cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solid Micro-Beads Hetero-Structure Fuel for Ultra-high Temperature Applications

Higher conversion efficiencies require high operation temperatures that are difficult to obtain due to the actual thermo-physical properties of the nuclear fuels. The initial intrinsic thermal conductivity of the actual fuel pellets, mainly ceramics like structures (oxides, nitrides, carbides, MOX, beads) is low. The center of the pellet is near melting temperature while the cladding operation temperature has to be low. The fission products deposition and burnup effects are further dimming the thermal conductivity. More the cooling agent's chemical reactivity increases with temperature is another main reasons of keeping the operation temperature low. The usage of a hetero-structure of solid fuel soaked into a drain fluid is increasing the thermal conductivity. Properly shaped beads structure drives to the possibility of preventing most of the fission products of being stored inside the fuel lattice deteriorating its properties, being drained outside the nuclear reactor. This changes inspired from the nature, makes the nuclear reactor resembling with a plant having self cleaning and curing properties while operating at higher temperatures. Immersing the fuel into liquid metal higher operation temperatures are allowed due to increase in thermal conductivity by 3 to 20 times. Making the fuel beads shorter than the range of fission products,more » their trajectories end in the drain liquid that is tolerant to nuclear recoils damage. Due to better thermal conductivity the temperature field differences inside the nuclear reactor becomes smaller, allowing the operating temperature to rise significantly without safety concerns. There is possible to continuously remove the fission products by smoothly circulating the drain liquid. The low flow is needed to give time to short lives fission products to decay inside the reactor highly shielded volume. There are several fissionable materials and drain liquids matching which assure high operation temperatures, and allow He cooling, and high temperatures gas turbines cycles. The conversion efficiency might be higher than 70% depending on the chosen actinide / drain-liquid / cooling-liquid combination. The new concept on fission products continuous release and separation minimizes the waste and the total radioactivity stored inside the reactor to few weeks integrated operation amount remaining constant over the time. That makes the fuel's remnant radioactivity lower by a factor >100 than the actual reactors level. The fuel reactivity might be controlled by poisoning and transmutation or by assuring specific reactive geometries which to allow a ultrahigh burnup without the need of over-criticality loads. The fuel's deformability opens the way for interesting applications. The advantages of micro structured nuclear fuel are higher thermal conductivity, fission products removal, appropriate reactivity, higher efficiencies and longer fuel life. (authors)« less
Wind Data: A Promise in Peril

Satellite-based radars called scatterometers are yielding a wealth of new data about wind and ocean currents. In her Perspective, Kelly discusses the report by Chelton et al ., in which scatterometer data are analyzed to show the importance of small-scale wind structures in interactions between wind and ocean. What is needed now, writes Kelly, is a sustained program of such observations to provide data for improved weather and climate prediction.
Clustering and classifying person names by origin

In natural language processing, information about a person's geographical origin is an important feature for name entity transliteration and question answering. We propose a language-independent name origin clustering and classification framework. Provided with a small amount of bilingual name translation pairs with labeled origins, we measure origin similarities based on the perplexities of name character language and translation models. We group similar origins into clusters, then train a Bayesian classifier with different features. It achieves 84% classification accuracy with source names only, and 91% with both source and target name pairs. We apply the origin clustering and classification technique to a name transliteration task. The cluster-specific transliteration model dramatically improves the transliteration accuracy from 3.8% to 55%, reducing the transliteration character error rate from 50.3 to 13.5. Adding more unlabeled name pairs to the cluster-specific name transliteration model further improves the transliteration accuracy.
Supramolecular Chemistry in In Vitro Biosensors

Supramolecular chemistry has greatly impacted the development of biosensors for use in vitro. On the one hand, supramolecular materials can be used as the recognition elements or transducers in these biosensors. On the other hand, the supramolecular interactions between a host and a guest are fundamental in defining the recognition, and can be utilized to develop new sensing mechanisms or improve sensor performance. This chapter focuses on sensing motifs and sensing platforms used in vitro for the detection of biologically relevant targets. The highlighted biosensors are based on small molecules, polymers, and biological molecule-nanomaterial hybrids. Detection methods presented herein primarily focus on optical, electrochemical, or mass-sensitive modes. Keywords: supramolecular chemistry; biosensor; macrocycle; polymer; biological molecule-nanomaterial hybrid
A balanced programming model for emerging heterogeneous multicore systems

