cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Zenith polarization and color ratio during twilight.

The excellent data of zenith polarization and color ratio (CR) during twilight obtained by Coulson at the Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii are subjected to a reinterpretation, especially with regard to the frequent deviations from the clear average. It is shown that a moderate lift of the earth’s shadow by distant clouds (or by low level haze) will reduce the red/green CR, while greater lift shifts the CR peak to a smaller solar depression. The effect on zenith polarization at wavelengths ⩾0.6 μm is seen to correspond to a slight reduction of overall polarization for a moderate lift, and for a large lift to a shift of the polarization minimum (depolarization by stratospheric aerosol) from 4° solar depression angle to 2°. A generally high level of polarization, but with a barely noticeable 4° minimum, had also been observed earlier in Germany by Steinhorst when the stratospheric aerosol load was very small. The difference is explained by a higher and stronger aerosol layer in the tropics combined with a higher and cleaner troposphere.
Radio Noise Currents and Audible Noise on Short Sections of UHV Bundle Conductors

After a brief review of the theory involved, results of some conductor radio noise research at Project UHV are presented. These tests are based on measurements of conductors in cages and on laboratory tests of short conductor sections. Radio noise in foul and fair weather is discussed, and the results are presented in terms of excitation function and surface gradient. The relation of the excitation function to the electric field near the conductor rather than the surface gradient alone is examined, and a simple theoretical approach is proposed. Some experimental data on audible noise are included, as are potential and gradient calculations for the environs of bundled conductors.
Commentary: Building the evidence base in support of the American Board of Medical Specialties maintenance of certification program.

Abstract In this issue, Lipner and colleagues describe research supporting the value of the examinations used in the maintenance of certification (MOC) programs of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Surgery. The authors of this commentary review the contribution of this research and previous investigations that underscore the value of this component of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) MOC program. In addition, they point out that the MOC examination is one element of a comprehensive approach to physician lifelong learning, assessment, and quality improvement. The ABMS MOC program requires diplomates of the ABMS member boards to engage in continuous professional development in the six domains of competence and performance previously defined by the ABMS and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Although evidence and a sound rationale exist to support educational and assessment methods that target all six domains, it will be important to continue to build the body of evidence demonstrating the value of MOC to the public and to the profession.
Functional Hierarchy between Two OSE2 Elements in the Control of Osteocalcin Gene Expression in Vivo

Osteocalcin gene expression is initiated perinatally and is restricted to mature osteoblasts and odontoblasts. Because their pattern of expression is highly restricted, the osteocalcin genes are excellent tools to study osteoblast-specific gene expression. To define the mechanisms of osteocalcin cell-specific gene expression in vivo, we generated transgenic mice harboring deletion mutants of the promoter region of OG2, one of the mouse osteocalcin genes. We show here that only 647 base pairs of this promoter are sufficient to confer cell-specific and time-specific expression to a reporter gene in vivo. This promoter fragment contains two copies of OSE2. This osteoblast-specific cis-acting element binds Osf2, a recently characterized osteoblast-specific transcription factor (Ducy, P., Zhang, R., Geoffroy, V., Ridall, A. L., and Karsenty, G. (1997) Cell 89, 747-754). We also demonstrate that the proximal OSE2 element is critical to confer an osteoblast-specific, developmentally regulated pattern of expression to a reporter gene. The other OSE2 element, located more upstream and presenting a lower affinity for Osf2, affects only weakly OG2 promoter activity. These data demonstrate the crucial role of Osf2 in controlling osteocalcin gene expression. Since osteocalcin synthesis is a hallmark of the differentiated osteoblast phenotype, these results suggest that, beyond its developmental function, Osf2 is also required for the maintenance of the osteoblast phenotype postnatally.
Effects of the Ultra Low Diluted Ceria-Based Slurry on the Planarization Characteristics of Multi-Layer Exposed Surfaces

Planarization characteristics of ultra low diluted Ceria (CeO2) based slurry, especially a multi-layered Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) process, have been studied. The multi-layer represents the polished film consists of more than two different materials, so that, more than two different materials are exposed to the polished surface. In this work, ultra low diluted ceria based slurry was introduced to minimize micro-dishing effect of the process such as a storage node contact and a bit line contact in 80nm feature sized DRAM device, which has multi-layer film surfaces. As a result, we can minimize micro dishing of silicon dioxide and polycrystalline silicon at memory cell area, and silicon dioxide dishing at peripheral area.
Mouse T-lymphocyte subpopulations: relationships between function and Lyt antigen phenotype

