cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dry powders of stable protein formulations from aqueous solutions prepared using supercritical CO2‐assisted aerosolization

We report on the use of a new supercritical carbon dioxide-assisted aerosolization coupled with bubble drying technology to prepare stabilized, dry, finely divided powders from aqueous protein formulations. In this study, the feasibility of this new technology was tested using two model proteins, lysozyme and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). In the absence of excipients, lysozyme was observed to undergo perturbations of secondary structure observed by solid-state infrared spectroscopy. In the presence of sucrose, this unfolding was minimized. Lysozyme did not, however, undergo irreversible loss of activity, as all lysozyme powders generated by supercritical CO(2)-assisted aerosolization (with or without excipients) regained almost complete activity on reconstitution. The more labile LDH suffered irrecoverable loss of activity on reconstituting after supercritical CO(2)-assisted aerosolization and bubble drying in the absence of carbohydrate stabilizers. LDH could be stabilized throughout the nebulization, drying, and rehydration processes with the addition of sucrose, and almost complete preservation of activity was achieved with the further addition of a surface active agent, such as Tween 20, to the aqueous formulation prior to processing.
Compressed magnesia as electrical insulator

Abstract Compressed magnesia exhibits a fairly high breakdown strength of 300 kv./cm. This high strength appears remarkable, in considering the large porosity factor of the wafers. The contradiction can be explained by the inorganic nature of the material, and its consequent resistance against overheating and ionization.
Chemical Evolution of the Universe and the role of Radioactive Nuclear Beams

This paper provides a brief outline of the status of our understanding the chemical evolution of the Universe and the role that radioactive beam facilities will play in these studies.
Spectroelectrochemical and electrochemical determination of ligand binding and electron transfer properties of myoglobin, cyanomyoglobin, and imidazolemyoglobin

Abstract Electrochemistry and spectroelectrochemistry were used to study solutions of horse myoglobin, both by itself and complexed with cyanide or imidazole, at indium-tin oxide electrodes. In the absence of ligands other than water, myoglobin exhibited slow quasi-reversible heterogeneous electron transfer kinetics, with a formal heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant ( k °′) value of 1.6(±0.4)×10 −5 cm s −1 . Differences from simple simulations in the reverse sweep (anodic) cyclic voltammograms are proposed to be due to residual amounts of dioxygen in solution and/or in the protein molecule. Those differences were not seen in the anodic waveforms of simultaneously acquired derivative cyclic voltabsorptometry (DCVA) experiments. Cyanomyoglobin exhibited faster heterogeneous electron transfer kinetics, with a k °′ value of 6.0(±1.0)×10 −4 cm s −1 . Values for the homogeneous rate constants for dissociation ( k f ) and association ( k b ) of cyanide from and to the electrochemically reduced protein were determined to be 0.08(±0.03) s −1 and 0.06(±0.03) M −1 s −1 , respectively. Imidazolemyoglobin was found to transfer electrons faster than cyanomyoglobin, with a k °′ value of 2.0(±0.5)×10 −3 cm s −1 . The values for the homogeneous rate constants k f and k b were 0.40(±0.1 5) s −1 and 1.1(±0.1) M −1 s −1 , respectively.
Derived categories of nodal curves

A playing an important role in the theory of vector bundles over projective curves and in the theory of Cohen‐Macaulay modules [2, 3]. It is also proved that, with the exception of these curves and certain weighted projective Geigle‐Lenzing straight lines [4], all other noncommutative curves are wild relative to the classification of vector bundles. In the present paper, we prove that, for nodal curves of string and almost string types, it is possible to describe not only vector bundles but also the derived categories of coherent sheaves in complete agreement with the fact that this description is possible for linear configurations of the types A and Q
Study on the Effects of Type I Collagen Combined with Noncollagenous Proteins on Hydroxyapatite Formation in vitro using SPM and GIXD

The effects of the components of extracellular matrix on the bone formation and the kinetics of crystal growth of calcium phosphate have remained unknown. In this paper, we reported a method to investigate the role of Type I collagen and the interactions with other ECM proteins such as fibronectin and elastin during biomimic mineralization process in vitro. The early stage of mineralization was characterized by scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and shear modulation force microscopy (SMFM). The late stage of mineralization was investigated by synchrotron grazing incident x-ray diffraction (GIXD). The results demonstrate the cooperative interaction between type I collagen and noncollagenous proteins such as fibronectin or elastin could be essential for the biomineralization.
Development of Linear Heating Rates Using Conventional Baths and Computer Simulation

: A conventional cooking method to obtain linear heating was developed by heating sequentially in multiple baths set at different temperatures. The time and temperature in each rate were determined using computer simulation. Two heating media (water and ethylene glycol) were employed. Gelation properties of whey protein concentrate (WPC) slurry (15% protein and 2% salt) were evaluated at 3 different heating rates (1, 8, and 15°C/min). Failure shear stress and strain values were significantly affected by heating rates. Failure shear stress and strain at 1°C/min were significantly higher compared to higher heating rates (8 and 15°C/min).
The Effectiveness of Facilitated Mentoring: A Longitudinal Quasi-Experiment☆☆☆★

