cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Walsh Transforms in Seismic-Event Detection

Several approaches to detecting event signals in background noise are presented, and Walsh transforms are shown to be an efficient tool in implementing some of these. An experiment is reported in which four categories of detectors are represented, two using Walsh transforms in their implementation. The two Walsh-based detectors and one other have some capability of recognizing a spectral change in the data; these three outperformed a simple power detector in detecting low-level events. Of the three, the two Walsh-based ones have faster execution speed. Although these experimental results are for seismic signals and background, the usefulness of Walsh-transform-based detectors may extend to many other applications as well.
CORRELATION OF EARLY EXTRATHYROIDAL RADIOIODIDE SPACE WITH BODY WEIGHT

THE thyroidal iodide clearance rate is a direct measure of the iodide accumulating function of the thyroid gland. It expresses the rate of thyroidal iodide uptake divided by the mean plasma iodide concentration measured simultaneously. In this laboratory the method of Berson et al. (1) is used for routine determinations of thyroidal iodide clearance rates. The thyroidal I131 uptake is measured during the first half hour following intravenous administration of the tracer dose, with suitable corrections for changes in extrathyroidal radioactivity during this interval. The direct determination of the mean plasma radioiodide concentration would require multiple plasma assays, but in this method it is approximated as that concentration which would result if the apparent volume of distribution of I131 (exclusive of thyroidal and urinary accumulation) averaged 20 per cent of the body weight for this initial half-hour period (“mean iodide space”). This value for the mean iodide space was determined experimentally...
Sensitivity of the Indian Ocean circulation to phytoplankton forcing using an ocean model

Abstract Most ocean general circulation models (OGCMs) do not take into account the effect of space- and time-varying phytoplankton on solar radiation penetration, or do it in a simplistic way using a constant attenuation depth, even though one-dimensional experiments have shown potential significant effect of phytoplankton on mixed-layer dynamics. Since some ocean basins are biologically active, it is necessary for an OGCM to take water turbidity into account, even if it is not coupled with a biological model. Sensitivity experiments carried out with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) OGCM with spatially and temporally-varying pigment concentration from Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) data during 1998–2003 reveal the effect of ocean turbidity on tropical Indian Ocean circulation. Variations of light-absorbing phytoplankton pigments change the vertical distribution of solar heating in the mixed layer, thereby affecting upper-ocean circulation. A simulation was performed from 1948 to 2003 with a constant minimum pigment concentration of 0.02 mg m− 3 while another simulation was performed from September 1997 to December 2003 with variable pigment concentration, and the differences between these two simulations allow us to quantify the effects of phytoplankton on solar radiation penetration in the ocean model. Model results from a period of 6 years (1998–2003) show large seasonal variability in the strength of the meridional overturning circulation (MOC), meridional heat transports (MHT), and equatorial under current (EUC). The MOC mass transport changes by 2 to 5 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s− 1) between boreal winter (January) and boreal summer (July), with a corresponding change in the MHT of ∼ 0.05 PW (1 PW = 1015 W) in boreal winter, which is close to the expected change associated with a significant climate change [Shell, K., Frouin, R., Nakamoto, S., & Somerville, R.C.J. (2003): Atmospheric response to solar radiation absorbed by phytoplankton. Journal of Geophysical Research, 108(D15), 4445. doi:10.1029/2003JD003440.]. In addition, changes in phytoplankton pigments concentration are associated with a reduction in the EUC by ∼ 3 cm s− 1. We discuss the possible physical mechanisms behind this variability, and the necessity of including phytoplankton forcing in the OGCM.
LED-induced fluorescence diagnostics for turbine and combustion engine thermometry

Fluorescence from phosphor coatings is the basis of an established technique for measuring temperature in a wide variety of turbine and combustion engine applications. Example surfaces include blades, vanes, combustors, intake valves, pistons, and rotors. Many situations that are remote and noncontact require the high intensity of a laser to illuminate the phosphor, especially if the surface is moving. Thermometric resolutions of 0.1 C are obtainable, and some laboratory versions of these systems have been calibrated against NIST standards to even higher precision. To improve the measurement signal-to-noise ratio, synchronous detection timing has been used to repeatedly interrogate the same blade in a high speed rotating turbine. High spatial resolution can be obtained by tightly focusing the interrogation beam in measurements of static surfaces, and by precise differential timing of the laser pulses on rotating surfaces. We report here the use of blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) as a n illumination source for producing useable fluorescence from phosphors for temperature measurements. An LED can excite most of the same phosphors used to cover the temperature range from 8 to 1400 C. The advantages of using LEDs are obvious in terms of size, power requirements, space requirements and cost. There canmore » also be advantages associated with very long operating lifetimes, wide range of available colors, and their broader emission bandwidths as compared to laser diodes. Temperature may be inferred either from phase or time-decay determinations.« less
Relationship of prefrontal and temporal lobe MRI measures to neuropsychological performance in chronic schizophrenia

