cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Collaborative Explainable AI: A Non-algorithmic Approach to Generating Explanations of AI

An important subdomain in research on Human-Artificial Intelligence interaction is Explainable AI (XAI). XAI attempts to improve human understanding and trust in machine intelligence and automation by providing users with visualizations and other information that explain decisions, actions, and plans. XAI approaches have primarily used algorithmic approaches designed to generate explanations automatically, but an alternate route that may augment these systems is to take advantage of the fact that user understanding of AI systems often develops through self-explanation [1]. Users engage in this to piece together different sources of information and develop a clearer understanding, but these self-explanations are often lost if not shared with others. We demonstrate how this ‘Self-Explanation’ can be shared collaboratively via a system we call collaborative XAI (CXAI), akin to a Social Q&A platform [2] such as StackExchange. We will describe the system and evaluate how it supports various kinds of explanations.
Chapter 21. Structure-Activity Relationships of Calmodulin Antagonists

Publisher Summary Considerable evidence now suggests that calmodulin (CM), which is a Ca2+-binding protein, is the principal mediator of the effects of Ca2+ in most eukaryotic cells. As CM plays a fundamental role in cell biology, agents that inhibit its activity should have important pharmacological effects. An understanding of the mechanisms by which these agents alter CM activity may help to explain their pharmacological actions or may suggest new approaches for modifying various physiological or pathological processes. In addition, the development of selective CM antagonists may provide a useful means for further studying the biological roles of CM. The phenothiazine antisychotics inhibit the CM-induced activation of phosphodiesterase. It is shown that a vast array of compounds belonging to diverse chemical and pharmacological classes can also inhibit the actions of CM in a variety of biochemical systems. This chapter briefly discusses the general mechanisms by which such agents modify the activity of CM and to examine in detail the structural factors that enable drugs to interact directly with CM. Several aspects of the pharmacology of CM have also been discussed in the chapter.
Renal risks of sodium phosphate tablets for colonoscopy preparation: a review of adverse drug reactions reported to the US Food and Drug Administration.

Aim Sodium-phosphate-containing colonoscopy preparations cause renal failure by the development of calcium phosphate nephropathy. Although Fleet’s Phospho-Soda has been removed from the US market, sodium phosphate tablets sold as OsmoPrep and Visicol remain available. Our aim was to analyse renal risks of the sodium phosphate tablets. Method We conducted a retrospective study using the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System, a voluntary reporting system available for public access. Renal adverse events were identified using search terms including renal impairment, increased blood urea nitrogen, increased creatinine, renal failure, acute renal failure, chronic renal failure, acute phosphate nephropathy, nephrocalcinosis, renal tubular necrosis, haemodialysis, nephropathy toxic, dialysis, peritoneal dialysis, renal injury, renal tubular disorder, decreased glomerular filtration rate and decreased creatinine clearance. Patient age, gender and body weight were compared with data for the general population in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Results In total 2 097 223 files were extracted from the US Food and Drug Administration website for 2004–2008 and the first 9 months of 2009. Of these, 178 patients on tablet preparations (71% women) were identified, with increasing numbers of renal adverse drug reactions reported from tablet preparations each year. The mean weight for women with renal complications from tablet preparations was 68.57 ± 1.78 kg, significantly lower than the national average weight of 74 ± 0.5 kg for the same age group (P = 0.003) in NHANES. Conclusion Renal adverse drug reactions from sodium phosphate tablets are more common in women with a mean body weight lower than the national average weight.
Brain membrane phospholipid alterations in Alzheimer's disease.

Studies have demonstrated alterations in brain membrane phospholipid metabolite levels in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The changes in phospholipid metabolite levels correlate with neuropathological hallmarks of the disease and measures of cognitive decline. This 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study of Folch extracts of autopsy material reveals significant reductions in AD brain levels of phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) and phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns), and elevations in sphingomyelin (SPH) and the plasmalogen derivative of PtdEtn. In the superior temporal gyrus, there were additional reductions in the levels of diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG) and phosphatidic acid (PtdA). The findings are present in 3/3 as well as 3/4 and 4/4 apolipoprotein E (apoE) genotypes. The AD findings do not appear to reflect non-specific neurodegeneration or the presence of gliosis. The present findings could possibly contribute to an abnormal membrane repair in AD brains which ultimately results in synaptic loss and the aggregation of Aβ peptide.
Semicircular canal inputs to vestibular nuclear neurons in the pigeon.

