cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Restoration Success of Backfilling Canals in Coastal Louisiana Marshes

The need for effective marsh restoration techniques in Louisiana is a pressing issue as the state continues to lose coastal wetlands. Returning spoil banks to canals, known as “backfilling,” is an attractive restoration option because it restores marsh, prevents future wetland loss, and is cost effective. The restoration of 30 canals backfilled 20 years ago was examined in this study and compared to restoration success 5 and 10 years after backfilling. Ultimately, the success of backfilling was controlled by the amount of spoil returned to the canal and the position of the canal in the marsh. Up to 95% of the spoil area was restored to marsh when the spoil banks were adequately removed, but only 5% of the spoil area was restored at sites where spoil removal was poor. Restoration of organic matter, bulk density, water content, and plant communities of the former spoil areas was also constrained by the adequacy of spoil removal. Backfilling restored up to 90% of the organic matter, 92% of the bulk density, and 93% of the water content after 20 years at sites where spoil was properly removed. Canals backfilled in areas of intact marsh showed greater restoration success than canals backfilled in highly degraded marshes. This study indicates that the benefits of backfilling continue to increase over time, although complete restoration will take longer than 20 years. Improving the completeness of spoil removal, coupled with appropriate site selection, could speed up the restoration process and enhance the success of future backfilling projects.
A 66-Year-Old Man With an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: Review of Screening and Treatment

Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common cause of death. Abdominal aortic aneurysms tend to be asymptomatic until the time of rupture, which has a mortality rate of greater than 80%. Therefore, elective repair prior to rupture is preferred if life expectancy is reasonable and the risk of rupture outweighs the risk of repair. Mr F, a 66-year-old man with a 5.2-cm AAA, illustrates the issues surrounding monitoring and treating AAA. Risk factors for AAA include older age, male sex, smoking history, and a family history of AAA. Screening for AAA with ultrasound has been shown to prevent rupture, prevent AAA-related death, and be cost-effective. Risk factors for rupture include larger diameter, female sex, and smoking history. Endovascular repair has lower operative mortality and complications and has replaced standard open surgery in more than half of patients. However, long-term survival is similar after endovascular and open surgical repair. Those at risk of AAA who would benefit from repair should undergo screening.
Simultaneous measurement of fetal tissue pH and transcutaneous pO2 during labor.

Abstract Simultaneous measurement of fetal heart rate (FHR), uterine contractions (UC), continuous fetal tissue pH (TpH) and transcutaneous pO2 (tcpO2) was attempted in 40 high-risk parturients monitored for an average duration of 117 ± 74 min. There were only two failures (9%) in the last 23 cases, with satisfactory recording of all parameters in 78% of the total. At present, the feasibility of simultaneous biochemical monitoring is limited to the active phase of labor. Fetal scalp and umbilical arterial blood pH and pO2 were obtained as well. The biochemical data showed a good correlation between tcpO2, scalp capillary pO2 and umbilical artery pO2 (P
Global existence and global nonexistence of solutions of the Cauchy problem for a nonlinearly damped wave equation

Abstract In this paper we consider the long-time behavior of solutions of the initial value problem for semilinear wave equations of the form[formula]
13C and 15N stabilization dynamics in soil organic matter fractions during needle and fine root decomposition

Abstract Little is known about how the chemical composition of plant litter affects the amount and nature of C and N stabilized as soil organic matter (SOM). We examined the fate of dual labeled 13 C and 15 N Ponderosa pine fine roots ( in situ in a temperate conifer forest soil in the Sierra Nevada, CA, USA. We compared the distribution and stabilization of litter derived C and N in four SOM pools using a density fractionation procedure followed by an alkaline extraction of the dense fraction into fulvic, humic, and humin fractions. The C turnover times (estimated with natural abundance 14 C) of these SOM fractions were distinct and ranged from 5 yr (light fraction) to 260 yr (insoluble humin). Input of C as roots resulted in 28% more total C retained in soil when compared to inputs as needles. Twice as much root 13 C was present in the particulate soil (>2 mm) than for needles, while bulk soil ( 13 C and 15 N recoveries were similar between litters. SOM fractions provided greater sensitivity than bulk soil and showed significant differences between litters in both the amount and chemical composition of 13 C and 15 N compounds recovered within SOM fractions. More needle 13 C was retained in humic and humin fractions than was 13 C from roots. The chemical composition of stabilized organic molecules differed fundamentally between needle and root sources within the dense fraction SOM pools, especially during the first year. Root inputs were stabilized predominately as N-rich biomolecules in the humic and humin fractions, while needles contributed C-rich biomolecules to these dense fraction SOM pools. The large pulse of C-rich compounds from the more labile needles recovered in the humic and humin fractions did not persist after 1.5 yr, suggesting that low C:N ratio compounds derived from decomposing litters may stabilize more strongly and persist within the dense fraction SOM pools. The fundamental differences in C and N pathways during decomposition and stabilization of below ground (root) and above ground (needle) litters suggest that shifts in plant C allocation may influence the long term stability of plant-derived C in soil.
The Al 2 O 3 contents of enstatite in equilibrium with garnet in the system MgO-Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 at 15–40 kbar and 900°–1,600° C

