cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High selectivities in defective MFI membranes

Abstract Two polycrystalline MFI membranes with significant flow through defects (non-zeolitic pores that are gaps between the crystals) are shown to have high ideal and mixture selectivities. The membranes were characterized at room temperature by permporosimetry, pervaporation, separations, and single-gas permeation. These measurements indicate that one membrane (B-ZSM-5) had a relatively large number of smaller defects, whereas the second membrane (silicalite-1) had a smaller number of somewhat larger defects. The relative contributions of these defects to the overall flux changed dramatically in the presence of n-alkanes and SF6. These molecules caused adsorption-induced expansion of the crystals, and this expansion shrank the defect sizes and thus changed the membrane permeation characteristics. The B-ZSM-5 membrane had 90% of its helium flux through defects at room temperature, but it had a H2/SF6 ideal selectivity as high as 260 because of SF6-induced swelling that stopped 99% of the flux through the defects. In contrast, the silicalite-1 membrane had only 9% of its helium flux through defects, but the defects were large enough that crystal swelling only decreased the flux through them by 30%. Thus its selectivities were lower. These studies show that n-hexane, n-pentane, n-butane, n-propane, and SF6 swell MFI crystals when they adsorb, but benzene and CO2 do not. The changes in membrane microstructure due to crystal expansion not only significantly affect membrane separation ability, but also have implications on how to select appropriate characterization techniques for evaluating MFI membrane quality.
Symposium Introduction: Enhancing the Nutritional Value of Potato Tubers

The potato is the world’s fourth largest food crop and is a staple in many diets around the world. In addition to being a source of highly digestible carbohydrate and nutritionally complete protein, the potato is also an excellent source of other essential nutrients and vitamins. A single 150 g tuber provides up to 45% of the recommended daily allowance for vitamin C, 10% vitamin B6, 8% niacin, 6% folate as well as significant amounts of other essential mineral nutrients required for human health. The potential for additional human health benefits of potatoes can be even broader due to the antioxidant properties of certain potato constituents. Of particular significance is the fact that vitamin and nutrient content has not been a focus of most potato breeding efforts. Currently released varieties have been selected for disease resistance, process quality, and other agronomic traits. Limited studies have shown that potato germplasm contains a wide-range of phytonutrients and there is ample opportunity for significant increases in the nutrient content of potatoes through conventional breeding programs. In addition, there is an ever-increasing body of evidence that the use of transgenic technologies can raise nutrient content still higher and introduce additional vitamins and other beneficial compounds not normally present in potato tubers or other storage organs. It was the intent of this symposium to bring together experts to assess current knowledge of potato nutrient content, preand postharvest management strategies for enhancing or maintaining nutritional quality, and prospects for further improvements of nutritional value of potatoes through conventional breeding and transgenic manipulation. It is hoped that the information presented in this symposium stimulates greater interest in this exciting topic and serves as an impetus for future research directed toward the nutritional improvement of the potato and benefits to human health. Proceedings articles from the symposium:
Biochemical characterization of hepatitis B surface antigen in relation to serologic activity.

Physicochemical characterization of HBsAg is a prerequisite of immunochemical definition of the primary structure of a group specific haptenic determinant of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) which may have value in developing a synthetic vaccine against hepatitis B virus infection. For this purpose purified HBsAg/adw subtype in the form of 20-nm homogeneous particles was isolated from large amounts of plasma from a single healthy chronic carrier by a combination of isopycnic banding and rate sedimentation in cesium chloride gradients. HBsAg particles upon sonication and chromatographic separation yielded a subunit of approximate molecular weight of 6000 daltons with serologic reactivity for HBsAg. On affinity chromatography, followed by separation on Biogel P-4 columns, the 6000-dalton subunit resolved into four peaks; only one of these four peaks contained the antigen reactivity. Thin layer chromatography of the active fraction produced four peptides; the antigen reactivity associated with a single peptide (P2) was elusive. However, the amino acid composition showed Gly, Ala, Glu and Ser with traces of Asp and Thr.
Microcomputer‐aided instruction and research in group theory

A collection of programs which aid in the use of group theory has been developed for the Apple II. The programs automate much of the tedious algebra necessary to generate character tables and representation matrices from the properties of the operators chosen to generate the group. At the same time, the presentation of intermediate results provides a schematic guide to the procedures by which groups are constructed. The choice of generators is not limited to the reflections, rotations, and inversions, which are the familiar features of chemical group theory. Any generator representable as a permutation may be treated; thus general permutation groups and Longuet-Higgins groups may be studied. As an illustration we describe the states of beryllium borohydride, which require a form of Longuet-Higgins group theory.
Heat exchange in submerged red-eared turtle, Chrysemys scripta