Abstract The initiation of formal mentoring has become a widespread practice in public and private organizations. This paper reports results from a one-year longitudinal quasi-experiment which examined the effectiveness of a formal mentoring program at a Fortune 100 corporation. Employees who participated in the program were compared with a control group who reported never having had a mentor. Results showed that subjects with formal mentors reported significantly higher levels of job satisfaction. While a small to medium effect for participation in the mentor program was observed for organizational commitment, this effect failed to reach statistical significance in the current study. Subjects participating in the mentor program did not differ from their nonmentored counterparts in terms of work-role stress or self-esteem at work. These results suggest that a formal mentor program can have positive effects on individual and organizational outcomes, but its effectiveness may not be as extensive as widely assumed.
Examining a premise underlying self-instructional techniques

Twenty learning-disabled (LD) children were administered the Matching Familiar Figures Test before they played alone in a room while their behavior and private speech were videotaped. Tapes were transcribed and coded according to activity level and the types and amounts of private speech used during play. Children used more Fantasy/Role-Playing speech than Regulatory or Affective speech. The speech of 10 of the children who had been diagnosed hyperactive was generally similar to that of the nonhyperactive children, although high activity level during play was accompanied by more private speech. Reflective children used Fantasy/Role-Playing speech more than did impulsive children. The premise that highly active or impulsive LD children show differences in their use of private speech as compared to less active and more reflective children, and that they thus could profit from techniques that try to modify self-directed speech, was supported.
Ab initio studies of the NF2Li and NHLi2 dimers

Abstract In an attempt to elucidate the nature of the dimeric bond in NLiX 2 compounds, ab initio calculations with 3-21G and 6-31G* basis sets are performed on NF 2 Li and NHLi 2 . The former exhibits an asymmetric structure, with a binding energy about half that of the NH 2 Li dimer, while the latter features C 2v symmetry and a binding energy approximately the same as that of (NH 2 Li) 2 . It is concluded that the dimerization occurs via a contribution of covalent bonding.
ERIK: An Expert Ship Message Interpreter New Mechanisms For Flexible Passing

ERIK (Evaluating Reports using Integrated Knowledge) is a working system that was developed for the U.S. Coast Guard to parse ship messages. ERIK is capable of parsing at an impressive rate of 1000 to 2000 messages per day, sent from merchant vessels in all parts of the world. Since these reports contain vital information it is important that the system can parse and correct them quickly and accurately, and furthermore know when it has failed to do so. This paper will focus on the following three algorithms: The IntaaLatad spaliaL/ReqQanizeL integrates the tasks of recognizing items on the input stream and spelling correction. Traditionally these tasks were separated, with items that could not be recognized passed on to a separate speller. We will describe the process that allows fast expectation-based spelling correction and recognition in one unit. The InteLRLatara is a general control structure that allows parsing of the various fields even when the reports fail to follow a fixed format, contains various types of ambiguities (both structurely and conceptually) and can handle the intrusion of noisy and irrelevant information. Changing Contaxta without laking has the ability to recover from wrong assumptions due to erroneous information and correct the previously parsed structures without the need to reparse what has already been processed. These three algorithms provided the core of the ERIK system allowing it to accurately parse and correct ship messages with confidence in a real time, real world situation.
Disparities in access to basic laparoscopic surgery at U.S. academic medical centers.

Laparoscopy is the standard approach used for basic gastrointestinal procedures such appendectomy and cholecystectomy. This study determined the disparities in access to laparoscopic surgery for these commonly performed procedures at U.S. academic medical centers. Using appropriate International Classification of Diseases, 9th ed, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) procedure and diagnosis codes, 112,540 basic gastrointestinal procedures were identified from the University HealthSystem Consortium database over a 4-year period (2005–2009). During this period, 82,062 laparoscopic (72.9%) and 30,478 open (27.1%) procedures were performed. The odds ratios (ORs) for laparoscopic versus open procedures were calculated and stratified for age, gender, race/ethnicity, admission status, severity of illness, and primary payer status. Univariate analysis showed that young age (OR, 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27–1.39), white race/ethnicity (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03–1.11), female gender (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.75–1.84), minor severity of illness (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.44–1.53), and commercial/private payer status (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.21–1.29) increased the likelihood that a laparoscopic approach would be used for the procedures studied. A disparity in access to basic laparoscopic surgery exists at U.S. academic medical centers based on age, gender, race/ethnicity, severity of illness, and primary payer status.
Mechanism of Twin Formation in Excimer-laser-induced Lateral Solidification of Si Films

