cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maximum power point tracking of stirling generator and ocean wave energy conversion systems using a two-stage power converter

Wave energy has become one of the most promising renewable energy resources nowadays. By using a linear generator/alternator, the periodic piston motion of the wave energy conversion system (WEC) can be converted to AC voltage with variable RMS amplitude and frequency; this process is comparable to the operation of a Stirling generator as well. This paper has presented a solution to make use of this output voltage that involves a boost-type single-stage rectifier to regulate the voltage and generate DC output. In this solution, appropriate control scheme has been used with the rectifier to maximize the power generation from the Stirling generator. A single phase H-bridge inverter has then been used after it for practical applications (120V, 60 Hz). Because no real Stirling generator was available in the lab, we have modeled the behavior of the generator and simulated the proposed power converters. Also, a prototype of the boost-type single-stage rectifier has been built and tested to verify our strategy. Compared to conventional passive rectification, this solution improves the circuit's performance significantly.
Beavers (Castor canadensis) influence habitat for juvenile salmon in a large Alaskan river floodplain

SUMMARYOur aim was to determine how beavers affect habitats and food resources for juvenile salmonin the Kwethluk River in western Alaska. 1. Habitat modiﬁcation by beavers was quantiﬁed using 3 years of satellite imagery to assess theamount and spatial distribution of potential juvenile rearing habitat. Macroinvertebrate communitycomposition and juvenile salmon abundance in beaver ponds, spring brooks with and withoutupstream beaver dams, and main channel shorelines were quantiﬁed to determine beaver inﬂuence.Presence of beaver dams and time-series measures of water levels were used to assess hydrologicalconnectivity and ﬁsh access between the sites and the river as modiﬁed by beavers.2. Of the off-channel aquatic habitat, 87.5% was altered by beavers damming spring brooks. Allbeaver-free and beaver-inﬂuenced juvenile salmon habitats had similar physical characteristics [bynon-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination], indicating that all are suitable as juvenilesalmon rearing habitat.3. Aquatic macroinvertebrate community composition differed between beaver ponds and springbrooks (by NMDS ordination) with differences driven by larval stoneﬂies in spring brooks comparedto cladocerans, copepods and freshwater clams in beaver ponds.4. Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and coho (O. kisutch) salmon were predominant in all habitattypes except late-successional ponds. Total ﬁsh species and salmon species richness was 2–39 higher,the proportion of young-of-the-year salmon was over 50% compared to <5%, and densities ofjuvenile salmon were 5–79 higher in spring brooks and early-successional ponds compared to late-successional ponds.5. Early-successional ponds had high hydrological synchrony values (closely tracking water ﬂuctua-tions in the main channel), while mid- and late-successional ponds, being farther from the main channeland with more dams blocking ﬂow paths, had lower and highly variable synchrony values. Almost nomovement of juvenile salmon occurred past dams at base ﬂow. However, summer and autumn ﬂood-ing mediated movement past dams, allowing individuals to ‘escape’ or enter early-successional ponds.6. Beavers reduced habitat connectivity and added variability to macroinvertebrate assemblageswithin habitats by damming ﬂoodplain spring brooks. Nonetheless, juvenile salmon were able toeffectively inhabit and move between early-successional ponds and spring brooks in the KwethlukRiver, although the presence of beaver dams strongly limited the use of late-successional ponds onthe large alluvial river ﬂoodplain.Keywords: Alaska, Castor canadensis, Kwethluk River, large river ﬂoodplain, salmon movement
ON THE RESPIRATORY QUOTIENT OF LUPINUS ALBUS AS A FUNCTION OF TEMPERATURE.

The temperature characteristics for the oxygen consumption and CO2-production of the germinating seeds of Lupinus albus were previously found to be different. It was predicted qualitatively that the respiratory quotient of the seed should be a function of temperature. A quantitative treatment is presented here, relating the change of the respiratory quotient with temperature and the temperature characteristics. Experimental results agree satisfactorily with the calculated value.
Numerical Parametric Study of Strip Footing on Reinforced Embankment Soils

Finite element analyses were conducted to assess the benefits of reinforcing embankment soil of low to medium plasticity with geogrids beneath a strip footing from the perspective of the ultimate bearing capacity and footing settlement. The embankment soil was modeled with the Drucker-Prager constitutive model, and the soil-geogrid interaction was modeled by the Coulomb friction model. The finite element model was verified first by laboratory model tests; it was then used to analyze the strip footing sitting on the reinforced soil to seek an optimum reinforcement design. To this end, several geogrid-reinforcement design parameters—including effective reinforcing depth, vertical spacing between reinforcement layers, geogrid stiffness, soil-geogrid interaction coefficient, depth (top spacing) of first geogrid layer, footing embedment, and footing width—were investigated. The results of this study showed that the effective reinforcement depth was approximately 1.5 times the footing width, and an optimum dept...
A Feminist Guide to Cooking

