cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Creating a bridge to simulate simultaneous engineering experiences for senior undergraduate students

Launching new or improved products to the market typically involves extensive collaboration within and beyond the enterprise. Succeeding in a customer-driven market economy demands the practice of simultaneous engineering. The standard engineering or engineering technology curricula continue to make efforts in providing students with opportunities to engage in real-life projects that simulate simultaneous engineering. However, the educational community as a whole has much to implement in this area. This paper presents an approach used to nurture simultaneous engineering through a unique collaboration between instructors in different disciplines. Student teams, formed from three different classes, conceived problems and worked through a problem-solving model to design and develop solutions. An assessment of these interdisciplinary projects revealed significant learning outcomes and their relationships to the diversity of team members. The experiences of both students and instructors are described and some ...
Gating of single layer graphene using DNA

Single strand DNA (ss-DNA) fragments act as negative potential gating agents that increase the hole density in graphene. Patterning of biomolecules on graphene could provide new avenues to modulate the electrical properties. Current-voltage characterization of this hybrid ss-DNA / graphene system indicates a shift of the Dirac point and "intrinsic" conductance after ss-DNA is deposited. The effect of the ss-DNA is to increase the hole density in the graphene. The increased hole density is calculated to be 2 × 1012 cm-2. This increase is consistent with the Raman frequency shifts in the G peak and 2D band positions and the corresponding changes in the G-peak full-width half maximum. Ab initio calculations using density functional theory rule out significant charge transfer or modification of the graphene bandstructure in the presence of the ss-DNA fragments.
DOVE: Data Dissemination to a Desired Number of Receivers in VANET

Efficient data dissemination to a desired number of receivers in a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) is a new issue and a challenging one considering the dynamic nature of VANETs. We aim to accurately control the number of receivers in a particular area of interest, achieve low dissemination delay, and incur only small communication overhead. To achieve these goals, we designed the data dissemination to a desired number of receivers in VANET (DOVE) scheme. DOVE is inspired by processor scheduling treating roads as processors to optimize the workload assignment and improve the efficiency of on-road dissemination. DOVE reaches the desired number of receivers with little inaccuracy and minimizes the dissemination delay with low communication overhead. We enhance our protocol with workload backup to deal with vehicles that are quitting the network. We utilize the unique characteristics of VANET and propose heuristics accordingly to significantly reduce the dissemination delay and overhead. Simulation results show that our scheme can disseminate data to almost all the pregiven number of receivers with a light overhead and low delay.
Estimating the amount of gas hydrate and free gas from marine seismic data

Marine seismic data and well‐log measurements at the Blake Ridge offshore South Carolina show that prominent seismic bottom‐simulating reflectors (BSRs) are caused by sediment layers with gas hydrate overlying sediments with free gas. We apply a theoretical rock‐physics model to 2-D Blake Ridge marine seismic data to determine gas‐hydrate and free‐gas saturation. High‐porosity marine sediment is modeled as a granular system where the elastic wave velocities are linked to porosity; effective pressure; mineralogy; elastic properties of the pore‐filling material; and water, gas, and gas‐hydrate saturation of the pore space. To apply this model to seismic data, we first obtain interval velocity using stacking velocity analysis. Next, all input parameters to the rock‐physics model, except porosity and water, gas, and gas hydrate saturation, are estimated from geologic information. To estimate porosity and saturation from interval velocity, we first assume that the entire sediment does not contain gas hydrate o...
Quantum Theory and Gravitational Relativity

WE wish to announce a result which indicates an inner unity between the quantum theory and gravitational relativity. The connecting link is the wave theory of Schrodinger.
The accuracy of antenatal ultrasonography in identifying renal abnormalities.

• Objective. —To determine the accuracy of measuring antenatal renal pelvic diameter for prediction of renal abnormalities. Research Design. —Prospective evaluation of all pregnant women undergoing ultrasonography. Setting. —A teaching hospital providing primary and referral maternity care. Participants. —Fifty-six pregnant women with suspected fetal hydronephrosis or cystic lesions identified from 7500 ultrasonograms over 3 years. Methods. —Antenatal renal pelvic diameter was measured in the anteroposterior dimension. Neonates underwent postnatal ultrasonography after day 3 of life; if the results were abnormal, a cystogram and renal diuretic scan were obtained. Results. —None of 50 kidneys 15 mm or smaller in anteroposterior pelvic diameter had obstruction; 11 (79%) of 14 kidneys larger than 15 mm were obstructed or demonstrated vesicoureteral reflux. Of 12 kidneys believed to be multicystic before birth, five (42%) proved to have hydronephrosis. Conclusions. —Since the majority of fetuses with suspected hydronephrosis proved to be normal, parents should not be unduly alarmed by the physician. Renal pelvic diameter of more than 15 mm is strongly predictive of hydronephrosis. Since severe hydronephrosis is treatable and can be mistaken for a multicystic kidney antenatally, full radiologic evaluation is needed soon after birth. ( AJDC. 1992;146:1181-1184)
A bilaterally balanced occlusal scheme for patients with arch width and curvature discrepancies.

