cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development process of automotive microsensors

The phased product development approach can be applied advantageously to develop and manufacture automotive microsensors. The phased approach involves a multifunctional team from innovation to development to eventual production and maintenance phases. The key advantage of this approach is the shortened development cycle and fast product introduction, while minimizing waste of resources and lowering risk of product failure. When applied to the product cycles of automotive sensors based on micromachining technology, this approach elucidates several critical considerations. In particular, since industrial application of micromachining technology is still at the infant stage, standards and design rules are not firmly established. Therefore, several important activities must be initiated simultaneously from the start of the innovation phase, which proves to be crucial to the prudent decision of technology alternatives and sensor system configuration. The use of a multifunctional team, as mandated in the phased approach, enables coherent development and optimization of the sense element, the fabrication technology, the packaging approach, the interface circuit configuration, and design features that allow efficient test and assembly flow. Also, with intermediate milestones within each phase, risk assessment and necessary midcourse adjustment to technology trade- offs can be both timely and accurate. Accelerometers, one of the most developed micromachined sensors, serve as representative examples that illustrate how the phased approach can benefits the commercialization of the newly established and rapidly expanding field of micromechanics.
Exchange and correlation corrections to the response functions of a spin-polarized electron gas

We analyze the spin and charge responses induced in a spin-polarized electron gas by a weak electromagnetic field. The coupled spin-charge response is derived from the equation of motion of the particle distribution function in the presence of the perturbation. To obtain the correct frequency and the wave-vector dependence we introduce the spin-dependent local-field factors, ${G}_{\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}{=G}_{\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{x}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}{G}_{\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{c}$, which give the exchange $(x)$ and correlation $(c)$ corrections to the random phase approximation. For an arbitrary degree of polarization of the electron gas, we derive the exact analytical expressions for ${G}_{\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}(q\ensuremath{\rightarrow},\ensuremath{\omega})$ in the limit of high frequency or large wave vectors. The results for $q\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$ are expressed in terms of the two-particle correlation function, $g(r\ensuremath{\rightarrow})$ at $r=0$.
The Interaction of Methylene Blue Dye with Calcium–Silicate–Hydrate

The interaction of methylene blue (MB) dye solution with various calcium–silicate–hydrate (C–S–H) preparations (C/S ratio=0.60–1.80) was investigated. Experiments were also performed by treating the C–S–H in lime-saturated water and distilled water. The effects of MB on the X-ray basal spacing and the degree of polymerization were determined using low-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) and 29Si MAS NMR spectroscopy. An interaction mechanism for C–S–H–MB using a “bridging” model for the C–S–H nanostructure is proposed. The model is consistent with the XRD and 29Si MAS NMR results.
Angular power spectra of ultra-high energy cosmic rays traveling through the galactic magnetic field

Abstract We use the method of calculating spherical harmonics coefficients to model the behavior of ultra-high energy cosmic rays through the galactic magnetic field (GMF). By tracking antiprotons out to a certain distance, then using their positions on the sky to determine the probability of UHECR coming from that direction before reinjecting them toward a detector, we can realistically simulate the effect the GMF would have on incoming UHECR particles’ observed distributions at the Earth’s surface.
Microfabrication of a Device to Evaluate the Swelling of Glucose Sensitive Hydrogels Under Isochoric Conditions

Diabetes has been the focus of intense research for more than half a century both in academia and in industry. The number of diabetes cases (especially type II) continues to increase due to the obesity pandemic in western societies and the cost of treatment of diabetes and its severe side effects will undoubtedly continue to drive development of wide ranging technological means to better understand and treat diabetes. Tight blood sugar regulation has been shown to delay or limit side effects and prolong lifespan in patients. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is expected to provide information that can be used in better regulating patient behavior, or as part of a closed loop feedback control system for administering insulin at appropriate times. Our approach to CGM involves a hydrogel whose swelling depends on glucose concentration, coupled to an LC microresonator circuit, whose resonant frequency depends on hydrogel swelling due to impingment of the hydrogel on one plate of the microcapacitor. The whole sensor is microfabricated and implantable. Wireless determination of the resonant frequency permits continuous glucose sensing without chronic skin breach. We are in the process of designing hydrogels that swell/shrink with decreasing/increasing glucose concentration to test for hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. In collaboration with Professor Babak Ziaie's group at Purdue, a first generation microdevice was fabricated. Since the full sensor requires a significant investment in time and money for its fabrication, the incorporation and testing of diverse hydrogel systems in the full device is unrealistic at the present stage of development. We are currently fabricating a testbed device to allow for the selection of lead hydrogels, which will evaluate quantitatively the relationship stimuli/pressure. Few examples exist in the literature to measure the swelling pressure of hydrogels under isochoric conditions (V=constant) experimentally. We will describe our progress toward the fabrication of a test device to evaluate the pressure developed by a hydrogel sample inside a cavity. We used a commercial pressure die with a very small piezoresistive element (500μm by 500μm), and packaged it such that the pressure sensitive membrane was in contact with a hydrogel sample a few tens of μm thin separated from the external environment by a commercial Anodisc? membrane (0.02 and 0.2 μm pore diameter). Details of design and preliminary results will be presented.
Glutathiolation of Proteins by Glutathione DisulfideS-Oxide Derived from S-Nitrosoglutathione: MODIFICATIONS OF RAT BRAIN NEUROGRANIN/RC3 AND NEUROMODULIN/GAP-43 *