Sociologist Stacy J. Williams examines cookbooks and articles about cooking written by second-wave feminists. She explains how these activists brought their political ideas to the kitchen and suggested cooking in ways that could work toward greater gender equality.
Structural Basis for Catalytic Differences between α Class Human Glutathione Transferases hGSTA1-1 and hGSTA2-2 for Glutathione Conjugation of Environmental Carcinogen Benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide†

The ultimate diol epoxide carcinogens derived from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, such as benzo[a]pyrene (BP), are metabolized primarily by glutathione (GSH) conjugation reaction catalyzed by GSH transferases (GSTs). In human liver and probably lung, the α class GSTs are likely to be responsible for the majority of this reaction because of their high abundance. The catalytic efficiency for GSH conjugation of the carcinogenic (+)-anti-benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide [(+)-anti-BPDE] is more than 5-fold higher for hGSTA1-1 than for hGSTA2-2. Here, we demonstrate that mutation of isoleucine-11 of hGSTA2-2, a residue located in the hydrophobic substrate-binding site (H-site) of the enzyme, to alanine (which is present in the same position in hGSTA1-1) results in about a 7-fold increase in catalytic efficiency for (+)-anti-BPDE−GSH conjugation. Thus, a single amino acid substitution is sufficient to convert hGSTA2-2 to a protein that matches hGSTA1-1 in its catalytic efficiency. The increased catalytic ...
An application of a conditional logistic regression to study the effects of safety belts, principal impact points, and car weights on drivers' fatalities

Abstract In addition to experimental trials in automotive factories, there is a fundamental need to monitor real people involved in real motor vehicle collisions to determine the impact of automotive design characteristics on injury mortality. To aid in designing future safety features for drivers' seats, data from the Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) were used to assess the effects of safety belts, directions of crash impacts, age, sex, and car weights on motor vehicle injury fatalities. Furthermore, because the FARS includes only accidents in which there was at least one fatality, this paper introduces a multivariate approach — a logistic regression conditioned on each accident —to avoid the sampling biases inherent in the FARS. The resulting model is used to quantify the relations among the safety belts, the directions of crash impacts, and vehicle weights and their effects on fatalities. Recause the proposed approach allows researchers to study many important variables simultaneously and eliminates the biases resulting from many possible confounders, the estimates presented in this paper are considered to be more precise and more firmly established than earlier estimates. The new approach to analyzing the FARS data will also be useful for investigating the effects of other risk factors or automotive characteristics on crash fatalities.
Strains in epitaxial films: The general case

A procedure is given for the calculation of the complete strain tensor of a film in pseudomorphic or coherent epitaxy on an arbitrary substrate. In the general case the misfit between the film and substrate determines three in-plane strain components. The elastic equations of the film then determine the three out-of-plane components. Quantitative low-energy electron diffraction can find the structure of bulk layers of a metal film; hence strain analysis can use the measured structure to obtain information about the elastic constants of the material of the film. The procedure is applied to two examples of observed general pseudomorphic epitaxy and to one example of possible general pseudomorphic epitaxy from a list of closely matched bcc and fcc surfaces. The concept of an epitaxial line, which plots the geometry of a film under strain as the substrate is changed in scale, is generalized to an arbitrary pair of film-substrate surfaces.
An experiment on the economic value of visibility

Abstract This paper reports on the development and application of an iterative bidding technique to examine proposed visibility reductions in the Four Corners Region of the southwest United States. The iterative bidding technique is a method to elicit honest bids for “goods” not priced in formal markets. Four issues associated with direct revelation of preferences for environmental goods are explored: (1) the establishment of linkages between the physical parameters of visibility and representation of the “good” called visibility to individuals for valuation purposes; (2) a systematic test for both observed and induced biases associated with the interative bidding technique; (3) replication of the results of previous experiments; and (4) reporting of empirical divergences between compensating and equivalent surplus measures of consumer surplus.
Optimal Linear Attitude Estimator

An optimal linear attitude estimator is presented for the case of a single-point real-time estimation of spacecraft attitude using the minimum-element attitude parameterization: Rodrigues (or Gibbs) vector g. The optimality criterion, which does not coincide with Wahba's constrained criterion, is rigorously quadratic and unconstrained. The singularity, which occurs when the principal angle is π, can easily be avoided by one rotation. The attitude accuracy tests show that the proposed method provides a precision comparable with those fully complying with the Wahba optimality definition. Finally, computational speed tests demonstrate that the proposed method belongs to the class of the fastest optimal attitude estimation algorithms.
Autoimmune hepatitis in special patient populations

