cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Facing the Grand Challenges through Heuristics and Mindfulness.

We address the nature of mindfulness and its salience to education generally and to science education specifically. In a context of the historical embeddedness of mindfulness in Buddhism we discuss research in social neuroscience, presenting evidence for neuronal plasticity of the brain and six emotional styles, which are not biologically predetermined, but are responsive to adaptation through life experiences. We raise ques- tions about the role of science education in mediating the structure and function of the brain. Also, we discuss interventions to increase Mindfulness in Education, including meditation and heuristics, that act as reflexive objects to heighten awareness of charac- teristics of mindfulness and increase the likelihood of changes in the conduct of social life—increasing the mindfulness of those who engage the characteristics included in the heuristic. We present mindfulness and the development of a toolkit for ameliorating emotions when and as necessary as a component of a science curriculum that orientates toward wellness and sustainability. We advocate for changes in the nature of science education to reflect the priorities of the twenty first century that relate to sustainability of the living and nonliving universe and wellness of sentient beings.
Attenuation of pulsatile changes in the density of striatal [3H]GBR-12935 binding sites during chronic ethanol consumption.

Abstract Using [ 3 H]GBR-12935 as a selective ligand, we have examined the properties of rat striatal dopamine transporter complex during chronic ethanol consumption. The results of this study show a significant change in the B max (maximal binding capacity), but not K d (affinity) of [ 3 H]GBR-12935 binding sites. The observed changes were pulsatile and they exhibited an increase (144% of control), decrease (80% of control), tendency to increase (111% of control), increase (141% of control), decrease (84%of control), no change (98% of control), and decrease (80% of control) after 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 weeks of ethanol consumption, respectively. Since the duration of ethanol exposure appears to be an important variable in regulating the properties of dopamine transporter complex, the behavioral changes observed during chronic ethanol intake may vary with time.
Role of cytochrome P450 and glutathione S-transferase α in the metabolism and cytotoxicity of trichloroethylene in rat kidney

The toxicity and metabolism of trichloroethylene (TRI) were studied in renal proximal tubular (PT) and distal tubular (DT) cells from male Fischer 344 rats. TRI was slightly toxic to both PT and DT cells, and inhibition of cytochrome P450 (P450; substrate, reduced-flavoprotein:oxygen oxidoreductase [RH-hydroxylating or -epoxidizing]; EC 1.14.14.1) increased TRI toxicity only in DT cells. In untreated cells, glutathione (GSH) conjugation of TRI to form S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)glutathione (DCVG) was detected only in PT cells. Inhibition of P450 transiently increased DCVG formation in PT cells and resulted in detection of DCVG formation in DT cells. Formation of DCVG in PT cells was described by a two-component model (apparent Vmax values of 0.65 and 0.47 nmol/min per mg protein and Km values of 2.91 and 0.46 mM). Cytosol isolated from rat renal cortical, PT, and DT cells expressed high levels of GSH S-transferase (GST; RX:glutathione R-transferase; EC 2.5.1.18) alpha (GSTalpha) but not GSTpi. Low levels of GSTmu were detected in cortical and DT cells. Purified rat GSTalpha2-2 exhibited markedly higher affinity for TRI than did GSTalpha1-1 or GSTalpha1-2, but each isoform exhibited similar VmaX values. Triethyltinbromide (TETB) (9 microM) inhibited DCVG formation by purified GSTalpha-1 and GSTalpha2-2, but not GSTalpha1-2. Bromosulfophthalein (BSP) (4 microM) only inhibited DCVG formation by GSTalpha2-2. TETB and BSP inhibited approximately 90% of DCVG formation in PT cytosol but had no effect in DT cytosol. This suggests that GSTalpha1-1 is the primary isoform in rat renal PT cells responsible for GSH conjugation of TRI. These data, for the first time, describe the metabolism of TRI by individual GST isoforms and suggest that DCVG feedback inhibits TRI metabolism by GSTs.
Spectroscopic studies of the chromotropic acid-nitrate reaction

Abstract Chromotropic acid is known to provide a specific and sensitive reagent for the detection of nitrate ion. The reaction is most sensitive in about 70% sulfuric acid. NMR studies indicated that the product was a mononitro derivative of chromo-tropic acid. The UV spectrum indicated that the product was a quinone compound. It is proposed that the structure of the product is a mononitro-quinone derivative of chromotropic acid in a polymerized sulfonyl form.
Thermal resistance below the superfluid transition of4He in a heat current

We report on the thermal resistivity of4He nearT λ in heat currents 20≲Q≲300 μW/cm 2. The temperature at the bottom of a layer was measured as a function of that at the top and compared with integrations of models for the conductivity λ(Q,t). The data reveal a new dissipative region belowTλ(Q) with a small but finite resistivity and a sharp onset which can not be explained by the usual “mutual friction” due to vortices.
Laparoscopic Approach to an Uncommon Adnexal Neoplasm Associated with Infertility: Serous Cystadenofibroma of the Fallopian Tube

