cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of principal component factor analysis to the cavity model of solvation to identify factors important in characterizing the solvent properties of gas chromatographic stationary phases

Abstract Principal component factor analysis was applied to two sets of data consisting of the gas-liquid partition coefficient for 30 solutes on 22 stationary phases or 67 solutes on 10 stationary phases at 121.4°C. Three or four factors were required to characterize the data and were identified as contributions from cavity formation and dispersion interactions, solvent hydrogen-bond base interactions, and orientation interactions typical of aromatic and aliphatic compounds. None of the stationary phases were identified as significant hydrogen-bond acids. The contribution from cavity formation and dispersion were combined into a single factor while orientation interactions were divided into two contributions representing either the additional polarity of polarizable solutes (aromatic compounds) or a family type behavior resulting from a structural contribution to the number of solute-solvent interactions calculated using the cavity model. There is good general agreement between the assignments made using the principal component factor model and results obtained previously using the solvation parameter model.
Effects of La0.2Ce0.6Eu0.2F3 nanoparticles capped with polyethylene glycol on human astrocytoma cells in vitro

Lanthanide fluoride colloidal nanocrystals offer a way to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer through the enhanced absorption of ionizing radiation, as well as providing visible luminescence. In order to explore this possibility, cytotoxicity assays need to be performed on mammalian cells in vitro , to show minimum levels of biocompatibility for future experiments. 20% lanthanum 60% cerium and 20% europium lanthanide fluoride nanocrystals were capped with polyethylene glycol (PEG) of molecular weight 4000 and suspended in deionized water. These nanocrystals were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, muffle furnace ashing, absorbance spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Visible light microscopy and trypan blue staining was performed on the cells to assay the cytotoxicity of the nanocrystal on the human astrocytoma line U-87 MG, purchased from ATCC.
Feature-specific optimal sensor placement for active sensing

We propose a novel approach for optimal actuator and sensor placement for active sensing-based structural health monitoring (SHM). Of particular interest is the optimization of actuator-sensor arrays making use of ultrasonic wave propagation for detecting damage in thin plate-like structures. Using a detection theory framework, we establish the optimum configuration as the one which minimizes Bayes risk. The detector incorporates a statistical model of the active sensing process which accounts for both reflection and attenuation features, implements pulse-echo and pitchcatch actuation schemes, and takes into account line-of-site. The optimization space was searched using a genetic algorithm with a time varying mutation rate. For verification, we densely instrumented a concave-shaped plate and applied artificial, reversible damage to a large number of randomly generated locations, acquiring active sensing data for each location. We then used the algorithm to predict optimal subsets of the dense array. The predicted optimal arrangements proved to be among the top performers when compared to large sets of randomly generated arrangements.
Aryl isocyanate, carbodiimide, and isocyanide prepared from carbon dioxide. A metathetical group-transfer tale involving a titanium-imide zwitterion.

Carbon dioxide can be readily converted quantitatively and under mild conditions into the aryl isocyanate and symmetrical carbodiimide via a metathetical reaction involving a zwitterionic titanium imide (nacnac)TiNAr(CH3B(C6F5)3) (nacnac- = [ArNC(tBu)]2CH, Ar = 2,6-iPr2C6H3). The metathetical process to generate isocyanates allows also for facile formation of sterically demanding aryl isocyanide, by a deoxygenation route. Labeling studies using enriched 13CO2 are also described.
Robots: A High Tech Tool for the Learner.

With the rapid developments of technology, robotic literacy is becoming a greater necessity. Alvin Toffler stated in theThird Wave that students ought to be print literate, computer literate, media literate, and robot literate. In addition, Harold Shane predicted that robots may become paraprofessionals in the future classroom. With these developments, teachers should be prepared to include robotic literacy in the school curriculum. To assist in the attainment of that worthy goal, the utilization of a walking, talking, and grabbing robot would be the most effective teaching strategy. As an outstanding motivator, robots can generate maximum enthusiasm, facilitate learning, and provide a stimulating and enjoyable learning experience for students. Today is the time for media specialists and teachers to examine the potential of robotic literacy as an important content area providing necessary knowledge and skills needed by students entering the Information Era. ▪
Genotoxicity of compounds from cooked beef in repair-deficient CHO cells versus Salmonella mutagenicity

A series of compounds isolated on the basis of their mutagenicity in the Ames/Salmonella reversion assay were previously identified in fried beef and chemically synthesized for further evaluation. In this study three of these compounds were tested for genotoxic effects in the UV5 line of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which is deficient in nucleotide excision repair. Both 2-amino-3,4-dimethyl-imidazo]4,5-f]quinoline (MeIQ) and 2-amino-3,8-dimethyl-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx) gave very weak responses for cell killing, hprt mutation induction and sister chromatid exchange. These effects occurred at doses in the range of 100-800 micrograms/ml (approximately solubility limit), and dose-dependent increases were not observed. Induction of chromosomal aberrations did not occur with either compound. Nor did either of these compounds produce differential cytotoxicity in normal CHO cells versus UV5 cells, indicating that potentially repairable DNA damage was not responsible for the observed cell killing. In contrast to these results, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), which constitutes greater than 90% of the mass of bacterial mutagens in beef, was strongly positive for all endpoints at doses in the range 1-3 micrograms/ml. PhIP also gave marked differential cytotoxicity (ratio of 6) and cell survival curves that were strongly dependent on repair capacity. Because PhIP is 50- to 300-fold less mutagenic than MeIQ and MeIQx in Salmonella TA1538, these results point to major differences between the bacterial and mammalian assays in terms of the relative potency of these food-related compounds.
One pill can kill: assessing the potential for fatal poisonings in children