This preliminary study focused on the relationship between prefrontal and temporal lobe MRI measures and neuropsychological performance in chronic schizophrenia. Seventeen schizophrenic inpatients received an MRI and a neuropsychological test battery after clinical stabilization, on average 2 months after admission. The central finding was a significant inverse correlation between neurocognitive measures of prefrontal function and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) area, strongest in the left hemisphere. Neurocognitive performance did not correlate significantly with orbital frontal area or total temporal lobe volume. The correlations of neuropsychological performance with total frontal volume and whole brain volume were generally not significant, although the pattern was similar to that associated with the DLPFC. Because a number of executive-attention and abstraction measures were significantly associated with the DLPFC, dysfunctions of this region may underlie a syndrome of cognitive dysfunctions. Long-term memory functions were also significantly correlated with the DLPFC, raising the possibility that recall memory defects in schizophrenia are, in part, associated with prefrontal contributions of attention, abstract reasoning, and executive function. This study needs replication with a larger sample of patients and more comprehensive volumetric morphometric analyses.
Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film solar cells with ZnS(O,OH), Zn–Cd–S(O,OH), and CdS buffer layers

Abstract Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGS) solar cell junctions prepared by chemical-bath-deposited (CBD) ZnS(O,OH), Zn–Cd–S(O,OH), and CdS buffer layers are discussed in this paper. The device performances are compared by applying CBD ZnS(O,OH), CBD Zn–Cd–S(O,OH), and CBD CdS buffer layers on similar CIGS absorbers. The C N impurities in CBD ZnS(O,OH) are identified with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. The impurities containing carbon-nitrogen bonds are most likely cyanamide (NCN 2− ) or thiocyanate (SCN − ), which resulted from the chemical reaction of thiourea and ammonia.
Spam characterization and detection in peer-to-peer file-sharing systems

Spam is highly pervasive in P2P file-sharing systems and is difficult to detect automatically before actually downloading a file due to the insufficient and biased description of a file returned to a client as a query result. To alleviate this problem, we first characterize spam and spammers in the P2P file-sharing environment and then describe feature-based techniques for automatically detecting spam in P2P query result sets. Experimental results show that the proposed techniques successfully decrease the amount of spam by 9% in the top-200 results and by 92% in the top-20 results.
STATES AND EMPIRES IN ANCIENT MESOAMERICA

Ancient Mesoamerican polities are an important source of data for considerations of state development, despite internal debate over their size and complexity. We review complex political units, usually referred to as “states” and “empires,” in ancient Mesoamerica and reach the following conclusions: these polities tended to be hegemonic, rather than territorial, in composition; they melded ritual and political action; and they utilized the ruler as a symbol of the “body politic.” We also note the apparently larger size of most Maya polities as compared to other Mesoamerican city-states. Besides reviewing the commonalities among ancient Mesoamerican states, we also highlight the variation among these polities and the need to consider historic and archaeological data contextually in making interpretations of political structure.
1994 Special Issue: Snapping: A paradigm for modeling coordination of motor synergies

We study motor coordination in anuran prey-capture behavior to address how the dynamical interaction among elements of the sensorimotor system provides a high degree of flexibility in motor behavior. The transformation of sensory signals into appropriate spatiotemporal patterns of activity in the motoneurons is postulated to be carried out in part by a motor pattern generator (MPG). The following describes a biologically constrained neural network model for such an MPG to explore ways in which a physiologically identified push-pull mechanism built in the MPG can be used to generate and synchronize motor synergies, offer a hypothesis on on-line correction of movements based on visual feedback, and investigate the role of afferent feedback in two-way information flow between sensory centers, motor circuits, and periphery.
Toxin from Aspergillus flavus: production on food materials of a substance causing tremors in Mice.

A strain of Aspergillus flavus produces, on foodstuffs, a substance which causes tremors and convulsions when administered to mice and certain other animals. The tremorgen, which differs from other recognized toxins attributed to this species, is associated with a distinct, dark spot on thin-layer chromatograms viewed under ultraviolet light.
Recurrent gallstone ileus: a case report

Gallstone ileus is a rare complication of recurrent gallstone cholecystitis and usually occurs in elderly female patients. Recurrent gallstone ileus occurs in 5% of patients with a previous episode of gallstone ileus and is associated with a mortality of 20%. We present a 52-year-old female with recurrent gallstone ileus 1 year after her initial episode.
The Renewal of Time and Space: The Missing Element of Discussions about Nineteenth-Century Premillennialism

This article is a contribution to the recent debate in this Journal between Ralph Brown and Boyd Hilton concerning the nature of British nineteenth-century premillennialism.1 It discusses the premillennialists' view of time and argues that a sense of God's involvement with the historical process led them to affirm temporal development and progress as the media for divine activity. It also discusses their view of the destiny of the earth and shows how premillennialist eschatology was fully materialistic, placing a high view on the body and the physical world. These are important factors in accounting for the premillennialist social vision.
Associations of Subjective Udder Edema Scores and Descriptive Trait Codes for Udder Types

