cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HIERARCHICAL LOGIC IN SHIPPING POLICY AND DECISION-MAKING.

Shipping policy is made and implemented under conditions of multiple objectives and constraints. It is often also subject to diverse interests and decision-makers, each with his own agenda. Policy alternatives usually have different financial, economic, market, environmental, and other implications, and, as a result, affect objectives and constraints differently. In turn, their desirability from the point of view of the various decision-makers will be influenced by complex sets of priorities. Shipping policy and decision-making involves the trade-off among a myriad of often conflicting objectives in the choice between alternative strategies. A hierarchical network approach to the determination of the most effective choice or strategy is proposed to represent the effect of policy alternatives on desired and undesired outcomes and the impact of these outcomes on the objectives and, as a result, the various interest groups supporting different policy objectives. The model suggested is based on the analytic h...
Material analysis and characterization on zone refined and zone leveled vertical zone melt GaAs for radiation spectrometers

Abstract GaAs is a wide band gap (1.42 eV) semiconductor that has shown promise as a room temperature operated γ-ray detector. A practical γ-ray detector would be large in volume, hence the resistivity of the material must be high to ensure large depletion volumes and low leakage currents. Commercially available semi-insulating (SI) bulk GaAs is compensated by a balance between native defect deep donors (EL2) and residual dopant impurities. The high concentrations of electrically active deep and shallow levels are believed to contribute to electric field distortions observed in γ-ray detectors fabricated from SI bulk GaAs. Hence, the controlled reduction of native defects and contaminant impurities may yield improved bulk GaAs for γ-ray detectors. Custom grown vertical zone melt (VZM) bulk GaAs is presently under investigation as an alternative material for room temperature operated γ-ray detectors. The VZM technique allows for zone refinement (ZR) and zone leveling (ZL) of the GaAs ingots. Custom growth of the material allows for controlled changes in the bulk crystal, including deliberate reductions in EL2 and impurity concentrations. Comparisons are made to commercial vertical gradient freeze (VGF) and liquid encapsulated Czochralski (LEC) bulk GaAs.
Ratiometric assay of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase activation.

Activation of cells is frequently followed by tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins. To quantify this process, we developed a ratiometric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) as a model. Microtiter dishes were coated with anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies to capture the receptor followed by parallel detection of receptor and phosphotyrosine content with secondary antibodies. The ratio of these two parameters was found to directly reflect EGFR activation and was insensitive to the effect of receptor downregulation. Our assay could resolve differences in EGFR activation due to small changes (less than 1 ng/ml) in ligand. We found that phosphotyrosine detection by ELISA was 8- to 32-fold more sensitive than Western blot detection and could be reliably detected using as little as 4 ng of cellular lysate. Detection of EGFR levels by ELISA was 30 times more sensitive than Western blot analysis and was reliable for as low as 8 ng of cellular lysate per well. Because of the wide linear range of the ELISA, we could directly compare receptor activation in cell types with different EGFR expression levels. Our assay provides a rapid and sensitive method of determining EGFR activation status and could be easily modified to evaluate any tyrosine-phosphorylated protein.
Chemoselectivity in the conjugate addition of allylsilane to Michael acceptors

Abstract The allylic carbanion species generated by treatment of allylsilane with fluoride ion undergoes highly chemoselective conjugate addition to a series of Michael acceptors for which alternative known allylation procedures proved less general.
Traumatic and socially stressful life events among persons with social anxiety disorder

This study examined the frequency of reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms most often associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among 45 persons with social anxiety disorder and 30 nonanxious controls in response to an extremely stressful social event (which did not satisfy DSM-IV's PTSD Criterion A). Avoidance and hyperarousal in response to reminders of socially stressful events were common among patients; more than one-third would have met criteria for PTSD if these events satisfied DSM-IV PTSD Criterion A. Frequency of this PTSD-like symptom pattern did not differ among patients who did and did not experience another event that did satisfy PTSD Criterion A. Implications of these findings for the treatment of social anxiety disorder are discussed.
Chemoreception in Luidia clathrata (Echinodermata: Asteroidea): qualitative and quantitative aspects of chemotactic responses to low molecular weight compounds

Chemoreception was studied in Luidia clathrata (Say), collected from Old Tampa Bay, Florida, USA, in June 1983. L. clathrata has chemotactic responses to compounds associated with its preferred dietary items. This seastar responded most strongly to L-cysteine, L-cystine, L-isoleucine and L-glutamic acid, compounds associated with fleshy animal foods. Sugars (sucrose, maltose and lactose), compounds associated with plant and detrital foods, were also stimulatory, but less so than the aminoacids. The seastar showed a strong response to the freshtissue component, betaine. The excretory product ammonium, indicative of metabolic activity of live prey, elicited a weak response. Chemotactic responses were concentration-dependent. Concentration-response curves for L-cysteine, L-isoleucine, and L-glutamic acid are steeply sloped and have response-dose50 values within the range of 1×10-8 and 1×10-5 M. L. clathrata is adapted to sensing concentration gradients at levels which could be expected in its environment. Distance chemoreception is an important component of both search behavior and food discrimination for this seastar.
Intrinsic nerves in the mammalian colon: confirmation of a plexus at the circular muscle-submucosal interface