Antimalarials, camphor, clonidine, methyl salicylates, and sulfonylureas all may result in serious poisonings and are potentially fatal in small doses in toddlers. Early recognition and appropriate management, including antidotal and supportive care, may prevent poor outcomes in these patients.
Stereoisomeric specificities of 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenases

Abstract 1. 1. Bacteria that produce 2,3-butanediol as an end product of the fermentation of sugars all form D (−)-acetylmethylcarbinol from pyruvate. 2. 2. 2,3-Butanediol dehydrogenases are stereoisomerically specific. Some dehydrogenases oxidize a hydroxyl group in the D (−) configuration [ D (−) dehydrogenase] while other dehydrigenases oxidize a hydroxyl group in the L (+) configuration [ L (+) dehydrogenase]. Because meso-2,3-butanediol contains hydroxyl groups in the D (−) and L (+) configurations, it serves as a substrate for all 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenases. The configuration of the acetylmethylcarbinol formed from the oxidation of meso-2,3-butanediol depends upon whether the hydroxyl group in the D (−) or the L (+) configuration is oxidized. 3. 3. Bacillus polymyxa contains a D (−)-2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase. The 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenases from Aerobacter aerogenes and Pseudomonas hydrophila are L (+) dehydrogenases. Bacillus subtilis contains both D (−) and L (+) dehydrogenases. 4. 4. The configuration of the carbon atom of 2,3-butanediol that is not oxidized affects the rate of oxidation. 5. 5. Evidence has been presented for the presence of an acetylmethylcarbinol racemase in Pseudomonas hydrophila. 6. 6. Bacteria capable of growing with meso-2,3-butanediol, sodium acetate or sodium lactate as a source of carbon and energy contain D (−) dehydrogenases. Aerobacter aerogenes which has been grown with racemic acetylmethylcarbinol as the carbon source contains a D (−) dehydrogenase in contrast to the presence of an L (+) dehydrogenase when Aerobacter aerogenes is grown on sugars. 7. 7. The presence of different combinations of D (−) and L (+) dehydrogenases and acetylmethylcarbinol racemase can explain the occurrence of various combinations of the three isomers of 2,3-butanediol as end products of the fermentation of sugars.
Capabilities for handling complex substance abuse problems and its relationship to the treatment system: Using the DDCAT instrument to explore local treatment systems in Finland

BackgroundMental health problems in Finland have been the responsibility of the health care, and substance abuse problems have been handled within social care. In 2009, a national reform aiming at integrating mental health and substance abuse treatment systems (SATS) was launched. The critics of integration were concerned that it implies a medicalization and a narrowing of the social care goals.AimThis article analyses to what extent integration of mental health and SATS affect the capability to treat co-occurring substance abuse and mental health problems. A secondary aim is to assess the utility of the DDCAT (Dual Diagnosis Capability in Addiction Treatment) instrument in a Finnish context.DataThe study is based on group interviews, using DDCAT, in six Finnish municipalities, three with integrated and three with separate mental health care and SATS. The assessment pertains to the main outpatient unit in the city.ResultsThe dual diagnosis treatment capability did not depend on the system-level integratio...
Thermal degradation of an anhydride-cured epoxy resin by laser heating

A 100-W CO2 continuous laser beam has been used to heat a cycloaliphatic epoxy polymer sample inside a platinum crucible suspended in the glass reaction tube of a Cahn RG Electrobalance®. The beam was transmitted through an IRTRAN-4 entrance window into the system. Calibration of the laser was made with respect to temperatures attained by the platinum crucible and measured with a chromel — alumel thermocouple and a recorder. The electrobalance, which was in an all-glass conventional vacuum system, was used to record the changes of weight with time and obtain the rates of degradation. Chemical analysis, by infrared and mass spectrometry, showed that the major gaseous products formed during degradation were water and carbon dioxide. Other products, such as toluene, pyridine, acetone, methyl formate, hexatriene, methyl acetylene, and butadiene, were found to be present in smaller amounts. The activation energy associated with the weight-loss process was 18 ± 3 kcal/mole. An attempt is made to explain the thermal degradation of the epoxy polymer by postulating a mechanism based on the degradation products and the prevailing conditions in the system.
Prevalence of radiographic semicircular canal dehiscence in very young children: an evaluation using high-resolution computed tomography of the temporal bones.