A rare case of serous cystadenofibroma of the fallopian tube was discovered during evaluation for in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer. Bilateral tubal occlusion was noted on hysterosalpingogram, and a right adnexal cyst, initially thought to be of ovarian origin, was identified by office transvaginal sonography. Laparoscopy revealed a 5.5-cm, fluid-filled mass involving the distal aspect of the right fallopian tube. Both ovaries and uterine exterior appeared grossly normal. The cyst was decompressed and removed intact without incident through a 5-mm laparoscopic cannula. The mass showed histologic features consistent with benign serous cystadenofibroma. The patient had an uncomplicated postoperative convalescence and continued to do well 3 months after surgery.
Childbirth Education: An Assessment of its Role in the Education of Residents in Obstetrics and Gynecology

: In mid-1979 a two-part survey was distributed to 308 U.S. obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) residency directors and to the prepared childbirth patient education programs at affiliated hospitals. The study was designed to examine the emphasis placed on teaching obstetrical psychoprophylaxis to pregnant patients and to the resident physicians who care for them during labor. After two separate mailings, approximately one-half of the programs responded. Fifty-five percent of the responding residency program directors felt that more emphasis was needed in teaching prepared childbirth methods to residents, while approximately two-thirds stated that relaxation and breathing principles were included in their curriculum, but education about such subjects is generally acquired informally while patients are already in labor. Our results indicate that there are some important differences in subject matter between what prepared childbirth educators impart to patients and what OB/GYN program directors state that residents are taught. It is not known to what extent these differences hinder patients from applying what they have learned or whether the systematic exposure of residents to prepared childbirth education would actually prove to be beneficial. Other unresolved issues include the evaluation of current methods used by residents to learn prepared childbirth education informally on the ward and whether more orientation to these topics for residents is a reasonable expectation.
Fermi liquid description of La2−xSrxCuO4

Abstract We treat a model with orbitals on the copper and oxygen sites and hopping between them. In the limit of infinite U on the Cu site, the problem is treated using the slave boson method. In the presence of doping, we find a Fermi liquid solution with mass enhancement proportional to x −1 . Low frequency optical absorption shows deviation from a simple Drude behavior, with oscillator strength proportional to x. Interactions between quasi-particles via the exchange of slave bosons is calculated. The Heisenberg exchange interaction J arises as a second order boson exchange and may give rise to singlet pairing between quasi-particles. Our treatment is essentially a perturbation theory valid when J is less than the renormalized bandwidth. Consequently the Fermi liquid description may break down for small doping.
Abstract 4264: PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling modulation in solar UV-induced skin carcinogenesis.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are the most common types of cancers. Since most BCC and SCC develop on sun-exposed areas of the body, chronic sun exposure is considered the main etiologic factor of these tumors. In vitro and in vivo studies have identified PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway as a solar light-activated pathway. However, little work has been done on studying the expression profiles of this pathway in humans. In the study herein, we evaluate the modulation of solar light-activated PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in normal human skin and solar simulated light (SSL)-irradiated human skin to determine the expression profiles of upstream and downstream phosphorylated proteins Akt (Ser473), mTOR (Ser2448), S6 ribosomal protein (Ser235/236), and 4E-BP1 (Thr37/46). The study population consisted of individuals 18 years or older in general good health with skin types II-III. SSL irradiation at 2, 2.5, and 3 times minimal erythema dose (MED) were applied to unexposed skin. Punch biopsies were taken at baseline, 5 minutes, 1 h, 5 h, and 24 h post-irradiation and immediately fixed in 10% formalin. Tissues were evaluated by immunohistochemistry for the expression of phosphorylated proteins. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cleaved caspase 3 (Asp175) were evaluated as markers for keratinocyte proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. Induction of phosphorylated Akt was seen at 5 hours with a 2-fold increase in expression when compared to baseline. Expression of phosphorylated mTOR gradually increased with a peak at 24 hours (3-fold). Significant induction of phosphorylated S6 ribosomal protein was seen at 1 h (3-fold), 5 h (7-fold), and 24 h (10-fold) post SSL irradiation. Induction of phosphorylated 4E-BP1 was limited to the 24 h time point with an increase of 2-fold when compared to baseline. Our data corroborate in vitro and in vivo studies finding, which allow for better understanding of the expression profile patterns of phosphorylated proteins in the PI-3 kinase/Akt/mTOR pathway during exposure of physiological relevant solar-simulated light. Identification of key proteins in this pathway could lead to the use of these proteins as biomarkers and/or specific targets for the prevention and control of skin tumors. Citation Format: Yira Bermudez, Steve P. Stratton, Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, Chengcheng Hu, George T. Bowden, Kathylynn Saboda, David S. Alberts, Janine G. Einspahr. PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling modulation in solar UV-induced skin carcinogenesis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4264. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4264
Aging alters vascular mechanotransduction: pressure-induced regulation of p70S6k in the rat aorta.