S-Nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) undergoes spontaneous degradation that generates several nitrogen-containing compounds and oxidized glutathione derivatives. We identified glutathione sulfonic acid, glutathione disulfideS-oxide (GS(O)SG), glutathione disulfideS-dioxide, and GSSG as the major decomposition products of GSNO. Each of these compounds and GSNO were tested for their efficacies to modify rat brain neurogranin/RC3 (Ng) and neuromodulin/GAP-43 (Nm). Among them, GS(O)SG was found to be the most potent in causing glutathiolation of both proteins; four glutathiones were incorporated into the four Cys residues of Ng, and two were incorporated into the two Cys residues of Nm. Ng and Nm are two in vivo substrates of protein kinase C; their phosphorylations by protein kinase C attenuate the binding affinities of both proteins for calmodulin. When compared with their respective unmodified forms, the glutathiolated Ng was a poorer substrate and glutathiolated Nm a better substrate for protein kinase C. Glutathiolation of these two proteins caused no change in their binding affinities for calmodulin. Treatment of [35S]cysteine-labeled rat brain slices with xanthine/xanthine oxidase or a combination of xanthine/xanthine oxidase with sodium nitroprusside resulted in an increase in cellular level of GS(O)SG. These treatments, as well as those by other oxidants, all resulted in an increase in thiolation of proteins; among them, thiolation of Ng was positively identified by immunoprecipitation. These results show that GS(O)SG is one of the most potent glutathiolating agents generated upon oxidative stress.
Democratic Theory, Nonvoting, and Public Policy: The 1972-1988 Presidential Elections

This article explores an assumption implicit in democratic theory that appears to motivate much of the research into the causes of abstention: Voters and nonvoters differ on a variety of important politically relevant dimensions. The authors develop several hypotheses from this assumption and the prior research done in this area and test these propositions with data from the 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, and 1988 Center for Political Studies American National Election Studies. The more interesting findings are that voters and nonvoters differ in terms of their positions on some issues, but not by much, and not on all issues; voters are much more likely to form preferences based on policy concerns than are nonvoters; and voters and nonvoters do not differ in terms of whom they prefer for president. Theirfindings suggest that abstention does not result in markedly different political messages being sent to the political system than would have been sent under full participation, and does not reflect a clear potent...
Hierarchical stages in the processing of visual information

Previous research had indicated that when subjects are instructed to report one of a number of visually displayed items, both the number and spacing of the presented material affect report accuracy and latency. The present experiment sought to determine the nature and temporal course of the interference provided by nonattended visual material. Subjects reaction times were measured for deciding which of two targets occupied the indicated position in one or eight element displays. Placing replicas of the target in nonindicated display positions was equivalent to presenting the target alone. Members of the opposite response set produced maximum interference, while encodable and unencodable noise elements not belonging to a response set produced an intermediate decrement. For all display types, presenting the indicator prior to display onset decreased reaction time. Dividing each of the display elements into two parts and presenting the parts asynchronously provided evidence that subjects were indifferent to the presence of complete forms for the first 50 msec. These results were interpreted as supporting the existence of a hiararchical sequence of stages consisting of a preattentive stage which segregates the input into objects and an attentive stage which is likened to a spatial scanner responsible for synthesizing the crude preattentive features into recognized forms. The concurrent operation of these stages provides for the redirection of attention when changes in the input are detected.
Laboratory studies of some environmental variables controlling sulfur emissions from plants

Several trace sulfur gases that can have a significant influence on atmospheric chemistry are emitted from biological systems. In order to begin to address biological questions on the mechnisms of production of such gases, laboratory-scale experiments have been developed that reproduce such emissions under controlled conditions. Using a flux chamber technique, flats containing soil, or soil plus plants were sampled for the net fluxes of sulfur gases. The major sulfur gas emitted from all the plants tested (corn, alfalfa, and wheat) was dimethyl sulfide (DMS). Alfalfa and wheat also emitted lesser amounts of methanethiol, variable amounls of hydrogen sulfide, and in some experiments wheat emitted carbon disulfide. The use of a plant incubator allowed a systematic study of the effects of variables such as temperature, photon flux, and carbon dioxide levels, on these emissions. Fluxes of all the emitted sulfur gases increased exponentially with increasing air temperature, and increased with increasing photon flux up to a saturation level of \~300 μE/m−2 sec-1. Three to four-fold changes in DMS flux were observed during light to dark or dark to light transitions. By varying the CO2 content of the chamber flush gas, it was shown that the observed sulfur fluxes from corn and alfalfa were not related to the CO2 concentration. Growing these crop plants through holes in a Teflon soil-covering film allowed a separate determination of soil and foliage emissions and substantiation of the light dependent uptake of COS by growing vegetation observed in previous field studies.
Differences of water retention curves obtained through capillary rise and steady-state equilibrium experiments