Abstract The study of cell-surface markers has permitted the dissection of lymphocyte populations into subsets and made possible many of the current ideas about how cells interact to produce an immune response. In particular, the Lyt molecules of the mouse, originally described by Boyse and his colleagues, have been of great importance in defining functionally distinct subsets of T cells and examining the interactions among them (reviewed in Ref. 2). A major question raised by these studies concerns the nature of the relationship between Lyt phenotype and the function of the T-cell subset so defined. Are such associations fortuitous, are they indirect manifestations of some other factor(s), or do they indicate that the molecules themselves have a functional role? In this article, Susan Swain and Richard Dutton discuss what is known about Lyt antigens, how their expression correlates with function of T cells and with the recognition of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) subregion antigens by T cells, and what role(s) such molecules may have in T-cell activities.
Modeling spore dispersal in a barley crop

Abstract A model of aerial spore transport by Legg and Powell (1979) is modified here to account for passive liberation of spores by wind and its effect on the subsequent transport and deposition of spores within the crop. Spores blown from surfaces by wind are removed mainly during gusts when the wind speed exceeds a threshhold value characteristic of the particular fungus. The integration of this threshold into a transport model is described here. This new model adequately describes the decrease in concentration of Erysiphe graminis spores observed downwind of a source of infection within a barley crop.
The Determinants of Intercountry Differences in European Emigration: 1881–1900

A distinctive feature of the nineteenth-century international economy was the mass movement of people out of Europe. Between 1840 and 1914 over forty million persons permanently left Europe and settled in the New World, Asiatic Russia and Oceana. In contrast with contemporary population transfers, nineteenth-century international migration occurred within an international political framework which placed few restrictions on geographic mobility. Within this institutional context there were substantial country by country differences in the participation of European populations. This article is concerned with the secular determinants of intercountry differences in emigration.
Structural Characterization of Segmented Polyurethanes by Small Angle Neutron Scattering

The beneficial mechanical properties of segmented polyurethanes derive from microphase separation of immiscible hard and soft segment-rich domains at room temperature. We are interested in the structure of the domains, how these are affected by hydrolytic aging, and how the structure is modified by low molecular weight plasticizers. To assessed the distribution of the plasticizer in polyurethane, we did small-angle neutron scattering measurements on mixtures of 23% hard segment poly(esterurethane) with different amounts of either non-deuterated or deuterated plasticizer. We analyzed the results using a simple model in which the contrast, Δρ = ρH S ρ, between the hard and soft segment-rich domains is varied by the amount of deuterated or hydrogenated plasticizer, using the fact that I(Q) ∼ Δρ2. The result demonstrated that the plasticizer is largely associated with the soft segment rich domains. The structure of PESU with the chain extender of the hard segment was assessed after aging under hydrolytic conditions. The results show that the microphase structure coarsens and segregates and that the hard and soft segments segregated as a result of the loss of constraints from hydrolytic soft segment chain scission. The results on plasticizer distribution and the effects of hydrolytic aging give insight on the loss of mechanical properties that occur in each case.
ACQUIRED RESISTANCE IN DUCKS TO INFECTION WITH THE PSILOSTOME TREMATODE Sphaeridiotrema globulus (RUDOLPHI, 1814).

Half of the young Pekin ducks used in four experiments were given 250 cysts of Sphaeridiotrema globulus each. Sixteen days later all of the birds were given 1000 cysts each. When the birds were killed or died after 4 days, 11 of the 18 birds with initial infections were free of trematodes while all 17 of those without initial infections were parasitized. The control ducks harbored 6911 flukes, 17 times the number found in the previously infected birds.
Average SEP Loss Analysis of Transmit Beamforming for Finite Rate Feedback MISO Systems with QAM Constellation

In this paper, utilizing high resolution quantization theory, we analyze the loss in average symbol error probability (SEP) for finite rate feedback MISO systems with rectangular M-QAM constellation. Assuming perfect channel estimation, no-feedback delay and error-less feedback, for spatially i.i.d and correlated channels we derive analytical expressions for loss in average SEP due to finite-rate channel quantization. We then consider the high-SNR regime and show that the loss associated with correlated case is related to the loss associated with the i.i.d case by a scaling constant given by the determinant of the correlation matrix. We also present simulation results in support of the analytical expressions.
A National Survey for Monitoring Police Legitimacy

Most police departments do not currently measure their subjective legitimacy via surveys of the public. This article argues that such information is valuable, since public cooperation with the police is linked to the legitimacy of the police in the eyes of the public. Approaches to measuring subjective legitimacy are reviewed, and examples of items used in prior studies to tap different, potentially important aspects of legitimacy are presented and discussed. These can serve as the starting point for future efforts to design and validate measures of legitimacy that can be the basis for police efforts to better understand how they are viewed by the members of the public in their communities.
A prototyping environment for differential equations

A system is presented to allow end users to solve nonlinear differential equations without need to write computer programs. The system treats nth order space (one dimensional), first order time systems with initial and/or two point boundary value specification. Users of the system need only enter the problem in direct mathematical notation, and output is automatically presented as a solution graph. The system allows the user to alter this equations, in-situ, that is to computationally steer his model. Thus the system is suited for model prototyping. Implementation is based on an object-oriented paradigm, well established and robust numerical procedures, and distributed computing to supported needed resources for numerically intensive tasks.
Circumventing the Penalty for Offenders Facing Mandatory Minimums: Revisiting the Dynamics of “Sympathetic” and “Salvageable” Offenders