Autoimmune hepatitis has diverse clinical phenotypes that challenge conventional diagnostic criteria and treatment strategies. The goals of this review are to characterize these special populations and provide guidelines for their management. Patients with acute or acute severe (fulminant) presentations may have centrilobular zone 3 hepatic necrosis, but they can respond to conventional corticosteroid therapy. Asymptomatic mild disease warrants corticosteroid treatment because spontaneous resolution is uncertain and 10-year survival is less than expected. Male gender or the absence of conventional autoantibodies does not preclude the diagnosis or need for treatment, and patients with cholestatic changes warrant cholangiography and possible combination therapy with ursodeoxycholic acid. Different ethnic groups commonly have advanced hepatic fibrosis, rapidly progressive disease, or cholestatic features, and elderly patients typically respond well to corticosteroid therapy. Pregnancy is usually well-tolerated by mother and foetus but requires protection against postpartum exacerbation. Special populations must be recognized and treated with tailored regimens.
Developing a self-report outcome measure for complementary and alternative medicine.

Objective Our objective was to develop a pilot measure of subjective outcomes of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Current options for assessing subjective outcomes in CAM are either too burdensome or fail to represent diverse outcomes. A single measure specifying common, patient-reported outcomes of CAM would be of value. Design We conducted a three-phase instrument development study. In phase I, 30 CAM-receiving patients and 12 CAM practitioners completed a battery of standardized measures. Participants identified those standardized items relevant to CAM outcome and suggested additional outcome issues. In phase II, 20 CAM-receiving patients completed a Q-sort to determine which items from phase I were most relevant to CAM outcome. In phase III, five experts reviewed the items from phase II for content validity. Setting An integrative medicine clinic at a private, Midwest US hospital. Participants CAM patients, practitioners, and researchers and an outcomes measurement specialist. Results In phase I, 30 standardized items were judged relevant to CAM outcome, and 8 additional items were suggested. In phase II, 29 of the 38 phase I items were deemed at least "moderately relevant" to CAM outcome. In phase III, experts added 15 items, dropped 9 items, and altered 3 items. The 35 resulting items were classified into content domains, forming a testable, pilot version of the instrument.
Multilingual spoken-language understanding in the MIT Voyager system

Abstract This paper describes our recent work in developing multilingual spoken language systems that support human-computer interactions. Our approach is based on the premise that a common semantic representation can be extracted from the input for all languages, at least within the context of restricted domains. In our design of such systems, language dependent information is separated from the system kernel as much as possible, and encoded in external data structures. The internal system manager, discourse and dialogue component, and database are all maintained in a language transparent form. Our description will focus on the development of the multilingual MIT Voyager spoken language system, which can engage in verbal dialogues with users about a geographical region within Cambridge, MA in the USA. The system can provide information about distances, travel times or directions between objects located within this area (e.g., restaurants, hotels, banks, libraries), as well as information such as the addresses, telephone numbers or location of the objects themselves. Voyager has been fully ported to Japanese and Italian, and we are in the process of porting to French and German as well. Evaluations for the English, Japanese and Italian systems are reported. Other related multilingual research activities are also briefly mentioned.
On Variations in the Cardiac Hypertrophic Response to Pressure Overload

This issue of Circulation contains an interesting and provocative study concerning the prediction of differences in cardiac hypertrophy and function in response to pressure overload. Koide et al,1 using a canine model of controlled, progressive ascending aortic constriction over an 8-week period, report that 5 dogs having a relatively high left ventricular (LV) mass to body weight ratio (LVM/BW) before constriction (calculated by angiography) as well as a high mean normalized systolic ejection rate and low systolic wall stress developed compensatory hypertrophy and maintained normal LV function. The remaining 10 dogs with aortic constriction had a lower initial LVM/BW, developed significantly less hypertrophy, and evidenced late LV dysfunction with decreased contractility; the presence of intrinsic myocardial depression in the latter group at the end of the study also was documented by studies of function of isolated myocytes taken from these ventricles. Studies performed under anesthesia with β-adrenergic blockade showed higher levels of afterload (mean systolic wall stress) and lower mean systolic ejection rates both before and after aortic constriction in the group developing LV dysfunction, although both groups fell within the normal range of the inverse relation between afterload and ejection rate before aortic constriction. In a subsequent group of animals, the presence of a higher wall stress (a preselected value ≥115 kdyne/cm2) before aortic constriction was associated with the late development of LV dysfunction in 75% of animals, whereas an initial LV wall stress below that value was associated with normal LV function at the final study in 90% of animals, although the data were not analyzed statistically.1 The authors suggest that their findings mimic the wide variations in LV hypertrophic responses observed in patients with chronic aortic stenosis or hypertension and may indicate that in some individuals there is a lower set point (perhaps genetically …
Pulmonary Complications of Intravenous Drug Abuse: Experience at an Inner-City Hospital

