cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Current and future cooling technologies used in preventing heat illness and improving work capacity for battlefield soldiers: review of the literature.

ABSTRACT Objective: The goals were to review the effectiveness of current cooling technologies used on the battlefield to reduce or to prevent heat illness in soldiers and to discuss possible alternative or improved cooling methods. Methods: A search of the literature for 1990–2007 was performed by using the Air Force Institute of Technology and Air Force Research Laboratory search engines. Results: Several current cooling technologies are modestly effective in attenuating brain and core body temperatures, but the cooling effects are not sustained and the devices present operational problems. This review indicates that some current cooling devices are effective in lowering perceived efforts and lengthening maximal exercise time but are incompatible with current demands. Conclusions: Many of the cooling methods and devices detailed in the literature are impractical for use in the field. Future research should focus on cooling technologies that are practical in the battlefield and have sustainable cooling e...
Activity-Independent Segregation of Excitatory and Inhibitory Synaptic Terminals in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons

Cultured hippocampal neurons were used as a model system to address experimentally the spatial and temporal sequence leading to the appropriate sorting of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic terminals to different cellular target domains and the role of neural activity in this process. By using antibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) and synaptophysin, we examined the development and segregation of GABAergic and non-GABAergic synaptic terminals on single neurons. Electron microscopy confirmed that GAD65-labeled swellings observed using light microscopy corresponded to synaptic boutons. From the time at which GABAergic terminals first appeared, they developed at a more rapid rate on neuronal somata than non-GABAergic terminals did, such that by 18 d in culture, 60% of the total boutons on somata were GABAergic. By contrast, the majority (70%) of boutons on dendrites were non-GABAergic. These data suggest that inhibitory synaptic terminals are targeted preferentially to or maintained on cell somata at the expense of excitatory terminals. Interestingly, non-GABAergic terminals were not inhibited from forming synapses on cell somata, because in the absence of GABAergic terminals they attained the same total somatic terminal density seen in the presence of GABAergic terminals. Chronic blockade of neuronal activity did not affect the differential targeting of GABAergic and non-GABAergic axons; however, it did reduce the extent of dendritic arborization. Our findings support a two-step model for synaptic segregation whereby the majority of terminals is initially targeted in an activity-independent manner to the appropriate cellular domains, but an additional developmental mechanism serves to further restrict and refine the original synaptic distribution.
Experiments with Two Flow-Swallowing Enthalpy Probes in High-Energy Supersonic Streams

Certain arc-heated plasma facilities are capable of producing plasma streams with enthalpies to 200 Mjoule/kg. However, these test streams are obtained at low densities (pro < 10 kg/ m) with large local gradients, which, in turn, make total energy determinations difficult. Because of the importance of this stream property, a program was undertaken to determine it by measuring local total power balances on captured stream tubes. Two flow-swallowing enthalpy systems were studied, one with an attached shock and the other with a detached shock. The probe system having a detached shock was not scaled to sample sufficient mass flux at the low densities and, therefore, produced no meaningful data. However, with the attached shock-probe-system centerline total enthalpy up to 98 Mjoule/kg in air, nitrogen, and argon was measured. The error in these measurements is estimated to be less than 12%.
Radiative forcing and climate response to projected 21st century aerosol decreases

Abstract. It is widely expected that global emissions of atmospheric aerosols and their precursors will decrease strongly throughout the remainder of the 21st century, due to emission reduction policies enacted to protect human health. For instance, global emissions of aerosols and their precursors are projected to decrease by as much as 80 % by the year 2100, according to the four Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios. The removal of aerosols will cause unintended climate consequences, including an unmasking of global warming from long-lived greenhouse gases. We use the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Coupled Climate Model version 3 (GFDL CM3) to simulate future climate over the 21st century with and without the aerosol emission changes projected by each of the RCPs in order to isolate the radiative forcing and climate response resulting from the aerosol reductions. We find that the projected global radiative forcing and climate response due to aerosol decreases do not vary significantly across the four RCPs by 2100, although there is some mid-century variation, especially in cloud droplet effective radius, that closely follows the RCP emissions and energy consumption projections. Up to 1 W m−2 of radiative forcing may be unmasked globally from 2005 to 2100 due to reductions in aerosol and precursor emissions, leading to average global temperature increases up to 1 K and global precipitation rate increases up to 0.09 mm day−1. However, when using a version of CM3 with reduced present-day aerosol radiative forcing (−1.0 W m−2), the global temperature increase for RCP8.5 is about 0.5 K, with similar magnitude decreases in other climate response parameters as well. Regionally and locally, climate impacts can be much larger than the global mean, with a 2.1 K warming projected over China, Japan, and Korea due to the reduced aerosol emissions in RCP8.5, as well as nearly a 0.2 mm day−1 precipitation increase, a 7 g m−2 LWP decrease, and a 2 μm increase in cloud droplet effective radius. Future aerosol decreases could be responsible for 30–40 % of total climate warming (or 10–20 % with weaker aerosol forcing) by 2100 in East Asia, even under the high greenhouse gas emissions scenario (RCP8.5). The expected unmasking of global warming caused by aerosol reductions will require more aggressive greenhouse gas mitigation policies than anticipated in order to meet desired climate targets.
High reliability organizations: implications for nursing knowledge development.