Abstract Slow waves in the small intestine seem to arise in plexuses of neurites with interstitial cells of Cajal. In the colon, slow waves appear to arise at the circular muscle - submucosal interface. We therefore sought a plexus at this surface in the colon in the cat, dog, ferret, opossum, rabbit, rat, guinea-pig and man. Segments from all levels of the colon were stained by the Champy-Maillet osmic acid-zinc iodide method and cut into serial 25 μm sections in the plane of the muscle layers. A dense network of neurites with abundant interstitial cells of Cajal was found at the circular muscle - submucosal interface in all species except rabbit. Neurites in this plexus appeared to arise from the deep plexus of the submucosa (Schabadasch's or Henle's plexus). It was not found in the small intestine and stomach. A similar plexus was found in the interstices of the myenteric plexus in the colon. Interstitial cells of Cajal in both plexuses were positive for the NADH-diaphorase stain, but not for silver impregnation. The possible roles of the plexuses of neurites and interstitial cells of Cajal at the circular muscle - submucosal interface and at the plane of the myenteric plexus in the generation of rhythmic activity in the colon are discussed.
Dichloroacetamide herbicide antidotes enhance sulfate metabolism in corn roots

Abstract The herbicide antidotes N,N-diallyl-2,2-dichloroacetamide (R25788) and 3-dichloroacetyl-2,2,5-trimethyloxazolidine (R29148) at ppm levels slightly enhance the uptake of [35S]sulfate in corn roots and greatly increase its metabolism to “bound sulfide”, cysteine, and glutathione (GSH). The decrease in free sulfate content of the roots with R25788 is closely associated with an increase in GSH level. The sulfate content is decreased with an 8-hr exposure to R25788 and R29148 at 3 ppm and its decline continues through 48 hr to about 5% of the control level. Effects on sulfate content are evident at 24 hr even with 0.3–1 ppm of these antidotes. Several other mono- or dichloroacetamide antidotes at 30 ppm also decrease the free sulfate content of corn roots to about 34–60% of control levels within 24 hr. R25788 at 30 ppm has little or no effect at 24 hr on sulfate levels in corn leaves whether the plants are grown in the light or in the dark. R25788 and R29148 decrease sulfate levels in the leaves of milo and in whole pigweed plants, but not in barley, lambsquarters, water grass, wheat, or wild mustard. In increasing GSH biosynthesis, the antidote acts in corn prior to the reduction step to form bound sulfide; in fact, R25788 increases the specific activity of ATP sulfurylase, the first enzyme involved in sulfate assimilation. Thus, dichloroacetamides such as R25788 and R29148 provide a means to experimentally, and perhaps even practically, manipulate sulfate utilization in corn and some other plants.
The n-tier hub technology

During 2001, the Enterprise Engineering Laboratory at George Mason University was contracted by the Boeing Company to develop an eHub capability for aerospace suppliers in Taiwan. In a laboratory environment, the core technology was designed, developed, and tested, and now a large first-tier aerospace supplier in Taiwan is commercializing the technology. The project objective was to provide layered network and application services for transporting XML-based business transaction flows across multi-tier, heterogeneous data processing environments. This paper documents the business scenario, the eHub application, and the network transport mechanisms that were used to build the n-tier hub. Contrary to most eHubs, this solution takes the point of view of suppliers, pushing data in accordance with supplier requirements; hence, enhancing the probability of supplier adoption. The unique contribution of this project is the development of an eHub that meets the needs of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and first-tier suppliers.
In vivo quantification of choline compounds in the breast with 1H MR spectroscopy.

This work describes a methodology for quantifying levels of total choline-containing compounds (tCho) in the breast using in vivo (1)H MR spectroscopy (MRS) at high field (4 Tesla). Water is used as an internal reference compound to account for the partial volume of adipose tissue. Peak amplitudes are estimated by fitting one peak at a time over a narrow frequency band to allow measurement of small metabolite resonances in spectra with large lipid peaks. This quantitative method significantly improves previously reported analysis methods by accounting for the variable sensitivity of breast (1)H MRS measurements. Using this technique, we detected and quantified a tCho peak in 214 of 500 in vivo spectra. tCho levels were found to be significantly higher in malignancies than in benign abnormalities and normal breast tissues, which suggests that this technique could be used to diagnose suspicious lesions and monitor response to cancer treatments.
Semiautomatic nonrigid registration for the prostate and pelvic MR volumes.