Capillary rise experiments were performed under constant temperature in columns of Metea sandy loam soil packed at different bulk densities. Moisture retention curves were obtained following the capillary rise activity. All curves exhibited a theta-straight region, followed by a parabolic region flattened at higher suctions. The parabolic region, when plotted on log-log scales, could be separated into three distinct zones in all none soil retention curves. These three zones suggest sharp transitions in the water content-matric potential relationship rather than the expected gradual change in a continuum. A power function was used to fit each of the three zones of wetting retention data. Comparison of retention curves obtained through capillary rise and steady-state equilibrium standard methods showed significant differences at high suction values. These retention curve differences were attributed to the reduction of the matric field for liquid phase wetting of capillary rise. Conductivity and diffusivity functions suitable for predicting upward water movement with infiltration models were determined from experimental retention data by applying the zonal constitutive relationships.
The Spanish American revolutions, 1808-1826

John Lynch provides a brilliant survey of the men and the movements during these critical years. He views the revolutionary outbreak as the culmination of a long process of alienation from Spain during which Spanish Americans became aware of their own identity, conscious of their own culture, and jealous of their own resources. He traces the forces of independence as they gathered momentum and spread across the subcontinent in two great waves converging on Peru. He also explains why the heroic liberators, among them San Martin, Bolivar, and O'Higgins, were unable to prevent the revolutions from ultimately turning into counterrevolutions that frustrated their efforts to create new societies. In the second edition, Lynch adds a section on Central America and incorporates the latest work being done on the origins and aftermaths of these revolutions.
INSTABILITIES OF SUPERSONIC MIXING LAYERS INSIDE A RECTANGULAR CHANNEL

At high supersonic convective Mach numbers the fami 1 i ar Kelvin-Helmhol tz instabi 1 ity of a thin unconfined two dimensional shear layer becomes neutrally stable. In this paper, it is shown that when the same shear layer is put inside a rectangul ar channel the coup1 i ng between the motion of the shear layer and the acoustic modes of the channel produces new instability waves. The instability mechanism of these waves is examined. E xtensive numerical c omputation of the properties of these new instability waves has been carried out. Based on these results two classes of these waves are identified. Some of the characteristic features of these waves are reported in this paper. In addition to the unstable waves, a thorough analysis of the normal modes of a supersonic shear layer inside a rectangular channel reveals that there are basically two other families of neutral acoustic waves. Examples of some of the important characteristics of these neutral acoustic waves are also provided in this paper. The new instability waves are the dominant instabilities of a confined mixing layer at high supersonic convective Mach number. As such they are very relevant to the supersonic mixing and combustion processes inside a ramjet engine combustion chamber.
Clinical Features and Outcome in North American Adults With Moyamoya Phenomenon

Background and Purpose— To describe baseline clinical features and outcomes of adults with moyamoya phenomenon treated at a single North American institution. Methods— We identified 34 adults with moyamoya phenomenon by review of angiographic records. Clinical presentation and baseline stroke risk factors were obtained by chart review. Follow-up was obtained prospectively. A 5-year Kaplan-Meier stroke risk was calculated. Results— The median age was 42 (range 20 to 79) years. Twenty-five were women. The initial symptom was ischemia, hemorrhage, or asymptomatic in 24, 7, and 3 patients, respectively. Twenty-two had bilateral involvement and 12 had unilateral moyamoya vessels. Baseline stroke risk factors were similar between groups. The median follow-up in 31 living patients was 5.1 (range 0.2 to 19.6) years. Fourteen patients were treated with surgical revascularization (20 total hemispheres). In medically treated symptomatic hemispheres, the 5-year risk of recurrent ipsilateral stroke was 65% after the i...
Single-photon interference over large distances

The interference pattern from a light source containing a single excited atom was observed with an interferometer 45 m in length. The visibility of the single-photon interference pattern was the same as that obtained with a high-intensity light source to within the experimental uncertainty of \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5%.
The Sound of German: Descriptions of Accent by Native and Non-Native Listeners

This paper presents a study of factors affecting judgments of native and non-native accent in German. The data suggest that listener status (native or non-native speakers) and degree of experience with German play a role in the aspects of speech which raters cite as salient. Interestingly, the same descriptive terms used by raters were shown to mean different things for different raters, raising questions about the relationship between perceptions of accents and the ways people describe them, which, in turn, hold implications for language teaching.
Development of a 2 W direct methanol fuel cell power source