Abstract A technique is described that will allow the patient maximum tooth contact in bilateral balanced occlusion without compromising esthetics or mechanics for a patient with an underdeveloped retrognathic and normal or oversized maxillae (Figs. 4 and 5). A disadvantage is maintaining the upper posterior teeth in the mold during the boil-out procedure, but this problem may be minimized with careful execution of the laboratory procedures.
Darkness and antibiotics increase the steady-state transcripts of the elongation factor gene (tuf) in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

A plasmid library of chloroplast (Cp) DNA fromChlamydomonas reinhardtii was used to screen for transcripts which respond to light. A transcript of R03, a 1,300 byEcoRI fragment, was identified as a message which accumulates in darkness. The transcribed region of R03 showed extensive sequence homology with theEscherichia coli elongation factor gene,tufA. A genespecific probe was constructed. Northern blots were used to study the extent and kinetics of accumulation of this transcript in darkness and in the presence of antibiotic inhibitors of Cp ribosomes. For comparison, the effects of darkness and antibiotics on the steady state levels ofpsbA, rbeL, and 16S rRNA were also studied. We conclude that thetuf transcript shows the greatest increase in darkness and in the presence of antibiotics.
Effectiveness of solar absorber surfaces

S solar-thermoelectric, and solardynamic axilliary power systems for spacecraft will compete with, if not replace, solar cells for future space probes. These three systems require solar absorption on some type of surface, and this paper describes a method for comparing and evaluating such surfaces on the basis of their radiation properties. Since the spectral distribution of solar energy is quite different from the spectral distribution of the lower-temperature energy emitted by a solar heated surface, the possibility exists of finding surfaces that have high absorptance in the solar spectrum and low emittance at their radiating temperature. The heat retained by a solar absorber radiating into free space is
Cloaked in a starry sky

![Figure][1] A 12-year-old boy presented with right lower quadrant pain and a 5-lb weight loss. A 4.5-cm ileocecal mass was excised and diagnosed as Epstein-Barr virus–negative Burkitt lymphoma (BL). Numerous pericecal lymph nodes revealed preserved nodal architecture with follicles with
Diffusive logistic growth in deterministic and stochastic environments

Abstract A study is made of a non-linear diffusion equation with logistic growth terms. The equation is solvable with space and time dependent carrying capacities. Examples of varying complexity are presented, some of which involve deterministic carrying capacities, others involve carrying capacities whose parameters are random functions of time or space. Fluctuations in environmental parameters are characterized by non-white correlated noise. Solutions are given in terms of correlation times or correlation lengths. Explicit solutions are developed for the deterministic cases, while the stochastic cases are solved by using the beta distribution as an approximation to the probability distribution function of the population density.
Expert Opinion and Controversies in Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine: Stingers

Stingers are a common injury in contact sports and are characterized by acute lancinating pain in 1 upper extremity with or without associated weakness and neck pain. Appropriate on-field evaluation is necessary to identify the extent of injury and rule out structural injuries to the head, spine, or shoulder girdle. Although athletes can often return to play after a single acute event that resolves rapidly, those who have recurrent events, persisting pain, or strength deficits require a thorough diagnostic evaluation before return-to-play decisions can be made. In some circumstances, players sustaining a single stinger or multiple recurrent stingers may be permanently removed from participation in collision or contact sports.
Nanoring structure, spacing, and local dielectric sensitivity for plasmonic resonances in Fano resonant square lattices

Lattices of plasmonic nanorings with particular geometries exhibit singular, tunable resonance features in the infrared. This work examined effects of nanoring inner radius, wall thickness, and lattice constant on the spectral response of single nanorings and in Fano resonant square lattices, combining use of the discrete and coupled dipole approximations. Increasing nanoring inner radius red-shifted and broadened the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), while wall thickness modulated the LSPR wavelength and decreased absorption relative to scattering. The square lattice constant was tuned to observe diffractively-coupled lattice resonances, which increased resonant extinction 4.3-fold over the single-ring LSPR through Fano resonance. Refractive index sensitivities of 760 and 1075 nm RIU−1 were computed for the plasmon and lattice resonances of an optimized nanoring lattice. Sensitivity of an optimal nanoring lattice to a local change in dielectric, useful for sensing applications, was 4 to 5 times higher than for isolated nanorings or non-coupling arrays. This was attributable to the Fano line-shape in far-field diffractive coupling with near-field LSPR.
The influence of habitat autocorrelation on plants and their seed-eating pollinators