Edema severity was scored by herd personnel in six North Carolina Holstein herds from 1 (none) to 5 (extremely severe). Cows (2612) were scored at calving and 1 and 2 wk postpartum. Total score was calculated as the sum of these three scores. Official Holstein-Friesian classification descriptive udder trait codes were available on a subset of the cows. All statistical analyses were within lactation and included adjustments for herd-year and age as well as classifier and stage of lactation where appropriate. Correlations between corresponding edema scores for first and second lactations were .18, .18, .19, and .20 for scores at calving, 1 wk, 2 wk, and for total score. Stepwise regression procedures showed that udder support codes were associated with a larger amount of variation of edema scores than for any other single mammary trait code. Fore and rear udder codes also were associated with significant variation of edema scores in some analyses. Prediction models showed edema was a significant predictor of subsequent udder support codes, although udder trait codes were not significant predictors of subsequent edema severity. It appeared that severe edema may be one of the causes of pendulous udders.
Cytokines and the Th1/Th2 paradigm in transplantation

Abstract With studies elucidating the cytokine programs associated with T-cell activation, allograft rejection and tolerance induction, the Thl/Th2 paradigm has become a unifying model to explain the observed cytokine profiles. The proof that these cytokines mediate allograft tolerance, however, is at best indirect. More recent studies highlighting the redundant and pleiotropic nature of cytokine networks suggest that the Thl/Th2 paradigm may not be sufficient to explain fully the mechanisms underlying allograft tolerance.
Excitation spectrum of the ferromagnetic Ising-Heisenberg chain at zero field

The excitation spectrum of the ferromagnetic $s=\frac{1}{2}$ Ising-Heisenberg chain as probed by dynamic form factors is studied. Exact results are presented for zero temperature, and the modifications introduced by thermally induced transitions are elucidated by finite-chain calculations. A particularly interesting result is the occurrence of a thermally induced resonance around zero frequency for an Ising-like model. Its origin is traced back to transitions involving magnon bound states. The resonance structure of the dynamic form factors associated with a Heisenberg-like system turns out to be less spectacular, because the contributions of different induced transitions nearly overlap on the frequency scale; so that rather broad resonance structures result. Our findings have an important bearing on related models with $sg\frac{1}{2}$, such as CsNi${\mathrm{F}}_{3}$, and on the soliton aspect of the classically treated systems.
Ion conductive characteristics of cross-linked network polysiloxane-based solid polymer electrolytes

Abstract A series of cross-linked network polysiloxanes containing oligoethylene oxide units, (OCH 2 CH 2 ) n , as internal free chains have been synthesized by performing hydrosilylation of partially PEO-substituted polysiloxane precursor with α, ω-diallyl terminated poly(ethylene glycol). The polymer electrolytes were formed by complexing with LiN(CF 3 SO 2 ) 2 electrolyte salt and exhibited superior conductive property. The σ RT of the network polymer electrolytes is in the range of 2.50×10 −5 to 1.62×10 −4 S/cm and depends on the cross-linking density (in terms of Si–H amount of the siloxane precursor), repeating unit number of internal oligoethylene oxide and chain length of the cross-linker. The significant enhancement of the conductivity was observed when low molecular weight dimethyl poly(ethylene glycol) was added as plasticizer. The temperature dependence of the ionic conductivity was also studied, following the Vogel–Tamman–Fulcher (VTF) equation.
Mortality among three Puerto Rican populations: residents of Puerto Rico and migrants in New York City and in the balance of the United States, 1979-81.

This study attempts to explain similarities and differences in the mortality experience of three population groups: Puerto Ricans on the island commonwealth Puerto Rican born persons in New York City and Puerto Rican born persons in the rest of mainland United States. Mortality is much higher among Puerto Ricans in New York City than among those residing elsewhere. Much of the difference is due to excess mortality caused by cirrhosis of the liver and homicide. Puerto Rican born persons living on the mainland but outside New York City generally have low mortality even when compared with U.S. whites. (EXCERPT)
Diffusion in biofilms respiring on electrodes

The goal of this study was to measure spatially and temporally resolved effective diffusion coefficients (De) in biofilms respiring on electrodes. Two model electrochemically active biofilms, Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA and Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, were investigated. A novel nuclear magnetic resonance microimaging perfusion probe capable of simultaneous electrochemical and pulsed-field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG-NMR) techniques was used. PFG-NMR allowed for noninvasive, nondestructive, high spatial resolution in situ De measurements in living biofilms respiring on electrodes. The electrodes were polarized so that they would act as the sole terminal electron acceptor for microbial metabolism. We present our results as both two-dimensional De heat maps and surface-averaged relative effective diffusion coefficient (Drs) depth profiles. We found that (1) Drs decreases with depth in G. sulfurreducens biofilms, following a sigmoid shape; (2) Drs at a given location decreases with G. sulfurreducens biofilm age; (3) average De and Drs profiles in G. sulfurreducens biofilms are lower than those in S. oneidensis biofilms—the G. sulfurreducens biofilms studied here were on average 10 times denser than the S. oneidensis biofilms; and (4) halting the respiration of a G. sulfurreducens biofilm decreases the De values. Density, reflected by De, plays a major role in the extracellular electron transfer strategies of electrochemically active biofilms.
Radical-induced epoxide fragmentation chemistry. n-Bu3Sn· radical catalyzed isomerization of epoxyketones to carbocycles

