cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU‐GG‐T‐302: Measuring Pacemaker Dose: A Clinical Perspective

Purpose: The number of patients presenting with pacemakers in our clinic has increased recently. Following AAPM recommendations, a treatment plan is developed that minimizes the dose to the pacemaker. The most efficient way to measure in vivo dose during treatment is to use MOSFETs or diodes which offer a simple but inaccurate (up to 25% error) method of recording. In this abstract, we analyze the dose measured by these different devices in an attempt to assess pacemaker dose. Method and Materials: Five patients with different disease sites and pacemakers were chosen. To simulate the treatment delivery, a Rando phantom was placed on the table in the patient treatment position. An ion chamber was taped to the phantom under 1 cm bolus. Two MOSFETs and a diode were placed on top of the bolus and the treatment was delivered. One cone beam CT was obtained where the pacemaker was in the field‐of‐view to quantify the MOSFET and diode reading in this situation. Results: The measurement from the ion chamber agreed well with the predicted dose from the planning system. Some errors resulted from misalignment of the phantom and ion chamber. Both the MOSFET and diode measurements agreed with the ion chamber and TPS with greater distances. Dose from CBCT was overestimated for both MOSFETs and diodes. Conclusion: The simplest and most efficient in vivo measurement is to use a MOSFET or diode. When the pacemaker is more than 20 cm from the field edge these dosimeters are appropriate. When the field is less than 20 cm away, the most accurate although inefficient method is to use an ion chamber since there is little angular or energy dependence unlike diodes or MOSFETs. Another solution would be to use TLDs or OSL dosimeters although these are not simplistic dosimeters either.
Temperature dependence of contact and dipolar NMR chemical shifts in paramagnetic molecules

Using a recently proposed equation for NMR nuclear magnetic shielding for molecules with unpaired electrons [A. Soncini and W. Van den Heuvel, J. Chem. Phys. 138, 021103 (2013)], equations for the temperature (T) dependent isotropic shielding for multiplets with an effective spin S equal to 1/2, 1, 3/2, 2, and 5/2 in terms of electron paramagnetic resonance spin Hamiltonian parameters are derived and then expanded in powers of 1/T. One simplifying assumption used is that a matrix derived from the zero-field splitting (ZFS) tensor and the Zeeman coupling matrix (g-tensor) share the same principal axis system. The influence of the rhombic ZFS parameter E is only investigated for S = 1. Expressions for paramagnetic contact shielding (from the isotropic part of the hyperfine coupling matrix) and pseudo-contact or dipolar shielding (from the anisotropic part of the hyperfine coupling matrix) are considered separately. The leading order is always 1/T. A temperature dependence of the contact shielding as 1/T and...
On the Economic Theory of Alliances

It is the purpose of this article to extend and to clarify the public goods approach to the study of alliances. In particular, the paper examines the nature of defense as a pure public good and draws the conclusion that some defense expenditure may be best classified as an impure public good due to the presence of divisibility and exclusion properties. The traditional pure public good model of alliances is analyzed in a more general framework in order to introduce more fully resource scarcity and to demonstrate the symbiotic properties of the military alliance. Two models of increasing generality recast the analysis so that defense is an impure public good. Both optimal membership size and production efficiency are studied in the impure public good model. The paper concludes with a rationale for world peace organizations based on the economic theory of clubs.
Identification of Highly Predictable Flow Elements for Spatial Filtering of Medium- and Extended-Range Numerical Forecasts

Abstract To determine if some flow components are systematically forecast more accurately than others, 990 wintertime medium-range forecasts made at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) are examined. It is found that forecasts skill of 500-mb extratropical large-scale heights tends to be a function of empirical orthogonal function (EOF) index, with those components that project onto the leading EOFs being markedly better forecast than the components that project onto the hailing EOFS. This is true for instantaneous forecasts of as long as 10 days’ duration. Furthermore, by answering the question, Of all possible structures which structure on average is most accurately forecast? the potential for constructing a basis that is even more adept than EOFs at distinguishing well-forecast from poorly forecast flow elements is shown. Similarly, it is found that 10-day average ECMWF forecasts, as well as 29-day average forecasts produced by a general circulation model at the National Cente...
The application of general perturbation theories to the artificial satellite problem

Abstract Developed in this paper is a unified approach for combining the efficient but not so accurate non-Keplerian reference orbits obtained from general perturbation theories with the accurate but less efficient numerical integration method of orbit prediction. Two methods are developed. In the first, an Encke-type method, the dependent variables are the difference between the orbital elements of the analytic theory and those of the osculating Keplerian orbit. In the second, a variation of parameters method, the dependent variables are the difference between the orbital elements of the osculating non-Keplerian orbit and the same set of elements of the analytic theory. Numerical comparison between the two methods and with the Cowell method are made for three types of orbits; the ATS-F which is synchronous, AE-C, an atmospheric drag perturbed orbit and GEOS-C, a resonant orbit. The regularized time dt = (rn√μ) ds is used in the numerical integration and the optimum value of n is found for each orbit.
Yokes of Gold and Threads of Silk: Sino-Tibetan competition for authority in early twentieth century Kham*