Abstract Model systems for studying mutualism costs and benefits include the many species of plants that rely on seed-eating pollinators for their reproduction. Empirical studies of these interactions show that mutualism costs and benefits can vary greatly within populations. Here we investigate the role of plant habitat autocorrelation on mutualism properties when mutualist dispersal is limited. We build a spatially explicit individual-based model of an obligate mutualism that includes a plant and its obligate seed-eating pollinator. We also model exploiters of this mutualism, which do not pollinate, but compete with pollinators for pollinated plant ovules in which to develop. We test how the autocorrelation of habitable plant environment affects pollinator production, seed production, pollinator visitation to plants, and the persistence of exploiters at different dispersal distances and rates of exploitation. We find that positive habitat autocorrelation increases the mean number of pollinator visits to plants. More frequent pollinator visitation to plants increases the probability that a random plant will be pollinated, but also the probability of pollinator oviposition into plant ovules at the cost of a developing seed. This process leads to spatial variation in the production of pollinators versus seeds. For a given scale of habitat autocorrelation, the turnover of this variation decreases when pollinator dispersal distance is high. Exploiters of the mutualism dramatically lower the number of pollinator visits per flower, which decreases pollinator production, seed production, and mutualist densities. Exploiters persist with mutualists when the mean number of pollinator visits per plant is neither too low, nor too high. When the mean number of pollinator visits a plant receives is too low, overexploitation and the extinction of both mutualists and exploiters follows; a high mean number of pollinator visits results in the competitive exclusion of exploiters by pollinators. Because the autocorrelation of habitat strongly affects the number of pollinator visits per flower, our results show that habitat autocorrelation can influence key mutualism properties and the susceptibility of mutualisms to exploitation.
Developmental changes in thermal and olfactory influences on golden hamster pups.

Golden hamster pups ages 3 to 16 days were tested in three different experimental situations involving different combinations of thermal and olfactory stimuli. Preference for the odor of home cage shavings over fresh shavings occurred throughout the test period and reached a peak on Days 7–8. Preference for warmth declined after Day 8 and changed to a cool preference by Day 13. During declining thermotaxis, the presence of home odor altered the pups' behavior on the thermal dimension. The combination of warmth and home odor was more attractive than either one alone. The developmental changes when thermal and olfactory cues are present can be characterized as sequential periods of stimulus dominance, independence, and interaction.
Fractional-Flow Model for High-ph Flooding

Modelisation de l'ecoulement d'un petrole brut acide recupere par injection d.'hydroxyde de sodium. Ce modele prend en compte les interactions chimiques petrole/NaOH et la tension interfaciale
MATURATION OF EVOKED RESPONSES IN THE DUCKLING.

Abstract There is a marked change in the evoked electrophysiologic responses of ducklings around the time of the hatching. There is shortening of the latency and duration of the responses produced by flashes of light as measured at either retina or optic lobe. Exposure to a flashing light for 24 hours prior to testing accelerates the changes noted during maturation.
Sharp, quantitative bounds on the distance between a polynomial piece and its Bézier control polygon

Abstract The maximal distance between a Bezier segment and its control polygon is bounded in terms of the differences of the control point sequence and a constant that depends only on the degree of the polynomial. The constants derived here for various norms and orders of differences are the smallest possible. In particular, the bound in terms of the maximal absolute second difference of the control points is a sharp upper bound for the Hausdorff distance between the control polygon and the curve segment. It provides a straightforward proof of quadratic convergence of the sequence of control polygons to the Bezier segment under subdivision or degree-fold degree-raising, and establishes the explicit convergence constants, and allows analyzing the optimal choice of the subdivision parameter for adaptive refinement of quadratic and cubic segments and yields efficient bounding regions.
SOFT PHOTON EMISSION EFFECTS AND RADIATIVE CORRECTIONS FOR ELECTROMAGNETIC PROCESSES AT VERY HIGH-ENERGIES

Higher-order electromagnetic processes involving particles at ultrahigh energies are discussed, with particular attention given to Compton scattering with the emission of an additional photon (double Compton scattering). Double Compton scattering may have significance in the interaction of a high-energy electron with the cosmic blackbody photon gas. At high energies the cross section for double Compton scattering is large, though this effect is largely canceled by the effects of radiative corrections to ordinary Compton scattering. A similar cancellation takes place for radiative pair production and the associated radiative corrections to the radiationless process. This cancellation is related to the well-known cancellation of the infrared divergence in electrodynamics.
Selective mRNA sequestration by OLIGOURIDYLATE-BINDING PROTEIN 1 contributes to translational control during hypoxia in Arabidopsis