Abstract A series of microfuel cell DMFC prototypes in the 1–2 W range has been developed at Motorola Labs. Design criteria, technical issues and the solution to those issues, system and component performance criteria are all discussed in detail with regards to the demonstrated systems. In particular, the industry-wide problem of long-term voltage degradation is explored with the implementation of a successful engineering solution to this issue which resulted in over 1200 h of system lifetime at the average degradation rate of 41 μV/(h per cell). With sufficient fuel for 1 week of continuous operation, the system energy density in the 2 W DMFC prototype was 490 Wh/kg and 368 Wh/L, respectively, at an overall system efficiency of 20% (includes both fuel conversion and BOP efficiencies).
Dissecting doctoral advising: a comparison of students’ experiences across disciplines

The relationship a doctoral student develops with his/her advisor is a crucial aspect of doctoral training across disciplines; but research suggests that many such relationships fall short of a successful apprenticeship or mentoring ideal. Because disciplinary cultures and structures vary considerably, what makes for a successful advising experience within one discipline may not hold within another. This study explores the advising experiences of 870 US doctoral students within four disciplinary clusters at a large research university in order to identify possible differences in advising experiences across disciplines. Findings suggest that factors influencing advisor selection do differ across disciplinary clusters, but that students’ assessments of advisor quality along three different role dimensions, as well as their overall satisfaction with their advising relationship, are similar across all four clusters.
Understanding artemisinin resistance

The drug resistance specter looms over most infectious diseases. Malaria provides a particularly urgent example of increasing resistance and treatment failure. In the past decade, artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) have contributed to impressive reductions in malaria morbidity and mortality ( 1 ). However, in 2009, Dondorp et al. found that when patients in western Cambodia infected with Plasmodium falciparum (the deadliest form of malaria) were treated with ACTs, they took longer than normal to clear their parasites. It is the artemisinin component that normally clears parasites quickly, and the authors therefore concluded that this component of the ACT was compromised ( 2 ). Slow-clearing parasites were also found in western Thailand and other parts of Cambodia (see the first figure) ( 3 , 4 ). Two reports in this issue, by Mok et al. (page 431) ( 5 ) and Straimer et al. (page 428) ( 6 ), apply specialized techniques to better understand the mechanisms that underlie this resistance to artemisinins.
Healthcare Security Strategies for Regulatory Compliance and Data Security

Regulatory compliance and data security are important objectives for IT managers. Building on the resource-based view, this study examines the impact of IT security resources, functional capabilities, and managerial capabilities on regulatory compliance and data security. Using binomial and multinomial log it models, we analyze data from 250 healthcare organizations. The results show that IT security resources are positively associated with compliance and data security. Within functional capabilities, prevention capabilities improve both compliance and data security, and complement IT security resources. Functional audit capabilities are also associated with improved compliance but result in increased breaches, likely because such auditing helps organizations find, disclose and fix breach-related problems. Managerial capabilities (i.e., top management support, expertise, and data coordination) influence compliance more than data security. Our findings provide policy insight on effective security programs that harness IT resources, functional capabilities, and managerial capabilities.
Stability of Feedback Systems Involving Time-delays and a Time-varying Non-linearity

ABSTRACT The Popov frequency condition is shown to remain a sufficient condition for global asymptotic stability of the equilibrium of time-delay systems containing a time-varying non-linearity, provided the non-linearity satisfies a certain time-varying sector condition. This sector reduces to the usual Popov sector in the time-invariant case.
Utility of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance in the Diagnosis of Anderson-Fabry Disease

A 54-year-old man was evaluated for a 6-month history of intermittent palpitations with associated shortness of breath, fatigue, and lightheadedness. The episodes would last several hours and were triggered by exertion, although he never experienced syncope. He had no prior medical problems, and he had no family history of heart disease or unexplained sudden death. He was normotensive and had no abnormalities on physical examination. A 12-lead electrocardiogram showed sinus arrhythmia, left bundle-branch block, and left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy with associated ST- and T-wave strain abnormalities (Figure A). A 2-dimensional echocardiogram demonstrated hyperdynamic LV systolic function with an ejection fraction of 65% (online-only Data Supplement Movie I). There was concentric LV hypertrophy, with the ventricular septum and free wall measuring 17 mm at end diastole. Biatrial enlargement was noted, …
RFID security without extensive cryptography

A Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) allows effective identification of a large number of tagged objects without physical or visual contact. RFID systems are a promising technology for supply chain management and inventory control. As individual item tagging becomes a reality, privacy concerns over RFID use come to the fore. The shared radio medium allow eavesdropping and unauthorized tag reading which poses threats to individual's privacy. Moreover, due to the mode of use of RFIDs, new threats emerge. For example, an intruder may be able to track the movement of an individual by repeatedly querying an RFID attached to the item that this individual carries. The limited size and cost considerations do not allow to implement conventional cryptographic systems on RFIDs. In this paper we propose an efficient RFID tag identification algorithm that incorporates reader-authentication. Our algorithm is secure against the anticipated threats to RFID systems. Our algorithm does not require computationally expensive cryptographic mechanisms, it relies on rather simple matrix multiplication. To further enhance the utility of our algorithm we propose a scheme that allows for the algorithm to carry out secure identification of multiple tags simultaneously.
Factors associated with early maternal postpartum discharge from the hospital

Objective: To examine if mothers discharged from the hospital after 1 night's stay or less (early discharge) differ from those discharged from the hospital after 2 or 3 nights' stay (regular discharge) in demographic, economic, behavioral, health status, and health services risk factors associated with maternal and infant well-being. Design: Bivariate and logistic comparisons of women discharged from the hospital early or after a regular hospitalization as reported in the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey. Participants: Postpartum women. Main Outcome Measure: Postpartum discharge from the hospital after 1 night's stay or less in the hospital. Results: Early discharge from the hospital occurred for 12.3% of 3865366 women. Logistic regression revealed 8 factors that were associated with early discharge from the hospital: less than a high school education, aged older than 35 years, inadequate prenatal care, lack of private insurance or receipt of Medicaid for delivery, giving birth in the western United States, plans to breast-feed, and care by midwives. Two factors were associated with an increased likelihood of a regular discharge from the hospital: report of a hospitalization during pregnancy and giving birth in the Midwest or Northeast. Conclusions: Significant numbers of mothers discharged from the hospital early manifested health and social risk factors associated with poor health outcomes. Economic factors seemed an important motivation for early discharge from the hospital, as did inadequate use of health services. Since brief hospitalization is prevalent, clinicians and administrators must assure that the objectives of medical contact during childbirth are met, if not through hospitalization, then through other mechanisms. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1997;151:466-472
THE RENAL LESIONS OF ELECTROLYTE IMBALANCE I. THE STRUCTURAL ALTERATIONS IN POTASSIUM-DEPLETED RATS

Renal tubular lesions during the early phases of progressive potassium depletion in rats were found in nephrons isolated by microdissection in two locations, the collecting tubules and the proximal convolutions. All other portions of the nephron, in particular the "distal tubule," i.e. ascending limbs of Henle's loop and distal convolutions, showed no structural alterations except the passive effects of dilatation and cellular compression which developed as a result of primary disturbances lower in the tubular system. The alterations affected all the collecting tubules uniformly and took two forms; the more severe, a swelling and hyperplasia of the tubular epithelium and the lesser, an intracellular accumulation of granule droplets. The former was limited to the outer zone of the medulla, the latter to its inner zone. In the proximal convolution the structural alteration began in its middle third and extended downward towards the medulla; only occasional nephrons were affected. The essential nature of the more severe epithelial lesion was similar in both collecting tubule and proximal convolution, beginning as a swelling of cell bodies, increasing to protoplasmic disturbances with disintegration of the mitochondrial pattern, followed by rupture of cells and nuclear disappearance. These retrogressive alterations were followed by prolific regenerative hyperplasia. In the collecting tubules of the outer zone these epithelial alterations were present in both the clear and the intercalcated cells; in the latter the swelling of the cells was not prominent, but the hyperplastic proliferative increase in their number was the predominating feature of the lesion when the dissected tubules were viewed intact in the continuity of their topographical relations. The cellular alterations in the tubules are associated with an inability to concentrate the urine; reasons are given for considering this functional disturbance a correlate of the structural lesion in the collecting tubules.
The Practical Success of Impedance Techniques from an Historical Perspective

: Future problems are based on achievements of the past. They may be unresolved problems of a more basic nature or future practical applications made possible by recent technical innovations. The introductory part of this paper deals with recent history and its many significant advances. This is followed by a survey of the bioimpedance field. Past advances include contributions of the bioimpedance field to electrophysiology, biophysics, and biochemistry. More practical contributions include the data necessary for the development of diathermy techniques and modern dosimetry in the field of electromagnetic biohazards. A large array of practical applications relate to monitoring physiological events such as impedance plethysmography, impedance encephalography, impedance tomography, and body water, lung, and heart function parameters. Unresolved problems of a basic nature include topics that relate to mechanisms responsible for observed dielectric dispersions and membrane biophysics. Practical applications that can now be realized include several new electronic laboratory diagnostic techniques. Tissue spectroscopy of small biopsy samples and tissue culture samples should permit rapid extraction of valuable cellular data. This can be done for both normal and abnormal states, thus providing new diagnostic techniques. Possible sophistication of the Coulter counter principle should permit rapid investigations of many individual cell parameters, including cellular shape, using multielectrode techniques (microimpedance tomography). The theory of field-evoked force effects is well established now and can be used to develop electronic cell manipulation and new electronic cell sorting technologies. Additional significant practical applications to the biomedical field are now possible.
An adaptive evaluation mechanism for online traders