Publisher Summary In order to understand the manner in which the vestibular nuclei process afferent input, it is necessary to know the pattern of input from different receptors in the labyrinth to second and third order neurons. Natural stimulation has shown that the same neuron in mammalian vestibular nuclei may be influenced by both acceleration and tilt, and sometimes by acceleration in the plane of two or more canals. The pathways responsible for such convergence are not known. They may be short mono- or di-synaptic links; on the other hand they may be more complex, involving the reticular formation or cerebellum. This chapter approaches this question by means of electrical stimulation of individual ampullae in the pigeon, an animal whose accessible labyrinth makes it suitable for such investigation. Here, bipolar stimulating electrodes are inserted into the 3 semicircular canal ampullae in the pigeon labyrinth. The effect of stimulation of the 3 ampullae on single neurons in the vestibular nuclei is tested in experiments which met the following criteria: all 3 electrode pairs functioned; there is no evidence of stimulus spread between the electrodes with moderate stimuli; when spread does occur the stimulus strengths at which it appeared, and the ampullae to which it spread, are identified. In such experiments a large fraction (81%) of units receives afferent input, mono- and/or polysynaptic, from only one ampulla, while only 6% show unequivocal convergence. Some indirect evidence suggests there may be convergence between ampullary and macular inputs.
iPS cell technology in regenerative medicine

The promise of treating human genetic and degenerative diseases through the application of pluripotent cell-based tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has come significantly closer to realization since the isolation of human embryonic stem (ES) cells. While the study of ES cells has greatly increased our fundamental understanding of pluripotency, technical and ethical limitations have been seemingly insurmountable impediments to the application of these cells in the clinic. The recent discovery that somatic mammalian cells can be epigenetically reprogrammed to a pluripotent state through the exogenous expression of the transcription factors OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC has yielded a new cell type for potential application in regenerative medicine, the induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell. Here we discuss how advances in iPS cell technology have led to the generation of patient-specific cell lines that can potentially be used to model human diseases and ultimately act as therapeutic agents.
Seasonal and spatial variability in dissolved organic matter quantity and composition from the Yukon River basin, Alaska

[1] The seasonal and spatial variability of dissolved organic matter (DOM) quantity and chemical composition were investigated in the Yukon River basin of Alaska, United States, and northwestern Canada. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chromophoric DOM (CDOM), and dissolved lignin phenols were measured across a range of source waters and the seasonal hydrograph. Strong relationships were determined between CDOM and both DOC and lignin phenols, highlighting the potential for deriving detailed spatial and temporal distributions of DOM composition from CDOM monitoring. Maximum concentrations of measured parameters were observed during the spring flush, when DOM had a remarkably high content of aromatic vascular plant material derived from surface soil and litter layers. A larger portion of riverine DOM was attributed to vascular plant sources than previously believed by utilizing representative vegetation leachates and a soil pore water as end-members. In combination with recent studies highlighting export of young, labile DOM during the spring flush in northern high-latitude river systems, our results suggest riverine DOM is less degraded and more labile than previously thought with clear ramifications for its biomineralization or photo-oxidation in marine environments.
Massively parallel cooperative localisation in scalable sensor networks

In this paper, we introduce novel concepts in cooperative localisation which enables new classes of spatial positioning services useful in ad-hoc and sensor network topologies. A powerful new feature of this research is the introduction of spectrally efficient multi-carrier modulation based upon orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) as the basis of a time localisation approach using frequency domain observations. We demonstrate centimetre resolution in one million metre² areas, the ability to localise nearly 1,000 nodes in parallel, and to dynamically trade-off high levels of parallel operations versus higher spatial resolution with less parallelism. The choice of OFDM was motivated by our desire to investigate very large scale localisation protocols with larger data observations sets and to integrate the localisation with signalling. We present powerful concepts in massively parallel cooperative localisation with extensions to sensor networks. We derive both systematic framework equations and illustrate fundamental wireless simulation results.
Integrins and cadherins as therapeutic targets in fibrosis.

Fibrosis is the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins into tissues leading to scar formation, disruption of normal tissue architecture and organ failure. Despite the clinical large clinical impact of fibrosis, treatment options are limited. Adhesion molecules, in particular avb6 and a3b1 integrins and cadherin-11, have been demonstrated to be important mediators of tissue fibrosis. These data are reviewed here and provide the foundation for these molecules to be potential therapeutic targets for patients with fibrotic diseases.
TE/TM decomposition of electromagnetic sources

Three methods are given by which bounded electromagnetic sources can be decomposed into two parts radiating transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) fields with respect to a given constant direction in space. The theory applies source equivalence and nonradiating source concepts, which lead to decomposition methods based on a recursive formula or two differential equations for the determination of the TE and TM components of the original source. Decompositions for a dipole in terms of point, line, and plane sources are studied in detail. As an application of the point decomposition method, it is demonstrated that the general exact image expression for the Sommerfold half-space problem, previously derived through heuristic reasoning, can be more straightforwardly obtained through the decomposition method. >
Paper servo design for a high speed printer using simulation