Background Previous studies suggest that semicircular canal dehiscences (SCDs) have a developmental origin.
Assessment of oncolytic HSV efficacy following increased entry-receptor expression in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor cell lines

Limited expression and distribution of nectin-1, the major herpes simplex virus (HSV) type-1 entry-receptor, within tumors has been proposed as an impediment to oncolytic HSV (oHSV) therapy. To determine whether resistance to oHSVs in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) was explained by this hypothesis, nectin-1 expression and oHSV viral yields were assessed in a panel of MPNST cell lines using γ134.5-attenuated (Δγ134.5) oHSVs and a γ134.5 wild-type (wt) virus for comparison. Although there was a correlation between nectin-1 levels and viral yields with the wt virus (R=0.75, P =0.03), there was no correlation for Δγ134.5 viruses (G207, R7020 or C101) and a modest trend for the second-generation oHSV C134 (R=0.62, P=0.10). Nectin-1 overexpression in resistant MPNST cell lines did not improve Δγ134.5 oHSV output. While multistep replication assays showed that nectin-1 overexpression improved Δγ134.5 oHSV cell-to-cell spread, it did not confer a sensitive phenotype to resistant cells. Finally, oHSV yields were not improved with increased nectin-1 in vivo. We conclude that nectin-1 expression is not the primary obstacle of productive infection for Δγ134.5 oHSVs in MPNST cell lines. In contrast, viruses that are competent in their ability to counter the antiviral response may derive benefit with higher nectin-1 expression.
Coronary arteries form by developmental reprogramming of venous cells

Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Determining the coronary artery developmental program could aid understanding of the disease and lead to new treatments, but many aspects of the process, including their developmental origin, remain obscure. Here we show, using histological and clonal analysis in mice and cardiac organ culture, that coronary vessels arise from angiogenic sprouts of the sinus venosus-the vein that returns blood to the embryonic heart. Sprouting venous endothelial cells dedifferentiate as they migrate over and invade the myocardium. Invading cells differentiate into arteries and capillaries; cells on the surface redifferentiate into veins. These results show that some differentiated venous cells retain developmental plasticity, and indicate that position-specific cardiac signals trigger their dedifferentiation and conversion into coronary arteries, capillaries and veins. Understanding this new reprogramming process and identifying the endogenous signals should suggest more natural ways of engineering coronary bypass grafts and revascularizing the heart.
A Field Evaluation of In‐Situ Biodegradation of Chlorinated Ethenes: Part 3, Studies of Competitive Inhibition

Results are presented that demonstrate the in-situ biotransformation of vinyl chloride (VC), trans-l,2-dichloroethylene (t-DCE), cis-l,2-dichloroethylene (c-DCE), and trichloroethylene (TCE) by an enhanced population of methane-utilizing (methanotrophic) bacteria. Biostimulation was accomplished by introducing dissolved methane and oxygen into a shallow, confined aquifer, to encourage the growth of the native methanotrophic bacteria. Biotransformation of the target compounds ensued immediately after the commencement of methane utilization, and reached steady-state values within three weeks. The approximate extents of transformation achieved in the two meter biostimulated zone were as follows: VC, 95%; t-DCE, 90%; c-DCE, 50%; and TCE, 20%. The biotransformation of VC and t-DCE was observed to be competitively inhibited by methane. Cyclic variations in methane concentration caused by the alternate pulse injection of dissolved methane into the test zone caused oscillations of the aqueous concentrations of VC and t-DCE. When formate and methanol were substituted for methane as alternative electron donors, inhibition ceased (no oscillations), and concentrations were reduced to levels achieved during periods when no methane was present, confirming the inhibition by methane. Higher transformation rates were achieved temporarily, i.e., for several days, through the addition of formate or methanol. When electron donor addition was terminated, the concentration of target compounds rapidly increased, indicating that the transformation promptly ceased. Although these experiments indicated that methane competitively inhibits transformation rates, this competition is a second-order effect: methane as substrate for growth was also required for transformation of VC, t-DCE, c-DCE, and TCE by methanotrophs.
A Stochastic Model for the Growth of Matrix Cracks in Composite Laminates

This paper presents a stochastic simulation model for the growth of multiple matrix cracks in composite laminates subjected to both static and fatigue loads. Working within the premise of ply-elasticity, a new concept of effective flaws is introduced which replaces the conventional constant ply strength criterion. Thus, the model con sists of an application of fracture mechanics and a rational representation of material flaw distributions. Simulation examples are presented on [02/902]s and [0 2/903]s graphite-epoxy laminates which undergo characteristic transverse cracking under uniaxial tension.
Specialization decisions within committee

