cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rigorous Derivation of a Ternary Boltzmann Equation for a Classical System of Particles

In this paper, we present a rigorous derivation of a new kinetic equation describing the limiting behavior of a classical system of particles with three particle elastic instantaneous interactions, which are modeled using a non-symmetric version of a ternary distance. The ternary collisional operator we derive can be seen as the first step towards obtaining a toy model for a non-ideal gas where higher order interactions are taken into account.
Automated emergency steering using continuous gain equations

Advanced vehicle control systems (AVCS) offer great potential to reduce traffic congestion, decrease travel times, and increase safety. Automated lateral control is an integral part of AVCS. To date, most research has focused on lateral control for lane and curve tracking, and lane merging. To implement an automated control system, it must be able to sense and safely react to emergency situations. An emergency lateral control strategy is presented that accounts for changing vehicle speed using continuous gain equations. A linear vehicle/tyre model is used in the development of a linear state model. A nonlinear vehicle/tyre model is used in the optimization of the feedback gains. Because the state model is velocity dependent, feedback gains are derived for discrete vehicle speeds. These data points are then used to derive continuous gain equations for the feedback gains. The performance using the gain equations is compared to that of using constant gains. Conclusions are drawn about the performance and robustness of the controller using the continuous gain equations. Vehicle response is improved with the use of continuous gain equations, for both single and double lane changes.
The Item Banking Program

Teachers are confronted with large classes that often make it difficult to evaluate students on the basis of evaluations based on essay examinations, problems or creative work which permits the students to demonstrate their mastery of concepts and skills in a particular area of learning. As a consequence, a variety of test questions have been devised to sample student knowledge and skills from the larger domain of knowledge contained in a given content area. Multiple choice items, true or false items, sentence completion items, matching items and short essay items have been developed to reduce the time required to evaluate students. The test theory that has evolved around these various types of items indicates that they are quite adequate in reliably assessing differences that exist among students in the domain sampled. Many states, for example, have gone to the use of computerized testing for individuals applying for driving licenses. The individual taking these examinations are presented multiple-choice types of items drawn from a computerized item bank. If the applicant performs at a given level of competence they are then permitted to demonstrate their actual driving skills in a second evaluation stage. Many Area Educational Agencies have also developed banks of items appropriate to various instructional subjects across the school grades such as in English, mathematics, science and history. Teachers may draw items from these banks to create tests over the subject area they teach.
Development of an Active Follow-up Process in a Stand-alone Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Clinic

Without following-up with patients, one cannot determine the outcomes of interventions made with patients. To ensure follow-up was occurring in a stand-alone MTM clinic, a process for active follow-up and an easy-to-use way to trigger and document follow-up was developed. Type: Clinical Experience
WE-B-304-01: Treatment Planning Evaluation and Optimization Should Be Dose/volume and Not Biologically Based

The ultimate goal of radiotherapy treatment planning is to find a treatment that will yield a high tumor control probability (TCP) with an acceptable normal tissue complication probability (NTCP). Yet most treatment planning today is not based upon optimization of TCPs and NTCPs, but rather upon meeting physical dose and volume constraints defined by the planner. It has been suggested that treatment planning evaluation and optimization would be more effective if they were biologically and not dose/volume based, and this is the claim debated in this month’s Point/Counterpoint. After a brief overview of biologically and DVH based treatment planning by the Moderator Colin Orton, Joseph Deasy (for biological planning) and Charles Mayo (against biological planning) will begin the debate. Some of the arguments in support of biological planning include: • this will result in more effective dose distributions for many patients • DVH-based measures of plan quality are known to have little predictive value • there is little evidence that either D95 or D98 of the PTV is a good predictor of tumor control • sufficient validated outcome prediction models are now becoming available and should be used to drive planning and optimization • Some of the arguments against biological planning include: • several decades of experience with DVH-based planning should not be discarded • we do not know enough about the reliability and errors associated with biological models • the radiotherapy community in general has little direct experience with side by side comparisons of DVH vs biological metrics and outcomes • it is unlikely that a clinician would accept extremely cold regions in a CTV or hot regions in a PTV, despite having acceptable TCP values Learning Objectives: 1. To understand dose/volume based treatment planning and its potential limitations 2. To understand biological metrics such as EUD, TCP, and NTCP 3. To understand biologically based treatment planning and its potential limitations
News from Avatar Editors

The Second Life Herald . The Virtual Tabloid That Witnessed the Dawn of the Metaverse. By Peter Ludlow and Mark Wallace . MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2007. 311 pp. $29.95, £19.95. ISBN 9780262122948. Drawing on Ludlow's experiences as a "virtual journalist," the authors explore such topics as conflicts between the owners and users of virtual worlds, among groups of users, and among individuals.
When death becomes her question: death, identity and perceptions of home among Okinawan women return migrants