Forty-six reversed determinations of the Al2O3content of enstatite in equilibrium with garnet were made in the P/T range 15–40 kbar/900–1,600° C in the MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 system. Starting materials were mixtures of synthetic pyrope+Al-free enstatite and pyrope+enstatite (5–12% Al2O3). Al2O3 contents in reversal run pairs closely approached common values from both the high- and low-Al sides. Most experiments were done in a piston-cylinder device using a NaCl medium; some runs at very high temperatures were made in pyrex/NaCl or pyrex/talc assemblies. The measured enstatite compositions, expressed as mole fractions of Mg2(MgAl)(AlSi3)O12(X Opy En ) were fitted by a Monte-Carlo method to the equilibrium condition: $$\begin{gathered} \Delta H_{970}^0 - 970\Delta S_{970}^0 \hfill \\ + \mathop \smallint \limits_1^P \Delta V_{970}^0 dP - \mathop \smallint \limits_{970}^T \Delta S_T^0 dT + RT\ln X_{Opy}^{En} = 0 \hfill \\ \end{gathered}$$ where the best fit parameters of ΔH, ΔS and ΔV (1 bar, 970 K) for the reaction pyrope=opy are 2,040 cal/mol, 2.12 eu and 9.55 cc/mol. In addition to the determination of Al2O3 contents of enstatite, the univariant reaction pyrope+forsterite=enstatite+spinel was reversibly located in the range 1,100–1,400°C. A “best-fit” line passes through 22, 22.5 and 25 kbar at 1,040, 1,255 and 1,415°C, respectively. Our results for the univariant reaction are in agreement with previous studies of MacGregor (1974) and Haselton (1979). However, comparison of the experimentally determined curve with thermochemical calculations suggests that there may be a small error in the tabulated ΔH f(970,1) 0 value for enstatite. A value of−8.32 rather than−8.81 kcal/mole (Charlu et al. 1975) is consistent with the present data. Application of garnet-enstatite-spinel-forsterite equilibria to natural materials is fraught with difficulties. The effects of nonternary components are poorly understood, and the low solubilities of Al2O3 in enstatite under most geologically reasonable conditions make barometric or thermometric calculations highly sensitive. More detailed studies, including reversed determinations in low-friction assemblies, are sorely needed before the effects of important diluents such as Fe, Ca and Cr can be fully understood.
Trace metal isotopic analysis of microliter solution volumes by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Discrete aqueous solution volumes were nebulized and introduced into an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) operated at atmospheric pressure. Metallic elements in the injected sample were atomized and ionized to yield a pulse of sample ions lasting approximately 20 s. A fraction of these sample ions was extracted into a vacuum system where the ions were m/z resolved and detected. Pulse counting and signal averaging techniques were used to determine isotope ratios for Mg and Ni present at 2–40 mg I−1 in solution volumes of 50–200 μl. The precision of these isotope ratio determinations was ± 1–3%. This ionization method is potentially valuable for determining metal isotope ratios in solution samples at high sample throughput rates, e.g. one sample every 3–4 min.
A spatial measure of neighborhood level racial isolation applied to low birthweight, preterm birth, and birthweight in North Carolina

Research on racial residential segregation (RRS) and birth outcomes has focused on RRS at a broad geographic scale, in an aspatial framework, and in northern US cities. We developed a spatial measure of neighborhood level racial isolation of blacks. We examined the association between this new measure and low birthweight, preterm birth, and birthweight in the southern state of North Carolina. Natality data were obtained from the North Carolina Detailed Birth Record 1998-2002 files. Using multiple regression with cluster corrected standard errors, infants born to black and white mothers living in black isolated neighborhoods had, on average, decreased birthweight, and increased odds of low birthweight and preterm birth compared to their counterparts in less isolated areas. White mothers in predominantly black neighborhoods experienced greater increases in odds of each poor birth outcome than did black mothers. Black isolation may be proxying concentrated socioeconomic disadvantage, including disamenities in the built environment.
Solvation Ultrafast Dynamics of Reactions. 13. Theoretical and Experimental Studies of Wave Packet Reaction Coherence and Its Density Dependence

In this paper of the series, which gives the full account of an earlier communication [Liu et al. J. Chem. Phys. 1996, 105, 5294], the reaction wave packet coherence of iodine in rare-gas fluids is studied, both experimentally and theoretically, in the gas-to-liquid transition region. The phase coherence dynamics, which exhibit striking density behavior, are resolved in real time and across a broad density range (0−35 nm^(-3)) for three different rare gases: helium, neon, and argon. In the solvent, the wave packet reaction coherence is observed on time scales longer than that of the solute vibrational motion, and the loss of coherence is due to solvent collision-induced predissociation and collision-induced dephasing. By means of molecular dynamics simulations, the experimental results are reproduced by classical and semiclassical treatments. The centrifugal force, by vibration−rotation coupling, is found to be dominant at low and intermediate densities. A motion narrowing effect causes the contribution of vibration−rotation coupling to dephasing to decrease at high densities. Direct contributions from the solute−solvent forces increase with the solvent density throughout the whole dynamics range. The combining influence of the two forces gives rise to the drastically different behaviors observed in three different density regions.
Essential considerations for spectral localization using indirect gradient encoding of spatial information

