cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The minimum codeword length and redundancy in the binary Huffman code for uncertain sources

Bounds to the length of the shortest codeword in a binary Huffman code are obtained. Among them are bounds assuming knowledge of different subsets of the probability distribution. Each is shown to be the tightest possible bound for the subset of probabilities it presumes. Two lower bounds to the redundancy of the Huffman code are also obtained. They are also shown to be the tightest possible bounds. >
High-resolution spectroscopy on trapped molecular ions in rotating electric fields: A new approach for measuring the electron electric dipole moment

High-resolution molecular spectroscopy is a sensitive probe for violations of fundamental symmetries. Symmetry violation searches often require, or are enhanced by, the application of an electric field to the system under investigation. This typically precludes the study of molecular ions due to their inherent acceleration under these conditions. Circumventing this problem would be of great benefit to the high-resolution molecular spectroscopy community since ions allow for simple trapping and long interrogation times, two desirable qualities for precision measurements. Our proposed solution is to apply an electric field that rotates at radio frequencies. We discuss considerations for experimental design as well as challenges in performing precision spectroscopic measurements in rapidly time-varying electric fields. Ongoing molecular spectroscopy work that could benefit from our approach is summarized. In particular, we detail how spectroscopy on a trapped diatomic molecular ion with a ground or metastable 3 D1 level
Analysis of Mixing and Thermal Effects on Low-Temperature Combustion in IC Engine Operation

The effects of thermal and mixing conditions of the in-cylinder charge in internal combustion (IC) engines on emissions in low-temperature combustion (LTC) regimes are analyzed numerically. In the analysis, concepts of an equilibrium temperature (Teq), peak temperature (Tpeak), and anticipated emissions (AE) are introduced. Also, mixture condition representations in temperature (T) vs. temperature (T) space (called T − T plot) and anticipated emissions (AE) vs. temperature (T) space (called AE − T plot) are proposed to represent the in-cylinder mixture quality and emission characteristics of the combustion. Five combustion pathways are identified using a Tpeak − Teq plot, and it is applied to describe both HCCI and DI engine combustion. An optimal temperature window and an optimal mixing window are defined and demonstrated in LTC engine operation. The results show that stratification of mixture temperature due to evaporation cooling and wall heat transfer significantly affects UHC/CO emissions of LTC engi...
Fabrication and Initial Characterization of 600 V 4H-SiC RESURF-type JFETs

A RESURF-type JFET is a suitable structure as a lateral switching device with a breakdown voltage of above 600 V for an inverter module which drives motors of an electric or hybrid automobile. In this study, 600 V RESURF-type JFETs were fabricated to investigate the operation and characteristics. The drift region between the drain and the source areas has a double RESURF structure to reduce the on-resistance. At first, small devices were fabricated. The width and length of the channel are 200 μm and 10 μm, respectively. The distance between the drain and the gate areas, which is the drift length, is 15 μm. The saturation current normally-off device is about 0.6 mA at a gate voltage of 3 V. The specific on-resistance is about 160mΩcm2. The maximum breakdown voltage is 720 V. Next, large ones were fabricated. The width of the channel is 80 mm. The saturation current normally-on device is about 0.5 A at a gate voltage of 2 V. The specific on-resistance is about 200mΩcm2. The maximum breakdown voltage is 250 V.
Electron-microscopic examination of human milk particularly from women having family record of breast cancer.

Summary1. Ten samples of human milk collected from young, healthy, nursing women, whose sisters, mothers, or grandmothers had breast cancer, were examined with the aid of an electron microscope. Spherical particles, of a smooth surface and a high density† to the electron beam, varying in diameter from 20 to 200 mμ, in some instances grouped in pairs, or clusters, were found in all samples; they were particularly numerous, however, in 5 of the 10 samples examined. These spherical particles appeared to be similar to those previously observed in mouse milk known to contain the mouse mammary carcinoma agent.2. Thirty-two control human milk samples, collected from young, healthy, nursing women having a family record apparently free from any malignant tumors for 2 preceding generations, were also examined with the aid of an electron microscope. Eleven of them were found to contain spherical particles essentially similar to those described above. Of the remaining 21 control milk samples, 17 were found to contain...
The equivalent circuit of an arbitrarily doped field-effect transistor

Abstract A complete, small-signal, low-frequency equivalent circuit is developed for a field-effect transistor (FET) with an arbitrary (one-dimensional) impurity distribution. The gradual approximation is employed, and the effects of the capacitive current that flows between the channel and the gate are included in the derivation of the partial differential equation governing the channel potential. The approximate solution of this nonlinear equation yields the equivalent circuit. In addition to the expected source-gate and drain-gate capacitances, forward transconductance, and output conductance, the circuit contains two “new” elements: a forward transfer capacitance present both below and beyond pinch-off, and a (negative) drain-source capacitance present below pinch-off. Measurements on a wide variety of FET's substantiate these theoretical results. The circuit is valid for radian frequencies ω satisfying ω ⪡ μW0/L2, where μ is the carrier mobility, W0 is the pinch-off voltage, and L is the length of the channel. The frequency limitations of the equivalent circuit and, indeed, of most previous analyses that are based on the gradual approximation arise because of the breakdown of that approximation at higher frequencies.
Olivine-spinel equilibria in lherzolite xenoliths from San Quintin, Baja California