Low oxygen stress dynamically regulates the translation of cellular mRNAs as a means of energy conservation in seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana. Most of the highly hypoxia-induced mRNAs are recruited to polysomes and actively translated, whereas other cellular mRNAs become translationally inactive and are either targeted for stabilization or degradation. Here we identify the involvement of OLIGOURIDYLATE BINDING PROTEIN 1 (UBP1), a triple RNA Recognition Motif protein, in dynamic and reversible aggregation of translationally repressed mRNAs during hypoxia. Mutation or down-regulation of UBP1C interferes with seedling establishment and reduces survival of low oxygen stress. By use of messenger ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) immunopurification, we show that UBP1C constitutively binds a subpopulation of mRNAs characterized by uracil-rich 3′-untranslated regions under normoxic conditions. During hypoxia, UBP1C association with non–uracil-rich mRNAs is enhanced concomitant with its aggregation into microscopically visible cytoplasmic foci, referred to as UBP1 stress granules (SGs). This UBP1C–mRNA association occurs as global levels of protein synthesis decline. Upon reoxygenation, rapid UBP1 SG disaggregation coincides with the return of the stabilized mRNAs to polysomes. The mRNAs that are highly induced and translated during hypoxia largely circumvent UBP1C sequestration. Thus, UBP1 is established as a component of dynamically assembled cytoplasmic mRNPs that sequester mRNAs that are poorly translated during a transient low energy stress.
Minority government and majority rule

1. The problem of minority government 2. The rationality of minority government formation 3. Forming minority governments 4. Minority governments in office 5. Italy: the politics of cooperation and defection 6. Norway: the politics of inclusion 7. Reassessing minority governments Appendices Notes References.
Modeling the Effect of Unitary Calcium Current on Neighboring Ryanodine Receptors during Calcium Induced Calcium Release

In resting cardiac cells, the open probability (Po) of single ryanodine receptors (RyRs) is very low and consequently little Ca2+ is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). However, a stochastic RyR opening will cause diastolic local Ca2+ release from the SR that can activate neighboring closed RyRs. This inter-RyR Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release (CICR) may generate diastolic Ca2+ sparks. It is known that elevating SR Ca2+ load above normal levels dramatically increases spark frequency and increases the unitary RyR Ca2+ current. It is this current that acts on neighboring RyRs through CICR. We have developed a simple model based on experimental single-channel RyR Ca2+ sensitivity to understand how unitary RyR Ca2+ current may control CICR within a group of neighboring RyRs (a Ca2+ release unit, CRU). The model predicts how the current carried by an open RyR influences the activity of neighboring RyRs in a CRU. These predictions match published experimental single and clustered RyR channel results obtained in bilayer studies.
OSO-III: Preliminary scientific results

OSO-III was placed into orbit on March 8, 1967; observations were made of the solar extreme ultraviolet, soft and hard solar X-rays, cosmic X-rays and γ-rays, cosmic ray particles, and the near-earth optical wavelength radiation environment.
The Health Impact Fund and Its Justification by Appeal to Human Rights

One important aspect of globalization is the increasingly dense and influential regime of global rules that govern and shape interactions everywhere. Covering trade, investment, loans, patents, copyrights, trademarks, labor standards, environmental protection, use of seabed resources, production and marketing of weapons, maintenance of public security, and much else, these rules—structuring and enabling, permitting and constraining—have a profound impact on the lives of human beings and on the ecology of our planet. It is therefore important to think carefully, in moral terms, about their design.
The Influence of Nonfat Dry Milk on the Sensory Properties, Viscosity, and Color of Lowfat Milks

Abstract Previous work demonstrated that an effective fat substitute for fat-free milk should make the color of the milk whiter, less green, and less blue. This change corresponds to the L, a, and b values of 81, −3.7, and 2.9, respectively, for milk with 2% added fat, based on L, a, and b values of 74, −6.7, and 1.1 for skim milk. The first candidate for a fat replacer was NDM. Addition of NDM (0 to 2% solids) did not impart the same sensory or color characteristics (L, a, and b values of 75.6, −6.5, and 1.9, respectively, for 2% NDM solids added to skim milk) as fat. However, the effect of addition of 2% NDM on the objective measure of viscosity was very similar to addition of 2% fat. Our results suggested that a fat substitute for fat-free milk needs to change the appearance attributes of the milk more than its tactile attributes and that addition of NDM alone is not an adequate fat substitute for use in skim milk.
Comparative molecular characterization of gene segment 11-derived NSP6 from lamb rotavirus LLR strain used as a human vaccine in China☆

Sequence-length polymorphism is known for rotavirus genetic segment 11 (encodes non-structural protein, NSP6). With the exception of 11 strains that have the coding potential for a 98-residue NSP6, majority of the strains have the potential for a 92-residue NSP6. In nine strains, the coding potential for this protein is even shorter. This report focuses on the NSP6 gene nucleotide sequence of Lanzhou Lamb Rotavirus (LLR) strain and its comparative molecular characterization. The LLR strain is a G10 P12 type, which is in use as a licensed human vaccine in China. The LLR NSP6 was compared with 56 other rotaviral NSP6 sequences including a rhesus strain (RRV) available in the database. Analyses indicate that while RRV-NSP6 belongs to the majority (92-residue) group, the LLR NSP6 belongs to the 98-residue group. When the rotavirus NSP6 protein was expressed in cells as GFP fusion protein from human, simian and the LLR strains, they all demonstrated punctate cytoplasmic distribution and, contrary to the computer-aided prediction, the NSP6 did not undergo phosphorylation, which in itself is a novel observation for the rotavirus NSP6.
A bioactive drug quantitation based approach for the detection of anti-drug neutralizing antibodies in human serum

