cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measuring fiber alignment in electrospun scaffolds: a user's guide to the 2D fast Fourier transform approach

In this study we describe how to use a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (2D FFT) approach to measure fiber alignment in electrospun materials. This image processing function can be coupled with a variety of imaging modalities to assign an objective numerical value to scaffold anisotropy. A data image of an electrospun scaffold is composed of pixels that depict the spatial organization of the constituent fibers. The 2D FFT function converts this spatial information into a mathematically defined frequency domain that maps the rate at which pixel intensities change across the original data image. This output image also contains quantitative information concerning the orientation of objects in a data image. We discuss the theory and practice of using the frequency plot of the 2D FFT function to measure relative scaffold anisotropy and identify the principal axis of fiber orientation. We note that specific degrees of scaffold anisotropy may represent a critical design feature in the fabrication of tissue...
Ocean recovery of Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters.

Cost effective recovery of the expended Space-Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) from the ocean will result in significant overall cost savings to the Space Shuttle Program. The ocean recovery mission begins with the dispatching of the recovery team to the predicted splashdown area. The SRBs, drogue parachutes and main parachutes must be tracked, located, retrieved, and transported to land where they will be refurbished and recycled for reuse. Trade studies to be conducted will consider the recovery mission requirements and weigh the advantages, disadvantages and costs of various candidate recovery systems. Major parameters effecting the selection of the final system will ensure that the system will meet overall objectives. Large- and small-scale SRB model testing has been conducted to establish characteristics of SRBs during water entry, floating free and under tow.
Molecular dynamics simulations of Li transport between cathode crystals

The molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulation technique has been used to study the effect of an amorphous intergranular film (IGF) present in a polycrystalline cathode on Li transport. The solid electrolyte is a model lithium silicate glass while the cathode is a nanocrystalline vanadia with an amorphous V2O5 IGF separating the crystals. Thin (� 1 to a few nanometer thick) IGFs are known to be present in most polycrystalline oxide materials. However, the role of such a film on Li transport in oxide cathodes has not been addressed. Current scanning probe microscopy (SPM) studies have shown that the orientation of the layered nanocrystalline vanadia crystals near the cathode/solid electrolyte interface is not optimized for Li ion transport. While the precise structure of the material between the crystals has not been identified, initially it can be initially considered as likely to be a thin non-crystalline (amorphous) film. This is based on the ubiquitous presence of such a structure in other polycrystalline oxides. Also, and with more relevance to the materials used in thin film batteries, an amorphous film can be expected to form between nanocrystals that crystallized from an amorphous matrix, as would be the case in a deposited thin film cathode. Consistent with simulations of Li transport in amorphous vanadia, the current simulations show that Li ions diffuse more rapidly into the amorphous intergranular thin film than into the layered vanadia with the (0 0 1) planes parallel to the cathode/electrolyte interface. # 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
An unusual case of ‘uncompetitive activation’ by ascorbic acid: purification and kinetic properties of a myrosinase from Raphanus sativus seedlings

Myrosinase (thioglucoside glucohydrolase; EC 3.2.3.1) is a plant enzyme that hydrolyses glucosinolates, principally to isothiocyanates. Myrosinase was purified to homogeneity in good yield from 8-day-old seedlings of Raphanus sativus (daikon) using a four-step procedure involving chromatographies on anion exchange, hydrophobic Phenyl-Sepharose, gel filtration and concanavalin A-Sepharose. In order to stabilize the enzyme and to avoid excessive peak broadening during chromatography, 30% (v/v) glycerol was added to dialysis and chromatography buffers. The purified enzyme was eluted as a single peak from a gel-filtration sizing column with an apparent molecular mass of 120 kDa. The enzyme was resolved into two subunits with molecular masses of 61 and 62 kDa by SDS/PAGE. Ascorbic acid activated the purified enzyme more than 100-fold. The V(max) and K(m) values for the hydrolysis of allyl glucosinolate (sinigrin) were 2.06 micromol/min per mg of protein and 23 microM in the absence of ascorbate and 280 micromol/min per mg of protein and 250 microM in the presence of 500 microM ascorbate, respectively. As the ascorbate concentration was increased from 50 to 500 microM, the V(max) and K(m) values increased in parallel, and thus the V(max)/K(m) ratio remained constant. Similarly, raising the concentrations of sinigrin increased the concentration of ascorbic acid required for half-maximal activation (K(a)). At a sinigrin concentration of 250 microM, the K(a) for ascorbic acid was 55 microM. Sulphate, a reaction product, was a competitive inhibitor of activity, having a K(i) of 60 mM with respect to sinigrin and of 27 mM with respect to ascorbate. Thus activation of myrosinase from R. sativus by ascorbic acid exemplifies an unusual and possibly unique example of linear 'uncompetitive activation' (i.e. a proportionate increase in V(max) and K(m)) of an enzyme. The enzyme also had beta-glucosidase activity and hydrolysed p-nitrophenyl-beta-d-glucopyranoside.
Analysis of InGaN/GaN VCSELs