Partitioning of Mg-Fe 2+ between coexisting olivine and spinel is examined in sixty-eight lherzolite xenoliths that range from relatively undeformed rocks through intermediate varieties to extremely deformed and recrystallized tectonites. The partitioning data is plotted in a two-dimensional diagram whose axes represent (ln K D − 4 × Y Fe 3+ SP ) and Y Cr SP . The different textural types can be distinguished from each other with reference to two isotherms (700°C and 1200°C) empirically determined by Evans and Frost. The less deformed rocks fall nearer the 1200°C isotherm, whereas the more deformed rocks fall close to the 700°C isotherm with the intermediate varieties falling in between. The same relationship has been found in the same suite of rocks using the two-pyroxene thermometer.
Effects of intermetallic morphology at the metallic particle/solder interface on mechanical properties of Sn-Ag-based solder joints

Mechanical incorporation of metallic particles in the Sn-Ag-based solder resulted in various intermetallic compound (IMC) morphologies around these particles during reflow. Unlike with the Ni particles, the IMCs formed around Cu and Ag particles are relatively insensitive to reflow profiles employed. The IMC formed around the Ni particles ranges from “sunflower” morphology to “blocky” morphology with increasing time and temperature above liquidus during the heating part of the reflow profile. Mechanical properties, such as simple shear strength and creep behavior, of these composite solders were affected by the IMC morphologies in the composite solders investigated. Sunflower-shaped IMC formed around an Ni particles resulted in higher simple shear strength and better creep properties.
Image deformations are better than optical flow

In many computer vision applications it is necessary to compute the direction of heading of a moving camera from the images it produces. Traditionally, this computation has been based on the optical flow, that is, on the motion of point features in the field of view. We show that the differential changes in the angles between the projection rays of pairs of point features are a better input for this purpose. These angles, the image deformations, do not depend on viewer rotation, so the key problem of separating the effects of rotation from those of translation is solved at the input. Experiments show both the feasibility of the method on real images and the advantages of using deformations rather than optical flow.
Robust force control of a robot manipulator

In this article, we develop a robust position/force controller based on the impedance approach without requiring exact knowledge of the robot dynamics. The controller is constructed so that a desired positional trajectory can be followed along the surface of the environment while the forces exerted on the environmental surface are regulated according to a target impedance. A global uniform ultimate boundedness result is ob tained for the position tracking error and the force regulation error (i.e., the error between the actual manipulator impedance and the desired target impedance). The controller only requires measurement of the end-effector force, joint velocity, and joint position.
Necessary condition for the quantum adiabatic approximation

A gapped quantum system that is adiabatically perturbed remains approximately in its eigenstate after the evolution. We prove that, for constant gap, general quantum processes that approximately prepare the final eigenstate require a minimum time proportional to the ratio of the length of the eigenstate path to the gap. Thus, no rigorous adiabatic condition can yield a smaller cost. We also give a necessary condition for the adiabatic approximation that depends on local properties of the path, which is appropriate when the gap varies.
Related functions of mGlu4 and mGlu8

Metabotropic glutamate receptors modulate glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmission. Our previous pharmacological data indicate that metabotropic receptor 4 (mGlu4) and metabotropic receptor 8 (mGlu8) might have related and overlapping functions. We explored this by analyzing the behavioral phenotypes of mice deficient in either (mGlu4(-/-) or mGlu8(-/-)) or both receptors (mGlu4/8(-/-)). Our analysis focused on measures of anxiety in the open field and elevated zero maze, sensorimotor function on the rotarod and fear conditioning, as mGlu4 and/or mGlu8 were shown to affect performance in these tests. mGlu8(-/-) mice weighed more than mGlu4/8(-/-) mice. In the open field, mGlu4(-/-) mice showed lower levels of anxiety than mGlu8(-/-) and mGlu4/8(-/-) mice. In the elevated zero maze, mGlu4(-/-) mice showed lower levels of anxiety than wild-type, mGlu8(-/-) and mGlu4/8(-/-) mice. In the open field, but not elevated zero maze, mGlu4(-/-) mice showed lower activity levels than wild-type, mGlu8(-/-) and mGlu4/8(-/-) mice. mGlu4/8(-/-) female mice showed less contextual freezing than wild-type and mGlu4(-/-) female mice and there was a trend toward less freezing in male mGlu4/8(-/-) than wild-type male mice. There were no genotype differences in cued fear conditioning. There were significant negative correlations between body weight and fall latency on the rotarod in wild-type, mGlu8(-/-) and mGlu4/8(-/-), but not mGlu4(-/-), mice. These data suggest related functions of mGlu4 and mGlu8 in behavioral performance.
The covariance of relatives derived from a random mating population.