Abstract An analysis of the essential elements of spectral localization using indirect gradient encoding of spatial information is presented. The analysis is based on the general formulation of the selective Fourier transform algorithm, which allows definition of the spatial response shape and the location of the region of spectral localization. Indirect spatial encoding with phase or amplitude modulation is compared. The efficiency of defining the spatial response shape is discussed and various windowing techniques for determining the spatial response are compared for their relative sensitivity. This analysis allows direct comparison between techniques of indirect gradient encoding for spectral localization and facilitates the selection of the optimum technique for a particular situation.
Accelerated fatigue fracture of polyethylene pipe material: crack layer analysis

A fatigue accelerated pipe test method has been developed which is able to quickly differentiate pipes according to their crack propagation resistance. The differences in brittle crack propagation resistance between two pipe materials was quantified and related to the specific enthalpy of damage and the dissipation coefficient via the Crack Layer Theory. These values show that the ethylene/hexene copolymer was more resistant to brittle cracking than was the ethylene/butene copolymer, because in the latter a larger percentage of the irreversible work per cycle was expended on the fracture process. The ethylene/butene copolymer also had a smaller intrinsic toughness than did the ethylene/hexene copolymer, as manifested by its lower specific enthalpy of damage. These results agree with the kinetics of crack propagation, as well as the known field performance of these two materials.
Lewis acidic organoboron polymers

The functionalization of polymeric materials with Lewis acidic boron sites has led to exciting new opportunities in diverse areas, ranging from new polymeric catalysts to the preparation of highly luminescent materials and the design of efficient sensor systems for nucleophiles. Recent advances in the preparation of these Lewis acidic boron polymers, their coordination behavior, and some of their intriguing applications are reviewed.
MICROMECHANICS OF FAULTING IN WESTERLY GRANITE

Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations were made on two suites of ion-thinned samples deformed at 400 MPa, 350°C and 250 MPa, 150°C. The latter suite includes 5 samples retrieved at different stages in the post-failure region. The pre-failure samples in both suites show numerous transgranular cracks at low angles (<15°) to maximum compression direction. We did, however, also observe many high-angle(/lt;15°) transgranular cracks. The deformation in post-failure samples is localized. Typically a localized zone is comprised of a number of almost coplanar cracks inclined at angles of 15°–45° to the maximum compression direction. Elsewhere, axial crack arrays extend over entire grains forming slender columns. In plagioclase, complex crack networks link up with the pores. The crack arrays and networks act as ‘barriers’ to the joining up of the inclined cracks to form a shear zone. A through-going fault is formed by coalescence of arrays and networks with the inclined cracks, accompanied by extensive crushing into fine-grained gouge. Elastic anisotropy and pore, as well as grain scale inhomogeneity, can influence the development of stress-induced cracks. Consequently, the four minerals in Westerly granite behave differently during faulting, the failure mechanisms being dependent on both mineralogy and grain orientation.
Numerical Schemes for Hyperbolic Conservation Laws with Stiff Relaxation Terms

Hyperbolic systems often have relaxation terms that give them a partially conservative form and that lead to a long-time behavior governed by reduced systems that are parabolic in nature. In this article it is shown by asymptotic analysis and numerical examples that semidiscrete high resolution methods for hyperbolic conservation laws fail to capture this asymptotic behavior unless the small relaxation rate is resolved by a fine spatial grid. We introduce a modification of higher order Godunov methods that possesses the correct asymptotic behavior, allowing the use of coarse grids (large cell Peclet numbers). The idea is to build into the numerical scheme the asymptotic balances that lead to this behavior. Numerical experiments on 2 × 2 systems verify our analysis.
Ultrastructure of granulofilamentous bodies in pathologic spleen and lymph node

An electron microscope study of granulofilamentous (GF) bodies in the spleens and lymph nodes of two patients, one with lymphosarcoma and the other with macroglobulinemia, suggests a new substructure for the filaments constituting the wall of these bodies. The filaments may not be single, as previously described, but may consist of twin filaments about 2.5 nm in width and separated by approximately 10.5 nm. The twin filaments are attached either on the inside or on the outside of a spiral membrane about 2 nm in thickness. This attachment may render spatial strength to the filaments which are always seen rigid and straight. The wall of the GF bodies does not always contain ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules between its various layers, and if this occurs the layers are separated by about 21 nm instead of 45 nm when the RNP granules are present. The study speculates that one or both ends of the GF bodies are closed and hemispherical in shape.
Spectral theory and Wiener-Itô decomposition for the image of a Jacobi field

