cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two-Fluid Large-Eddy Simulation Approach for Gas-Particle Turbulent Flows Using Equilibrium Assumption

This article illustrates a two-fluid large-eddy simulation (LES) approach for gas-particle turbulent flows. The equilibrium assumption in which the velocity of particles is approximated in terms of the velocity and acceleration of the gas phase, is made for the development of gas-particle LES formulation in this study. A filtered Eulerian velocity field is defined for particles and expressed in terms of the temporal and spatial derivatives of the gas-phase filtered velocity field. Also, filtered particle concentration defined in the Eulerian framework is governed by a transport equation with a closure problem resulted from filtering the particle concentration nonlinear convection term and in the form of subgrid-scale particle flux. A Smagorinsky kind of formulation is used to model the subgrid-scale particle flux and close the transport equation of the filtered particle concentration. The developed gas-particle LES formulation is implemented in a homogeneous shear turbulence configuration and results are discussed. It is shown that the equilibrium assumption is valid for sufficiently small particle time constants through conducting the direct numerical simulation of the same configuration.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Energy dependence of the absorptive potential for sub-Coulomb energy proton bombardment of zirconium and molybdenum isotopes.

The measured (p,p) and (p,n) excitation functions for $^{92}$,94,96Zr and $^{95}$,98,100Mo were fitted in the energy range 2${E}_{\mathrm{p}}$7 MeV using a standard optical model potential with an energy dependent proton absorptive potential. The volume integral of the proton absorptive potential shows strong A dependence at low proton energy and tends to a common value of 100 MeV ${\mathrm{fm}}^{3}$ for all isotopes studied as the proton bombarding energy is increased toward 15 MeV. This result is consistent with results from analyses at higher energies.
Caste, Class, and Urbanization: The Shaping of Religious Community in Contemporary India

Building on the implications of qualitative work from India and urbanism theories, I aim to understand whether religious bonding social capital in contemporary India increases with greater urbanization and whether such increases are moderated by caste or social class position. Results from multinomial logistic regression on 1,417 Hindu respondents in a nationally representative sample of India (World Values Survey-India 2001) indicate that religious bonding is fostered by urbanism and that this association is stronger for upper castes. But there is little evidence that social class similarly moderates the association between urbanism and religious bonding. In light of these findings, religious bonding might be better understood as rooted in the interaction of caste dynamics and changes in the urban environment, rather than as a result of greater affluence. The data are also consistent with work underscoring the importance of disentangling social class and caste among Hindus in contemporary India.
The effect of E20 ethanol fuel on vehicle emissions

AbstractE20 fuel research conducted by the Rochester Institute of Technology has focused on vehicle exhaust, vehicle drivability and vehicle maintenance. Beginning in February 2008, ten older gasoline vehicles owned and operated by Monroe County, New York State, were evaluated using E20 fuel. Criteria pollutant tailpipe emissions from running E20 versus gasoline were tested using the FTP-75 Federal Test Procedure in an independent vehicle emissions laboratory. Initial results demonstrated significant fleet tailpipe emissions reductions in carbon monoxide and total hydrocarbons when running E20 versus gasoline. The fleet has currently operated a total of more than 100000 miles on E20, with individual vehicles having been driven at least 2400 miles each on E20 at the time of testing. Driveability and maintenance have been unaffected. Driver comments were strongly positive. Research continues, with future work to include repeat tailpipe emissions testing for degradation and expanding E20 fuel usage to the en...
Foxp3 + regulatory T cells participate in repair of ischemic acute kidney injury

T lymphocytes modulate early ischemia-reperfusion injury in the kidney; however, their role during repair is unknown. We studied the role of TCRβ + CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + regulatory T cells (Tregs), known to blunt immune responses, in repair after ischemia-reperfusion injury to the kidney. Using a murine model of ischemic acute kidney injury we found that there was a significant trafficking of Tregs into the kidneys after 3 and 10 days. Post-ischemic kidneys had increased numbers of TCRβ + CD4 + and TCRβ + CD8 + T cells with enhanced pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Treg depletion starting 1 day after ischemic injury using anti-CD25 antibodies increased renal tubular damage, reduced tubular proliferation at both time points, enhanced infiltrating T lymphocyte cytokine production at 3 days and TNF-α generation by TCRβ + CD4 + T cells at 10 days. In separate mice, infusion of CD4 + CD25 + Tregs 1 day after initial injury reduced INF-γ production by TCRβ + CD4 + T cells at 3 days, improved repair and reduced cytokine generation at 10 days. Treg manipulation had minimal effect on neutrophil and macrophage infiltration; Treg depletion worsened mortality and serum creatinine, while Treg infusion had a late beneficial effect on serum creatinine in bilateral ischemia. Our study demonstrates that Tregs infiltrate ischemic-reperfused kidneys during the healing process promoting repair, likely through modulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine production of other T cell subsets. Treg targeting could be a novel therapeutic approach to enhance recovery from ischemic acute kidney injury.
Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecology: Fourth Annual Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Summer Workshop; Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 20–23 July 2009

The Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) program is a coordinating body for the U.S. research community that focuses on the ocean's role as a component of the global Earth system, bringing together research in geochemistry, ocean physics, and ecology. The fourth annual Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry summer workshop convened 147 participants at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, in Massachusetts. The workshop opened with a session on the next U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Plan (CCSP) that included presentations highlighting the priorities of the next CCSP and providing atmospheric, oceanic, terrestrial, social science, and decision support perspectives. An interdisciplinary panel of CCSP working group members then fielded audience questions and solicited feedback from the OCB community, which focused primarily on CCSP scope, ocean research and observing system priorities, and more effective integration with social science and decision support communities.
Measuring state capacity in contemporary Latin America

This paper builds a new measure of state capacity for application to contemporary Latin America which improves on existing indices in several ways. First, rather than using a single proxy, it combines multiple dimensions (extraction, security, and the administration of basic services) of the minimal or juridical state. Second, each dimension is measured with multiple indicators, which allows scholars to work around problems of subnational data availability. Third and most centrally, cases are scored using a new, reach-adjusted, population and territory-weighted approach, which provides the first systematic means of assessment of the power of the national state and its uneven reach across territory and into society and thus allows the empirical investigation of a crucial aspect of Latin American stateness.
Crystal structure of the heterodimeric CLOCK:BMAL1 transcriptional activator complex.

The circadian clock in mammals is driven by an autoregulatory transcriptional feedback mechanism that takes approximately 24 hours to complete. A key component of this mechanism is a heterodimeric transcriptional activator consisting of two basic helix-loop-helix PER-ARNT-SIM (bHLH-PAS) domain protein subunits, CLOCK and BMAL1. Here, we report the crystal structure of a complex containing the mouse CLOCK:BMAL1 bHLH-PAS domains at 2.3 A resolution. The structure reveals an unusual asymmetric heterodimer with the three domains in each of the two subunits—bHLH, PAS-A, and PAS-B—tightly intertwined and involved in dimerization interactions, resulting in three distinct protein interfaces. Mutations that perturb the observed heterodimer interfaces affect the stability and activity of the CLOCK:BMAL1 complex as well as the periodicity of the circadian oscillator. The structure of the CLOCK:BMAL1 complex is a starting point for understanding at an atomic level the mechanism driving the mammalian circadian clock.
Four Years of Tropical ERA-40 Vorticity Maxima Tracks. Part I: Climatology and Vertical Vorticity Structure

Abstract Using the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Re-Analysis (ERA-40), vorticity maxima (VM) have been manually tracked and classified as developing and nondeveloping. The VM are identified on Hovmoller plots for June–October 1998–2001, within 0°–35°N, 140°–10°W. Over 600 low-level and midlevel VM are tracked. The ERA-40 VM track climatology compares favorably with previous knowledge about easterly waves. Some new results have also been found. The VM are not equivalent to easterly waves, so it is important to distinguish between the large-scale wave and the embedded VM. Unlike waves, individual VM leaving Africa generally do not survive to cross the entire Atlantic. Unlike waves, which can cross Central America, most individual east Pacific VM originate in the east Pacific. Genesis productivity is defined as the fraction of nontropical cyclone VM that eventually develop. It reaches 50% in the eastern North Pacific (EPAC) and 30% in the Atlantic, where there is geographical separ...
Conceptions of Career Choice and Attainment: Developmental Levels in How Children Think about Careers.

Abstract Children’s Conceptions of career choice and attainment were evaluated in two studies to test whether reasoning levels varied by grade level (Studies 1 and 2) and perspective-taking complexity (Study 2). Results indicated that younger children (Grade K) were more likely to use reasoning strategies associated with fantasy and magical thinking and older children (Grade 6) were more likely to consider personal interests, abilities, and job requirements. Study 2 replicated these results and also found that children evaluated as able to use more complex perspective-taking reported higher reasoning levels when discussing their Conceptions of career choice and attainment.
Exploring the Sensitivity of Horn's Parallel Analysis to the Distributional Form of Random Data

Horn's parallel analysis (PA) is the method of consensus in the literature on empirical methods for deciding how many components/factors to retain. Different authors have proposed various implementations of PA. Horn's seminal 1965 article, a 1996 article by Thompson and Daniel, and a 2004 article by Hayton, Allen, and Scarpello all make assertions about the requisite distributional forms of the random data generated for use in PA. Readily available software is used to test whether the results of PA are sensitive to several distributional prescriptions in the literature regarding the rank, normality, mean, variance, and range of simulated data on a portion of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (Pennell et al., 2004) by varying the distributions in each PA. The results of PA were found not to vary by distributional assumption. The conclusion is that PA may be reliably performed with the computationally simplest distributional assumptions about the simulated data.
Sensory Processing Patterns in Persons With Angelman Syndrome