Beginning in the early eighteenth century, a bifurcated structure of authority in the Kham region of ethnographic Tibet frustrated attempts by both the Lhasa and Beijing governments to assert their unquestioned control over a myriad polities in the borderlands between Sichuan and Tibet. A tenuous accommodation of this structure persisted from the early eighteenth century until the first two decades of the twentieth century when powerful globalizing norms—territoriality and sovereignty—transformed both the understanding and expectations of territorial rule held by Qing and, later, Republican Chinese officials. Absolutist conceptions of these norms prompted an ambitious endeavour to shatter the bifurcated structure and undermine the Dalai Lama's spiritual influence on Kham society. Infrontier imperialism is used to analyse the incomplete implementation of resulting acculturative and incorporative policies, inflected by these two norms, which challenged the monasteries’ indirect influence on the lay rulers of Kham, initiating a struggle for authority that persists to this day.
A Review of “Ancient to Modern: Religion, Power, and Community in India”

This edited volume celebrates the work of David Lorenzen, a scholar of cultural history and popular religion in India, who is based at El Colegio de Mexico. Over the course of his academic career, ...
Monte Carlo modeling of an integrating sphere reflectometer

The Monte Carlo method has been applied to numerical modeling of an integrating sphere designed for hemispherical-directional reflectance factor measurements. It is shown that a conventional algorithm of backward ray tracing used for estimation of characteristics of the radiation field at a given point has slow convergence for small source-to-sphere-diameter ratios. A newly developed algorithm that substantially improves the convergence by calculation of direct source-induced irradiation for every point of diffuse reflection of rays traced is described. The method developed is applied to an integrating sphere reflectometer for the visible and infrared spectral ranges. Parametric studies of hemispherical radiance distributions for radiation incident onto the sample center were performed. The deviations of measured sample reflectance from the actual reflectance as a result of various factors were computed. The accuracy of the results, adequacy of the reflectance model, and other important aspects of the algorithm implementation are discussed.
Interference between a fluorescent photon and a classical field: An example of nonclassical interference.

Fluorescent photons emitted from an atom will interfere with a classical field only if the atom is not in a pure excited state. This is a strictly quantum-mechanical condition, which can be tested, in principle, by allowing the light emitted from an atom undergoing Rabi oscillations to interfere with the coherent pumping field. The theory of this process is discussed.
Gradient structure of forest vegetation in the central Washington cascades

Forest vegetation located in three areas of the central Washington Cascades, arrayed along a gradient of increasing continentality and decreasing rainfall, were compared using ordination methods. Within each region, lower and upper elevation sites were analyzed separately and for each set of sites, trees and ground story vegetation were analyzed independently. Principal components analysis, reciprocal averaging, weighted averaging, and polar ordination were applied to each set. The characteristics of the data determined which method gave the most readily interpretable results, but RA and WA usually best ordered the stands along a complex, combined coenocline, while PO often decomposed the gradient into moisture and temperature components. PCA was of little use, even with relatively low beta diversity.
The role of parent religiosity in teens' transitions to sex and contraception.

Abstract Purpose To examine whether multiple dimensions of parent and family religiosity—including parental religious attendance, denomination, beliefs, and family religious activities—are associated with the timing of sexual initiation or contraceptive use at first sex. Methods We analyze a sample of sexually inexperienced adolescents aged 12–14 years in the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) to test the association between multiple dimensions of parent and family religiosity and the transition to first sexual experience and contraceptive use at first sex during the teen years. We assess the association between parent and family religiosity and the timing of adolescent sexual experience using multivariate event history models, and examine contraceptive use outcomes using logistic regressions. All analyses are conducted separately by gender and race/ethnicity. Results More frequent parental religious attendance is associated with a delayed timing of first sex among all sub-populations except among black adolescents. Engaging in family religious activities on a daily basis is associated with delayed sexual initiation among male, female, and white teens. Results for contraceptive use differ, however. Only strong parental religious beliefs and more frequent participation in family religious activities are associated with contraceptive use at first sex, in a negative direction, among males. Conclusion More frequent parental religious attendance and family religious activities are related to later timing of sexual initiation, highlighting an important dimension of family environments that can help improve reproductive health outcomes for children. However, stronger family religiosity does not translate into improved contraceptive use.
Amazonian Dark Earths: Wim Sombroek's Vision

Edited by William Woods, Wenceslau Teixeira, Johannes Lehmann, Christoph Steiner, Antoinette WinklerPrins, and Lilian Rebellato. Springer Science, Berlin, Germany. 2009. 502 pp. Hardcover, $279. ISBN: 9781402090301, e-ISBN: 9781402090318. Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE), also called terra preta , are
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells that survive combination chemotherapy in vivo remain sensitive to allogeneic immune effects