Fifty-one intravenous drug abusers were evaluated by a pulmonary consultative team over a 22-month period at a large inner city hospital. The most common pulmonary complication was septic pulmonary embolism, seen in 12 patients (23.5 percent). Community-acquired pneumonia was diagnosed in ten patients (19.6 percent). Mycobacterium tuberculosis occurred in five patients (9.8 percent). Although 25 of 40 patients (63 percent) tested for human immunodeficiency virus antibody were positive, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was present in only five patients (9.8 percent). Bronchoscopy was used to evaluate pulmonary infiltrates in 15 of 51 cases (29 percent). Common bacterial infections and tuberculosis remain the most frequently encountered pulmonary problems in drug abusers, despite the onset of the AIDS epidemic.
The Impact of Tort Reforms on the Sanctioning of Physicians by State Licensing Boards

This article evaluates the impact of changes in tort laws on state medical licensing board actions in the United States, an area of study that has largely been overlooked in the tort reform debate. We employ negative binomial models with random effects to ascertain the impact of the passage of individual tort reforms, additional explanatory variables, and period effects on board licensing actions. Our results suggest that alterations to states' joint and several liability rules, the enactment of penalties for frivolous lawsuits, and the establishment of the National Practitioner Data Bank may have increased the use of serious sanctions by medical licensing boards, while implementation of arbitration and attorney fee regulation may have decreased their use. We call for greater attention to be paid to the impact of tort reforms on licensing actions.
The effect of multiple stressors on salt marsh end-of-season biomass

It is becoming more apparent that commonly used statistical methods (e.g., analysis of variance and regression) are not the best methods for estimating limiting relationships or stressor effects. A major challenge of estimating the effects associated with a measured subset of limiting factors is to account for the effects of unmeasured factors in an ecologically realistic matter. We used quantile regression to elucidate multiple stressor effects on end-of-season biomass data from two salt marsh sites in coastal Louisiana collected for 18 yr. Stressor effects evaluated based on available data were flooding, salinity, air temperature, cloud cover, precipitation deficit, grazing by muskrat, and surface water nitrogen and phosphorus. Precipitation deficit combined with surface water nitrogen provided the best two-parameter model to explain variation in the peak biomass with different slopes and intercepts for the two study sites. Precipitation deficit, cloud cover, and temperature were significantly correlated with each other. Surface water nitrogen was significantly correlated with surface water phosphorus and muskrat density. The site with the larger duration of flooding showed reduced peak biomass, when cloud cover and surface water nitrogen were optimal. Variation in the relatively low salinity occurring in our study area did not explain any of the variation in Spartina alterniflora biomass.
Past history of skin infection and risk of surgical site infection after elective surgery.

Objective To identify baseline patient characteristics associated with increased susceptibility to surgical site infection (SSI) after elective surgery. Background The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services considers SSI to be preventable through adherence to current infection control practices; however, the etiology of wound infection is incompletely understood. Methods Prospective cohort study involving patients undergoing cardiac, vascular, craniotomy, and spinal surgery at 2 academic medical centers in Baltimore, MD. A comprehensive medical history was obtained at baseline, and participants were followed for 6 months using active inpatient and outpatient surveillance for deep SSI and infectious death. Infection control best practices were monitored perioperatively. The relative risk of SSI/infectious death was determined comparing those with versus those without a past medical history of skin infection using Cox proportional hazards models. Results Of 613 patients (mean [SD] = 62.3 [11.5] years; 42.1% women), 22.0% reported a history of skin infection. The cumulative incidence of deep SSI/infectious death was 6.7% versus 3.1% for those with and without a history of skin infection, respectively (unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 2.25; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.98-5.14; P = 0.055). Risk estimates increased after adjustments for demographic and socioeconomic variables (HR = 2.82; 95% CI, 1.18-6.74; P = 0.019) and after propensity score adjustment for all potential confounders (HR = 3.41; 95% CI, 1.36-8.59; P = 0.009). Adjustments for intraoperative infection risk factors and adherence to infection control best practice metrics had no impact on risk estimates. Conclusions A history of skin infection identified a state of enhanced susceptibility to SSI at baseline that is independent of traditional SSI risk factors and adherence to current infection control practices.
Magnetic Orientation in a Small Mammal, Peromyscus leucopus

We displaced white-footed mice ( Peromyscus leucopus ) 40 m away from their home areas and released them in a circular arena. Mice concentrated their exploratory and escape activity in the portion of the arena corresponding to home direction. In another group of mice, we reversed the horizontal component of the geomagnetic field surrounding them during displacement. These individuals concentrated their activity in areas of the circular arena opposite home direction. Mice were not likely using visual, chemical, or kinesthetic cues to establish home direction. Tissues of P. leucopus exhibit strong isothermal remanent magnetization and may contain biogenic ferrimagnetic material. Our results suggest that white-footed mice have a magnetic sense and use the geomagnetic field as a compass cue.
Islamism and the West: Europe as a Battlefield