We investigate the internal physical mechanisms that have thus far prevented current-injected GaN-based VCSELs from lasing. Advanced device simulation is applied to a previously manufactured device design featuring dielectric mirrors and an ITO current injection layer. Built-in polarization, electron leakage across the active region, and lateral carrier non-uniformity within the quantum wells are identified as major obstacles to lasing. Design improvements are proposed.
Sulfur oxidation and respiration in 54-year-old soil samples

Abstract Soil samples in dry storage for 54 yr were shown to retain their ability to respire and to oxidize S. Three of the soils had lower S-oxidizing capacity and three oxidized more S at 1 g kg −1 than did the samples when originally collected. When the experiment was repeated with all apparatus sterilized by autoclaving and S sterilized in flowing steam, a greater proportion of the S was oxidized. This was not due to heat treatment of the S. In all cases, S additions and incubation resulted in a lowering of the soil pH, suggesting that Thiobacillus thiooxidans was responsible and had survived the prolonged storage. When the soils, before and after incubation, were added to Thiobacillus media, only Gram-positive bacteria, mostly Bacillus spp., were found.
On Williams's Review of Evolutionary Biology and Human Social Behavior

opithecines. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 39:375-394. 1976 Some Aspects of the Evolution of Early Hominid Sexual Dimorphism. Current Anthropology 17:579-606. 1980 Paleoanthropology. New York: Knopf. 1982 Ramapithecus and Human Origins: An Anthropologist's Perspective of Changing Interpretations. In New Interpretations of Ape and Human Ancestry. R. L. Ciochon and R. S. Corruccini, eds. New York: Plenum.
Circulation Regimes and Low-Frequency Oscillations in the South Pacific Sector

Abstract The characteristics of subseasonal circulation variability over the South Pacific are examined using 10-day lowpass-filtered 700-hPa geopotential height NCEP–NCAR reanalysis data. The extent to which the variability in each season is characterized by recurrent geographically fixed circulation regimes and/or oscillatory behavior is determined. Two methods of analysis (a K-means cluster analysis and a cross-validated Gaussian mixture model) both indicate three to four geographically fixed circulation regimes in austral fall, winter, and (to some extent) spring. The spatial regime structures are found to be quite similar in each season; they resemble the so-called Pacific–South American (PSA) patterns discussed in previous studies and often referred to as PSA 1 and PSA 2. Oscillatory behavior is investigated using singular spectrum analysis. This identifies a predominantly stationary wave with a period of about 40 days and a spatial structure similar to PSA 1; it is most pronounced in winter and spr...
Differential sensitivity of estrogen target tissues: Implications for estrogen regulation of serum luteinizing hormone

In the rat, it is generally accepted that the primary site of estrogen's stimulatory (positive) effects on serum LH is the preoptic area-anterior hypothalamus (POA/AH). In contrast, the primary site of estrogen's inhibitory (negative) effects on serum LH levels has not been conclusively identified. There is evidence to suggest both a medial basal hypothalamic (MBH) and an anterior pituitary site of action. The present studies utilized a unique characteristic of these estrogen effects to investigate their putative loci. Extensive dose-response curves of estrogen's induction of positive and negative feedback indicated that the negative feedback response was activated at a lower concentration of serum estradiol than the positive feedback response. The differential sensitivities of these two responses suggested that the tissues mediating them might also be differentially sensitive to estradiol. In a previous paper, we showed that receptor translocation is an index of estrogen sensitivity. We measured receptor translocation in response to a series of estradiol doses in the POA/AH, the MBH, and the pituitary. Dose-response curves for estrogen's effect on receptor translocation showed that the pituitary receptor translocation mechanism is activated at significantly lower levels of serum estradiol than that of either the POA/AH or the MBH. These results are consistent with the POA/AH as a site of estrogen's positive feedback effects. In addition, they suggest that negative feedback in the rat may be mediated via estrogen's action at the anterior pituitary. Estrogen's negative feedback effect on serum LH occurs at a serum level of estrogen at which no receptor is translocated in the MBH. Therefore, the pituitary, which does possess nuclear receptors at these estradiol dose levels, is more likely to be the primary mediator of estrogen's negative feedback effects. In another experiment, pituitary, but not hypothalamic, receptor was translocated to the nuclear fraction with an injection of 100 micrograms clomiphere (Clomid). Under these conditions serum LH is depressed, thus strengthening the hypothesis that, in the rat, estrogen action on the pituitary can cause suppression of serum LH independently of the hormone's action in the hypothalamus.
Eigenvalue-based model selection during latent semantic indexing: Research Articles