In this paper, we present experimental findings pertaining to the formation of twins in isolated single-crystal islands obtained via the dot-SLS method. Systematic characterization of the islands using EBSD reveals that Σ = 3 CSL twins constitute the predominant extended defect. Given this, the surface orientation of the seed and twinned regions are shown to be related by a 180° rotation about a axis, and the orientation of the twinned area is apparently manifested in the inverse pole figure as a reflection across the {112} zone. By considering (1) the overall pattern of the twin boundaries within the islands, (2) that solidification proceeds via a facetted mode of growth and, (3) that intragrain-defect-free regions were obtained when the dot-SLS process was performed on a {100} surface-oriented seed, we suggest that these twins are most likely generated heterogeneously at the Si/SiO 2 interface during the ledge nucleation stage of rapid lateral solidification of the films.
Neural decision boundaries for maximal information transmission.

We consider here how to separate multidimensional signals into two categories, such that the binary decision transmits the maximum possible information about those signals. Our motivation comes from the nervous system, where neurons process multidimensional signals into a binary sequence of responses (spikes). In a small noise limit, we derive a general equation for the decision boundary that locally relates its curvature to the probability distribution of inputs. We show that for Gaussian inputs the optimal boundaries are planar, but for non–Gaussian inputs the curvature is nonzero. As an example, we consider exponentially distributed inputs, which are known to approximate a variety of signals from natural environment.
An empirical analysis of a firm's decision to franchise

Abstract Hypotheses from monitoring and search cost explanations for the existence of franchising are discussed and tested. The evidence offers strong support for the search theory, somewhat weaker support for the monitoring/shirking theory, and no support for the monitoring/cheating hypothesis.
New Capitalism, Risk, and Subjectification in an Early Childhood Classroom

New capitalism' has been characterized as an economic period in which insecurity, flux, and uncertainty exist in the workplace. Capitalism attempts to tame that uncertainty through risk taking. Taking risks has become what one must do with risk. Economic discourses of embracing risk - thoroughly grounded in the ideologies of neoliberalism - are widely distributed into many non- economic areas, including education. Risk taking is now understood as something everyone should valorize, a necessity for freedom and choice. Such discourses are appropriated and recontextualized into different domains, including the everyday interactions between young children and teachers. In this study the authors examine the discourse of a writing lesson taught by one early childhood teacher, focusing on how she used language to promote/produce her students as risk-takers. The authors argue that this teacher's attempt to promote/produce risk-takers belied her commitment to neoliberal ideologies and new modes of capitalism. They also argue that her efforts were dampened by tensions that she also seemed to embody/live - tensions between old and new forms of capitalism, between modernist and postmodernist notions of agency, between safety and risk, and between freedom and control. The outcomes of her work thus seemed to embody tensions in how her students came to understand choice, risk, and freedom.
A PERITRACHEAL NEUROPEPTIDE SYSTEM IN INSECTS: RELEASE OF MYOMODULIN-LIKE PEPTIDES AT ECDYSIS

We identified of a set of neuropeptide-expressing cells sited along the respiratory system of Drosophila melanogaster using an antibody to the molluscan neuropeptide myomodulin. The number and positions of these 'peritracheal' myomodulin (PM) cells were reminiscent of the epitracheal Inka cells in the moth Manduca sexta. These Inka cells release the peptide ecdysis-triggering hormone, which helps elicit ecdysial behavior at the molt, and we show that they are also recognized by the myomodulin (MM) antibody. In both D. melanogaster and M. sexta, the PM and Inka cells are the only MM-positive cells outside the central nervous system. In both insects, MM immunoreactivity disappears at the end of the molt. In D. melanogaster, we have monitored the PM cells throughout development using two enhancer trap lines; the PM cells persist throughout development, but at larval, pupal and adult ecdyses, they display a loss of MM immunoreactivity. This transient loss occurs at a predictable time, just prior to ecdysis. In contrast, MM-positive neurons in the central nervous system do not show these changes. The PM cells also reveal a concomitant loss of immunostaining for an enzyme contained in secretory granules. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the PM cells release MM-like peptides just prior to each ecdysis. In addition, we demonstrate that peritracheal cells of five widely divergent insect orders show a myomodulin phenotype. The peritracheal cell size, morphology, numbers and distribution vary in these different orders. These data suggest that peritracheal cells release MM-like peptides as part of a conserved feature of the endocrine regulation of insect ecdysis.
Dynamics of InAs Quantum Dots Formation on AlAs and GaAs