Assume that K +: H − → T − is a bounded operator, where H − and T − are Hilbert spaces and ρ is a measure on the space H −. Denote by ρK the image of the measure ρ under K +. We study the measure ρK under the assumption that ρ is the spectral measure of a Jacobi field and obtain a family of operators whose spectral measure is equal to ρK. We also obtain an analog of the Wiener-Ito decomposition for ρK. Finally, we illustrate the results obtained by explicit calculations carried out for the case, where ρK is a Levy noise measure.
Trace expansions for mixed boundary problems

Abstract We discuss the heat trace expansion for a mixed boundary problem for the Laplace operator acting on sections of some bundle V over a manifold M of dimension d . The boundary is divided in two parts N D and N N , intersecting in a smooth submanifold Σ. Dirichlet conditions are imposed on N D - Σ, and Neumann conditions on N N - Σ. It turns out that it is also necessary to impose a condition along Σ. We then obtain an expansion of the trace of the heat operator with these boundary conditions, containing integrals of the usual terms over the interior and the two parts of the boundary, together with integrals over Σ of terms that are “global” in certain operators on a semicircle. The first nonzero such term is computed; it involves the zeta function of an operator on the semicircle, and depends on the boundary condition along Σ. We find that no logarithmic terms occur in the expansion.
Fractional optimal control of distributed systems in spherical and cylindrical coordinates

This paper presents a general formulation and numerical scheme for the fractional optimal control problem (FOCP) of distributed systems in spherical and cylindrical coordinates. The fractional derivatives are expressed in the Caputo-Sense. The performance index of FOCP is considered as a function of both the state and the control variables and the dynamic constraints are expressed by a partial fractional differential equation. A method of separation of variables is employed to separate the time and space terms, and the eigenfunction approach is used to eliminate the terms containing space parameter and define the formulation in terms of countable number of infinite state and control variables. The fractional optimal control equations are reduced to the Volterra-type integral equations. For the problems considered, only a few eigenfunctions in each direction are sufficient for the calculations to converge. The time domain is discretized into several subintervals and the result is more stable for a larger n...
Centrifugally-assisted combustion synthesis of functionally-graded materials

Functionally graded materials (FGM`s) have been prepared by a variety of techniques, including combustion synthesis, and the use of a centrifugal force in this method of synthesis has been demonstrated previously. However, in the earlier work, a centrifugal force was applied to investigate the changes in the dynamics of self-propagating combustion waves or to deposit coatings on the inside surfaces of pipes. The use of a centrifugal force to investigate the formation of FGM`s has not been reported previously and is the focus of this communication. In this work, the authors have chosen thermite reactions to investigate the feasibility of FGM formation by centrifugally-assisted combustion synthesis.
Retailer reactions to competitive price changes

Abstract Despite the importance of understanding and predicting competitive reactions in oligopoly theory, empirical research on the topic is sparse. We examine whether retail decision-makers' pricing reactions conform to the asymmetric conjecture specified in the classic kinked demand curve theory: that firms will tend to follow competitors' price cuts but not follow price increases. Factors which likely moderate this reaction pattern are discussed and examined via a survey which presents managers with a case study in which they must determine whether or not to respond to a competitor's pricing initiative. The results do generally support the theory's assumption about pricing reactions, but also indicate that reactions are moderated by item price sensitivity and influenced by the behavior of other competitors in the market. Response to price cuts is immediate in some cases, but response to price increases can only be motivated if other competitors follow the initiator first. We consider why these effects vary across products and how market learning may be inhibited by certain reaction tendencies.
Spontaneous Lorentz Violation and the Long-Range Gravitational Preferred-Frame Effect

Lorentz-violating operators involving Standard Model fields are tightly constrained by experimental data. However, bounds are more model-independent for Lorentz violation appearing in purely gravitational couplings. The spontaneous breaking of Lorentz invariance by the vacuum expectation value of a vector field selects a universal rest frame. This affects the propagation of the graviton, leading to a modification of Newton's law of gravity. We compute the size of the long-range preferred-frame effect in terms of the coefficients of the two-derivative operators in the low-energy effective theory that involves only the graviton and the Goldstone bosons.
Transfer RNA methylase activity of synchronized and unsynchronized cultures of Tetrahymena pyriformis

Abstract 1. 1. Transfer RNA (tRNA) methylases were prepared from extracts of synchronized and unsynchronized cultures of Tetrahymena pyriformis GL. 2. 2. The Km values were 1.0 × 10−5M for S-adenosylmethionine and 2.9 × 10−6M for tRNA. 3. 3. Enzyme specific activity was greatest during exponential growth phase and least at 40 and 80 minutes following the synchronizing heat treatment. Total enzyme activity, however, was greatest at the end of the heat treatment, and least at 40 and 80 minutes following the heat treatment and during stationary phase.
A Decorated Virus Cannot Hide

The coagulation system protects our bodies from excessive loss of blood from a leaky or damaged vessel, whereas the immune system protects us from invading pathogens such as viruses. Unexpected links between these two systems suggest their coevolution ( 1 , 2 ). On page 795 in this issue, Doronin et al. show that an essential protein for the clotting process binds to a virus that has entered the blood stream, thereby allowing the immune system to sense the invader and mount a rapid and potent antiviral response ( 3 ).
Lifetime of the Davydov soliton.