In this study amended parallel analysis (APA), a novel method for model selection in unsupervised learning problems such as information retrieval (IR), is described. At issue is the selection of k, the number of dimensions retained under latent semantic indexing (LSI). Amended parallel analysis is an elaboration of Horn's parallel analysis, which advocates retaining eigenvalues larger than those that we would expect under term independence. Amended parallel analysis operates by deriving confidence intervals on these “null” eigenvalues. The technique amounts to a series of nonparametric hypothesis tests on the correlation matrix eigenvalues. In the study, APA is tested along with four established dimensionality estimators on six standard IR test collections. These estimates are evaluated with regard to two IR performance metrics. Additionally, results from simulated data are reported. In both rounds of experimentation APA performs well, predicting the best values of k on 3 of 12 observations, with good predictions on several others, and never offering the worst estimate of optimal dimensionality. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Automatic voltage and dead time control for efficiency optimization in a Dual Active Bridge converter

A control scheme is developed in which efficiency is optimized over a wide range of loads for a Dual Active Bridge (DAB) converter. A simple control strategy is proposed to adjust both the converter conversion ratio and switching dead times to maintain high efficiency in the presence of varying loads. To demonstrate feasibility of the proposed control method, experimental results are presented for a 150-to-12 V, 120 W, 1 MHz prototype converter which has 97.4% peak efficiency and maintains greater than 90% efficiency over a load range between 20 W and 120 W.
Gender, Power, and Reciprocity in the Correctional Setting:

Through questionnaires and phone interviews, this study provides a preliminary look at gender differences in reciprocity among correction officers (COs) employed in male prisons. Operationalized as the reported tendency to overlook minor rule infractions, no differences in reciprocity were found between men and women. Neither gender generally reported this practice. However, findings suggest that selective enforcement is the norm and that the facility is a more salient variable than gender. The study concludes that occupational socialization and the demands of the job account for the similarities between genders and suggests directions for further research.
Reservoir model of ebb-tidal shoal evolution and sand bypassing

A mathematical model is presented for calculating the change in volume and sand-bypassing rate at ebb-tidal shoals. Conceptually and mathematically, the ebb-tidal shoal is distinguished from bypassing bars that emerge from it and from attachment bars where the bypassing bars merge with the beach. The volumes and bypassing rates of these morphologic entities are calculated by analogy to a reservoir system, where each reservoir can fill to a maximum (equilibrium) volume. The ratio of the input longshore sand transport rate and the equilibrium volume of the morphologic feature is found to be a key parameter governing morphologic evolution. The analytical model gives explicit expressions for the time delays in evolution of the bypassing bar and the attachment bar, which are directly related to the delays in sand bypassing. Predictions of morphology change agree with observations made at Ocean City Inlet, Md. Examples of extension of the model by numerical solution are given for a hypothetical case of mining of an ebb-tidal shoal and for an idealized case of bidirectional longshore sand transport, in which updrift and downdrift bypassing bars and attachment bars are generated.
Developmental Aspects of Nonverbal Behavior in Small Group Settings

Observational data on nonverbal behaviors in small groups are analyzed to assess whether such behaviors significantly change within or across group meetings Results show that kinesic limb movements (arm placements on the lap with palms up or palms down), posture (sitting upright or leaning back), eye shifts toward or away from direct eye contact, and body orientation (angle) relative to another interactant significantly changed across five group sessions. Discussion focuses on relating results of nonverbal behavioral changes to patterns reported for distributions of verbal interaction behavior.
Spiritual perspectives of nursing students.

Abstract Holistic nursing care requires attention to spiritual aspects of a person. The purpose of this descriptive, non-experimental study was to describe spiritual perspectives of nursing students. Students' spiritual perspectives were measured and described using Reed's Spiritual Perspective Scale (SPS). The convenience sample consisted of 205 nursing students enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing program in the southeastern United States. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings suggest that nursing students in this sample perceived themselves as having a high level of spirituality as indicated by scores on the SPS (M = 5.04, SD = 0.9). Reliability of the SPS was estimated by determining Cronbach's alpha (0.94). Findings of this study contribute to the body of nursing knowledge concerning the spirituality of nursing students. Research into the spiritual domain is necessary to provide a scientific knowledge base for nursing.
Reinterpreting the controlled substances act: predictions for the effect on pain relief

On November 6, 2001 U.S. Attorney General Ashcroft reinterpreted the Controlled Substances Act in a manner consistent with the Pain Relief Promotion Act, a bill introduced in the last Congress. This reinterpretation criminalizes actions related to the provision of controlled substances (e.g. opioids, barbiturates) in the event that a patient dies and external observers believe the intent of providing the medication was to hasten the patient's death. This paper analyzes the arguments regarding the need for reinterpretation and the potential consequences of such an action on pain relief. The conclusion is that the weight of the data clearly leads to the prediction that this reinterpretation of the Controlled Substances Act will lead physicians to be less likely to provide adequate types and doses of pain medication to patients who may die.
Nanostructured polymer transistors for volatile organic compound detection