Computer systems are moving towards a heterogeneous architecture with a combination of one or more CPUs and one or more accelerator processors. Such heterogeneous systems pose a new challenge to the parallel programming community. Languages such as OpenCL and CUDA provide a program environment for such systems. However, they focus on data parallel programming where the majority of computation is carried out by the accelerators. Our view is that, in the future, accelerator processors will be tightly coupled with the CPUs, be available in different system architectures (e.g., integrated and discrete), and systems will be dynamically reconfigurable. In this paper we advocate a balanced programming model where computation is balanced between the CPU and its accelerators. This model supports sharing virtual memory between the CPU and the accelerator processors so the same data structures can be manipulated by both sides. It also supports task-parallel as well as data-parallel programming, fine-grained synchronization, thread scheduling, and load balancing. This model not only leverages the computational capability of CPUs, but also allows dynamic system reconfiguration, and supports different platform configurations. To help demonstrate the practicality of our programming model, we present performance results for a preliminary implementation on a computer system with an Intel® Core™ i7 processor and a discrete Larrabee processor. These results show that the model's most performance-critical part, its shared virtual memory implementation, simplifies programming without hurting performance.
Is population structure sufficient to generate area-level inequalities in influenza rates? An examination using agent-based models

Background In New Haven County, CT (NHC), influenza hospitalization rates have been shown to increase with census tract poverty in multiple influenza seasons. Though multiple factors have been hypothesized to cause these inequalities, including population structure, differential vaccine uptake, and differential access to healthcare, the impact of each in generating observed inequalities remains unknown. We can design interventions targeting factors with the greatest explanatory power if we quantify the proportion of observed inequalities that hypothesized factors are able to generate. Here, we ask if population structure is sufficient to generate the observed area-level inequalities in NHC. To our knowledge, this is the first use of simulation models to examine the causes of differential poverty-related influenza rates.
AGUILA: an automatic tube detection system

This paper discusses a system which uses machine vision algorithms for the detection of tubes in an extremely `noisy' industrial environment. The heart of the algorithm consists of sampling of the image in predefined sparse bands perpendicular to the likely orientation of the tubes followed by the application of a normalized correlation as a detection filter over these bands. After assigning a reliability factor to each local maxima of the correlation function, these points are then mapped to the Hough space to determine the equations of the midlines of the tubes. Given these equations, the number of tubes and any positional anomalies are reported.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Platelets: cell proliferation and atherosclerosis

Intimal smooth muscle proliferation is the hallmark of the lesions of atherosclerosis. Endothelial injury is postulated to precede this intimal smooth muscle proliferative response, which is mediated by a potent mitogenic factor derived from adherence, aggregation, and release by platelets at sites of endothelial injury. Smooth muscle proliferation is accompanied by varying amounts of connective tissue formation and intracellular and extracellular lipid deposition, dependent upon the risk factors encountered in each patient. The platelet-derived mitogen (PF) is a stable, cationic, relatively low molecular weight (10,000-30,000) protein that has been partially purified by ion exchange chromotography and gel filtration. Less than 100 ng of PF/ml culture medium can stimulate sparse 3T3 cells or smooth muscle cells, but not endothelial cells, to undergo multiple cell divisions in the presence of 5% cell-free, plasma-derived serum. The latter contains no mitogenic activity. The interaction of the platelet mitogen and plasma-derived components, including lipoproteins, plays a critical role in smooth muscle proliferation in vitro and in vivo in the induction of the lesions of atherosclerosis.
Energy Usage in Natural Gas Pipeline Applications

Energy required to transport the fluid is an important parameter to be analyzed and minimized in pipeline applications. However, the pipeline system requirements and equipment could impose different constraints for operating pipelines in the best manner possible. One of the critical parameters that is looked at closely, is the machines’ efficiency to avoid unfavorable operating conditions and to save energy costs. However, a compression-transport system includes more than one machine and more than one station working together at different conditions. Therefore, a detailed analysis of the entire compression system should be conducted to obtain a real power usage optimization. This paper presents a case study that is focused on analyzing natural gas transport system flow maximization while optimizing the usage of the available compression power. Various operating scenarios and machine spare philosophies are considered to identify the most suitable conditions for an optimum operation of the entire system. Modeling of pipeline networks has increased in the past decade due to the use of powerful computational tools that provide good quality representation of the real pipeline conditions. Therefore, a computational pipeline model was developed and used to simulate the gas transmission system. All the compressors’ performance maps and their driver data such as heat rate curves for the fuel consumption, site data, and running speed correction curves for the power were loaded in the model for each machine. The pipeline system covers 218 miles of hilly terrain with two looped pipelines of 38″ and 36″ in diameter. The entire system includes three compressor stations along its path with different configurations and equipment. For the optimization, various factors such as good efficiency over a wide range of operating conditions, maximum flexibility of configuration, fuel consumption and high power available were analyzed. The flow rate was maximized by using instantaneous maximum compression capacity at each station while maintaining fixed boundary conditions. This paper presents typical parameters that affect the energy usage in natural gas pipeline applications and discusses a case study that covers an entire pipeline. A modeling approach and basic considerations are presented as well as the results obtained for the optimization.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Patterns of epistasis in RNA viruses: a review of the evidence from vaccine design.

