cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interference management for smart grid communication under cognitive wireless network

Wireless communication in smart grid is a typical scenario of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication. For a smart grid communication system, the requirements for stability, security and reliability are more strict than those for other M2M applications. Interference management is one of the key challenges to ensure the wireless system working with stability and reliability. The interferences may come from the existed SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system, or some unknown devices using the same spectrum band occasionally. In this paper, we propose a novel mechanism for a WiMAX based system to manage various in-band interferences under cognitive environment, which are meaningful when there is no dedicated spectrum resource assigned for the new system or at the stage for system evolution from narrow band to broadband. We design the periodical sensing (PS) process during the normal wireless communication to obtain the realtime interference information and define the cross layer message between PHY and MAC to deliver the interference information to downlink and uplink respectively. Based on the time and frequency domain analysis for PS data, we classify received interferences into several types and execute corresponding management methods to reduce the influences caused by interferences. Through the field test in two cities, it proves that the interference management mechanism we proposed is effective.
Frequency-dependent conductivity, relaxation times, and the conductivity/viscosity coupling problem, in polymer-electrolyte solutions: LiClO4 and NaCF3SO3 in PPO 4000

Abstract This contribution seeks to rationalize the striking differences between conductivity/mechanical responses in the salt-polymer and superionic glass extremes of the amorphous solid electrolyte field. The decoupling index, R τ , which is the ratio of structural to conductivity relaxation times and has values up to 10 14 for superionic glasses, was shown by Torell and Angell to have very small values, of order 10 −3 , for salt/polymer solutions, but no clear interpretation could be provided. In the present work, we use ac conductivity and viscosity-derived mechanical relaxation times measured over wide composition ranges in systems of known ion-pair content to investigate the composition dependence of R τ , We observe systematic variations of R τ with salt concentration which go in the opposite direction from that expected from the composition dependence of ion pairing. In dilute polymer solutions, diffusing ion apparently “see” a microviscosity considerably greater than that detected by the light scattering-based longitudinal mechanical relaxation, which is, however, found to give correctly the conductivity relaxation time in aqueous systems. With increasing salt concentration the decoupling index is found to increase exponentially such that values of unity are predicted for salt contents greater than one mole per six polymer repeat units (M:O=1:6) where less than a full coordination shell of ether oxygens is available for the cation. Crude extrapolations suggest the possibility of a continuous progression from anion mobility-dominated supercoupled polymer-salt solution to cation mobility dominated, highly decoupled superionic glass, as the cation solvation sheaths are stripped away.
Tracking health care costs: declining growth trend pauses in 2004.

ABSTRACT: Health care spending increased 8.2 percent in 2004. This was virtually unchanged from 2003, which suggests that health care cost trends have stabilized. Hospital spending grew 10.1 percen...
Late Paleozoic tectonothermal evolution of the western Piedmont and eastern Blue Ridge, Georgia: Controls on the chronology of terrane accretion and transport in the southern Appalachian orogen

Hornblende within the Helen and Tallulah Falls nappes of the eastern Blue Ridge and portions of the western Piedmont (higher grade sequences of the Chauga- Walhalla complex and eastern portions of the Six-Mile nappe) record 322-333-m.y. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar plateau ages which date post metamorphic cooling through temperatures required for intracrystalline retention of argon. Hornblende within lower-grade portions of the Chauga-Walhalla complex and western portions of the Six-Mile nappe (Alto allochthon) records older plateau ages (322-362 m.y.). None of these release spectra suggests a super-posed metamorphic history, and the plateau ages are interpreted to date regionally diachronous cooling of the allochthon following a Late Devonian or earlier high-grade metamorphism. Muscovite within all structural units of the eastern Blue Ridge and western Piedmont records 302-318-m.y. 4O Ar/ 39 Ar plateau ages which date post meta-morphic cooling through lower closure temperatures (∼350 °C?). Biotite from these structural units yields 312-348-m.y. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar plateau ages. The geologic significance of the biotite ages is uncertain because of variable contamination with extraneous argon. The Alto allochthon appears to have originated within the western Piedmont following a Late Devonian or earlier high-grade metamorphism which may have developed during initial terrane accretion to North America. Diachronous postmetamorphic cooling of the allochthon likely occurred during its movement to higher crustal levels associated with emplacement over lower-grade rocks of the Chauga-Walhalla complex. Emplacement occurred prior to local development of retrogressive mylonitic fabrics related to tectonic activity within the Brevard fault zone and prior to regional cooling through muscovite closure temperatures.
Pair production from photon-pulse collisions.