Abstract Attention is drawn to errors common in the derivation of forms for the genotypic covariance of noninbred relatives from a Hardy-Weinberg population of diploids. A synthesis of Fisher's least-squares method of partitioning the genotypic variance and Malecot's probability method of expressing kinship, yields a general form. For one locus, the form is (P ss + P sd + P ds + P dd ) 1 2 σ a 2 + (P ss P dd + P sd P ds ) σa d 2 , where σa2 is the additive genetic variance, αd2 is the variance of dominance deviations, pij is the probability that parental gamete i is identical by descent to parental gamete j, i = s, d indexes the parents of one relative, and j = s, d indexes those of the other. The form provides a framework for obtaining the covariance of relatives from an equilibrium population with linkage.
Estimation of the number of hypotheses in a concept learning task

Bayesian probability-revision formulae comprise a normative model for concept learning tasks. In an initial study suggested by this consideration, 48 Ss estimated the number of tenable hypotheses remaining on each of 13 trials. On a separate task the same Ss gave one hypothesis on each trial, together with a confidence judgment Median scores indicated considerable accuracy on both tasks following the first three trials.
Central nervous system vasculitis in the intensive care unit.

Intensivists are sometimes faced with unexplained neurologic defects in ICU patients. A subacute presentation over weeks or months characterized by headache and mental status change with focal deficits in the absence of evidence of secondary vasculitis or other diseases mentioned in the differential diagnosis should arouse suspicion of primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS). Delay in diagnosis of this rare condition may lead to additional morbidity and prolong ICU stay. There is also a risk of permanent cognitive dysfunction with untreated PACNS. A reactive CSF picture, ischemic changes on MR imaging, and alterations in vessel caliber on cerebral angiography are not diagnostic but strengthen the evidence for PACNS. A brain biopsy may be required to confirm the diagnosis. High-dose steroid therapy with a prolonged course and gradual taper controls the disease in most cases. Additional immunosuppressive therapy is needed in some patients.
Optoelectronic properties of Germanium islands formed on Silicon using Stranski-Krastanov growth by MBE

We report on the optoelectronic properties of bulk Germanium islands formed on Silicon by Molecular Beam Epitaxy. More specifically, we will discuss the role of strains and doping in favoring efficient light-emission at telecommunication wavelengths.
DETERMINATION OF CADMIUM, CHROMIUM, COPPER, IRON, LEAD, AND ZINC IN OYSTERS FROM SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA BY INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA-OPTICAL EMISSION SPECTROMETRY

This article presents a follow-up, a more comprehensive and extensive study to a previous, but limited study on three metals in oysters from the West Cove area of Lake Calcasieu in Southwest Louisiana. Results from a two-sampling period in mid-October and mid-December 2009 showed concentrations levels in μg/g (mean of 15 oysters, ± standard deviation, and range) as determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) of cadmium, 5.0, ±0.5, 4.0–6.3, and 3.0, ±0.5, 1.8–5.3; chromium, 3.1, ±0.6, 2.0–3.6, and 1.7, ±0.6, 0.7–3.0; copper, 125.0, ±115, 58–245, and 115, ±45, 76–228; iron, 224, ±66, 142–403, and 311, ±111, 160–559; lead, 3.4, ±0.7, 1.6–5.8, and 4.7, ±2.3, 0.7–13; and zinc, 1859, ±774, 740–3471, and 1578, ±783, 692–3056. These concentrations were lower by at least a factor of 10 from the previous study on cadmium and lead but similar to store-bought oysters. The two sampling period concentrations were not statistically different for the two sampling month periods. The lo...
The Relationship Between the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and Preschool Gross Motor and Cognitive Performance

Early identification of disabilities enables early intervention by occupational therapists and other health professionals. Because the number of children who can be seen in therapy is limited, it is important to be able to identify those infants most likely to have deficits at a later age. Therefore, it is necessary to study and understand the relationship between infants' scores on early developmental assessments and later developmental outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) during the first 2 years of life are related to motor and cognitive performance at 4 1/2 years for a sample of children identified at birth as biologically high risk. This retrospective study involved 70 children who were evaluated at corrected ages of 4 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 4 1/2 years. The 4-month BSID Mental and Motor Scale scores did not relate significantly to later cognitive motor performance. In contrast, the 12-month BSID Mental Scale scores related significantly to preschool scores on both the motor and cognitive measures. However, the 24-month BSID Mental Scale scores related significantly only to scores on the preschool cognitive measures. Though significant, these correlation coefficients had small magnitudes. Thus, therapists should be cautious about using BSID testing at 4 months, 1 year, and 2 years when attempting to predict later preschool performance.
Targeting abasic sites and single base bulges in DNA with metalloinsertors.