Epistasis results when the fitness effects of a mutation change depending on the presence or absence of other mutations in the genome. The predictions of many influential evolutionary hypotheses are determined by the existence and form of epistasis. One rich source of data on the interactions among deleterious mutations that has gone untapped by evolutionary biologists is the literature on the design of live, attenuated vaccine viruses. Rational vaccine design depends upon the measurement of individual and combined effects of deleterious mutations. In the current study, we have reviewed data from 29 vaccine-oriented studies using 14 different RNA viruses. Our analyses indicate that (1) no consistent tendency towards a particular form of epistasis exists across RNA viruses and (2) significant interactions among groups of mutations within individual viruses occur but are not common. RNA viruses are significant pathogens of human disease, and are tractable model systems for evolutionary studies – we discuss the relevance of our findings in both contexts.
A comparison of the dissolution of model compounds and the kerogen of Green River oil shale by oxidation with perchloric acid — A model for the kerogen of Green River oil shale

Abstract A stepwise degradation of a kerogen concentrate of Green River oil shale was effected by oxidation with perchloric acid of varying boiling point and concentration. Dissolution of the kerogen concentrate occurred between 160 and 170°C. Several model compounds were also oxidized with perchloric acid. The model compounds were polyethylene, graphite, nylon, and polyethylene oxide. The results indicated that the kerogen was similar to polyethylene oxide. The results of this study and previous work were used to present a model for the structure of the kerogen of Green River oil shale.
Filling polygonal holes using C 1 cubic triangular spline patches

Abstract We use the method of energy minimization to fill polygonal holes by C 1 cubic triangular spline patches. We implement the method in MATLAB. Several numerical examples are shown.
The tuberal lateral hypothalamus is a major target for GABAA - but not GABAB-mediated control of food intake.

The lateral hypothalamus (LH) is a site of integration for control mechanisms of feeding behavior as it has extensive reciprocal connections with multiple intrahypothalamic and extrahypothalamic brain areas. Evidence suggests that blockade of ionotropric gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in the LH elicits eating in satiated rats. To determine whether this GABA(A) receptor antagonist effect is specific to the LH, the antagonist picrotoxin was injected into one of six nearby sites and food intake was measured. Picrotoxin at 133 pmol elicited eating in the LH, but not in surrounding sites (thalamus, lateral preoptic area, ventral tegmental area, dorsomedial hypothalamus, and entopeduncular nucleus). More specifically, picrotoxin injected into the tuberal LH (tLH) elicited eating, but was ineffective when injected into the anterior or posterior LH. We also investigated whether GABA(B) receptors in the LH participated in the control of food intake and found that neither blockade nor activation of these receptors under multiple conditions changed food intake. Collectively, our findings suggest that GABA(A) but not GABA(B) receptors in the tLH act to suppress feeding behavior.
The effects of theophylline and certain other purine derivatives on tyrosine aminotransferase activity in hepatoma cells in culture

Abstract The induction of tyrosine aminotransferase in HTC cells by derivatives of adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate is not potentiated by theopylline, a commonly used inhibitor of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase. In fact, the addition of theophylline to HTC cell cultures produces a rapid decrease in the level of tyrosine aminotransferase activity. The magnitude of this decrease is dependent upon the added concentration of theopylline in both the presence and absence of enzyme inducers. Among several other purines and pyrimidines tested, caffeine and adenine most strongly resemble theophylline in affecting tyrosine aminotransferase activity. Theophylline inhibits growth and both protein and RNA synthesis in HTC cells, but the inhibition of protein synthesis cannot account completely for the effect on tyrosine aminotransferase. Theophylline also seems to increse the rate of degradation of the enzyme without affecting the degradation rate for general cellular protein. The mechanism of this apparently specific increase in degradation rate differs from both the normal degradation process for the enzyme and the enhanced degradation produced by nutritional depletion of the medium.
Failure of predictions from subjectively expected utility theory in a Bayesian decision task

Abstract An experiment is presented which tests the adequacy of a subjectively expected utility (SEU) model for Bayesian decision making. The predictions were independent of individual measures of subjective probability or utility. They depended upon the findings that humans underestimate high Bayesian probabilities, with this tendency being greater when the Bayesian probabilities quickly approach one and zero than otherwise. The predictions were first stated with the assumption that utility is linearly related to money within the range of values used. The predictions were not sustained. However, part of the data restricted the possible utility functions to power functions. It was shown that no value of the exponent could account for the rest of the data, making the test independent of utility considerations. Implications for a theory of Bayesian decision making were discussed.
Calibration of a semi-automated segmenting method for quantification of adipose tissue compartments from magnetic resonance images of mice

Objective To use an automated water-suppressed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method to objectively assess adipose tissue (AT) volumes in whole body and specific regional body components (subcutaneous, thoracic and peritoneal) of obese and lean mice.
Effect of glutathione S-transferase polymorphisms and proximity to hazardous waste sites on time to systemic lupus erythematosus diagnosis: results from the Roxbury lupus project.