This study inspects specialization in legislatures by moving from a relatively macro level of analysis of committee-floor interaction to a relatively microlevel study of individual decision making within committee. This approach also addresses a common shortcoming in studies of specialization within committees: imperfect measurement. Signaling-theoretic reasoning provides a foundation for analysis of individual legislators' specialization decisions. Two testable conjectures are stated. One relates costs of specialization to the decision to specialize in an obvious fashion, and the other relates preference extremity to specialization in a manner that sharply contrasts a claim in recent literature on legislative participation. The empirical analysis centers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and provides support for the conjectures, first in an indirect but conventional manner (probit estimates on cosponsorship) and then in a more direct and unique manner that addresses the obstacle of imperfect measurement of specialization.
A novel network allocation scheme in cellular networks with multiple classes of calls

In this paper, we study a cellular mobile communications network with multiple cells and multiple classes of calls. The different classes of calls have different call holding time and residence time distributions. We consider a protocol mechanism under which a blocked coil in a cell is either disconnected from the network or is deemed as a handoff call in a neighboring cell. Under this protocol, we prove that the steady state probability of this cellular mobile network has a product form. This allows as to derive explicit expressions of handoff rates for each class of calls from one cell, to another and the disconnecting probabilities for each class of new and handoff calls. Our numerical results show how these measures depend on the mobility of the mobile terminals in each cell and on the numbers of reserved channels, respectively.
Cyclic networks: A family of versatile fixed-degree interconnection architectures

In this paper, we propose a new family of interconnection networks, called cyclic networks (CNs), in which an intercluster connection is defined on a set of nodes whose addresses are cyclic shifts of one another. The node degrees of basic CNs are independent of system size, but can vary from a small constant (e.g., 3) to as large as required, thus providing flexibility and effective tradeoff between cost and performance. The diameters of suitably constructed CNs can be asymptotically optimal within their lower bounds, given the degrees. We show that packet routing and ascend/descend algorithms can be performed in /spl Theta/(log/sub d/ N) communication steps on some CNs with N nodes of degree /spl Theta/(d). Moreover CNs can also efficiently emulate homogeneous product networks (e.g., hypercubes and high dimensional meshes). As a consequence, we obtain a variety of efficient algorithms on such networks, thus proving the versatility of CNs.
Biophysical Remote Sensing

Remote sensing may be used to collect information on several important biophysical variables. This capability is in addition to the standard use of remotely sensed data for land-use and land-cover mapping. The status of work on remotely sensing nine fundamental biophysical variables is presented, including planimetric (x, y) location, topographic-bathymetric (x, y, z) elevation, color and the spectral signature of features, vegetation chlorophyll absorption characteristics, vegetation biomass, vegetation moisture content, soil moisture content, surface temperature, and texture or surface roughness. Remotely sensed ratio-scaled data on these biophysical variables may be more amenable for use in models and simulations than the nominal-scale land-use data. Emphasis is placed on current remote sensing capability and future potential and on the optimum spectral region(s) for sensing these biophysical variables.
The Town–Country Antithesis and the Environment A Sociological Critique of a “Real Utopian” Project

Current sociological interest in “real utopias” demands a critical evaluation of potential academic contributions to the subject. The following is a sociological critique of the real utopian projec...
Live virus-free or die: coupling of antivirus immunity and programmed suicide or dormancy in prokaryotes

Background The virus-host arms race is a major theater for evolutionary innovation. Archaea and bacteria have evolved diverse, elaborate antivirus defense systems that function on two general principles: i) immune systems that discriminate self DNA from nonself DNA and specifically destroy the foreign, in particular viral, genomes, whereas the host genome is protected, or ii) programmed cell suicide or dormancy induced by infection.
THE EFFECTS OF DESICCATION ON CONCENTRATIONS AND a/b RATIOS OF CHLOROPHYLL IN LEUCOBRYUM GLAUCUM AND THUIDIUM DELICATULUM

Summary Leaves of shade plants typically have higher concentrations, and lower a/b ratios of chlorophyll than do leaves of sun plants. In poikilohydric mosses as in vascular plants, such differences in concentration have been interpreted either as adaptations which enhance light capture or, in the more exposed mosses, as degradation of chlorophyll owing to water stress. There were no significant correlations between degree of hydration and either concentration or a/b ratios of chlorophyll in tissues of Leucobryum glaucum (Hedw.) Angustt. ex Fr. and Thuidium delicatulum (Hedw.) B.S.G. exposed to increasing water stress. As these data do not support the latter hypothesis, it is concluded that the former explanation is probably valid.
Progress in oncolytic virotherapy for the treatment of thyroid malignant neoplasm

Thyroid malignant neoplasm develops from follicular or parafollicular thyroid cells. A higher proportion of anaplastic thyroid cancer has an adverse prognosis. New drugs are being used in clinical treatment. However, for advanced thyroid malignant neoplasm such as anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, the major impediment to successful control of the disease is the absence of effective therapies. Oncolytic virotherapy has significantly progressed as therapeutics in recent years. The advance is that oncolytic viruses can be designed with biological specificity to infect, replicate and lyse tumor cells. Significant advances in virotherapy have being achieved to improve the accessibility, safety and efficacy of the treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to summarize and bring together the main areas covered by these investigations for the virotherapy of thyroid malignant neoplasm. We provide an overview of the progress in virotherapy research and clinical trials, which employ virotherapy for thyroid malignant neoplasm as well as the future prospect for virotherapy of thyroid malignant neoplasms.
'The Arrogance of Certainty': Trust, Confidentiality, and the Supreme Court