The site-specific recognition of abasic sites and single base bulges in duplex DNA by sterically expansive rhodium metalloinsertors has been investigated. Through DNA photocleavage experiments, Rh(bpy)_2(chrysi)^(3+) is shown to bind both abasic sites and single base bulges site-specifically and, upon irradiation, to cleave the backbone of the defect-containing DNA. Photocleavage titrations reveal that the metal complex binds DNA containing an abasic site with high affinity (2.6(5) × 10^6 M^(−1)), comparably to the metalloinsertor and a CC mismatch. The complex binds single base bulge sites with lower affinity (∼10^5 M^(−1)). Analysis of cleavage products and the correlation of affinities with helix destabilization suggest that Rh(bpy)_2(chrysi)^(3+) binds both lesions via metalloinsertion, as observed for Rh binding at mismatched sites, a binding mode in which the mismatched or unpaired bases are extruded from the helix and replaced in the base stack by the sterically expansive ligand of the metalloinsertor.
Induction of tumour immunity by targeted inhibition of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay

Whereas tumor progression in cancer patients can elicit a weak immune response which keeps the tumor in check, albeit transiently, the weak antigenicity of the tumor provides the time and opportunity for the tumor to elaborate immune evasion mechanisms. Weak antigenicity is, therefore, the root cause why tumors escape immune control. We have recently described a way to activate the antitumor immune response that is fundamentally different from current strategies collectively referred to as “cancer vaccination,” because instead of stimulating immune responses against existing and mostly weak, tumor antigens, novel, and thereby potent, antigens are induced de novo in the disseminated tumor lesions of the patient. The approach is to inhibit a process in the tumor cells known as nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). The physiological role of NMD is to eliminate defective products generated in the cells, and therefore inhibiting the NMD process will lead to the accumulation of defective products, some of which will encode novel, and thereby potent, antigens to which the immune system has not been tolerized. Inhibition of NMD was accomplished using chemically synthesized siRNAs to downregulate key mediators of the NMD process such as Smg-1 or Upf-2. However, since NMD is a constitutive process that operates in all the somatic cells of the body, global inhibition of NMD could lead to system-wide autoimmune pathology. To obviate the risk of autoimmunity, NMD inhibition was limited to the disseminated tumor lesions by targeted delivery of siRNAs conjugated to oligonucleotide aptamer ligands that bind to receptors expressed preferentially, if not exclusively, on the tumor cells. We have shown that in subcutaneous and metastatic murine tumor models, the tumor-targeted delivery of NMD factor siRNAs led to significant inhibition of tumor growth which was superior to that of a gold standard “conventional” cancer vaccination protocol. Tumor-targeted NMD inhibition forms the basis of a simple, broadly useful, and clinically feasible approach to enhance the antigenicity of disseminated tumors leading to their immune recognition and rejection. The cell-free chemically synthesized oligonucleotide backbone of aptamer–siRNAs reduces the risk of immunogenicity and enhances the feasibility of generating reagents suitable for clinical use.
Age-Specific Distribution of Serum Thyrotropin and Antithyroid Antibodies in the U.S. Population: Implications for the Prevalence of Subclinical Hypothyroidism

Context: Measurements from all age groups defined the upper limit of the TSH reference range in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. The TSH median, 97.5 centile and prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH), normal serum T4 and TSH greater than 4.5 mIU/liter, increased progressively with age. Age-adjusted reference ranges would include many people with TSH greater than 4.5 mIU/liter. Objective: We determined whether increasing 50 and 97.5 centiles with age resulted from more patients with SCH in populations with normal TSH distribution or whether age-specific population shifts to higher serum TSH might account for these findings. Design/Setting/Patients: We analyzed TSH, antithyroid antibodies, and TSH frequency distribution curves for specific age deciles in populations without thyroid disease, with or without antithyroid antibodies. Results: Without thyroid disease, 10.6% of 20- to 29-yr-olds had TSH greater than 2.5 mIU/liter, increasing to 40% in the 80+ group, 14.5% of whom had...
'Fashion in undress': Clothing and Commodity Culture in Household Words

The miscellaneous clothing of the Marshalsea poor is marked by dis possession in a way that thwarts the establishment of identity. The haphazard combination of patched and misshapen garments produces a scene of undifferentiated poverty. While Mrs Clennam’s worsted gloves and widow’s dress serve to express her cold and embittered selfhood – ‘There was a smell of black dye in the airless room, which the fire had been drawing out of the crape and stuff of the widow’s dress for fifteen months’ (27) – the marginality of the Marshalsea go-betweens is ironically emphasized by the fact that their clothing is so worn-out as to be beyond resale in the cast-off market. Not only do they lack a coherent ensemble, their garments are imbued with the traces of other lives, and their lack of ‘sartorial existence’ is a measure of their social occlusion. Dickens’s description assumes a continuity between clothing and identity as normative only to call that assumption into question as part of the narrative’s social critique. The idea of ‘sartorial existence’, or the lack thereof, in Little Dorrit, points to the more general function of clothing as a symbolic ex pression of identity in Victorian culture, as well as to its particular use in the nineteenth-century novel to define fictional character. Dress is a sign
Portfolio Balance and Exchange Rate Stability