Quantum and thermal effects on the lifetime of the Davydov solution are studied. Results of a quantum-mechanical perturbation treatment of the lifetime are presented for a wide range of parameter values. We derive a simple condition on the parameter values that must be satisfied for the soliton to be a viable mechanism for localized energy transport in the Davydov model for the α-helix region of protein. Our conclusion is that the Davydov soliton as originally proposed is not a likely candidate for this mechanism, but that a single soliton with a very large excitation number could provide the mechanism
Iron-mediated trichloroethene reduction within nonaqueous phase liquid.

Abstract Aqueous slurries or suspensions containing reactive iron nanoparticles are increasingly suggested as a potential means for remediating chlorinated solvent nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) source zones. Aqueous-based treatment approaches, however, may be limited by contaminant dissolution from the NAPL and the subsequent contaminant transport to the reactive nanoparticles. Reactions occurring within (or at the interface) of the NAPL may alleviate these potential limitations, but this approach has received scant attention due to concerns associated with the reactivity of iron within nonaqueous phases. Results presented herein suggest that iron nanoparticles are reactive with TCE–NAPL and exhibit dechlorination rates proportional to the concentration of (soluble) water present within the NAPL. Reactivity was assessed over a 12-day period for five water contents ranging from 0.31 M to 4.3 M, with n-butanol used to enhance water solubility in the NAPL. Rates of dechlorination were generally slower than those reported for aqueous-phase dechlorination, but were not observed to slow over the course of the 12-day period. The lack of observed deactivation may indicate the potential that highly efficient (with respect to utilization of available electrons) dechlorination reactions can be engineered to occur within nonaqueous liquids. These results suggest a need for subsequent investigations which focus on understanding the mechanisms of the reactions occurring within NAPL, as well as those assessing the utility of controlling both the iron and water content within a NAPL source zone.
Marihuana: Studies on the Disposition and Metabolism of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Man

Δ 9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol (the major active component of marihuana) administered intravenously to normal human volunteers persists in plasma for more than 3 days (t 1/2 = 56 hours ). Its metabolites appear in plasma within 10 minutes after administration and persist along with the precursor compound. Δ 9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol is completely metabolized in man, and the radioactive metabolites are excreted in urine and feces for more than 8 days.
Forced Expression of Survivin-2B Abrogates Mitotic Cells and Induces Mitochondria-dependent Apoptosis by Blockade of Tubulin Polymerization and Modulation of Bcl-2, Bax, and Survivin

It has been previously shown that both survivin and the survivin splice variant survivin-2B are localized in mitochondria. Whereas the mechanism involved in blockade of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis by survivin has been extensively studied, the role of survivin-2B in regulation of apoptosis has not been well defined. In the present study, we report that in addition to mitochondria, survivin-2B is also localized in the microtubule organization center (MTOC) and, in contrast to other survivin isoforms (i.e. survivin and survivin-ΔEx3), behaves as a proapoptotic molecule. We show that forced expression of survivin-2B blocks tubulin polymerization, ablates mitotic cells, and induces mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. The mitochondria-mediated apoptosis induced by survivin-2B was indicated by Smac release from mitochondria, activation of caspases 9 and 3, and loss of mitochondrial potential, while caspase-8 remained inactive. Further analysis of the mechanism for the mitochondria-associated events of apoptosis induced by forced expression of survivin-2B revealed down-regulation of the pro-survival factor Bcl-2 and up-regulation of the pro-apoptotic factor Bax in mitochondria, while the apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) remains unchanged. Our studies further showed that taxol (paclitaxel) treatment of cancer cells not only up-regulates survivin but also down-regulates survivin-2B and that forced expression of survivin-2B sensitizes cells to taxol-induced cell growth inhibition and cell death, while silencing of endogenous survivin-2B transcripts by survivin-2B-specific siRNA made cells resistant to taxol treatment. These findings advance our current knowledge about survivin-2B and may help to develop novel approaches for cancer treatment.
Higher radix on-line division

We present a formal proof of correctness of the on-line division algorithm specified in an earlier paper [1]. We also derive two radix 4 on-line division algorithms, with non-redundant and redundant operands respectively.
Phase-aware projection model for steganalysis of JPEG images

State-of-the-art JPEG steganographic algorithms, such as J-UNIWARD, are currently better detected in the spatial domain rather than the JPEG domain. Rich models built from pixel residuals seem to better capture the impact of embedding than features constructed as co-occurrences of quantized JPEG coefficients. However, when steganalyzing JPEG steganographic algorithms in the spatial domain, the pixels’ statistical properties vary because of the underlying 8 × 8 pixel grid imposed by the compression. In order to detect JPEG steganography more accurately, we split the statistics of noise residuals based on their phase w.r.t. the 8 × 8 grid. Because of the heterogeneity of pixels in a decompressed image, it also makes sense to keep the kernel size of pixel predictors small as larger kernels mix up qualitatively different statistics more, losing thus on the detection power. Based on these observations, we propose a novel feature set called PHase Aware pRojection Model (PHARM) in which residuals obtained using a small number of small-support kernels are represented using first-order statistics of their random projections as in the projection spatial rich model PSRM. The benefit of making the features “phase-aware” is shown experimentally on selected modern JPEG steganographic algorithms with the biggest improvement seen for J-UNIWARD. Additionally, the PHARM feature vector can be computed at a fraction of computational costs of existing projection rich models.
Curvature, rigidity, and pattern formation in functional polymer micelles and vesicles – From dynamic visualization to molecular simulation