AbstractHow do older women return migrants think about questions of their late years, particularly those involving death and burial? How do their experiences of migration, intermarriage and return influence their perceptions of home, which is also linked to decisions about their final resting place – i.e. where to be buried? Utilising data from life histories of older Okinawan women return migrants, I explore the question of death and burial among these returnees and argue that this has become an important issue in their lives at this point in time, and as such, carries with it notions of identity, home and family, that are very much gendered and cultural, as well as intertwined with experiences of migration. This is an exploratory study that aims to shed light on death as an important part of the migrant’s life course, and I look at the specific case of Okinawan returnees to address this issue.
Techniques for teaching electrocardiogram interpretation: self-directed learning is less effective than a workshop or lecture

Medical Education 2011: 45: 347–353 Context Teaching 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation to students and residents is a challenge for medical educators. To date, few studies have compared the effectiveness of different techniques used for ECG teaching. Objectives This study aimed to determine if common teaching techniques, such as those involving workshops, lectures and self-directed learning (SDL), increase medical students’ ability to correctly interpret ECGs. It also aimed to compare the effectiveness of these formats. Methods This was a prospective randomised study conducted over a 28-month period. Year 4 medical students were randomised to receive teaching in ECG interpretation using one of three teaching formats: workshop, lecture or SDL. All three formats covered the same content. Students were administered three tests: a pre-test (before teaching); a post-test (immediately after teaching), and a retention test (1 week after teaching). Each tested the same content using 25 questions worth 1 point each. A mixed-model repeated-measures analysis of variance (anova) with least squares post hoc analysis was conducted to determine if differences in test scores between the formats were statistically significant. Results Of the 223 students for whom data were analysed, 79 were randomised to a workshop, 82 to a lecture-based format and 62 to SDL. All three teaching formats resulted in a statistically significant improvement in individual test scores (p < 0.001). Comparison of the lecture- and workshop-based formats demonstrated no difference in test scores (marginal mean [MM] for both formats = 12.4, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 11.7–13.2]; p = 0.99). Test scores of students using SDL (MM = 10.7, 95% CI 9.8–11.5) were lower than those of students in the workshop (p = 0.003) and lecture (p = 0.002) groups. Conclusions Compared with those taught using workshop- and lecture-based formats, medical students learning ECG interpretation by SDL had lower test scores.
Identification and isolation of a major cell surface glycoprotein of Pneumocystis carinii.

Abstract Radioiodination of rat-derived Pneumocystis carinii obtained from an in vitro culture demonstrated the presence of a major surface glycoprotein (gp120). The glycoprotein was of the high mannose type. It exhibited adherence properties similar to those observed in the intact organism. Under nonreducing conditions, it existed as an aggregate with a molecular weight in excess of 2 x 10(6). Surface aggregating behavior and adherent quality prevented isolation of the glycoprotein by conventional methods. The glycoprotein was purified by chromatography on hydroxyapatite in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate under reducing conditions.
Homelessness: reducing health disparities.

Homelessness, a phenomenon with complex causes and potential for tragic consequences, is a public health and societal problem in cities, towns and rural areas worldwide. Men, women and children — be they refugees in Eastern Europe, street children in Uganda or what the developed world thinks of as
Protein Requirements of Man: Variations in Obligatory Urinary and Fecal Nitrogen Losses in Young Men

For 14 days 83 healthy Caucasian male university students, 18 to 26 years of age and 58 to 104 kg body weight consumed daily either an essen tially protein-free diet (44 subjects) or one supplying 0.1 g egg protein per kilo gram body weight (39 subjects). Body cell mass (BCM) was calculated from whole body 4Â°K in 37 randomly chosen subjects. Urine was analyzed daily for nitrogen (N) and creatinine; fecal N was measured on pooled samples. Urinary N output reached a steady state between days 3 and 8 for all subjects; the average for days 10 to 14 was taken as the measure of obligatory urinary N loss. Mean urine and fecal N losses were not significantly different for the two diet groups and the data were combined for overall analysis. Obligatory urinary N was nor mally distributed, averaging 37.2 Â±5.5 mg N/kilogram body weight, 76.8 Â±12.5 mg N/kilogram BCM, 1.8 Â±0.30 mg N/basal kilocalorie. Obligatory fecal N was 9 Â±2 mg N/kg body weight, amounting to 20% of the total obligatory N loss. Although statistically significant correlations were found between obligatory urinary N and body weight, BCM, basal metabolic rate, and creatinine, they accounted for little of the variation in daily loss among individuals. Four subjects were restudied after a 3-year interval; obligatory urinary N loss per kilogram body weight did not differ significantly between the two periods. J. Nutr. 102: 1595-1604, 1972.
Variability and Evolution of African Easterly Wave Structures and Their Relationship with Tropical Cyclogenesis over the Eastern Atlantic