Abstract Cyclic α,β-epoxyketones are converted to bi- or tricyclic β-hydroxyketones in the presence of n-Bu3Sn· radical. Addition of n-Bu3Sn· to the carbonyl group gives a ketyl radical that triggers the epoxide fragmentation which is then followed by a 1,5-hydrogen abstraction and cyclization. Reversibility in the last two steps of the sequence is demonstrated.
Demographic analysis of mite populations: extensions of stable theory

Mites have simple life styles and overlapping generations, thus analysis of their populations using stable theory (Lotka's equation) is particularly appropriate. While use of this demographic framework is widespread among mite researchers, the specific context in which it is applied is typically restricted to the conventional life table and associated parameters.
Clinical and Angiographic Results After Hybrid Coronary Revascularization

Background With hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR), minimally invasive left internal mammary artery (LIMA) to left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) grafting is combined with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of non-LAD vessels. The purpose of this study was to examine the short-term clinical and angiographic results in one of the largest HCR series to date. Methods From 2003 to 2012, 300 consecutive patients (aged 64 ± 12 years, female 31.7%, predicted risk of mortality 1.6% ± 2.1%) underwent HCR on an intent-to-treat basis at a single institution. After robotic or thoracoscopic LIMA harvest, off-pump LIMA to LAD grafting was performed through a 3- to 4-cm sternal-sparing, non–rib-spreading thoracotomy. PCI was utilized to treat non-LAD lesions either before, after, or concomitant with the surgical procedure. Results Of the 300 patients undergoing HCR on an intent-to-treat basis, HCR was performed with surgery first in 192 patients (64.0%), PCI first in 56 (18.7%), and as a concomitant procedure in 21 (7.0%). Of the 31 patients (10.1%) who did not undergo HCR, 24 patients (8.0%) did not have PCI and thus were incompletely revascularized. For all patients, 30-day mortality, stroke, and nonfatal myocardial infarction occurred in 4 (1.3%), 3 (1.0%), and 4 (1.3%), respectively. Angiographic LIMA evaluation was performed in 248 patients and revealed a FitzGibbon A LIMA patency rate of 97.6% (242 of 248 patients). Repeat revascularization was required in 13 of 300 patients (4.3%). Conclusions Hybrid coronary revascularization represents an alternative approach for patients with multivessel coronary disease with excellent short-term outcomes. It provides a minimally invasive alternative to traditional coronary artery bypass graft surgery and may prove more durable than multivessel PCI.
Thermal-capillary analysis of the horizontal ribbon growth of silicon crystals

Abstract A thermal-capillary, finite-element model is developed for the Horizontal Ribbon Growth (HRG) system to study the characteristics of the process and to assess its feasibility to grow silicon sheets. The mathematical model formulation rigorously accounts for mass, energy, and momentum conservation while simultaneously representing capillary physics of the menisci, tracking of the solidification front, and self-consistent determination of ribbon thickness. Model results show the potential, with suitable heat transfer design, for the HRG process to achieve the formation of an extended, wedge-shaped interface with latent heat dissipation primarily in a direction perpendicular to the pulling direction. These attributes allow the HRG system to achieve higher pull rates under lower thermal gradients than vertical ribbon growth systems. Crystal thickness is predicted to decrease with increasing pull rate; however, contrary to prior analyses, pull rate limits are identified as limit-point bifurcations to quasi-steady solutions. Multiple solution branches correspond to stable and unstable operating states, exhibiting dramatically different interfacial shapes that identify possible failure mechanisms.
Autocracy, Democracy, and FDI Inflows to the Developing Countries

Abstract This paper investigates the relationship between political regimes and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows to the developing countries for a sample of 134 countries over the 1983–2002 period. Using two categorical measures of regime type and three different measures of FDI, this study finds that, regardless of the measures of regime type, democracies are not significantly associated with either FDI in level or FDI as a ratio to GDP; democracy is positively related to a higher level of per capita FDI, but this result is not robust to alternative measures of political regime. Taken as a whole, there is no evidence of a systematic relationship between democracy and FDI inflows. This result suggests that being a democracy does not help attract higher levels of FDI.
Disturbed state model for sand-geosynthetic interfaces and application to pull-out tests