Abstract 1. 1. Intestinal temperatures of 32 submerged, red-eared turtles (Chrysemys scripta) were monitored following reciprocal transfers between water temperatures of 10 and 30°C. 2. 2. Heat exchange halftimes were highly significantly related to body mass in a double logarithmic fasion: log halftime equalled −0.302 + 0.374 log mass (heating) and −0.295 + 0.425 log mass (cooling). 3. 3. Thirty turtles heated more rapidly than they cooled, yielding a heating-cooling halftime ratio of 0.75 ± 0.17 ( X ± SD ) 4. 4. Data suggest involvement of physiological processes in body temperature relations.
Subjective Responses to Alcohol in the Lab Predict Neural Responses to Alcohol Cues

Objective:Subjective responses to alcohol represent a biologically based, genetically moderated, and clinically informative marker of alcoholism risk; however, the physiology underlying this phenotype remains unclear. This study tested whether subjective responses during alcohol administration predict neural responses to alcohol cues in the scanner and whether these neural responses differ between OPRM1 genotypes.Method:Twenty alcohol-dependent individuals were recruited (10 G-allele carriers; 6 women; Mage = 29.4) for a within-subjects alcohol administration in the laboratory and a functional magnetic resonance imaging session consisting of an alcohol taste cues task. Laboratory assessments of alcohol high, liking, craving, and positive and negative reinforcement during alcohol administration were entered as predictors of neural response to the presentation of alcohol cues versus water cues in the scanner and further tested for OPRM1 genotype moderation (whole-brain cluster-corrected at Z > 1.96, p < .05...
Comparative studies on the isoenzymes of glutathione S-transferase of rat brain and other tissues

Abstract 1. 1. Six forms of glutathione S-transferase (GST) designated as GST 9.3, GST 7.5, GST 6.6, GST 6.1, GST 5.7 and GST 4.9 have been purified to homogeneity from rat brain. 2. 2. All GST isoenzymes of rat brain are apparent homodimers of one of the three type subunits, Ya, Yb, or Ye. More than 60% of total GST activity of rat brain is accounted for by the near neutral and anionic isoenzymes and about 55% of total brain GST activity is associated with the isoenzymes containing only the Yb type of subunits. In these respects brain GST isoenzymes differ from those of lung and liver. 3. 3. The Ya, Yb, and Yc type subunits of brain GST are immunologically similar to the corresponding subunits of liver and lung GST. The isoelectric points and kinetic properties of the Yb type subunit dimers in brain are strikingly different from those of the Yb type dimers present among liver GST isoenzymes indicating subtle differences between these subunits of brain and liver.
Crystalline organic semiconductor optical directional couplers and switches using an index-matching layer

A directional coupler using crystalline organic semiconductor waveguides grown by the vacuum process of organic molecular beam deposition is demonstrated. An index-matching layer placed between two coupled waveguides separated by a 1 mu m gap greatly increases the coupling coefficient, significantly decreasing the coupling length and making the device very compact. Switching of 1.06 mu m wavelength light from one guide to another in the coupler has been observed by pumping the surface of one guide in the coupling region with 0.514 mu m. >
You can take it with you: profile transportability

This paper describes the Personal Portable Profile (P3) system, which captures the characteristics of a user profile from one computer and copies them to a second computer. This is accomplished through an auto-run program stored on a UD-RW flash drive device. Such a system will be useful for those with disabilities by allowing them to easily set the interaction characteristics of any computer they encounter to their "home" settings.
2-Tetradecylglycidic Acid, an Inhibitor of Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase-1, Induces Myocardial Hypertrophy via the AT1 Receptor

Activation of the antiogensin II, type 1 (AT1) receptor mediates the myocardial response to numerous hypertrophic stimuli. This study tested the hypothesis that 2-tetradecylglycidic acid (TDGA), an oxirane carboxylate inhibitor of mitochondrial carnitine plamitoyltransferase-1, induces myocardial hypertrophy via the AT1 receptor system. Male Sprague–Dawley rats treated with 10 mg TDGA/kg/day for 7 days had a heart wet weight:body weight ratio of 3.58±0.16 mg/g compared with a ratio of 2.79±0.07 for rats treated with vehicle (P<0.05). The plasma level of antiogensin II was 117.75±17.39 pg/ml in rats treated with 10 mg TDGA/kg/day compared with 54.0±11.38 pg/ml for rats treated with vehicle (P<0.05). The plasma level of angiotensin I in these two groups of rats was not different statistically. Rats treated with TDGA and given drinking water containing 1 mg losartan/ml had a heart wet weight:body weight ratio of 2.84±0.05 mg/g. This value was not statistically different from the value measured in rats given drinking water containing 1 mg losartan/ml and treated with vehicle alone. No significant difference in the heart wet weight:dry weight ratio occurred among these groups of rats. Finally, treating rats with TDGA or giving rats drinking water that contained 1 mg losartan/ml altered neither their heart rate nor their mean arterial blood pressure when compared with untreated rats. This data, therefore, suggests that oxirane carboxylates induce myocardial hypertrophy by activating the AT1 receptor independent of changes in systemic hemodynamics.
Alternative to sentinel animals for collecting egg masses from wild females of the screwworm (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Egg masses from wild populations of the screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), were obtained by collecting females from rotted liver, holding them for 3 d until egg maturation and then placing them on heated ground beef for oviposition. Nearly 50% of the females oviposited. Fertility of egg masses was 66 and 95% at the two collection sites. Decreased fertility was associated with collections of virgin females. Average weight +/- SD of the egg masses was 13.7 +/- 1.40 mg; the number of eggs per mass averaged 343. This method of obtaining egg masses f rom wild screwworm females is a cost-effective, sensitive alternative to the use of sentinel animals in the field. The use of rotted liver costs less, takes less time, and takes less equipment than the traditional sentinel animal technique.
SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF 15N TRACER AND TEMPORAL PATTERN OF N UPTAKE FROM VARIOUS DEPTHS BY SUGARBEET