We describe in this paper a novel approach for the detection of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) and the assessment of their impact on drug exposure. This approach is based on an in-vitro cell-based bioassay utilizing receptor tyrosine phosphorylation as a cellular endpoint and comprises of two assay formats: a quantitative assay for measurement of bioactive drug concentrations in a serum sample, and a neutralizing antibody detection assay. The bioassay utilizes PC-3 cells that respond to treatment with hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) with phosphorylation of tyrosine residues on c-Met, the receptor for HGF. The drug, a fully human monoclonal antibody to human HGF, inhibits the HGF-induced response in a dose-dependent manner that can be used for quantitative determination of circulating drug levels in serum samples. The approach described here consists of testing a sample with and without an exogenously added concentration of drug. Testing the sample for its inherent bioactivity allows a determination of the circulating levels of bioactive drug. Testing the same sample with an exogenously added concentration of drug and an assessment of its analytical recovery allows a determination of NAb presence. Neutralizing antibodies, if present, are expected to impair the recovery of the exogenously added concentration of drug. This approach provides utility in gaining clinically relevant information when NAb detection is hindered by high levels of circulating drug levels using conventional NAb assay formats. Validation of this method is described in detail along with discussions on the utility of this approach.
Hands-free multi-scale navigation in virtual environments

This paper presents a set of interaction techniques for hands-free multi-scale navigation through virtual environments. We believe that hands-free navigation, unlike the majority of navigation techniques based on hand motions, has the greatest potential for maximizing the interactivity of virtual environments since navigation modes are offloaded from modal hand gestures to more direct motions of the feet and torso. Not only are the users’ hands freed to perform tasks such as modeling, notetaking and object manipulation, but we also believe that foot and torso movements may inherently be more natural for some navigation tasks. The particular interactions that we developed include a leaning technique for moving small and medium distances, a foot-gesture controlled Step WIM that acts as a floor map for moving larger distances, and a viewing technique that enables a user to view a full 360 degrees in only a three-walled semi-immersive environment by subtly amplifying the mapping between their torso rotation and the virtual world. We formatively designed and evaluated our techniques in existing projects related to archaeological reconstructions, free-form modeling, and interior design. In each case, our informal observations have indicated that motions such as walking and leaning are both appropriate for navigation and are effective in cognitively simplifying complex virtual environment interactions since functionality is more evenly distributed across the body.
The thrombin receptor in human platelets is coupled to a GTP binding protein of the Gαq family

The thrombin receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor, but the G proteins functionally coupled to this receptor in human platelets are not yet definitively identified. Thrombin stimulation of platelets leads to phospholipase C-mediated increases in intracellular calcium, and previous studies have suggested that the thrombin receptor is coupled to members of the Gq family. We now demonstrate direct GTPase activation by thrombin receptor activation peptide (TRAP) in human platelet membranes, and specific inhibition of TRAP-activated GTPase by antibodies to Gq. These data demonstrate functional coupling of the thrombin receptor to a member of the Gq family.
The Psychoanalytic Study of the Grimms' Tales with Special Reference to “The Maiden Without Hands” (AT 706)

(1987). The Psychoanalytic Study of the Grimms' Tales with Special Reference to “The Maiden Without Hands” (AT 706) The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 62, No. 2, pp. 50-65.
Transcriptome of Swarming Proteus mirabilis

Swarming motility by the urinary tract pathogen Proteus mirabilis has been a long-studied but little understood phenomenon. On agar, a P. mirabilis colony grows outward in a bull's-eye pattern formed by consecutive waves of rapid swarming followed by consolidation into shorter cells. To examine differential gene expression in these growth phases, a microarray was constructed based on the completed genome sequence and annotation. RNA was extracted from broth-cultured, swarming, and consolidation-phase cells to assess transcription during each of these growth states. A total of 587 genes were differentially expressed in broth-cultured cells versus swarming cells, and 527 genes were differentially expressed in broth-cultured cells versus consolidation-phase cells (consolidate). Flagellar genes were highly upregulated in both swarming cells and consolidation-phase cells. Fimbriae were downregulated in swarming cells, while genes involved in cell division and anaerobic growth were upregulated in broth-cultured cells. Direct comparison of swarming cells to consolidation-phase cells found that 541 genes were upregulated in consolidate, but only nine genes were upregulated in swarm cells. Genes involved in flagellar biosynthesis, oligopeptide transport, amino acid import and metabolism, cell division, and phage were upregulated in consolidate. Mutation of dppA, oppB, and cysJ, upregulated during consolidation compared to during swarming, revealed that although these genes play a minor role in swarming, dppA and cysJ are required during ascending urinary tract infection. Swarming on agar to which chloramphenicol had been added suggested that protein synthesis is not required for swarming. These data suggest that the consolidation phase is a state in which P. mirabilis prepares for the next wave of swarming.
Preparation of N1‐Phenylacetamidine 4‐Bromobenzoate Using 2,2,2‐Trichloroethyl Acetimidate Hydrochloride