Abstract Economic agents in electronic markets generally consider reputation to be a significant factor in selecting trading partners. Most traditional online businesses publish reputation profile for traders that reflect average of the ratings received in previous transactions. Because of the importance of these ratings, there is an incentive for traders to partake in strategic behavior (for example shilling) to artificially inflate their rating. It is therefore important for an online business to be able to provide a robust estimate of a trader’s reputation that is not easily affected by strategic behavior or noisy ratings. This paper proposes such an adaptive ratings-based reputation model. The model is based on a trader’s transaction history, witness testimony, and other weighting factors. Learning is integrated to make the ratings model adaptive and robust in a dynamic environment. To validate the proposed model and to demonstrate the significance of its constructs, a multi-agent system is built to simulate the interactions among buyers and sellers in an electronic marketplace. The performance of the proposed model is compared to that of the reputation model used in most online marketplaces like Amazon, and to Huynh’s model proposed in the literature.
Effects of corn silage hybrids and dietary nonforage fiber sources on feed intake, digestibility, ruminal fermentation, and productive performance of lactating Holstein dairy cows

This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of corn silage hybrids and nonforage fiber sources (NFFS) in high forage diets formulated with high dietary proportions of alfalfa hay (AH) and corn silage (CS) on ruminal fermentation and productive performance by early lactating dairy cows. Eight multiparous Holstein cows (4 ruminally fistulated) averaging 36±6.2 d in milk were used in a duplicated 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Cows were fed 1 of 4 dietary treatments during each of the four 21-d replicates. Treatments were (1) conventional CS (CCS)-based diet without NFFS, (2) CCS-based diet with NFFS, (3) brown midrib CS (BMRCS)-based diet without NFFS, and (4) BMRCS-based diet with NFFS. Diets were isonitrogenous and isocaloric. Sources of NFFS consisted of ground soyhulls and pelleted beet pulp to replace a portion of AH and CS in the diets. In vitro 30-h neutral detergent fiber (NDF) degradability was greater for BMRCS than for CCS (42.3 vs. 31.2%). Neither CS hybrids nor NFFS affected intake of dry matter (DM) and nutrients. Digestibility of N, NDF, and acid detergent fiber tended to be greater for cows consuming CCS-based diets. Milk yield was not influenced by CS hybrids and NFFS. However, a tendency for an interaction between CS hybrids and NFFS occurred, with increased milk yield due to feeding NFFS with the BMRCS-based diet. Yields of milk fat and 3.5% fat-corrected milk decreased when feeding the BMRCS-based diet, and a tendency existed for an interaction between CS hybrids and NFFS because milk fat concentration further decreased by feeding NFFS with BMRCS-based diet. Although feed efficiency (milk/DM intake) was not affected by CS hybrids and NFFS, an interaction was found between CS hybrids and NFFS because feed efficiency increased when NFFS was fed only with BMRCS-based diet. Total volatile fatty acid production and individual molar proportions were not affected by diets. Dietary treatments did not influence ruminal pH profiles, except that duration (h/d) of pH <5.8 decreased when NFFS was fed in a CCS-based diet but not in a BMRCS-based diet, causing a tendency for an interaction between CS hybrids and NFFS. Overall measurements in our study reveal that high forage NDF concentration (20% DM on average) may eliminate potentially positive effects of BMRCS. In the high forage diets, NFFS exerted limited effects on productive performance when they replaced AH and CS. Although the high quality AH provided adequate NDF (38.3% DM) for optimal rumen fermentative function, the low NDF concentration of the AH and the overall forage particle size reduced physically effective fiber and milk fat concentration.
Kinetic model of carbonate dissolution in Martian meteorite ALH84001

The magnetites and sulfides located in the rims of carbonate globules in the Martian meteorite ALH84001 have been claimed as evidence of past life on Mars. Here, we consider the possibility that the rims were formed by dissolution and reprecipitation of the primary carbonate by the action of water. To estimate the rate of these solution-precipitation reactions, a kinetic model of magnesite-siderite carbonate dissolution was applied and used to examine the physicochemical conditions under which these rims might have formed. The results indicate that the formation of the rims could have taken place in < 50 yr of exposure to small amounts of aqueous fluids at ambient temperatures. Plausible conditions pertaining to reactions under a hypothetical ancient Martian atmosphere (1 bar CO2), the modern Martian atmosphere (8 mbar CO2), and the present terrestrial atmosphere (0.35 mbar CO2) were explored to constrain the site of the process. The results indicated that such reactions likely occurred under the latter two conditions. The possibility of Antarctic weathering must be entertained, which, if correct, would imply that the plausibly biogenic minerals (single-domain magnetite of characteristic morphology and sulfide) reported from the rims may be the products of terrestrial microbial activity. This model is discussed in terms of the available isotope data and found to be compatible with the formation of ALH84001 rims. Particularly, anticorrelated variations of radiocarbon with δ13C indicate that carbonate in ALH84001 was affected by solution-precipitation reactions immediately after its initial fall (ca. 13,000 yr ago) and then again during its recent exposure prior to collection.
Silent allelic variants of a T-cell receptor Vβ12 gene are present in diverse human populations