Assessment of nitrogen (N) fertilizer needs for sugarbeet requires knowledge of the amount of N available from the soil including the profile below the plow layer. Field studies were conducted to examine 1) spatial and temporal distribution of 15N tracer applied at different soil depths and 2) temporal pattern of N uptake by sugarbeet from various depths. Tracer 15N was applied in confined spots at depths of 30, 75 and 120 cm. Soil samples were collected at 5, 8 and 16 weeks after planting and analyzed for atom excess and mineral N. For the second objective, tracer N was applied on the surface and at depths of 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 cm. Sugarbeet plants were collected 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 weeks after planting. Soil mineral N declined with time at all depths and the decline was most pronounced at 30-cm deep. Lateral movement of tracer 15N 10 cm from the point of injection was detected at the 75 and 120 cm depths 8-weeks after planting. Tracer N was recovered from all depths 9 weeks after planting but ...
Sex pheromone of the stable fly: Evaluation of methyl- and 1,5-dimethylalkanes as mating stimulants

Each of 20 methyl-branched and 1,5-dimethyl-branched alkanes that comprise the active principle of saturated hydrocarbons of the female stable fly,Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), was synthesized and evaluated for mating stimulant activity. The compounds that showed the highest degree of activity in bioassays were 15-methyl- and 15,19-dimethyltritriacontanes.
Point-of-decision prompts for increasing park-based physical activity: A crowdsource analysis

Abstract Objective To examine the potential efficacy of using point-of-decision prompts to influence intentions to be active in a park setting. Methods In June 2013, participants from across the U.S. (n = 250) completed an online experiment using Amazon's Mechanical Turk and Survey Monkey. Participants were randomly exposed to a park photo containing a persuasive, theoretically based message in the form of a sign (treatment) or an identical photo with no sign (control). Differences in intentions to engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity within the park were examined between the two conditions for multiple gender, age, and race groups. Results Participants who were exposed to the park photo with the sign reported significantly greater intentions to be active than those who viewed the photo without a sign. This effect was stronger for women and largely null for men, but no differences were observed across age or race groups. Conclusion Point-of-decision prompts are a relatively inexpensive, simple, sustainable, and scalable strategy for evoking behavior change in parks and further testing of diverse messages in actual park settings is warranted.
Speciation of Chlorine and Alkali Metals in Biomass Combustion and Gasification

Alkali metals, mainly sodium and potassium, together with other ash forming inorganic components in biomass increases fouling, slagging, and high temperature corrosion during biomass combustion or gasification. To reduce the amount of alkali vapor to an acceptable level, which may be affected by Si, Al, Ca, S, Mg, and P, the information on the speciation of alkali metals is essential. In this study, thermodynamic equilibrium calculations were performed to determine the distribution and mode of occurrence of gaseous chlorine and alkali metals of three types of biomass (corn stover, switch grass, and wheat straw) in combustion and gasification processes. The influence of temperature, pressure, and air-fuel ratio was also evaluated. Results show that the excess air has limited influence on the speciation of chlorine and potassium during combustion. However, the influence of the excess air is significant during gasification. Increasing excess air enhances the formation of vapor HCl and KOH as well as reduction in vapor KCl and K2 Cl2. In biomass combustion and gasification, increasing pressure increases vapor HCl and K2 Cl2 and reduces the amount of vapor KCl and KOH. At higher temperatures (>1100K), the gaseous alkali species increased greatly. The results will be useful in the better development of hot gas clean-up technologies.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Toward increasing avian diversity: urban wildscapes programs