Mundell [S] demonstrated that the dynamic properties of an open economy depend upon the fixity of the exchange rate and the degree of capital mobility. However, his treatment of the demand for assets as representing a flow-instead of a stock-demand has come under sharp criticism (e.g., [2] ). In particular, it is argued that asset demands represent demands for stocks, whereas asset flows are transitory in that they represent attempts to equilibrate actual and desired asset holdings. Using a portfolio model, Mathieson [4]-in direct contrast to Mundell-found that a flexible exchange rate ensures a direct approach towards equilibrium, whereas the approach with a fixed rate can be cyclical or direct. Mathieson's results were based on a model1 incorporating the standard small country assumptions: (a) the country in question cannot alter income in the rest of the world; and (b) if there is capital mobility and there are no governmental restrictions, the small country cannot alter the world interest rate. This paper shows that both the static and dynamic properties of the McKinnonJones model (hence Mathieson's results) are not applicable to large countries. Large countries can produce large changes in the stocks of assets that determine the interest rate, thereby gaining control of their money supply. A H1xed exchange rate system is unambiguously stable in a two-country model, but flexible exchange rates may be unstable if residents of one country hold assets denominated in the currency unit of tlle other country.
Early Duplex-derived Hemodynamic Parameters after Lower Extremity Bypass in Diabetics: Implications for Mid-term Outcomes

Early postoperative changes in the hemodynamic parameters of infrainguinal bypass grafts in diabetics have not been well defined. We undertook this study to better define such changes in duplex-derived velocities and waveforms, and correlate any observed changes with intermediate-term outcomes. A prospective study of 68 primary vein bypasses for limb salvage was carried out, with scans obtained intraoperatively, daily until discharge, and at 8- to 12-weeks intervals. During follow-up (12 +/- 6 months), 20 grafts developed stenoses, 17 occluded, and 8 limbs were amputated. Most grafts show a variant of a biphasic waveform intraoperatively at the mid-graft (MG) and distal graft (DG) levels (54% and 57%); 65% of waveforms remain unchanged during the first week, and 54% remain unchanged at 3 months. No duplex-derived factors were predictive of the development of stenoses. A number of parameters were predictive of ultimate graft thrombosis. Intraoperative MG velocity was higher in grafts that eventually remained patent (83 +/- 36 vs. 60 +/- 29 cm/sec; p <0.025). Grafts that remained patent also had a much lower decline in DG and distal native (DN) velocities from immediately postoperative to 8-12 weeks later, than grafts that eventually thrombosed (-3 +/- 35 vs. -44 +/- 43 cm/sec for DG, p <0.001; and -17 +/- 66 vs. -76 +/- 53 cm/sec for DN, p <0.04 respectively). In terms of limb salvage, when the MG or DG waveform worsened (from postoperation to 12 weeks later), amputation was more likely than when it remained unchanged or improved (MG 67% vs. 9% limb loss, p <0.04; DG 43% vs. 8% limb loss, p <0.04). We conclude that intensive graft duplex surveillance does not identify grafts likely to develop stenoses. However, a number of features allow the prediction of ultimate graft failure or limb loss.
Gene structure of the rat kainate receptor subunit KA2 and characterization of an intronic negative regulatory region.

Abstract We have isolated and analyzed the structure of the gene grik5 (lutamate eceptor onotropic ainate), encoding the rat kainate receptor subunit KA2. Six overlapping DNA fragments containing the entire grik5 gene were identified in a rat genomic library. grik5 is a unique gene composed of 20 exons that together span over 54 kilobases (kb). Reporter gene analysis demonstrated that 2 kb of grik5 5′-flanking sequence confers tissue-specific expression on a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene in vitro. We show that (i) the first intron of grik5 (3.4 kb) inhibited transcription of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene driven by the 2-kb grik5 5′-flanking region; (ii) the negative regulatory element was located within 500 bp of the 3′-end of intron 1, and this 500-bp fragment selectively bound nuclear proteins isolated from neural and nonneural cells; (iii) the effect of the negative regulatory element on grik5 transcription was orientation- and distance-independent; and (iv) a 24-nucleotide sequence (CTTTCTGTGGCCTCTGACCTTTCC) was identified as the binding site for nuclear proteins within the 500-bp fragment, as determined by footprinting and gel shift assays. We conclude that an intronic element that displays features of a silencer modulates grik5 transcription.
Romantic Relationships and Body Satisfaction Among Young Women

In the present study we examined associations between young women's romantic relationships and their body image. Ninety-five heterosexual couples (women's mean age=22.46 and men's mean age=24.38) participated in this study. We examined young women's satisfaction with their own bodies, their perceptions of their significant others’ satisfaction with their bodies, and their significant others’ actual satisfaction with their bodies using the Contour Drawing Rating Scale women's weight status was assessed using body mass index (BMI). Relationship constructs examined included relationship quality and the length of couples’ romantic relationships. Results indicated that females were more dissatisfied with their bodies than they perceived their significant others to be and were more dissatisfied than their significant others actually were. Analyses further indicated that the longer women had been in a relationship with their significant other, the more likely they were to incorrectly believe that their significant other wanted them to look thinner.
MKS: A conceptually centralized knowledge service for distributed CIM environments