Amino acid substitutions in variable regions of the T-cell receptor (TCR) can alter T-cell reactivity; however, relatively little is known about the extent of allelic variation in human TCR coding sequences. In the present studies, coding region variation in the human TCR V beta 12.2 gene was examined in detail. Virtually the entire V beta 12.2 coding region was screened for nucleotide substitutions by single-stranded conformational polymorphism analysis. Four alleles were identified in a sample population of 90 unrelated people from diverse genetic backgrounds. Three of the alleles were common, with estimated frequencies of 0.32, 0.47, and 0.20. Sequence analyses revealed that variation between the alleles was confined to three single-base differences in codons 24, 31, and 45; none of these changes altered the amino acid sequence. No evidence for other coding region differences in this gene were found. This analysis suggests that coding region variation in V beta 12.2 is limited, and amino acid sequence is highly conserved.
Joint Blind Source Separation With Multivariate Gaussian Model: Algorithms and Performance Analysis

In this paper, we consider the joint blind source separation (JBSS) problem and introduce a number of algorithms to solve the JBSS problem using the independent vector analysis (IVA) framework. Source separation of multiple datasets simultaneously is possible when the sources within each and every dataset are independent of one another and each source is dependent on at most one source within each of the other datasets. In addition to source separation, the IVA framework solves an essential problem of JBSS, namely the identification of the dependent sources across the datasets. We propose to use the multivariate Gaussian source prior to achieve JBSS of sources that are linearly dependent across datasets. Analysis within the paper yields the local stability conditions, nonidentifiability conditions, and induced Cramer-Rao lower bound on the achievable interference to source ratio for IVA with multivariate Gaussian source priors. Additionally, by exploiting a novel nonorthogonal decoupling of the IVA cost function we introduce both Newton and quasi-Newton optimization algorithms for the general IVA framework.
New ways to print living cells promise breakthroughs for engineering complex tissues in vitro.

The ability to control the placement of cells and the assembly of networks in vitro has tremendous potential for understanding the regulation of development as well as for generating artificial tissues. To date, most engineering tools that can place materials with precision are not compatible with the requirements of living cells, and so approaches to tissue engineering have focused on patterning substrates as a way of controlling cell growth rather than patterning cells directly. In this issue of Biochemical Journal, however, Eagles et al. adapt electrohydrodynamic printing technology to ‘print’ living cells from a neuronal cell line on to a substrate. The importance of this approach is that it has the potential for unprecedented control over the position of cells in culture by directly placing them, thus allowing for the systematic assembly of cell networks.
Comparative Study of Reverse Transfer, Lateral Transfer, and First-Time Community College Students.

Among the “new” students attending community colleges are a large number of reserve and lateral transfers, students with previous college experience. This study was conducted to provide information on their characteristics and their reasons for attending and leaving colleges as compared to the first‐time college study. A sample of 10,196 students in the Los Rios Community College District (California) was studied and five student groups were identified: First Time Students (FTS), 54.7 percent; Noncompleter Lateral Transfers (NCLT), 19.2 percent; Completer Lateral Transfers (CLT), 7.5 percent; Noncompleter Reverse Transfers (NCRT), 12 percent; Completer Reverse Transfers (CRT), 7.6 percent. The CRT and FTS groups differed most significantly. The CRT were older, more often married with children, worked more hours, and were taking fewer units. In general, the characteristics of the other three groups were similar and at a mid‐point between the CRT and FTS. Factor analysis of the reasons for attending showed ...
The Role of the Lateral Malleolus as a Stabilizing Factor of the Ankle Joint: Preliminary Report∗

A preliminary report evaluating the role of the distal fibula as the lateral supporting structure of the ankle is presented. The study involved loading the knee of an above the knee amputation specimen and recording the resultant strains on the distal fibula. This was done with the ankle of the specimen in neutral, dorsiflexion, and eversion. Results show the susceptibility of the lateral fibula to compressive strains, with the greatest compression noted when the ankle is in eversion. Early findings also indicate that the fibula and lateral malleolus play an insignificant role in the weightbearing process in the lower limb.
The effect of special health care needs and health status on school functioning.