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is often performed for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) whose disease has relapsed after chemotherapy treatment. However, graft versus leukemia (GVL) effects in ALL are generally weak and the mechanisms of this weakness are unknown. These studies tested the hypothesis that ALL cells that have survived conventional chemotherapy in vivo acquire relative resistance to the allogeneic GVL effect. C57BL/6 mice were injected with murine pre-B ALL lines driven by human mutations and then were treated with combination chemotherapy. ALL cells surviving therapy were analysed in vitro and in vivo for acquisition of resistance to chemotherapy, radiation, cytolytic T cells, NK cells, LAK cells and cytokines. In vivo drug treatment did lead to leukemia population with more rapid proliferation and also decreased sensitivity to vincristine, doxorubicin and radiation. However, drug treatment did not produce ALL populations that were less sensitive to GVL effects in vitro or in vivo.
Kinetics of PIP2 metabolism and KCNQ2/3 channel regulation studied with a voltage-sensitive phosphatase in living cells

The signaling phosphoinositide phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is synthesized in two steps from phosphatidylinositol by lipid kinases. It then interacts with KCNQ channels and with pleckstrin homology (PH) domains among many other physiological protein targets. We measured and developed a quantitative description of these metabolic and protein interaction steps by perturbing the PIP2 pool with a voltage-sensitive phosphatase (VSP). VSP can remove the 5-phosphate of PIP2 with a time constant of τ <300 ms and fully inhibits KCNQ currents in a similar time. PIP2 was then resynthesized from phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP) quickly, τ = 11 s. In contrast, resynthesis of PIP2 after activation of phospholipase C by muscarinic receptors took ∼130 s. These kinetic experiments showed that (1) PIP2 activation of KCNQ channels obeys a cooperative square law, (2) the PIP2 residence time on channels is <10 ms and the exchange time on PH domains is similarly fast, and (3) the step synthesizing PIP2 by PIP 5-kinase is fast and limited primarily by a step(s) that replenishes the pool of plasma membrane PI(4)P. We extend the kinetic model for signaling from M1 muscarinic receptors, presented in our companion paper in this issue (Falkenburger et al. 2010. J. Gen. Physiol. doi:10.1085/jgp.200910344), with this new information on PIP2 synthesis and KCNQ interaction.
An upper bound on the error probability of capacity-achieving signaling on broadband Rayleigh fading channels

We present an upper bound on the probability of error of a signaling scheme that achieves the capacity of the multipath fading channel under an average power constraint in the limit of infinite bandwidth. The bound is derived under the assumption of Rayleigh block fading. We are therefore able to determine the performance of the scheme when a given finite bandwidth Is available. We evaluate the bound numerically for some reasonable parameters and study its interplay with other parameters of interest.
INFRARED TELESCOPE ON SPACELAB 2.

The infrared telescope (IRT) on Spacelab 2 will be the first cryogenically cooled telescope operated from the Orbiter. The principal objectives, consistent with those of the second Spacelab mission, are to measure the induced environment about the Orbiter and to demonstrate the ability to manage a large volume of superfluid helium in space. The prime astrophysical objectives are to map extended sources of low surface brightness infrared emission, including the zodiacal light, the galactic plane, and extragalactic regions. The IRT consists of a 250 liter helium dewar and an articulated cryostat containing the telescope, which scans ±45 degrees about a single axis orthogonal to both the local vertical and the Orbiter pitch axis. The telescope is an f/4 15.2 cm highly baffled Herschelian telescope cooled to 8 K, which may scan to within 35 degrees of the sun. The focal plane cooled to 3 K consists of nine discrete photoconductors covering a wavelength interval of 4.5 to 120 microns in five bands. Each detector has a 0.6 X 1.0 degree field of view. A single 2 micron stellar detector is used for aspect determination. A cold shutter provides a zero flux reference. Overlapping scans, contiguous orbits, and a six degree per second scan rate permit rapid redundant coverage of 60% of the sky.
A note on the determinant and permanent problem

Abstract In Valiant's theory of arithmetic complexity, the following question occupies a central position: Given an integer n, what is the minimal m such that the permanent of an n × n matrix is the projection of the determinant of an m × m matrix? More generally, for affine linear transformations, we ask the similar question: what is the minimal m such that the permanent of an n × n matrix is the determinant of an m × m matrix via affine linear transformation? This paper gives the lower bound m ⩾ ⌊ 2 · n ⌋ , for affine linear transformations. The result is an improvement of earlier results by von zur Gathen, Babai, and Seress. It also generalizes a classical theorem of Marcus and Minc.
The Prolactin Response to Neuroleptic Drugs. A Test of Dopaminergic Blockade: Neuroendocrine Studies in Normal Men