Although sentencing of drug offenders in federal courts is complicated by minimum penalties, which trump the guidelines, the mandatory penalties can be avoided if offenders receive substantial assi...
Simulation of thin film grain structures—II. Abnormal grain growth

Abstract A computer simulation of grain growth in two dimensions has been used to model microstructural evolution in thin films. In a companion paper we have simulated the stagnation of grain-growth due to grain-boundary grooving at the free surface of the film. In this paper we model the effect of driving force variations (due to variations of the free-surface energy among different crystals) on the origination and propagation of abnormal or secondary grain growth. The simulation produces an estimate for the magnitude of the driving force which is required to produce abnormal grain growth. The simulation also indicates that a key requirement for classic abnormal grain growth behavior is that a majority of the grains have free-surface energies which differ very little from each other.
Discrete link capacity and priority assignments in communication networks

This paper deals with the problem of discrete link capacity assignment in store-and-forward packet switching communication networks. Our problem formulation calls for minimizing the network cost while satisfying all the average packet delay constraints specified for different classes of packets. Heuristic algorithms which give near-optimal solutions of the problem are developed. We first describe a discrete link capacity assignment algorithm for networks with arbitrarily defined classes of packets having individual delay constraints. The problem of priority assignment on different classes of packets is then investigated, and an algorithm is developed which assigns suboptimal priorities on classes of packets based on parameters such as delay requirement, path length, packet length, and packet rate. These two algorithms for capacity assignment and priority assignment are combined and tested over a number of examples. It is found that a substantial reduction on network cost can be achieved by the use of a simple priority queuing discipline.
ENDOR spectroscopic evidence for the position and structure of NG-hydroxy-L-arginine bound to holo-neuronal nitric oxide synthase.

Recently, we used 35 GHz pulsed 15N ENDOR spectroscopy to determine the position of the reactive guanidino nitrogen of substrate l-arginine relative to the high-spin ferriheme iron of holo-neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) [Tierney, D. L., et al. (1998) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 120, 2983−2984]. Analogous studies of the enzyme-bound reaction intermediate, NG-hydroxy-l-arginine (NOHA), singly labeled with 15N at the hydroxylated nitrogen (denoted NR), show that NR is held 3.8 A from the Fe, closer than the corresponding guanidino N of l-Arg (4.05 A). 1,2H ENDOR of NOHA bound to holo-nNOS in H2O and D2O discloses the presence of a single resolved exchangeable proton (H1) 4.8 A from Fe and very near the heme normal. The ENDOR data indicate that NOHA does not bind as the resonance-stabilized cation in which the terminal nitrogens share a positive charge. ENDOR-determined structural constraints permit two alternate structural models for the interaction of NOHA with the high-spin heme iron. In one model, H1 is assi...
Analysis of animal models of macular edema

Various models of macular edema have been studied; however, frank development of a prototypical cystoid macular edema has not been observed. In humans, cystoid edema is frequently observed in association with other disturbances of the retina. Thus, a basic drawback of the animal models may be that an otherwise healthy retina is capable of resolving the experimentally produced edema, thereby preventing chronic cystoid maculopathy. A review of macular edema models and of experimental retinal and brain edema investigations suggests that blood-retinal (blood-brain) barrier permeability abnormalities need to be accompanied by ineffective edema resolving mechanisms for the production of a chronic edema. Intraglial uptake of extravasated serum proteins has been hypothesized to be an edema-resolving mechanism in brain edema. As such, the hypothesis that the Muller cell may be important to edema resolution appears attractive. Future animal model studies should include methodologies whereby edema resolution mechanisms are impaired.
Near-real-time precipitation virtual sensor using NEXRAD data

In this demonstration paper, we describe the technologies and implementations that allow near real-time creation of new virtual precipitation sensors using NEXRAD Level II streaming data at user-specified point locations and time intervals in an integrated digital watershed with a Google Map-based web interface. The spatiotemporal and thematic transformation steps to produce such new time series data stream are implemented as a set of scientific workflows. A streaming data ontology is developed to handle temporal proximity concepts such as "previous" and "next" for irregular temporal data streams. Data and metadata management is provided by a semantic content management middleware. The new point-based virtual sensor can lower the barriers of using NEXRAD data for many hydrological applications.
Referred pain in the lower leg — A cause of delayed diagnosis

Three patients presenting with ankle pain are described. In each case the pain was referred from a lesion in the proximal tibia (two osteoid osteomas; one stress fracture). There was considerable delay in diagnosis in two of these cases. It would appear that pain referred from the proximal lower leg to the ankle is not well recognized as a clinical entity. In such cases, radiography of the more proximal limb is suggested. If this proves negative, a bone scan may then be performed.
Delayed mammary gland involution in MMTV-AKT1 transgenic mice.