Abstract Background Past studies have shown that specific child conditions are associated with poor school outcomes. A national health survey with noncategorical measures of health and indicators of school functioning offers the opportunity to examine this association. Objectives To compare links between two health measures (children with special health care needs and general health status) and multiple school outcomes. Methods The analysis was based on 59,440 children aged 6–17 years from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health. Child health was assessed using the Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) screener and a question on general health status. CSHCN were classified by the complexity of their health care needs. Indicators of school functioning included special education use, many problem reports, repeated a grade, lack of school engagement, and many missed school days. Results Overall 22% of children were identified as CSHCN: 13% with more complex needs (C-CSHCN) and 9% with medication use only (CSHCN-RX). Approximately 17% of children were in less than optimal health. After controlling for a child's sociodemographic characteristics C-CSHCN had an increased risk of all of the negative school outcomes compared to children without SHCN, while CSHCN-RX had an increased risk of only one school outcome (many missed school days). Children in less than optimal health were at an increased risk of all negative school outcomes compared to children in optimal health. Conclusions The CSHCN screener and health status question identify related, but distinct, groups of children with worse outcomes on the indicators of school functioning.
Selective epoxidation in dense phase carbon dioxide

Selective epoxidations with transition metal catalysts (V, Ti, Mo) and ButOOH proceed with high conversions and high selectivity in dense phase carbon dioxide.
Nitrogen dioxide inhibition of viral-induced resistance in alveolar monocytes.

Rabbit alveolar monocytes harvested from rabbits injected intratracheally with a 5 × 105 tissue culture infective dose (TCID00) of para-influenza-3 virus are resistant to an in vitro challenge with rabbit pox virus. However, if the rabbits are exposed to 25 ppm nitrogen dioxide (NO2) for three hours immediately after the para-influenza-3 virus inoculation or at 0, 3, 6, 12, or 24 hours before the inoculation of virus, the previously observed resistance does not develop. This refractory state lasts at least 96 hours in that the alveolar macrophages from animals exposed to NO2 are unable to produce interferon when inoculated with para-influenza-3 virus in vitro. Exposure to NO2 also appears to increase the adsorption rate of para-influenza-3 virus in the lungs of rabbits, but it does not inactivate or enhance the infectivity of the virus employed.
Sources and provinces of late Quaternary sand on the East Texas–Louisiana continental shelf

Quartzose sand is a major component in the late Quaternary sediment on the East Texas–Louisiana shelf. It had generally been thought that the Colorado, Brazos, and Mississippi Rivers have been the major conduits for sediment transport to this shelf during the late Quaternary, but more recent geological and geophysical studies have suggested that other rivers, particularly the coastal-plain rivers of Texas and Louisiana, have also played an important role in sediment transport to the area. A re-evaluation of the sources of sand on the East Texas–Louisiana shelf confirms these more recent studies. The results indicate that ten rivers, the Guadalupe, Nueces, Brazos, Colorado, Trinity, Sabine, Calcasieu, Red, Atchafalaya, and Mississippi, have been major conduits for sediment transport to the shelf during the late Quaternary. Five sedimentary petrologic provinces, the Guadalupe, Brazos-Colorado, Trinity, Red River, and Mississippi, are herein defined for the sand of the East Texas–Louisiana shelf.
"Learning" and Grade Expectations: A Study of Instructor Evaluations:

This study examines instructor evaluations as used in introducing marketing classes. The report attempts to see if a student's increase in the knowledge of marketing is related to his/her eveluation of the instructor. “Learning” does not appear to be related to the student's evaluation of the instructor, but expected grades for the course and changes in anticipated grades are related to the student's perception of the instructor's effectiveness.
Assessing the Performance of Activated Carbon in the Indoor Environment

Assessing the service life and performance of an activated carbon system requires the monitoring of carbon saturation and post-carbon air over time. For any selected environment, such performance can be predicted with the aid of an air sampler comprising 16 adsorption cartridges mounted on a manifold plate. Various methods of analysis of carbon for saturation are evaluated and compared. The partially saturated carbon can be used for sensory evaluation of the post-carbon air. The sampler can also be used for competitive tests between different kinds of adsorbents in the same environment.
Reorganization of the Right Arcuate Fasciculus Following Left Arcuate Fasciculus Resection in Children With Intractable Epilepsy

The authors evaluated postsurgical reorganization of the arcuate fasciculus longitudinally using diffusion tensor imaging in 10 children with intractable epilepsy, whose resections included the left arcuate fasciculus. Evaluation of fractional anisotropy before and after surgery (mean follow-up: 7.5 months) showed a significant increase (P = .002) in the right arcuate fasciculus during follow-up. There was marked enlargement of the right arcuate fasciculus postsurgically in 8 patients. The change in right arcuate fasciculus fractional anisotropy values showed a positive correlation with interval between resection and postsurgical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (P = .044). Comparison of 10 age-matched controls to patients pre- and postsurgery showed significantly reduced presurgery fractional anisotropy in the left (P = .018) and right (P = .036) arcuate fasciculus and no difference in postsurgery fractional anisotropy in the right arcuate fasciculus (P = .399) in patients. These findings suggest a compensatory reorganization in the right arcuate fasciculus in children with intractable epilepsy following left arcuate fasciculus resection.