Abstract While commentators have focused their attention almost exclusively on terrorism, the presence of radical Islam in Europe is extremely complex and multifaceted. European jihadists, a few thousand individuals scattered throughout the continent who openly challenge the societies they live in, unquestionably pose an imminent security threat, but other Islamist groups and movements, while not adopting violent means, pose an equally significant if not a greater threat to Europe, albeit one of a different nature. After examining the history, development, and modus operandi of the jihadists, the article analyses the characteristics of two other Islamist movements operating in the European arena. One is Hizb al‐Tahrir, a group that openly opposes any system of government not based on the shariʿa, but does not presently advocate ‘offensive’ jihad to further its goal of creating a global Islamic state. The other is composed of the networks that trace their roots to the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist ...
Optimal Bid Selection for Dichotomous Choice Contingent Valuation Surveys

Abstract This paper develops a model for optimal survey design for the dichotomous choice contingent valuation method that finds the bid amounts as well as the sample sizes corresponding to each bid. The model uses an iterative procedure to select the survey design that minimizes the mean square error of the welfare measure. A set of Monte Carlo simulations shows that the model produces significantly lower mean squared errors for the welfare estimate than the next best model produces. Survey design under alternative assumptions regarding the statistical distribution of the welfare measure is also addressed. The model produced significantly different survey designs depending on whether the distribution was assumed to be symmetric or asymmetric.
Phosphopeptide Mapping of Cholecystokinin Receptors on Agonist-stimulated Native Pancreatic Acinar Cells

The cholecystokinin (CCK) receptor on the rat pancreatic acinar cell is a G protein-coupled receptor that is phosphorylated in response to homologous and heterologous agonist stimulation. In this work we have studied the stoichiometry of receptor phosphorylation and have utilized one-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping after cyanogen bromide cleavage to demonstrate that the third intracellular loop is the predominant domain of phosphorylation of this receptor in response to these treatments. Of the average 5 mol of phosphate/mol of receptor, greater than 95% was on the third loop, with the remainder residing on the carboxyl-terminal tail. Serine residues were the site of greater than 95% of phosphorylation, with threonine representing the remainder, and no phosphotyrosine was detected. Further, we have utilized two-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping after subtilisin cleavage to identify differing sites of CCK receptor phosphorylation which are dependent on the agonist utilized to stimulate this cell. Both qualitative and quantitative differences in phosphorylation sites were observed after acinar cell stimulation with different protein kinase C agonists. Further, distinct phosphopeptides on the map were identified as representing substrate(s) of a staurosporine-insensitive kinase activity stimulated only by receptor occupation with native CCK and were felt to represent site(s) of action of a member of the G protein-coupled receptor kinase family. This represents a sensitive and powerful approach that is applicable to sparse receptors residing in their native cellular environment to assess possible differences in patterns of phosphorylation which may be important in agonist-specific receptor regulation.
A Comparison of the Multitrait-Multimethod and Factor Analytic Methods in the Determination of the Discriminant Validity of Three Tests of Creativity

Creativity measurement has been a creative endeavor for researchers and practitioners. A salient characteristic of creativity measurements is their diversity which is indicative of the complexity of the construct and of the multitude of settings under which it is assessed. Creativity is often subjectively assessed; hence judges are expected to be able to distinguish creativity from other constructs such as intelligence, achievement, and originality. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether judges could discriminate validly between the correctness and the originality of responses to three tests of creativity. Evidence of convergent validity is demonstrated when there exists a significant agreement between measurements of the same traits (correctness or originality) with different methods (judges). The multitrait-multimethod procedure was used to assess these validities. The results showed compelling evidence for convergent and discriminant validity of the tests. Factor analysis revealed a ...
Thermal regime of the continental lithosphere

From studies of the global heat flow data set, it has been generalized, with respect to the continental lithosphere, that there is a negative correlation between heat flow and the lithosphere's tectonic edge, and that the lithosphere's thermal evolution is similar to that of the ocean basins, resulting in a 'stable geotherm' in both environments. It is presently noted that a regional study perspective for heat flow data leads to doubts concerning the general applicability of either statement. Rao et al. (1982) have demonstrated that the data are not normally distributed, and that it is not possible to establish a negative correlation between heat flow and age in a rigorous statistical fashion. While some sites of stable continental blocks may have a geotherm that is by chance similar to that for old ocean basins, this need not hold true generally, and many stable continental terranes will be characterized by geotherms very different from those for old ocean basins.
Retardation amongst Aboriginal Children in North Australia.