AKT1/protein kinase Bα is a protein-serine/threonine kinase that regulates multiple targets involved in cell survival and cell cycle progression in a variety of cell types including breast cancer cells. To explore the role of Akt1 in mammary gland function and tumorigenesis, transgenic mice were generated that express human AKT1 under the control of the MMTV promoter. Virgin transgenic mice did not exhibit a dominant phenotype, but upon cessation of lactation, a notable delay in involution occurred compared to age-matched non-transgenic mice. The delay in involution coincided with increased hyperplasia as evidenced by an increased number of binucleated epithelial cells and a marked elevation in cyclin D1 expression in mammary epithelium. The delayed involution phenotype corresponded to increased phosphorylation of Thr308 in AKT1 and Ser136 in BAD, but not phosphorylation of Ser21 in GSK-3α. There was no evidence of mammary dysplasia or neoplasia during the lifespan of multiparous transgenic mice. These data suggest that AKT1 is involved in cell survival in the lactating and involuting mammary gland, but that overexpression of AKT1 alone is insufficient to induce transformation.
SDNIPS: Enabling Software-Defined Networking based intrusion prevention system in clouds

Security has been considered as one of the top concerns in clouds. Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS) have been widely deployed to enhance the cloud security. Using Software-Defined Networking (SDN) approaches to enhance the system security in clouds has been recently presented in [1], [2]. However, none of existing works established a comprehensive IPS solution to reconfigure the cloud networking environment on-the-fly to counter malicious attacks. In this paper, we present an SDN-based IPS solution called SDNIPS that is a full lifecycle solution including detection and prevention in the cloud. We propose a new IDPS architecture based on Snort-based IDS and Open vSwitch (OVS). We also compare the SDN-based IPS solution with the traditional IPS approach from both mechanism analysis and evaluation. Network Reconfiguration (NR) features are designed and implemented based on the POX controller to enhance the prevention flexibility. Finally, evaluations of SDNIPS demonstrate its feasibility and efficiency over traditional approaches.
A Computational Study on Performance, Combustion and Emissions Characteristics of a Hydrogen-Fueled Internal Combustion Engine

Hydrogen is an alternative fuel that is considered to be one of the viable solutions to the increasing demands of clean and secure energy. Internal combustion engines fueled by hydrogen have the potential for higher power and efficiency with lower emissions when compared to gasoline. In the present study, advanced engine simulations were used to study the performance, combustion and emission characteristics of a hydrogen-fueled engine. Hydrogen fuel-specific combustion models were used to account for the distinctive characteristics of hydrogen combustion when compared to that of gasoline. The simulation results matched well with the already-published experimental data under similar engine operational conditions. NOx emissions were found to increase drastically after an equivalence ratio of 0.5 due to high combustion temperatures. EGR was found to be an effective way to reduce NOx emissions but compromised engine power and efficiency.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Object-based attention: Shifting or uncertainty?

The contribution of object-based attentional guidance to visual processing is widely accepted, and recent models of attentional selection now include both space- and object-based representations. Nevertheless, although the mechanism of space-based attentional selection has been well characterized, the mechanism underlying object-based attentional selection remains poorly understood. Recent attempts at identifying the mechanism giving rise to object-based attentional selection have put forth two conflicting alternatives. The first suggests that object-based effects are driven by attentional uncertainty (i.e., the attentional prioritization hypothesis), whereas the second suggests that objects guide attentional selection only when an attentional shift is necessitated (i.e., the attentional-shifting hypothesis). Here, we directly investigated which of the two suggested accounts drives object-based effects, by pitting attentional certainty against attentional shifting. In a series of four experiments, we manipulated the certainty of target location, shifting of attention, and the stimulus onset asynchrony. It was observed that object-based effects depended solely on certainty of the forthcoming target location. These results suggest that attentional prioritization, and not a mere shift of attention, gives rise to object-based guidance of attentional selection. In addition, these results lend further support to the attentional prioritization account of object-based attention and provide further constraints on the mechanisms of object-based selection.
Information centralization of organizational information structures via reports of exceptions

ABSTRACT A team theoretic model that establishes a criterion (decision rule) for a financial institution branch to report exceptional loan requests to headquarters'for action was compared to such choices made by graduate industrial management students acting as financial Vice-Presidents. ResultS showed that the loan size criterion specified by subjects was typically greater than the optimal criterion when the optimal criterion was small relative to the maximum loan size, and less than the optimal criterion when the optimal criterion was large relative to the maximum loan size. That subjects. Specified criteria that-would resultin the reporting of too few exceptions (a case of informational overdecentralization) and too sant exceptions (a case of informational overcentralization) when the optimal criterion was relatively small and large respectively. The behavior exhibited was attributed in part to a subject's utility function, which was inferred to have a Friedman-Savage double inflected structure., (Author)
Psychosocial Issues Associated with Genetic Testing in Cystic Fibrosis Newborn Screening