This article reviews Edward P. Lazarus, Closed Chambers (Time Books 1998). In Closed Chambers, Lazarus recounts stories from his term as a Supreme Court law clerk from the perspectives of what he calls a “journalist-historian” as well as a “participant” and an “eyewitness.’” But it is precisely because Lazarus was a participant and an eyewitness to a number of the events in his book that it is improper for him to act as a “journalist-historian.” As a former law clerk to a United States Supreme Court Justice, Lazarus owes duties to his Justice and to the institution itself. One of those duties is to maintain the Court's confidences. Writing a book about the cases decided during one's time at the Court, as Lazarus has done, constitutes a profound breach of the obligations of a former clerk.
North atlantic aeronautical satellite system development

The Systems Research and Development Service of the Federal Aviation Administration is actively supporting study and experimental programs that will enable the United States, in conjunction with other participating countries, to achieve by the late 1970's an operational North Atlantic air traffic control system using satellites. No single program or system has been decided upon; however, the following describes one conceptual system which has been formulated. Experiments are planned to test theoretical data which were used in planning system performance specifications. An in-depth study will be required to refine and optimize any conceptual system and to develop specification costs and schedules in sufficient detail to procure hardware.
Purchasing as a boundary-spanning function: effects of communication patterns on organisational permeability

A hallmark of the modern age is the expanded use of informal communication methods in professional and business relationships. Based upon theoretical insights from the organisational permeability and boundary literature, we develop and test a set of hypotheses exploring the changing nature of communication patterns between the purchasing function and its internal and external partners. Our results suggest that while external communications tend to have higher levels of formality than those with internal partners, both internal and external communication patterns trend towards less formality over time, with external formality dropping more markedly than internal formality. Furthermore, we find that trends in formal and informal communication patterns influence perceptions of supplier performance.
The CMP-legionaminic acid pathway in Campylobacter: Biosynthesis involving novel GDP-linked precursors

The sialic acid-like sugar 5,7-diacetamido-3,5,7,9-tetradeoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-nonulosonic acid, or legion-aminic acid, is found as a virulence-associated cell-surface glycoconjugate in the Gram-negative bacteria Legionella pneumophila and Campylobacter coli. L. pneumophila serogroup 1 strains, causative agents of Legionnaire's disease, contain an alpha2,4-linked homopolymer of legionaminic acid within their lipopolysaccharide O-chains, whereas the gastrointestinal pathogen C. coli modifies its flagellin with this monosaccharide via O-linkage. In this work, we have purified and biochemically characterized 11 candidate biosynthetic enzymes from Campylobacter jejuni, thereby fully reconstituting the biosynthesis of legionaminic acid and its CMP-activated form, starting from fructose-6-P. This pathway involves unique GDP-linked intermediates, likely providing a cellular mechanism for differentiating between this and similar UDP-linked pathways, such as UDP-2,4-diacetamido-bacillosamine biosynthesis involved in N-linked protein glycosylation. Importantly, these findings provide a facile method for efficient large-scale synthesis of legionaminic acid, and since legionaminic acid and sialic acid share the same D-glycero-D-galacto absolute configuration, this sugar may now be evaluated for its potential as a sialic acid mimic.
Effect of Loading Mode and Coating on Dynamic Fatigue of Optical Fiber in Two-Point Bending

Tho-point bending is a useful method for investigating the mechanical properties of optical fiber and has several advantages when compared to the traditional tensile test. However, the strength of the fiber is usually determined at constant faceplate velocity rather than at constant strain rate as in the uniaxial tensile test, and previous work casts doubt on the comparability of fatigue results obtained using different loading modes and hence on the reliability of the bending technique. This paper presents dynamic fatigue results using a two-point bend apparatus that can be programmed to operate in constant velocity, constant strain rate, and constant stress rate loading modes. These results, obtained for both bare and polymer-coated fused silica optical fiber, show no significant differences in the calculated fatigue parameters for the three loading modes and clearly indicate the reliability of the two-point bend method at constant faceplate velocity. The results, however, show that the obtained value of the stress corrosion susceptibility parameter, n, is dependent on the quantity used to define it, i.e., stress or strain to failure, because of the nonlinear elastic behavior of silica.
Vapor Adsorption Studies on Low-Energy Solids

In cases where the three-phase angle of contact between vapor, liquid, and solid is finite the adsorbed phase is not the conventional multilayer. In prior work it has been demonstrated that an acceptable model for the adsorbed phase is the post two-dimensional critical temperature form of the Hill — de Boer equation. Two-dimensional van der Waals constants and energetic parameters associated with vertical interactions can be obtained by computer curve-fit techniques making it possible to utilize gravimetric adsorption data in spite of Kelvin condensation which would normally obscure the mass change relevant to adsorption for particulate samples.
Measuring and maintaining program synchronization