The design of feedback systems for control of paper motion through the IBM Printing 3800 Subsystem is described. The main tool for analysis and optimization is DSL, a digital simulation language for systems of continuous nature. The several stages in the evolution of the design are discussed.
Direct writing of planar ultracapacitors by laser forward transfer processing

We employ a novel laser forward transfer process, Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation Direct Write (MAPLE-DW), in combination withultraviolet laser micromachining, to fabricate mesoscale ultracapacitors and microbatteries under ambient temperature and atmospheric conditions. Our laser engineering approach enables the deposition of hydrous ruthenium oxide (RuOxHy or RuO2 · x H2O) films with the desired high surface area morphology, without compromising the electrochemical performance of this high specific capacitance material. We compare three different deposition formulations incorporating ethylene glycol, glycerol, or sulfuric acid. The best electrochemical performance is achieved using a mixture of sulfuric acid with RuO2 · 0. 5H 2O electrode material. Our ultracapacitors exhibit the expected linear discharge behavior under a constant current drain, and the electrochemical properties of these cells scale proportionately when combined in parallel and series.
Model decomposition based method for solving general dynamic optimization problems

Abstract The simultaneous strategy and control parameterization are the two most widely used direct methods for solving dynamic optimization problems. The control parameterization approach generally results in a comparatively smaller nonlinear program (NLP) but has difficulties in dealing with the path constraints. The advantage of the simultaneous approach lies in its ability to handle path constraints, thus eliminating the need to obtain expensive and possibly infeasible intermediate solutions. The disadvantage is that it requires solution of a potentially very large dimensional NLP. This work presents a decomposition strategy, which combines the advantages of the control parameterization and simultaneous approaches for solving dynamic optimization problems with path constraints. Using the proposed strategy, first the set of state variables x is divided into two sets x1 and x2, and the system is partitioned into two corresponding sub-systems. The criterion used to partition the state variables and the system model are that the equations which define the state variables involved in the path constraints should be in the same sub-system. For the resulting sub-systems, one is enforced in the master NLP through collocation method as in simultaneous approach, the other is solved together with the sensitivities in a differential and algebraic equations (DAE) solver. This strategy constitutes a general approach in the sense that for problems with a specific structure the method is equivalent to the control parameterization method, while for other problems with special structures the approach is the same as the simultaneous approach. In general it possesses the advantage of the simultaneous method in handling the path constraints since it is directly enforced in the master NLP as well as the advantage of control parameterization in resulting a small master NLP because only a fraction of the state variables are directly discretized. The method is demonstrated through several numerical examples.
Results of a VHF propagation study

Beyond-line-of-sight ground-wave propagation measurements were made near 30 MHz, 54 MHz, and 148 MHz over two different propagation paths 42 km and 51 km in length. Data were collected over a period of six weeks using a vehicle-mounted vertically polarized transmitting antenna (whip) and fixed position Yagi receiving antennas. Results presented here include (S + N)/N ratios observed at the receiver for a 1-W transmitter, and a comparison between measured path loss and path loss predictions made by the Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis Center (ECAC) using diffraction model techniques. The measured (S + N)/N ratio (against a 1-W transmitter) was between 5 and 13 dB for the two propagation paths and three test frequencies. Measured path-loss data demonstrated the usefulness of the ECAC model in providing path-loss predictions. ECAC predictions best agreed at the lowest test frequency.
Quantitative thin-layer chromatography of free and conjugated cholic acid in human bile and duodenal contents

Abstract An improved method for the quantitation of conjugated and fre cholic acid by thin-layer chromatography has been described. The major changes involve preliminary purification of the silica and a special technique for applying the samples to the plates. This method has been applied to human duodenal contents.
New instrument for objective density measurement of the crystalline lens nucleus: correlation of visual acuity with nuclear density

Objective evaluation of nuclear cataracts would facilitate clinical activities and research studies. This presentation describes a new device using a helium-neon laser beam configured as a sheet of light. Computerized equipment was used for imaging and objective analysis of the lens nucleus. Visual acuity and density measurements of the crystalline lens nucleus were compared in 262 eyes. These included normals and patients with nuclear sclerosis or nuclear cataracts without other visually significant pathology. The coefficient of correlation between acuity and mean nuclear density was 0.78. Thirty-two eyes were examined twice and had no change in visual acuity between the two visits. These paired density measurements had a correlation coefficient of 0.96. Fifteen patients who did have decreased acuity between the two examinations had a correlation between the two measurements of 0.33. The intensity of nuclear sclerosis or cataract, as well as density changes, can be objectively measured and correlated to visual acuity degradation with this instrument.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
On closing the gender gap : increasing the value of women in India