Residential development in urban and suburban settings is a major cause of habitat change affecting avian communities. The effects from land-clearing prior to initiation of construction followed by landscaping focused on traditional aesthetics has reduced habitat diversity at multiple levels. These residential developments generally emphasize the use of ornamental, nonindigenous vegetation with little to no concern for native species and natural vegetation parameters. As a result, avian community composition and diversity is changed. We compared avian communities at three sites in Bexar County, Texas; two residential neighborhoods in the city of San Antonio and an unincorporated undeveloped site, Government Canyon State Natural Area. The residential neighborhoods were a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department certified wildscapes development and a traditionally developed neighborhood. Bird abundance and species richness in the neighborhoods were greater than at Government Canyon State Natural Area (P < 0.01), but no differences existed between the neighborhoods. Bird diversity was greatest at the wildscapes neighborhood (P < 0.01). Further, bird diversity did not differ between the traditional neighborhood and the natural area. Evenness differed among sites (P = 0.006) with the natural area having the greatest value. Bird diversity measures correlated with woody plant density and vertical cover (r = 0.358 to 0.673, P < 0.05) at residential sites. Residential areas incorporating natural landscapes into their design attracted a greater variety of birds than traditionally landscaped residential areas.
Inhibition of methane formation from municipal refuse in laboratory scale lysimeters

Changes in chemical composition and population development of key groups of bacteria (hydrolytic, acetogenic, and methanogenic) were measured in a laboratory scale simulation of refuse decomposition from the time of initial incubation through the methane production phase. Inhibition of methane production appeared to be characteristic of refuse decomposition. It was observed in 20 of 32 leachate recycle containers and all 19 control containers. Inhibition was not owing to an absence of indigenous microorganisms, toxic concentrations of carboxylic acids or cations, or insufficient ammonia. Characteristics of inhibited and successful containers are compared.
Superoxide dismutase in normal and malignant tissues in different species.

Abstract 1. 1. Superoxide dismutase (superoxide: superoxide oxido-reductase, E.C. 1.15.1.1) in different species was determined quantitatively and qualitatively. Although quantitative differences were minor, there were significant differences in the isoenzyme patterns among the species. 2. 2. No quantitative differences were found in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the brains of mice between 1 and 23 days of age. The mitochondrial isoenzyme increased with age, attaining maximal levels between 9 and 12 days. In the six regions of adult rat brain studied, highest values of SOD were found in the hypothalamus and lowest in the cortex. 3. 3. SOD levels generally were lower in several transplantable mouse and rat tumors than in normal tissues of these species. Mn-SOD was not detected in the tumors studied by the methods employed.
Infants' perception of pitch: Number of harmonics

This experiment assessed 7-month-old infants' discrimination of harmonic complexes containing two, three, or five harmonics. In an operant head-turn procedure, infants learned to discriminate between complexes having fundamental frequencies of 160 Hz and 200 Hz. Infants were then presented complexes that contained different-frequency harmonics and were required to categorize them on the basis of their fundamental frequencies. Finally, the fundamental frequency was removed from the sounds, and infants were required to categorize them in accordance with the pitch corresponding to the missing fundamental. Although infants discriminated all the tonal complexes, they successfully categorized only complexes containing three or five harmonics and failed to categorize the two-harmonic complexes, even when they contained the fundamental frequency. These results suggest that infants' perception of pitch deteriorates as the number of harmonics in a tonal complex decreases. Furthermore, infants may need more spectral information to perceive pitch than do adults, many of whom hear the pitch of the missing fundamental for two-harmonic complexes.
Studies of the carbon dioxide and epoxide coupling reaction in the presence of fluorinated manganese(III) acacen complexes: kinetics of epoxide ring-opening.

Five-coordinate manganese(III) complexes of N,N′-bis(trifluoroacetylacetone)-1,2-ethylenediimine (tfacacen) have been synthesized and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. The presence of the electron-withdrawing −CF3 substituents enhances the electrophilicity of the metal center in these (tfacacen)MnX (X = Cl, N3, NCO, NCS) derivatives when compared with their (acacen)MnX (acacen = N,N′-bis(acetylacetone)-1,2-ethylenediimine) analogs. This is demonstrated by the increased propensity of the Mn(III) center in the tfacacen complexes to bind a sixth ligand. Binding studies were performed utilizing the υN3 stretching frequency in (tfacacen)MnN3, which is sensitive to the coordination of a ligand at the vacant axial site. Of importance, cyclohexene oxide was shown to readily bind to (tfacacen)MnN3, thereby providing an opportunity for directly monitoring the dependence of the epoxide ring-opening process on the metal complex concentration. In this instance, as has been amply demonstrated in the ...
Analysis of the Army Physical Proficiency Test in Terms of the Fleishman Basic Fitness Tests