One of the most challenging goals health care organizations face today is how to create practice environments that ensure the consistent delivery of high-quality safe care to all patients. A number of major reports over the past 10 years have documented safety issues in health care. A landmark report of this type is the Institute of Medicine report Keeping Patients Safe (Page, 2004), which focused on the important role nurses play in maintaining safe work environments. While ample evidence exists to document the problems of safety, it is difficult to find strategies or techniques that consistently prevent the occurrence of unsafe care or create environments that promote safety. Other industries face challenges in preventing errors of great consequence from occurring, and research about their experiences has provided insights for health care organizations. For example, on aircraft carriers and in nuclear power plants, errors or failures in critical processes, even if infrequent, can have terrible consequences. Examining these industries and how they try to prevent or reduce failures has resulted in the concept of high reliability. Just as we examine reliability in a research sense, looking for consistency and dependability of performance, organizations that create working environments and processes that reduce system failures are referred to as high reliability organizations (Weick & Sutcliffe, 2001). These types of organizations operate under trying conditions in a nearly error-free manner; they have developed a working culture and processes that reduce system failures and ensure effective response systems when errors occur. The concept of high reliability applies in a number of high stakes industries that face potentially catastrophic errors. Characteristics of organizations that pursue high reliability have been identified through research (LaPorte & Consolini, 1991; Schulman, 1993). These include * Hypercomplexity: environments that depend on multiteam systems working together for safety; * Extreme hierarchical differentiation: clearly defined and differentiated roles that require intense coordination to keep members of the team working together; * Multiple decision makers working in a complex communication network: many individuals working together who make important, interconnected decisions; * Tight coupling: work produced by teams in which the members are dependent on tasks performed across the team, requiring coordination and trust; * High degree of accountability: when errors occur, there are severe consequences; and * Work performed under compressed time constraints: significant time constraints present major challenges, especially from the perspective of training and resources. These characteristics apply to health care organizations as well. However, health care organizations face two additional challenges: care of patients rather than machines and higher workforce mobility (Hines, Luna, & Lofthus, 2008). …
Isochoric circulation-preserving motions with stream-lines of a potential motion

We consider the class of steady isochoric circulation-preserving motions. These motions are defined kinematically by the conditions $$ curl\left( {\omega \times v} \right)\; = 0, $$ (I.1) and $$ div\;v = 0, $$ (I.2) where $$ \upsilon \;{\text{ = }}\;\upsilon {\text{s,}} $$ (I.3) i s the velocity, s being the unit vector tangent to the stream-line, and where $$ \omega = curl\,v $$ (I.4) is the vorticity.
VECTOR-AXIAL VECTOR INTERFERENCE TERMS IN INELASTIC NEUTRINO REACTIONS EXTRAPOLATED FROM SINGLE-PION PHOTOPRODUCTION

Abstract By use of the generalized scaling sum rules the vector-axial vector interference terms in the scaling limit of the inelastic neutrino reactions are calculated from the absorptive parts of the single-pion photoproduction amplitudes at zero momentum transfer. The photoproduction amplitudes are evaluated by use of the results of multipole analysis. With the optimum values for the two parameters of the generalized scaling as determined in previous works, we have obtained F3νN(ω) which leads to good agreement with experiment in the ration of σ ν N /σ ν N . However, the zeroth moment in x( = 1/ω), ∫ 0 1 d x(F 3 ν p + F 3 ν p ) turns out to be smaller than half of the value predicted in the fractionally charged quark model.
Synthesis of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-O-β-d-galactopyranosyl-3-O-methyl-d-glucopyranose (N-acetyl-3-O-methyllactosamine) and its benzyl α-glycoside

Abstract Benzyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-3-O-methyl-α- d -glucopyranoside (3) was obtained by deacetalation of its 4,6-O-benzylidene derivative (2). Compound 2 was prepared by methylation of benzyl 2-acetamido-4,6-O-benzylidene-2-deoxy-α- d -glucopyranoside with methyl iodide-silver oxide in N,N-dimethylformamide. Diol 3 was selectively benzoylated and p-toluenesulfonylated, to give the 6-benzoic and 6-p-toluenesulfonic esters (4 and 5, respectively). Displacement of the sulfonyl group of 5 with sodium benzoxide in benzyl alcohol afforded the 6-O-benzyl derivative (6). Glycosylation of 4 with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-α- d -galactopyranosyl bromide (7) in dichloromethane, in the presence of 1,1,3,3-tetramethylurea, furnished the disaccharide derivative 8. Similar glycosylation of compound 6 with bromide 7 gave the disaccharide derivative 10. O-Deacetylation of 8 and 10 afforded disaccharides 9 and 11. The structure of compound 9 was established by 13C-n.m.r. spectroscopy. Hydrogenolysis of the benzyl groups of 11 furnished the disaccharide 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-O-β- d -galactopyranosyl-3-O-methyl- d -glucopyranose (N-acetyl-3-O-methyllactosamine).
Review of “The Patron-Driven Library: A Practical Guide for Managing Collections and Services in the Digital Age” by Dee Ann Allison