We have studied the formation of InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy on top of GaAs and 2 ML-thick AlAs layers in the temperature range from 350 to 500°C. In-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) patterns were recorded in real time during the growth and analyzed to characterize the 2D-to-3D transition on the surface, including QD formation, and ripening process. The kinetics of QD formation was studied using the InAs growth rates ranging from 0.01 to 1 ML/s and different ratios of As2/In fluxes. RHEED patterns and ex-situ atomic force microscopy images were analyzed to reveal the development of sizes and shapes of the single-layer and stacked QD ensembles. The critical InAs coverage for QD formation was shown to be consistently higher for dots grown on the AlAs overlayer than for those grown on GaAs surface. Self-assembly of multilayer QD stacks revealed the reduction of the critical thickness for dots formed in the upper layers.
The prognostic importance of comorbidity for mortality in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Abstract Objectives To identify the prevalent and prognostically important coexisting illnesses among single coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Background As the population ages, physicians are increasingly required to make decisions concerning patients with multiple co-existing illnesses (comorbidity). Many trials of CAD therapy have excluded patients with significant comorbidity, such that there are limited data to guide the management of those patients. Methods To consider the long-term prognostic importance of comorbid illness, we examined a cohort of 1,471 patients with CAD who underwent cardiac catheterization between 1985 and 1989 and were followed up through 2000 in the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Diseases. Weights were assigned to individual diseases according to their prognostic significance in Cox proportional hazards models, thus creating a new CAD-specific index. The new index was compared with the widely used Charlson index, according to prevalence of conditions, individual and overall associations with survival, and agreement. Results The Charlson index and the CAD-specific index were highly associated with long-term survival and almost equivalent to left ventricular ejection fraction. When considering the components of the Charlson index, diabetes, renal insufficiency, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and peripheral vascular disease had greater prognostic significance among CAD patients, whereas peptic ulcer disease, connective tissue disease, and lymphoma were less significant. Hemiplegia, leukemia, lymphoma, severe liver disease, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome were rarely identified among patients undergoing coronary angiography. Conclusions Comorbid disease is strongly associated with long-term survival in patients with CAD. These data suggest co-existing illnesses should be measured and considered in clinical trials, disease registries, quality comparisons, and counseling of individual patients.
Position sensorless control of surface mount permanent magnet AC (PMAC) motors at low speeds

A position sensorless field oriented control scheme for surface mount permanent magnet AC (PMAC) motor is presented. A digital signal processor (DSP) is used to implement the sensorless scheme. The PMAC stator is wound like that of a conventional three-phase induction motor. The coils of the motor are all brought out and it is possible to connect the motor in different configurations. Taps are also provided which are used for voltage measurements. By measuring the tap voltages, absolute position of the permanent magnet AC motor, driven by a current regulated PWM inverter, with a fixed frequency ramp comparison controller, is estimated. The estimated position information is independent of the stator resistance, thus this scheme is even applicable at low speeds. Results are presented to show the effectiveness of the new sensorless scheme.
A New Metric for Indian Monsoon Rainfall Extremes

AbstractExtreme monsoon rainfall in India has disastrous consequences, including significant socioeconomic impacts. However, little is known about the overall trends and climate factors associated with extreme rainfall because rainfall greatly varies across India and because few appropriate methods are available to measure extreme rainfall in the context of such heterogeneity. To provide a comprehensive assessment of extreme monsoon rainfall, the authors developed a metric using record rainfall data to measure the changes in the likelihood of extreme high and extreme low rainfall over time; this metric is independent of the characteristics of the underlying rainfall distributions. Hence, the metric is ideally suited to aggregate extreme rainfall information across heterogeneous regions covering India. The authors found that from 1930 to 2013, the likelihood of extreme high and extreme low rainfall increases 2-fold and 4-fold, respectively. These overall trend increases are driven by anomalous increases, p...
Atmospheric variability of methyl chloride during the last 300 years from an Antarctic ice core and firn air

Measurements of methyl chloride (CH3Cl) in Antarctic polar ice and firn air are used to describe the variability of atmospheric CH3Cl during the past 300 years. Firn air results from South Pole and Siple Dome suggest that the atmospheric abundance of CH3Cl increased by about 10% in the 50 years prior to 1990. Ice core measurements from Siple Dome provide evidence for a cyclic natural variability on the order of 10%, with a period of about 110 years in phase with the 20th century rise inferred from firn air. Thus, the CH3Cl increase measured in firn air may largely be a result of natural processes, which may continue to affect the atmospheric CH3Cl burden during the 21st century.
On the notions of ‘stone’ and ‘mountain’ in Indo-European

We know a great deal about the Indo-European language family, and we can reconstruct a significant part of its vocabulary and its meaning-structure. Some words are virtual certainties, e.g. the form and meaning of the number ‘seven’, as well as other numerals. Other words are quite beyond confident recovery, both for form and for the notion itself, e.g. ‘good’. As a rule, we may say that in proportion as the lexeme is bound up with semantics that are or have been culturally relative the reconstruction becomes increasingly elusive.
An overview of U.S. predoctoral dental implant programs and their directors.