Two studies examined the psychosocial issues related to cystic fibrosis (CF) newborn screening (NBS). Study 1: Most parents of 15 infants reported high levels of depressive symptoms documented by Epidemiological Studies Depression Scales (CES-D) (Median = 16; Range = 1–42) during their wait for the sweat test appointment (Median = 7 days; Range = 3–25 days). Six-month follow-up Interviews showed that parents’ uncertainty and emotional distress was influenced by physicians’ approaches to informing them, parents’ prior knowledge about NBS and CF, and the infant’s health. Parents coped by requesting a sweat test as soon as possible, searching for information, assessing infant’s risk/health, and seeking support. Study 2: Parents of 34 infants with abnormal CF NBS identified preferences for genetic counseling at the time of the sweat test to include probability of a CF diagnosis, description of sweat test procedure, explanation about disease and genetics of CF presented in a straight forward manner by a CF expert. They also identified preferences for emotional support including a choice about the timing and amount of CF information, empathy for their distress, a sense of hope, personalized counseling, and comfort measures. Counseling that matched parents’ preferences decreased emotional distress while mismatched counseling increased distress among parents awaiting their infant’s sweat test results.
Kinetics of the SiH3 + O2 and SiH3 + NO2 reactions

Abstract The reactions SiH3+O2 and SiH3+NO2 were studied over the temperature range 235–512 K using time-resolved infrared diode laser absorption spectroscopy. Observed rate constants are kSiH3+O2 = (2.07±0.34) × 10−12 exp[(469±60)/T] and kSiH3 + NO2 = (2.25±0.48) × 10−11 exp[(264±80)/T] cm3 molecule−1 s−1. These results are consistent with initial SiH3O2 and SiH3NO2 adduct formation followed by possible rearrangement and subsequent dissociation.
Gallium Nitride Based Logpile Photonic Crystals for Visible Lighting.

Photonic crystals (PC) can fundamentally alter the emission behavior of light sources by suitably modifying the electromagnetic environment around them. Strong modulation of the photonic density of states especially by full three-dimensional (3D) bandgap PCs, enables one to completely suppress emission in undesired wavelengths and directions while enhancing desired emission. This property of 3DPC to control spontaneous emission, opens up new regimes of light-matter interaction in particular, energy efficient and high brightness visible lighting. Therefore a 3DPC composed entirely of gallinum nitride (GaN), a key material used in visible light emitting diodes can dramatically impact solid state lighting. The following work demonstrates an all GaN logpile 3DPC with bandgap in the visible fabricated by a template directed epitaxial growth.
Natural control of the cotton fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Reuter) (Hemiptera, Miridae), in Texas

The population dynamics of the cotton fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Reuter), on cotton was predicted using the Texas Cotton Insect Model (TEXCIM) and compared with observed field data from east Texas. The presence of natural enemies and their estimated rate and efficacy of fleahopper consumption were used to calibrate the model to east Texas conditions. A correcting equation was incorporated into the model to account for fleahopper mortality due to rain. Current economic thresholds for cotton fleahoppers were used to determine the frequency of correct decisions made by the model. TEXCIM was free of type I and type II errors in 93% of 71 sampling periods compared with a previous rate of 86% in 57 sampling dates in an earlier version of TEXCIM. Cotton producers may now use either traditional chemical control or monitoring and conserving natural enemies to maximize profits. Zusammenfassung Naturliche Bekampfung der Baumwollwanze Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Reuter) (Hemiptera, Miridae) in Texas Die Populationsdynamik der Wanze Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Reuter) in Baumwolle wurde mittels des “Texas-Baumwoll-Insekten-Modells” (TEXCIM) vorhergesagt und mit beobachteten Felddaten aus Osttexas verglichen. Zur Angleichung des Modells an die Bedingungen in Osttexas wurden die geschatzte Rate und Effizienz der Vertilgung von P. seriatus durch naturliche Feinde verwendet. Um die durch Regen verursachte Mortalitat von P. seriatus in Rechnung zu ziehen, wurde eine Korrektur-gleichung in das Modell eingebaut. Gegenwartige okonomische Schadenschwellen fur P. seriatus wurden verwendet, um die Frequenz der auf das Modell zuruckgehenden Korrektur-Entscheidungen zu bestimmen. TEXCIM erwies sich in 93% von 71 Sammelperioden frei von Irrtumern des Typus I und Typus II, was 86% von 57 Sammelperioden in einer fruheren Version von TEXCIM entspricht. Zwecks Gewinnmaximierung konnen Baumwollproduzenten nun zwischen traditioneller chemischer Bekampfung sowic Uberwachung und Schonung der naturlichen Feinde wahlen.
Design and synthesis of histidine analogues of folic acid and methotrexate as potential folylpolyglutamate synthetase inhibitors

Folypolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS) is responsible for the conversion of naturally occurring folates and antifolates to their poly-gama-glutamyl derivatives, which are the forms required for intracellular retention of folates and are also the preferred substrates (cofactors) for most folate-dependent enzymes. Folate and methotrexate analogues 6 and 4, with L-histidine in place of L-glutamate, were designed and synthesized as potential FPGS inhibitors. Target compound 5, the N tau-(carboxymethyl)-L-histidine derivative of 4, was also prepared. Compounds 4 and 5 inhibited the growth of L1210 cells (IC50 values: 0.091 and 0.15 microM, respectively) and were potent inhibitors of L1210 dihydrofolate reductase. No significant inhibition of FPGS by 4, 5, or 6 was observed at the high pH of the standard enzyme assay. This could be the consequence of a lack of protonation of the basic side chains, which is likely to be required for FPGS inhibitory activity. The observed cytotoxicity indicates that partial protonation of the imidazole ring permits cellular uptake of the analogues.
Optimized protocols for the isolation of specific protein-binding peptides or peptoids from combinatorial libraries displayed on beads

Many methods have been published by which combinatorial libraries may be screened for compounds capable of manipulating the function(s) of a target protein. One of the simplest approaches is to identify compounds in a library that bind the protein of interest, since these binding events usually occur on functionally important surfaces of the protein. These protein-binding compounds could also be of utility as protein capture agents in the construction of protein-detecting microarrays or related analytical devices and as reagents for the affinity purification of proteins from complex mixtures. In this article, we provide optimized methods for screening libraries of molecules displayed on the beads on which they were synthesized. This is a particularly convenient format for library screening for laboratories with limited budgets and modest robotics capabilities.
Cloud/big data computing for defense

The ever growing necessity for Big Data processing within the industry, government, and specially within defense applications causes the need and requirement for the fast development of new technologies. In addition, the protection of Big Data can be a serious problem because security is commonly an afterthought during technology development, and the exponentially increasing rate at which new data is generated presents many challenges. Although conventional Turing computation has been remarkably successful, it does not scale well and is failing to adapt to novel application domains in cyberspace. Fortunately, Turing formalism for computation represents only a subset of all possible computational possibilities. Unconventional computing - the quest for new algorithms and physical implementations of novel computing paradigms based on and inspired by principles of information processing in physical and biological systems - may help to solve some of the information overflow problems facing the Defense community. These and other topics will be covered by our diverse panel of experts.
Gastrointestinal endoscopic ultrasonography

Although conventional endoscopy provides excellent visualization of gastrointestinal mucosa, it provides little information about intramural or nearby extramural lesions. The imaging of intraabdominal structures by conventional transabdominal ultrasound is degraded by ultrasound energy attenuation with distance. The provision of an ultrasound probe on a flexible gastrointestinal endoscope, to form an echoendoscope, provides excellent imaging of the gastrointestinal wall and of adjacent extramural structures. During the last two decades, endoscopic ultrasound, using an echoendoscope, has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases that affect the submucosa, deep bowel wall, and adjacent extramural structures. This article reviews the role of endoscopic ultrasound in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal disease, including standard and promising new applications, as well as standard and emerging new technology.
Correct blame for contracts: no more scapegoating

Behavioral software contracts supplement interface information with logical assertions. A rigorous enforcement of contracts provides useful feedback to developers if it signals contract violations as soon as they occur and if it assigns blame to violators with preciseexplanations. Correct blame assignment gets programmers started with the debugging process and can significantly decrease the time needed to discover and fix bugs.Sadly the literature on contracts lacks a framework for making statements about the correctness of blame assignment and for validating such statements. This paper fills the gap and uses the framework to demonstrate how one of the proposed semantics for higher-order contracts satisfies this criteria and another semantics occasionally assigns blame to the wrong module.Concretely, the paper applies the framework to the lax enforcement of dependent higher-order contracts and the picky one. A higher-order dependent contract specifies constraints for the domain and range of higher-order functions and also relates arguments and results in auxiliary assertions. The picky semantics ensures that the use of arguments in the auxiliary assertion satisfies the domain contracts and the lax one does not. While the picky semantics discovers more contract violations than the lax one, it occasionally blames the wrong module. Hence the paper also introduces a third semantics, dubbed indy, which fixes the problems of the picky semantics without giving up its advantages.
Campylobacter jejuni infection as a cause of the Guillain-Barré syndrome

A previously unrecognized sequelum of infection with Campylobacter jejuni, a common cause of gastroenteritis, is Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). GBS is the most common cause of acute neuromuscular paralysis; 30% to 40% of cases are preceded by C. jejuni infection. Both patient and bacterial characteristics likely play a role in the pathogenesis of C. jejuni-induced GBS. Molecular mimicry between the LPS of some campylobacters and structures present on the gangliosides of the peripheral nerve may explain how this acute infectious diarrheal illness triggers GBS.
THEORY AND ESSENTIALISM IN MARXIST GEOGRAPHY