Successful numerical simulation of geosynthetic-reinforced earth structures depends on selecting proper constitutive models for soils, geosynthetics and soil–geosynthetic interfaces. Many constitutive models are available for modelling soils and geosynthetics. However, constitutive models for soil–geosynthetic interfaces which can capture most of the important characteristics of interface response are not readily available. In this paper, an elasto-plastic constitutive model based on the disturbed state concept (DSC) for geosynthetic–soil interfaces has been presented. The proposed model is capable of capturing most of the important characteristics of interface response, such as dilation, hardening and softening. The behaviour of interfaces under the direct shear test has been predicted by the model. The present model has been implemented in the finite element procedure in association with the thin-layer element. Five pull-out tests with two different geogrids have been simulated numerically using FEM. For the calibration of the constitutive models used in FEM, the standard laboratory tests used are: (1) triaxial tests for the sand, (2) direct shear tests for the interfaces and (3) axial tension tests for the geogrids. The results of the finite element simulations of pull-out tests agree well with the test data. The proposed model can be used for the stress-deformation study of geosynthetic-reinforced embankments through numerical simulation. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigation of high-temperature hydrogen embrittlement of sensitized austenitic stainless steels

Abstract Several new hydrogen production methods are currently being developed for commercialization. These new production methods, such as gasification of various feedstocks, operate in the temperature range from 973 K to 1173 K. There are concerns regarding potential hydrogen embrittlement and sensitization occurring in the stainless steel process components. In the current study, burst test specimens were fabricated from AISI stainless steel types 310S, 316/316L, and 321. Each specimen was sensitized and charged with hydrogen. The burst strength of the specimens was determined using nitrogen gas. Both burst strength and ductility were compared with typical values for each grade available from the literature. It was determined that both the burst strength and the ductility were reduced by exposure to hydrogen in the conditions used in this study. These results indicate that care should be used in the design of hydrogen production facilities using stainless steel alloys even at temperatures not typically associated with hydrogen embrittlement.
The stimulation of taxol production in Taxus brevifolia by various growth retardants

Abstract We have shown that chlorocholine chloride (CCC), succinic acid, 2,2-dimethylhydrazide (Alar®) and tetramethylammonium bromide (TMAB) stimulate [14C]acetate incorporation into taxol in intact pieces of the inner bark of Taxus brevifolia (Pacific yew). Both CCC and Alar also stimulated taxol production in yew logs as measured by the incorporation of [1-14C]acetate into [14C]taxol. An increase in taxol accumulation also occured in silica gel placed under flaps of yew trees in the forest treated with these two compounds. CCC also caused an increase, in an 8-week treatment period, of recoverable taxol from Pacific yew bark in a forest setting. CCC, alar and TMAB are all known as growth retardants, but may cause an effect on taxol biosynthesis via an inhibition of sterol biosynthesis.
Coalescing Markov labelled partitions and a continuous sites genetics model with infinitely many types

Abstract Let Z be a Borel right process with Lusin state-space E. For any finite set S it is possible to associate with Z a processof coalescing partitions of S with components labelled by elements of E that evolve as copies of Z. It is shown that, subject to a weak duality hypothesis on Z, there is a Feller process X with state-space a certain space of probability measure valued functions on E. The process X has its “moments” defined in terms of expectations forin a manner suggested by various instances of martingale problem duality between coalescing Markov processes and voter model particle systems, systems of interacting Fisher-Wright and Fleming-Viot diffusions, and stochastic partial differential equations with Fisher-Wright noise. Some sample path properties are examined in the special case where Z is a symmetric stable process on ℝ with index 1 0 the essential range of the random probability measure valued function Xt is almost surely a countable set of point masses.
INCREASED EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR CONCENTRATIONS IN DONAHUE'S SYNDROME (LEPRECHAUNISM)

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a well characterized polypeptide factor known to be important in growth and proliferation of multiple cell types. We have described a patient (Lep Ark I) with Donahue's syndrome whose phenotypic characteristics, i.e., severe acanthosis nigricans, hirsutism, pachyderma, precocious development of teeth and breast buds, and gut hypertrophy are consistent with hypersecretion or hyperfunction of epidermal growth factor. We previously demonstrated that this patient has increased secretion of epidermal growth factor in her urine (151.9±59.4 ug EGF/gm cr compared to 26.7±4.3 ug/gm in control children) but were unable to quantify plasma concentrations at that time. We have now developed a heterologus, double antibody radioimmunoassay (RIA) based on mEGF to estimate plasma levels of EGF in human plasma. Dilutions of the patient's plasma displace 125I-EGF in a linear fashion producing a line parallel to that of the EGF standards. Mean plasma concentration levels of EGF in normal adults by this method are 4.8±1.7 (N=5) and in children 8.4±0.3 (N=5). In contrast, the mean plasma concentration of EGF in Lep Ark I is 20.2±3.3 ng/ml (N=4). Reported blood levels of EGF in humans have ranged from 273±46 pg/ml to 1.89±0.5 ng/ml. Our mean plasma concentrations for children were higher than those previously reported but were less than half the value found in Lep Ark-I. We conclude that the elevated urinary excretion of EGF in Lep Ark-I reflects hyper-secretion in this patient, thus providing a disease state for this important growth factor.
Impact of crystal size and tunnel dielectric on semiconductor nanocrystal memory performance