The aim of this study was to provide an overview of current predoctoral implant programs in the United States, includ- ing curricular characteristics and clinical practices regarding implant therapy education and program directors' characteristics. An electronic survey was sent to predoctoral implant program directors of all 64 accredited U.S. dental schools; 52 of the 60 eligible programs responded, for a response rate of 87%. The responding program directors were primarily affiliated with either prosthodontics departments (44%) or restorative dentistry departments (40%). Structurally, 80.8% of the responding schools integrate their implant programs into the third year of the curriculum. Clinical implant therapy exercises reported were simulation exercises without direct patient care (90.4% of responding schools) and direct patient care under supervision (94.2%). The most frequently taught restorative modalities are posterior single-tooth implant crown (96.2%), mandibular implant-retained overden- ture (88.5%), and anterior implant-supported single crown (61.5%). A majority (74.5%) of responding programs utilize analog surgical guide planning, while 25.5% reported use of digital guided surgery planning software. All schools in the Northwest and 66.7% in the South Central regions utilize custom abutments as the primary abutment design, while a majority of schools in the North Central (62.5%), Northeast (53.8%), Southwest (66.7%), and Southeast (80%) regions use stock abutments (p=0.02). Regional differences were significant with regard to fixation modality, with all the Northwest programs using screw retention and 90% of Southeast and 87.5% of North Central programs using cement retention (p=0.002). This study demonstrated that while institutions share program director and curricular similarities, clinical practices and modalities vary significantly by region.
Drivers' Visual Behavior When Using Handheld and Hands-Free Cell Phones

ABSTRACT Objective This study investigated driver distraction and how the use of handheld (HH), portable hands-free (PHF), and integrated hands-free (IHF) cell phones affected the visual behavior of motor vehicle drivers. Method A naturalistic driving study recorded 204 participating drivers using video cameras and vehicle sensors for an average of 31 days. A total of 1564 cell phone calls made and 844 text messages sent while driving were sampled and underwent a video review. Baselines were established by recording epochs prior to the cell phone interactions. Total eyes-off-road time (TEORT) was examined to assess the visual demands of cell phone subtasks while driving. Percent TEORT was reported and compared against the baseline. Results Visual-manual subtasks performed on HH, PHF, and IHF cell phones were found to significantly increase drivers' mean percent TEORT. In contrast, conversing on an HH cell phone was found to significantly decrease drivers' mean percent TEORT, indicating that drivers looked at the forward roadway more often. No significant differences in percent TEORT were found for drivers conversing using PHF or IHF cell phones. The mean TEORT durations for visual-manual subtasks performed on an HH cell phone were significantly longer than the mean TEORT durations on either IHF or PHF cell phones. Practical applications This research helps to further reinforce the distinction made between handheld and hands-free cell phone use in transportation distraction policy.
One year clinical and psychosocial outcomes of early-onset chronic depression.

Abstract Background: Results from short-term treatment studies have demonstrated the efficacy of antidepressant medications for outpatients with early-onset chronic depression. However, scant data exists regarding the long-term outcome of these patients treated for this disorder. Methods: The author conducted a one-year naturalistic follow-up study of 50 outpatients with early-onset, chronic depression, who were treated in a university-based psychopharmacology research clinic. Assessments were conducted blind to the patients' histories. Results: Forty-eight percent of the total sample reported 9–12 months of sustained euthymia (Months Well). Among the patients who recovered, 50% relapsed. Limitations: The major limitations of this study were its small sample size and lack of a comparison group. Conclusions: These results data demonstrate that despite initial response, many outpatients with chronic depression seem to relapse after leaving university-based psychopharmacology centers.
The Development of Abstract Letter Representations for Reading: Evidence for the Role of Context

We review evidence that in the course of reading, the visual system computes abstract letter identities (ALIs): a representation of letters that encodes their identity but that abstracts away from their visual appearance. How could the visual system learn such a seemingly nonvisual representation? We propose that different forms of the same letter tend to appear in similar distributions of contexts (in the same words written in different ways) and that this environmental correlation interacts with correlation-based learning mechanisms in the brain to lead to the formation of ALIs. We review a neural network model that demonstrates the feasibility of this common contexts hypothesis and present two experiments confirming some novel predictions: (a) repeatedly presenting arbitrary visual stimuli in common contexts leads those stimuli to be confusable with each other, and (b) different forms of the same letter are more confusable with each other in word-like contexts than in nonword-like contexts. We then extend the model to use real pictures of letters as input and simulate some of the novel empirical findings from the experiments.
Moisture diffusion and integrated stress analysis in encapsulated microelectronics devices