With the widespread recognition of the importance of women in development, of rights, education, economic opportunity, of health and nutrition, there is an under-standable rush to create projects and programmes to redress gender inequity.9 These efforts are laudable and most needed, but must also address the underlying attitudes and social conditions which have given rise to the plight of women in India today.10 Only by addressing these underlying factors will the national development reach its full pace and potential, with the re-emergence of the power of the “shakti” throughout Indian society.
Fault tolerant placement and defect reconfiguration for nano-FPGAs

When manufacturing nano-devices, defects are a certainty and reliability becomes a critical issue. Until now, the most pervasive methods used to address reliability, involve injecting spare resources. However, these methods use predetermined spare placement that is not optimized for each netlist. This is the first work (to the best of our knowledge) that addresses the problem of fault tolerance for nano-FPGAs at the placement stage; fault tolerant placements are generated that are amenable to fast defect reconfiguration through replacement of defective logic elements with spares. We propose a simulated-annealing based placement algorithm that produces placements with the objective of maximizing the chances of successful recovery from faults in logic elements within the circuitpsilas timing constraints. In addition, our study of the fault reconfiguration problem shows it is NP-Complete, and we propose a fast scheme for achieving a good reconfiguration solution for a random or clustered fault map. Experimental results show that these techniques can increase the probability of successful fault reconfiguration by 55% (compared to a uniform spare distribution scheme), without significantly degrading the circuit performance.
Outwitting Evolution - Progress Towards Clinical Xenotransplantation

Abstract The critical and increasing shortage of human organs for transplantation has stimulated much research into the use of pig organs and cells in humans. Previous clinical experience with Xenotransplantation is briefly reviewed. Recent progress in overcoming the immunological and microbiological barriers is described, and the outstanding problems that remain in these areas and in potential physiological incompatibilities are highlighted. Consideration is given to the ethical, legal, regulatory, and economic aspects of clinical Xenotransplantation, and also to the choice of the initial patients for early clinical trials. Finally, brief mention is made of potential alternatives to Xenotransplantation, such as artificial organs, stem cell technology, and tissue engineering.
Rhizobium japonicum mutants unable to use hydrogen

FACTORS which limit nitrogen fixation by the legume nodule symbiosis may be environmental (such as illumination, water or CO2 supply), or intrinsic (such as supply of photosynthate to the nodule1, effectiveness of rhizobial strain). An important intrinsic feature seems to be ATP-dependent hydrogen evolution by nitrogenase, which leads to loss of energy that would otherwise be available for nitrogen fixation2. Some strains of Rhizobium japonicum possess a unidirectional hydrogenase, capable of hydrogen oxidation but not hydrogen evolution, which recycles the hydrogen evolved by nitrogenase, regenerating ATP as well as protecting the nitrogenase from oxidative damage3–5. The physiological importance of hydrogenase in this context, with its obvious implications for agriculture, has so far been deduced from studies on naturally occurring strains possessing or lacking hydrogenase2,6. A more accurate assessment requires the isolation of isogeneic hydrogen uptake-negative (Hup−) mutants from hydrogenase-positive (Hup+) parents, and their comparison in physiological and agronomic studies. Such mutants would also be valuable for gene transfer and biochemical studies. We now report the isolation of Hup− mutants.
Inverse problems in radiative transfer

Inverse problems in radiative transfer have made major progress in recent years. Many results are presented in a book by H. Natsuyama, S. Ueno, A. Wang (Terrestrial Radiative Transfer: Modelling, Computation, and Data Analysis, Springer, Berlin, 1998). We outline some recent results obtained by myself and S. Ueno. Most of the work concerns three-dimensional radiative transfer and is associated with correction of atmospheric effects on earth imaging and searchlight problems.
Spatio-temporal characteristics of the Portevin-Le Châtelier effect in austenitic steel with twinning induced plasticity

Abstract An experimental investigation of spatio-temporal characteristics of the Portevin–Le Châtelier (PLC) effect in austenitic steel with twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) is presented. Post-processing of high resolution digital images captured from specimens in quasi-static, room temperature tensile tests was conducted with a digital image correlation (DIC) method. This provided direct measurement of strain fields during all stages of the tests. Variable rate digital image capture, enabled with a custom image acquisition algorithm, guaranteed a suitable number of images recorded during serrations in load–time records. Nucleation, propagation, and morphology of individual PLC bands in both straight gage and tapered specimens were quantified with strain rate contours computed with a backward differentiation scheme. Time histories of strain evolution in the PLC band wakes were extracted from cumulative strain contours. Of the three types of PLC bands, only the continuously propagating Type A bands were observed. Band nucleation, which occurred at serration crests in flow curves derived from the DIC results, was not limited to regions of geometry-induced stress concentrations. Due to its importance in finite element springback predictions and to support theoretical model development of inelastic behavior in TWIP steel, we measured Young’s modulus variation with strain in periodic loading–unloading tests. Implications of the experimental results for theoretical modeling of the PLC effect in TWIP steel are discussed.
Species-specific differences in sensorimotor adaptation are correlated with differences in social structure