Many Marxist geographers are involved in the current attempt within human geography to create nonessentialist forms of social explanation. This project has been carried forward with great, though uneven, success. I argue that the concept of ‘theory’ is an area of our discourse where essentialism tenaciously persists. I explore some essentialist meanings of ‘theory’ in Marxist geography and offer a nonessentialist alternative meaning, embedded within an explicitly nonessentialist Marxism.
A Course in Professional Practice for Juniors

To better prepare our students for working with multidisciplinary teams on large projects, the University of Hartford College of Engineering has introduced a junior course entitled Engineering Practice. This one credit course is taken jointly by junior students from all engineering disciplines. The main goal of the course is to have the students work on a large project where the decisions made by other groups will affect choices made by their group and to reinforce the reality that most engineering projects require engineers to work in multi-disciplinary teams. A third goal is to show that engineers must present their work to political or regulatory bodies for a project to be approved. This course has now been taught for 3 years. The results of the evaluation of the course by the students and faculty will be discussed
Insect/Mammal Associations: Effects of Cuterebrid Bot Fly Parasites on Their Hosts

The effect of parasites on their hosts has implications for basic and applied ecology (e.g., species' population dynamics and distributions, biological control, and threats to at-risk species) and coevolution. Cuterebrid bot flies comprise one of the most-studied groups of insect parasites of mammals. Interest in their impact dates from at least 1857, when Cuterebra emasculator was so named because of the erroneous belief that its larvae castrate their hosts. This review addresses the effects of cuterebrid larvae on host biochemistry, physiology, behavior, and ecology. Despite high prevalence (peak values commonly range from 30% to 70%), at average intensities (one to three larvae per host) these parasites generally have little effect on the fitness or population dynamics of their typical hosts. This outcome likely reflects parasite/host coevolution favoring parasites that minimize harmful effects on hosts required for their survival and hosts that best tolerate perennial parasites they cannot avoid. In contrast, aggravated effects occur at higher intensities and with atypical hosts. Additional field studies involving experimental manipulation of infestation and spanning more than a few seasons are required to confirm these conclusions.
Synthesis, regulation and utilization of lignocellulosic biomass

Increasing the range of fuels and bioproducts that are derived from lignocellulosic biomass and the efficiency at which they are produced hinges on a detailed understanding of the cell wall biosynthetic process. Herein, we review the structure and biosynthesis of lignocellulosic biomass and also highlight recent breakthroughs that demonstrate a complex regulatory system of transcription factors, small interfering RNAs and phosphorylation that ultimately dictate the development of the polyalaminate cell wall. Finally, we provide an update on cases where plant biotechnology has been used to improve lignocellulosic biomass utilization as a second-generation biofuel source.
Evaluation of the homogeneity of stabilised/solidified wastes by a video imaging technique

Abstract A video imaging technique is described for the homogeneity assessment of wastes that have been treated by stabilisation/solidification (S/S). The method incorporates a fluorescent tracer into the S/S reagent. A test “waste” consisting of an artificial soil was stabilised/solidified with varying degrees of mixing using Portland cement as the S/S reagent. The tracer distribution was monitored with a video camera, and the cement distribution was determined by chemical analysis for calcium. Measurement of the homogeneity of the products by the video imaging technique gave results comparable to those obtained by the chemical analysis. The results warrant use of the video imaging technique in field applications since it is easier, cheaper and faster than traditional chemical methods.
Switched-capacitor based implantable low-power wireless microstimulating systems

The main objective of this paper is to introduce a new category of implantable wireless microstimulators based on discharging a series of small capacitors to inject quantized lumps of electric charge into the excitable tissue, namely switched-capacitor based micro-stimulators (SCS). In this method, the total amount of charge per stimulation phase can be controlled by changing the initial and final capacitor voltages as well as the number of capacitors being discharged. The rate of discharge, which is the stimulus current, is also a controllable parameter that adds more flexibility to this stimulation approach, while improving the implant safety. The key reason for adopting SCS in implantable low-power devices was to combine the power efficiency of the voltage-controlled stimulators (VCS) with the safety and stimulation parameter controllability of the current-controlled stimulation (CCS) circuits. In addition, the SCS technique substantially simplifies the microstimulator architecture, and depending on the application, can potentially reduce the implant size and power requirements. It also provides an opportunity to apply different stimulus waveforms to the excitable tissue that can be more efficacious in activating the surrounding nerve or muscle fibers compared to the commonly used square-shaped pulses.
System of tectonic features common to Earth, Mars, and Venus