The write/erase characteristics of Germanium nanocrystal memory device are modeled using single-charge tunneling theory with quantum confinement and Coulomb blockade effects. A trap model is proposed to describe the retention characteristic of the nanocrystal memory. The impact of nanocrystal size, tunnel-oxide thickness, and high-k tunnel material is studied, and the suitability of the nanocrystal memory devices for nonvolatile memory and DRAM applications is discussed. Issues related to the scaling limit of the nanocrystal memory device are investigated.
CFD Solution and Experimental Testing of Buoyancy-Driven Convection Caused by Condensers Immersed in a Water Tank of HPWH

Heat pump water heaters can cut electricity consumption, comparing with the conventional electric resistant water heating tanks by half. A conventional heat pump water heater (HPWH) requires a water circulating pump to sample water temperature every 15 minutes in the tank and to draw water to a condenser-water heat exchanger outside the tank, if water temperature is below the set point. The pump would be on at least once every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. The novel design presented in this study was to insert the condenser coil through the opening on the top of the water tank. This design eliminated the need of the water circulating pumps, and thus greatly improved the reliability of the HPWH systems. Two types of condenser coil designs were considered; one was a bayonet tube (tube-in-tube) and one was the “U” tube. Previous test data indicated that “U” tube design performed better than the bayonet tube condenser coil, and thus only “U” tube condenser coil was considered in the study. With straight “U” tubes inserted into the tank, it was found that the convective heat transfer was not strong enough to break water temperature stratification in the tank, which resulted in a temperature differential of 16°C (30°F) from top to bottom. However, when the coil was built in “L” shape, the water stratification disappeared. A computational fluid dynamics code, CFD, was used to study the straight and L shaped condenser coils. Results from CFD simulation were compared with the experimental data and found they were close to each other.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Does adiponectin play a role in pulmonary emphysema

adiponectin is one of several recently described, circulating, secretory products synthesized by adipose tissue and known collectively as “adipokines” and/or “adipocytokines” ([7][1], [22][2]). Adiponectin plays an important role in energy homeostasis, regulating both glucose and lipid
Amphetamine tachyphylaxis in the pithed guinea-pig.

A single dose of (+)-amphetamine (8 mg kg−1, i.p.) administered 4 h before experimentation, reduced the pressor and positive chronotropic effects elicited by this drug (0·6 mg kg−1, i.v.) and augmented the rate of the development of tachyphylaxis to these responses in the pithed guinea-pig preparation. Amphetamine pretreatment reduced the pressor and positive chronotropic effects of phenylephrine (0·1 mg kg−1, i.v.) and the positive chronotropic effects of angiotensin (30 μg kg−1, i.v.). The rate of the development of tachyphylaxis to the cardiovascular responses elicited by phenylephrine and angiotensin was augmented by amphetamine pretreatment. These results suggest that an indirect mechanism (noradrenaline) may in part mediate the cardiovascular effects of these 3 drugs and/or that amphetamine may act as a competitive antagonist at adrenoceptor sites.
Topology optimization: A new microstructure-based design domain method

Topology optimization is the most complicated problem in structural optimization. One common approach is to utilize the concept of the design domain, such as the homogenization method and the density function approach. In this paper, a new microstructure-based design domain method is proposed. This new method gives simple closed-form expressions for effective Young's modulus and effective shear modulus in terms of phase properties and volume fractions. Using these simple relations, topology optimization problems can be formulated and solved using mathematical programming algorithms. Results of some design examples obtained from the new method are presented.
Alimentar: Theorizing Pedagogy, Curriculum, and Mentorship for Democratic Doctoral Education.

This conceptual paper suggests ways in which pedagogical practices, curriculum, and mentorship could foster democracy in doctoral education. Building upon critical, dialogic, caring, anti-colonial, and engaged pedagogies, we propose a framework for examining marginal spaces of teacher and student relationships that build upon life-projects (Gunzenhauser & Gerstl-Pepin, 2006) in learning spaces. We use the Spanish terms “alimentar” and “infame” pedagogy to capture dichotomous approaches to teaching at the doctoral level. The challenge to linguistic borders should be read as a metaphor for the challenge of transcending ideological borders of doctoral pedagogy.
Spectrofluorometric Determination of Serum Lithium Using 1, 8-Dihydroxyanthraquinone

Abstract Serum samples are deproteinized with an equal volume of acetone and 20 μl of the filtrate is added to 1 ml of 2.5 × 10−4 M KOH and 1.0 × 10−4 M 1, 8-dihydroxyanthraquinone in 90% (V/V) acetone. Single point calibration with spiked serum at 1.5 mmol/l is used with unspiked serum as blank. Fluorescence emission is measured at 618 nm, with excitation at 410 nm. Samples analyzed by the described method and by atomic absorption spectrometry showed a correlation coefficient of 0.985. The relative responses for lithium in water, serum eletrolyte matrix and serum were 100, 57, and 44, respectively. The Li response in serum relative to that for Na, K, Ca, and Mg was 480, 600, 33, and 27, respectvely.
Particle filter models and phase sensitive detection for prognostication and health monitoring of leadfree electronics under shock and vibration