Here, we report a species difference in the strength and duration of long-term sensorimotor adaptation in the electromotor output of weakly electric fish. The adaptation is produced by changes in intrinsic excitability in the electromotor pacemaker nucleus; this change is a form of memory that correlates with social structure. A weakly electric fish may be jammed by a similar electric organ discharge (EOD) frequency of another fish and prevents jamming by transiently raising its own emission frequency, a behavior called the jamming avoidance response (JAR). The JAR requires activation of NMDA receptors, and prolonged JAR performance results in long-term frequency elevation (LTFE) of a fish’s EOD frequency for many hours after the jamming stimulus. We find that LTFE is stronger in a shoaling species (Eigenmannia virescens) with a higher probability of encountering jamming conspecifics, when compared to a solitary species (Apteronotus leptorhynchus). Additionally, LTFE persists in Eigenmannia, whereas, it decays over 5–9 h in Apteronotus.
The verb-right strategy in agrammatic aphasia

Abstract Several recent studies have used anagram tasks with agrammatic aphasics. Error patterns in these studies suggest that aphasic patients may be utilizing a more “natural”, “unmarked” SOV structure under conditions of syntactic handicap.
Persistent tangled vortex rings in generic excitable media.

EXCITABLE media are exemplified by a range of living systems1–8, such as mammalian heart muscle6 and its cells1 and Xenopus eggs2,3. They also occur in non-living systems such as the autocatalytic Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction9–14. In most of these systems, activity patterns, such as concentration waves, typically radiate as spiral waves from a vortex of excitation created by some non-uniform stimulus. In three-dimensional systems, the vortex is commonly a line, and these vortex lines can form linked and knotted rings which contract into compact, particle-like bundles9–30. In most previous work these stable 'organizing centres' have been found to be symmetrical and can be classified topologically. Here I show through numerical studies of a generic excitable medium that the more general configuration of vortex lines is a turbulent tangle, which is robust against changes in the parameters of the system or perturbations to it. In view of their stability, I suggest that these turbulent tangles should be observable in any of the many known excitable media.
High-resolution parametric modeling of canonical radar scatterers with application to radar target identification

An approach to scattering center extraction based on a model derived from the geometric theory of diffraction is developed. This model is better matched to the physical scattering process than competing methods. In addition, the model extracts more information about the scattering centers. An estimation algorithm for the model is developed and shown to have superior performance to the Prony algorithm. >
Economics of “essential use exemptions” for metered-dose inhalers under the Montreal Protocol

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer has led to rapid reductions in the use of ozone-depleting substances worldwide. However, the Protocol provides for "essential use exemptions" (EUEs) if there are no "technically and economically feasible" alternatives. An application that might qualify as an "essential use" is CFC-powered medical metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the US and other nations have applied for exemptions in this case. One concern is that exemptions are necessary to ensure access to medications for low-income uninsureds. We examine the consequences of granting or withholding such exemptions, and conclude that government policies and private-sector programs are available that make it economically feasible to phase out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in this application, thereby furthering the global public health objectives of the Montreal Protocol without compromising the treatment of patients who currently receive medication by means of MDIs.
Postnatal development of thalamic synaptic events underlying evoked recruiting responses and electrocortical activation.

Abstract Postsynaptic potentials were intracellularly recorded from thalamic neurons in kittens of different ages during stimulation of medial thalamic (MTh) regions at low and high frequencies. In neonatal and young kittens (
Factors Affecting Metal Partitioning During Resuspension of Sediments from the Detroit River

Abstract The release of previously deposited substances from sediments may represent a significant source of contaminants to the overlying water. Of special concern is the partitioning between aqueous- and sediment-phase heavy metals in response to resuspension events induced by hydrodynamic forces. In this paper results from a set of field experiments are reported in which sediment cores from three stations in the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River were artificially resuspended. Statistical analysis of the data indicated that the concentrations of the dissolved metals Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the overlying water varied inversely with pH (p
Oral administration of the antiobesity drugs, sibutramine and rimonabant, increases acetylcholine efflux selectively in the medial prefrontal cortex of the rat.