OBJECTIVE. Research examining sensory processing patterns in persons with Angelman syndrome is nonexistent despite anecdotal evidence and clinical diagnostic criteria that may reflect these features. The goal of this study was to better characterize sensory processing patterns in persons with Angelman syndrome. METHOD. Parents of 340 persons with Angelman syndrome between 3 and 22 years of age completed a standardized measure of sensory processing, the Sensory Experiences Questionnaire. RESULTS. Results confirmed a high degree and variety of sensory processing abnormalities in persons with Angelman syndrome. These problems were most prominent in the areas of hypo-responsiveness to tactile and vestibular input, consistent with reports of sensory seeking behaviors in this population. Sensory processing deficits were not related to gender, seizure disorder, or genetic subtype. However, some behaviors were correlated with age. CONCLUSION. This study provides the first systematic description of sensory processing abnormalities in a large sample of persons with Angelman syndrome. Considerations for enhancing occupational performance and social participation in this population through occupational therapy interventions are discussed
Patterns of Language Learning-Related Behaviours: Evidence for Self-Help in Acquiring Grammar.

Four kinds of language learning-related behaviours (LLRBs) were examined in the home conversations of six English children studied for six months from age 2;0 to 2;6. The speech of the children was coded for the number of times they participated in language lessons, language practice, metalanguage and revisions of prior language. All the children were active and frequent producers of LLRBs, with revisions being observed most commonly. Further analysis revealed that the majority of the revisions that the children initiated involved grammatical changes, with the revised utterances tending to be more grammatical than their predecessors. An auditory monitor is proposed as a partial explanation for revision behaviour, and is evaluated relative to other possible accounts of the findings.
Obesity and diabetes cause cognitive dysfunction in the absence of accelerated β-amyloid deposition in a novel murine model of mixed or vascular dementia

Mid-life obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) confer a modest, increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), though the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We have created a novel mouse model that recapitulates features of T2DM and AD by crossing morbidly obese and diabetic db/db mice with APP ΔNL/ΔNL x PS1 P264L/P264L knock-in mice. These mice (db/AD) retain many features of the parental lines (e.g. extreme obesity, diabetes, and parenchymal deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ)). The combination of the two diseases led to additional pathologies-perhaps most striking of which was the presence of severe cerebrovascular pathology, including aneurysms and small strokes. Cortical Aβ deposition was not significantly increased in the diabetic mice, though overall expression of presenilin was elevated. Surprisingly, Aβ was not deposited in the vasculature or removed to the plasma, and there was no stimulation of activity or expression of major Aβ-clearing enzymes (neprilysin, insulin degrading enzyme, or endothelin-converting enzyme). The db/AD mice displayed marked cognitive impairment in the Morris Water Maze, compared to either db/db or APP ΔNL x PS1 P264L mice. We conclude that the diabetes and/or obesity in these mice leads to a destabilization of the vasculature, leading to strokes and that this, in turn, leads to a profound cognitive impairment and that this is unlikely to be directly dependent on Aβ deposition. This model of mixed or vascular dementia provides an exciting new avenue of research into the mechanisms underlying the obesity-related risk for age-related dementia, and will provide a useful tool for the future development of therapeutics.
Identification of the l-Aspartate Transporter in Bacillus subtilis

YveA of Bacillus subtilis, a putative transporter of the amino acid/polyamine/organocation (APC) superfamily, is shown to mediate uptake of both L-aspartate and L-glutamate as well as having sensitivity to L-aspartate hydroxamate. This 14 TMS protein is the primary aspartate uptake system in B. subtilis and serves as the prototype for a new family within the APC superfamily.
Longitudinal Links Between Discrimination and Civic Development Among Latino and Asian Adolescents

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is formative for civic development. Unfortunately, many adolescents from Latino and Asian backgrounds experience discrimination, which can alienate them from civic life. This study employed cross-lagged structural equation modeling to test the bidirectional links between perceived discrimination and civic beliefs and activism among Latino and Asian late adolescents (N = 400, Mage = 17.34, 61% female). Civic beliefs (i.e., believing that the government is unresponsive) and civic activism (i.e., protesting and expressing political opinions) in high school predicted increased perceptions of discrimination over time. Perceiving high levels of discrimination in high school predicted a decrease in the belief that society is fair over time.
The closed-loop regulation of blood glucose in diabetics

The development of a system for the closed-loop regulation of blood glucose concentration (BGC) in a Type-1 diabetic when sparse measurements of the blood glucose concentration are available is discussed. A model reference technique to provide an estimate of the BGC is implemented. Whenever, a BGC measurement is not available, the BGC estimate is used in the controller realization. After developing the model reference offline, a computer simulation is realized for closed-loop regulation of blood glucose concentration in a Type-1 diabetic. A recursive parameter-estimation scheme is implemented to update the parameters of the model reference throughout the closed-loop simulation. These parameter estimates can be used to adjust some of the controller parameters to enhance the robustness of the controller. >
Best practice modeling initiative in an infection control program