AbstractAfrican easterly waves (AEWs) are objectively tracked between West Africa and the tropical Atlantic based on the CFSRv2 data for 1979 to 2012. The characteristics of the troughs of the AEWs at the West African coast are explored and related to whether they favor tropical cyclogenesis over the eastern Atlantic. A logistic regression model was used to determine the optimum combination of predictors that relate AEW characteristics to tropical cyclogenesis. The most skillful model for genesis over the eastern Atlantic consisted of four variables of the AEWs dynamics over the coastal region and the absolute number of days from the peak in the AEW season. Using this diagnostic an equal number of favorable developing and nondeveloping waves were compared through a composite difference analysis. Favorable developing waves had significantly higher moisture content in the lower troposphere to the northwest of the trough as they exited the West African coast compared to favorable nondeveloping waves. Traject...
An AEGIS-FISST integrated detection and tracking approach to Space Situational Awareness

Space Situational Awareness (SSA) is composed of three interdependent tasks: discovery of new objects, tracking of detected objects, and characterization of tracked objects. Currently these problems are treated separately and independently of each other, which may result in the non-optimal processing of data, with a corresponding loss of potential information. Given the scarcity of sensors available to perform SSA missions, it is crucial that these resources be used as efficiently as possible. Detection and classification both involve estimation over the space of discrete variables (e.g., existence/nonexistence, satellite mission type), whereas tracking involves estimation over a space of continuously-valued variables (e.g., position and velocity). The current paper uses Finite Set Statistics (FISST) to formulate a hybrid SSA estimation problem, which consists of simultaneously estimating the number of objects and their tracks, in the presence of false alarms, misdetections and sensor noise. The main contribution of the paper is that, in order to reduce the computational burden entailed in FISST, we employ a Gaussian mixture approximation, not to the first-moment (as in GM-PHD) of the full FISST update equations, but apply the approximation directly to the full FISST equations. The specific GM technique we employ is the Adaptive Entropy-based Gaussian-mixture Information Synthesis (AEGIS). The approach is demonstrated on a simplified SSA application example.
Growth and characteristics of Fe-doped GaN

The Fe doping of GaN by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition was studied. Si–Fe co-doping experiments revealed that the compensation activity of Fe was 34%. The Fe-doping response was investigated in detail by secondary ion mass spectroscopy. The observed slow Fe concentration turn-on and turn-off was found to be related to the sample surface, rather than to the reactor environment. Improved turn-off was demonstrated by etching a GaN:Fe surface in acids before the GaN regrowth. Fe segregation on the growth surface was proposed to explain the observed Fe-doping response.
Metal Nanoparticle Plasmon-Enhanced Light-Harvesting in a Photosystem I Thin Film

Silver metal nanoparticle (NP) enhanced fluorescence is investigated in thin films of cyanobacterial Photosystem I trimer complexes (PSI) by correlating confocal laser scanning microscopy, dark-field imaging, and fluorescence lifetime measurements. PSI represents an interesting light-harvesting complex with a 20 nm diameter that is not uniformly contained within the surface-localized plasmon field of the NPs. With weak far-field illumination, 5- to 20-fold fluorescence enhancement is observed for PSI complexes adjacent to NPs, arising from efficient nanoparticle light collection and subsequent localized, surface plasmon excitation of PSI. Enhanced PSI fluorescence is detected most prominently near "rafts" of aggregated NPs that more completely fill the confocal field of view. These results demonstrate opportunities to probe energy transfer within photosynthetic complexes using plasmonic excitation and to design nanostructures for optimizing artificial light-harvesting systems.
Resistivity of high-Tc, 1 at % Ti-substituted Nb3Ge

Measurements are presented of the resistivity in samples of (Nb0.99Ti0.01)1−x Gex, 0.17 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.24, from the superconducting transition temperature T cto 300 K. The T cattains its maximum value of above 22 K and the residual resistivity its minimum value at the same off-stoichiometric composition when x = 0.205. At this same value of x the transition width is narrowest and the residual resistivity extrapolates to a finite value, indicating a comparatively low resistance ratio is to be expected. The resistance ratio achieved in these samples with Ti substitution is comparable to that achieved in the best samples of pure Nb3Ge and is indicative of the short mean free path in this system.
Development of a finite element aeroelastic analysis capability

Extensions of the general-purpose finite element (FE) structural analysis program STARS for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based aeroelastic analysis are described. Previous capabilities include structural as well as aeroelastic and aeroservoelastic analyses using linear aerodynamic theories. The current extension involves FE-based CFD solution techniques for aeroelastic analysis, and this article describes the development and application of this integrated, multidisciplinary FE analysis tool for effective modeling and simulation of aerospace vehicles. Numerical examples of flutter solution of two representative problems, namely a panel and a 45-deg swept-back wing are presented in this article, along with comparisons of computed and experimental results that testify to the efficacy of the presently developed numerical techniques.
Moments and generating functions for the absortion distribution and its negative binomial analogue

The moments of the absorption are difficult to obtain. The generating functions are basic hypergeometric functions. This paper shows how to define two shift operators that allow elementary arguments to be used to develop recursions for the expected values of general functions. The exact moments of the distribution follow. The generating function for the negative binomial analogue gives the moments directly.
Studies of mammalian chromosome replication