In order to analyze the Physical Combat Proficiency Test (PCPT) in terms of the physical fitness factors measured by the Basic Fitness Tests (BFT), both tests were administered to 149 soldiers. The correlations of the PCPT with the BFT were interpreted as factor loadings. The PCPT loaded (.30 or above) on Dynamic Flexibility, Dynamic Strength, Explosive Strength, and Stamina. With the exception of Grenade Throwing, all of the PCPT subtests loaded on at least one of the fitness factors. It was concluded that the PCPT is mainly a test of physical fitness, thus calling into question the rationale for including Grenade Throwing since it was unrelated to physical fitness.
Impact of process variations on charge-sharing induced upset reversal in a 65nm flip-flop

Process variations impact the onset of charge sharing induced upset reversal by changing individual transistor behavior. It reduces or magnifies the ameliorating effect of charge reversal. This work analyzes the effect of variation on charge reversal in a 65nm flip-flop.
LIGHT BOUNDARIES AND THE COUPLED EFFECTS OF SURFACE HYDROPHOBICITY AND LIGHT ON SPORE SETTLEMENT IN THE BROWN ALGA HINCKSIA IRREGULARIS (PHAEOPHYCEAE) 1

We examined the effects of light and surface hydrophobicity individually and in tandem on Hincksia irregularis (Kutzing) Amsler spore settlement. Hincksia irregularis spores were determined to be negatively phototactic by the use of computer-assisted motion analysis. Spore settlement was significantly influenced by surface hydrophobicity and by light, individually and in tandem. Experiments conducted using culture plates modified to reduce well edge artifacts revealed significantly higher settlement on hydrophobic surfaces and in dark environments when compared with negatively charged surfaces and lighted environments. Experimental light/dark boundaries elicited distinct spore settlement responses, with spores displaying dissimilar settlement patterns on plates with different surface hydrophobicities. The results of this study indicate H. irregularis spores possess the capacity for complex responses to their environment. These complex responses may influence dispersal and aid spores in the detection of suitable settlement locations in marine microenvironments.
SOME CONVERGENCE THEORY FOR ITERATIVE ESTIMATION PROCEDURES WITH AN APPLICATION TO SEMIPARAMETRIC ESTIMATION

We develop general conditions for rates of convergence and convergence in distribution of iterative procedures for estimating finite-dimensional parameters. An asymptotic contraction mapping condition is the centerpiece of the theory. We illustrate some of the results by deriving the limiting distribution of a two-stage iterative estimator of regression parameters in a semiparametric binary response model. Simulation results illustrating the computational benefits of the first-stage iterative estimator are also reported.We thank a co-editor and two referees for comments and criticisms that led to significant improvements in this paper. We also thank Roger Klein for providing us with Gauss code to compute his estimator.
Benthic community response (primarily Chironomidae) to nutrient enrichment and alkalinization in shallow, soft water humic lakes

A comparison of the benthic fauna found in two shallow lakes in the New Jersey Pinelands (USA) illustrated the impact of elevated pH and nutrients caused by residential and agricultural disturbance on a naturally acidic, poorly buffered aquatic environment. Detailed community analysis suggested that change in community composition was a better indicator of response to disturbance than biological diversity indices. Chironomidae (insecta) were the predominant components of the benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage of both undisturbed Oswego Lake (low pH, low nutrients) and Nescochague Lake (fluctuating pH, elevated nutrients). The genera Procladius, Tribelos, and Pagastiella dominated Oswego Lake, where as Zalutschia zalutschicola, Procladius, Dicrotendipes, and Tanytarsus dominated Nescochague Lake. Glyptotendipes was a common and unique member of the Nescochague Lake assemblage. Cluster analysis indicated that the chemical differences between lakes were the most important community determinants, although, within each lake, depth and substrate affected the local communities. Oswego Lake exhibited a depauperate nonchironomid benthic fauna typical of low nutrient, acid lakes. In turn, Nescochague Lake exhibited an enriched nonchironomid fauna including mollusks and planaria which were not found in Oswego Lake.
Long term prediction of self-reported problems following spinal cord injury

Past studies of the long term consequences of spinal cord injury (SCI) have used both univariate and multivariate techniques to identify variables predictive of long term problems. Studies using multiple regression and discriminant analysis, while generating valuable data, have often used insufficient sample sizes and have rarely included cross-validation procedures. In the present study, completed questionnaires were obtained from 347 persons with SCI in 1985, 154 of whom also completed questionnaires in 1974. Factor analysis was first used to identify 3 underlying dimensions of self-reported problems including Emotional Distress, Dependency, and Health Problems. Scores on these 3 dimensions were then used as dependent variables with multiple regression. Three organic variables (age, duration of injury and injury level) and 5 adjustment variables (work status, activity level, medical stability, interpersonal satisfaction and economic satisfaction) were used as predictors. Regression equations were generated on the subjects completing only the 1985 questionnaire (N = 193) and cross-validated on persons completing both questionnaires (n = 154). The highest cross-validated squared multiple correlations were obtained for Dependency (SMC = 0.43), followed by Health Problems (SMC = 0.28) and Emotional Distress (SMC = 0.15). Adjustment variables proved to be the better predictors than organic variables, even though the organic variables were entered first. Organic predictors were somewhat useful in predicting Health Problems and Dependency, but of no value in predicting Emotional Distress. When the 1974 data was used to predict 1985 problems considerably smaller SMCs were noted (Dependence = 0.19; Health Problems = 0.11; Emotional Distress = 0.07), although all SMC's remained significant (p < 0.01). Implications for counsellors and other rehabilitation professionals are discussed.
Optimization of near-constant force springs subject to mating uncertainty