BACKGROUND: Proper staffing of infection control departments has long been a topic of interest. The most complete report on the subject, the Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control, was published in 1985. A survey of university's health system members was undertaken in 2000 to obtain benchmarking information for staff. In order to participate in a best practice modeling initiative in the organization, a survey of U.S. News and World Report's Best Hospitals was performed. The first component of the process was to gather comparative data as described here. The next step will be to perform additional research on practices for the best performing institutions, i.e., evaluation of surveillance practices, educational activities, etc. METHODS: A survey tool was developed to obtain general demographic and staffing information. An infection control professional (ICP) at each institution was contacted to obtain most of the information. Additional information was obtained from standard references. RESULTS: Results from 13 institutions (93%) were obtained. Full-time equivalent (FTE) ratios based on the following parameters were compared for the institutions: number of occupied beds (median = 137 occupied beds per FTE; range = 53-360), number of intensive care unit beds (median = 17 beds per FTE; range = 10-32), number of admissions or discharges (median = 6,503 admissions per FTE; range = 2559-14,659), number of ambulatory care visits (median = 134,661 visits per FTE; range = 31,883-361,928), and number of personnel (median = 1,437 staff per FTE; range = 683-3023). CONCLUSIONS: Many institutions are using benchmarking comparison data to make decisions regarding staff reductions. This survey provides preliminary data for determining the best practice in staffing for infection control departments. More information may be needed to evaluate other factors which affect the ICP's workload.
Modified lasso screening for audio word-based music classification using large-scale dictionary

Representing music information using audio codewords has led to state-of-the-art performance on various music classifcation benchmarks. Comparing to conventional audio descriptors, audio words offer greater fexibility in capturing the nuance of music signals, in that each codeword can be viewed as a quantization of the music universe and that the quantization goes finer as the size of the dictionary (i.e., audio codebook) increases. In practice, however, the high computational cost of codeword assignment might discourage the use of a large dictionary. This paper presents two modifications of a LASSO screening technique developed in the compressive sensing field to speed up the codeword assignment process. The first modification exploits the repetitive nature of music signals, whereas the second one relaxes a screening constraint that is specific to reconstruction but not for classifcation. Our experiments show that the proposed method enables the use of a dictionary of 10,000 codewords with runtime close to the case of using a dictionary of 1,000 codewords. Moreover, using the larger dictionary significantly improves the mean average precision (MAP) from 0.219 to 0.246 for tagging thousands of tracks with 147 possible genre tags.
Phase compensation of organ pipe antenna feeds

Electromechanical scanners such as an organ pipe with a sectoral horn output have proven themselves to be excellent devices for rapidly moving a radiating phase center through the focal region of a collimating reflector system thereby causing the far-field beam of the total antenna to be scanned. The configuration of the radiating outputs of the scanner channels are constrained by the following two independent and often conflicting requirements: firstly, the contour must conform to the scan are required by the particular antenna geometry, and secondly, the peak of the primary feed pattern should aim approximately toward a specified point at all scan angles. Since equal length channels fed in-phase radiate along the normal to their output contour, the scanner usually cannot meet both of these requirements simultaneously. A method is described in this paper for phasing each individual channel of the scanner so as to meet both requirements. Since the technique is indeed frequency dependent, a bandwidth analysis is performed. Both theoretical and experimental data are presented which indicate that the method is sufficiently broadband to find practical application. The implementation of the method described herein should allow antenna engineers much more flexibility in the design of scan arcs for electromechanically scanned antennas.
The role of TP53 and MDM2 polymorphisms in TP53 mutagenesis and risk of non-melanoma skin cancer.

P53 is a key regulatory molecule in the cellular response to ultraviolet radiation, and TP53 mutation is the most common alteration in non-melanoma skin cancer. The MDM2 oncogene negatively regulates p53 protein levels, and both genes have functional polymorphisms that may modify skin cancer risk. Furthermore, prior research suggests that TP53 mutations preferentially occur on the arginine allele to selectively inactivate the p63 pathway. We tested these hypotheses of susceptibility and preferential mutation in non-melanoma skin cancer. The TP53 Arg72Pro and MDM2 309 polymorphisms were genotyped in a population-based case–control study of non-melanoma skin cancer, and TP53 alteration (mutation and immunohistochemistry staining) was evaluated in case tumors. In 902 cases of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), 676 cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 812 controls, no association was found between the TP53 polymorphism and risk of non-melanoma skin cancer [odds ratio (OR)BCC 0.98, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80–1.20; ORSCC 0.93, 95% CI 0.75–1.16]. However, carriers of the MDM2 SNP309 G allele did have an elevated risk of non-melanoma skin cancer (ORBCC 1.15, 95% CI 0.93–1.42; ORSCC 1.29, 95% CI 1.02–1.63). We observed an association between TP53 alterations in the tumors and constitutive TP53 genotype (P < 0.01), with alterations preferentially occurring on the proline allele. Collectively, these data highlight the significant effects of genotype on gene-specific mutation events in carcinogenesis.
Surface-Catalyzed Production of NO from Recombination of N and O Atoms