The tonic inhibition of prolactin (PRL) secretion, which appears to be sustained mainly by hypothalamic dopaminergic activity, can be reliably disinhibited by neuroleptic, antidopaminergic drugs. The heuristic potential of this PRL response as a neuroendocrine model for studying hypothalamic-pituitary regulation in man initiated the present intensive investigation. Nineteen normal young men were studied in a series of weekly experiments; at each session a single drug and dose, out of seven neuroleptic drugs in various doses, was given parenterally (mostly im). Plasma PRL concentrations were then monitored for at least 3 h. 1. Repeated administrations of haloperidol (1 mg im) and prochlorperazine (4 mg iv) demonstrated a high reproducibility of the PRL response within a subject. 2. The PRL-response to four doses of haloperidol, ranging from 0.25 mg to 1.5 mg, showed a sigmoid dose-response curve. A dose as small as 1.5 mg of haloperidol induced maximal PRL response. 3. Dose-PRL response curves of haloperid...
Pulmonary factors limiting exercise capacity in patients with heart failure

Patients with heart failure are frequently limited by exertional dyspnea. The mechanisms underlying dyspnea in these patients remain unclear. In this review, the pathologic changes that occur in the lung as a consequence of chronic pulmonary venous hypertension, pulmonary function test abnormalities, and potential mechanisms for dyspnea including airflow obstruction and/or respiratory muscle dysfunction are discussed.
Institutional perspectives on participation and information in water management

Abstract Integrated urban water management – a framework to understand, control, and optimize elements of the urban water infrastructure as an integrated system – is inherently complex. It becomes more complex and challenging, however, when public participation in management institutions is considered. This paper applies a systems perspective to explore institutional arrangements for participation. Our goal is to conceptually organize this complexity and provide starting points for systematic examination of participation in urban water management. The discussion highlights two rationales for engagement with external parties: (1) building support and legitimacy for integrated urban water management; and (2) enabling transformation in the management system. The general institutional framework is then illustrated by a case study of participation and transformation toward more integrated management in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia.
Use of an immunoperoxidase test for the detection of bovine herpesvirus-1 in aborted fetal tissue.

An indirect immunoperoxidase (IP) procedure using a specific monoclonal antibody and an avidin- biotin-peroxidase complex was developed and applied to detect virus antigen in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embed- ded tissue sections. This IP procedure was compared with currently used diagnostic tests for detection of virus- induced abortions caused by bovine herpesvirus-l (BHV-1). The IP procedure was applied to detect BHV-1 antigen in sections of liver and lung from 87 aborted fetuses. Sixteen of these cases were positive for viral antigen by IP staining. Sections from both liver and lung were positive in 15 of the 16 cases. A fluorescent antibody test (FA), which was applied to acetone-fixed frozen sections of liver and lung, gave positive results on 12 of the 87 fetuses, 11 of which were also positive by IP. Seven of the 12 FA-positive cases were positive on both sections of liver and lung. When FA and IP were compared, FA had a sensitivity of 67% and IP had a sensitivity of 94%. Virus was isolated from one of the 67 cases tested. The tissues in which antigen was most frequently detected by IP were liver, lung, and kidney. Distinct multifocal staining was seen in positive sections of all these tissues. Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) has been associated with infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), infectious pustular vulvovaginitis, conjunctivitis, encephalitis, mastitis, 1,6,11-13
Adherence to the 2008 adult physical activity guidelines and mortality risk.

Background Mortality differentials by level and intensity of physical activity have been widely documented. A comprehensive review of scientific evidence of the health benefits of physical activity led the USDHHS to issue new Federal Guidelines for physical activity in 2008. Reductions in mortality risk associated with adherence to these Guidelines among the general U.S. adult population have not yet been studied. Purpose This study compared the relative mortality risks of U.S. adults who met the 2008 Guidelines with adults who did not meet the recommendations. Methods Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the relative mortality risks of U.S. adults aged ≥18 years, using data from the 1997–2004 National Health Interview Survey and linked mortality records for deaths occurring in 1997–2006 (analyzed in 2010). Risks for adults with and without chronic health conditions were examined separately. Results Meeting the recommendations for aerobic activity was associated with substantial survival benefits, especially among the population having chronic conditions, with estimated hazard ratios ranging from 0.65 to 0.75 ( p Conclusions Adherence to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines was associated with reduced all-cause mortality risks among U.S. adults, after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, BMI, smoking, and alcohol use.
Constitutive forms of the enhancer-binding protein NtrC: evidence that essential oligomerization determinants lie in the central activation domain.