Objective The high prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) among African American women may be due to environmental exposures, genetic factors, or a combination of factors. Our goal was to assess association of residential proximity to hazardous waste sites and genetic variation in 3 glutathione Stransferase (GST) genes (GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTP1) with age at diagnosis of SLE. Methods Residential histories were obtained by interviewing 93 SLE patients from 3 predominantly African American neighborhoods in Boston. Residential addresses and locations of 416 hazardous waste sites in the study area were geocoded using ArcView software. Time-varying Cox models were used to study the effect of residential proximity to hazardous sites, GST genotype, and interaction between genotype and exposure in determining age at diagnosis. Results The prevalence of SLE among African American women in these neighborhoods was 3.56 SLE cases per 1,000. Homozygosity for GSTM1-null and GSTP1 Ile105Val in combination was associated with earlier SLE diagnosis (P = 0.03), but there was no association with proximity to 416 hazardous sites. Available data on specific site contaminants suggested that, at a subset of 67 sites, there was higher potential risk for exposure to volatile organic compounds (P < 0.05 with Bonferroni correction). GST genotypes had a significant interaction with proximity (P = 0.03) in analyses limited to these sites. Conclusion There was no independent association between residential proximity to hazardous waste sites and the risk of earlier SLE diagnosis in this urban population. However, analysis of a limited number of sites indicated that the risk of earlier SLE associated with proximity to hazardous sites might be modulated by GST polymorphisms.
THE EFFECT OF E. COLI ENDOTOXIN ON THE DEVELOPING RAT LIVER: Possible role in neonatal hepatitis

THE EFFECT OF E. COLI ENDOTOXIN ON THE DEVELOPING RAT LIVER: Possible role in neonatal hepatitis
Paleogene calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy of the Atlantic coastal plain

Abstract Reconnaissance nannofossil sampling of outcrops, well cuttings, and cores from New Jersey to North Carolina reveals strata representative of the entire Paleogene except for NP 3 and NP 24–25. Lowest Paleocene strata (NP 1–2) occur in the subsurface of central New Jersey and equivalents may exist in North Carolina. Mid-to-upper Paleocene beds (NP 5–9) occur in central New Jersey, Virginia, and North Carolina, cropping out as the Vincentown, Aquia, and Beaufort Formations respectively. Lower Eocene assemblages appear to occur only in the subsurface of Virginia where a section representing continuous open marine deposition from NP 4–5 to NP 23 exists. Middle Eocene strata (NP 14–17) occur in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, whereas upper Eocene beds are represented only in Virginia and North Carolina. The Virginia section is mainly clastic whereas that of North Carolina seems to represent wave-influenced carbonate banks exhibiting several hardgrounds (Castle Hayne Formation). Nannofossil assemblages of NP 15 and NP 18–20 (but not NP 16–17) suggest that the Castle Haynes Formation might represent two separate marine transgressions separated by a hiatus. Lower Oligocene assemblages (NP 21–22) were found only in the subsurface of Virginia and North Carolina, and mid-Oligocene ones only in Virginia. Samplings of the Atlantic Coast onshore sequence is continuing, and undoubtedly some of the many apparent marine hiatuses we encountered might be filled in. Nonetheless, the lower Paleocene, upper Paleocene, middle Eocene, and lower Oligocene appear to represent marine transgression whereas the middle Paleocene, lower and upper Eocene, and upper Oligocene represent marine regressions. These oscillations correlate well with global relative sea-level history, but differ in detail owing to local tectonic overprinting.
Targeted delivery of antisense oligonucleotides to hepatocytes using triantennary N-acetyl galactosamine improves potency 10-fold in mice

Triantennary N-acetyl galactosamine (GalNAc, GN3: ), a high-affinity ligand for the hepatocyte-specific asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR), enhances the potency of second-generation gapmer antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) 6-10-fold in mouse liver. When combined with next-generation ASO designs comprised of short S-cEt (S-2'-O-Et-2',4'-bridged nucleic acid) gapmer ASOs, ∼ 60-fold enhancement in potency relative to the parent MOE (2'-O-methoxyethyl RNA) ASO was observed. GN3: -conjugated ASOs showed high affinity for mouse ASGPR, which results in enhanced ASO delivery to hepatocytes versus non-parenchymal cells. After internalization into cells, the GN3: -ASO conjugate is metabolized to liberate the parent ASO in the liver. No metabolism of the GN3: -ASO conjugate was detected in plasma suggesting that GN3: acts as a hepatocyte targeting prodrug that is detached from the ASO by metabolism after internalization into the liver. GalNAc conjugation also enhanced potency and duration of the effect of two ASOs targeting human apolipoprotein C-III and human transthyretin (TTR) in transgenic mice. The unconjugated ASOs are currently in late stage clinical trials for the treatment of familial chylomicronemia and TTR-mediated polyneuropathy. The ability to translate these observations in humans offers the potential to improve therapeutic index, reduce cost of therapy and support a monthly dosing schedule for therapeutic suppression of gene expression in the liver using ASOs.
The substorm current wedge and field‐aligned currents in MHD simulations of magnetotail reconnection