Abstract Polymer micelles and vesicles form upon hydration of amphiphilic block copolymers in dilute aqueous solution. Present challenges with these self-assemblies include understanding how molecular structure and polydispersity determine nano- and mesoscopic shape and properties such as flexibility. With charged copolymers, divalent ionic ligands can rigidify polymer vesicle membranes and also induce microphase separation into domains of weak polyelectrolyte gels. In this review, we focus on the underlying physical and molecular questions concerning copolymer assembly and associated challenges and implications for nano-delivery materials. We also highlight molecular simulation techniques that can be used to investigate properties of assemblies, such as curvature, patterning, and other ionic effects in functional polymeric membranes and micelles.
ISOLATION, PURIFICATION, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF DMSP LYASE (DIMETHYLPROPIOTHETIN DETHIOMETHYLASE (4.4.1.3)) FROM THE RED ALGA POLYSIPHONIA PANICULATA1

Polysiphonia paniculata Montagne is an intertidal red alga known to produce large amounts of the compound dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP). Conversion of this substrate into dimethylsulfide is accomplished in P, paniculata by an enzyme called DMSP lyase (dimethylpropiothetin dethiomethyla.se (4.4.1.3)). DMSP lyase has been purified and characterized from P. paniculata. Enzymie activity is found in two different proteins: the larger with a molecular weight of 9.26 ± 104 daltons and the smaller with a molecular weight of 3.65 ± 104 daltons. Specific activity of the enzyme is 526 μmols min−1mg−1 for the smaller protein a nd 263 μmols min −1 mg−1 for the la rger protein. The Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) is 72.8 μM ± 17.15 and the vmax is 1.62 μmols min−1± 0.928 for the 92.6-kDa protein. The p1 of the larger protein is 5.8 and 5.9 for the smaller protein. Interaction with cysteine protease inhibitors L-trans-epoxysuccinyl-leucylamido (4-guanidino)-butane, dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoate), or N-ethylmaleimide inactivated enzyme activity. The presence of either magnesium or calcium with DMSP lyase enhanced activity al concentrations between 20 and 40 μM but had little effect above these levels. Addition of the divalent chelators ethylenebis(oxyethylenenitrilo) tetraacetic acid and ethylenediaminetetraacetate decreased activity of the enzyme, but activity was restored when either chelator was removed and magnesium or calcium was added to the enzyme.
Wavelet-domain hidden Markov models for signal detection and classification

This paper addresses the problem of detection and classification of complicated signals in noise. Classical detection methods such as energy detectors and linear discriminant analysis do not perform well in many situations of practical interest. We introduce a new approach based on hidden Markov modeling in the wavelet domain. Using training data, we fit a hidden Markov model (HMM) to the wavelet transform to concisely represent its probabilistic time- frequency structure. The HMM provides a natural framework for performing likelihood ratio tests used in signal detection and classification. We compare our approach with classical methods for classification of nonlinear processes, change-point detection, and detection with unknown delay.
Experimental Observations on the Central Nervous System’s Governing Strategies on the Arm Reaching With Reduced Mobility

For the motion planning of a point–to–point reaching task with a healthy arm, the CNS tends to plan the shortest hand path between two task points with a bell–shaped velocity profile. If any kinematic or dynamic constraints are imposed on the arm, the CNS adapts to the changes by incorporating learning mechanism into the motion planning. This paper seeks to identify the modified motion planning strategies of the CNS when the elbow joint is constrained to move. We present an experimental protocol, where subjects perform point–to–point reaching tasks with a lightweight elbow brace to restrict the joint kinematics with a minimal effect on the arm dynamics. From the experimental observations, the human strategies on each aspect of motion planning (i.e. hand path geometry, speed of the motion, and the arm posture selection) are hypothesized. The hypothesized strategies are developed as models and compared with the experimental data. As a result, we found that the hand path follows the rhumb line on the constraint workspace while the speed profile preserves a bell–shape, which can be roughly approximated by the minimum jerk model. In addition, by comparing the joint contributions data with and without the elbow constraint, it is hypothesized that the CNS resolves the redundancy of the inverse kinematics problem by reducing the kinetic energy of the limbs.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Mechanisms of vowel recognition for ineraid patients fit with continuous interleaved sampling processors