Constant force mechanisms are mechanical devices that provide a near-constant output force over a sizable and prescribed deflection range. These mechanisms have proven to be innovative solutions in a variety of applications. This paper considers a new application – the robust design optimization of constant force electrical contacts. Electrical contacts are inexpensive, small-scale, springs that carry electrical current. To produce these contacts at competitively low manufacturing costs, expensive pin-joints (a principle component of traditional kinematic mechanisms) are replaced by simple cam followers. Under certain conditions, enforced in this paper, cam followers can be used to emulate traditional pin-joints, and achieve the necessary motion. These emulated pin-joints, however, are subject to mating/assembly uncertainties that affect performance and must be considered in the design. In this paper, a numerical optimization model is used to characterize the force-deflection relationships for both an exactly mated emulated pin-joint, and for one that is subject to mating uncertainties. The numerical results show that under the exact mating conditions, a contact with 97.50% constant force can be identified (an improvement of 24.3% over previously published results), albeit sensitive to mating uncertainty. When conditions are considered uncertain, a more robust design is found with a 98.20% constant force. These surprising results are described in detail and verified with Monte Carlo simulation to confirm the results.
Work in progress: Update 2012 on the iCollaborate MSE project

The overall objectives of the research performed in the iCollaborate Materials Science and Engineering [MSE] project are to measure if improvements in student learning outcomes, student engagement, and successful course completion rates are possible if the structure in a basic materials engineering course is transformed from primarily deductive practice to an Information Communication Technology (ICT) enabled inductive teaching and learning environment. There are two overarching components of our project. The first component required the transformation of the course structure from deductive practice to inductive practice. This element is supported by research results in STEM education and educational theory based on cognitive and social constructivism. The second component is the ICT support as there is an additional research base that supports connections between ICT enhanced collaborative learning, distributed cognition, and enhanced student outcomes. We propose that ICT support combined with immersion in an inductive teaching and learning environment will improve student outcomes more than either singular component case. The capabilities of the iPod Touch allowed us to build applications (apps) that utilize different multi-media formats. Eight different MSE apps have been built so far. The apps facilitate and support daily collaborative learning opportunities that target specific student learning objectives that are known to be challenging. Bi-weekly in-class, low-stakes quizzes help the students evaluate how well they are building their own knowledge base. Three kinds of data sets will be used to evaluate our research. Data set one is from deductive practice. Data set two is with inductive practice. The third data set, which we are now collecting, is similar to data set two, but with ICT support. This work-in-progress paper will describe the project, its theoretical base, the apps, experiences with the deployment of the devices, and focus group findings. The National Science Foundation is supporting the project (NSF CCLI #0941012).
The minimum-uncertainty squeezed states for atoms and photons in a cavity

We describe a multi-parameter family of the minimum-uncertainty squeezed states for the harmonic oscillator in nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. They are derived by the action of the corresponding maximal kinematical invariance group on the standard ground state solution. We show that the product of the variances attains the required minimum value 1/4 only at the instances that one variance is a minimum and the other is a maximum, when the squeezing of one of the variances occurs. The generalized coherent states are explicitly constructed and their Wigner function is studied. The overlap coefficients between the squeezed, or generalized harmonic, and the Fock states are explicitly evaluated in terms of hypergeometric functions and the corresponding photon statistics are discussed. Some applications to quantum optics, cavity quantum electrodynamics and superfocusing in channelling scattering are mentioned. Explicit solutions of the Heisenberg equations for radiation field operators with squeezing are found.
New Year's message from the editors