The patterns of differential staining based on the effects of BrdU-substitution in chromosomal DNA have been examined in both metaphase chromosomes and prematurely condensed chromosomes (PCC) of inter
Adherence of clinical isolates ofPseudomonas aeruginosa to hamster trachael epithelium in vitro

The adherence to hamster tracheal epithelium, of mucoid and nonmucoid clinical isolates ofPseudomonas aeruginosa from cystic fibrosis patients, was studied using tracheal organ cultures. Tracheal cultures were infected with 107 colony-forming units per ml of either mucoid or nonmucoid clinical isolates ofP aeruginosa. The tracheal explants were rinsed at various time intervals to remove nonadherent bacteria, fixed, and prepared for transmission-and scanning-electron microscopy. Mucoid isolates were seen adhering to the ciliated epithelium as early as 4 h after initiation of infection, whereas nonmucoid isolates were only observed adhering at 6 to 8 h after infection. Mucoid organisms were found as clusters of bacteria embedded in an extensive extracellular matrix. The nonmucoid isolates were generally found as single organisms with no evidence of an extracellular matrix. These results suggest that the prevalence of mucoid isolates ofP. aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis may be due to adherent properties of the mucoid organism.
Gat1 (Gaba:Na+:Cl−) Cotransport Function Steady State Studies in Giant Xenopus Oocyte Membrane Patches

Neurotransmitter transporters are reported to mediate transmembrane ion movements that are poorly coupled to neurotransmitter transport and to exhibit complex "channel-like" behaviors that challenge the classical "alternating access" transport model. To test alternative models, and to develop an improved model for the Na+- and Cl--dependent gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter, GAT1, we expressed GAT1 in Xenopus oocytes and analyzed its function in detail in giant membrane patches. We detected no Na+- or Cl--dependent currents in the absence of GABA, nor did we detect activating effects of substrates added to the trans side. Outward GAT1 current ("reverse" transport mode) requires the presence of all three substrates on the cytoplasmic side. Inward GAT1 current ("forward" transport mode) can be partially activated by GABA and Na+ on the extracellular (pipette) side in the nominal absence of Cl-. With all three substrates on both membrane sides, reversal potentials defined with specific GAT1 inhibitors are consistent with the proposed stoichiometry of 1GABA:2Na+:1Cl-. As predicted for the "alternating access" model, addition of a substrate to the trans side (120 mM extracellular Na+) decreases the half-maximal concentration for activation of current by a substrate on the cis side (cytoplasmic GABA). In the presence of extracellular Na+, the half-maximal cytoplasmic GABA concentration is increased by decreasing cytoplasmic Cl-. In the absence of extracellular Na+, half-maximal cytoplasmic substrate concentrations (8 mM Cl-, 2 mM GABA, 60 mM Na+) do not change when cosubstrate concentrations are reduced, with the exception that reducing cytoplasmic Cl- increases the half-maximal cytoplasmic Na+ concentration. The forward GAT1 current (i.e., inward current with all extracellular substrates present) is inhibited monotonically by cytoplasmic Cl- (Ki, 8 mM); cytoplasmic Na+ and cytoplasmic GABA are without effect in the absence of cytoplasmic Cl-. In the absence of extracellular Na+, current-voltage relations for reverse transport current (i.e., outward current with all cytoplasmic substrates present) can be approximated by shallow exponential functions whose slopes are consistent with rate-limiting steps moving 0.15-0.3 equivalent charges. The slopes of current-voltage relations change only little when current is reduced four- to eightfold by lowering each cosubstrate concentration; they increase twofold upon addition of 100 mM Na+ to the extracellular (pipette) side.
Zinc modulates a-type potassium currents and neuronal excitability in snail neurons

1. Zinc-induced actions were studied on the A-current and neuronal activity in identified and unidentified nerve cells of the snail,Helix pomatia L., under voltage and current clamp conditions. 2. Extracellularly applied Zn2+ attenuated the peak amplitude of the A-current in a potential- and dose-dependent way (K i=1.8 mM at −30 mV,n H=0.6). 3. Attenuation of the A-currents was initiated as Zn2+ shifted the potential dependence of both activation and inactivation of the currents toward more positive potential values. 4. Zinc concomitantly prolonged the time to peak and decay time constant of the A-currents (K d=1.7 mM,n H=1.4) as well. 5. Zn2+ decreased the resting membrane potential and the spike amplitude and increased the action potential duration and the input resistance of the cells in current clamp experiments. 6. A complex action of zinc increased the neuronal excitability, indicating spontaneous and synaptically evoked spike discharges. 7. Common and specific zinc binding sites are supposed on vertebrate and invertebrate A-type potassium channel proteins, where binding Zn2+ can modulate the gating properties and kinetics of the fast outward potassium currents.
Mystery solved: discovery of a novel integrin ligand in the developing kidney.