Instead of relying on a single acquisition program to design and build their constituent parts, complex systems increasingly rely on multiple development programs operating in parallel. This can create challenges for program managers attempting to ensure that the development and delivery schedules of their programs are properly aligned with other interdependent programs-an issue commonly referred to as program synchronization. A lack of synchronization across programs can delay the delivery of capabilities to the end user, drive up costs, and compromise the overall performance of the system. This paper defines synchronization as it is used in this context, illustrates the need for synchronization between programs, and presents methods for measuring and maintaining synchronization. The first section defines synchronization in the context of acquisition programs and addresses what it means to be synchronized. The second and third sections address why synchronization is important and explain how synchronization becomes a problem for programs. Sections four and five present approaches for measuring synchronization and recommendations on how synchronization can be established and maintained throughout the acquisition lifecycle. Military Satellite Communications (MILSATCOM) systems are used as examples throughout the paper, but the methods of analysis presented can be applied to other complex systems as well.
EOCENE ECHINOIDS OF TEXAS

Abstract Fourteen species of echinoids ranging in age from early to late Eocene, including four new species, are described from Texas. New taxa include Schizaster (Schizaster) caddoensis from the Reklaw and Weches Formations (Claiborne Group, middle Eocene), Schizaster (Schizaster) stenzeli and Eupatagus texanus from the Weches Formation, and Schizaster (Paraster) susana from the Caddell Formation (Jackson Group, upper Eocene). Fibularia meyeri (Aldrich, 1921) and Fibularia alabamensis Cooke, 1959 are synonymized with Fibularia texana (Twitchell, 1915) from the Weches and Cook Mountain Formations (Claiborne Group, middle Eocene). Other reported species are Linthia hollandi Barry, 1942, from the Sabinetown Formation (Wilcox Group, lower Eocene); Gagaria sp., Protoscutella tuomeyi (Twitchell, 1915), Protoscutella mississippiensis mississippiensis (Twitchell, 1915), Maretia arguta (Clark, 1915), and Linthia? sp. from the Weches Formation; Spatangus? sp. and Eupatagus carolinensis? Clark, 1915 from the Cook M...
Regional Simulation of Intraseasonal Variations in the Summertime Hydrologic Cycle over the Southwestern United States

Abstract Using results taken from a finescale (25 km) regional modeling simulation for the summer of 1999, intraseasonal variations in the climatological summertime hydrologic cycle over the southwestern United States are described for two previously identified spatiotemporal precipitation patterns. Over the western portion of the Rocky Mountain plateau, centered on eastern Utah and western Colorado, columnar moisture divergence associated with precipitation is balanced by a combination of seasonal-mean convective moisture convergence and anomalous upper-air (>4 km) large-scale moisture convergence. The actual precipitating events themselves are predicated upon the anomalous upper-level advection of water vapor into the precipitating region; absent this large-scale advection at upper levels, vertical diffusion of moisture into the atmosphere balances large-scale divergence at midlevels, with little precipitation occurring. The anomalous large-scale advection during precipitating events is due primarily to...
Engineering Design and Efficiency Measurement: Issues and Future Research Opportunities

The objective of this paper is to discuss unresolved research issues when linking the literatures on efficiency measurement and the design and operation of engineered systems. I focus on five themes that have emerged in the last decade. These include: engineering system design, resilience and sustainability of infrastructure systems, physical and behavioral representations of disaggregated subsystems, messy data, and the dynamic characteristics of engineered systems. I also provide an initial conceptualization of key yet interrelated issues within each of the themes. Along with the themes I suggest existing modeling formulations in the efficiency measurement literature (DEA, network DEA, fuzzy clustering, and the Dynamic Productive Efficiency Model) that serve as an initial starting point for modeling the efficiency performance of engineered systems. As illustrations, I present two examples, one from infrastructure management and one from transportation engineering.
Perceived Presence’s Role on Learning Outcomes in a Mixed Reality Classroom of Simulated Students

This research is part of an ongoing effort on the efficacy and user experience of TLE TeachLivETM, a 3D mixed reality classroom with simulated students used to facilitate virtual rehearsal of pedagogical skills by teachers. This research investigated a potential relationship between efficacy, in terms of knowledge acquisition and transfer, and user experience in regard to presence, suspension of disbelief, and immersion. The initial case studies examining user experience of presence, suspension of disbelief, and immersion were used to develop a presence questionnaire revised from the work of Witmer and Singer (1998) to address the TLE TeachLivETM mixed reality environment. The findings suggest that targeted practice, authentic scenarios, and suspension of disbelief in virtual learning environments may impact learning.
Thermophysical Characterization of the Southwestern U.S. From 5 Years of MODIS Land Surface Temperature Observations

Five years (2005-2009) of daytime and nighttime 1-km 8-day Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) thermal infrared (TIR) observations have been compiled for the southwestern United States to develop a multitemporal dataset used to map the areal extent of surface thermophysical units, identify anomalous surfaces and weather events, and establish temporal and spatial criteria to map and characterize surfaces in arid regions. Results suggest that weather patterns across the Mojave, Sonoran, and Great Basin desert regions produce spring and fall observations that are consistently cloud-free. Sparsely vegetated and bare soil surfaces display temperature patterns that are highly consistent during much of the year and from year to year. The conditions necessary for reliable quantitative temperatures for thermophysical mapping are both spatially and temporally controlled, and commonly occur for observations in the arid Southwest.
Microheterogeneity of N-acetyl- -D-hexosaminidase of bull epididymis.