Oral administration of the antiobesity drugs, sibutramine and rimonabant, increases acetylcholine efflux selectively in the medial prefrontal cortex of the rat
Geometric/aerodynamic equivalent diameter ratios of ash aggregate aerosols collected in burning Kuwaiti well fields

The ratio of aerodynamic equivalent diameter to geometric diameter was found for aerosols collected at ground-level from burning oil fields in Kuwait. Ash and soil aerosols collected using an eight-stage DRUM impactor were geometrically sized by scanning electron microscopy. Ash aggregates are shown to have a geometric diameter over an order of magnitude larger than their aerodynamic value. Additionally, ash aggregates showed changes in both particle and aggregate morphology with aerodynamic size.
Giving Alzheimer's the Old One-Two

A dual goal for treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) is to decrease deposition of neurotoxic amyloid β-peptide in the brain and to boost repair of damaged neurons. Donmez et al. (2010) now show that SIRT1 may mediate both processes by deacetylating the transcription factor retinoic acid receptor β, a potential new therapeutic target for AD.
AGU Committee Update: Recent activities of NG Technical Committee

Beginning this year, the AGU has adopted a series of new policies designed to highlight the interdisciplinary aspects of the Union. As part of these new policies, members will soon be able to affiliate with the AGU Technical Committees, including the Nonlinear Geophysics (NG) Committee. In addition, the Technical Committees are now able to sponsor or co-sponsor technical sessions at both the Spring and Fall annual meetings, as well as make awards for best research and papers, and sponsor nominations for AGU Fellows and Union-wide awards. A website for the NG committee, with descriptions of the committee's activities and other functions, can be found via a link from the main AGU website, which is maintained by Jon Pelletier (University of Arizona). An AGU/NG listserver is maintained by the AGU staff liaison to NG, Dan Moore (DMoore@agu.org). AGU members wishing to be apprised of NG committee activities by inclusion in the listserv should either sign up through the NG web site, or send email to Dan Moore. As described, the NG committee can nominate an AGU member for election to AGU Fellow status. Don Turcotte (Cornell University) chairs the NG subcommittee on Fellow nominations.
Validation of the Harvard Lyman‐α in situ water vapor instrument: Implications for the mechanisms that control stratospheric water vapor

Building on previously published details of the laboratory calibrations of the Harvard Lyman-α photofragment fluorescence hygrometer (HWV) on the NASA ER-2 and WB-57 aircraft, we describe here the validation process for HWV, which includes laboratory calibrations and intercomparisons with other Harvard water vapor instruments at water vapor mixing ratios from 0 to 10 ppmv, followed by in-flight intercomparisons with the same Harvard hygrometers. The observed agreement exhibited in the laboratory and during intercomparisons helps corroborate the accuracy of HWV. In light of the validated accuracy of HWV, we present and evaluate a series of intercomparisons with satellite and balloon borne water vapor instruments made from the upper troposphere to the lower stratosphere in the tropics and midlatitudes. Whether on the NASA ER-2 or WB-57 aircraft, HWV has consistently measured about 1–1.5 ppmv higher than the balloon-borne NOAA/ESRL/GMD frost point hygrometer (CMDL), the NOAA Cryogenic Frost point Hygrometer (CFH), and the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on the Aura satellite in regions of the atmosphere where water vapor is <10 ppmv. Comparisons in the tropics with the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite show large variable differences near the tropopause that converge to ~10% above 460 K, with HWV higher. Results we show from the Aqua Validation and Intercomparison Experiment (AquaVIT) at the AIDA chamber in Karlsruhe do not reflect the observed in-flight differences. We illustrate that the interpretation of the results of comparisons between modeled and measured representations of the seasonal cycle of water entering the lower tropical stratosphere is dictated by which data set is used.
The use of subword linguistic modeling for multiple tasks in speech recognition

Over the past several years, I have been conducting research on subword modeling in speech recognition. The research is most specifically aimed at the difficult task of identifying and characterizing unknown words, although the proposed framework also has utility in other recognition tasks such as phonological and prosodic modeling. The approach exploits the linguistic substructure of words by describing graphemic, phonemic, phonological, syllabic, and morphemic constraints through a set of context-free rules, and supporting the resulting parse trees with a corpus-trained probability model. A derived finite state transducer representation forms a natural means for integrating the trained model into a recognizer search. This paper describes several research projects I have been engaged in, together with my students and associates, aimed at exploring ways in which recognition tasks can benefit from such formal modeling of word substructure. These include phonological modeling, hierarchical duration modeling, sound-to-letter and letter-to-sound mapping, and automatic acquisition of unknown words in a speech understanding system. Results of several experiments in these areas are summarized here.
Investigation of thermal stability, phase formation, electrical, and microstructural properties of sputter-deposited titanium aluminide thin films

Titanium aluminide thin films are being considered as coating materials for high temperature applications due to their high melting points and high oxidation resistance. In this study, Ti37Al63 and Ti53Al47 thin films are deposited onto SiO2 substrates by RF magnetron sputtering using compound targets and then annealed in vacuum to investigate the properties of the films. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, X-ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy, and four-point probe measurements are used to analyze the characteristics of Ti37Al63 and Ti53Al47 thin films for high temperature electronics applications. The films show good thermal stability up to 700 °C for 1 h in vacuum. Reasonable resistivity is obtained when appropriate compositions and anneal conditions are used.
Limited sampling estimates of epigallocatechin gallate exposures in cirrhotic and noncirrhotic patients with hepatitis C after single oral doses of green tea extract.