Mutant mice lacking the integrin α8 subunit exhibit variable defects in kidney development with most mutants missing both kidneys. Several lines of evidence indicate that the known extracellular matrix ligands for integrin α8β1 are either dispensable for or not involved in α8β1 signaling during kidney development. This suggests the presence of an unknown ligand. A novel α8β1 ligand, nephronectin, has now been identified. Nephronectin is a new extracellular matrix protein associated with the Wolffian duct and the ureteric bud, epithelial structures with well-defined roles in kidney development.
Assessment of polymeric materials for second-harmonic generation and optoelectronic applications

The current status of electric field poled polymeric materials for second harmonic generation (SHG) and optoelectronic devices is discussed. For SHG applications polymeric materials have still not significantly overcome the trade-off between high nonlinearity and absorption of the frequency doubled light. On the other hand, the nonlinear properties of polymeric systems appear to be large enough to consider the use of these materials in electrooptic devices such as amplitude modulators and switches. Here the problem is maintaining the poled orientational ordering of the chromophores within the polymer throughout the device fabrication process, which can involve brief excursions to high temperatures. An empirical relationship is described relating the decay of the poled order to the guest-host system's glass transition temperature. This relationship's extension to side chain polymer systems is also examined.
Reduction of sugars with aluminium alkyls. Preparation and structure of [AlCl2(NC5H5)(OEt)]2(μ-O)(μ-AlCl•2NC5H5)

Abstract Reaction of ethylaluminium dichloride with glucose in a 10% pyridine solution in toluene leads to the unique compound [AlCl2(NC5H5)(OEt)]2(μ-O)(μ-AlCl·2NC5H5), formed through “fermentation” of the sugar and exchange reactions of the aluminium species. This product, which contains two five- and one six-coordinate aluminium, crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with a = 16.253(8), b = 11.832(5), c = 16.94(2) A, β = 94.35(9)°. Full-matrix least-squares refinement using 1640 reflections led to R = 0.051. The AlO bond lengths range from 1.782(2) to 1.891(3) A, the AlN lengths from 2.094(4) to 2.132(4) A and the AlCl lengths from 2.188(3) to 2.240(3) A.
Role of cell interactions in ascidian muscle and pigment cell specification.

Muscle and brain pigment cell specification was studied by disrupting cell adhesion, cell dissociation, and reaggregation in embryos of the ascidianStyela clava. Treatment of embryos with Ca2+-free sea water between the 2-cell and gastrula stages disrupted blastomere adhesion but did not prevent acetylcholinesterase or muscle actin expression in presumptive muscle cells. Similar treatments initiated between the 2- and 32-cell stages caused more ectoderm cells to express tyrosinase and develop pigment granules than expected from the cell lineage. Whereas 2 pigment cells become the otolith and ocellus sensory organs in normal embryos, up to 33 pigment cells could differentiate in embryos after disruption of cell adhesion. Replacement of Ca2+-free sea water with normal sea water restored cell adhesion and usually resulted in development of embryos containing the conventional number of pigment cells. Dissociation of embryos into single cells between the 2- and 64-cell stages and culture of these cells beyond the fate restricted stage had no effect on the accumulation of muscle actin mRNA and muscle actin synthesis, but blocked pigment cell differentiation. Reaggregation of the dissociated cells did not enhance the number of cells that developed muscle features, but rescued pigment cell development. The results indicate that ascidian muscle cell specification occurs by an autonomous mechanism, whereas pigment cell specification occurs by a conditional mechanism involving cell interactions. In addition, the results suggest that negative cell interactions may restrict the potential for pigment cell development in the ectoderm of cleaving ascidian embryos.
New Theoretical Method for Rapid Prediction of Solvation Free Energy in Water

We present a new theoretical method for rapid calculation of the solvation free energy in water by combining molecular simulation and the classical density functional theory (DFT). The DFT calculation is based on an accurate free-energy functional for water that incorporates the simulation results for long-range correlations and the fundamental measure theory for the molecular excluded-volume effects. The numerical performance of the theoretical method has been validated with simulation results and experimental data for the solvation free energies of halide (F–, Cl–, Br–, and I–) and alkali (Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, and Cs+) ions in water at ambient conditions. Because simulation is applied only to the particular thermodynamic condition of interest, the hybrid method is computationally much more efficient than conventional ways of solvation free energy calculations.
DIGITALIZING HISTORICAL CONSCIOUSNESS