Abstract Nitrogen regulatory protein C(NtrC) is a bacterial enhancer-binding protein that activates transcription by the σ 54 -holoenzyme. To activate transcription, NtrC must hydrolyze ATP, a reaction that depends upon its being phosphorylated and forming an appropriate oligomer, In this paper we characterize "constitutive" mutant forms of the NtrC protein from Salmonella typhimurium ; unlike wild-type NtrC, these forms are able to hydrolyze ATP and activate transcription in vitro without being phosphorylated. The amino acids altered in NtrC constitutive proteins are located in both the N-terminal regulatory domain and the central domain, which is directly responsible for transcriptional activation. The residues that are altered are not conserved among activators of the σ 54 -holoenzyme, and are not identical even among NtrC proteins from members of different subgroups of the proteobacteria (purple bacteria). NtrC constitutive proteins are phosphorylated normally; phosphorylation increases their ability to hydrolyze ATP and activate transcription. Moreover, the oligomerization of these proteins that occurs when they bind to an enhancer also increases the ATPase activity of both unmodified and phosphorylated forms. Removal of the N-terminal regulatory domain from two NtrC constitutive proteins with amino acid substitutions in the central domain (NtrC S160F and NtrC V288I ) leaves them active, indicating that essential oligomerization determinants lie outside the regulatory domain. This conclusion is confirmed by the observation that the ATPase activity of ΔN-NtrC S160F is greatly stimulated when it binds to an enhancer, and by the ability of this protein to activate transcription synergistically with a form of NtrC incapable of DNA-binding. Together with previous results indicating that oligomerization determinants do not lie in the C-terminal DNA-binding domain of NtrC; these results provide evidence that they lie in the central domain. f2
Human CD4 memory T cells can become CD4+IL-9+ T cells

BACKGROUND: IL-9 is a growth factor for T- and mast-cells that is secreted by human Th2 cells. We recently reported that IL-4+TGF-beta directs mouse CD4(+)CD25(-)CD62L(+) T cells to commit to inflammatory IL-9 producing CD4(+) T cells. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we show that human inducible regulatory T cells (iTregs) also express IL-9. IL-4+TGF-beta induced higher levels of IL-9 expression in plate bound-anti-CD3 mAb (pbCD3)/soluble-anti-CD28 mAb (sCD28) activated human resting memory CD4(+)CD25(-)CD45RO(+) T cells as compared to naive CD4(+)CD25(-)CD45RA(+) T cells. In addition, as compared to pbCD3/sCD28 plus TGF-beta stimulation, IL-4+TGF-beta stimulated memory CD4(+)CD25(-)CD45RO(+) T cells expressed reduced FOXP3 protein. As analyzed by pre-amplification boosted single-cell real-time PCR, human CD4(+)IL-9(+) T cells expressed GATA3 and RORC, but not IL-10, IL-13, IFNgamma or IL-17A/F. Attempts to optimize IL-9 production by pbCD3/sCD28 and IL-4+TGF-beta stimulated resting memory CD4(+) T cells demonstrated that the addition of IL-1beta, IL-12, and IL-21 further enhance IL-9 production. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Taken together these data show both the differences and similarities between mouse and human CD4(+)IL9(+) T cells and reaffirm the powerful influence of inflammatory cytokines to shape the response of activated CD4(+) T cells to antigen.
CDM models with a smooth component

The inflationary prediction of a flat Universe is at odds with current determinations of the matter density $({\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{M}\ensuremath{\simeq}0.2\ensuremath{-}0.4).$ This dilemma can be resolved if a smooth component contributes the remaining energy density $({\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{X}=1\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{M}).$ We parametrize the smooth component by its equation of state, ${p}_{X}=w{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{X},$ and show that $X$CDM with $w\ensuremath{\simeq}\ensuremath{-}0.6,$ ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{M}\ensuremath{\simeq}0.3,$ and $h\ensuremath{\simeq}0.7$ is the best fit to all present cosmological data. Together, the position of the peak in the CMB angular power spectrum and the type Ia supernova magnitude-redshift diagram provide a crucial test of $X$CDM.
Effect of postruminal protein supply on the response to ruminal protein supplementation in beef steers fed a low-quality grass hay

Abstract An experiment was conducted to evaluate effects of infusing protein postruminally on the utilization of low-quality grass hay by beef steers concurrently ruminally infused with increasing levels of protein. Twelve ruminally fistulated steers (361±8.2 kg BW) were used in a two-treatment, two-period cross-over design nested within a six treatment completely randomized experiment. Steers were allowed ad libitum access to a low-quality grass hay (53 g/kg CP, 717 g/kg NDF) for 17 days before and throughout the experiment. Each period of the experiment had five intervals: (1) 10 days adaptation to treatments; (2) 7 days measurement of intake and digestibility; (3) 3 days ruminal sampling; (4) 10 days ad libitum access to hay only; (5) 7 days measurement of intake. Steers were supplemented in a 6×2 factorial arrangement of treatments. For the first factor, steers were dosed ruminally once daily with one of six levels of sodium caseinate (0, 0.29, 0.58, 0.87, 1.16, and 1.45 g/kg of initial BW) to simulate ruminally degradable protein supplementation. For the second factor, steers were infused postruminally once daily with one of two levels of sodium caseinate (0 and 0.87 g/kg of initial BW) via infusion lines anchored in the abomasum to simulate ruminally undegradable protein supplementation. Provision of protein ruminally resulted in a linear ( P ≤0.03) increase in hay OM intake, total digestible OM intake (TDOMI), and OM digestion. Infusion of protein postruminally tended ( P =0.06) to increase hay OM intake, and increased TDOMI, and OM digestion ( P ≤0.01). A trend to a ruminal protein level×postruminal protein interaction ( P =0.07) was observed for TDOMI, which was due to a lower response to the first increment of ruminal protein supplementation when steers received postruminal protein. A quadratic increase ( P =0.03) in NDF digestion occurred with increasing ruminal protein although, postruminal protein did not affect NDF digestion. Ruminal and postruminal protein supplementation improved forage utilization, but the response to direct ruminal protein provision was higher. Improvements in forage utilization in response to postruminal protein supply may be due to N recycling, or other effects related to improved N status of the animal.
Steam Condensation on Various Gold Surfaces