Rationale and Objectives Three-dimensional (3D) nonrigid image registration for potential applications in prostate cancer treatment and interventional magnetic resonance (iMRI) imaging–guided therapies were investigated. Materials and Methods An almost fully automated 3D nonrigid registration algorithm using mutual information and a thin plate spline (TPS) transformation for MR images of the prostate and pelvis were created and evaluated. In the first step, an automatic rigid body registration with special features was used to capture the global transformation. In the second step, local feature points (FPs) were registered using mutual information. An operator entered only five FPs located at the prostate center, left and right hip joints, and left and right distal femurs. The program automatically determined and optimized other FPs at the external pelvic skin surface and along the femurs. More than 600 control points were used to establish a TPS transformation for deformation of the pelvic region and prostate. Ten volume pairs were acquired from three volunteers in the diagnostic (supine) and treatment positions (supine with legs raised). Results Various visualization techniques showed that warping rectified the significant pelvic misalignment by the rigid-body method. Gray-value measures of registration quality, including mutual information, correlation coefficient, and intensity difference, all improved with warping. The distance between prostate 3D centroids was 0.7 ± 0.2 mm after warping compared with 4.9 ± 3.4 mm with rigid-body registration. Conclusion Semiautomatic nonrigid registration works better than rigid-body registration when patient position is changed greatly between acquisitions. It could be a useful tool for many applications in the management of prostate.
Magnetic energy states of shallow acceptors in silicon from spin-dependent luminescence

Abstract Quenching of the shallow donor-acceptor radiative transition probability in silicon as a function of the product of electron and hole spin-polarizations enables one to determine neutral acceptor static magnetic susceptibility functions. From these, acceptor gA-factors for m J = ± 3 2 levels, with [100]∥H, denoted as g0 [100] (the outer level gA factor), have been determined for B, Al, Ga and In acceptors to be 1.10 ± 0.02,0.77 ± 0.02, 0.89 ± 0.02 and 0.56 ± 0.03. The method is insensitive to the inner level gA factors, gi, which correspond to the m J = ± 1 2 levels. The susceptibility measurements were anisotropic and for the [111]∥H orientation could be fit either with an independent set of g0 [111] values, which turned out to be very different from go [100] for B and In, or by assuming g0 [100] =g0[111] and introducing a local strain term along 〈111〉 directions. In view of other reports indicating near equality of g0 [100] and go[111], we believe the invoked strain energies are applicable. Their respective values for B, Al, Ga and In are −0.10, −0.03, 0.00 and 0.13 meV, consistent with internal strains along 〈111〉 which have as origin the size misfit of the respective acceptors in the silicon lattice. At very high value of H/T, where electron and hole spin-polarizations approach 1, the luminescence does not go to zero as would be expected from an s -envelope function for the acceptor, but approaches a residual luminescence intensity. This fractional residual luminescence is shown to arise from d-function mixing with the predominantly s-function acceptor envelope state, which mixing was first calculated by Schechter. The residual luminescence parameters, which are a measure of the amount of d-function admixture, are respectively for B, Al, Ga and In equal to 0.23, 0.18, 0.16 and 0.08. The progressive decrease of these values with increasing acceptor ionization energies are suggested to be related to s-envelope function stabilization with respect to increased core potentials. Spin-resonance of the donor electrons was optically detected via the unquenching of the luminescence signal, and donor spin-lattice relaxation rates, arising from a neutral donor-neutral acceptor interaction, were determined as a function of D0−A0 pair separation.
Intravenous/oral ciprofloxacin therapy versus intravenous ceftazidime therapy for selected bacterial infections

The efficacy and toxicity of sequential intravenous and oral ciprofloxacin therapy was compared with intravenously administered ceftazidime in a prospective, randomized, controlled, non-blinded trial. Thirty-two patients (16 patients receiving ciprofloxacin and 16 patients receiving ceftazidime) with 38 infections caused by susceptible Pseudomonas aeruginosa, enteric gram-negative rods, Salmonella group B, Serratia marcescens, Pseudomonas cepacia, and Xanthomonas maltophilia at various sites were evaluable for determination of efficacy. Length of therapy varied from seven to 25 days. Concomitant antimicrobials included intravenously administered beta-lactams for gram-positive organisms, intravenous/oral metronidazole and clindamycin for anaerobes, and intravenous/local amphotericin B for Candida albicans. Intravenous administration of 200 mg ciprofloxacin every 12 hours to 11 patients produced peak serum levels between 1.15 and 3.12 micrograms/ml; trough levels ranged between 0.08 and 0.86 micrograms/ml. Overall response rates were similar for patients receiving ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime. Emergence of resistance was similar in both groups--one Enterobacter cloacae and two P. aeruginosa became resistant after ciprofloxacin therapy and two P. aeruginosa became resistant after ceftazidime therapy. The frequency of superinfection with a variety of organisms was also similar in both groups. Adverse events related to ciprofloxacin included transient pruritus at the infusion site and generalized rash leading to drug discontinuation (one patient each), and with ceftazidime adverse effects included pain at the site of infusion and the development of allergic interstitial nephritis (one patient each). Overall, intravenous/oral ciprofloxin therapy appears to be as safe and effective as intravenous ceftazidime therapy in the treatment of a variety of infections due to susceptible aerobic gram-negative organisms.
Effect of Cysteamine Injection on Vasopressin and Oxytocin Biosynthesis in Rat Hypothalamus