What is a "historical" video game, let alone a successful one? It is difficult to answer this question because all our definitions of history have been constructed in a linear-narrative cultural context that is currently being challenged and in large part displaced by digital media, especially video games. I therefore consider this question from the point of view of historical semantics and in relation to the impact of digital technology on all aspects of the historiographical operation, from the establishment of digital archives, to the produc tion of e-texts, to the digital remediation of visual modes of historical representation. Seen from this dual perspective, video games appear to participate in a process of spatialization and virtualization of historical semantics. In the first place, video games have begun to detach the notion of history from its double reference to the past and to the real?"what essentially happened"?that it had acquired at the end of the eighteenth century. Second, they also challenge the semiotic production of "historic events" that has characterized the construction of modern historical consciousness. Historical video games, in other words, replace representation with simulation and presence with virtuality, thereby marginalizing the oscillation of the modern historical imagination between historical facts and his toric events, transcendence and immanence, representation and presence. Although digital reworkings of historical semantics have not produced any grammatical transformation of the signifier, history?nor does this essay propose one?I do argue that the impact of video games on our contemporary historic(al) culture is of paradigmatic proportions similar to those described by Reinhart Koselleck for the dawn of the modern age. Focusing on one of the most successful contemporary video games, Sid Meier's Civilization, I show how the remediation of cinematic genres by video games is pushing the processes of de-tempo ralization and de-referentialization of history toward the formation of a new notion of the historical that may be conceptualized as the inversion of the classic Aristotelian paradigm: history has replaced poetry and philosophy as the realm of the possible.
Questions on search request forms

This research took the form of an investigation into how different questions on online search request forms elicit different responses from users, and how the resulting differences in user input can influence search quality. Users of an academic library search service completed online search request forms which asked open, bibliographic and structural questions. Structural questions elicited longer responses than open questions, while bibliographic questions elicited very short responses. In some cases, the longer responses to structural questions led to the inclusion of more terms in search expressions. On average, these searches achieved lower precision. It appears that searchers who take a flexible approach to search topics are more affected by different amounts of user input than searchers who are less flexible. Because of the importance of the user‐intermediary interaction in initiating the retrieval process, online search request forms must be carefully designed. This includes selecting questions which will elicit an appropriate amount of detail about the information need.
Identity verification through the fusion of face and speaker data

Two verification systems, face and speaker, are fused to form a single identity verification system. The Karhunen-Loeve Transform (KLT) is used for dimensional reduction, and a back- propagation neural net is used for classification. Verification involved training a net for each individual in the database for two classes of outputs, `Joe' or `not Joe.' The base speaker identification system used Cepstral analysis for feature extraction and a distortion measure for classification. Verification in this case involved performing the KLT on the Cepstral coefficients and then classifying using a two-class neural net for each individual. KLT feature reduction is compared to alternative linear methods, and the KLT is found to provide superior performance. The fusion of the two base verification systems is shown to provide superior performance over either system alone.
State Estimation The National Grid New England experience

The state estimator is the critical tool that National Grid in New England relies on to assess in real time the current state of the transmission system for itself and for its neighboring utilities. This paper will describe the operational history of state estimation at National Grid and the reasons for its successful implementation. It will focus on the present tool set, the delivered functionality, vendor supplied improvements and National Grid engineered solutions that improve situational/system awareness for the operator with respect to both the state of the transmission system as well as the quality of the SE solution.
Enhanced therapeutic interactivity using social robot Zeno

Social robotics has emerged as a new research area in recent years. One of the reasons behind this emergence is the rapid pace of improvements in sensor, actuator and processing capabilities in modern hardware enabling robots to interact with humans more effectively than ever before. The motivation for the work presented in this paper is to use advanced human-robot head-eye interaction algorithms in order to create a robotic framework that assists physical therapists treating sensor-motor impairments, such as Autism and Cerebral Palsy by using robotic systems. The robotic platform used in our work is the social robot Zeno, which has a fantastically friendly appearance and bridges the previously reported uncanny valley. In this paper we report on a new coordination algorithm based on reinforcement learning implemented on Zeno for achieving human like head-eye coordination to visually engage patients with cognitive impairments. The experimental results show that the various methods implemented enables social robot Zeno achieve natural head-eye coordination with significant improvement in accuracy without the need of extensive kinematic analysis of the system.
Ultrasonic Extraction of Insecticides in Soil. II. Refinement of the Technique

The extraction of insecticides from soils using energy from an ultrasonic cleaner was refined to give quantitative recovery. A series of experiments was performed to determine the effectiveness of this tool for soil extraction as compared with soxhlet, roller, and blender methods. Various solvents were compared with acetone selected as the solvent of choice. Several refinements, including the use of acetone, and saturating the soil with water prior to extraction, greatly enhanced the recovery of insecticides by all methods over that found previously. The ultrasonic cleaner was superior to the roller and blender methods in extraction efficiency and was better or equal to the 8-hour soxhlet extraction method.
Theoretical study of IR band intensities and electronic transition moments for the beta and delta systems of NO.