While a concept of patron-driven acquisitions has been well-documented in the library literature and adopted by many libraries, the notion of the patron-driven library, in which patrons play a majo...
Albumin and α-fetoprotein gene expression and DNA methylation in rat hepatoma cell lines

Abstract To define systems for the study of gene control and differentiation in vitro, we analyzed albumin and α-fetoprotein (AFP) gene expression and gene methylation in a series of rat hepatoma-derived cell lines and controls. These cell lines had several specific phenotypes: adult (high albumin and low AFP mRNA), fetal (high albumin, high AFP), embryonic (low albumin, high AFP), or undifferentiated (no albumin or AFP). The adult hepatocyte phenotype is marked by a novel 2.2-kb AFP gene transcript and high DNA methylation. In general, tumor cell lines had higher albumin and AFP gene methylation than hepatocytes in vivo. Levels of total DNA methylation did not determine the methylation patterns of specific genes, except for one cell line with hypermethylated and one with hypomethylated DNA. 5′-Hypomethylation of the AFP gene correlated with gene activity in all cases; the albumin gene showed a similar relationship, but with some exceptions. Only adult hepatocytes, not cell lines, have a unique 3′-region of AFP gene demethylation.
Spinal cord injury: A small step forward for spinal cord injury patients?

A recently published case report describes the use of epidural spinal cord stimulation to treat a patient with a complete cervical spinal cord injury. Clear improvements in facilitated standing and stepping were demonstrated, as well as some conscious control of movement.
Hemicricoidectomy as the primary diagnosis and treatment for cricoid chondrosarcomas

Objectives/Hypothesis: The objective was to present a new approach for the diagnosis and treatment of chondrosarcoma involving the cricoid cartilage. The technique involved an extramucosal resection of the ipsilateral half of the involved cricoid cartilage, providing enough tissue to be sent for pathological study, and resulted in good laryngeal function without jeopardizing patients' long-term survival. Study Design: Retrospective study. Methods: A retrospective study of eight patients who underwent hemicricoidectomy for cricoid chondrosarcoma was performed at the Center for Voice Disorders, Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC). One patient was a woman and seven were men. The mean age at diagnosis was 64 years (age range, 53-72 y). Results: All patients had a low-grade tumor. Primary treatment included hemicricoidectomy in all cases. In six (75%) of the patients, tracheotomy was required at the initial surgery. The mean time for decannulation was 3.2 months (range, 5 d-1 y). In four cases a second procedure was required because of recurrence. The second procedure included two total laryngectomies and two endoscopic carbon dioxide laser excisions. The mean follow-up time was 3 years (range, 2 mo-10 y). At the time of writing, six patients were alive without recurrence, one patient was alive with disease; and one patient had died of unrelated causes. Conclusion: The authors recommended unilateral hemicricoidectomy as the diagnosis and treatment of choice. This procedure allows sufficient tissue for histological study and provides good long-term breathing and phonatory function without compromising long-term survival. This procedure is appropriate for patients with 1) mobility of one vocal fold, 2) dysphonia or aphonia, and 3) an adequate subglottic airway.
To breathe or not to breathe-That is the question: An investigation of speech breathing kinematics in world class Shakespearean actors

Summary Anteroposterior diameter changes of the rib cage and abdomen were recorded during respiratory and speaking activities in four adult subjects, three men and one woman, all of whom had extensive dramatic training and experience and were earning their livelihood as professional actors. Data were charted to solve for lung volume, and volume displacements of the rib cage and abdomen. The more vigorous and louder monologue performances by the professional actor subjects differed from other speaking and reading activities in the following parameters of lung volume, separate volumes, relative volume contributions, and the frequent use of respiratory phase transitions. Novice actor subjects' monologue performances are compared to the monologue performances of the professional actor subjects.
Adverse Effects of the Common Treatments for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Context: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is common among women of childbearing age and the available pharmacological therapies have different side-effect profiles. Objective: We summarized the evidence about the side effects of oral contraceptive pills, metformin, and anti-androgens in women with PCOS. Data Source: Sources included Ovid Medline, OVID EMBASE, OVID Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycInfo, and CINAHL from inception through April 2011. Study Selection: We included comparative observational studies enrolling women with PCOS who received the agents of choice for at least 6 months and reported adverse effects. Data Extraction: Using a standardized, piloted, and Web-based data extraction form and working in duplicate, we abstracted data from each study and performed meta-analysis when possible. Data Synthesis: We found 22 eligible studies of which 20 were randomized. No study reported severe side effects (eg, lactic acidosis, thromboembolic episodes, liver toxicity, cancer incidence, ...
INFLUENCE OF CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE ON THE CONDUCTIVITY OF A WALL APERTURE IN MEAN FLOW