Abstract Physical forces are important regulators of vascular structure and function though it is unknown how aging may affect the ability of the vasculature to respond to mechanical stimuli. We investigated the pressure-induced activation of ribosomal S6-kinase (p70S6k) and its pathway-related proteins (Akt, GSK-3β, SHP-2, PTEN) in aortae from young adult (6 month), aged (30 month), and very aged (36 month) Fischer 344 × Brown Norway F1 hybrid rats. With aging, the aortic tissue content of Akt. SHP-2, and PTEN was significantly increased while total p70S6k and GSK-3β were unchanged. By comparison, the basal phosphorylation of p70S6k at Thr 389 and Thr 421/Ser 424 was increased (∼40%) and unchanged, respectively, while Akt decreased (∼37%), GSK-3β was unchanged, SHP-2 increased (∼73.5%), and PTEN increased (∼120%) in the aortae of very aged rats. Acute pressurization of aortae resulted in similar increases in phosphorylation of Akt among the different age groups. By comparison, pressure-induced phosphorylation of p70S6k at Thr 389, GSK-3β and SHP-2 decreased; whereas, PTEN dephosphorylation was increased in 36-month versus 6-month aortae. The results indicate marked alterations in the p70S6k signaling pathway with aging. The implications of these findings on age-associated vessel remodeling are discussed.
A modular computer sharing systems

An alternative approach to the design and organization of a general purpose interactive multiterminal computing system is presented. The system organization described is a conceptually simple arrangement of a bank of interchangeable computers, each of which is a memory/proputor pair, that are assigned to process terminal jobs as they arrive. One of the computers serves as the master or control computer and supervises the collection and distribution of messages from and to the remote terminals. In the simplest form there is a disk drive for each connected terminal. A crosspoint switching network allows any such disk drive to be connected to any computer in the bank, under control of the control computer. Thus, while each active terminal user “occupies” a dedicated disk drive, he may share the computer with many other terminal users in a simple manner. The ratio of users to computers is dependent on both the size and power of the machines used and the computation requirements of the particular mix of users.This system organization is inherently a simpler and therefore more reliable approach to time-sharing computers and has the potential of a highly available system at relatively low cost. Economic configurations are possible for a range of systems sizes that span at least one order of magnitude. Finally, problem programs developed by remote terminal users can be run on a dedicated batch system if compatible computers are used.
“Cactus Systems”: a computer science practicum that is more than a capstone

This paper describes a project-oriented Computer Science or Computer Information Systems Practicum course. This particular course differs in several ways from other similar courses. First, it is taught outside of the normal academic year. Second, a real attempt is made to simulate the environment in which a computing professional would be expected to work. Third, all of the projects are taken from the real world and are sponsored by individuals who actually want the work done. Fourth, it has components designed to teach the students how to make informal and formal public speeches on subjects with which they are familiar. Finally, it has components designed to help the students look for jobs after graduation. This course has worked well at a major engineering school and at a small regional liberal arts school.
Use of a lectin as an enterocyte-specific cell surface marker for flow cytometric analysis of isolated native small intestinal epithelial cells.

Little use has been made of flow cytometry in evaluating small intestinal epithelial cells. Obtaining pure epithelial cell populations devoid of peripheral blood contaminants and intraepithelial lymphocytes contributes to the difficulties encountered in flow cytometry studies. We have investigated the use of lectins as enterocyte specific cell markers using lectin histochemistry, and have identified one lectin, UEA-1, which binds exclusively and specifically to intestinal epithelial cell brush border. Additionally, we have exploited that specificity using flow cytometry and FITC-UEA-1 to identify and separate native intestinal epithelial cells from a mixed cell population isolated by mechanical vibration. This fluorescent-lectin technique is a unique and simple method to identify native small intestinal epithelial cells in a mixed cell population; it may be exploited by flow cytometric sorting of a pure population for biochemical study or as an enterocyte specific label for surface receptor flow cytometric studies in the research or clinical setting. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
General procedure for multivariable polynomial positivity test with control applications

A procedure is given to determine whether or not a polynomial in several real variables is globally positive. Emphasis is placed on the resolution of singularities of various types that occur during the implementation of the algorithm. A nontrivial example encountered in application of Lyapunov direct method to stability investigation of nonlinear control systems is given to illustrate the details of the procedure.
Parallel processors for planning under uncertainty

Our goal is to demonstrate for an important class of multistage stochastic models that three techniques — namely nested decomposition, Monte Carlo importance sampling, and parallel computing — can be effectively combined to solve this fundamental problem of large-scale linear programming.
Dumb robots, smart phones: A case study of music listening companionship