SummaryMost (90%) of the total activity of N-acetyl-β-D-hexosaminidase (EC 3.2.1.30) of bull epididymis homogenate was found in the soluble fraction. Electrophoresis of the soluble fraction on polyacrylamide gel (5.3%) at pH 9.5 separated the enzyme into as many as 12 enzymatically active bands. The bands were successfully stained on the gel using naphthol AS-BI N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminide as substrate; freed naphthol being coupled with fast garnet GBC. Under similar conditions, human aortic N-acetyl-β-D-hexosaminidase was separated into two bands, namely the A and B forms.In both preparations, 1 mMN-acetyl-glucosaminolactone completely inhibited staining.Incubation of bull epididymal preparation with neuraminidase resulted in the disappearance of some of the fast-moving bands and the concomitant deeper staining of the slowmoving bands. Some changes in relative mobility were also observed.
Using Large Datasets for Population-based Health Research

Abstract Increasingly, health-care research may involve the analysis of “secondary data” referring to data collected by someone other than the user. Secondary data sources can be research or survey based but often they are the by-products of health-care providers' nonresearch activities. This includes administrative (billing) as well as clinical activities. At the population level, analysis of secondary data can be used to monitor secular trends, assess specific diseases or treatments, analyze health-care disparities, and may serve as an important resource to inform policy decision-making. These data are quite useful as one can often draw conclusions about very large populations without expending the resources required by primary data collection. In addition, because sample sizes are often large, secondary data analysis is quite appropriate to study rare diseases or events. However, there also are considerable limitations to using these data primarily attributable to the data being collected for a purpose other than the intended secondary use. Thus, data may lack the necessary quality controls and level of detail for the secondary use. Despite these limitations, secondary data analysis is a powerful tool in health services research, particularly when these data can be combined with other survey data sets.
On the Sensitivity of Electron-Injection Detectors at Low Light Level

We present the signal-to-noise performance of a short-wave infrared detector, which offers an internal avalanche-free gain. The detector is based on a similar mechanism as the heterojunction phototransistor and takes advantage of a type-II band alignment. Current devices demonstrate a noise-equivalent sensitivity of ∼670 photons at 260 K and over a linear dynamic range of 20 dB. While this level of sensitivity is about an order of magnitude better than an ideal p-i-n detector attached to the same low-noise amplifier, it was still limited by the amplifier noise (∼2600 electrons root mean square) due to the insufficient device gain. Performance comparison with other SWIR detector technologies demonstrates that the so-called electron-injection detectors offer more than three orders of magnitude better noise-equivalent sensitivity compared with state-of-the-art phototransistors operating at similar temperature.
Application of Dispersive Solid Phase Extraction in Determination of Chemical Poisoning in Emergency

[Objective] To establish a new method for rapid detection of toxic components of chemical poisoning.[Methods]Gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD)and gas chromatography-nitrogen phosphorus detector (GC-NPD) were applied to analyze 10 toxic components of the residual with dispersive solid phase extraction as pretreatment technology and ethyl acetate as extraction agent.[Results]The recoveries ranged from 72.8%~103.0%;relative standard deviation was 0.2%~83%;minimum detectable limit was 0.10~0.50 mg/kg[Conclusion]This method can obtain high recovery and precision.It is a more effective pre-treatment method which is more simple,rapid than traditional pre-treatment methods
Unscreened older men diagnosed with prostate cancer are at increased risk of aggressive disease

To evaluate the relationship between PSA testing history and high-risk disease among older men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Records from 1993 to 2014 were reviewed for men who underwent radiotherapy for prostate cancer at age 75 years or older. Patients were classified into one of four groups based on PSA-testing history: (1) no PSA testing; (2) incomplete/ineffective PSA testing; (3) PSA testing; or (4) cannot be determined. Outcomes of interest were National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) risk group (that is, low, intermediate or high risk) and biopsy grade at diagnosis. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the association between PSA testing history and high-risk cancer. PSA-testing history was available in 274 (94.5%) of 290 subjects meeting study criteria. In total, 148 men (54.0%) underwent PSA testing with follow-up biopsy, 72 (26.3%) underwent PSA testing without appropriate follow-up, and 54 men (19.7%) did not undergo PSA testing. Patients who underwent PSA testing were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with NCCN high-risk cancer (23.0% vs 51.6%, P<0.001). On multivariable analysis, men with no/incomplete PSA testing had more than three-fold increased odds of high-risk disease at diagnosis (odds ratio 3.39, 95% confidence interval 1.96–5.87, P<0.001) as compared to the tested population. Older men who underwent no PSA testing or incomplete testing were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with high-risk prostate cancer than those who were previously screened. It is reasonable to consider screening in healthy older men likely to benefit from early detection and treatment.
Revisiting Delinquent Attitudes: Measurement, Dimensionality and Behavioral Effects