Abstract An analysis is made of the effect of cross-sectional shape on the motion induced in a wall aperture by a pressure perturbation in the presence of high Reynolds number tangential flow. Previous studies for circular and rectangular apertures indicate that there is a transfer of energy from the applied perturbation to the mean flow (via the production of vorticity in the aperture) provided the Strouhal number based on aperture diameter and mean velocity is small. In this paper apertures are considered whose cross-sections are symmetrically tapered in a direction parallel to the mean flow. For highly tapered apertures of trapezoidal cross-section, it is found that low Strouhal number damping is confined to a smaller range of frequencies. Self-sustaining oscillations of the shear layers spanning the aperture can occur at certain discrete frequencies, which correspond to the real parts of complex eigenfrequencies of the aperture motion havingpositiveimaginary parts. The eigenfrequencies are poles of the Rayleigh conductivity, and are found to vary in proportion toU/L, whereUis mean flow speed andLis the maximum streamwise length of the aperture, but to be only weakly dependent on aperture shape.
Impact of USPSTF practice guidelines on clinician weight loss counseling as reported by obese patients

Abstract Objectives This study assessed the impact of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines recommending that clinicians provide weight loss counseling (WLC) to all their obese patients. Methods Pre-guideline ( n = 5524) and post-guideline ( n = 11,569) datasets were constructed from 2000 and 2005 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System survey data from eleven states which administered the weight control module in both years. Responses from obese (BMI ≥ 30), non-pregnant adults who had a check-up in the previous year were analyzed to determine proportion reporting WLC in the two surveys. Associations of WLC with selected demographics and health characteristics were examined, as well as with reports of weight loss efforts. Results Less than half of both pre- and post-guideline obese respondents reported receiving WLC from their clinician. There were no significant differences in adjusted odds of receiving WLC when comparing pre-guideline and post-guideline data. Obese respondents reporting WLC also had higher odds of reporting current efforts to lose weight compared to those reporting no WLC. Conclusions The results suggest the USPSTF obesity-related guidelines have had little impact on clinician WLC behavior. Interventions to improve WLC by clinicians for their obese patients should be developed as practice guidelines alone do not appear to elicit appropriate counseling behavior.
Risks and responses among the urban poor in India

This paper describes the events faced by urban poor households in Lucknow, India and household responses in the face of these events. Using household and individual data collected in 2002 from 12 slum settlements, the authors found that certain events, such as illness and social and religious spending, are more frequent than others and that some groups, characterized by gender of head of household, community and economic status, experience certain event types more than others. It also found that some less frequent events may be very burdensome due to their high severity. Responses to common event types exhibited a pattern. Households reduced consumption, used savings and took loans much more frequently than other options, across event types. Variations in responses were identified by event type and severity and economic status. The results illustrate the need for both protective and promotive interventions to improve livelihood security among the urban poor. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Constituting “the People” as Rhetorical Interruption: Barack Obama and the Unfinished Hopes of an Imperfect People

This article explores how Barack Obama's oratory positions “the people” as a site of ongoing rhetorical negotiation regarding national identity, ideology, and potentiality. Like the subjects implicated in Charland's consideration of constitutive rhetoric, “the people” of Obama's rhetoric emerge as the choosers, deciders, and accomplishers of collaborative identity performance. Unlike Charland's subjects, however, Obama's rhetoric of imperfection and dissent positions “the people” as never fully constituted but always engaged in the act of constitution. The people, like the country they constitute, are flawed, never perfect, and always in the process of perfecting.
Dendritic cells in hepatitis C infection: can they (help) win the battle

Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a public health problem; it establishes a chronic course in ~85% of infected patients and increases their risk for developing liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and significant extrahepatic manifestations. The mechanisms of HCV persistence remain elusive and are largely related to inefficient clearance of the virus by the host immune system. Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most efficient inducers of immune responses; they are capable of triggering productive immunity and maintaining the state of tolerance to self- and non-self antigens. During the past decade, multiple research groups have focused on DCs, in hopes of unraveling an HCV-specific DC signature or DC-dependent mechanisms of antiviral immunity which would lead to a successful HCV elimination strategy. This review incorporates the latest update in the current status of knowledge on the role of DCs in anti-HCV immunity as it relates to several challenging questions: (a) the phenotype and function of diverse DC subsets in HCV-infected patients; (b) the characteristics of non-human HCV infection models from the DCs’ point of view; (c) how can in vitro systems, ranging from HCV protein- or peptide-exposed DC to HCV protein-expressing DCs, and in vivo systems, ranging from HCV protein-expressing transgenic mice to HCV-infected non-human primates, be employed to dissect the role of DCs in triggering/maintaining a robust antiviral response; and (d) the prospect of DC-based strategy for managing and finding a cure for HCV infection.
In Vivo Gene Delivery by Nonviral Vectors: Overcoming Hurdles?