We present results of a three-dimensional MHD simulation of magnetotail reconnection, which, in contrast to earlier ones, starts from an equilibrium configuration that contains a region 1 type field-aligned current system at the plasma sheet/lobe boundary. This current system is found from equilibrium theory as the consequence of boundary conditions, which require that field lines at large distances from the Earth become aligned with the tail axis, consistent with observations and the expected consequences of the interaction with the solar wind. As in earlier simulations, the dynamic evolution develops from a slow diffusion to the fast growth of a three-dimensional tearing mode, initiated by the sudden occurrence or increase of resistivity, leading again to the formation and subsequent tailward ejection of a plasmoid, associated with fast plasma flows. In addition, we find changes of the electric current system which are consistent with the substorm current wedge picture inferred from observations, i.e., a deviation of cross-tail current from a near-Earth tail region toward the Earth on the dawn side and away on the dusk side, associated with field-aligned currents of the same signature. While the total cross-tail current is reduced at the location of the near-Earth reconnection site, the local current density at the near-Earth X line actually increases, consistent with the strong plasma sheet thinning in that region. The source regions of the field-aligned currents, indicated by strong peaks of ▽·j∥, are identified as regions of strong plasma flow vorticity near the boundaries of the fast earthward flow earthward of the reconnection site. This flow shear increases preexisting magnetic shear resulting in an increased twist of magnetic flux tubes connected with these regions and thus a generation or increase of the field-aligned currents. We note that the current diversion in our simulation is not caused by a locally enhanced resistivity (although in reality this might be the case) but by the localization of reconnection in a three-dimensional tail configuration.
FRP tube encased rubberized concrete cylinders

In this study, FRP tube encased waste tire rubber modified concrete cylinders were investigated. Four batches of confined and unconfined concrete cylinders with a diameter of 101.6 mm and a height of 304.8 mm were prepared. Each batch contained three confined cylinders and three unconfined cylinders. The total number of effective cylinders prepared was 24. Batches 1–3 were made of rubberized concrete. In Batch 1, 15% by volume of coarse aggregate was replaced by waste tire fibers or stripes; in Batches 2 and 3, 15% by volume of sand and 30% by volume of sand were replaced by crumb rubbers, respectively. Batch 4 was a control batch with conventional plain concrete. Uniaxial compression tests were conducted on all the cylinders per ASTM C39. Strain gages were installed on the encased rubberized concrete cylinders to obtain local strain distributions. The compressive strength and strain at the peak load were compared with the predictions by available design-oriented confinement models. It is found that the FRP tube encased rubberized concrete cylinders have higher confinement effectiveness, ductility, and elastic regions than FRP tube encased conventional concrete cylinders. Waste tire fiber modified concrete performs better than crumb rubber modified concrete with a lower cost. Instead of volume contraction, FRP encased rubberized concrete cylinders experience volumetric expansion. The current design-oriented confinement models cannot consistently predict the compressive strength and strain of the encased cylinders. An 1-D coupon test cannot uniquely determine the hoop tensile strength of the FRP tubes which are subjected to a 2-D stress condition.
Arthroscopic-assisted revision of telescopic rods in osteogenesis imperfecta.

Abstract Bailey-Dubow extensible nails are intramedullary stabilization devices designed to prevent deformities and recurrent long bone fractures in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta. The rods consist of a hollow outer sleeve and a solid inner obturator, allowing for telescoping of the rods and expansion of the device with longitudinal growth of the bone. Migration of the nail into the joint is a known complication of this procedure, which can lead to pain and loss of motion. This is a case report of the use of an arthroscopic approach to manipulate femoral and tibial Bailey-Dubow rods that migrated into the knee joint.
Reading Fluency and Self‐Efficacy: A case study

In this case study, reading fluency was examined within the context of a paired reading instructional intervention. Additionally, this study explored reader self‐perceptions and the nature of the lived experience of reading for a less‐skilled reader. A single‐subject changing criterion design was employed. Baseline reading fluency data were collected prior to the introduction of the intervention, as well as during the 11‐week intervention. Reading rates and accuracy percentages were calculated during the baseline and instructional phases, and probed during the maintenance phase. In addition, a reading maze procedure was used periodically to investigate reading comprehension. The Reader Self‐Perception Scale (Henk & Melnick, 1995) was administered on three occasions, and informal interviews were conducted and analysed for recurring themes to explore the lived experience of having reading fluency difficulties. Reading fluency improved substantially, scores on the Reader Self‐Perception Scale were in the ave...
Relationship of early lactation and bovine somatotropin on nutrient uptake by cow mammary glands.