Combining high-performance, sensor-rich mobile devices with simple, low-cost robotic platforms could accelerate the adoption of personal robotics in real-world environments. We present a case study of this "dumb robot, smart phone" paradigm: a robotic speaker dock and music listening companion. The robot is designed to enhance a human?s listening experience by providing social presence and embodied musical performance. In its initial application, it generates segmentspecific, beat-synchronized gestures based on the song's genre, and maintains eye-contact with the user. All of the robot's computation, sensing, and high-level motion control is performed on a smartphone, with the rest of the robot?s parts handling mechanics and actuator bridging.
Morpholino-Mediated Isoform Modulation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 (VEGFR2) Reduces Colon Cancer Xenograft Growth

Angiogenesis plays a key role in tumor growth. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a pro-angiogenic that is involved in tumor angiogenesis. When VEGF binds to membrane-bound vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (mVEGFR2), it promotes angiogenesis. Through alternative polyadenylation, VEGFR2 is also expressed in a soluble form (sVEGFR2). sVEGFR2 sequesters VEGF and is therefore anti-angiogenic. The aim of this study was to show that treatment with a previously developed and reported antisense morpholino oligomer that shifts expression from mVEGFR2 to sVEGFR2 would lead to reduced tumor vascularization and growth in a murine colon cancer xenograft model. Xenografts were generated by implanting human HCT-116 colon cancer cells into the flanks of NMRI nu/nu mice. Treatment with the therapeutic morpholino reduced both tumor growth and tumor vascularization. Because the HCT-116 cells used for the experiments did not express VEGFR2 and because the treatment morpholino targeted mouse rather than human VEGFR2, it is likely that treatment morpholino was acting on the mouse endothelial cells rather than directly on the tumor cells.
The mesoglea of hydra. III. Fiber system changes in morphogenesis

Examination of isolated mesogleas of Hydra pseudoligactis demonstrates that the organization of the collagen-elastin-like fiber system is dependent on the morphogenic state of the animal. There is a fiber system change associated with each of the three morphogenic capabilities of the animal: budding regeneration, and body column growth. Non-budding animals maintain a complete oral-aboral fiber system throughout the body column. Hydra in the early stages of budding exhibit an organized fiber system in the peduncle only. Hydra maintained as continuously budding do not reorganize the mesogleal fiber pattern. The molecular or macromolecular changes in the fiber system are not, as yet, known. Fiber system changes experimentally induced by feeding or hypostome excision appear the same as the breakdown associated with budding but differ in their extent through the animal. The observed changes are related to the different morphogenic capabilities of Hydra through a theory of cell migration and cell adhesion.
Microsystems Public Access to Personal Computing: A New Role for Science Museums

From an educational standpoint, science museums and computers have shared a common characteristic: both have tended to be static and passive, offering little opportunity for participation in or access to technology. A museum visit, always a culturally respectable way to spend a Saturday afternoon, generally involves a lot of walking, looking, and listening, but little touching or participating. Likewise, public access to computers has generally been vicarious, or limited to computer output only. We watch the airline ticket agent make a reservation at the terminal, we receive computer-generated form letters and bills in the mail, and we peer through the glass portal at the computerized San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit Control Room.
Statistical analyses for simulating schedule networks

This paper introduces the stochastic project scheduling simulation (SPSS) system and two additional useful statistical analysis tools. SPSS integrates CPM, PERT, and discrete event simulation (DES) scheduling methods into one system. It can generate a CPM-based deterministic schedule, a PERT-based probabilistic schedule, and a simulation-based stochastic schedule for the project under study. Two additional statistical analysis tools are added to assist users in determining the number of simulation runs needed for a given schedule network and testing the significance of difference between two independent simulation experiments.
High affinity peptides for the recognition of the heart disease biomarker troponin I identified using phage display

Troponin I is a specific and sensitive clinical biomarker for myocardial injury. In this study we have used polyvalent phage display to isolate unique linear peptide motifs which recognize both the human and rat homologs of troponin I. The peptide specific for human troponin I has a sequence of FYSHSFHENWPS and the peptide specific for the rat troponin I has a sequence of FHSSWPVNGSTI. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were used to evaluate the binding interactions, and the two phage-displayed peptides exhibited some cross-reactivity, but they were both more specific for the troponin I homolog they were selected against. The binding affinities of the phage-displayed peptides were decreased by the presence of complex tissue culture media (MEM), and the addition of 10% calf serum further interfered with the binding of the target proteins. Kinetic indirect phage ELISAs revealed that both troponin I binding peptides were found to have nanomolar affinities for the troponin proteins while attached to the phage particles. To our knowledge, this is the first example of isolation and characterization of troponin I binders using phage display technology. These new peptides may have potential utility in the development of new clinical assays for cardiac injury as well as in monitoring of cardiac cells grown in culture.
Product-line architectures, aspects, and reuse