Vowel recognition was assessed for eight, cochlear implant patients who use the Ineraid's six-electrode array. Recognition was tested in three conditions: with the Ineraid after years of experience; with a CIS processor at fitting of the processor; and with the CIS processor after 1 month's experience. At the time of fitting of the CIS processor, vowel recognition was not superior to that with the Ineraid. Recognition improved significantly over the period of a month. At 1 month, performance was significantly better with the CIS processor than with the Ineraid. This outcome is interpreted to mean that remapping of the vowel space is necessary following fitting with the CIS processor and some of the remapping occurs over a time period of days or weeks, rather than hours. Vowel errors at one month could be accounted for by two mechanisms. One is that patients attended to low-frequency channels at expense of high-frequency channels, or could not use information in high-frequency channels. The second is that, for diphthongs, patients could not detect frequency change over the course of the utterance.
Gone too far—or not far enough? Comments on the article by Ashton and Lee (2001)

Ashton and Lee argue that Honesty should be added to the Big Five model of personality as a sixth factor, and present a theoretical framework for interpreting Big Five factors and Honesty that help...
Dynamic recrystallization in semi-brittle faults

Abstract Experiments designed to investigate the microstructure and mechanical behavior of shear zones across the cataclastic faulting to dislocation creep transition indicate that some mylonites may be the products of frictional faulting under semi-brittle conditions. The experiments involve simple shear of thin layers of polycrystalline halite to strains (γ) of 5–8, at temperatures to 250°C, normal stresses to 90 MPa and at shear strain rates of 7 × 10 −3 s −1 . Microstructural and mechanical data define a transitional field of semi-brittle flow. Steady-state stress in the semi-brittle field is a function of the normal stress and the temperature, and is significantly less than that predicted by the power-law equation used to describe dislocation creep, and by the friction law used to describe cataclastic faulting. Fracture and localized slip are characteristic processes in the fields of cataclastic faulting and semi-brittle flow, whereas intracrystalline plasticity, recovery and dynamic recrystallization are characteristic of semi-brittle flow and dislocation creep. For both semi-brittle flow and dislocation, creep migration recrystallization is activated only after a critical strain and temperature—stress condition are achieved. The recrystallized grain size is consistent with previously established piezometric relations for dislocation creep. These experiments indicate that the field of semi-brittle flow for halite is characterized by frictional behavior even though the corresponding microstructure primarily reflects microscopic plastic deformation and softening processes.
Assessing the Utilization of a Manufacturing Plant Floor as Part of Overhead Energy

AbstractIn this study, the relationship between manufacturing plant areas and the plant’s overhead energy was investigated and analyzed. The physical information about five industrial facilities, which included blueprints, plant layout, plant area, and machine configuration, was collected and in-plant measurements were made. The goal of this research is to measure, in actual manufacturing plants, the area distributions and their relationship to the basic machine area footprint (where the product manufacturing occurs) across a wide range of machine types. A six-categorization system (A to F) was developed for the different plant areas and can be used easily by other researchers. A linear relationship of decreasing total plant area (A to F) with decreasing machine size (A) was found. Thus, the allocated total plant area (TPA) is determined as A to F and can be estimated for a single machine operating at a manufacturing rate of x products or workpieces per hour. The nonprocess energy, then, is TPA× (30 W/m2...
Diagnosis and surgical management of phacoanaphylactic uveitis following extracapsular cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation

One year after a successful extracapsular cataract extraction with posterior chamber lens implantation of a Cilco Kratz modified J-loop lens, the patient, a 79-year-old white female, developed a severe granulomatous uveitis unresponsive to topical or systemic steroid therapy. All usual uveitis tests were negative, and no evidence of masquerade-syndrome-type uveitis was found. The possibility of lens-induced uveitis was considered. A B-scan ultrasound revealed high density echoes in the superotemporal portion of the capsular bag, and an operative procedure consisting of a sector iridectomy, removal of the implant, removal of white cortical material in the capsular bag as well as residual lens capsule, and an anterior vitrectomy was done. Pathologic examination of the specimens revealed lens material engulfed by large macrophages, foam cells, and plasma cells. The patient's uveitis rapidly subsided. She is now off all medication and has normal aphakic vision. The differential diagnosis, surgical management, and implications of this problem are discussed.
SU‐GG‐I‐27: Image Artifacts Caused by the Extra‐Focal Spot of An X‐Ray Tube in Cone‐Beam Computed Tomography

Purpose: We investigate the reconstruction artifacts induced by extra‐focal spot of x‐ray tube in cone‐beam computed tomography(CBCT).Method and Materials: The extra‐focal radiation problem of an x‐ray tube has been investigated for more than thirty years. However, these investigations have been mostly limited to fan‐beam computed tomography (FBCT) where only the quasi‐one‐dimensional source distribution matters. In contrast, CBCT is more vulnerable to the problem of extra‐focal field than FBCT because the quasi‐two‐dimensional distribution of source is significant. Extra‐focal radiation has been attributed to two physical processes: secondary electrons and field emission. Specifically, field emission of electrons from a cold cathode may create a well‐defined extra‐focal spot that can emit a substantial amount of x‐rays. We have observed a non‐negligible amount of x‐ray flux from an off‐focal spot in the x‐ray tube of an on‐board imager used for image‐guidedradiation therapy, and have performed a numerical study to simulate the image artifacts induced by this strong extra‐focal spot. The 3‐D Shepp‐Logan phantom was used as an imaging object and circular cone‐beam projections were made with two focal source points separated by 8 mm along the rotation axis direction. The off center focal spot had an intensity of 10% that of the central spot. Results: We observed image artifacts such as overlaid structure of the object components in the coronal slice images and ghost objects in some transverse slice images.Conclusion: In addition to the well‐known image artifacts, due to spread extra‐focal field of an x‐ray tube, which include blurring of the images, well‐defined extra‐focal spots can introduce additional image artifacts such as overlaying structures and ghost objects.
Formation of spectral lines in planetary atmospheres. I - Theory for cloudy atmospheres: Application to Venus.