Abstract Twenty-one multiparous lactating dairy cows with previous 305-d milk production records varying from 5900 to 13,600kg were used to investigate effects of bST administration and stage of lactation on nutrient plasma arterial concentrations and arterial-venous differences across the mammary glands (uptake). On d 71 and continuing until d 126 of lactation, cows were injected with 40mg of sometribove (bST group) or bicarbonate buffer (placebo group). Arterial and venous blood plasma samples were collected over a 12-h period on d 35, 70, 105, and 126 of lactation. Plasma concentration of glucose was 7% higher in midlactation compared with early lactation cows. Plasma concentration of acetate decreased from 2.11 to 1.87m M in placebo versus bST-treated cows. Plasma arterial concentration and uptake of D-β-hydroxybutyrate were .52 and .18m M higher, respectively, in early versus midlactation cows. Concentration and uptake of NEFA were elevated in both early lactation and bST-treated cows. Triacylglyceride concentrations were 24 and 19% lower in early lactation and bST-treated cows compared with midlactation cows receiving placebo. Likewise, uptake of triacylglyceride was reduced in early lactation and with bST treatment compared with midlactation. The mediation of nutrient delivery and uptake by the mammary gland appears to be markedly similar between early lactation and bST-treated cows, suggesting a similarity between these physiological states and the homeostatic and homeorhetic mechanisms regulating nutrient partitioning in the lactating dairy cow. In early compared with midlactation cows receiving placebo, uptakes of D-β-hydroxybutyrate and NEFA were reduced, and triacylglyceride uptake increased.
An ab initio calculation of the rate constant for the OH+H 2→H2O+H reaction

The rate constants for OH+H2 reactions are calculated, using the reagent and saddle point parameters from table I and 6.2 kcal/mole barrier estimate. (AIP)
Power flow control in networks using controllable network transformers

The drive for higher reliability has motivated many utilities to move towards a more meshed system. Two control areas are often connected together with tie-lines. Power flow through the tie-lines connecting two control areas is difficult to control. This lack of controllability of power flow is one of the major issues in the modern grid. It causes asymmetric stress on the grid assets. This makes some grid assets more vulnerable to failure than others and therefore decreases the overall system reliability. Presently utilities can achieve very limited power flow control using devices like Load Tap Changing (LTC) transformers and Phase Shifting Transformers (PST). Controllable Network Transformers (CNT) were introduced as a simple, low cost solution to the power flow problem. This paper develops a theoretical analysis for the operation of CNT in a meshed network. It also shows the various possible applications of the CNT. Experimental validation of the working principle of a small scale prototype CNT is also provided.
Perceived Equity and Intimacy in Marriage

The extent to which perceived inequity is related to perceived marital intimacy was examined. Sixty-six couples married five years or less were randomly selected from marriage license records in a western rural community. Equity/inequity was assessed using the Walster global measure of equity. Levels of overall intimacy, conflict resolution, affection, cohesion, sexuality, identity, compatibility, autonomy, and expressiveness were measured using the Waring Intimacy Questionnaire (WIQ). Inequity was associated with lower levels of overall intimacy, compatibility, identity, and expressiveness among the wives. Among the husbands, inequity was not associated with any types of intimacy. When comparing husbands in inequitable relationships to wives in inequitable relationships, the wives reported lower scores for only one kind of intimacy--identity. Explanations and implications for marriage therapy are discussed.
Citizen perceptions of community policing: comparing internet and mail survey responses

Internet surveys alone and mail surveys alone display limitations in terms of cost, convenience, sampling, representativeness, and flexibility that neither method completely resolves. The authors were asked to design a survey that would measure resident perceptions of community policing in a small city in south Georgia. The fact that city residents were offered low-price Internet access as part of the city's range of local services gave the authors the opportunity to employ both a mail survey and an Internet survey posted on the city's web page. They examined the effect of the two methods on respondents' survey answers and compared the Internet and mail responses on response rate and comparability of responses on their community-policing indicators. Method of data collection did not significantly affect answers given. Those inclined to complete and return mail surveys sponsored by community institutions do not differ substantially from those who tend to respond by Internet.
Renal papillary necrosis in thyroid carcinoma