As editors of Pediatric Nephrology, we wish you and your families a happy and healthy New Year. We are privileged to have the opportunity to work for the International Pediatric Nephrology Association in helping—along with our associate editors, editorial board, and reviewers—to guide the journal toward excellence. This has been another successful year for our journal. The number of submissions increased to more than 700, with excellent manuscripts coming from around the world. As you may have noticed, there have been some changes. As reviews and teaching reviews are well received by readers, we increased the number published, and as we have page restrictions, we reduced the number other features not as well received . There are now fewer brief reports and letters to the editor. Letters to the editor must refer to articles published in the journal and cannot be short case reports. As this is an international journal, articles must be of interest to all our readers. Thus, we no longer publish manuscripts that are of regional interest only. Finally, the journal’s content is primarily clinical, and our readers are by and large clinicians. We are therefore increasingly selective regarding the basic science papers considered for publication. Advances in basic science information that is of interest and importance to our readership will continue to be presented in reviews authored by leaders in the field. As editors, we strive to make submission to the journal as effortless as possible and ensure a rapid response to authors regarding the suitability of their manuscript for publication. Upon manuscript acceptance, our staff and the staff at Springer work diligently to electronically publish the manuscript on line so that your work as an author is visible and citable to the community. We find our job as the journal’s editors exciting, and we are privileged to have the opportunity to learn from all the interesting papers submitted for publication. We thank our authors for sending us such excellent papers, and we particularly thank our reviewers, who readily give their time to make the journal the success it is. Once again, we wish you and your families the best for the New Year.
Can strategic technology development improve climate cooperation? A game-theoretic analysis

Clean technology has figured prominently in recent debates on international climate policy. This article offers a game-theoretic investigation of the possibility and effectiveness of strategic technology development: environmental leaders setting policies that reduce the global cost of clean technology. The game-theoretic model combines technology development and adoption with pollution abatement, and it allows technology costs to differ across countries. The key theoretical findings are as follows. First, free riding is an obstacle to technology development in two ways: countries fail to fully internalize the beneficial effect of technology development on (i) global pollution abatement and (ii) the reduced cost of technology adoption in outsider countries. Second, strategic technology development can be effective when (i) a key group of frontrunner countries prefers to invest in research and development and (ii) many other countries are willing to adopt the new technology. The findings suggest that strategic technology deployment by a group of frontrunners can enable more effective climate cooperation in the future.
Outer automorphisms of ordered permutation groups

A well-known fact is that every automorphism of the symmetric group on a set must be inner (whether the set is finite or infinite) unless the set has exactly six elements (4, § 13). A long-standing conjecture concerns the analogue of this fact for the group A(S) of all order-preserving permutations of a totally ordered set S. The group A(S) is lattice ordered (l-group) by defining, for f, g ∈ A (S), f ≦ g whenever xy ≦ xg for all x ∈ S. From the standpoint of l-groups, A(S) is of considerable interest because of the analogue of Cayley's theorem proved in (2), namely every l-group may be embedded in some A(S). Unlike the non-ordered symmetric groups, which must be highly transitive, A(S) is severely restricted if assumed transitive. Of special interest are those cases when A(S) is doubly transitive (relative to the order), since the building blocks (primitive) of all transitive A(S) are either doubly transitive or uniquely transitive. It is easily seen that each inner automorphism of A(S) must preserve the lattice ordering (that is, must be an l-automorphism). It is tempting to conjecture that every l-automorphism of A(S) must be inner. However, an easy counterexample is at hand. If S consists of two copies of the ordered set of integers, one entirely above the other, then A(S) is the direct product of two copies of the l-group of integers, which has an outer l-automorphism exchanging the two factors. The conjecture referred to above is that if A(S) is transitive on S, then every l-automorphism of A(S) is inner.
Autosomal variation for male body size and sperm competition phenotypes is uncorrelated in Drosophila melanogaster

Correlations between male body size and phenotypes impacting post-copulatory sexual selection are commonly observed during the manipulation of male body size by environmental rearing conditions. Here, we control for environmental influences and test for genetic correlations between natural variation in male body size and phenotypes affecting post-copulatory sexual selection in Drosophila melanogaster. Dry weights of virgin males from 90 second-chromosome and 88 third-chromosome substitution lines were measured. Highly significant line effects (p<0.001) documented a genetic basis to variation in male body size. No significant correlations were identified between male body size and the components of sperm competitive ability. These results suggest that natural autosomal variation for male body size has little impact on post-copulatory sexual selection. If genetic correlations exist between male body size and post-copulatory sexual selection then variation in the sex chromosomes are likely candidates, as might be expected if sexually antagonistic coevolution was responsible.
Grafting of partially hydrolysed poly(methyl methacrylate) onto mesylated cellulose acetate

Abstract A new synthetic route to cellulose graft polymers by nucleophilic displacement of mesylate groups from mesyl cellulose acetate (MCA) by the polystyrylcarboxylate anion has been recently reported by us. This approach to cellulosic graft polymers overcomes the drawbacks of the radical polymerization methods and allows for precise control of parameters such as the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of the grafted side chains, higher degree of substitution on the cellulose backbone, the number and nature of grafted side chains and overall better control and reproducibility of the grafting process. In this report, partially hydrolysed poly(methyl methacrylate) was successfully grafted on to mesylated cellulose acetate in excellent yields by nucleophilic displacement of mesylate groups in less than 60 min at 75°C.
Crystal structure of a ternary complex of Escherichia coli malate dehydrogenase citrate and NAD at 1.9 A resolution.