In this paper, a prognostication health management (PHM) methodology has been presented for electronic components subjected to mechanical shock and vibration. Electronic assemblies have been monitored using state-space vectors from resistance spectroscopy, phase-sensitive detection and particle filtering (PF) to quantify damage initiation, progression and remaining useful life of the electronic assembly. The presented methodology is an advancement of the state-of-art, which presently focuses on reactive failure detection and provides limited or no insight into the system reliability and residual life. Previously damage initiation, damage progression, and residual life in the pre-failure space has been correlated with micro-structural damage based proxies, feature vectors based on time, spectral and joint time-frequency characteristics of electronics [Lall2004a-d, 2005a-b, 2006a-f, 2007a-e, 2008a-f]. Precise resistance measurements based on the resistance spectroscopy method have been used to monitor interconnects for damage and prognosticate failure [Lall 2009a, b, 2010a, b, Constable 1992, 2001]. In this paper, the effectiveness of the proposed particle filter and resistance spectroscopy based approach in a prognostic health management (PHM) framework has been demonstrated for electronics. The measured state variable has been related to the underlying damage state using non-linear finite element analysis. The particle filter has been used to estimate the state variable, rate of change of the state variable, acceleration of the state variable and construct a feature vector. The estimated state-space parameters have been used to extrapolate the feature vector into the future and predict the time-to-failure at which the feature vector will cross the failure threshold. Remaining useful life has been calculated based on the evolution of the state space feature vector. Standard prognostic health management metrics were used to quantify the performance of the algorithm against the actual remaining useful life. Application to part replacement decisions for ultra-high reliability system has been demonstrated. Using the technique described in the paper the appropriate time to re-order a replacement part could be monitored, and defended statistically. Robustness of the prognostication algorithm has been quantified using standard performance evaluation metrics.
The Vaccine Safety Datalink: immunization research in health maintenance organizations in the USA

The Vaccine Safety Datalink is a collaborative project involving the National Immunization Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several large health maintenance organizations in the USA. The project began in 1990 with the primary purpose of rigorously evaluating concerns about the safety of vaccines. Computerized data on vaccination, medical outcome (e.g. outpatient visits, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths) and covariates (e.g. birth certificates, census data) are prospectively collected and linked under joint protocol at multiple health maintenance organizations for analysis. Approximately 6 million persons (2% of the population of the USA) are now members of health maintenance organizations participating in the Vaccine Safety Datalink, which has proved to be a valuable resource providing important information on a number of vaccine safety issues. The databases and infrastructure created for the Vaccine Safety Datalink have also provided opportunities to address vaccination coverage, cost-effectiveness and other matters connected with immunization as well as matters outside this field.
National Security Without Secret Laws: How Other Nations Balance National Security Interests and Transparency of the Law

This Article explores the issues surrounding, and the arguments against, secret law by providing an international comparative perspective. As an example of secret law, the Author cites the lack of transparency surrounding the Bush Administration Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) March 2003 torture policy memorandum, which was kept secret for years before being declassified and disclosed in April 2008 in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The Author examines the justifications given for nondisclosure, such as arguments that disclosure is incompatible with prioritizing national security. In brief, the Author rejects such a formulation, stating “[t]he claim that national security threats require secret law and an unprecedented lack of transparency is undermined by comparison with other nations.” To make this point, the Issue Brief describes how other nations that face severe national security threats — such as India, Israel, and the United Kingdom — maintain transparency and public accessibility for national security legal policy. The Author observes that the Obama administration appears committed to greater transparency, yet she concludes by urging “serious consideration of structural reform to ensure objectivity, transparency, and political accountability at OLC from administration to administration.”
Knowledge mining in Earth observation data archives: a domain ontology perspective

The earth observation data has increased significantly over the last decades; NASA has 18 Earth observation satellites on orbit earning 80 sensors, as of April 2003. About 3 terabytes of data are collected daily and transmitted to Earth receiving stations. The data exploitation and dissemination methods have not kept pace with the huge data acquisition rate. The products distributed by the agencies are often not in a readily usable form by the nonscience community, and need further processing at the user level. The lack of content and semantic based interactive information searching and retrieval capabilities from the archives is another important issue to be addressed in this context. We propose a framework based on a concept-based model using domain-dependant ontologies where the basic concepts of the domain are identified first and generalized later depending upon the level of reasoning required for executing a particular query. We employ an unsupervised segmentation algorithm to extract homogeneous regions and calculate primitive descriptors for each region based on color, texture and shape. The primitive descriptors are described quantitatively by middle level object ontology. The learning phase is applied at this stage. It associates the middle level descriptors to the concepts in the higher-level ontology by means of a nonlinear support vector machine (SVM) method. These associations are grouped into models specific to a semantic class and used for querying. Also interactive querying is provided by means of a region based relevance feedback method. A methodology to execute complex queries by the integration of an inference engine is discussed. We also intend to extend the system to carry out data exploratory tasks in a peer-to-peer environment.
Cooperative gating between single HCN pacemaker channels.