Abstract A thirty-four-year-old man with progressive visual impairment was found to have thyromegaly and renal insufficiency at the time of admission. Subsequent evaluation demonstrated bilateral optic neuritis and a thyroid nodule which proved to be a follicular carcinoma. Nephrologic studies revealed bilateral papillary necrosis and chronic interstitial nephritis on biopsy. The patient's renal function stabilized and twenty-four-hour protein excretion diminished after hemithyroidectoiny. Carcinoma-related protein production may have played a role in the development of the observed renal lesions. Carcinoma should be a consideration in patients with unexplained papillary necrosis.
Classification and Prioritization of Essential Systems in Hospitals under Extreme Events

Abstract This paper presents a classification and prioritization of nonstructural systems, including medical equipment, in hospitals based upon the results of extensive surveys of effects of major seismic events. Surveys included damage surveys, interviews of medical and administrative personnel, and solicitation of expert opinion. As part of a larger study on nonstructural mitigation in hospitals, this effort sought to identify the importance and interdependence of various nonstructural systems subjected to earthquakes and other extreme events. Focused information was obtained for the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Additional information was obtained from experiences in the 1995 Kobe earthquake, the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake, and the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake. Survey results led to a prioritized list of hospital nonstructural systems that can aid mitigation efforts in maximizing the continued functionality of essential medical facilities when exposed to extreme events.
Regulation of nuclear lamin polymerization by importin α

Nuclear lamins are integral components of the nuclear envelope and are important for the regulation of many aspects of nuclear function, including gene transcription and DNA replication. During interphase, the lamins form an intranuclear intermediate filament network that must be disassembled and reassembled when cells divide. Little is known about factors regulating this assembly/disassembly cycle. Using in vitro nuclear assembly and lamin assembly assays, we have identified a role for the nuclear transport factor importin α in the regulation of lamin assembly. Exogenous importin α inhibited nuclear lamin assembly in Xenopus interphase egg nuclear assembly assays. Fractionation of the egg extract used for nuclear assembly identified a high molecular weight complex containing the major egg lamin, XLB3, importin α, and importin β. This complex could be dissociated by RanGTP or a competing nuclear localization sequence, indicating that lamin assembly is Ran- and importin α-dependent in the egg extract. We show that the addition of importin α to purified lamin B3 prevents the assembly of lamins in solution. Lamin assembly assays show that importin α prevents the self-association of lamins required to assemble lamin filaments into the typical paracrystals formed in vitro. These results suggest a role for importin α in regulating lamin assembly and possibly modulating the interactions of lamins with lamin-binding proteins.
Impact of character correlation and variable groupings on modern human population tree resolution

Relationships among modern human populations are often explored through the use of linear measurements taken on the cranium and expressed in the form of dendrograms. However, craniometric variables are strongly correlated and thereby violate the assumption of independence that most statistical analyses require. This study explores the relationship between differing methods of variable treatment and the statistical robustness of the outcomes they yield, as depicted in interpopulational trees of relatedness among modern humans. Three methods of grouping variables are examined. The first method leaves them ungrouped, the second groups variables on the basis of the developmental and/or functional complex of the cranium to which they are thought to belong, and the last method reduces variables by using principal components analysis. The strength of each of these methods is tested through the use of the Continuous Character Maximum Likelihood (CONTML) program in the PHYLIP phylogeny inference package. This program produces output in the form of trees, and the resolution of the branching topology is given as a log-likelihood value, with statistical confidence intervals supporting each branch placement on the tree. The results indicate that leaving variables ungrouped provides misleadingly strong results by failing to account for character correlation. Of the alternative two grouping methods, the covarying components method yields the best-resolved tree with stronger statistical support for its topology than the approach of grouping variables on the basis of their location on the cranium. Finally, the implications for interpreting population histories based on such methods are discussed. Am J Phys Anthropol 121:000–000, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Life history and feeding habits of the marine nematode, Chromadora macrolaimoides steiner

Chromadora macrolaimoides Steiner, a free-living nematode present in the aufwuchs assemblages of several marine macrophytes located in North Sea Harbor, Southampton, New York, was isolated from Enteromorpha intestinalis and established in laboratory culture, where its life history and feeding habits were studied. Under the experimental conditions (25 C and 26‰ S) the worm has an average generation time (22 days) and average life span (45 days) similar to other chromadorids which have been studied in the laboratory.
On the Crossover of Boundary Currents in an Idealized Model of the Red Sea