Abstract The structure of malate dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli complexed with the substrate analog, citrate and the cofactor NAD, has been determined by X-ray crystallography. A monoclinic crystal of the malate dehydrogenase, grown in citrate buffer, was soaked in 10 mM NAD solution and found to be isomorphous with the apo-form. The X-ray data extended to 1·9 A, nearly the same resolution limit as the apo-enzyme crystals. The ternary complex of malate dehydrogenase has very few conformational differences from that of the pseudo binary complex of enzyme with bound citrate. In addition, the NAD molecule has a very similar conformation to the NAD as found in the crystal structure of the cytosolic eukaryotic malate dehydrogenase. Similar hydrogen bond interactions are made by both enzymes from polar groups belonging to the NAD. Such interactions include hydrogen bonds from the ribose oxygens and the phosphate oxygens, to backbone amide and carbonyl atoms of the protein and to side-chains of a select few conserved hydrophilic residues. The only notable difference occurs in the active site region where the nicotinamide moiety is obstructed from further entering the active site by the C-6 carbonyl atoms of citrate. In this position there are no direct polar interactions between the protein and the nicotinamide moiety. Energy minimization of the structure with malate substituted for citrate in the active site shows that the nicotinamide moiety assumes the same position in the active site as the NAD in cytosolic malate dehydrogenase. The carboxamide atoms of the energy minimized model make significant hydrogen bond interactions with the catalytic residue, H177, and with the main-chain atoms of I117 and V146 in the vicinity of the active site, while the position of the rest of the cofactor remains unchanged.
SANTERÍA GRAND SLAM: AFRO-CUBAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES AND THE STUDY OF AFRO-CUBAN RELIGION

[First paragraph]Living Santeria: Rituals and Experiences in an Afro-Cuban Religion. MICHAEL ATWOOD MASON. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002. ix + 165 pp. (Paper US$ 16.95)Divine Utterances: The Performance of Afro-Cuban Santeria. KATHERINE J. HAGEDORN. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2001. xvi + 296 pp. (Cloth US$ 40.00)The Light Inside: Abakua Society Arts and Cuban Cultural History. DAVID H. BROWN. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2003. xix + 286 pp. (Cloth US$ 44.23)Santeria Enthroned: Art, Ritual, and Innovation in an Afro-Cuban Religion. DAVID H. BROWN. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2003. xx + 413 pp. (Paper US$ 38.00)Ethnographic objects behave in curious ways. Although they clearly are “our constructions,” field sites and even topically circumscribed (rather than spatially delimited) ethnographic problems lead double lives: places and problems change not merely because they factually undergo historical changes, but because researchers come to them from historically no less changeable epistemic vantage points. One can imagine generational cohorts of ethnographers marching across the same geographically or thematically defined terrain and seeing different things – not just because of substantial changes that have factually occurred, but because they have come to ask different questions. The process obviously has its dialectical moments. The figures we inscribe in writing from fleeting observations (based on changing theoretical conceptions) are no less subject to history than the empirical grounds from which our discursive efforts call them forth. The result is a curious imbrication of partially autonomous, but also partly overlapping, historicities of lives and texts which, at times, are more difficult to keep apart than it would seem at first glance. At least in the study of Afro-Cuban religious culture, the two practical and discursive fields – one circumscribed by the practical, but perhaps misleading label “Afro-Cuban religion,”1 and the other designated by whatever term one might like to affix to the study of it – cannot be easily separated: much as in the Brazilian case (Braga 1995, Capone 1999, Matory 1999, 2001), practitioners of Afro-Cuban religions and their ethnographers have engaged each other in a dialogue since at least the second decade of the twentieth century. That it took us so long to understand this fact has much to do with the way both “Afro-Cuban religion” and “Afro-Cuban ethnography” originally (and lastingly) became discursively objectified: the former largely under the sign of a search for “authentically African” elements in New World cultural practices, the second as an instrument for “verifying” (and thereby authorizing) such “Africanisms” (Scott 1991).
The total emissivity of various materials at 100-500 degrees C.

Total emissivities have been obtained for various metal, carbon, paint-coated, and glass samples. The carbon and glass samples were measured at about 500, 320, and 100°C; the others only at 100°C. The equipment consisted of a thermopile, three diaphragms, and three shutters, all at 0°C, and suitable heaters. For calibration, a special blackbody at 100°C was used. Its principal feature was a polished conical brass mirror, also at 100°C, for reflecting blackbody radiation to the thermopile.The emissivity data for glass were corrected for radiation transmitted through the sample from the blackened heater surface, and for the temperature gradient in the sample. The resulting emissivity values ranged from 0.82 to 0.91 for two glass samples and from 0.67 to 0.775 for fused quartz. For pressed carbon plates, the range was 0.71 to 0.77; for radiator paints, 0.29 to 0.84; for well polished metals, 0.05 to 0.135.