The promise of cancer gene therapeutics is hampered by difficulties in the in vivo delivery to the targeted tumor cells, and systemic delivery remains to be the biggest challenge to be overcome. Here, we concentrate on systemic in vivo gene delivery for cancer therapy using nonviral vectors. In this review, we summarize the existing delivery barriers together with the requirements and strategies to overcome these problems. We will also introduce the current progress in the design of nonviral vectors, and briefly discuss their safety issues.
The synthesis of certain 11,14-dimethoxydeoxypodocarpic acid derivatives. an application to the synthesis of (+)-winterin from drimys winteri

Abstract This paper reports the synthesis of several 11,14-dimethoxydeoxypodocarpic acid derivatives from (+)-podocarpic acid. The synthesis of the naturally occurring sesquiterpene, (+)-winterin, from Drimys winteri illustrates a synthetic application of the 11,14-dimethoxy intermediates and establishes the absolute configuration for winterin.
Evidence-based de-implementation for contradicted, unproven, and aspiring healthcare practices

Abandoning ineffective medical practices and mitigating the risks of untested practices are important for improving patient health and containing healthcare costs. Historically, this process has relied on the evidence base, societal values, cultural tensions, and political sway, but not necessarily in that order. We propose a conceptual framework to guide and prioritize this process, shifting emphasis toward the principles of evidence-based medicine, acknowledging that evidence may still be misinterpreted or distorted by recalcitrant proponents of entrenched practices and other biases.
Sexual dimorphism in remating in Hawaiian Drosophila species

Males and females have been predicted to show similar patterns of return to receptivity after mating, as a consequence of the genetic correlation between these traits in the two sexes. This hypothesis was tested by comparing mating and remating behaviour among several species of Hawaiian Drosophila. The species have diverged in their probability of first-time matings as well as in other aspects of their reproductive behaviour. Drosophila differens was monomorphic in remating behaviour. The two phylogenetically younger species, D. silvestris and D. heteroneura, both showed sexual dimorphism in remating behaviour, with males being equally likely to mate on 2 successive days and females being much less likely to mate on the first day after a copulation. Each species is sexually dimorphic in secondary sexual morphology, but the species differ in secondary sexual characters. With so few taxa, it is difficult to infer whether monomorphism or dimorphism is the ancestral condition. However, the existence of other dimorphisms that differ between species demonstrates that sufficient time has passed since population divergence to allow dimorphic behaviour to evolve independently in each species. Consequently, although we cannot rule out the hypothesis that males and females showed similar remating behaviour when each species was first formed, even in these very young species, sufficient time has passed for dimorphisms to evolve and for the effects of genetic correlations between the sexes to be rendered insignificant in maintaining monomorphisms.
Detoxification of chlorinated sewage effluent by dechlorination in estuarine waters

Secondary treated sewage was chlorinated to a residual level of 2–10 mg/l in a continuous flow system in the laboratory and diluted to various levels with estuarine water. A portion of the chlorinated sewage effluent was dechlorinated with sodium thiosulfate and the dechlorinated waste was diluted with estuarine water in the same proportions as the chlorinated waste.Menidia menidia, Palaemonetes pugio andCrassostrea virginica were exposed to chlorinated and dechlorinated treatments. High concentrations of chlorinated effluent caused mortalities inM. menidia andP. pugio, whereas similar concentrations of dechlorinated wastes did not cause mortalities. Mortalities in the chlorinated waste are correlated with chlorine residuals. Similarly, the chlorinated wastes depressed the shell deposition rate ofC. virginica below 50% of controls at all doses. Dechlorinated waste allowed shell deposition greater than 50% of controls. However, the occurrence of some growth inhibition inC. virginica exposed to dechlorinated waste suggests the presence of toxic material in the waste other than chlorine.
Superconductivity in the “actinide” elements

Abstract The physical properties of the “actinide” elements, in the seventh row of the periodic table, are reviewed with emphasis on the occurrence of superconductivity and magnetism in Ac through Cm. The properties of these elements are compared with those of the transition metals and the rare earths, both of which groups are resembled to some extent by the actinides. The superconductors among the actinides are Th, Pa, and U, although the latter (and possibly Pa also) is superconducting in its room temperature phase only under pressure. The several peculiar superconducting properties of U, especially the positive isotope effect exhibited by α-U under pressure, are discussed. Recent theoretical explanations of the positive isotope effect are considered, and it is suggested that hyperfine interactions may play a role in the superconductivity of this metal. An empirical rule is used to predict the isotope effects in Th and cubic Pa, and the prospects for superconductivity in Ac, Np, Pu, and Am are also discussed.
Transparent self-healing polymers based on encapsulated plasticizers in a thermoplastic matrix