Gold surfaces were investigated as promoters of dropwise condensation (DWC) of steam at atmospheric pressure. Very high heat fluxes at low ΔT’s may be achieved in this manner. Seven gold electroplating baths, one electroless immersion gold bath, and vacuum vapor deposition of gold were used. Five surface preparations for pure gold were tested. Gold deposits ranged in thickness up to 20,000 A.U. Auger electron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to describe the surfaces chemically and physically. Deposits from the bright pure gold plating baths and the “acid, hard” baths promoted DWC. Deposits from alloyed baths, the ultrapure bath, and vapor deposition gave mixed or filmwise condensation. Two surface preparations on solid gold gave DWC, one gave mixed, and two gave filmwise condensation. The results indicate that gold provides an oxide-free surface which adsorbs trace organics from the surroundings. These promote DWC.
Elevated temperature adhesion testing of spray‐applied fire‐resistive materials

Summary Effective fire protection of steel can be fully realized when spray-applied fire resistive materials (SFRMs) are bonded sufficiently to structural steel during the event of a fire. The adhesion mechanisms and characterization at elevated temperatures, however, have remained elusive, owing to a shortage of quantitative experimental measurements of adhesion between SFRMs and structural steel. In complement with recent efforts aiming to measure the adhesion at ambient temperature, this contribution reports an experimental method based on a fracture mechanics approach to quantify temperature dependent adhesion behaviors of SFRMs adhered to steel substrates. Using this test method, it is shown that a sharp loss in adhesion occurs at temperatures well below 200 °C, and a less severe rate at higher temperatures. Thermogravimetric analysis and quasi-state uniaxial compression tests reveal that SFRMs undergo pronounced losses in mass and modulus upon elevated temperature exposures, respectively. Additionally, the dependence of the bulk properties on temperature correlates strongly with that of fracture energy. A mechanism based on mechanical softening and dehydration of SFRMs is proposed to explain the thermally induced adhesion loss. Furthermore, a comparison with the ASTM E736 was made by invoking a fracture mechanics theory. Calculation of bond strengths reveals temperature dependence analogous to the fracture energy data. Also, the residual bond strengths above 150 °C fall below the threshold value (i.e., ≥ 7.2 kPa or 150 lb/ft2) described in the ASTM E736. Importantly, the SFRMs are found to retain appreciable bond strengths greater than their own body masses, permitting them to remain intact in the event of a fire, in the absence of external perturbations. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Coupling front tracking and wavelet techniques for fast time domain simulations

The main attractive feature of wavelet-based, time-domain techniques is the simple implementation of adaptive meshing, through the application of a thresholding procedure to eliminate wavelet coefficients that attain relatively insignificant values, at a limited compromise of accuracy. However, little attention has been devoted so far to the investigation of computational costs and accuracy trade-offs in order to obtain thresholding-related operation savings. This paper presents an efficient implementation of thresholding applied to a non-linear problem and reports significant execution time savings compared to the conventional FDTD technique, that the application of the proposed method has led to.
Developmental Financial Institutions as Catalysts of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies

With ongoing privatization efforts in emerging economies, governments have supported developmental financial institutions (DFIs) to spur entrepreneurial activity. The authors use stakeholder theory to suggest that postprivatization stakeholders differ in their preference to seek DFI support. The authors then posit that national developmental priorities influence the DFI's willingness to be involved in the governance of the privatized firm, and they discuss implications of DFI involvement for value creation and entrepreneurship in emerging economies.
What is and what is not electromagnetically induced transparency in whispering-gallery microcavities

There has been an increasing interest in all-optical analogues of electromagnetically induced transparency and Autler–Townes splitting. Despite the differences in their underlying physics, both electromagnetically induced transparency and Autler–Townes splitting are quantified by a transparency window in the absorption or transmission spectrum, which often leads to a confusion about its origin. While the transparency window in electromagnetically induced transparency is a result of Fano interference among different transition pathways, in Autler–Townes splitting it is the result of strong field-driven interactions leading to the splitting of energy levels. Being able to tell objectively whether an observed transparency window is because of electromagnetically induced transparency or Autler–Townes splitting is crucial for applications and for clarifying the physics involved. Here we demonstrate the pathways leading to electromagnetically induced transparency, Fano resonances and Autler–Townes splitting in coupled whispering-gallery-mode resonators. Moreover, we report the application of the Akaike Information Criterion discerning between all-optical analogues of electromagnetically induced transparency and Autler–Townes splitting and clarifying the transition between them. Optical analogues of electromagnetically induced transparency and Autler–Townes splitting originate from different mechanisms but both are quantified by a transparency window. Here, Peng et al.use the Akaike information criterion to discriminate between the two regimes in coupled whispering gallery mode microresonators.
BACTERICIDAL AND FUNGICIDAL ACTIVITY OF ANT CHEMICALS ON FEATHER PARASITES: AN EVALUATION OF ANTING BEHAVIOR AS A METHOD OF SELF-MEDICATION IN SONGBIRDS