SUMMARY A Product-Line Architecture (PLA) is a blue-print for developing large families of related software applications quickly and cheaply from reusable components. Implementations of PLAs are generators (also known as component configuration tools). Generators are among the pinnacle of results on software reuse: they are implementations of reference architectures that define how applications of a domain can be assembled by composing prewritten components. In this tutorial, we present the GenVoca software design methodology for creating product-lines and building architecturally-extensible software — i.e., software that is extensible via component additions and removals. GenVoca takes the idea of components that export and import standardized interfaces to its logical conclusion; it is also a scalable outgrowth of an old and practitioner-ignored methodology called step-wise refinement, which advocates that efficient programs can be created by revealing implementation details in a progressive manner. Traditional work on step-wise refinement focussed on microscopic program refinements (e.g., x+0 => x), for which one had to apply hundreds or thousands of refinements to yield admittedly small programs. While the approach is fundamental and industrial infrastructures are on the horizon, GenVoca extends step-wise refinement largely by scaling refinements to a component or layer (i.e., multi-class modularization) granularity, so that applications of great complexity can be expressed as a composition of a few large-scale refinements. GenVoca PLA designs have been created for diverse domains: 2-way radios, extensible compilers, communication protocols, command-and-control fire support, avionics, and matrix computation libraries [7]. GenVoca designs are used in industry; its central concepts relate a wide variety of contemporary and classical research topics, including: aspect-oriented programming, parameterized programming, OO frameworks, Perry's lite semantics [8], generative programming [7], design maintenance [9], and layered software.
Properties of Digital Aluminum Gallium Nitride Alloys Grown via Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy

Deep Ultra Violet (UV) emitters are of particular interest for applications including, but not limited to, biological detection and sterilization. Within the III-Nitride material system, Aluminum Gallium Nitride (AlxGa1-xN) alloys are the most promising for UV device fabrication due to the wide, direct band gap. The growth of high quality AlxGa1-xN alloys via Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE) is challenging due to large sticking coefficient of the Al species compared to that of Ga and also the high reactivity of Al precursors. As a result, films are often characterized by large dislocation densities, cracks, and poor conductivity. Digital alloy growth, or Short Period Superlattices (SPS), consisting of layers of binary or ternary alloys with a period thickness of a few monolayers has been shown to be a viable means of growing high quality ternary alloys via Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE). In certain materials, such as AlGaInP, the electronic properties of digitally grown alloys differ considerably from the equivalent random alloy. Specifically, the bandgap has been shown to differ significantly from the equivalent random alloy. As a result, digital alloy growth presents the potential to further engineer material properties. However, the influence of digital growth on the electronic properties of III-Nitride alloys has not been extensively characterized. This study focuses on Aluminum Gallium Nitride (AlxGa1-xN) alloys grown using a digital technique via MOVPE. The influence of the growth technique over a wide range of compositions is reported along with the electronic properties.
Guaranteeing performance yield in high-level synthesis

Meeting timing constraint is one of the most important issues for modern design automation tools. This situation is exacerbated with the existence of process variation. Current high-level synthesis tools, performing task scheduling, resource allocation and binding, may result in unexpected performance discrepancy due to the ignorance of the impact of process variation, which requires a shift in the design paradigm, from today's deterministic design to statistical or probabilistic design. In this paper, we present a variation-aware performance yield-guaranteed high-level synthesis algorithm. The proposed approach integrates high-level synthesis and statistical static timing analysis into a simulated annealing engine to simultaneously explore solution space while meeting design objectives. Our results show that the area reduction is in the average of 14% when 95% performance yield is imposed with the same total completion time constraint.
The red reflex from retinoscopy's point of view. Reflections on a small area

The size of the area of retina that is involved in neutralization during retinoscopy is considerably smaller than intuition might suggest. Simple optical analysis reveals this area to be approximately 1/640 the area of the optic disc. This becomes important when retinoscoping high myopes with posterior staphylomas because even minimal misalignment with the visual axis may induce spherical error in the retinoscopic findings.
Consistency of two global MODIS aerosol products over ocean on Terra and Aqua CERES SSF datasets

MODIS aerosol retrievals over ocean from Terra and Aqua platforms are available from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Single Scanner Footprint (SSF) datasets generated at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). Two aerosol products are reported side by side. The primary M product is generated by subsetting and remapping the multi-spectral (0.44 - 2.1 μm) MOD04 aerosols onto CERES footprints. MOD04 processing uses cloud screening and aerosol algorithms developed by the MODIS science team. The secondary (AVHRR-like) A product is generated in only two MODIS bands: 1 and 6 on Terra , and ` and 7 on Aqua . The A processing uses NASA/LaRC cloud-screening and NOAA/NESDIS single channel aerosol algorthm. The M and A products have been documented elsewhere and preliminarily compared using two weeks of global Terra CERES SSF (Edition 1A) data in December 2000 and June 2001. In this study, the M and A aerosol optical depths (AOD) in MODIS band 1 and (0.64 μm), τ 1M and τ 1A , are further checked for cross-platform consistency using 9 days of global Terra CERES SSF (Edition 2A) and Aqua CERES SSF (Edition 1A) data from 13 - 21 October 2002.
Capacity of Wireless Networks with Social Behavior