Abstract Background Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has antiangiogenic, antioxidant, and antifibrotic properties that may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of cirrhosis induced by hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, cirrhosis might affect EGCG disposition and augment its reported dose-dependent hepatotoxic potential. Objective The safety, tolerability, and disposition of a single oral dose of EGCG in cirrhotic patients with HCV were examined in an exploratory fashion. Methods Eleven patients with hepatitis C and detectable viremia were enrolled. Four had Child-Pugh (CP) class A cirrhosis, 4 had Child-Pugh class B cirrhosis, and 3 were noncirrhotic. After a single oral dose of green tea extract 400 mg containing 94% pure EGCG, blood for EGCG levels and safety parameters was ascertained at 2, 4, and 10 hours. Results Cmax and AUC to EGCG overlapped among the 3 groups, which suggests that the disposition of EGCG was not significantly altered in these patients with cirrhosis. Conclusions A single 400-mg oral dose of EGCG was safe and well tolerated by all of the patients in the study. These results provide guidance for the continued investigation of the long-term safety and antitumor potential of EGCG in cirrhotic patients with HCV.
The effect of program behavior on fault observability

Fault observability based on the behavior of memory references is studied. Traditional studies view memory as one monolithic entity that must completely work to be considered reliable. The usage patterns of a particular program's memory are emphasized here. This paper develops a new model for the successful execution of a program taking into account the usage of the data by extending a cache memory performance model. Three variations, based on well known allocation schemes, are presented (i.e., whether the program's storage is preallocated, dynamically allocated, or constrained in allocation). This is contrasted to traditional memory reliability calculations to show that the actual mean time to failure may be more optimistic when program behavior is considered. It also develops expressions for the probability of unobserved faults. With several studies reporting correlations between increased workloads and increased failure rates, a new theory is proposed here that provides an explanation for this behavior. The model studies several program traces demonstrating that increased workloads could cause an increase of the observed failure rates in the range of 32% to 53%.
Detection of a pH-dependent conformational change in azurin by time-resolved phosphorescence

Azurin, a blue copper protein from the bacterial species Pseudomonas aeruginosa, contains a single tryptophan residue. Previous fluorescence measurements indicate that this residue is highly constrained and unusually inaccessible to water. In the apoprotein this residue also possesses a long-lived room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP), the nonexponential decay of which can be resolved into two major components associated with lifetimes of 417 and 592 ms, which likely originate from at least two conformations of the protein. The relative weights of these two decay components change with pH in good correlation with a change in protonation of His-35, which has been studied in Cu(II) azurin. Interestingly, the structural changes characterized in earlier work have little effect on the fluorescence decay and appear to occur away from the tryptophan residue. However, in the present work, the two RTP lifetimes suggest conformations with different structural rigidities in the vicinity of the tryptophan residue. The active conformation that predominates below a pH of 5.6 has the shorter lifetime and is less rigid. Phosphorescence decays of several metal derivatives of azurin were also measured and revealed strong similarities to that of apoazurin, indicating that the structural constraints upon the metal-binding site are imposed predominately by the protein.
Comparative Performance of Genetically Similar Hatchery and Naturally Reared Juvenile Coho Salmon in Streams

Abstract Hatchery-reared salmon have been reported to be inferior to wild fish in some studies and competitively superior in others. We examined the influence of early rearing environment (hatchery versus natural) on the summer survival, movement, and growth of genetically similar juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch in streams. In each of 2 years, 5,000–10,000 fry from a hatchery cohort were placed above barrier falls in each of two streams to rear naturally at low density. The rest were reared at high density in hatchery raceways. After 3 months (late spring), we electrofished the streams, marked the naturally reared salmon caught, and then added equal numbers of marked hatchery-reared salmon to the streams. The streams were electrofished again in the summer to monitor survival, movement, and growth. Hatchery-reared and naturally reared juveniles survived equally well (about 90% survived each summer), and few fish of either rearing type emigrated from the study streams. Hatchery fish were about 10%...
Creating Dynamic Capability: The Role of Intertemporal Integration, Knowledge Retention, and Interpretation