An experimental method has been developed that uses laser-induced fluorescence detection of N atoms to monitor NO formation from a surface-catalyzed reaction on quartz. Well-characterized mixtures of N and O atoms were generated through NO titration of N atoms produced in a microwave discharge. Experiments were carried out in a diffusion reactor designed for measurement of atom recombination coefficients on surfaces exhibiting low catalytic activity. The results have shown that a significant concentration of NO is generated in the room temperature reaction of N and O atoms on quartz surfaces. This work has demonstrated that N- and O-atom recombination on surfaces cannot be treated independently.
The Bootstrap Decorrelating Algorithm: A Promising Tool for Adaptive Separation of Multi-User CDMA Signals

Decorrelating detectors were proposed as a tool to combat the near-far problem in multiuser CDMA communication systems. They were also used as a first stage of a multistage multiusers signal separator to facilitate tentative decision for the canceler stage. They completely separate signals but with relatively high additive noise. Different separators, which may not totally reject other signals, have been shown to result in better error probability, particularly in regions where interference energies are low. Adaptive structure of this separator termed “Bootstrap” is suggested in this paper and is shown to be suitable in situations where the cross-correlation matrix is unknown, or the codes have been altered by the channel.
STZ-induced diabetes in SHR and renovascular hypertensive rats: dissociation between changes in arterial pressure and vascular collagen synthesis.

Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes depresses the rate of vascular collagen synthesis in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), but it also reduces arterial pressure (SAP) in this strain. We investigated this phenomenon further by comparing the SHR with the renovascular hypertensive (RVH) rat, because diabetes does not affect SAP in the latter model of hypertension. Renovascular hypertension was induced by clipping the left renal artery of Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats; sham-operated WKY were included as normotensive controls. Collagen synthesis of arterial tissue in vitro was quantified as prolyl hydroxylase activity and the rate of radioactive proline incorporation into collagen. Arterial collagen synthesis of nondiabetic SHR and RVH animals was elevated compared to that of the nonhypertensive WKY controls. STZ-induced diabetes (8 weeks) reduced SAP of SHR, but had no effect on SAP of either RVH or normotensive WKY rats. However, diabetes significantly depressed vascular collagen synthesis of both SHR an...
Ligand Binding and Modulation of Cyclic AMP Levels Depend on the Chemical Nature of Residue 192 of the Human Cannabinoid Receptor 1

The human cannabinoid receptor associated with the CNS (CB1) binds Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component of marijuana, and other cannabimimetic compounds. This receptor is a member of the seven transmembrane domain G protein-coupled receptor family and mediates its effects through inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in ligand binding and receptor activation requires identification of the active site residues and their role. Lys 192 of the third transmembrane domain of the receptor is noteworthy because it is the only non-conserved, charged residue in the transmembrane region. To investigate the properties of this residue, which are important for both ligand binding and receptor activation, we generated mutant receptors in which this amino acid was changed to either Arg (K192R), Gln (K192Q), or Glu (K192E). Wild-type and mutant receptors were stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells and were evaluated in binding assays with the bicyclic cannabinoid CP-55,940 and the aminoalkylindole WIN 55,212-2. We found that only the most conservative change of Lys to Arg allowed retention of binding affinity to CP-55,940, whereas WIN 55,212-2 bound to all of the mutant receptors in the same range as it bound the wild type. Analysis of the ligand-induced inhibition of cyclic AMP production in cells expressing each of the receptors gave an EC 50 value for each agonist that was comparable to its binding affinity, with one exception. Although the mutant K192E receptor displayed similar binding affinity as the wild type with WIN 55,212-2, an order of magnitude difference was observed for the EC 50 for cyclic AMP inhibition with this compound. The results of this study indicate that binding of CP-55,940 is highly sensitive to the chemical nature of residue 192. In contrast, although this residue is not critical for WIN 55,212-2 binding, the data suggest a role for Lys 192 in WIN 55,212-2-induced receptor activation.
Our Grandparents, Our Parents, Our Future Selves: Optimizing Function in Old Age

Most of my research at Yale University School of Medicine over the past several years has focused on identifying older adults at risk of functional decline and disability, identifying events that may precipitate the transition from functional independence to disability, and developing strategies to postpone or reduce frailty and disability. As a result of the Precipitating Events Project (PEP) and other research conducted by the Yale Center on Aging/Pepper Center, we now realize that age is only a proxy for other factors that lead to disability, and that some of these factors can be modified to reduce the risk of disability. In fact, disability rates have been steadily declining among older adults for decades.
Automated refinement checking of concurrent systems