In this paper, we show that the chemical sensing responses of organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) based on nanostructured regioregular polythiophene are strongly dependent upon the gate biasing field and the operation mode. With different applied gate voltages the source-drain current response can be different both in sign and magnitude for the same analyte. Using swept gate voltages, sensors show larger response than when operated with a constant gate voltage. These results imply that multiple, competing sensing mechanisms exist. We propose that the sensing mechanisms for polycrystalline semiconducting polymer thin films are mainly an intragrain effect, which yields a positive response, and a grain boundary effect, which yields a negative response. Noise properties of the OTFT sensors were also investigated. For the typical sensor operation frequency range these results show that low frequency noise is the dominant noise source.
Analyzing Resistance Narratives at the North American Anarchist Gathering: A Method for Analyzing Social Justice Alternative Media

In this study, a methodological framework is established for the examination of resistance narratives in alternative media texts. Using the concepts of narrative paradigm, narrative fragmentation, constitutive elements of narrative, and hegemonic and/or emancipatory resistance, the author analyzed the manner of resistance within narrative fragments in alternative media circulated at the 2002 North American Anarchist Gathering. Qualitative content analysis identified the constitutive elements of cultural values and identity that showed an overarching narrative of resistance in the alternative media texts at the Gathering. The author then assessed the narrative based on Mumby's notions of hegemonic and emancipatory resistance. The analysis demonstrated an overarching narrative about egalitarianism, while hindering capitalists' ability to manipulate workers, which could be both hegemonic and emancipatory.
Exploration of a fundamental substituent effect of α-ketoheterocycle enzyme inhibitors: potent and selective inhibitors of fatty acid amide hydrolase

Abstract A series of C4 substituted α-ketooxazoles were examined as inhibitors of the serine hydrolase fatty acid amide hydrolase in efforts that further define and generalize a fundamental substituent effect on enzyme inhibitory potency. Thus, a plot of the Hammett σm versus −log Ki provided a linear correlation (R2 = 0.90) with a slope of 3.37 (ρ = 3.37), that is of a magnitude that indicates that of the electron-withdrawing character of the substituent dominates its effects (a one unit change in σm provides a >1000-fold change in Ki).
Ghrelin Prevents Cisplatin-Induced Testicular Damage by Facilitating Repair of DNA Double Strand Breaks Through Activation of p53 in Mice

Cisplatin administration induces DNA damage resulting in germ cell apoptosis and subsequent testicular atrophy. Although 50 percent of male cancer patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy develop long-term secondary infertility, medical treatment to prevent spermatogenic failure after chemotherapy is not available. Under normal conditions, testicular p53 promotes cell cycle arrest, which allows time for DNA repair and reshuffling during meiosis. However, its role in the setting of cisplatin-induced infertility has not been studied. Ghrelin administration ameliorates the spermatogenic failure that follows cisplatin administration in mice, but the mechanisms mediating these effects have not been well established. The aim of the current study was to characterize the mechanisms of ghrelin and p53 action in the testis after cisplatin-induced testicular damage. Here we show that cisplatin induces germ cell damage through inhibition of p53-dependent DNA repair mechanisms involving gamma-H2AX and ataxia telangiectasia mutated protein kinase. As a result, testicular weight and sperm count and motility were decreased with an associated increase in sperm DNA damage. Ghrelin administration prevented these sequelae by restoring the normal expression of gamma-H2AX, ataxia telangiectasia mutated, and p53, which in turn allows repair of DNA double stranded breaks. In conclusion, these findings indicate that ghrelin has the potential to prevent or diminish infertility caused by cisplatin and other chemotherapeutic agents by restoring p53-dependent DNA repair mechanisms.
Mass-frequency influence surface, mode shapes, and frequency spectrum of a rectangular AT-cut quartz plate

The mass-frequency influence surface and frequency spectrum of a rectangular AT-cut quartz plate are studied. The mass-frequency influence surface is defined as a surface giving the frequency change due to a small localized mass applied on the plate surface. Finite-element solutions of R.D. Mindlin's (1963) two-dimensional plate equations for thickness-shear, thickness-twist, and flexural vibrations are given. Spectrum splicing, and an efficient eigenvalue solver using the C. Lanczos (1950) algorithm are incorporated into the finite-element program. A convergence study of the fundamental thickness-shear mode and its first symmetric, anharmonic overtone is performed for finite-element meshes of increasing fineness. As a general rule, more than two elements must span any half-wave in the plate or spurious mode shapes will be obtained. Two-dimensional (2D) mode shapes and frequency spectrum of a rectangular AT-cut plate in the region of the fundamental thickness-shear frequency are presented. The mass-frequency influence surface for a 5-MHz rectangular, AT-cut plate with patch electrodes is obtained by calculating the frequency change due to a small mass layer moving over the plate surface. The frequency change is proportional to the ratio of mass loading to mass of plate per unit area and is confined mostly within the electrode area, where the magnitude is on the order 10/sup 8/ Hz/g. >
Effects of encainide and metabolizer phenotype on ventricular conduction during exercise.