In this paper, a damage mechanics-based continuum theory is developed to provide a theoretical framework for multi-field problems involving moisture diffusion, heat conduction, moisture evaporation, void growth, and material deformation in a temperature and time-dependent process in encapsulated microelectronics devices. The analysis of moisture diffusion using normalized moisture concentration is re-examined under various conditions, and the applicability of the thermal-moisture analogy is discussed. Effective stress concept is introduced to consider the effect of vapor pressure in the development of a continuum mechanics framework. It turns out that the volumetric strains consist of three parts: thermal expansion (or contraction), hygroscopic swelling, and vapor pressure-induced volumetric strains. Void volume fraction is introduced as a field variable to describe the damage progression. The evolution of void volume fraction is governed by the continuity equation. Vapor pressure is considered as another internal field variable, which is related to moisture evaporation. A complete set of multi-field governing equations are developed. A simplified process, which allows the coupled problem to be solved sequentially, is defined. A bi-material assembly is used to illustrate the multi-field solutions using ANSYS.
Techniques for including dielectrics when extracting passive low-order models of high speed interconnect

Interconnect structures including dielectrics can be modeled by an integral equation method using volume currents and surface charges for the conductors, and volume polarization currents and surface charges for the dielectrics. In this paper we describe a mesh analysis approach for computing the discretized currents in both the conductors and the dielectrics. We then show that this fully mesh-based formulation can be cast into a form using provably positive semidefinite matrices, making for easy application of Krylov-subspace based model-reduction schemes to generate accurate guaranteed passive reduced-order models. Several printed circuit board examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the strategy.
Strong magnetic fields near a leaky wave aperture in a lossy medium

The concept that a leaky wave, in a lossy medium, will grow in amplitude in the direction of phase propagation is examined for a finite aperture source. It is shown that local growth is indeed possible if the traveling wave excitation is suitably chosen. Specific calculated results are shown for the magnetic field in a lossy half-space adjacent to the aperture. Enhancements on the order of 20 dB are possible over what one would expect on the basis of classical skin depth theory. >
A software developer's guide to informal evaluation of Visual Analytics environments using VAST Challenge information

The VAST Challenge has been a popular venue for academic and industry participants for over ten years. Many participants comment that the majority of their time in preparing VAST Challenge entries is discovering elements in their software environments that need to be redesigned in order to solve the given task. Fortunately, there is no need to wait until the VAST Challenge is announced to test out software systems. The Visual Analytics Benchmark Repository contains all past VAST Challenge tasks, data, solutions and submissions. In this poster we describe how developers can perform informal evaluations of various aspects of their visual analytics environments using VAST Challenge information.
Oxygen Order, Stoichiometry and Magnetic Behavior of YBa2(Cu1−xFex)3O7+δ

Mossbauer effect and neutron diffraction measurements have been made as a function of composition for YBa2(Cu1−xFex)3O7+δ. A chemically driven disordering of the sublattices is observed with increasing Fe concentration which results in a transition from the orthorhombic to a tetragonal phase. However, as the occupancy of the oxygen site 0(1) in the chain is depleted and the site of the ordered vacancy 0(5) between the chains becomes occupied, the total oxygen content is not reduced but remains near seven in contrast to behavior observed in the quenched tetragonal phases. Mossbauer spectra for x =0.05 at temperatures below 15K show magnetic hyperfine splitting which is characteristic of a spin glass; i.e., a distribution of magnetic fields. It is inferred from Mossbauer results that Fe preferentially occupies the Cu(1) site.
Acoustic Characteristics of Coupled Dissipative and Reactive Silencers

The acoustic characteristics of a hybrid silencer consisting of two dissipative chambers and a Helmholtz resonator are investigated first computationally and experimentally. Complex wave number and characteristic impedance are used for the dissipative chambers to account for the wave propagation through absorbing material. Three-dimensional boundary element method (BEM) is employed to predict the transmission loss in the absence of mean flow and the predictions are compared with the experimental results obtained from an impedance tube setup. Noting that the long connecting tube between acoustic elements may reduce the transmission loss near the resonance frequency, two alternative hybrid silencers with short connecting tubes are also investigated by BEM. the present study shows the effectiveness of hybrid silencers over a wide frequency range and demonstrates the importance of understanding each acoustic element, as well as their interaction in designing silencers.
Improved Syntheses and Expanded Analyses of the Enantiomerically Enriched Chiral Cobalt Complexes Co(en)3I3 and Co(diNOsar)Br3

This communication is a collection of additions and modifications to two previously published classic inorganic synthesis laboratory experiments. The experimental protocol for the synthesis and isolation of enantiomerically enriched Λ-(or Δ-)Co(en)3I3 has been modified to increase reproducibility, yield, and enantiomeric excess. A computational component including molecular visualizations, model building, and energy minimization may be added to teach about the conformers that are formed as a result of λ and δ twists of the ligands. Modification of a second experiment for the synthesis of a Sargeson encapsulation product (Λ-(or Δ-)Co(diNOsar)Br3) from enantiomerically enriched Λ-(or Δ-)Co(en)3I3 includes advanced undergraduate analytical techniques including COSY, HMQC (or HETCOR), and NOESY NMR experiments, molecular visualizations, and CD spectroscopy for the characterization of products. Synthesis of a deuterated d12-Co(diNOsar)Br3 (which facilitates NMR assignments) is also described.
Phototropism in Conidiobolus coronatus.