Uncertainty about the ability for technological knowledge to be transformed to meet market demands, lack of complementary technologies, the lack of developed markets for a given technical feature, and other types of uncertainty add significant challenges to organizations as they develop products for future markets. In spite of these significant challenges, some organizations develop a dynamic capability in new product development that becomes a powerful source of competitive advantage and a source of renewal, growth, and adaptation as the environment changes. Many approaches to new product development (e.g., cross-functional development teams, quality function deployment, early supplier involvement, heavyweight product development teams) address the need to integrate knowledge more rapidly and effectively within projects. These approaches do not address, however, how knowledge is integrated over time or how integration of knowledge from previous new product development efforts influences the firm's new product development performance. This study focuses on providing a greater understanding of the integrative practices that contribute to this capability in new product development. Based on insights from the innovation and learning literatures, this study proposes relationships about the influence of knowledge retention and interpretation activities on the organization's ability to integrate knowledge developed in prior new product development projects and on new product development performance. Data collected from a sample of new product development professionals are employed to test the proposed relationships among knowledge retention, knowledge interpretation, integration of prior knowledge, and new product development performance. The findings suggest that knowledge retention and interpretation activities positively impact a firm's new product development performance. In particular, practices that enable the retention and interpretation of knowledge improve new product development performance indirectly through the firm's enhanced ability to apply knowledge developed in prior product development projects to subsequent projects. Practices that enable the interpretation of knowledge in the firm's current strategic context also improve new product development performance directly. These findings lead to important implications for managing new product development.
American Indian Family Caregivers' Perceptions of Burden and Needed Support Services

American Indian families are frequently the primary providers of long-term care for functionally dependent elders. In spite of the rapid growth in the numbers and needs of older American Indians, little is known about the experiences and perceived needs of their informal caregivers. This study used focus groups with family caregivers of frail elders from 5 tribes to elicit caregivers' views of their situation and needed support services. Findings revealed a strong cultural mandate to provide elder care despite the lack of access to essential long-term care services. Major sources of caregiver burden included anxiety about managing in-home medical care, problems in dealing with psychosocial aspects of care, strains on family relations, and negative effects on personal health and well-being. Desired services identified by these caregivers included caregiver training and support groups, enhanced care coordination, adult day care and respite. Cultural considerations in developing these services are discussed.
Phase equilibria among pumpellyite, lawsonite, epidote and associated minerals in low grade metamorphic rocks

Phase relations of pumpellyite, epidote, lawsonite, CaCO3, paragonite, actinolite, crossite and iron oxide are analysed on an Al-Ca-Fe3+ diagram in which all minerals are projected from quartz, albite or Jadeite, chlorite and fluid. Fe2+ and Mg are treated as a single component because variation in Fe2+/Mg has little effect on the stability of phases on the diagram. Comparison of assemblages in the Franciscan, Shuksan, Sanbagawa, New Caledonia, Southern Italian, and Otago metamorphic terranes reveals several reactions, useful for construction of a petrogenetic grid:
Magnetoelectric properties of an electron beam

An electron beam is described as a magnetoelectric medium. Expressions for the energy and power flux densities are deduced and applied to the plane waves propagating in the direction of the beam.
The Magnetostriction of Single Crystals of Iron-Silicon Alloys

The spontaneous magnetostriction of iron-silicon alloys can be adequately described by two constants ${h}_{1}$ and ${h}_{2}$. For ordered alloys ${h}_{1}$ goes through zero at about 11 atomic percent silicon, ${h}_{2}$ at about 9 atomic percent silicon. In disordered alloys, in the composition range around 10 percent silicon, ${h}_{1}$ is somewhat larger than for the ordered alloys.A method is given for calculating accurately the constants from the experimental data. The form effect is calculated and a semi-empirical theory is given of the influence of silicon on magnetostriction.
The use of biodiesel blends on a non-road generator and its impacts on ozone formation potentials based on carbonyl emissions.

In this study, emissions of carbonyl compounds from the use B50 and B100 were measured with a non-road diesel generator. A total of 25 carbonyl compounds were identified in the exhaust, including 10 with laboratory-synthesized standards. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein were found as the most abundant carbonyl compounds emitted for both diesel and biodiesel. The sulphur content of diesel fuels and the source of biodiesel fuels were not found to have a significant impact on the emission of carbonyl compounds. The overall maximum incremental reactivity (MIR) was the highest at 0 kW and slightly increased from 25 to 75 kW. The MIR of B100 was the highest, followed by diesel and B50, which is consistent with the emission rates of total carbonyl compounds. This suggests that the use of biodiesel blends may be more beneficial to the environment than using pure biodiesel.