Abstract Genetic factors influence the extent of encainide metabolism. Approximately 93% of the Caucasian population extensively metabolize encainide to O-desmethyl encainide (ODE) and 3-methoxy-O-desmethyl encainide (MODE). 1 In extensive metabolizers, the steady-state plasma concentrations of ODE and MODE are higher than that of encainide during long-term therapy. In poor metabolizers, the metabolic profile is characterized by high concentrations of encainide, low concentrations of ODE, and absent MODE. 2 Encainide can produce marked prolongation of intraventricular conduction and this effect is rate-dependent. 3 Previous data indicate that ODE and MODE are more potent than encainide in this regard. 4 Consequently, the electropharmacologic effects of encainide would be expected to differ with respect to the genetically determined capacity to metabolize this drug. Thus, we postulated that extensive metabolizers of encainide would show more marked rate-dependent slowing of intraventricular conduction than would poor metabolizers. The present study determines if rate-dependent intraventricular conduction slowing could be demonstrated in patients receiving encainide during exercise-induced sinus tachycardia, and relates this effect to the genetic phenotype of encainide metabolism.
The Façade of Legitimacy: Exchange of Power and Authority in Early Modern Russia

From the middle of the nineteenth century until recently, the only acceptable way to discuss political developments in early modern Europe was in terms of the rise of absolutism. “Absolute monarchy” was the political theory of early modern states formulated by ideologues of their respective regimes. Later historians accepted this ideology as the way these monarchies operated and formulated a model called “absolutism,” which posits a monarch who accrues power at the expense of the nobility. During the last three decades, however, a number of historians, whose studies focus on elite politics, have undermined this historiographical model. Through their archival research on the operation of regimes in early modern Europe, these historians have instead described an interlocking relationship between ruler and nobility in which the ruler acted as legitimizer of the nobility and adjudicator of differences among its members.Adamson has described the emerging pattern of understanding this way: “At the most ‘absolutist' of courts, the exercise of authority was always in some sense a negotiation founded, in the final analysis, upon the community of interest between the crown and the noble elites. The court, far from being an instrument whereby monarchs could weaken the nobility, as was once supposed, provided the forum in which that compact could be subjected to a regular process of revision and renegotiation.” John Adamson, “The Making of the Ancien-Regime Court 1500–1700,” in The Princely Courts of Europe 1500–1750, ed. John Adamson (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999), 39. Then, in a strongly argued book, The Myth of Absolutism, Nicholas Henshall delivered what many specialists consider to be the coup de grâce to the absolutism model as a worthwhile way of discussing early modern European governments.Nicholas Henshall, The Myth of Absolutism: Change and Continuity in Early Modern European Monarchy (London: Longman, 1992). See also Henshall “The Myth of Absolutism,” History Today 42 (June 1992): 40–47. He pointed out that “absolutism” is a term coined in 1823 to apply to the contemporary ruler Ferdinand VII of Spain, and argued that it is an anachronism for us to apply it to earlier centuries.
Mechanism of Injury and Risk Factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

Participation in recreational and competitive athletics continues to increase. Injury rates, including anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, have increased concomitantly. As such there has been increasing interest and research related to ACL injury prevention. The first steps in injury prevention are gaining an understanding of the mechanism of injury and the risk factors predisposing to injury. The focus of this article is on the current understanding of ACL injury mechanism and risk factors. ACL injury mechanisms are stratified and discussed as noncontact and contact injuries. Additionally, risk factors, both modifiable and nonmodifiable, are reviewed.
Long-Term Vegetation Productivity and Trend Under Two Stocking Levels on Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland

Vegetation changes were evaluated over an 11-year period (1995–2005) on 2 light- and 2 conservative-stocked Chihuahuan Desert pastures in south central New Mexico. Grazing treatments were applied to the pastures over a 5-year period from 1997 through 2001. Pastures were not grazed in the 1995–1996 and 2002–2005 periods due to drought. During the 1997–2001 grazing period, grazing use of primary forage species averaged 29% and 40% on light- and conservative-stocked rangelands, respectively. Grazing intensity was consistently higher on conservative-stocked than light-stocked pastures. During our study heavy grazing occurred only in 1 year on pastures with conservative stocking. There were no differences in species or species categories (grasses, forbs, shrubs) of autumn standing crop and basal cover between light-and conservative-stocked pastures. Standing crop of total vegetation and perennial grasses showed large fluctuations among the years due to variable rainfall. Under both treatments, total herbaceous standing crop was unchanged, but perennial grass standing crop declined by over 50% when the last 3 years of study were compared with the first 3 years of study. Broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae Pursh), a poisonous half shrub, increased in standing crop and cover during the study. Basal cover of total perennial grasses declined less under light than conservative stocking during the study period. However, climatic conditions exerted the overriding influence on vegetation standing crop and basal cover. Our study indicates that light stocking in the Chihuahuan Desert does not increase perennial grass production compared to conservative grazing but it could have a small benefit in maintaining perennial grass cover during drought. We believe our findings have broad application in the Chihauhuan Desert, but caution they might not apply well to other arid rangeland types.
Customer-Relationship Global Strategy Assignment