N1-Phenylacetamidine 4-bromobenzoate 2,2,2-Trichloroethyl acetimidate hydrochloride Acetonitrile Hydrogen chloride Potassium carbonate 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran 4-Bromobenzoic acid Keywords: N1-Phenylacetamidine 4-bromobenzoate; 2,2,2-Trichloroethyl acetimidate hydrochloride; Apparatus assembly; p-Bromobenzoate salts
The unintended energy impacts of increased nitrate contamination from biofuels production

Increases in corn cultivation for biofuels production, due to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, are likely to lead to increases in nitrate concentrations in both surface and groundwater resources in the United States. These increases might trigger the requirement for additional energy consumption for water treatment to remove the nitrates. While these increasing concentrations of nitrate might pose a human health concern, most water resources were found to be within current maximum contaminant level (MCL) limits of 10 mg L−1 NO3-N. When water resources exceed this MCL, energy-intensive drinking water treatment is required to reduce nitrate levels below 10 mg L−1. Based on prior estimates of water supplies currently exceeding the nitrate MCL, we calculate that advanced drinking water treatment might require an additional 2360 million kWh annually (for nitrate affected areas only)—a 2100% increase in energy requirements for water treatment in those same areas—to mitigate nitrate contamination and meet the MCL requirement. We predict that projected increases in nitrate contamination in water may impact the energy consumed in the water treatment sector, because of the convergence of several related trends: (1) increasing cornstarch-based ethanol production, (2) increasing nutrient loading in surface water and groundwater resources as a consequence of increased corn-based ethanol production, (3) additional drinking water sources that exceed the MCL for nitrate, and (4) potentially more stringent drinking water standards for nitrate.. Based on prior estimates of water supplies currently exceeding the nitrate MCL, we calculate that advanced drinking water treatment might require an additional 2360 million kWh annually (for nitrate affected areas only)—a 2100% increase in energy requirements for water treatment in those same areas—to mitigate nitrate contamination and meet the MCL requirement. We predict that projected increases in nitrate contamination in water may impact the energy consumed in the water treatment sector, because of the convergence of several related trends: (1) increasing cornstarch-based ethanol production, (2) increasing nutrient loading in surface water and groundwater resources as a consequence of increased corn-based ethanol production, (3) additional drinking water sources that exceed the MCL for nitrate, and (4) potentially more stringent drinking water standards for nitrate.
Continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices and gastrointestinal bleeding: Potential role of danazol

Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a common complication and a major cause of hospitalizations in patients supported with axial continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). Danazol was used in a small series of patients with congenital von Willebrand disease (VWD) to treat GI bleeding secondary to arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). We initiated danazol therapy in an LVAD patient with recurrent GI bleeding due to AVMs. Our hypothesis was that similar to treatment of AVMs in VWD, Danazol would be efficacious for LVAD patients.
Charles Dickens' work to help establish Great Ormond Street Hospital,London

When teaching our students about the medical ramifications of poverty and the importance of child advocacy, we could do no better than to point them in the direction of Charles Dickens (figure 1), England’s celebrated novelist and social reformer. The reading of just a few of his novels, and the biting essays he composed for his weekly magazines, Household Words (1850‐58) and All the Year Round (1859‐70), shows that rarely have children had a more eloquent or effective proponent. Here I shall discuss one example of Dickens’ broad-based activism on behalf of children—the establishment of London’s Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. 1 I choose this episode from his
Characterization and Design of Logic Circuits in the Presence of Carbon Nanotube Density Variations

Variations in the spatial density of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), resulting from the lack of precise control over CNT positioning during chemical synthesis, is a major hurdle to the scalability of carbon nanotube field effect transistor (CNFET) circuits. Such CNT density variations can lead to non-functional CNFET circuits. This paper presents a probabilistic framework for modeling the CNT count distribution contained in a CNFET of given width, and establishes the accuracy of the model using experimental data obtained from CNT growth. Using this model, we estimate the impact of CNT density variations on the yield of CNFET very large-scale integrated circuits. Our estimation results demonstrate that CNT density variations can significantly degrade the yield of CNFETs, and can be a major concern for scaled CNFET circuits. Finally, we analyze the impact of CNT correlation (i.e., correlation of CNT count between CNFETs) that exists in CNT growth, and demonstrate how the yield of a CNFET storage circuit (primarily limited by its noise immunity) can be significantly improved by taking advantage of such correlation.
Partial-k-space acquisition method for improved SNR efficiency and temporal resolution in 3D fMRI