A self-healing approach for optically transparent thermoplastic polymers, based on plasticizer-induced solvent welding, is reported. For the specific system investigated, dibutylphthalate (DBP) filled urea-formaldehyde capsules are dispersed in a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) matrix. Upon a damage event, DBP is released into the crack, and locally plasticizes and swells the polymer, enabling it to remend. Two challenges are addressed to maintain optical transparency: minimization of light scatter from the capsules in the polymer matrix and minimization of light scatter from the healed polymer. PMMA films containing DBP capsules have good transmissive properties as a result of the close index match between PMMA and DBP. The transmission properties are better than, for example, when DBP capsules are dispersed into a poorly index matched matrix, such as polystyrene. In the DBP PMMA system, the healed material is inherently index matched to the polymer matrix and thus the polymer's original optical properties are largely restored. Self-healing using both small capsules, 1.5 μm in diameter, and large capsules, 75 μm in diameter is demonstrated. Smaller capsules are particularly important for thin polymer films which are not thick enough to hold the larger capsules. Polymer films with smaller capsules also have very good transmission properties due to a minimization of light scattering by the small size of the capsules. Large capsules enable healing of larger damage events, but do inherently result in some light scattering. This plasticizer-based approach to self-healing is shown to enable recovery of the protective properties and a portion of the mechanical properties of a polymeric film.
Conformational switching in designed peptides: the helix/sheet transition

Backgound: The structure adopted by peptides and proteins depends not only on the primary sequence, but also on conditions such as solvent polarity or method of sample preparation. We examined the effect that solution conditions have on the folded conformations of two peptides, one of which contains the photoisomerizable amino acid p -phenylazo-L-phenylalanine. Results Spectroscopic studies indicate that these two peptides switch between helical and β sheet conformations. The switch behavior is influenced by solution conditions including pH, NaCl concentration, temperature, and peptide concentration. The CD spectrum of the peptide containing p -phenylazo-L-phenylalanine changes from a spectrum characteristic of a β sheet to one characteristic of an α helix upon irradiation. Conclusion We hypothesize that the structural states of the peptides are a monomeric α helix and an aggregated antiparallel β sheet. Conditions encouraging aggregation tend to favor sheet; conditions discouraging aggregation tend to favor helix. Consideration of such solution-dependent conformational changes may affect de novo protein design and have a bearing on certain biological processes.
Optimal linear controller design of standalone VSI including emulated output current state

Load type can introduce at least one additional state variable in the state-space representation for dynamic equations of voltage source inverters (VSI) which may make controller design harder to solve. Additionally, the voltage reference term in state space realization demonstrates the VSI control as a tracking problem. This tracking problem can be transformed into a regulation problem using appropriate transformation; consequently, the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) technique, which is originally applicable to regulation problem, can be employed to design a linear controller including load current state for standalone VSIs. The load current is also virtually obtained by an Enhanced Phase Lock Loop (EPLL) in the control structure instead using of a current sensor in hardware. The controller is designed for a VSI unit and then simulation and experimental results are presented to confirm performance of the proposed controller.
On reducing the slope parameter in terrain-following numerical ocean models

Abstract Sigma coordinate ocean models, such as the Princeton Ocean Model, are a type of terrain-following model, which are currently being used in regions with large topographic variability such as entire ocean basins, shelf breaks, continental shelves, estuaries and bays. The main concern when using a terrain-following ocean model is to reduce the pressure gradient force error (PGFE). Regardless of the method of calculation of the pressure gradient, the PGFE will not be reduced to an acceptable value without first reducing the slope parameter, defined by the absolute value of the ratio of the difference between two adjacent cell depths and their mean depth. Here two methods for reducing the slope parameter are compared: a traditional two-dimensional smoothing with Gaussian filters and an alternative one-dimensional robust direct iterative technique. While both methods efficiently smooth the bottom topography so that the pressure gradient errors are reduced to acceptable levels, the alternative method is shown to have a unique advantage of maintaining coastline irregularities, continental shelves, and relative maxima such as seamounts and islands.
A protein domain co-occurrence network approach for predicting protein function and inferring species phylogeny.