Stepwise refinement is at the core of many approaches to synthesis and optimization of hardware and software systems. For instance, it can be used to build a synthesis approach for digital circuits from high level specifications. It can also be used for post-synthesis modification such as in engineering change orders (ECOs). Therefore, checking if a system, modeled as a set of concurrent processes, is a refinement of another is of tremendous value. In this paper, we focus on concurrent systems modeled as communicating sequential processes (CSP) and show their refinements can be validated using insights from translation validation, automated theorem proving and relational approaches to reasoning about programs. The novelty of our approach is that it handles infinite state spaces in a fully automated manner. We have implemented our refinement checking technique and have applied it to a variety of refinements. We present the details of our algorithm and experimental results. As an example, we were able to automatically check an infinite state space buffer refinement that cannot be checked by current state of the art tools such as FDR. We were also able to check the data part of an industrial case study on the EP2 system.
Conversion, Conversi, and the Christian Life in Late Medieval Tuscany

"There are two kinds of Christians," according to Gratian the clergy, occupied with the divine office, prayer, and contemplation, and the laity, involved in this world. For Gratian, living at the end of a period of intense religious reform, the issue was still one of protecting the liberty of the church and insuring the correct ordering of society. If the church was to maintain its vitality and meet the challenges of a sinful world, it needed an unambiguous structure and inflexible discipline. He described the clergy, how they should live, and in what ways they could participate in the secular world. And, he argued, these distinctions between the lay and ecclesiastical estates were ancient he traced them back to St. Jerome. The reformer had little to say about the laity. Those in holy orders were to devote themselves to salvation through an imitation of Christ. Although laymen certainly were capable of finding salvation, their duties were to command women, plow fields, and pay tithes.' Gratian's description of the laity is but one of several possible outlines of medieval Christian society. While it is primarily a constitutional description, it has the merit of highlighting a problem that Christians faced during and after the Gregorian reforms: What are the avenues to Christian perfection most appropriate to the laity? In the early Middle Ages it had been possible for the laity, even married couples, to convert, give themselves to God, and
A Semi-Decadal Multi-Sensor Gridded Data Record of Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) from Aqua

Launched on May 4, 2002, Aqua carries two well calibrated independent infrared (IR) instruments, Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro- radiometer (MODIS), which together could provide a precise decadal measurement across the IR electro- magnetic spectrum from 3.7 um to 15um to form a fundamental climate data record. According to the National Academy of Science - Nation Research Council report,the notion of a fundamental climate data record (FCDR) is defined as "a time series of measurements of sufficient length and continuity to determine climate variability and change from sensor data (e.g., calibrated radiances, brightness temperatures (BT), radar backscatter) that have been improved and quality controlled over time." AIRS and MODIS have been continuously returning upwelling IR spectral radiance measurements while maintaining a nominal grid precision of ~0.2 - 0.4 K BT [2] with quality controlled calibration improvements for more than five years. Based on the Aqua senior Project Review of available flight fuel, power and orbital maneuvers, the assessed life span of the satellite Aqua is estimated to be 2013. AIRS and MODIS instrument teams also expect their passive radiometers to continue providing self-calibrating measurements with the same precision through the year 2013. With these assumptions, we show in this paper that with these two independent sensors on the same platform with on orbit relative validations, this data record would be of sufficient length and continuity to meet the FCDR definition to observe and determine the decadal variability of seasonal to interannual climate processes. In addition, NPOESS preparatory project will launch satellite systems carrying instruments similar to AIRS and MODIS which will enable production of an FCDR record for additional decades.
Aztec: A TSTO Hypersonic Vehicle Concept Utilizing TBCC and HEDM Propulsion Technologies

40th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference And Exhibit Fort Lauderdale, FL, July 11 - 14, 2004.
Psychiatric diseases versus behavioral disorders and degree of genetic influence

BackgroundPsychiatric conditions in which symptoms arise involuntarily (‘diseases’) might be assumed to be more heritable than those in which choices are essential (behavioral disorders). We sought to determine whether psychiatric ‘diseases’ (Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and mood and anxiety disorders) are more heritable than behavioral disorders (substance use disorders and anorexia nervosa).MethodWe reviewed the literature for recent quantitative summaries of heritabilities. When these were unavailable, we calculated weighted mean heritabilities from twin studies meeting modern methological standards.ResultsHeritability summary estimates were as follows: bipolar disorder (85%), schizophrenia (81%), Alzheimer's disease (75%), cocaine use disorder (72%), anorexia nervosa (60%), alcohol dependence (56%), sedative use disorder (51%), cannabis use disorder (48%), panic disorder (43%), stimulant use disorder (40%), major depressive disorder (37%), and generalized anxiety disorder (28%).ConclusionsNo systematic relationship exists between the disease-like character of a psychiatric disorder and its heritability; many behavioral disorders seem to be more heritable than conditions commonly construed as diseases. These results suggest an error in ‘common-sense’ assumptions about the etiology of psychiatric disorders. That is, among psychiatric disorders, there is no close relationship between the strength of genetic influences and the etiologic importance of volitional processes.
Coating Life Prediction for Combustion Turbine Blades

