the OCC have any regulations, guidance, reports, or audits that further fair housing by enforcing federal nondiscrimination policies or their legal duty to overcome patterns of racial segregation in housing. This Note argues that Treasury and OCC should take a larger role in affirmatively furthering fair housing under the Fair Housing Act by reforming their governing structure and polices to reflect civil rights values. Specifically, the Treasury should explicitly acknowledge the authority Title VI and the Fair Housing Act in their policies and regulations, establish a centralized, federal governing body to assure state housing finance agencies are in compliance with civil rights laws, and require state housing finance agencies (“HFA”) to establish governing bodies that are inclusive of the communities they serve.