Protein Domain Co-occurrence Network (DCN) is a biological network that has not been fully-studied. We analyzed the properties of the DCNs of H. sapiens, S. cerevisiae, C. elegans, D. melanogaster, and 15 plant genomes. These DCNs have the hallmark features of scale-free networks. We investigated the possibility of using DCNs to predict protein and domain functions. Based on our experiment conducted on 66 randomly selected proteins, the best of top 3 predictions made by our DCN-based aggregated neighbor-counting method achieved a semantic similarity score of 0.81 to the actual Gene Ontology terms of the proteins. Moreover, the top 3 predictions using neighbor-counting, χ2, and a SVM-based method achieved an accuracy of 66%, 59%, and 61%, respectively, when used to predict specific Gene Ontology terms of human target domains. These predictions on average had a semantic similarity score of 0.82, 0.80, and 0.79 to the actual Gene Ontology terms, respectively. We also used DCNs to predict whether a domain is an enzyme domain, and our SVM-based and neighbor-inference method correctly classified 79% and 77% of the target domains, respectively. When using DCNs to classify a target domain into one of the six enzyme classes, we found that, as long as there is one EC number available in the neighboring domains, our SVM-based and neighboring-counting method correctly classified 92.4% and 91.9% of the target domains, respectively. Furthermore, we benchmarked the performance of using DCNs to infer species phylogenies on six different combinations of 398 single-chromosome prokaryotic genomes. The phylogenetic tree of 54 prokaryotic taxa generated by our DCNs-alignment-based method achieved a 93.45% similarity score compared to the Bergey's taxonomy. In summary, our studies show that genome-wide DCNs contain rich information that can be effectively used to decipher protein function and reveal the evolutionary relationship among species.
Magneto-Transport in Nanopatterned Epitaxial ni Films

The latest reports on ballistic magneto-resistance in electrochemically defined nanocontacts between Ni wires have shown surprisingly large magneto-resistive effects (several thousands percent) that are still not understood. In addition, there is strong controversy on the interpretation of this effect. Thus, in an attempt to resolve some of the relevant issues surrounding this effect, we report our work on lithographically patterned nanocontacts on epitaxial Ni films. Our results indicate that there are domain-wall related magneto-resistance effects in these nanostructures but the overall effect is only a few percent at room temperature. We believe that the observed effect is due to diffusive domain wall scattering at the nanocontacts.
Complex dark-field contrast in grating-based x-ray phase contrast imaging

Without assuming that the sub-pixel microstructures of an object to be imaged distribute in space randomly, we investigate the influence of the object’s microstructures on grating-based x-ray phase contrast imaging. Our theoretical analysis and 3D computer simulation study based on the paraxial Fresnel-Kirchhoff theory show that the existing dark-field contrast can be generalized into a complex dark-field contrast in a way such that its imaginary part quantifies the effect of the object’s sub-pixel microstructures on the phase of intensity oscillations. A method based on the phase-attenuation duality that holds for soft tissues to be imaged at high x-ray energies is proposed to retrieve the imaginary part of the complex dark-field contrast for imaging. In comparison to the existing dark-field contrast, the imaginary part of complex dark-field contrast exhibits significantly stronger selectivity on the shape of the object’s sub-pixel microstructures. Thus the x-ray imaging corresponding to the imaginary part of complex dark-field contrast can provide additional and complementary information to that corresponding to the attenuation contrast, phase contrast and the existing dark-field contrast.
Male and Female Adaptations in Culture Change

T HIS paper has a dual purpose: to compare the psychological adaptations of adult males and females to the exigencies of sociocultural change in an historically primitive but rapidly acculturating population-the Menomini Indians of Wisconsin-and to present the methodology that makes it possible to describe these differences accurately.' In so doing, we hope to help to fill a lacuna in anthropological literature on the differential adjustment of the two sexes in culture change situations, and to illustrate a method of analysis for such situations that may prove useful as a model for comparisons in other situations.
Methane-Consuming Archaea Revealed by Directly Coupled Isotopic and Phylogenetic Analysis

Microorganisms living in anoxic marine sediments consume more than 80% of the methane produced in the world's oceans. In addition to single-species aggregates, consortia of metabolically interdependent bacteria and archaea are found in methane-rich sediments. A combination of fluorescence in situ hybridization and secondary ion mass spectrometry shows that cells belonging to one specific archaeal group associated with the Methanosarcinales were all highly depleted in ^(13)C (to values of –96‰). This depletion indicates assimilation of isotopically light methane into specific archaeal cells. Additional microbial species apparently use other carbon sources, as indicated by significantly higher ^(13)C/^(12)C ratios in their cell carbon. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of simultaneous determination of the identity and the metabolic activity of naturally occurring microorganisms.
Current-Sensorless Power Estimation and MPPT Implementation for Thermoelectric Generators

Presented is a duty-cycle-based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) scheme with current-sensorless power estimation. Conventional MPPT methods require generated power data involving direct current measurement, or disconnection of source and load for open-circuit voltage measurement. The proposed scheme avoids these disadvantages while retaining MPPT capability. This microcontroller-based approach allows for easy implementation and tuning of the MPPT algorithm to suit the characteristics of the thermoelectric generator (TEG) with respect to environmental conditions. The hysteresis voltage regulator maintains the TEG output voltage at a reference level, so that the maximum power can be extracted for the given temperature condition. The proposed MPPT energy harvesting scheme is simple and inexpensive, has a low power consumption, and can be used with various types of generators. The proposed system has been validated analytically and experimentally.
Passivation and Secondary Functionalization of Allyl-Terminated Si(111) Surfaces