Cysteamine (CSH), a sulfhydryl agent that promotes disulfide-exchange reactions, was studied for its effects on the immunoreactive (IR) levels and synthesis of oxytocin and vasopressin in the hypothal
Diffraction efficiency of continuously etched gratings in As2S3 films

Abstract The diffraction efficiency of gratings in chalcogenide glass thin films during the chemical etching process is described. The experiment is performed by a simultaneous etching and detection technique, and two absolute maxima with intermittent interference maxima and minima are observed. Theoretical analysis including interference effect is presented, and excellent agreement with experimental curve is obtained. Application of this technique to lithographic process for etching control is briefly discussed.
Evolution in the Southeastern USA: Factors Influencing Acceptance and Rejection in Pre-Service Science Teachers.

Evolution continues to be a controversial topic around the world but nowhere is this more apparent locally than in the Southeastern region of the USA. In this study, we explored acceptance and rejection of evolution among pre-service science teachers in a teaching college in the rural Southeast and sought to determine (1) what relationships exist between the worldview variables and acceptance of evolution among pre-service secondary science teachers? and (2) Which combination of these variables explains the most statistically significant amount of variance in acceptance of evolution among pre-service secondary science teachers? Regression analysis was used to determine the best-fit model predicting levels of acceptance in this sample, explaining 45 % of variance in acceptance of evolution in 4 variables. The result of this study sheds light on possible remediation for low acceptance of evolution and directions for improved preparation of future science teachers relative to teaching and learning evolution.
Analysis of the Degradation and Aging of a Commercial Photovoltaic Installation

Simple and accurate methods are needed to monitor and assess PV systems. It is important to characterize and understand the value of the system with regard to safety and performance (including seasonal and geographical variations) as well as operation and maintenance. This documentation is becoming necessary for the secondary or resale value of PV assets. We report the results from an analysis of a commercial c-Si PV array owned and operated by DuPont. Our technical assessment consists of remote monitoring, field inspection with visual examination and thermal imaging to create a pareto chart of degradation modes, and laboratory analysis. A comparison of remote monitoring and site inspection is presented as well as laboratory analysis (nondestructive and destructive test methods) of modules removed from the service environment. Degradation modes and quality issues became evident as electrical, optical, physical or chemical defects developed with system age. This evaluation provided system data, documented quality issues, and quantified the cost of ownership.
Real‐Time Control of the Robotic Lunar Observatory Telescope

The US Geological Survey operates an automated observatory dedicated to the radiometry of the Moon with the objective of developing a multispectral, spatially resolved photometric model of the Moon to be used in the calibration of Earth-orbiting spacecraft. Interference filters are used with two imaging instruments to observe the Moon in 32 passbands from 350-2500 nm. Three computers control the telescope mount and instruments with a fourth computer acting as a master system to control all observation activities. Real-time control software has been written to operate the instrumentation and to automate the observing process. The observing software algorithms use information including the positions of objects in the sky, the phase of the Moon, and the times of evening and morning twilight to decide how to observe program objects. The observatory has been operating in a routine mode since late 1995 and is expected to continue through at least 2002 without significant modifications.
Support studies for the U-GAS coal gasification process. Part II: Combustion characteristics

Abstract This is the second part of a series of papers providing the details of support studies conducted as part of the development of the U-GAS fluidized-bed coal gasification process. (Part I: Fluidization; published in Fuel Processing Technology , Vol. 17(2) (1987) 169–186). The medium-Btu industrial fuel gas (IFG) produced in the gasifier, which consists mainly of CO, H 2 , CO 2 , and CH 4 , was evaluated for its combustion characteristics in a sub-scale, spud-type boiler burner. The gas was evaluated for flame stability, furnace efficiency, flame temperatures, flame size, and pollutants created. In the event of planned or unscheduled gasifier downtime, a gas mixture consisting of 30% natural gas and 70% air has been proposed as a backup to the industrial fuel gas-produced in the U-GAS process. The proposed backup gas was tested according to the same criteria to determine its suitability as a temporary replacement fuel. The combustion characteristics of these gases were compared with the combustion characteristics of natural gas.
Green light to illuminate signal transduction events

When cells are exposed to hormones that act on cell surface receptors, information is processed through the plasma membrane into the cell interior via second messengers generated in the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane. Individual biochemical steps along this cascade have been characterized from ligand binding to receptors through to activation of guanine nucleotide binding proteins and their downstream effectors such as adenylate cyclase or phospholipase C. However, the complexity of temporal and spatial integration of these molecular events requires that they are studied in intact cells. The great expansion of fluorescent techniques and improved imaging technologies such as confocal and TIRF microscopy combined with genetically-engineered protein modules has provided a completely new approach to signal transduction research. Spatial definition of biochemical events followed with real-time temporal resolution has become a standard goal, and several new techniques are now breaking the resolution barrier of light microscopy.
Application of methods for mammalian chromosome spreads to the cells of cestodes.