AbstractThere have been few studies of mental retardation amongst Australian Aboriginal children. Information about Aboriginal child mental retardation has usually been reported as a minor part of mental health surveys. A register of retarded children from tribally oriented Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory of Australia was established to over come this deficiency. An examination of the age, sex and main conditions associated with registered cases was undertaken. The incidence and characteristics of retarded Aboriginals with few exceptions were found to be the same as those of retarded Europeans.
Radiation Resistance in Lipovirus-Altered Human Cells

Human cells altered by infection with the "lipovirus," a transmissible cytopathic agent, are highly resistant to ionizing radiation. Whereas about 500 roentgens will inhibit cell multiplication in normal cells, more than 500,000 roentgens are required to produce a similar effect in the altered cells. This gross change in cellular radiosensitivity may provide a useful system for studying in vitro the mechanisms of inhibition of cell division by radiation.
Electron flow through metalloproteins.

Electron flow through proteins and protein assemblies in the photosynthetic and respiratory machinery commonly occurs between metal centers or other redox cofactors that are separated by relatively large molecular distances, often in the 10−20 A range. To inorganic chemists, such long-distance electron transfer was a mystery for many years, as we were accustomed to close-contact models for the transition states of simple self-exchange reactions between metal ions in aqueous solution. One of our favorite reactions was the ferrous/ferric self-exchange, which had been investigated thoroughly by Richard (Dick) Dodson at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in the 1940s (and published in Journal of the American Chemical Society in 1950). Dodson showed that the half-time for this reaction was on the order of seconds, which he noted was “fast” but in today’s femtosecond world is very “slow”. Indeed, this very simple electron transfer, where no bonds are formed or broken, was found to be orders of magnitude slower than long-distance electron flow through metalloprotein molecules. How could this be?
The internal gravity wave field emitted by a stably stratified turbulent wake

The internal gravity wave (IGW) field emitted by a stably stratified, initially turbulent, wake of a towed sphere in a linearly stratified fluid is studied using fully nonlinear numerical simulations. A wide range of Reynolds numbers, and internal Froude numbers, ( , are characteristic body velocity and length scales, and is the buoyancy frequency) is examined. At the higher examined, secondary Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities and the resulting turbulent events, directly linked to a prolonged non-equilibrium (NEQ) regime in wake evolution, are responsible for IGW emission that persists up to . In contrast, IGW emission at the lower investigated does not continue beyond for the three values considered. The horizontal wavelengths of the most energetic IGWs, obtained by continuous wavelet transforms, increase with and appear to be smaller at the higher , especially at late times. The initial value of these wavelengths is set by the wake height at the beginning of the NEQ regime. At the lower , consistent with a recently proposed model, the waves propagate over a narrow range of angles that minimize viscous decay along their path. At the higher , wave motion is much less affected by viscosity, at least initially, and early-time wave propagation angles extend over a broader range of values which are linked to increased efficiency in momentum extraction from the turbulent wake source.
Efficacy and effectiveness of influenza vaccination.

Influenza is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Vaccination remains the most important means of preventing and controlling influenza. A review of the published literature shows that vaccination of children, healthy younger adults, the elderly, and both children and adults with high-risk medical conditions provides substantial benefits, although the types of benefits vary by age. Vaccination also generally provides benefit even during poor match seasons. Strategies to reduce transmission within households and communities through the vaccination of school children and to reduce transmission within health care settings through the vaccination of healthcare workers are also promising.
Control of Strain Characteristics of SMA Wires Using Seebeck Voltage

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs), as a branch of smart material actuators, are widely researched in the areas of control applications. These actuators exhibit considerable hysteresis between the supply voltage (conventionally used in resistive heating) and position characteristics of the SMA. Unless a model matches the actuator’s nonlinearities, the control of an SMA would result in an error between the desired and actual strain. An Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (or ANFIS) model is proposed to model the hysteresis of the system. The hysteresis of an SMA is path dependent, thus controlling the SMA in real-time requires a time series forecasting a nonlinear model. The input parameters for such an ANFIS model would be a physical variable at time t and at a time t-n, where n is a time delay. The present work studies the effect of time delay on the actuator nonlinearities for two ANFIS models. One of the models studies the relationship between the desired displacement of an SMA and the supply voltage across the SMA, while the other model predicts the actual displacement of an SMA from the feedback temperature.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Cardiovascular Complications of Diabetic Kidney Disease

Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of CKD and represents a large and ominous public health problem. Patients with diabetic kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In fact, the excess mortality among patients with diabetes appears to be largely limited to the subgroup with kidney disease and explained by their high burden of cardiovascular disease. The mechanisms underlying the strong association between diabetic kidney disease and various forms of cardiovascular disease are poorly understood. Traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease, although prevalent among those with diabetes, do not fully account for the heightened risk observed. Despite their susceptibility to cardiovascular disease, patients with CKD are less likely to receive appropriate risk factor modification than the general population. Moreover, because patients with CKD have commonly been excluded from major cardiovascular trials, the evidence for potential treatments remains limited. The mainstays of treatment for diabetic kidney disease currently include blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and control of hypertension, hyperglycemia, and dyslipidemia. Increased awareness of the vulnerability of this patient population and more timely interventions are likely to improve outcomes while large evidence gaps are filled with newer studies.
Absence of the anomalous second length scale in the bulk of a terbium single crystal