Synthesis of passivated silicon surfaces with tunable properties requires formation of a monolayer that includes a synthetically useful functional group, such as an alkene. Thus, Si(111) surfaces have been chemically and electrically passivated by attachment of an allyl monolayer. The structure of the monolayer was confirmed using infrared spectroscopy. The allyl-functionalized surface exhibited resistance to oxidation and had a low density of surface trap states. Metal-catalyzed reactions, in particular, Heck coupling and ruthenium-catalyzed olefin cross-metathesis, allowed attachment of small molecules despite the steric constraints of the dense surface-bound layer. Allyl-terminated silicon surfaces thus offer a means of attaching a variety of chemical moieties to a silicon surface through a short linking group, enabling applications in energy conversion, catalysis, and sensing.
Qualitative and quantitative differences between non-crystalline and nano-crystalline oxides in device technologies

This paper presents (i) spectroscopic studies of intrinsic vacated O-site defects in non-crystallin(nc-) SiO2, GeO2 and nano-crystalline HfO2 and TiO2, and (ii) proof of concept spectroscopic studies. These indicate electronic structure that favors nc-SiO2 and GeO2 for gate stacks in CMOS devices that push the ultimate limits of thickness scaling reductions, and interfacial engineering. The properties of elemental and multi-constituent TM oxides are determined by a qualitatively and quantitaively different band edge and vacated O-atom site structure that makes them viable candidates for memory and switching devices.
An Examination of the Use of Gendered Language in Stephen King's CARRIE

Stephen King began his writing career selling short stories to men's magazines. Successfully capturing the imagination of the public, his name quickly gained recognizability. A conversation with on...
Vanadium-dioxide-based infrared spatial light modulators

In recent years, infrared (IR) spatial light modulators (SLM) have found applications in areas such as scene simulation and dynamic spatial frequency filtering. To help meet these requirements, we have developed two novel methods of SLM fabrication. Both SLM designs deposit a vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) thin film on a thermal array. VO 2 films exhibit a temperature dependent hysteresis about their transition from dielectric to conductor. Accompanied with this transition is a change from a state of low to high reflectivity in the 3 - 5 micrometers band. Our two SLM designs exploit this temperature dependent hysteresis through the use of thermal arrays. The first SLM design deposits the VO 2 thin film on a planar diode array. Each diode constitutes a `pixel' of the SLM. Power provided to a diode permits accurate thermal control about the film's hysteresis. Initial biasing of the diode array is required to the base of the VO 2 's hysteresis curve. The second SLM design deposits VO 2 on a thermoelectric array. These pixels have the ability to both heat and cool the VO 2 film, thereby allowing the array to be operated in a bistable mode. Bistable operation requires external biasing to the center of the VO 2 's hysteresis curve.
C-13 NMR spectroscopy of plasma reduces interference of hypertriglyceridemia in the H-1 NMR detection of malignancy. Application in patients with breast lesions.

We have previously described the application of water-suppressed proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1 NMR) spectroscopy of plasma for detection of malignancy. Subsequently, hypertriglyceridemia has been identified as a source of false positive results. We now describe a confirmatory, adjunctive technique — analysis of the carbon-13 (C-13) NMR spectrum of plasma — which also identifies the presence of malignancy but is not sensitive to the plasma triglyceride level. Blinded plasma samples from 480 normal donors and 208 patients scheduled for breast biopsy were analyzed by water-suppressed H-1 and C-13 NMR spectroscopy. Triglyceride levels were also measured. Among the normal donors, there were 38 individuals with hypertriglyceridemia of whom 18 had results consistent with malignancy by H-1 NMR spectroscopy. However, the C-13 technique reduced the apparent H-1 false positive rate from 7.0% to 0.6%. Similarly, in the breast biopsy cohort, C-13 reduced the false positive rate from 2.8% to 0.9%. Furthermore, the accuracy of the combined H-1/C-13 test in this blinded study was greater than 96% in 208 patients studied.
Electronic Journals as a Potential Solution to Escalating Serials Costs

Abstract Research libraries are currently facing a dramatic escalation of the cost of managing their serials collections. The cost of maintaining scientific, technical, and medical (STM) journals is increasing at a particularly rapid rate because of (1) significant subscription price increases and (2) the proliferation of ever more specialized journals that must be added to the collection. Together, these two factors threaten to overwhelm the serials budgets of even the wealthiest libraries. To cope with this situation, libraries are coming to measure their collections not merely by ownership of journals but rather by access to journals. At present, access most often comes about through utilization of interlibrary loan procedures or document delivery services. In the future, full text electronic access will become more commonplace. This paper summarizes the budgetary issues facing serials librarians in research libraries. It then discusses the evolution of electronic publishing from its origins in electro...