Tapeworm cells obtained by physical maceration between ground-glass surfaces are incubated for 3 hr in Hanks' balanced salt solution (BSS) supplemented with colchicine to a concentration of 10-4 M. After washing in BSS, the cells are incubated for 10 min in 1/4 strength BSS then centrifuged 10 min. Fixation of the intact button of cells (or alternatively, by squirting the cells directly into the fixative) in Carnoy's alcohol-chloroform-acetic acid (6;3:1) for 30 min follows, and cells, dispersed and washed in the fixative, are flattened by dropping the suspension on clean, water-wet slides which are then air-dried and stained with Giemsa diluted 1 ml;47 ml with distilled water to which 2 ml of buffer—M/15 KH2PO4, 32 ml, mixed with M/15 Na2HPO4, 68 ml—is added. After staining 15 min and washing in distilled water, slides are air-dried and mounted with resin. Well separated and well stained chromosomes have resulted.
Hypogonadism and diabetes

Clinicians have been aware of the increased prevalence of low testosterone levels in patients with type II diabetes for several years, but how these two conditions are associated is difficult to determine. Older age and obesity may be factors, as both are associated with type II diabetes and both decrease testosterone levels. Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), the major serum carrier protein for testosterone, also may have an impact. SHBG levels fall with obesity and increase with aging. Some studies indicate lower SHBG levels in type II diabetes. Most of the differences in testosterone levels between diabetic and nondiabetic patients may be due to reduced SHBG, rather than reduced testosterone production. However, free testosterone levels fall with increasing age and obesity, rendering many type II diabetic patients testosterone deficient. Testosterone replacement may improve insulin sensitivity in hypogonadal, overweight men with type II diabetes by altering body composition, but studies are conflicting.
Law of the iterated logarithm and local variations at zero of the sticky Brownian motion

Abstract We obtain for the sticky Brownian motion local properties analogous to the law of the iterated logarithm for the standard Brownian motion.
Regulating natural health products.

In his recent editorial “The future of medicine” (11 Jan., p. [233][1]), C. Everett Koop calls attention to the growing use of alternative medicine and the need to prove the efficacy and safety of dietary supplements. He is correct when he compares the current situation to the snake oil days of
Short day lengths attenuate the symptoms of infection in Siberian hamsters.

Symptoms of infection, such as fever, anorexia and lethargy, are ubiquitous among vertebrates. Rather than nonspecific manifestations of illness, these responses are organized, adaptive strategies that are often critical to host survival. During times of energetic shortage such as winter, however, it may be detrimental for individuals to prolong energetically demanding symptoms such as fever. Individuals may adjust their immune responses prior to winter by using day length to anticipate energetically-demanding conditions. If the expression of sickness behaviours is constrained by energy availability, then cytokine production, fever, and anorexia should be attenuated in infected Siberian hamsters housed under simulated winter photoperiods. We housed hamsters in either long (14 L : 10 D) or short (10 L : 14 D) day lengths and assessed cytokines, anorexia and fever following injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Short days attenuated the response to lipopolysaccharide, by decreasing the production of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1beta, and diminishing the duration of fever and anorexia. Short-day exposure in hamsters also decreased the ingestion of dietary iron, a nutrient vital to bacterial replication. Taken together, short day lengths attenuated the symptoms of infection, presumably to optimize energy expenditure and survival outcome.
Design concepts and verified performances in automotive HDD

Automotive HDD is required to have exceptionally higher reliability than mobile PC-use HDD. The design concepts and performance verifications of the third generation automotive HDDs with the last set of the LMR (Longitudinal Magnetic Recording) technologies and the fourth generation automotive HDDs with the first set of the PMR (Perpendicular Magnetic Recording) technologies are reported in detail. Both generations of automotive HDDs are already being applied to the automotive market at wider range of environmental temperature (-30 to 85 degree Celsius). Moreover it demonstrated that these products were able to function in the range of -43 to 107 degree Celsius without any bit-error-rate degradation. This paper should be the first to demonstrate the basic read/write performances of both LMR and PMR technology HDDs in this wide range of environmental temperature.
Genome-wide essential gene identification in Streptococcus sanguinis

A clear perception of gene essentiality in bacterial pathogens is pivotal for identifying drug targets to combat emergence of new pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, for synthetic biology, and for understanding the origins of life. We have constructed a comprehensive set of deletion mutants and systematically identified a clearly defined set of essential genes for Streptococcus sanguinis. Our results were confirmed by growing S. sanguinis in minimal medium and by double-knockout of paralogous or isozyme genes. Careful examination revealed that these essential genes were associated with only three basic categories of biological functions: maintenance of the cell envelope, energy production, and processing of genetic information. Our finding was subsequently validated in two other pathogenic streptococcal species, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus mutans and in two other gram-positive pathogens, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. Our analysis has thus led to a simplified model that permits reliable prediction of gene essentiality.
Ruggedized COTS displays applied to the towed artillery digitization program