Investigations of landforms on the terrestrial planets have revealed a system of tectonic features consisting of long, narrow, regularly spaced folds and/or thrust faults, referred to as wrinkle ridges, and conjugate sets of cross- trending strike-slip faults. These are observed in the Yakima fold belt of the Columbia Plateau, Earth, the ridged plains of the Tharsis province, Mars, and the lowland plains of Lavinia Planitia, Venus. The wrinkle ridges and strike- slip faults reflect a relatively small amount of crustal shortening in these regions of distributed deformation. The observed geometric relations between the structures are consistent with those predicted by the Coulomb-Anderson model. Although the tectonic settings of the provinces studied on the three planets are very different, the crustal materials appear to have deformed in a similar manner.
Control Laws for a Dual-Spin Stabilized Platform

This paper describes two attitude control laws suitable for atmospheric flight vehicles with a steady angular momentum bias in the vehicle yaw axis. This bias is assumed to be provided by an internal flywheel, and is introduced to enhance roll and pitch stiffness. The first control law is based on Lyapunov stability theory, and stability proofs are given. The second control law, which assumes that the angular momentum bias is large, is based on a classical PID control. It is shown that the large yaw-axis bias requires that the PI feedback component on the roll and pitch angle errors be cross-fed. Both control laws are applied to a vehicle simulation in the presence of disturbances for several values of yaw-axis angular momentum bias. It is seen that both control laws provide a significant improvement in attitude performance when the bias is sufficiently large, but the nonlinear control law is also able to provide improved performance for a small value of bias. This is important because the smaller bias corresponds to a smaller requirement for mass to be dedicated to the flywheel.
Wiki-Watchdog: Anomaly Detection in Wikipedia Through a Distributional Lens

Wikipedia has become a standard source of reference online, and many people (some unknowingly) now trust this corpus of knowledge as an authority to fulfil their information requirements. In doing so they task the human contributors of Wikipedia with maintaining the accuracy of articles, a job that these contributors have been performing admirably. We study the problem of monitoring the Wikipedia corpus with the goal of \emph{automated, online} anomaly detection. We present Wiki-watchdog, an efficient \emph{distribution-based} methodology that monitors distributions of revision activity for changes. We show that using our methods it is possible to detect the activity of bots, flash events, and outages, as they occur. Our methods are proposed to support the monitoring of the contributors. They are useful to speed-up anomaly detection, and identify events that are hard to detect manually. We show the efficacy and the low false-positive rate of our methods by experiments on the revision history of Wikipedia. Our results show that distribution-based anomaly detection has a higher detection rate than traditional methods based on either volume or entropy alone. Unlike previous work on anomaly detection in information networks that worked with a static network graph, our methods consider the network \emph{as it evolves} and monitors properties of the network for changes. Although our methodology is developed and evaluated on Wikipedia, we believe it is an effective generic anomaly detection framework in its own right.
Statistical process control and the drive for six sigma in a VLSI pilot line

The requirements of semiconductor device manufacturing and defense industry needs are continually demanding tighter process control and reduced levels of defects. Statistical process control (SPC) techniques are required to meet these requirements. The VLSI pilot line has implemented SPC control in manufacturing on all products. Online charts are used to identify and correct problems as quickly as possible and capability indices are used to drive continuous improvement. >
Application of Multicategory Exposure Marginal Structural Models to Investigate the Association between Long-Acting Beta-Agonists and Prescribing of Oral Corticosteroids for Asthma Exacerbations in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink

Abstract Objective To examine the comparative effectiveness of inhaled long-acting beta-agonist (LABA), inhaled corticosteroid (ICS), and ICS/LABA combinations. Methods We used a retrospective cohort design of patients older than 12 years with asthma diagnosis in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink to evaluate asthma-related morbidity measured by oral corticosteroid (OCS) initiation within 12 months of initiating LABAs, ICSs, or ICSs/LABAs. Asthma severity 12 months before drug initiation (use of OCSs, asthma-related hospital or emergency department visits, and number of short-acting beta-agonist prescriptions) and during follow-up (short-acting beta-agonist prescriptions and total number of asthma drug classes) was adjusted as a time-varying variable via marginal structural models. Results A total of 51,103 patients with asthma were followed for 12 months after receiving first prescription for study drugs from 1993 to 2010. About 92% initiated ICSs, 1% initiated LABAs, and 7% initiated ICSs/LABAs. Compared with ICSs, LABAs were associated with a 10% increased risk of asthma exacerbations requiring short courses of OCSs (hazard ratio [HR] 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07–1.18). ICS/LABA initiators were 62% less likely than ICS initiators (HR 0.38; 95% CI 0.12–0.66) and 50% less likely than LABA initiators to receive OCS prescriptions for asthma exacerbations (HR 0.50; 95% CI 0.14–0.78). Conclusions In concordance with current asthma management guidelines, inhaled LABAs should not be prescribed as monotherapy to patients with asthma. The findings suggest the presence of time-dependent confounding by asthma severity, which was accounted for by the marginal structural model.