HCN pacemaker channels (If, Iq, or Ih) play a fundamental role in the physiology of many excitable cell types, including cardiac myocytes and central neurons. While cloned HCN channels have been studied extensively in macroscopic patch clamp experiments, their extremely small conductance has precluded single channel analysis to date. Nevertheless, there remain fundamental questions about HCN gating that can be resolved only at the single channel level. Here we present the first detailed single channel study of cloned mammalian HCN2. Excised patch clamp recordings revealed discrete hyperpolarization-activated, cAMP-sensitive channel openings with amplitudes of 150–230 fA in the activation voltage range. The average conductance of these openings was ∼1.5 pS at −120 mV in symmetrical 160 mM K+. Some traces with multiple channels showed unusual gating behavior, characterized by a variable long delay after a voltage step followed by runs of openings. Noise analysis on macroscopic currents revealed fluctuations whose magnitudes were systematically larger than predicted from the actual single channel current size, consistent with cooperativity between single HCN channels.
A PROBLEM PROGRAMMER.

A problem programmer was designed to control the presentation of an extensive set of problems that require, for their solution, the identification of one or more critical attributes of a stimulus display. Problems having more than one attribute relevant to the criterion correspond to conjunctive and “disjunctive” problems frequently used in the study of concept identification. Preliminary study has indicated that a wide variety of heuristic deficits can be detected using the procedures described.
Interplay Between the Temporal Dynamics of the Vaginal Microbiota and Human Papillomavirus Detection

Persistent detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with increased risk for dysplasia and cervical malignancy but the factors affecting HPV persistence are not fully understood [1]. There is mounting evidence that the bacterial communities that inhabit the vagina serve as an important line of defense against pathogens, including sexually transmitted infections (STIs) [2]. Vaginal Lactobacillus spp. are known to provide broad-spectrum protection through their production of lactic acid [3], bacteriocins (bactericidal proteinaceous molecules) [4], antagonistic bacteriocin-like substances [5], and biosurfactants [6], and in their ability to adhere to mucus, which form barriers against pathogens [7] and disrupt biofilms [8]. Further, Motevaseli et al recently demonstrated that vaginal lactobacilli exert cytotoxic effects on cervical tumor cells in vitro, independent of pH and lactic acid [9]. Numerous epidemiologic studies have suggested an association between cervical HPV infections and bacterial vaginosis (BV)–associated vaginal microbiota [10–16]. BV is a condition which is prevalent in approximately 29% of U.S. women [17] and is characterized by decrease in Lactobacillus spp. with concomitant increase in diversity and numbers of anaerobic bacteria, including species of Gardnerella, Prevotella, and Clostridiales [18]. A meta-analysis based on mostly cross-sectional studies demonstrated a positive association between BV and cervical HPV [10]. Two large longitudinal studies showed that BV was significantly associated with incident cervical HPV detection [11, 12]. A few studies have also suggested delayed clearance of HPV when BV was prevalent [12, 13]. The aforementioned studies determined BV and vaginal microbiota status based on Gram stain analysis of vaginal smears, which relies on the subjective morphologic assessment by a microscopist, Amsel's clinical criteria, or clue cell findings on Papanicolaou-stained slides. Just 1 recent study utilized 16S rRNA gene analysis to evaluate the association between vaginal bacterial community composition and HPV prevalence in a cross-sectional study of Korean women [15]. The authors found that participants who were HPV positive had a lower proportion of Lactobacillus spp. than HPV-negative women. In addition, the authors identified Fusobacteria, including Sneathia spp. as key bacteria associated with HPV detection. We have previously reported high variability in the short-term temporal dynamics of both vaginal bacterial communities [19] and HPV detection [20]. To better understand the possible mutual influence of vaginal microbiota and HPV variability, we describe in this study the temporal relationship between vaginal microbiota characterized by 16S rRNA gene analysis and transitions between HPV positivity and HPV negativity within a woman over a 16-week period.
Patient Centered Medical Home: What May Be on the Horizon for Urologists

Abstract Introduction Medicine has used acronyms for hundreds of years to describe clinical conditions. Methods In urology the acronyms BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia), ED (erectile dysfunction), IC (interstitial cystitis) and AUR (acute urinary retention) are examples with which we are all familiar. Today we use acronyms to describe the organizational and structural aspects of medicine. Results The 2 most recent medical acronyms are PPACA (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) and ACO (accountable care organization). Now a new acronym, PCMH (patient centered medical home), is looming on the horizon. This article defines patient centered medical home, discusses its purpose and finally attempts to predict its impact on clinical urological practices. Conclusions At this time no menu is yet available for specialty groups, including urologists, to engage their participation in patient centered medical homes.