Abstract Songbirds apply ants to their feathers during anting behavior, possibly as a method of reducing feather parasites. We tested polar and nonpolar ant secretions and pure formic acid for bactericidal and fungicidal effects on microbial ectoparasites of feathers. Microbial inhibition trials were run with the bacteria Bacillus licheniformis (strains OWU 138B and OWU 1432B) and B. subtilis; and with the fungi Chaetomium globosum, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Trichoderma viride. Ant chemicals were derived from Camponotus pennsylvanicus, Pheidole dentata, Aphaenogaster rudis, Crematogaster lineolata, and Lasius flavus worker-caste ants. Although pure formic acid strongly inhibited all bacteria and fungal hyphae tested, concentrations of formic acid found in the bodies of formicine ants did not. Neither hexane ant-chemical extracts nor ant suspensions in deionized water inhibited the microbial species. Consequently, the hypothesis that birds apply ants to control feather parasites was not supported.
Immediate and delayed mortality of Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) and Sitophilus oryzae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) adults exposed to spinosad-treated commodities.

Abstract A series of tests was conducted to characterize differences in the mortality of the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), and rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), exposed to three commodities treated with a liquid and dry spinosad formulation. In laboratory bioassays, adults of the two insect species were exposed to untreated wheat, Triticum aestivum L., corn, Zea mays L., and sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench., and to commodities treated with 1 mg (AI)/kg of liquid and dry spinosad formulations. Mortality was assessed from independent samples examined at specific time intervals to determine immediate mortality and after 24 h of recovery on untreated grain at 28°C and 65% RH to determine delayed mortality. Comparison of the time required for 50% (LT50) and 95% (LT95) mortality indicated that R. dominica adults were consistently and significantly more susceptible (died quickly) than S. oryzae adults when exposed to spinosad-treated...
The Concept of Large-Scale Sweetgrass Plantations

After learning much from my sweetgrass cultivation at CREC, interactions with Keith Salvo and Mary Jackson, and the LSSI trip, I felt confident after 4 years (1989–1993) of trial and error, it was time to try large-scale planting. My thought was as follows.
Ocular Toxicity of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors.

Purpose/Objectives To review common tyrosine kinase inhibitors, as well as their ocular side effects and management.
Scientific misconduct: the lessons of time. Commentary on "The history and future of the Office of Research Integrity: scientific misconduct and beyond" (C. Pascal)

Pascal’s paper indicates how far we have come. Now as then, however, there is a need to reflect from outside the cocoon of our agencies, institutions, and disciplines to behold the enterprise that shapes both our behavior and our interpretations of it. For the boundary separating propriety from impropriety continues to move. Just as science, and the knowledge it begets, continues to evolve, so must our collective standards. The lessons of time include this: ORI or biomedical research is no island; each is connected to a body of practitioners who are accountable to a society that is ever-more skeptical of expert knowledge and the institutions entrusted with its development.
Abstract 5684: B-catenin-dependent and independent changes in gene expression induced by sphingolipids

Dietary supplementation with sphingolipids inhibits colon tumorigenesis in carcinogen-treated CF1 mice and in multiple intestinal neoplasia (Min) mice that produce intestinal tumors spontaneously. In both cancer models the regulation of β-catenin by sphingolipid metabolites is an important early event. Stabilization and nuclear translocation of β-catenin and its interaction with T-cell factor (TCF)/lymphoid enhancer factor (LEF) play important roles to activate the transcription of genes associated with cancer development and progression. Sphingosine and ceramides, major digestion products of complex sphingolipids in the diet, down-regulate β-catenin transcriptional activity in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Our data indicate that sphingosine and ceramides suppress SW480 human colon cancer cell growth in a concentration-dependent manner. In the present study, we investigated the dependency of sphingosine- and ceramide-induced changes in gene expression on β-catenin transcriptional activity by comparing control and β-catenin siRNA treated cells. We observed changes in the expression of genes involved in signal transduction, transcription factors, cell cycle control and DNA damage repair, cell adhesion, cell invasion and metastasis, angiogenesis, and apoptosis and cell senescence. Most genes were regulated by all metabolites; however, some genes were only targeted by specific metabolites. Furthermore, only a small number of genes regulated by the sphingolipid metabolites relied completely on the activation of the β-catenin transcriptional activity. Further experiments are currently being performed to confirm the function of β-catenin on the regulation of these genes. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5684.
Selecting Scales to Measure Attitude Change