The phototropic responses of Conidiobolus coronatus (Cost.) Batko have been investigated with an emphasis on the responses of the secondary conidiophore. The effects of pH, nutrients, and osmotic p...
Standardization and Control of Biomedical Devices

The passage of the Medical Device Amendements to the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act on May 28, 1976 placed a huge number of products under the regulatory authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This increased responsibility took many forms related to device evaluation which will be discussed in this paper. In order to institute control of all devices it was necessary to “take inventory” of what was on the market. This was accomplished by establishing device panels for the various medical specialties composed of experts familiar with the devices areas who compiled a generic device list for their specialty areas. Each device was classified according to its hazard potential and existing data related to safety and effectiveness.
Approach to the acute abdomen

As our population ages, more patients will be presenting with acute abdominal problems which require attention. Unlike younger patients, the aged present later in the course of their disease and also often have concomitant underlying diseases. The diagnosis of an acute abdomen is further complicated by the relative lack of physical findings which is due to the elderly's lack of pain perception. The surgical problems in the elderly also tend to be more rapidly life-threatening than in younger patients. This further emphasizes the need for rapid diagnosis should an elderly patient present with abdominal pain. Methods to decrease the mortality from acute surgical problems are limited, but are potentially very effective. The first is to arrange for elective correction of the problem should it be known, and the second is to refer the patients promptly for operative consideration before sepsis becomes firmly established. Exact diagnosis before referral, while intellectually satisfying, is often contributory to a poor outcome in these patients.
Comparative Mating Competitiveness of Metepa-Sterilized and Normal Pink Bollworm Males in Laboratory and Field Cages

Male pink bollworms, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), sterilized (S) with the established optimum dosage of 15 μg of technical metepa, were fully competitive with normal (N) males in mating with females at all ratios (S ♂ : N ♀) tested. With a constant male ratio (4 S : 1 N) and varied dosages, males sterilized with 15 μg technical metepa per male were fully competitive with normal males and exhibited some competitiveness when sterilized with 50 μg, the highest dosage investigated. In field-cage experiments with a single release at a 9:1 (S:N) male ratio, males sterilized with 30 μg each did not reduce the population when compared with that in the untreated checks, but those sterilized with 15 μg reduced the number of F1 larvae by 81.1%.
Incremental Passivity and Incremental Passivity-Based Output Regulation for Switched Discrete-Time Systems

This paper investigates incremental passivity and output regulation for switched discrete-time systems. We develop the results in two parts. First of all, a concept of incremental passivity is proposed to describe the overall incremental passivity property of a switched discrete-time system in the absence of the classic incremental passivity property of the subsystems. A condition for incremental passivity is given. A certain negative output feedback is designed to produce asymptotic stability. Incremental passivity is shown to be preserved under feedback interconnection. The second part of this paper is concerned with an application of the incremental passivity theory to the output regulation problem for switched discrete-time systems. The key idea is to construct a switched internal model with incremental passivity, which closely links the solvability of the output regulation problem. A characteristic of the switched internal model is that it does not necessarily switch synchronously with the controlled plant, which greatly increases the freedom of design. Once such a switched internal model is established, the output regulation problem is then solved by construction of the feedback interconnection between the controlled plant and the switched internal model. The main usefulness of the strategy is to get rid of the solvability of the output regulation problem for the subsystems.
425 MYOSTATIN EFFECTS ON C3H 10T (1/2) MESENCHYMAL MULTIPOTENT CELLS THROUGH THE SMAD SIGNALING PATHWAY: A MICROARRAY APPROACH.

We have shown previously that recombinant myostatin protein (R-Mst) inhibits myogenesis and promotes adipogenesis in C3H 10T (1/2) mesenchymal multipotent cells. In this study we show that myostatin effects in this cell line are mediated through the Smad signaling transduction pathway and some of their downstream components. C3H 10 T (1/2) cells were incubated with 5′-azacytidine to induce differentiation and then treated with 4 μg/mL of R-Mst in a time course manner (0.5, 2, 3, 24 hs and 3 days), using TGF-β (10 ng/mL) as a positive control. Transcriptional regulation of the Smad signaling components was evaluated by a pathway focus designed microarray which has ≈100 genes related to the TGFβ-BMP signaling pathway and by immunocytochemistry (IC) for p-Smad 2/3, 3, 4, and 7. Total RNA from cells treated with R-Mst for 3 Hs and 3 days was analyzed by microarray. In parallel, cells were fixed with paraformaldehyde and analyzed by IC. The main results of the microarray analysis at 3 hs showed that Smad 3, TGFβ1, activins (Inhbb, Ebaf), and Grem1 (signaling regulator molecule) were up-regulated, whereas activin response (Tgif), GDF6, activin (Inhbe), regulator molecule (LAP3), BMP-responsive Smad target genes (Sox4, Dlx2), TGFβ2, and Fst (follistatin), an inhibitor of myostatin activity, were down-regulated, and Smad 1, 2, 5, 6, and -7 did not change. After 3 days of incubation with R-Mst: GDF2 was up-regulated, while Smad target genes (Bambi, DLX2, Cdc25a, Eng, Fos), GDF1, -3, -8, -9, BMP responsive (Idb1), the activin Inhbe, BMP5 and LAP3 were down-regulated, and Fst (folistatin) and Smad 1, 2, 5, 7 remained the same while Smad 3 was undetectable. The results for p-Smad 2/3, 3, 4, and 7 were confirmed by IC, and the results from the microarrays were confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR. In conclusion, myostatin inhibits myogenesis and promotes adipogenesis in C3H 10 T (1/2) cells by signaling through the Smad signaling pathway in an early response since R-Smad 3 (not 2) mRNA and p-Smad 2/3 protein were expressed at 30 min and disappeared thereafter, followed by the subsequent induction of the Smad inhibitor, Smad 7 (not 6) and of downstream Smad-mediated genes.
Human assisted robotic exploration