A life prediction method for combustion turbine blade coatings has been developed by modeling coating degradation mechanisms including oxidation, spallation, and aluminum loss due to inward diffusion. Using this model, the influence of cycle time on coating life is predicted for GTD-111 coated with an MCrAlY, PtAl, or aluminide coating. The results are used to construct a coating life diagram that depicts failure and safe regions for the coating in a log-log plot of number of startup cycles versus cycle time. The regime where failure by oxidation, spallation, and inward diffusion dominates is identified and delineated from that dominated by oxidation and inward diffusion only. A procedure for predicting the remaining life of a coating is developed. The utility of the coating life diagram for predicting the failure and useful life of MCrAlY, aluminide, or PtAl coatings on the GTD-111 substrate is illustrated and compared against experimental data.Copyright © 1998 by ASME
DNA Conformation, Topology, and the Regulation of c-myc Expression

The c-myc protein, a basic leucine zipper helix-loop-helix transcription factor is a key regulator of life and death [1–4]. c-myc expression is coupled to a multitude of physiological processes and has been reported to be regulated by a long list of hormones, cytokines, lymphokines, nutritional status, development and differentiation. Myc levels can be pharmacologically perturbed, at least transiently, by a host of agents. Consistent with the notion that c-myc expression is tightly regulated, both the mRNA and protein products of this gene are extraordinairily short-lived, 30 minutes and 20 minutes, respectively [1–4]. In growing cells wide-ranging excursions in c-myc expression are generally not seen, attesting either to tight homeostatic regulation or constitutive expression of c-myc.
Understanding Expatriate Manager Performance: Human Resource Management Implications of Governance Environments on Work Relationships in Relation-Based Economies

Evidence shows that the majority of Western expatriate managers fail in their job assignments in developing countries. To go beyond attributions of expatriate failure to "cultural differences" this article responds to calls for a theoretical basis for understanding expatriate performance by using a recently developed framework of rule-based and relation-based governance environments to examine how the macro environment of a country's governance system affects the creation of effective working relationships between executive level expatriate managers and Host Country Nationals (HCNs) on the executive's management team. Based on cross-cultural psychological contract research (Rousseau & Schalk, 2000) and the premise that expatriate performance is largely a function of the ability to manage discrepancies between the rule-based expectations of the Western MNC culture and the relation-based expectations of local employees, we develop research propositions to promote future HR research designed to examine the effect of the governance environment on the working relationships between American managers and Chinese HCNs. Implications for future HR efforts to improve the performance of expatriate managers in relation-based societies are also discussed.
Revisiting Procedural Conformity Statutes

This piece is a part of a symposium about state civil procedure. I suggest that states could enact statutes conforming state civil procedure to federal civil procedure. I consider the merits of procedural conformity statutes, and begin to unpack the reasons for the resistance to such reforms. I suggest that one strand of that resistance may be traceable to an oft-repeated historical narrative that recounts the failure of conformity statutes. Under various process acts between 1789 and 1938, federal court procedure in law cases was governed by the procedural rules of the state court in which the federal court sat. Ultimately replaced by a set of uniform Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, conformity statutes have since been in disrepute. My narrow effort here is to demonstrate that the pathogens of the earlier conformity regime would not similarly infect a state statute conforming state procedure to the federal model.
Comparative Analysis of Coupled Radiation-Gasdynamic Solution Methodology

This paper summarizes the preliminary results of eorts to loosely couple the line-byline radiation solver SPRADIAN with the multi-species, multi-temperature nonequilibrium flow solver NH7AIR. The tangent-slab approximation was utilized to solve the radiative transport equation and calculate the radiative source terms. Comparison is made between the coupled and uncoupled solutions of selected trajectory points from the FIRE II flight experiment. The eects of coupling on thermochemical nonequilibrium are briefly surveyed, together with their respective implications for radiative transport. This investigation was conducted by examining quantities of interest along the flowfield stagnation line. Nomenclature ˆ D Average dissociation energy per unit mass, J/kg ˆ Unit normal vector ˆ Unit direction vector ~ Transmission direction vector, steradians A Surface area of volume face ee Total electronic energy, J/m 3 ev Vibrational energy, J/m 3 I 0 Spectral intensity of previous gas layer, W/cm 2 sr ISpectral intensity of current gas layer, W/cm 2 sr pe Partial pressure of electron gas phase, Pa Pele. Joule heating source term, W/m 3 Qe T Electronic-translational exchange source term, W/m 3 Qe V Electronic-vibrational exchange source term, W/m 3 Qrad. Radiative source term, W/cm 3 QV e Vibration-electronic exchange source term, W/m 3 QV T Vibration-translation exchange source terms, W/m 3 QV V Vibration-vibration exchange source term, W/m 3 T Heavy particle temperature, K Te Electronic temperature, K Tv Vibrational temperature, K ui Bulk velocity component, m/s V i s Diusion velocity component, m/s z Wall-normal coordinate
Influence of Bermuda grass Leaf Extracts on Development and Survivorship of Fall Army worm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Larvae