Affordable performance and survivability is the key to providing displays for new Army programs. The Towed Artillery Digitisation (TAD) program applies COTS computers and communications to traditional artillery functions in order to increase lethality and effectiveness at minimal expense. The human interface requires the flexibility of displays to facilitate the decision loop and to implement the gun interface. GDC is tasked with providing two different displays for the TAD program and this paper will focus on how functional and performance requirements were met at affordable cost. The TAD displays operate in extreme environmental conditions and we describe both the functions of these displays within the TAD system and how GDC addressed the environmental issues.
Subunit Dissociation and Unfolding of Macrophage NO Synthase: Relationship between Enzyme Structure, Prosthetic Group Binding, and Catalytic Function

Macrophage NO synthase is a homodimer of 130 kDa subunits. Each subunit contains an oxygenase domain that binds iron protoporphyrin IX (heme) and tetrahydrobiopterin (H4biopterin) and a reductase domain that binds FAD, FMN, and calmodulin (CaM) [Ghosh & Stuehr (1995) Biochemistry 34, 801-807]. We have studied the dissociation and unfolding reactions of dimeric iNOS in urea to learn how enzyme structure relates to catalysis and prosthetic group binding. The iNOS dimer dissociated between 0 and 2.5 M urea, and the subunits partially unfolded at 2.5 M urea and above. Dimer dissociation was accompanied by loss of NO synthesis activity and release of bound H4biopterin from the protein. However, the dissociated subunits maintained their cytochrome c and ferricyanide reductase activities and retained near stoichiometric quantities of bound heme. The subunit unfolding transition was accompanied by loss of reductase activities and partial loss of bound heme but retention of bound flavins and CaM. The heme iron in the dissociated subunits remained coordinated through axial cysteine thiolate ligation. Kinetic analysis of dimer dissociation showed that loss of NO synthesis correlated with a loss of heme Soret absorbance at 398 nm and an appearance of absorbance bands at 377 and 460 nm, which were attributed to DTT coordination to the sixth position of the heme iron to form a mixed bisthiolate complex. Subunits could reassociate into a dimer when incubated with L-arginine and H4biopterin. Dimer formation correlated with proportional recoveries of NO synthesis and heme Soret absorbance at 398 nm. Thus, dimeric iNOS undergoes separate dissociation and unfolding transitions in urea, and each transition is accompanied by a loss of a specific catalytic function.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
It's Time to Stop Calling Circuits "Hardware"

Expanding the software concept, to spatial models like circuits facilitates programming next-generation embedded systems. Today, embedded-system designers frequently supplement microprocessors with custom digital circuits, often called coprocessors or accelerators, to meet performance demands. A circuit is simply a connection of components, perhaps low-level components like logic gates, or higher-level components like controllers, arithmetic logic units, encoding engines, or even processors. Increasingly, designers implement those circuits on an FPGA, a prefabricated chip that they can configure to implement a particular circuit merely by downloading a particular sequence of bits. Therefore, a circuit implemented on an FPGA is literally software. The key to an FPGA's ability to implement a circuit as software is that an N-address-input memory can implement any N-input combinational circuit.
Metalloporphyrins – An Update

Metalloporphyrins are structural analogs of heme and their potential use in the management of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia has been the subject of considerable research for more than three decades. The pharmacological basis for using this class of compounds to control bilirubin levels is the targeted blockade of bilirubin production through the competitive inhibition of heme oxygenase (HO), the rate-limiting enzyme in the bilirubin production pathway. Ongoing research continues in the pursuit of identifying ideal metalloporphyrins, which are safe and effective, by defining therapeutic windows and targeted interventions for the treatment of excessive neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.
High-speed cinematography of gas-metal atomization

Abstract A high-speed cinematographic footage of a 304L stainless steel gas atomization, recorded at the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST), was analyzed using a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) algorithm. The analysis showed the gas atomization process possesses two prominent frequency ranges of melt oscillation (pulsation). A low-frequency oscillation in the melt flow occurring between 5.41 and 123 Hz, with a dominant frequency at 9.93 Hz, was seen in the recirculation zone adjacent to the melt orifice. A high-frequency melt oscillation range was observed above 123 Hz, and was more prominent one melt-tip-diameter downstream in the melt atomization image than upstream near the melt tip. This high-frequency range may reflect the melt atomization frequency used to produce finely atomized powder. This range also included a prominent high frequency at 1273 Hz, which dominated in the image further away downstream from the melt tip. This discrete high-frequency oscillation is most probably caused by the aeroacoustic “screech” phenomenon, intrasound (
Chitosan/DsiRNA nanoparticle targeting identifies AgCad1 cadherin in Anopheles gambiae larvae as an in vivo receptor of Cry11Ba toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. jegathesan