Amtrak’s dual mandates – to be the provider of national passenger rail services while achieving operational self-sufficiency – are challenging. With the boards’ decision to enter the international travel market, these challenges will certainly increase. Amtrak’s strategy emphasizes market responsiveness, quality service, and effective partnerships. With support from the company’s partners, and continued focus on operational and financial efficiency, Amtrak can succeed in delivering on those mandates. The marketing of the Amtrak brand in the international travel market, albeit difficult, can be achieved.
Community Dialogue on Transgender Phenomenon: A Reflection

A talk given at a conference at the University of San Francisco on the need for the inclusion of transgender people within Catholic Jesuit institutions.
Line parameters including temperature dependences of self- and air-broadened line shapes of 12C16O2: 1.6-μm region

Abstract Pressure-broadened line shapes in the 30013←00001 (ν1+4 ν 2 0 +ν3) band of 12C16O2 at 6228 cm−1 are reanalyzed using new spectra recorded with sample temperatures down to 170 K. High resolution, high signal-to-noise (S/N) laboratory measurements of line shapes (Lorentz air- and self-broadened half-width coefficients, pressure-shift coefficients and off-diagonal relaxation matrix element coefficients) as a function of gas sample temperatures for various pressures and volume mixing ratios are presented. The spectra were recorded using two different Fourier transform spectrometers (FTS): (1) the McMath-Pierce FTS located at the National Solar Observatory on Kitt Peak, Arizona (and reported in Devi et al., J Mol Spectrosc 2007;245:52-80) and, (2) the Bruker IFS-125HR FTS at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The 19 spectra taken at Kitt Peak were all recorded near room temperature while the 27 Bruker spectra were acquired both at room temperature and colder temperatures (170-296 K). Various spectral resolutions (0.004–0.011 cm−1), absorption path lengths (2.46–121 m) and CO2 samples (natural and 12C-enriched) were included in the dataset. To maximize the accuracies of the various retrieved line parameters, a multispectrum nonlinear least squares spectrum fitting software program was used to adjust the ro-vibrational constants (G,B,D etc.) and intensity parameters (including Herman-Wallis terms) instead of directly measuring the individual line positions and intensities. To minimize systematic residuals, line mixing (via off-diagonal relaxation matrix elements) and quadratic speed dependence parameters were included in the analysis. Contributions from other weakly absorbing bands: the 30013←00001 and 30012←00001 bands of 13C16O2, the 30013←00001 band of 12C16O18O, hot bands 31113←01101 and 32212←02201 of 12C16O2, as well as the 40013←10001 and the 40014←10002 bands of 12C16O2, present within the fitted interval were also measured. Results from previous works and new calculations are compared to present measurements, where appropriate.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Annual Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2014

This report provides a synopsis of ongoing environmental management performance and compliance activities conducted during 2014, meeting the requirements of DOE Order 231.1B, Environmental, safety and health reporting.
Precise absolute γ -ray and β − -decay branching intensities in the decay of Cu 29 67

Absolute $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray emission probabilities in the ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ decay of $^{67}\mathrm{Cu}$ were measured by means of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray and ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$-decay singles and ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{-}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ coincidences. The new results, together with the known decay scheme of $^{67}\mathrm{Cu}$, were used to determine absolute ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$-decay branching intensities. The present data differ significantly from previously published values. In addition, the half-life of the ${I}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}={\frac{1}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ isomer in $^{67}\mathrm{Zn}$ was measured as ${T}_{1/2}=9.37(4) \ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}$, in a good agreement with earlier measurements. From the analysis of the Fermi--Kurie plots, ${Q}_{{\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{-}}}(\text{g.s.})=560.3(10)$ keV was deduced, which differs from the previously measured value of 577(8) keV but is in good agreement with ${Q}_{{\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{-}}}(\text{g.s.})=561.3(15)$ keV recommended in the latest Atomic Mass Evaluation.
Effects of polar stratospheric clouds in the Nimbus 7 LIMS Version 6 data set