The capacity of a wireless network is studied when nodes communicate with one another in the context of social groups. All the nodes are assumed to have the same number of independent long-range social contacts, one of which each selects randomly as its destination. The Euclidean distance between a source and its social group members follows a power-law distribution and communication between any two nodes takes place only within the physical transmission range resulting in communication over multi-hop paths. The capacity order of such a composite network is derived as a function of the number of nodes, the social-group concentration, and the size of social groups. Our results demonstrate that when each node has constant number of contacts which does not increase with network size growth, and are geographically concentrated, then the network behaves similar to social networks and communication network does not have any effect on the throughput capacity. On the other hand, when the social contact population grows in time, or social connectivity among nodes is highly distributed, then the communication network is the dominant factor and the composite network behaves similar to wireless networks, i.e., the capacity is the same as Gupta and Kumar results. When neither social connectivity nor communication network is dominant, then the throughput capacity results are between these two extreme cases.
Shifting Away from the Superprincipal Complex

Research variables can predict how effective principals will be at problem solving and collaborative decision making. This writer looks at those variables and offers suggestions for their use.
The Armed Peace: A Punctuated Equilibrium Theory of War

According to a leading rationalist explanation, war can break out when a large rapid shift of power renders unbelievable a rising state's promise to compensate its declin- ing opponent, causing the latter to attack preventively. This mechanism does not provide a complete and coherent explanation of war because it does not specify how inefficient fighting resolves this commitment problem. We present a complete information model of war as a sequence of battles and show that although opportunities for a negotiated settle- ment arise throughout, the very desirability of peace creates a commitment problem that undermines its likelihood. Because players have incentives to settle as soon as possible, they cannot credibly threaten to fight long enough if an opponent launches a surprise at- tack. This decreases the expected duration and costs of war and causes mutual deterrence to fail. Fighting's sheer destruction improves the credibility of these threats by decreasing the benefits from continuing the war. Equilibrium fighting may involve escalating costs that exceed the value of the stakes by the time peace is negotiated and that leave both players worse off than when the war began.
Waveform Design for Multistatic Radar Detection

We derive the optimal Neyman-Pearson (NP) detector and its performance, and then present a methodology for the design of the transmit signal for a multistatic radar receiver. The detector assumes a Swerling I extended target model as well as signal-dependent noise, i.e., clutter. It is shown that the NP detection performance does not immediately lead to an obvious signal design criterion so that as an alternative, a divergence criterion is proposed for signal design. A simple method for maximizing the divergence, termed the maximum marginal allocation algorithm, is presented and is guaranteed to find the global maximum. The overall approach is a generalization of previous work that determined the optimal detector and transmit signal for a monostatic radar.
Logistics Service Providers in Internet Supply Chains

Logistics services and their providers are helping intermediaries add value to Internet supply chains in ways that are not always immediately obvious. Thus, it is not surprising that there is confusion among academics and practitioners about how best to extract value from such services and providers. A new study provides a framework that reveals details about the role and value of logistics services and their providers and explains why it is important to capture that value. Moreover, the study shows that Internet sellers establish relationships with logistics service providers in order to extract value from the providers' network of logistical resources and better fulfill their customers' orders. The study suggests that Internet sellers form these relationships to lower the costs they would incur if they were organized to carry out the logistics services internally. Additionally, Internet sellers seek these providers in order to access strong networks that bundle many complementary logistics services and make these services available across new and existing relationships between the Internet sellers, their customers, and their vendors.
COMPARISON OF SEVERAL METHODS FOR CALCULATING FRACTAL-BASED TOPOGRAPHIC CHARACTERIZATION PARAMETERS

The objective of this work is to compare fractal-based, topographic characterization parameters calculated by several different fractal analysis methods. Four fractal characterization methods (compass, patchwork, box counting, and 2-point correlation) are systematically applied to five topographic data sets, which encompass a wide range of scale, and the results are compared. The compass and patchwork methods calculate similar values for the fractal dimension and smooth/rough crossover. The box and 2-point correlation methods calculate similar values for the fractal dimension. The compass and patchwork methods are capable of calculating the smooth/rough crossover.
Potential for parasitic disease transmission with land application of sewage plant effluents and sludges