The Cry11Ba protein of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. jegathesan crystals has uniquely high toxicity against a spectrum of mosquito species. The high potency of Cry11Ba against Anopheles gambiae is caused by recognition of multiple midgut proteins including glycosyl phosphatidylinositol-anchored alkaline phosphatase AgALP1, aminopeptidase AgAPN2, α-amylase AgAmy1 and α-glucosidase Agm3 that bind Cry11Ba with high affinity and function as putative receptors. The cadherin AgCad2 in An. gambiae larvae also binds Cry11Ba with high affinity (Kd = 12 nM) and is considered a putative receptor, while cadherin AgCad1 bound Cry11Ba with low affinity (Kd = 766 nM), a property not supportive for a Cry11Ba receptor role. Here, we show the in vivo involvement of AgCad1 in Cry11Ba toxicity in An. gambiae larvae using chitosan/DsiRNA nanoparticles to inhibit AgCad expression in larvae. Cry11Ba was significantly less toxic to AgCad1-silenced larvae than to control larvae. Because AgCad1 was co-suppressed by AgCad2 DsRNAi, the involvement of AgCad2 in Cry11Ba toxicity could not be ascertained. The ratio of AgCad1:AgCad2 transcript level is 36:1 for gut tissue in 4th instar larvae. Silencing AgCad expression had no effect on transcript levels of other binding receptors of Cry11Ba. We conclude that AgCad1 and possibly AgCad2 in An. gambiae larvae are functional receptors of Cry11Ba toxin in vivo.
Predation on foraminifera by the dentaliid deep-sea scaphopod Fissidentalium megathyris

The dentaliid scaphopod Fissidentalium megathyris, collected from Pacific deep-sea sites off central California, was dissected and examined for prey items. Gut contents revealed that it takes almost exclusively benthic foraminifera, thus indicating that foraminiferal cytoplasm is an important component in the diet. Individual scaphopods contained up to 188 and averaged 33 foraminiferal specimens. On average 73.6% of ingested foraminifera tests had mechanical and/or chemical test damage. Mechanical damage was inflicted chiefly on the last three or so chambers. The mechanical manipulation of the tests by the radula alone could result in damage to the last chambers. Test destruction may result from selective chamber destruction, weaker construction of the last chambers than of the rest of the test, mechanically more vulnerable last chambers, or a combination of all three of these. The high number of ingested tests indicates that deep-sea scaphopods may exert significant predation pressure on benthic foraminifera, which may also lead to preferential destruction during taphonomic and diagenetic processes.
Bandwidth variability prediction with rolling interval least squares (RILS)

Real Time prediction of end-to-end bandwidth is crucial for network quality of service. It remains a challenge for providing prediction in good quality. This is mainly because of uncertainties involved in network communication. Very recently a new algorithm called Rolling Interval Least Squares (RILS) [3] has been developed which significantly improved the variability forecast of the stock market. In this paper we extend the interval computing approach and applied RILS to innovatively predict bandwidth based on a wide range of rates. Experimental results indicate that RILS improved the quality of bandwidth variability prediction by about 24% when compared to current methods.
Cross-layer adaptive control for wireless mesh networks

This paper investigates optimal routing and adaptive scheduling in a wireless mesh network composed of mesh clients and mesh routers. The mesh clients are power constrained mobile nodes with relatively little knowledge of the overall network topology. The mesh routers are stationary wireless nodes with higher transmission rates and more capabilities. We develop a notion of instantaneous capacity regions, and construct algorithms for multi-hop routing and transmission scheduling that achieve network stability and fairness with respect to these regions. The algorithms are shown to operate under arbitrary client mobility models (including non-ergodic models with non-repeatable events), and provide analytical delay guarantees that are independent of the timescales of the mobility process. Our control strategies apply techniques of backpressure, shortest path routing, and Lyapunov optimization.
Scientific Utopia or Scientific Dystopia

I am grateful for the opportunity to comment on Brian A. Nosek and Yoav Bar-Anan's (this issue) article. I applaud their willingness to challenge the status quo of scientific communication, and I f...
Relationships between the structure of natural organic matter and its reactivity towards molecular ozone and hydroxyl radicals

Abstract Oxidation reaction rate parameters for molecular ozone (O3) and hydroxyl (HO) radicals with a variety of hydrophobic organic acids (HOAs) isolated from different geographic locations were determined from batch ozonation studies. Rate parameter values, obtained under equivalent dissolved organic carbon concentrations in both the presence and absence of non-NOM HO radical scavengers, varied as a function of NOM structure. First-order rate constants for O3 consumption (kO3) averaged 8.8×10−3 s−1, ranging from 3.9×10−3 s−1 for a groundwater HOA to >16×10−3 s−1 for river HOAs with large terrestrial carbon inputs. The average second-order rate constant (kHO,DOC) between HO radicals and NOM was 3.6×108 l (mol C)−1 s−1; a mass of 12 g C per mole C was used in all calculations. Specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) at 254 or 280 nm of the HOAs correlated well (r>0.9) with O3 consumption rate parameters, implying that organic π-electrons strongly and selectively influence oxidative reactivity. HO radical reactions with NOM were less selective, although correlation between kHO,DOC and SUVA existed. Other physical–chemical properties of NOM, such as aromatic and aliphatic carbon content from 13C-NMR spectroscopy, proved less sensitive for predicting oxidation reactivity than SUVA. The implication of this study is that the structural nature of NOM varies temporally and spatially in a water source, and both the nature and amount of NOM will influence oxidation rates.
Layout decompression chip for maskless lithography