Abstract. The historic Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) measurements of 1978–1979 from the Nimbus 7 satellite were re-processed with Version 6 (V6) algorithms and archived in 2002. The V6 data set employs updated radiance registration methods, improved spectroscopic line parameters, and a common vertical resolution for all retrieved parameters. Retrieved profiles are spaced about every 1.6° of latitude along orbits and include the additional parameter of geopotential height. Profiles of O3 are sensitive to perturbations from emissions of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). This work presents results of implementing a first-order screening for effects of PSCs using simple algorithms based on vertical gradients of the O3 mixing ratio. Their occurrences are compared with the co-located, retrieved temperatures and related to the temperature thresholds needed for saturation of H2O and/or HNO3 vapor onto PSC particles. Observed daily locations where the major PSC screening criteria are satisfied are validated against PSCs observed with the Stratospheric Aerosol Monitor (SAM) II experiment also on Nimbus 7. Remnants of emissions from PSCs are characterized for O3 and HNO3 following the screening. PSCs may also impart a warm bias in the co-located LIMS temperatures, but by no more than 1–2 K at the altitudes of where effects of PSCs are a maximum in the ozone; thus, no PSC screening was applied to the V6 temperatures. Minimum temperatures vary between 187 and 194 K and often occur 1 to 2 km above where PSC effects are first identified in the ozone (most often between about 21 and 28 hPa). Those temperature–pressure values are consistent with conditions for the existence of nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) mixtures and to a lesser extent of super-cooled ternary solution (STS) droplets. A local, temporary uptake of HNO3 vapor of order 1–3 ppbv is indicated during mid-January for the 550 K surface. Seven-month time series of the distributions of LIMS O3 and HNO3 are shown based on their gridded Level 3 data following the PSC screening. Zonal coefficients of both species are essentially free of effects from PSCs on the 550 K surface, based on their average values along PV contours and in terms of equivalent latitude. Remnants of PSCs are still present in O3 on the 450 K surface during mid-January. It is judged that the LIMS Level 3 data are of good quality for analyzing the larger-scale, stratospheric chemistry and transport processes during the Arctic winter of 1978–1979.
Effect of Natural Gas Composition on the Design of Natural Gas Liquid Demethanizers

The hydrocarbon composition of natural gas varies fairly significantly from location to location. The relative amounts of methane (C1) and ethane (C2) have a profound effect on the cryogenic high-pressure distillation column used to recover the C2 and heavier components as a bottoms product called “natural gas liquid” (NGL). This “demethanizer” column is a complex system that uses compression and expansion to achieve the required low temperatures (190 K) for achieving liquids at the operating pressure of 25 atm. Side-reboilers are used to cool the ambient-temperature natural-gas feed stream and to partially reboil the column. A multiunit heat exchanger network, multiple flash drums, and an expander are used to produce four different liquid and vapor feed streams to the column. This paper studies the effect of feed composition on the design of the demethanizer column. Natural gas feeds with C2 compositions ranging from 5 to 15 mol % are considered. Significant modifications in the design are required as th...
Study on the Method for Determining Migration of Melamine from Melamine-Formaldehyde Containers by HPLC

[Objective] To develop a rapid and simple high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) method for determining the migration of melamine extracted by four solvents from melamine-formaldehyde products used as food containers.[Methods] Melamine were soaked out by four solvents which were water,4% acetic acid,15% ethanol and n-hexane.The four soaks were separated by reversed phase chromatographic column and detected by UV-detector.[Results] The analysis method of determining the migration of melamine from melamine-formaldehyde food containers was studied from the aspects of chromatogram and soaking solutions.The detection limit was 10 μg/dm2.The linear range was between 0.050 μg/mL and 2.000 μg/mL.The recovery was controlled between 85.7% and 105.7%.The relative standard deviation was between 0.43% and 4.80%.[Conclusion] This method was rapid,effective,stabilize and sensitive for detecting the migration of melamine from melamine-formaldehyde products used as food containers.
The Shopping Mall Of The Customer Experience Future

Shopping malls are experiencing a significant decline in both shoppers and transactions. The challenge is that there are better options now available through big box stores and on-line shopping. Some mall operators are experimenting with mall customer experience strategies to overcome these limitations. Shopping malls are adding non-retail experiences such as live concerts and even roller coasters. Newer innovations combine co-working spaces for startup companies with new ideas and complementary pop-up store space for them to try out their new products and services in an ecologically valid environment with real customers. This is most effective with experiential goods that include apps, apparel, and food products. This talk will present a variety of ideas and cases outlining the critical importance of customer experience for this model and for the future of shopping malls.
Lymphangiomatosis masquerading as metastatic melanoma

A patient undergoing evaluation for malignant melanoma was thought to have a metastatic process involving the anterior mediastinum, axilla, spleen, and possibly liver based on radiologic findings from positron emission tomography and computed tomography scans. The clinical picture did not corroborate this suspicion, and biopsies ultimately confirmed lymphangioma in the accessory spleen and subcutaneous tissues, leading to a diagnosis of lymphangiomatosis. Diagnosis and management of lymphangiomatosis is clinically challenging. This report reviews the literature on the pathology, diagnostic imaging, and management of lymphangiomatosis.
Prevalence and Significance of Prostatic Inflammation