The variation of the electronic transition moment with internuclear separation has been calculated for the beta and delta systems of NO. Theoretical band intensities for the fundamental and first two overtones have also been calculated for the ground state. The results are based on the self-consistent-field plus configuration-interaction technique, and they are compared with the existing experimental data. Theoretical potential-energy curves and the spectroscopic constants for the X-squared Pi, B-squared Pi, and C-squared Pi electronic states of NO are also reported.
Collection of suspended particulate matter for hydrocarbon analyses: Continuous flow centrifugation vs. filtration☆

Abstract High-speed, continuous-flow centrifugation and glass-fiber filtration were used to collect suspended matter from river water and waste water effluent for hydrocarbon analyses. Both methods collected equivalent weights of total suspended matter and similar particle size distributions and were >90% efficient for particles >4·0 μm. Glass-fiber filters retained more lipid-extractable organic matter and saturated hydrocarbons than did continuous-flow centrifugation. Adsorption of dissolved or colloidal organic compounds onto glass-fiber filters resulted in an overestimate of the organics associated with particulate matter.
An experimental study of the mechanism and branching ratio for the reaction between methyl formate and chlorine atoms

Abstract FTIR spectroscopy/UV laser flash photolysis has been used to examine the reaction of chlorine atoms with methyl formate (CH 3 OC(O)H) at 296 K. The reaction has two possible branches; extraction of a methyl hydrogen or the carbonyl hydrogen. Measurements of the product yields indicate that abstraction of the carbonyl hydrogen is favored over the methyl hydrogen by 58±6% (k 1 a =8.1×10 −13 cm 3 mol −1 s −1 ) to 42±6% (k 1 b =5.9×10 −13 cm 3 mol −1 s −1 ) . The experimentally determined IR spectrum of CH 2 ClOC(O)H and CH 3 OC(O)Cl are presented and verified with high level ab initio calculations.
Thermal stress and probability of failure analyses of functionally graded solid oxide fuel cells

Abstract Thermal stresses and probability of failure of a functionally graded solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) are investigated using graded finite elements. Two types of anode-supported SOFCs with different cathode materials are considered: NiO-YSZ/YSZ/LSM and NiO-YSZ/YSZ/GDC-LSCF. Thermal stresses are significantly reduced in a functionally graded SOFC as compared with a conventional layered SOFC when they are subject to spatially uniform and non-uniform temperature loads. Stress discontinuities are observed across the interfaces between the electrodes and the electrolyte for the layered SOFC due to material discontinuity. The total probability of failure is also computed using the Weibull analysis. For the regions of graded electrodes, we considered the gradation of mechanical properties (such as Young’s modulus, the Poisson’s ratio, the thermal expansion coefficient) and Weibull parameters (such as the characteristic strength and the Weibull modulus). A functionally graded SOFC showed the least probability of failure based on the continuum mechanics approach used herein.
An Institutional Theory Perspective on the DRG Framework, Case-Mix Accounting Systems and Health-Care Organizations

Abstract Case-mix accounting systems have been advanced as both reflecting the economic reality that underlies a hospital's various “product lines”, as defined by DRG prospective payment categories, and facilitating rational decision making regarding resource acquisition, deployment and use. This article uses the institutional perspective to extend this conceptualization of case-mix accounting systems. The institutional perspective proposes that many elements of organizational structure, like case-mix accounting systems, reflect as much a need to conform to societal expectations of acceptable practice as the technical imperative of fostering rationality. This article also extends institutional theory regarding the issues of power and decoupling by considering institutionalization to be an unfinished process in the health-care context, wherein the active agency of individuals and organizations is subjected to systematic examination. In this specific context, case-mix accounting may play a significant role in establishing and perpetuating — not merely supporting — the very social structure of legitimacy, and may consequently be considered an interest-oriented activity having the potential to penetrate and alter the internal operating processes of financially strained hospitals.
Voltage-Dependent STM Images of Covalently Bound Molecules on Si(100)

Several alkenes chemisorbed on silicon(100)-(2 × 1) have been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy. Images of these molecules are strongly bias dependent, typically changing from mounds to depressions as the sample bias voltage is changed from −2.5 to −1.0 V. Image contrast involves both a reduced barrier for tunneling through the molecule and alteration of the silicon surface states by bonding.
Alternative fermentation conditions for improved Escherichia coli-based cell-free protein synthesis for proteins requiring supplemental components for proper synthesis

Abstract Escherichia coli- based cell-free protein synthesis is a powerful emerging tool for protein engineering due to the open, accessible nature of the reaction and its straightforward, economical potential for many diverse applications. One critical limitation of this system is the inability to express some complex, eukaryotic, and/or unnatural proteins at high expression yields. A potential solution is a synthetic-biology-like approach where cell-free reactions are supplemented by expressing the required supplemental components in the E. coli cells during the fermentation, which cells are used to prepare the extract for cell-free protein synthesis. Here we report adjustments to the fermentation conditions that increase yields of complex proteins upwards of 150% over standard conditions. We consider extracts containing GroEL/ES protein folding chaperones and extracts containing orthogonal tRNA/tRNA synthetase pairs for noncanonical amino acid incorporation. In contrast to standard cell-free synthesis, delaying the harvest of supplemented fermentations lead to increased and more consistent yields of proteins that required supplemental components. Protein yields enhanced by buffering the fermentation media pH lead to an average 52% decrease in yield cost, while costs for cases unchanged or negatively affected by buffering increased an average 14%. An apparent balance is required between the supplemental components and general extract protein profile.
Increased platelet concentration does not improve functional graft healing in bio-enhanced ACL reconstruction.