Future maskless lithography systems require data throughputs of the order of tens of terabits per second in order to have comparable performance to today’s mask-based lithography systems. This work presents an approach to overcome the throughput problem by compressing the layout data and decompressing it on the chip that interfaces to the writers. To achieve the required throughput, many decompression paths have to operate in parallel. The concept is demonstrated by designing an interface chip for layout decompression, consisting of a Huffman decoder and a Lempel-Ziv systolic decompressor. The 5.5mm x 2.5mm prototype chip, implemented in a 0.18μm, 1.8V CMOS process is fully functional at 100MHz dissipating 30mW per decompression row. By scaling the chip size up and implementing it in a 65nm technology, the decompressed data throughput required for writing 60 wafers per hour in 45nm technology is feasible.
Endobronchial cockroach: An unusual foreign body aspiration

Foreign-body aspiration is a frequent and potentially lethal occurrence in children. It is associated with a variety of symptoms including choking, coughing, and wheezing. These symptoms differ in severity and are sometimes absent, and chest radiograph findings are often nonspecific. Thus, the diagnosis of foreign body aspiration is occasionally missed or delayed. A multitude of aspirated objects have been reported in the literature. In the present report, we describe the aspiration of a cockroach by a child with a delay in diagnosis of 3 d.
CIRCUMSCISSILE DEHISCENCE IN SOME ANGIOSPERMS

RECENTLY, the anatomy of circumscissile dehiscence in capsular fruits of some angiosperms has been described (Rethke, 1946; Subramanyam and Raju, 1952; Raju, 1952). According to Rethke "Dehiscence in the pyxidium cannot be accounted for completely by differential drying.... A zone of mechanical weakness is formed between the lid and the base due to alignment of cells in this zone, size of the cells, number of cells concerned, thickness of walls of cells, meristematic state of the cells, or various combinations of these reasons." In some forms at least it is possible to predict the region of dehiscence of the ovary wall at a fairly early stage. In a few other forms, the zone of dehiscence is clearly differentiated during the developmental stages of the fruit. Dehiscence at a particular region is brought about by the development of sclerenchyma as in Portulaca grandiflora (Rethke, 1946) and Sphenoclea zeylanica (Subramanyam and Raju, 1952) or by meristematic cells in combination with lignified cells as in Hyoscyamus niger, Plantago species (Rethke, 1946) and Anagallis pumila (Raju, 1952). The present study deals with the histology of circumscissile dehiscence of Portulaca aleracea, P. quadrifida, P. pilosa, Anagallis a.rvensis, Celosia argentia, Allmania nodiflora (var. aspera) and Sesuvium portulacastrum. PORTULACA sp.-In different species of Portulaca the mature fruit is a pyxidium, dehiscing into an upper lid and a lower base. It is developed from a semi-inferior ovary (fig. 1). The lid and hypanthial base are multi-layered (fig. 2). PORTULACA OLERACEA.-The wall of the young ovary consists of a thick basal hypanthium and a thin upper lid (fig. 2-6). When the embrvo is mature, some thin-walled parenchymatous cells at the junction of the lid and hvpanthium become gradually lignified (fig. 3). Simultaneously, lignification also appears in the outer epidermal cells of the lid (fig. 3). Meanwhile, lignification of cells in the base extends gradually downwards (fig. 3-5). The base, which has more heavily lignified cells, is more rigid than the lid. The thin-walled cells just above the lignified group of cells form the zone of dehiscence. As a result of the pressure caused by the fully developed seeds, followed by the deepening of groove into the zone of thin-walled cells, the lid separates from the base (fig. 6). PORTULACA QUADRIFIDA.-The young ovary wall
Evaluation of a Mechanical Shaker for Microbiological Rinse Sampling of Turkey Carcasses

Abstract The accepted highly accurate method of whole bird rinsing for microbiological sampling of processed-turkey carcasses (particularly for Salmonella) was mechanized and standardized. A unit for sampling two turkey carcasses simultaneously was designed, fabricated, and compared microbiologically with standard manual rinsing procedures. No major differences in total aerobic plate counts or Enterobacteriaceae counts were found, and Salmonella recoveries of experimental contaminants by both procedures were identical.
Temperature-Aware Task Allocation and Scheduling for Embedded Multiprocessor Systems-on-Chip (MPSoC) Design

Temperature affects not only the performance but also the power, reliability, and cost of the embedded system. This paper proposes a temperature-aware task allocation and scheduling algorithm for MPSoC embedded systems. Thermal-aware heuristics are developed, and a temperature-aware floorplanning tool is used to reduce the peak temperature and achieve a thermally even distribution while meeting real time constraints. The paper investigates both power-aware and thermal-aware approaches to the task allocation and scheduling. The experimental results show that the thermal-aware approach outperforms the power-aware schemes in terms of maximal and average temperature reductions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first MPSoC task allocation and scheduling algorithm that takes temperature into consideration.