The theory of the formation of spectral lines in a cloudy planetary atmosphere is studied in detail. It is shown that models based upon homogeneous, isotropically scattering atmospheres cannot be used to reproduce observed spectroscopic features of phase effect and the shape of spectral lines for weak and strong bands. The theory must, therefore, be developed using an inhomogeneous (gravitational) model of a planetary atmosphere, accurately incorporating all the physical processes of radiative transfer. Such a model of the lower Venus atmosphere, consistent with our present knowledge, is constructed. The results discussed in this article demonstrate the effects of the parameters that describe the atmospheric model on the spectroscopic features of spectral line profile and phase effect, at visible and near infrared wavelengths. This information enables us to develop a comprehensive theory of line formation in a Venus atmosphere.
New factorized S-matrices associated with SO(N)

Abstract A method is presented for applying the fusion procedure for solutions of the rational Yang-Baxter equation to R -matrices acting in the vector representation of SO( N ). As an application, new R -matrices acting in symmetric representations of SO( N ) are calculated. R -matrices acting in reducible representations containing the antisymmetric representations of SO( N ) are calculated. These are used to construct factorized S -matrices giving the scattering of particles in the principal chiral model. Connections with affine Toda field theory are discussed.
Bilingual school psychologists' assessment practices with English language learners

This study explored bilingual school psychologists' assessment practices with students identified as English language learners (ELL). One thousand bilingual National Association of School Psychologist members were recruited nationwide, and 276 participated. Among those conducting language proficiency assessments of ELLs, many (58%) use comprehensive methods across four domains of language use. Participants generally use multifaceted assessment approaches and most (84.1%) assess acculturation as part of the assessment battery. Although few use interpreters, those who did reported a mix of best practices and discouraged practices in their use. Multiple regression results showed that engaging in continuing education activities about assessing ELLs predicted “best practices” when assessing language proficiency, selecting and using measures with ELLs with whom they share a second language, and using interpreters. A relationship was also found between engaging in applied preservice training with bilingual supervision and best practice behaviors assessing student acculturation. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Photoreaction of a racemate proceeding through radical or ion pairs. The effect of circularly polarized light on the enantiomeric excess of recovered reactant.

A simple theory has been developed to explain how circularly polarized light will affect the outcome of a photoreaction of a racemic substrate proceeding through ion pairs or radical pairs. One can calculate the enantiomeric excess and amount of recovered substrate at any stage of the reaction.
NIST Cesium Fountains - Current Status and Future Prospects

We review the current status of the U.S. Primary Frequency Standard, NIST-F1. NIST-F1 is a laser-cooled cesium fountain based frequency standard with an inaccuracy of less than δ f / f ≤ 5x10-16 limited mainly by the radiation field in the room-temperature fountain (blackbody shift). NIST-F1 is one of the best cesium fountains currently contributing to international atomic time, but has reached a point that it is impractical to improve its accuracy substantially. Therefore we are building a new fountain, imaginatively named NIST-F2, with a cryogenic (77 K) Ramsey interrogation zone that lowers the blackbody shift by several orders of magnitude. NIST-F2 is currently undergoing final assembly, and we will discuss our planned (hoped for) performance, which includes frequency inaccuracy of δ f / f < 1x10-16
Clinical application of pharmacokinetic analysis as a biomarker of solitary pulmonary nodules: dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate perfusion indices and pharmacokinetic parameters in solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs). Thirty patients of 34 enrolled with SPNs (15-30 mm) were evaluated in this study. T1 and T2-weighted structural images and 2D turbo FLASH perfusion images were acquired with shallow free breathing. B-spline nonrigid image registration and optimization by χ² test against pharmacokinetic model curve were performed on dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. This allowed voxel-by-voxel calculation of k(ep) , the rate constant for tracer transport to and from plasma and the extravascular extracellular space. Mean transit time, time-to-peak, initial slope, and maximum enhancement (E(max) ) were calculated from time-intensity curves fitted to a gamma variate function. After blinded data analysis, correlation with tissue histology from surgical resection or biopsy samples was performed. Histologic evaluation revealed 25 malignant and five benign SPNs. All benign SPNs had k(ep) 1.0 min⁻¹. Sensitivity to diagnose malignant SPNs at a cutoff of k(ep) = 1.0 min⁻¹ was 76%, specificity was 100%, positive predictive value was 100%, negative predictive value was 45%, and accuracy was 80%. Of all indices studied, k(ep) was the most significant in differentiating malignant from benign SPNs.