The west-to-east crossover ofboundarycurrents has been seen in mean circulationschemes fromseveral past models of the Red Sea. This study investigates the mechanisms that produce and control the crossover in an idealized, eddy-resolving numerical model of the Red Sea. The authors also review the observational evidence and derive an analytical estimate for the crossover latitude. The surface buoyancy loss increases northward in the idealized model, and the resultant mean circulation consists of an anticyclonic gyre in the south and a cyclonicgyreinthenorth. In themidbasin,thenorthwardsurfaceflow crossesfromthewestern boundarytothe eastern boundary. Numerical experiments with different parameters indicate that the crossover latitude of the boundary currents changes with f0, b, and the meridional gradient of surface buoyancy forcing. In the analytical estimate, which is based on quasigeostrophic, b-plane dynamics, the crossover is predicted to lie at the latitude where the net potential vorticity advection (including an eddy component) is zero. Various terms in the potential vorticity budget can be estimated using a buoyancy budget, a thermal wind balance, and a parameterization of baroclinic instability.
Food Selection Among College Women

Evidence states that college students do not follow healthy eating practices. These practices could eventually lead to risk factors for obesity, hypertension, or cancers later in life. The risk for these illnesses could be prevented by developing healthy eating patterns early in adulthood. This study examined these patterns among undergraduate women. Overall, this population displayed healthy eating patterns and a majority reported a normal BMI. The significant findings show a majority of those living off campus make homemade meals, most days per week (p = .000). The implication of this study is that college students’ eating habits may be improving.
Contesting identity: the Osu caste system among Igbo of Nigeria

Questions about who we are, who we can be, and who is like and unlike us underpin a vast range of contemporary social discourses. Identity is produced and embedded in social relationships, and worked out in the practice of people's everyday lives. An investigation into the experiences of the Osu castes reveals these dynamics. This caste is hereditary; the offspring from marriages within the groups take the status of the lower caste, and the Osu have limited association with members of their societies. The article teases out how contestation of space, power, and representation of self and others shape the identity construction and reconstruction of the caste. The article demonstrates how power is deployed within government, church and indigenous communities, drawing attention to the need for an effective institutionalised mechanism that protect marginalised groups.
Relaxation processes and time-scale transformations

Abstract : Stochastic processes with a special class of non-stationary transition rates (NSTR) that can be related to stationary rates (STR) by time scale transformations are considered. Calculations are carried out on the time scale on which the process has STR and then related to the time scale of measurements by a time scale transformation. Application is made to Gaussian Markoff processes with a single transition rate. The resulting equilibrium autocorrelation function departs from weak stationarity. A response function is related to the Autocorrelation function and specialized to relaxation processes to yield a model consistent with Ngai's recent model of relaxation. The model is therefore widely applicable in the description of measured relaxation behavior and leads naturally to Ngai's renormalization relation for excitation energies. On the basis of the success of the model, consideration is given to the possibility that the process should be viewed as one with STR and an intrinsic time scale so that the process only appears to have NSTR on the time scale of measurements. (Author)
Interactive theatre to engage faculty in difficult dialogues: First implementation

Science and Engineering have struggled to diversify the faculty and students in terms of race/ethnicity and gender. Typical approaches to addressing this problem have not been successful, suggesting more innovative approaches are needed. The University of San Diego (USD) received a National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE grant entitled AFFIRM (Advancement of Female Faculty: Institutional climate, Recruitment and Mentoring) which aims to improve the experiences and career development of all women faculty through climate initiatives, mentoring and professional development. As part of AFFIRM, our multidisciplinary team is exploring an innovative methodology known as "Interactive Theatre" to engage faculty in difficult dialogues and sensitive subjects. In this work in progress, we discuss the first Interactive Theatre presentation at USD including the interactive theatre method, results from the climate study we conducted to provide data for developing the skits, details of the interactive theatre experience, responses from the attendees, and key lessons learned.
Coulomb-Sturmian basis for the nuclear many-body problem

Calculations in ab initio no-core configuration interaction (NCCI) approaches, such as the no-core shell model or no-core full configuration methods, have conventionally been carried out using the harmonic-oscillator many-body basis. However, the rapid falloff (Gaussian asymptotics) of the oscillator functions at large radius makes them poorly suited for the description of the asymptotic properties of the nuclear wave function. We establish the foundations for carrying out NCCI calculations with an alternative many-body basis built from Coulomb-Sturmian functions. These provide a complete, discrete set of functions with a realistic exponential falloff. We present illustrative NCCI calculations for ${}^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ with a Coulomb-Sturmian basis and investigate the center-of-mass separation and spurious excitations.
Seven transmembrane receptors as nature's prototype allosteric protein: De-emphasizing the geography of binding

The article in this issue by Redka et al. (p. 834) illustrates some interesting interactions between classified orthosteric (bind to the same recognition site as endogenous agonist) and allosteric (bind to a different site) ligands. Of particular interest are the methods used to deal with an obfuscating factor in these kinds of studies, namely the propensity of seven transmembrane receptors to form dimers and thus demonstrate allosteric effects through binding at the orthosteric site. The judicious use of kinetics to detect and quantify allosteric action also is demonstrated. The various unique properties of allosteric modulators are discussed in the context of the increasing prevalence of allosteric ligands as investigational drugs.