The use of an extracellular matrix scaffold (ECM) combined with platelets to enhance healing of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) graft (“bio-enhanced ACL reconstruction”) has shown promise in animal models. However, the effects of platelet concentration on graft healing remain unknown. The objectives of this study were to determine whether increasing the platelet concentration in the ECM scaffold would (1) improve the graft biomechanical properties and (2) decrease cartilage damage after surgery. Fifty-five adolescent minipigs were randomized to five treatment groups: untreated ACL transection (n = 10), conventional ACL reconstruction (n = 15) and bio-enhanced ACL reconstruction using 1× (n = 10), 3× (n = 10) or 5× (n = 10) platelet-rich plasma. The graft biomechanical properties, anteroposterior (AP) knee laxity, graft histology and macroscopic cartilage integrity were measured at 15 weeks. The mean linear stiffness of the bio-enhanced ACL reconstruction procedure using the 1× preparation was significantly greater than traditional reconstruction, while the 3× and 5× preparations were not. The failure loads of all the ACL-reconstructed groups were equivalent but significantly greater than untreated ACL transection. There were no significant differences in the Ligament Maturity Index or AP laxity between reconstructed knees. Macroscopic cartilage damage was relatively minor, though significantly less when the ECM-platelet composite was used. Only the 1× platelet concentration improved healing over traditional ACL reconstruction. Increasing the platelet concentration from 1× to 5× in the ECM scaffold did not further improve the graft mechanical properties. The use of an ECM-platelet composite decreased the amount of cartilage damage seen after ACL surgery.
Analysis of nonlinear optical propagation in a longitudinal deuterated potassium dihydrogen phosphate Pockels cell

Nonlinear optical propagation in a longitudinal deuterated potassium dihydrogen phosphate (DKDP) Pockels cell (PC) is studied analytically and with numerical simulations. Propagation equations are developed taking into account the nonlinear susceptibility tensor and the modification of the polarization state because of the voltage-induced birefringence of the Pockels cell. The analytical predictions are in good agreement with split-step simulations. The nonlinear polarization in the PC’s crystalline medium leads to nonlinear phase shifts and crossed-wave generation. For the small nonlinearities consistent with typical operation in a laser system, a quarter-wave PC induces a nonlinear phase equal to the average of the nonlinear phase accumulated by a linearly and circularly polarized field of the same intensity propagating in the inactive PC. The contrast of a half-wave PC between crossed polarizers is not decreased by the nonlinear propagation because there is no generated cross wave in this configuration.
In-vitro investigation of blood embolization in cancer treatment using magnetorheological fluids

Abstract In a ‘simulated’ simple blood network made of silicone tubes, three magnetorheological fluids made of iron and iron-oxide particles are compared for embolizing fluid flow under an applied magnetic field. The sealing strength and seal formation time are measured as a function of particle concentration, magnetic property, carrier fluid, and flow rate. Future applications for cancer therapy are discussed.
Comparisons between strychnine and penicillin epileptogenesis suggest that propagating epileptiform abnormalities require the potentiation of thalamocortical circuitry in neocortical layer 4

Simultaneous recordings from three laminae within the cat visual cortex following differential intralaminar injections of strychnine (i) confirmed that low strychnine concentrations (5 mM) induce interictal-like epileptiform abnormalities (late responses) only when injected into superficial layers 2 and 3, (ii) revealed that these abnormalities are generated locally within these layers, and (iii) showed that they remain local phenomena by not spreading vertically into other cortical layers. Higher strychnine concentrations (20 mM), however, (iv) obscured these laminar differences by increasing layer 4 sensitivity to this agent in addition to the maximally sensitive superficial layers, and further (v) revealed nonlocal, vertically propagating, interictal-like abnormalities (late responses) following layer 4 injections which are preceded by an increase in thalamocortically mediated activity within this layer (enhanced physiologic responses). When penicillin was used as the convulsant, propagated interictal-like responses (late responses) induced in any layer were always preceded by a thalamocortically mediated response from layer 4 (enhanced physiologic responses); a condition clearly unlike the 5 mM but similar to the 20 mM strychnine foci observed in this study. These results suggest that convulsant action upon the thalamocortical circuitry of layer 4 is essential for the development of propagating as opposed to local epileptiform activity. Further, these results may also help explain why some cortical seizure disorders remain localized (focal) whereas others secondarily generalize to distal brain sites (i.e., complex partial seizures of extratemporal origin).
Evidence for a baryon core

Evidence is presented which suggests that there is a core of valence quarks for N and N* of the order of 0.25 in radius.
WOMEN FACULTY: SATISFACTION WITH EMPLOYMENT IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

To ascertain the satisfaction of women full‐time community college faculty with their employment in the community college, an open‐ended questionnaire was sent to over 100 women faculty in the Chic...