In support of achieving better performance on autonomous mapping and exploration tasks by incorporating human input, we seek here to first characterize humans’ ability to recognize locations from limited visual information. Such a characterization is critical to the design of a human-in-the-loop system faced with deciding whether and when human input is useful. In this work, we develop a novel and practical place-recognition task that presents humans with video clips captured by a navigating ground robot. Using this task, we find experimentally that human performance does not seem to depend on factors such as clip length or familiarity with the scene and also that there is significant variability across subjects. Moreover, we find that humans significantly outperform a state-of-the-art computational solution to this problem, suggesting the utility of incorporating human input in autonomous mapping and exploration techniques.
A cellular automata model can quickly approximate UDP and TCP network traffic: Research Articles

Brooks and Orr [R.R. Brooks and N. Orr, A model for mobile code using interacting automata. IEEE Trans Mobile Computing 2002, 1(4)] present a model for analysis and simulation of mobile code systems based on cellular automata (CA) abstractions. One flaw with that article was a lack of experimental support showing that CA can model IP networks. This article presents CA models, consistent with those in the work of Brooks and Orr, that model the transport layer of IP networks. We show how these models may be generalized for more complicated network topologies. We provide quantitative results comparing the quality of our CA implementation versus the standard network modeling tool ns-2. The results from the CA model are qualitatively similar to ns-2, but the CA simulation runs significantly faster and scales better. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 9:32–40, 2004
Colicinogeny among Escherichia coli serotypes, including O157:H7, representing four closely related diarrheagenic clones.

Twenty-seven diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) strains from five closely related, genetically distinct clones (DEC 3, 4, 8, 9, and 10), representing serotypes commonly associated with Shiga-like toxin production, i.e., O15:H-, O26:(H11, H-), O111:(H8, H11, H-), and O157:H7, were evaluated for colicinogeny on Luria agar or Luria agar containing 0.25 microgram/ml mitomycin C to induce colicin production. Ten (37%) of the DEC strains tested were colicinogenic. One of 11 serotype O157:H7 strains, DEC strain 4E, produced a colicin identified as Col D. DEC strains 8B, 9D, and 10B produced Col E1, whereas DEC strain 10A produced Col E2. DEC strains 8A, 8E, 10C, 10E, and 10F produced "untypable" colicins that killed almost all Pugsley Colicin Reference Set strains and the other DEC strains tested. To aid with further characterization of the colicins, plasmids extracted from each colicin-producing (Col+) DEC strain were used to transform E. coli strain DH5 alpha. All Col+ DH5 alpha transformants contained one plasmid ranging in size from 1.3 to 10 kb. Some transformants were stable colicin producers whereas others were unstable. The inhibitory activity and colicin sensitivity and insensitivity profiles of the Col+ transformants were similar to those of the corresponding Col+ donor DEC strains. It appears that the untypable colicins are novel and, thus, warrant further study. Colicin production by some of the DEC strains evaluated partly explains why they were insensitive to standard colicins in a previous study.
Taboo Trade-Offs: Constitutive Prerequisites for Political and Social Life

To be eligible for participation in any relationship, group or institution, people must show that they abide by the constitutive rules for its fundamental forms of interaction. If someone invites you to dinner at their home and then seriously tries to make you pay for the meal, you are unlikely to continue to be friends. If a politician proposed setting up a state bureaucracy to maximize aggregate well-being by determining who would be required to marry whom, the politician would not be re-elected. How long would a Marine volunteer last in boot camp, or a novice in a monastery, if he tried to organize a vote about when to get up in the morning? People very rarely do such things, but if they do, others generally assume that they must be joking, or insane, or from another very different culture. Actions like these terminate relationships because we cannot sustain relationships with people unless they adhere to the cultural rules for constituting those relationships.