Dried bermuda grass, Condone dactylic (L.) Pres., leaves from vars. ‘Grazer,’ ‘Coastal,’ and ‘Titan 292’ and strain OSI 71 x 6-7 were extracted with a series of solvents of increasing polarity. Individual leaf extracts were incorporated in a modified pinto bean diet and fed to fall army worm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), larvae. High mortality occurred when larvae consumed artificial diets containing petroleum ether leaf extracts of all grasses (100% mortality for OSI 71 x 6-7, ‘Coastal,’ and ‘Titan 292’; 60% mortality for ‘Grazer’). Mortality of larvae fed diets containing dichloromethane leaf extracts was also high (71, 87, and 100% for OSI 71 x 6-7, ‘Coastal,’ and ‘Titan 292,’ respectively; 37% mortality for ‘Grazer’). ‘Grazer’ non polar leaf extracts (petroleum ether and dichloromethane), which caused the least insect mortality, had less than half as much extractable material in the combined non polar extracts as did any of the other bermuda grasses. Mortality on diets supplemented with methanol extracts was greater in the susceptible ‘Grazer’ (66%) than in the intermediately resistant (33 and 3% for ‘Coastal’ and ‘Titan 292,’ respectively) and resistant (49% for OSI 71 x 6-7) bermuda grasses. There was little difference in mortality among larvae fed water extracts of the various grasses.
Kaposi's Sarcoma -- What's Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Got to Do with It?

Angiogenesis, the process of new capillary development, is normally controlled, limited, and dependent on a balance between stimulatory and inhibitory factors. In men, wound healing is the only physiologic example of this process after birth, whereas in women angiogenesis is also necessary for ovulation, the formation of the corpus luteum, and placental development. Angiogenesis is an essential feature of many diseases, among which are cancers, various retinopathies, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and atherosclerosis.1 In these pathologic states, the balance between stimulatory and inhibitory factors favors persistent capillary growth. We can view Kaposi's sarcoma, with its abundant slit-like vascular spaces, proliferating spindle . . .
Characteristics of the Antinatriuretic Action of Growth Hormone

SummaryThe antinatriuretic action of growth hormone (bovine) was studied in adrenalectomized rats. A dose-response relationship and a time sequence were determined for the antinatriuretic action of growth hormone. Actinomycin D was administered prior to the hormone to determine the effect of actinomycin D on growth hormone-induced antinatriuresis. The results indicated that the antinatriuretic response of growth hormone was dose related. It was found that a 2-hr delay in onset of action followed the administration of growth hormone. The duration of antinatriuresis was approximately 4 hr and this was observed between 2 and 6 hr after administration. The data show that actinomycin D administered prior to growth hormone completely blocked the antinatriuretic action of this agent. The blockade by actinomycin D suggests that RNA synthesis is involved in this action of growth hormone. The observed delay in onset of action of growth hormone is also consistent with the suggestion that growth hormone induced antin...
Expression, regulation, and function of the SPR family of proteins. A review.

The small, proline-rich (SPR) genes consist of three subclasses closely linked on human chromosome 1, a region referred to as the epidermal differentiation complex. SPR genes consist of two exons, with the second exon containing the entire open reading frame. SPRs are expressed in all squamous tissues of the skin, scalp, foot pad, vaginal epithelia, and most of the epithelial lining of the digestive tract, including the lip, tongue, esophagus, and forestomach. Although SPR1 is absent in normal mucociliary epithelium of the respiratory tract, epithelia that undergo squamous differentiation in response to vitamin-A deficiency or to injury owing to exposure to environmental toxicants express SPR1. High levels of SPR1 are detected in various diseases and cancers of the skin or respiratory epithelia and in nonkeratinizing papillary adenocarcinomas. SPR expression can be regulated by transcriptional factors, by posttranscriptional factors, or by factors that affect SPR1 mRNA translation or protein turnover. Furthermore, regulation can be affected by the state of cell proliferation. The presence of SPR1 in most of these epithelia, and the absence of SPR3 in normal skin, suggest that these subclasses have distinct functions. Various approaches to the study of the cross-linked envelope (CE) components in identifying SPR1 and SPR2 and in suggesting that SPRs are one of the precursor proteins of the CE. However, expression of SPR1 in nonsquamous tissues and cell lines indicates a function not associated with squamous differentiation. Several studies have demonstrated that SPR1 antibodies react with nuclear proteins and that SPR1 is expressed in cells before entering the G0 phase of the cell cycle. Future studies should clarify the role of SPRs by modifying their contents in CE, and should identify SPR-associated proteins to clariy the cell growth-related role of SPR1.