AbstractProstatic fluid specimens were collected by digital massage from 325 consecutive men. White blood cells per high power microscopic field were counted under a cover slip. Lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes in the fluid were separated by acrylamide disk electrophoresis and the ratio of lactate dehydrogenase-5/lactate dehydrogenase-1 was used as a parameter of epithelial cellular damage. Diagnoses were based on history, physical examination, and urine and fluid cultures, irrespective of the prostatic fluid white blood cells per high power field and lactate dehydrogenase-5/lactate dehydrogenase-1. The prostatic fluid of 31 patients with no urologic disease had 0.7 ± 0.41 white blood cells per high power field (mean ± standard error); 30 (97 per cent) of the specimens had less than 2 white blood cells per high power field. The prostatic fluid of 88 patients with non-inflammatory urologic disease had 3.8 ± 0.83 white blood cells per high power field; 76 (86 per cent) of the specimens had less than 10 whit...
Noncovalent Intermediate of Thymidylate Synthase: Fact or Fiction?

Thymidylate synthase is an attractive target for antibiotic and anticancer drugs due to its essential role in the de novo biosynthesis of the DNA nucleotide thymine. The enzymatic reaction is initiated by a nucleophilic activation of the substrate via formation of a covalent bond to an active site cysteine. The traditionally accepted mechanism is then followed by a series of covalently bound intermediates, where that bond is only cleaved upon product release. Recent computational and experimental studies suggest that the covalent bond between the protein and substrate is actually quite labile. Importantly, these findings predict the existence of a noncovalently bound bisubstrate intermediate, not previously anticipated, which could be the target of a novel class of drugs inhibiting DNA biosynthesis. Here we report the synthesis of the proposed intermediate and findings supporting its chemical and kinetic competence. These findings substantiate the predicted nontraditional mechanism and the potential of th...
Recent advances in bio‐based epoxy resins and bio‐based epoxy curing agents

The combination of awareness of harmful industrial processes and environmental issues and depleting petroleum-based resources has spurred much research in developing materials from renewable sources. Epoxy resins are common pre-polymers used in a variety of industries, such as adhesives, coatings, insulations, and high performance composites. To transform epoxy resins into crosslinked networks with desirable thermal and mechanical properties, the resins must be cured with a curing agent. This review encompasses recent developments using bio-based epoxy resins and bio-based epoxy curing agents. Resins and curing agents synthesized from modified plant oils, sugars, polyphenols, terpenes, rosin, natural rubber, and lignin are highlighted and their thermal and mechanical properties reviewed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 44103.
Ethics and the Law: Practical Applications in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Neonatologists may be unfamiliar with the many legal precedents and federal, state, and local laws that may affect medical practice in the United States. Knowledge of specific laws and court cases pertinent to neonatology is essential for medical practice, particularly in today’s increasingly litigious environment. This article reviews several federal and state laws applicable to neonatology and relevant legal cases that involve neonates that have led to the creation of case law in certain states. Two ethically challenging cases are presented and discussed as theoretical examples of how relevant law and court cases may be applied to neonatal practice. Topics include the attempted resuscitation of an infant or withdrawal of life-sustaining interventions despite parental objection, the right of infants to receive appropriate medical therapy in the emergency department and elsewhere in the hospital (regardless of congenital anomalies or prematurity), and difficulties providing end-of-life care to infants.
Factors influencing delayed hospital presentation in patients with appendicitis: the APPE survey

Abstract Background Among patients with acute appendicitis (AA), perforation is thought to be associated with symptom duration before treatment. Perforation rates vary between hospitals raising the possibility that some perforations are preventable. The factors that compel patients to present earlier or later are unknown but are critical in developing quality improvement interventions aimed at reducing perforation rates. Materials and methods The Appendicitis Patient Pre-Hospital Experience (APPE) Survey is a prospective study of adults and parents of children with AA in six hospitals participating in Washington State's Comparative Effectiveness Research Translation Network (CERTAIN). The APPE survey includes questions about symptom duration before presentation (late defined as >24 h), predisposing characteristics, enabling factors, and need. Results Among 80 patients, perforation occurred more frequently in late presenters (44% versus 11%, P Conclusions Late presenters described reduced social support and a tendency to “wait it out” and had higher rates of perforation than early presenters. These characteristics have not been well-studied conditions but are important to understand to identify patients at high risk for delayed presentation. Future interventions might target those with low social support or those who are reluctant to seek care early to decrease rates of perforation.
Female College Student Interest in a Sales Career: A Comparison

AbstractFemale and male undergraduate students attending three universities were surveyed to determine their comparative interest in a career in sales. In general, females and males agreed on the attributes associated with a selling career. Yet females rated a selling career significantly lower in terms of preference as compared to males. Females were found to have a significantly stronger preference for careers in public relations, advertising, and retail management than their male counterparts. The implications of this negative female bias towards a sales career are discussed, and areas for further research are suggested.