Previous studies have shown the relative importance of physiological noise and thermal noise in 2D MR images. Since physiological noise is proportional to the signal, it can be the dominant component at the center of k-space. In this study we demonstrate that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) efficiency and temporal resolution for 3D functional MRI (fMRI) are increased by the use of a partial-k-space acquisition method. In partial-k-space methods, the high-spatial-frequency components are doubled in amplitude during reconstruction, resulting in twice as much noise from those components. However, in sum these contributions are relatively small compared to those at the low spatial frequencies, where physiological noise is dominant. Therefore, the effect on the final MR images is almost negligible due to the square summation rule. Thus, the partial-k-space 3D method sacrifices much less SNR than is expected from the thermal noise model, and the SNR efficiency is increased compared to a full-k-space acquisition since more time frames can be collected for the same scan time. Accordingly, the temporal resolution can be increased in 3D acquisitions because only partial coverage of k-space is necessary. Experimental results confirm that more activation with a higher average t-score is detected by this method.
GPEP: Graphics Processing Enhanced Pattern-Matching for High-Performance Deep Packet Inspection

Graphics processing units (GPU) can be used to accelerate deep packet inspection. However, the state transition tables used to implement deterministic finite automata are very large and must be stored in DRAM, which inhibits performance and may cause non-deterministic scanning rates. In this work we present GPEP, a GPU-based deep packet inspection engine. GPEP uses an optimized version of our pattern matching algorithm called P3FSM, which has low operational complexity, but reduces the memory requirement such that the state tables can fit into the small on chip memories of a GPU. This allows GPEP to scan quickly and deterministically with no global memory accesses to state tables. We optimize our P3FSM(Portable Predictive Pattern Matching Finite State Machine)algorithm for execution on SIMD devices and to exploit the parallelism of the VLIW arrangement of the GPU processing cores. We show that GPEP consistently achieves over 30 Gb/sdeep packet inspection.
Regulate OTC Derivatives By Deregulating Them

As a result of the current financial crisis, there have been many calls for strict new regulation of over-the-counter financial derivatives. This paper proposes, instead, that we return to the now-voided common law on derivatives and consider them non-legally enforceable gambling contracts except when one of the parties can prove a bona fide hedging purpose. Doing this would not outlaw derivatives, but would instead require the rise of private institutions to enforce and control them, and would discourage their use for wild speculation. The paper includes appended comments from Jean Helwege (Penn State University), Peter Wallison (American Enterprise Institute), and Craig Pirrong (University of Houston), as well as a response from the author.
Reciprocal learning and chronic care model implementation in primary care: results from a new scale of learning in primary care

Background: Efforts to improve the care of patients with chronic disease in primary care settings have been mixed. Application of a complex adaptive systems framework suggests that this may be because implementation efforts often focus on education or decision support of individual providers, and not on the dynamic system as a whole. We believe that learning among clinic group members is a particularly important attribute of a primary care clinic that has not yet been well-studied in the health care literature, but may be related to the ability of primary care practices to improve the care they deliver. To better understand learning in primary care settings by developing a scale of learning in primary care clinics based on the literature related to learning across disciplines, and to examine the association between scale responses and chronic care model implementation as measured by the Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (ACIC) scale. Methods: Development of a scale of learning in primary care setting and administration of the learning and ACIC scales to primary care clinic members as part of the baseline assessment in the ABC Intervention Study. All clinic clinicians and staff in forty small primary care clinics in South Texas participated in the survey. Results: We developed a twenty-two item learning scale, and identified a five-item subscale measuring the construct of reciprocal learning (Cronbach alpha 0.79). Reciprocal learning was significantly associated with ACIC total and sub-scale scores, even after adjustment for clustering effects. Conclusions: Reciprocal learning appears to be an important attribute of learning in primary care clinics, and its presence relates to the degree of chronic care model implementation. Interventions to improve reciprocal learning among clinic members may lead to improved care of patients with chronic disease and may be relevant to improving overall clinic performance.
Demonstration of a tubular basement membrane antibody in the pathogenesis of autoimmune nephrosis in rats.