Abstract Land application of sewage plant effluents and sludges is being considered by planners because of environmental problems arising from alternative approaches and as a means of recovering the soil enrichment qualities of sewage effluents and sludges. A review of the literature shows that primary and secondary treatment, anaerobic sludge digestion, and routine disinfection (chlorine or ozone) do not destroy completely parasitic forms. Because of their weight most cysts and eggs are found in the sludge. Sludge digestion does destroy protozoan cysts but not all metazoan eggs. These cysts and eggs are extremely resistant in field conditions and some can persist infective for long periods. Documented disease transmission to humans from land application programs is related only to use of raw, not treated, sewage on land. Some animal disease transmission has been found related to untreated and partially treated sewage. Those who have examined sewage plant effluents and sludges for parasitic cysts and eggs have found them present. The most commonly reported species are: E. histolytica, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Hymenolepis spp, Taenia sp. Enteroblus vermicularis, Ancylostoma and Necator . Destruction of all pathogenic forms can be assured by adequate heating of material to pasteurization temperatures of 60°C or more for 30+ min. Direct heating or composting can accomplish this. Parasitic disease transmission can be reduced by controlling the types of land to which these sewage plant products are applied. Parasitic disease transmission should be considered in developing the technology and/or management approaches to land application of sewage plant products for soil enrichment purposes.
The biological control of disease vectors

Vector-borne diseases are common in nature and can have a large impact on humans, livestock and crops. Biological control of vectors using natural enemies or competitors can reduce vector density and hence disease transmission. However, the indirect interactions inherent in host-vector disease systems make it difficult to use traditional pest control theory to guide biological control of disease vectors. This necessitates a conceptual framework that explicitly considers a range of indirect interactions between the host-vector disease system and the vector's biological control agent. Here we conduct a comparative analysis of the efficacy of different types of biological control agents in controlling vector-borne diseases. We report three key findings. First, highly efficient predators and parasitoids of the vector prove to be effective biological control agents, but highly virulent pathogens of the vector also require a high transmission rate to be effective. Second, biocontrol agents can successfully reduce long-term host disease incidence even though they may fail to reduce long-term vector densities. Third, inundating a host-vector disease system with a natural enemy of the vector has little or no effect on reducing disease incidence, but inundating the system with a competitor of the vector has a large effect on reducing disease incidence. The comparative framework yields predictions that are useful in developing biological control strategies for vector-borne diseases. We discuss how these predictions can inform ongoing biological control efforts for host-vector disease systems.
Evaluation of the Strep B OIA Test Compared to Standard Culture Methods for Detection of Group B Streptococci

Objective: This study evaluated the accuracy of the commercial product Strep B OIA (optical immunoassay) compared to the standard agar and broth culture methods for detecting vaginal colonization with group B streptococcus (GBS).
Evaluation and optimization of manufacturing systems reliability

The tradeoffs between reliability and performance of a manufacturing system are often subtle. The performance of a system often increases at the expense of increased system complexity. The system complexity is frequently measured by the number of components required. With the increased complexity, the system reliability might decrease unless some compensating measures are taken. The system reliability can be maintained if component reliability increases or if component redundancies are built into the system. Another way to improve reliability is through the introduction of new materials or components.
Recent Controversies in the Valuation of Utility Property

Various developments in the world of corporate finance and taxes have given rise to an increased attention to the valuation of utility property tax and other purposes. As a result, there is a new interest in the techniques used to appraise utility property. This article identifies common violations of a proper methodology and urges their correction.
Label-Free Proteomics Assisted by Affinity Enrichment for Elucidating the Chemical Reactivity of the Liver Mitochondrial Proteome toward Adduction by the Lipid Electrophile 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE)

The analysis of oxidative stress-induced post-translational modifications remains challenging due to the chemical diversity of these modifications, the possibility of the presence of positional isomers and the low stoichiometry of the modified proteins present in a cell or tissue proteome. Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a multifactorial disease in which mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress have been identified as being critically involved in the progression of the disease from steatosis to cirrhosis. Ethanol metabolism leads to increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione depletion and lipid peroxidation. Posttranslational modification of proteins by electrophilic products of lipid peroxidation has been associated with governing redox-associated signaling mechanisms, but also as contributing to protein dysfunction leading to organelle and liver injury. In particular the prototypical α,β-unsaturated aldehyde, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), has been extensively studied as marker of increased oxidative stress in hepatocytes. In this study, we combined a LC-MS label-free quantification method and affinity enrichment to assess the dose-dependent insult by HNE on the proteome of rat liver mitochondria. We used a carbonyl-selective probe, the ARP probe, to label HNE-protein adducts and to perform affinity capture at the protein level. Using LC-MS to obtain protein abundance estimates, a list of protein targets was obtained with increasing concentration of HNE used in the exposure studies. In parallel, we performed affinity capture at the peptide level to acquire site-specific information. Examining the concentration-dependence of the protein modifications, we observed distinct reactivity profiles for HNE-protein adduction. Pathway analysis indicated that proteins associated with metabolic processes, including amino acid, fatty acid and glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, bile acid synthesis and TCA cycle, showed enhanced reactivity to HNE adduction. Whereas, proteins associated with oxidative phosphorylation displayed retardation toward HNE adduction. We provide a list of 31 protein targets with a total of 61 modification sites that may guide future targeted LC-MS assays to monitor disease progression and/or intervention in preclinical models of ALD and possibly other liver diseases with oxidative stress component.
Jacques Maritain on political theology