This article reports a study comparing the Thurstone Scale, a modification of the semantic differential, and the checklist scales for their ability to detect changes in attitudes, their test-retest...
Android fine-grained permission control system with real-time expert recommendations

Abstract In current Android architecture design, users have to decide whether an app is safe to use or not. Expert users can make savvy decisions to prevent unnecessary privacy breach. However, inexperienced users may not be able to decide correctly. To assist inexperienced users to make a right permission granting decisions, we propose RecDroid. RecDroid is a crowdsourcing recommendation framework that facilitates a user-help-user environment regarding smartphone permission control. In this framework, the responses from expert users are aggregated and recommended to other users. We implement our prototype on Android platform and evaluated the system through simulation and real user study.
Tamponade as a rare complication of CPAP use following cardiac surgery

A 64-year-old woman developed tamponade more than 48 hours following cardiac surgery. The cause for this was haemorrhage from the site of multiple attempted cannulations of the right internal jugular vein. However this was a secondary haemorrhage and appeared to be precipitated by the use of CPAP on the second postoperative day. CPAP should be used with caution following difficult neckline insertions.
Modeling and estimating the structure of D2D-based mobile social networks

Along with the explosive growth of mobile social network (MSN) users and the advent of device-to-device (D2D) communications, D2D-based MSN (D2D-MSN) has become a promising alternative for exchanging multimedia contents on-the-go. Although the complete structure of a D2D-MSN plays a key role in understanding its performance, such knowledge is not readily available due to the difficulty of collecting connectivity information from the vast amount of users. To model the structure, we define a D2D-MSN network that jointly captures the social connectivity over the MSN and the opportunistic D2D contacts among users. A random walk with self loop (RWSL) scheme that quickly converges to its stationary distribution is proposed to collect a subset of D2D-MSN nodes. An estimator is then introduced to obtain an unbiased estimate of the D2D-MSN graph's joint degree distribution, pi, j, from the set of visited nodes, leading to an unbiased RWSL scheme. The resulting estimate of pi, j can be used as a statistic for creating synthetic graph and generating functions for analyzing robustness of D2D-MSN. Numerical results show that the proposed unbiased RWSL converges faster to its stationary distribution, achieves higher joint degree distribution accuracy, and visits less number of nodes, compared to existing graph exploration schemes.
Embedded resistive heating in composite scarf repairs

Composite scarf repairs were cured using heat generated by passing an electrical current through a woven graphite-epoxy prepreg embedded in the bondline. Resistance heating using the embedded prepreg resulted in a more uniform temperature distribution in the bondline while preventing any potential thermal damage to the surface of the scarf repairs. In contrast, conventional surface heating methods such as heat blankets or heat lamps lead to large through thickness thermal gradient that causes non-uniform temperature in the bondline and overheating the outer surface adjacent to the heater. Composite scarf repair specimens were created using the proposed embedded heating approach and through the use of a heat blanket for circular and rectangular scarf configurations. Tensile tests were performed for rectangular scarf specimens, and it was shown that the bond strengths of all specimens were found to be comparable. The proposed embedded curing technique results in bond strengths that equal or exceed those ach...
State 4-H Leader’s Perceptions of Involvement of Youth with Special Needs in the 4-H Program

Estimates indicate that 13% of school age children have a disability. With such a large number of children identified as individuals with special needs, it is important that organizations such as 4-H have strategies in place to work effectively with this population. This study sought to understand how Extension programs across the nation are working with children with special needs. Overall, 86% of respondents were unsure how many children with special needs were being served in their programs and only 44.7% of respondents indicated they provide training for agents and volunteers. While 68% of respondents indicated that there were programs in place, the scope and size of these opportunities varied greatly. Almost 95% of respondents indicated that modifications/accommodations were in place for children with special needs. The researchers suggest a more standardized response to identify and support children with special needs to ensure that effective programming can be developed.
Scaling-invariant description of dependence between fuzzy variables: Towards a fuzzy version of copulas

To get a general description of dependence between n fuzzy variables x 1 ,…, X n , we can use the membership function μ(χ 1 ,…, x n ) that describes, for each possible tuple of values (x 1 ,…, x n ) to which extent this tuple is possible. There are, however, many different ways to elicit these degrees. Different elicitations lead, in general, to different numerical values of these degrees — although, ideally, tuples which have a higher degree of possibility in one scale should have a higher degree in other scales as well. It is therefore desirable to come up with a description of the dependence between fuzzy variables that does not depend on the corresponding procedure and, thus, has the same form in different scales. In this paper, by using an analogy with the notion of copulas in statistics, we come up with such a scaling-invariant description. Our main idea is to use marginal membership functions μ i (x i ) = max μ(x i ,…, x i−1 , x i , x i+1 ,…, x n ) and then describe the relationship between the fuzzy variables x 1 ,…, x n by selecting, for some i from 1 to n, a function r i (x 1 ,…, x n ) for which, for all the tuples (x 1 ,…, x n ), we have μ(x 1 ,…, x n )= μ i (r i (x 1 ,…, x n )).