SummaryAnother humoral autoantibody tubular basement membrane antibody (TBMAb) has been demonstrated in the immune sera of Lewis rats in whom autoimmune nephrosis was produced by repeated intraperitoneal injections of a mixture containing complete Freund's adjuvant and a kidney tubular fraction obtained from normal Sprague-Dawley rats. The antibody, by indirect immunofluorescent technique, localized in a linear pattern along the normal tubular basement membrane and Bowman's capsule, but not along the glomerular basement membrane. Also the antibody (TBMAb) could be eluted from the immune deposits in the glomeruli of the diseased animals. These studies suggest the nephritogenicity of this antibody (TBMAb) and point out that at least two antigens (BBAg and TBMAg) may be nephritogenic in this form of experimental autoimmune nephrosis.Addendum: It has been noted that TBM Ab develops only when Lewis rats are injected with Sprague-Dawley rat kidney and not vice versa.
Escherichia coli RNA and DNA polymerase bypass of dihydrouracil: Mutagenic potential via transcription and replication

Dihydrouracil (DHU) is a DNA base damage product produced in significant amounts by ionizing radiation damage to cytosine under anoxic conditions. DHU represents a model for pyrimidine base damage (ring saturation products) of the type recognized and repaired by Escherichia coli endonuclease III and its homologs in other species. We have built this lesion into synthetic oligonucleotides, with DHU placed at a single location downstream from an E.coli RNA polymerase promoter. This construct was used to determine the effect of DHU when encountered on a DNA template strand by either E.coli RNA or DNA polymerase (Klenow fragment). Single round transcription experiments or primer extension-type replication experiments were conducted in order to make a direct comparison between RNA and DNA polymerases with DHU placed within the same sequence context. Both DNA and RNA polymerase efficiently bypass DHU and insert adenine opposite this lesion. These results suggest that DHU is mutagenic with respect to both replication and transcription and have implications for DNA repair as well the routes leading to generation of mutant proteins in dividing and non-dividing cells.
Confirming and Reconfirming Architectural Decisions on Scalability: A Goal-Driven Simulation Approach

Scalability, which refers to an ability to support increased loads with acceptable performance, is among the key issues in deciding on an architecture with its essential components, together with relationships between such components, as well as constraints on such components and relationships. As with just about any design, the architectural design space is potentially huge, if not infinite, while the quality of the final system to be implemented inevitably depends largely on various decisions made during the architectural design phase. Unfortunately, however, it often times seems difficult to analyze if an architectural design incorporates good decisions or even bad ones, since an architectural design is (supposed to stay) at a high-level of abstraction and not concrete enough on its performance and scalability behavior, before we commit to the time-consuming and costly lower level design, implementation and testing. In this paper, we propose an integration of goal-orientation, which is qualitative in nature, and simulation, which is quantitative in nature.
NSLS X-ray system RF system upgrade

Presently (Dec. 1992) three RF systems power the electron beam at the NSLS X-ray storage ring to 250 mA at 2.58 GeV. A fourth RF cavity and system is being installed to increase the machine reliability over pre-shutdown operational conditions (3 cavities). It also permits new levels of beam intensity and energy to be achieved in the X-ray ring. Intensities of 500 mA at 2.5 GeV as well as 250 mA at 2.8 GeV are anticipated. A description of the hardware, the installation and the modes of operation will be outlined in this paper. X-ray ring operations are scheduled to resume January 1993. Injection performance and high energy reliability will also be discussed. >
A Two-Way Street on Iraq: On the Interaction of Citizen Policy Preferences and Presidential Approval

To the extent voters respond at all to presidential policy positions, they may do so by changing their views on the policy or by changing their views of the president. Presidents need to account fo...
Strategies for the Liberalization of Trade in the Americas

Regional free trade zones have been unexpectedly successful in the last decade. Since 1980 the European Community enlarged significantly its membership and its scope. It now includes southern European countries, and market-integrating features allowing goods, people, services and capital to flow freely around an area accounting for about one fourth of world economic output.
Inter-Observer Reliability for Large Exotic Felids

The objective of this study was to determine and refine the inter-observer reliability scores before a large exotic felid enrichment study was conducted in a zoological setting. Three felids housed at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium were used. An ethogram was adapted from previously published felid work. Three behavioral measures were compared; active, inactive and other. A total of 6 female observers were used. One trainer (Observer 1 = control) who had one year of behavioral research experience with large exotic felids was responsible for observer training prior to study commencement. To test for inter-observer reliability, three 10 minute videos were viewed (sessions 1 through 3). All observers independently reviewed these videos. Each observer scored the felids using a one minute scan sampling technique. For each session there were 10 data points collected per observer or 30 data points per observer over the three training sessions. Data will be presented descriptively. There were two data points from observer 5 that differed from Observer 1 (control). There was one data point from Observer 6 that differed from Observer 1 (control). Therefore, 177 / 180 data points were in agreement between Observer 1 (control) and observers 2 through 6. This resulted in an overall inter-observer agreement of > 98% before the experiment began. In conclusion, when using multiple observers for a behavioral study it is critical to have highly skilled individuals so that the data collected is accurate so that any treatment effects can be determined.
On the Speed of Sound

A modified definition of root-mean-square speed of molecules is shown to lead to a modified form of Newton formula for isothermal speed of sound in ideal gas. The calculations based on modified theory and those based on classical adiabatic theory of Laplace are compared with available experimental data for (Air, N2, O2, Ar, He, CO2). Also, a modified formulation for propagation speed of long waves in canals by Chandrasekhar is presented leading to formula identical to that of Laplace