The Manufacturing Knowledge System (MKS) uses a uniform representation of manufacturing knowledge, in combination with uniform access to that knowledge in a distributed environment, to provide a comprehensive computational framework for manufacturing. MKS should be viewed as a meta-CIM system, whose goal is to tie together existing CIM systems and other resources of a large manufacturing enterprise, not to duplicate their functionality. At the core of MKS is a conceptually centralized, object-oriented model containing information that is common to many applications. The model is connected to existing CIM systems, to equipment and to databases which supply up-to-date information about the status of engineering and manufacturing processes. Application modules access the CIM data and each other's services using language independent knowledge service protocols that insulate them from details such as where data or services reside, and how they are called. MKS itself is designed to be both scalable and efficient. It has a distributed implementation that allows incremental growth and robust operation in large and dynamic enterprises. Changing information is communicated to application modules that have registered their interests with the model by means of a message based notification mechanism. The focus in this paper is on the system-level features of the current implementation of MKS. Examples from the domain of semiconductor manufacturing are used to illustrate real world applications.
Scaling dispersion model for pollutant transport in rivers

This communication presents a scale-dependent model, called Scaling Dispersion (SD) Model, for simulating solute dispersion and transport in rivers without using a user-specified residence time distribution function. The SD model consists of (1) the advection dispersion equation with a transient storage term which is characterized by a variable residence time, (2) a new method for estimation of the longitudinal Fickian dispersion coefficient involved in the model, and (3) a split-operator method for numerical solution of the equations involved in the model. Comparisons between the SD model and the most widely used transient storage model against tracer test data observed in three US rivers show that the SD model is capable of simulating different types of residence time distributions commonly observed in streams with an accuracy higher than or at least comparable with existing solute transport models, demonstrating the efficacy of the SD model. The SD model unifies the residence time distributions observed in natural rivers within a single modelling framework for the first time. The SD model provides an efficient and cost effective tool for predicting solute dispersion and transport in streams and rivers.
Modeling and Measuring Productivity in the Agri‐Food Sector: Trends, Causes and Effects

This article overviews recent trends in modeling and measuring productivity patterns, and in distinguishing their determinants and implications, for the agri-food sector. Theoretical methodologies as well as empirical implementation and results are discussed, with a view toward identifying those with potential for facilitating understanding of productivity measures, and ultimately using them for policy guidance. Productivity growth evidence for the food systems of the U.S., Canada and the U.K. is summarized, and recent studies distinguishing underlying causes of production structure patterns and linking them with market-structure patterns are reviewed, as a basis for assessing the key messages from and trends in this literature. L'auteurfait un survol de revolution recente dans les domaines de la modelisation et de la mesure des courbes de productivite ainsi que de la caracterisation de leurs determinants et de leurs significations pour le secteur agroalimentaire. Il passe en revue les methodes theoriques aussi bien que les applications empiriques et leurs resultats afin d'en degager ceux qui pourraient faciliter la comprehension des mesures de la productivite et qui, eventuellement, pourraient servir de guide awe decideurs. L'auteur analyse les signes de croissance de la productivite des filieres agroalimentaires observes aux Etats-Unis, au Canada et au Royaume-Uni. Enfln il examine les etudes recentes sur les causes sous-jacentes des evolutions des structures de production et sur leurs liens avec l'evolution des structures de marche, dans le but d'en degager les messages et les tendances des.
Random error in additive decompositions of multiattribute utility

Decomposition is a common strategy for dealing with the complexity of multiattribute decision problems. A cognitively demanding task is broken down into tasks requiring simpler, perhaps easier, judgments which can then be aggregated. But individual judgments can be inconsistent in systematic or random fashion and when aggregated there is the possibility of propagation of this inconsistency. In this paper inconsistency in the form of random error is investigated in the context of additive decomposition of multiattribute utility. The process of aggregation of random error is studied and a comparison made with random error in holistic estimates of multiattribute utility. Conditions under which decomposition improves the consistency of the multiattribute utility estimate are presented and discussed.
Determinants of an abnormal septal curvature in chronic pulmonary hypertension.

Background Even though systolic eccentricity index has been traditionally categorized based on right ventricular (RV) pressure overload, which hemodynamic component is particularly responsible for modulating leftward ventricular septal bowing (LVSB) in chronic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is less well-known. Methods Therefore, currently used echocardiographic variables, as suggested by the American Society of Echocardiography, for evaluation of RV performance were evaluated in 60 patients to determine which of these commonly used parameters best determine an abnormal LVSB in chronic PAH patients. Results In a stepwise multiple regression analysis of the echocardiographic variables used in this study, elevated pulmonary artery systolic pressures was the best discriminatory variable to identify an abnormal LVSB at any level along the interventricular septum in chronic PAH patients followed by smaller left ventricular end-diastolic volumes and larger RV end-systolic areas. Conclusion Progressive RV failure in chronic PAH not only is associated with a decline in longitudinal base to apical motion of the annulus; but also with reduced inward displacement of the RV free wall. Additional reduction in RV systolic function also occurs as a result of progressive displacement of the interventricular septum toward the left ventricle. Therefore, as measures of LVSB along the interventricular septum not only are easily obtained and related to RV systolic performance in chronic PAH patients, routine use of these parameters might be helpful in monitoring decline of RV function as well as progression of end-stage PAH.
The Magnitude of Whole Brain Dopamine Depletion from Prenatal Cocaine Exposure is Inversely Related to Brain Cocaine Levels and is a Function of Uterine Position 282