Objective This study examines whether single-item attitude measures commonly used in research adequately capture adolescent attitudes towards specific delinquent behaviors. It also explores whether delinquent attitudes form a unidimensional or multidimensional construct. Finally, this study tests Ajzen and Fishbein’s principle of compatibility to determine if delinquent attitudes have a behavior-specific and a situation-specific effect on behavior.
Book Review: Kitamura, Yuto, et al. (eds), The Political Economy of Schooling in Cam-bodia: Issues of Quality and Equity

Book Review of the compilation Kitamura, Yuto, D. Brent Edwards Jr., Chhinh Sitha, and James H. Williams (eds) (2016), The Political Economy of Schooling in Cambodia: Issues of Quality and Equity. Palgrave Macmillan US, ISBN: 978-1-137-45599-4, XII + 245 pages, (ebook ISBN: 978-1-137-45600-7)
Platform-Specific Self-Branding: Imagined Affordances of the Social Media Ecology

Despite the recent uptick in academic literature on self-branding across the fields of Internet studies, business/marketing, and media/cultural industries, the ways in which the digital self-brand gets reproduced across a sprawling social media ecology remains comparatively under-theorized. Our paper draws upon in-depth interviews with 42 creative workers---including designers/artists, bloggers/writers, online content creators, and marketers/publicists---to understand how independent professionals present themselves and their work in the digital economy. We show that despite the common refrain of maintaining a "consistent" online persona, creative workers continuously negotiate their self-presentation activities through a logic we term 'platform-specific self-branding'. The platform-specific self-brand, we contend, is based upon the "imagined affordances" [44] of individual platforms and their placement within the larger social media ecology. Such imaginations are constructed through the interplay of: 1) platform features; 2) assumptions about the audience; and 3) the producer's own self-concept. We conclude that creative workers' incitement to incessantly monitor and re-fashion their digital personae in platform-specific ways marks an intensification of the 'always on' laboring subjectivity required to vie for attention in a precarious creative economy.
Factors Associated With Opinions About Hospice Among Older Adults: Race, Familiarity With Hospice, and Attitudes Matter

Attitudes and opinions about end-of-life care among older adults are understudied. Using survey data from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) membership in Florida (N = 2714), this study identified predictors of opinions about hospice (OAH) among older adults. Relationships between race/ethnicity and attitudes were also examined. Results showed race of the respondent was the strongest predictor of one’s OAH. Predictors of positive opinions of hospice included being of Caucasian race, non-Hispanic ethnicity, better health, greater familiarity with hospice, a high importance of pain control, the importance of fulfilling personal goals, a desire to have health-care professionals involved in one’s care, and having engaged in advance care planning. These findings suggest a need for greater attention to culture-based elements in future research and practice.
Amplicon Sequencing Reveals Microbiological Signatures in Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Basins.

Water quality is an important determinant for the structural integrity of alloy cladded fuels and assemblies during long-term wet storage. Detailed characterization of a water filled storage basin for spent nuclear reactor fuel was performed following the formation and proliferation of an amorphous white flocculent. White precipitant was sampled throughout the storage basin for chemical and spectroscopic characterization, and environmental DNA was extracted for 454 pyrosequencing of bacterial rRNA gene diversity. Accordingly, spectroscopic analyses indicated the precipitant to be primarily amorphous to crystalline aluminum (oxy) hydroxides with minor associated elemental components including Fe, Si, Ti, and U. High levels of organic carbon were co-localized with the precipitant relative to bulk dissolved organic concentrations. Bacterial densities were highly variable between sampling locations and with depth within the water-filled storage basin; cell numbers (log scale) ranged from 5.6 to 4.7 cells / mL. Bacterial diversity that was physically associated with the aluminum (oxy) hydroxide complexes exceeded an estimated 4,000 OTUs / amplicon library (3% cutoff) and the majority of sequences were aligned to the families Burkholderiales (23%), Nitrospiraceae (23%), Hyphomicrobiaceae (17%), and Comamonadaceae (6%). We surmise that episodic changes in the physical and chemical properties of the basin contribute to the polymerization of aluminum (oxy) hydroxides, which in turn can chemisorb nutrients, carbon ligands and bacterial cells from the surrounding bulk aqueous phase. As such, these precipitants should establish favorable microhabitats for bacterial colonization and growth. Comparative analyses of 16S rRNA gene amplicon libraries across diverse environmental landscapes were performed and microbiological signatures unique to the spent nuclear fuel storage basin environment were revealed. These insights could spur the development of tractable bio-indicators that are specific of and diagnostic for water quality at discrete locations and finer scales of resolution, marking an important contribution for improved water quality and management of spent nuclear fuel storage facilities.