Recent neutron studies of the magnetic critical fluctuations in Tb show that the scattering intensity from the second length scale is strongly enhanced over a 200 \ensuremath{\mu}m thick region near the surface of the crystal. A fundamental question that remains, however, is whether or not this second length scale is an intrinsic property of the bulk. Using a new, much larger cube-shaped Tb crystal, we are able to mask the scattered neutron beam such that contributions form the near-surface regions never reach the detector. Under these conditions, we find no evidence of the second length scale.
Comorbidities in end-stage lung disease.

End-stage lung disease (ESLD) generally refers to disorders that lead to progressive deterioration in objective measures of lung function, limitation of physical activity, inability to independently perform basic tasks of daily living, and usually premature mortality. These diseases may be accompanied by a variety of comorbid conditions that complicate therapy and contribute to morbidity and mortality. While attempts have been made to define the pulmonary function predictors of life expectancy in patients with ESLD, such as the degree of airway obstruction as reflected by forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) or diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, little effort has been expended in studying the impact of comorbidities on morbidity and mortality. Recently,2,3 indices have been designed to quantify various comorbid conditions in an attempt to predict mortality in these patients, with variable success. While some of the comorbid conditions occur as a result of the underlying disease process, such as cystic fibrosis (CF) affecting pancreatic function, others may occur due to a common risk factor such as smoking. Deterioration in a patient with ESLD may occur as a result of progression of the underlying lung disease, side effects of therapy, or decompensation due to the comorbid condition(s), all of which influence the therapeutic intervention(s) required and have a marked impact on survival.4 As older patients with less functional reserve survive longer, the issue of comorbid conditions is becoming increasingly important. In this article, we review the available literature on some of the more common comorbidities in ESLD (Table I).
Bacteriophage T3 and T7 early RNAs are translated by eukaryotic 80S ribosomes: active phage T3 coded S-adenosylmethionine cleaving enzyme is synthesized

RNA transcribed in vitro from the early region of bacteriophage T3 or T7 was translated by cytoplasmic ribosomes which synthesized protein in cell-free systems prepared from mammalian cells and wheat germ. The proteins synthesized in vitro and their counterparts prepared from infected Escherichia coli comigrate by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with sodium dodecyl sulfate and are similarly affected by deletion or amber bacteriophage mutations. Bacteriophage T3 codes for an enzyme that cleaves S-adenosylmethionine and this activity was detected among the products of the mammalian cell-free system. Bacteriophage T3 or T7 RNA, after endoribonuclease III (EC 3.1.4.24) cleavage, gave higher levels of incorporation into phage T3 or T7 polypeptides than when an equivalent amount of the uncleaved RNA was added to the eukaryotic cell-free systems. Methylation of phage T3 or T7 RNAs is apparently not required for translation in either the wheat germ or mammalian cell-free system. The ability of T3 and T7 RNA to be translated in the presence of saturating amounts of natural eukaryotic mRNAs suggests that many prokaryotic genes introduced into mammalian cells might be expressed if they were transcribed in an appropriate form.
An Analysis of the Isoenzymes of Creatine Phosphokinase and Lactic Dehydrogenase in the Esophagus

Abstract Surgical manipulation of muscular organs can cause alterations of the serum isoenzymes of creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), which are frequently used to confirm the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI). Since the content of these enzymes and their isoenzymes has not been established for the esophagus, an experiment was conducted to evaluate and compare the enzymes in postmortem specimens from humans and fresh canine specimens. One gram transmural esophageal sections were taken from specimens having no demonstrable disease. All samples were homogenized individually in Ringer's lactate solution and centrifuged, and the supernatants were analyzed for the respective isoenzyme distributions by agarose gel electrophoresis. From the study we drew the following conclusions: (1) all three isoenzymes of CPK (including CPK-MB, the myocardial isoenzyme) are present in the esophagus; (2) LDH 1 , the isoenzyme of LDH most prevalent in myocardium, is the least common of the five isoenzymes of LDH in the esophagus; (3) the dog is an appropriate model for studying changes of these isoenzymes after operation; and (4) any potential confusion in diagnosing postoperative MI due to esophageal CPK-MB in the serum can be resolved, theoretically, by analyzing LDH serum isoenzymes. In myocardial infarction, LDH, becomes the predominant isoenzyme, whereas esophageal injury should be associated, theoretically, with a serum LDH isoenzyme pattern in which LDH 1 is the least prevalent isoenzyme.
Problems of ontogeny and phylogeny in brain-size evolution