The Magnitude of Whole Brain Dopamine Depletion from Prenatal Cocaine Exposure is Inversely Related to Brain Cocaine Levels and is a Function of Uterine Position 282
Calculated electron excitation cross sections for excited state-excited state transitions in alkali atoms

Abstract Electron excitation cross sections for optically allowed excited state-excited state transitions in lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and cesium have been calculated in the first Born approximation. An analytical Coulomb approximation is used to evaluate the transition matrix element of the valence electron. Cross sections are given for incident electron energies from 1.02 to 1000 in threshold units. The accuracy of the calculation is tested by comparing oscillator strengths computed in the Coulomb approximation with other published values.
Frequency–rank correlations of rhodopsin mutations with tuned hydropathic roughness based on self-organized criticality

Abstract The behavior of disease-linked mutations of membrane proteins is especially simple in rhodopsin, where they are well-studied, as they are responsible for retinitis pigmentosa , RP (retinal degeneration). Here we show that the frequency of occurrence of single RP mutations is strongly influenced by their transportational survival rates, and that this survival correlates well (82%) with a long-range, non-local hydropathic measure of the roughness of the water interfaces of ex-membrane rhodopsin based on self-organized criticality (SOC). It is speculated that this concept may be generally useful in studying survival rates of many mutated proteins.
Density-functional theory of simple classical fluids. I. Surfaces

A density-functional theory appropriate to nonuniform simple classical fluids is developed. Unlike most previous theories, the theory is in principle exact in the linear-response regime. For practical applications a small number of well-defined approximations, including that of Percus and Yevick, are made. Given only the Lennard-Jones 6-12 potential as input, the theory yields surface tensions and profiles in very good agreement with the results of Monte Carlo calculations. For a liquid pressed against a hard wall the expected oscillations in density in the vicinity of the wall are obtained. Comparisons with previous theories are made, and points of possible improvement in the formalism are discussed.
Molecular cloning of an estrogen receptor beta subtype from the goldfish, Carassius auratus.

Abstract The brain of many teleost fish species, including the goldfish Carassius auratus , expresses exceptionally high levels of cytochrome P450 aromatase (estrogen synthetase). To begin investigating the molecular and cellular targets of estrogen action in goldfish brain, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cloning strategy was used to isolate an estrogen receptor (ER) complementary DNA (cDNA). The 2283-bp cDNA isolated from goldfish liver encoded a protein of 568 amino acids (aa) with an estimated molecular weight of 63,539. The goldfish ER had high overall sequence identity when compared to other vertebrate ER sequences: eel (64%), human β subtype (59%), human α subtype (46%), medaka (46%), and rainbow trout (47%). The highest degree of conservation was seen in the DNA-binding (94–100%) and ligand-binding (67–79%) domains. Phylogenetic analysis of the ER gene family indicated that the goldfish and eel ER are most closely related to mammalian ERβ subtypes, whereas previously identified fish, amphibian, and avian ER forms cluster separately with mammalian ERα subtypes. Using the goldfish ER cDNA (here designated gfERβ), multiple mRNA species (3.1– 8.6 kb) were detected by Northern blot analysis in goldfish liver and ovary but expression was below detection in brain. Using reverse transcription-PCR analysis, gfERβ mRNA was detected in forebrain, mid/hindbrain, pituitary, retina, liver, ovary, and testis. Further studies are required to determine whether an additional ERα subtype is present in the goldfish and whether ERα or ERβ forms have evolutionary precedence in vertebrates.
Enhanced study and control of analyte oxidation in electrospray using a thin-channel, planar electrode emitter.

A thin-channel, planar electrode emitter device is described and utilized for the study and control of electrochemical oxidation of analytes at the emitter electrode in an electrospray ion source. For analytes that are not particularly susceptible to oxidation, the planar electrode device functions analytically in a manner similar to emitter systems that utilize the more common stainless steel tubular electrodes. For more easily oxidized analytes, the device provides the means to achieve near 100% oxidation efficiency or to completely eliminate analyte oxidation through simple and rapid changes in electrode material, electrode area, electrode covering, channel height above the electrode, or solution flow rate. Compared to the use of tubular electrodes, the planar electrode emitter system provides improved flexibility in altering the nature of the electrode area and material, as well as altering analyte mass transport to the electrode surface. Each of these parameters is critical in the control of electroc...
Application of PDF methods to compressible turbulent flows