While ‘political theology’ has attracted widespread attention for decades, it is often taken to be too fideist for orthodox Christianity and too illiberal for secular politics. But in the work of Jacques Maritain one finds a defence of a certain political theology, one whose character is key to grasping Maritain’s justification of another controversial concept: ‘Christian philosophy’. In this study I draw out Maritain’s distinction between Christian philosophy and theology, paying particular attention to the relevance of their differences in the realm of practical thought. To illustrate what Maritain has in mind by these claims, I further consider his intriguing classification of the political works of Thomas Aquinas. I argue that distinguishing between rival notions of political theology clarifies the opportunities for dialogue between believing and secular citizens.
On the Leaf Curves

The equation pn = an cos p0, where p is a positive integer, (the results remain valid if we replace cos pG by sin p0) n is a positive odd integer, p is the principal root of pn, are generalizations of the equation of rose curves to which they reduce if n = 1. We wish to consider the area enclosed by curves of this type. If p is odd there are p leaves and if p is even there are 2p leaves. THEOREM 1. For every k the area enclosed by pn = an cos (2k + 1)0 is /n + 2\ / 2n) a2. 2 (n+1)
Surface area and porosity of primary silicate minerals

Surface area is important in quantifying mineral-water reaction rates. Specific surface area (SSA) was measured to investigate controls on this parameter for several primary silicate minerals (PSM) used to estimate rates of weathering. The SSA measured by gas adsorption for a given particle size of relatively impurity-free, laboratory-ground samples generally increases in the order: quartz ≈ olivine ≈ albite 4000 cm2/g) and values measured with N2 were observed to be up to 50% larger than values measured with Kr. For laboratory-ground Amelia albite and San Carlos olivine, SSA can be calculated using log (SSA , cm2/g) = b + m log ( d ), where d = grain diameter (μm), b = 5.2 ± 0.2 and m = −1.0 ± 0.1. A similar equation was previously published for laboratory-ground quartz. Some other samples showed SSA higher than predicted by these equations. In some cases, high SSA is attributed to significant second phase particulate content, but for other laboratory-ground samples, high SSA increased with observed hysteresis in the adsorption-desorption isotherms. Such hysteresis is consistent with the presence of pores with diameters in the range 2 to 50 nm (mesopores). In particular, porosity that contributes to BET-measured SSA is inferred for examples of laboratory-ground diopside, hornblende, and all compositions of plagioclase except albite, plus naturally weathered quartz, plagioclase, and potassium feldspar. Previous workers documented similar porosity in laboratory-ground potassium feldspar. Surface area measured by gas adsorption may not be appropriate for extrapolation of interface-limited rates of dissolution of many silicates if internal surface is present and if it does not dissolve equivalently to external surface. In addition, the large errors associated in measuring SSA of coarse and/or impurity-containing silicates suggest that surface area-normalized kinetics in both field and laboratory systems will be difficult to estimate precisely. Quantification of the porosity in laboratory-ground and naturally weathered samples may help to alleviate some of the discrepancy between laboratory- and field-based estimates of weathering rate.
Secondary Involvement of the Bladder in Malignant Lymphoma

A study of 599 patients who had died of malignant lymphoma between 1952 and 1972 revealed involvement of the bladder in 13 per cent. Bladder involvement was always a secondary event, occurred in association with disseminated disease and was more common in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma than in Hodgkin's disease. Direct infiltration from adjacent pelvic foci as well as discrete apparent metastatic foci was noted. Involvement was usually microscopic although the presence of gross disease was invariably clinically manifest. Cystoscopy and cystography were valuable in the diagnosis of gross lesions. In contrast to primary vesical lymphoma the treatment of secondary vesical lymphoma was symptomatic and an operation was indicated rarely. Local radiotherapy was effective in treating the symptoms of secondary vesical lymphoma.
Infrastructure cyberphysical systems and their users

All control systems have users, even those we deem “autonomous.” But when the span of control goes from a system to a system of systems, as is the case with critical infrastructures, the role and even the concept of the user are dramatically altered. Thus in designing and operating cyberphysical systems (CPS) for infrastructures, we need to explicate their human footprint. This presentation will review selected CPS infrastructures with a focus on the complexities introduced by their multifarious users. Examples that will be discussed include smart buildings and intelligent transportation systems. The broader challenge, though, is to abstract from the specifics to a general framework and ultimately theory. Questions to this end will be posed that the control systems research community is best-equipped to address.