Fundamental ambiguities in the interpretation of brain/body allometric trends can only be resolved by analyzing relationships between ontogenetic brain/body growth processes in different groups. The ambiguous concept of adult encephalization confuses at least three distinct types of transformation of a common mammalian growth curve: scalar magnification, total curve didplacement, and changes in proportions of the pre- and postnatal phases of the curve. The conservative ratio between pre- and postnatal growth phases determines the apparent linearity of comparative brain/body allometry and can be explained by assuming that embyological neurogenetic processes ultimately determine both target brain and body size—the first directly and the second indirectly via neurohormonal regulation of somatic growth. Uneven taxonomic distribution of different ontogenetic growth patterns may explain many differences in the allometric trends at different taxonomic levels of analysis. The human brain grows exactly as if it was in a giant ape body; however, because of decoupled growth in different brain regions, it regulates body growth as though it were the size of a chimpanzee brain. Human encephalization exhibits an ontogenetic transformation not found in other mammalian groups.
School entrance age, social acceptance, and self-perceptions in kindergarten and 1st grade☆

Concerns about the effect of school entrance age have generally focused on academic achievement. The effect of school entrance age on the social acceptance and self-perceptions of kindergarten and 1st-grade students was examined in two studies. In Study 1, the social acceptance and competence of 476 children was assessed in kindergarten and first grade through peer nominations and ratings, teacher ratings, and report card grades. In Study 2, a subgroup of 116 students was interviewed in kindergarten and first grade to assess their perceptions of their school adjustment, loneliness at school, cognitive and physical competence, and peer and maternal acceptance. Few differences were found related to school entrance age. Teachers' ratings and peer nominations generally described initial social problems for the youngest children which were overcome by first grade. There were no differences in self-reported school adjustment, loneliness, perceptions of competence, or acceptance related to school entry age.
Surface roughness effects on bidirectional reflectance.

An experimental study of surface roughness effects on bidirectional reflectance of metallic surfaces is presented. A facility capable of irradiating a sample from normal to grazing incidence and recording plane of incidence bidirectional reflectance measurements was developed. Samples consisting of glass, aluminum alloy, and stainless steel materials were selected for examination. Samples were roughened using standard grinding techniques and coated with a radiatively opaque layer of pure aluminum. Mechanical surface roughness parameters, rms heights and rms slopes, evaluated from digitized surface profile measurements are less than 1.0 micrometers and 0.28, respectively. Rough surface specular, bidirectional, and directional reflectance measurements for selected values of polar angle of incidence and wavelength of incident energy within the spectral range of 1 to 14 micrometers are reported. The Beckmann bidirectional reflectance model is compared with reflectance measurements to establish its usefulness in describing the magnitude and spatial distribution of energy reflected from rough surfaces.
Early prediction of pond harvest success rate

Abstract The relationship between counts of red drum larvae from ichthyoplankton tows collected 48 h poststocking and the number of fingerlings harvested 30 days later was evaluated at a production hatchery. Under the conditions of the study, this relationship can best be modeled by the equation Y = 2094 X − 2.071 X 2 , where Y = harvest and X = mean number of fry in three tows. This quadratic model describes a relationship that can be used to estimate harvest rates and allow hatchery biologists to restock marginal ponds and manage their facilities and staff in a more cost-effective manner.
Frontier analysis in air pollution

Carbon containing aerosol is the most abundant particulate air pollutant species. It causes poor visibility and can be toxic. Tracing its origins is an important step in environmental management and control. This study analyses the carbon concentrations at Duarte, CA (a suburban site near Los Angeles) and in Lennox, CA (a site next to a Los Angeles freeway). Concentrations inside a tunnel are also available and used to derive a motor vehicle emission profile. A new approach is proposed for calculating the motor vehicle contribution to organic carbon and the amount of background carbon found at these two sites. Regression analysis provides insight in the formation of organic carbon and frontier analysis is used to calculate the motor vehicle contribution to organic carbon and the amount of background carbon in the atmosphere. The information obtained from this analysis can be used in the regulation of motor vehicle emissions and in air pollution control.
Use of statistical techniques to assess progress toward a clean air environment: Houston, Texas.

Abstract Computer trend-surface mapping techniques in conjunction with a statistical evaluation of suspended paniculate data from Houston, Texas, 1968 and 1969, are presented as a basic method for evaluation of progress toward a clean air environment. This assessment is accomplished via; 1. (a) comparison of current levels of pollution to those previously experienced, 2. (b) a determination of the changes in levels of pollution experienced throughout representative parts of the geographic area under consideration, and 3. (c) a comparison of current pollution levels in terms of occurrence with those of stated desirable levels, e.g., ambient air quality goals.