A particle method applying the probability density function (PDF) approach to turbulent compressible flows is presented. The method is applied to several turbulent flows, including the compressible mixing layer, and good agreement is obtained with experimental data. The PDF equation is solved using a Lagrangian/Monte Carlo method. To accurately account for the effects of compressibility on the flow, the velocity PDF formulation is extended to include thermodynamic variables such as the pressure and the internal energy. The mean pressure, the determination of which has been the object of active research over the last few years, is obtained directly from the particle properties. It is therefore not necessary to link the PDF solver with a finite-volume type solver. The stochastic differential equations (SDE) which model the evolution of particle properties are based on existing second-order closures for compressible turbulence, limited in application to low turbulent Mach number flows. Tests are conducted in...
Regularization design and control of change admission in prior-image-based reconstruction

Nearly all reconstruction methods are controlled through various parameter selections. Traditionally, such parameters are used to specify a particular noise and resolution trade-off in the reconstructed image volumes. The introduction of reconstruction methods that incorporate prior image information has demonstrated dramatic improvements in dose utilization and image quality, but has complicated the selection of reconstruction parameters including those associated with balancing information used from prior images with that of the measurement data. While a noise-resolution tradeoff still exists, other potentially detrimental effects are possible with poor prior image parameter values including the possible introduction of false features and the failure to incorporate sufficient prior information to gain any improvements. Traditional parameter selection methods such as heuristics based on similar imaging scenarios are subject to error and suboptimal solutions while exhaustive searches can involve a large number of time-consuming iterative reconstructions. We propose a novel approach that prospectively determines optimal prior image regularization strength to accurately admit specific anatomical changes without performing full iterative reconstructions. This approach leverages analytical approximations to the implicitly defined prior image-based reconstruction solution and predictive metrics used to estimate imaging performance. The proposed method is investigated in phantom experiments and the shift-variance and data-dependence of optimal prior strength is explored. Optimal regularization based on the predictive approach is shown to agree well with traditional exhaustive reconstruction searches, while yielding substantial reductions in computation time. This suggests great potential of the proposed methodology in allowing for prospective patient-, data-, and change-specific customization of prior-image penalty strength to ensure accurate reconstruction of specific anatomical changes.
Java for numerically intensive computing: from flops to gigaflops

Java is not thought of as being competitive with Fortran for numerical programming. In this paper, we discuss technologies that can and will deliver Fortran-like performance in Java. These techniques include new and existing compiler technologies, the exploitation of parallelism, and a collection of Java libraries for numerical computing. We also present experimental data to show the effectiveness of our approaches. In particular we achieve 1 Gflops with a linear algebra kernel on an RS/6000 SMP machine. Most of these techniques require no language changes; a few depend on extensions to Java currently under consideration.
Effect of some phosphodiesterase inhibitors on adenylate cyclase from the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica

Abstract The present investigation was prompted by our previous finding that in the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica , some phosphodiesterase inhibitors, instead of potentiating the rise in endogenous cAMP caused by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), antagonized it. Papaverine, 1-ethyl-4-(isopropylidenehydrazino)-1H-pyrazolo-(3,4-b)-pyridine-5-carboxylic acid, ethyl ester, HCl (SQ 20009), 6,7-dimethyl-4 ethyl-quinazoline (Quazodine) and caffeine inhibited 5-HT-activated adenylate cyclase from particulate fractions of the liver fluke. This may explain their in vivo antagonism to the 5-HT-mediated rise in endogenous cAMP levels. Isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX), which did not antagonize the 5-HT effect in vivo , did not inhibit 5-HT-activated adenylate cyclase in fluke particles. None of the above compounds inhibited the NaF-activated adenylate cyclase. Kinetic studies showed that inhibition of 5-HT-activated adenylate cyclase by papaverine or SQ 20009 was not competitive with the substrate, ATP, or with GTP. While high levels of 5-HT decreased the degree of inhibition by papaverin and SQ 20009. the kinetics of inhibition does not appear to be strictly competitive.
Structural Theories and Urban Fiscal Stress

This article compares neo-Marxist and public choice theories of urban fiscal stress with descriptive data about the generation and consequences of fiscal stress in a number of cities in the 1970s. ...
Birth-cohort patterns in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

AIM To test the long-term time trends of mortality from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), for the presence of birth-cohort phenomena. METHODS We analyzed mortality data from the national statistical offices of Canada, England and Wales, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the USA for the past 60-80 years. Age-specific rates of death were plotted against the period of death, as period-age contours, and against the period of birth, as cohort-age contours. RESULTS In all six countries alike, the general time trends of IBD have been shaped by an underlying birth-cohort pattern. This pattern was also observed in the data of CD and UC analyzed separately. UC mortality increased in all generations born during the 19th century. It peaked among generations born shortly before the turn of the century and then decreased in all subsequent generations born throughout the 20th century. Compared with UC, the birth-cohort pattern of CD was delayed by 30-50 years. CONCLUSION In addition to one risk factor responsible for the general occurrence of IBD and possibly UC alone, there exists at least one additional risk factor responsible for CD. Exposure to both separate risk factors must occur during early life.