The high-energy expansion for extended targets developed previously is used to describe the problem of electron pair production by photons, a problem of interest in linear-collider design. The treatment is valid throughout the range of possible parameters, from the classical regime to the extreme quantum domain. The relation between this process and pair production in a constant external field is discussed.
The JISC Academic Database Assessment Tool – virtues and vices

Purpose – The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) is an advisory body to the higher and further education funding councils for England, Scotland and Wales, and the Department of Education of Northern Ireland in matters related to the use of information and communications technology in education and research. In the world of committees, it has been offering remarkably practical digital information products and services for colleges and universities (www.jisc.ac.uk/aboutus/whoweare/valueimpact.aspx) for a variety of very large‐scale projects. One of the services helps librarians in comparing and selecting digital information resources for licensing. The JISC Academic Database Assessment Tool (JISC ADAT) – created for JISC by DataSalon – is offered free of charge under a Creative Commons license agreement so it is available to any type of library (and any user) anywhere in the world, not just for JISC members in the UK. This paper aims to address these issues.Design/methodology/approach – The paper re...
Cyclooxygenase-2 is upregulated in inflamed gingival tissues.

Background: Increased release of prostaglandins (PG) within periodontal tissues is considered to play a pathogenetic role during periodontal disease progression. The rate-limiting step in the formation of PG from arachidonic acid is catalyzed by cyclooxygenase (COX). Currently there are 2 known isoforms of the enzyme. COX-1 is constitutively expressed in various tissues whereas COX-2 is an inducible enzyme believed to be responsible for PG synthesis at sites of inflammation. The purpose of this study was to compare COX-2 expression in inflamed and healthy human gingiva and further explore some of the pathogenetic mechanisms which may lead to elevated COX-2 expression in vivo. Methods: Thirty-two gingival biopsies were obtained during routine oral surgical procedures and were processed histologically using hematoxylin and eosin to determine the degree of inflammation. Of these biopsies, 7 with low and 7 with high histological levels of inflammation were further processed immunohistochemically in order to a...
Adaptive mixed-rank filters

The author proposes an adaptive median-type filtering scheme which is both computationally efficient and effective in suppressing impulsive noise from images without loss of image detail. A fast implementation is briefly discussed and comparisons with other filters are presented.
MELITTIN STIMULATES PHOSPHOINOSITIDE HYDROLYSIS AND PLACENTAL LACTOGEN RELEASE : ARACHIDONIC ACID AS A LINK BETWEEN PHOSPHOLIPASE A2 AND PHOSPHOLIPASE C SIGNAL-TRANSDUCTION PATHWAYS

Previous investigations from this laboratory have implicated both phospholipase A2 and phospholipase C in the regulation of human placental lactogen release from human trophoblast. To study further the role of endogenous phospholipase A2 and the relationship between phospholipase A2 activation and phosphoinositide metabolism, we examined hPL and [3H]-inositol release from trophoblast cells in response to agents that stimulate or inhibit the endogenous enzyme. Melittin (0.5-2.0 micrograms/ml) stimulated rapid, dose-dependent, and reversible increases in the release of hPL, prostaglandin E, and [3H]-inositol. Mepacrine (0.1-0.25 mM) inhibited this stimulation. However, mepacrine had no effect on the stimulation of hPL and [3H]-inositol release by exogenous arachidonic acid (AA). These results indicate that the stimulation by melittin of phosphoinositide metabolism and hPL release is mediated by initial activation of phospholipase A2. Furthermore, the results support the possibility that AA, released as a consequence of phospholipase A2 activation, can act as a second messenger linking the two phospholipase pathways.
OMVPE growth of GaInAs/InP and GaInAs/GaInAsP quantum wells

GaInAs/InP quantum wells (QWs) were grown by OMVPE. It was experimentally demonstrated that the substitutions from P to As atoms on InP surfaces in AsH3 flows and from P to As atoms on GaInAs surfaces in PH3 flows took place during growth interruption intervals at heterointerfaces. The substitutions between As and P atoms were limited to an atomic plane on the surface in an appropriate range of intervals. The substitution from P to As atoms was completed within a 0.5 s AsH3 flow interval, and that from As to P atoms within a 5 s PH3 flow interval at a substrate temperature of 600°C. Atomic arrangements at the heterointerfaces of high quality GaInAs/InP QWs were revealed. High quality GaInAs/GaInAsP (λ = 1.3 μm) QWs were also grown using the optimal growth conditions for GaInAs/InP QWs.
Anesthetic management of a patient with tracheal neurofibroma

A 43-year-old man with neurofibromatosis and tracheal neurofibroma of the mid-trachea and respiratory difficulty was brought to the operating room for tracheostomy. After talking to the surgeons and viewing the computerized axial tomography, tracheal intubation was done under local anesthesia. Then, general anesthesia was provided for biopsy and debulking of the tumor, followed by tracheostomy. The patient had a number of surgeries later and the trachea was decannulated.
Continence and classic bladder exstrophy treated with staged repair

ABSTRACTPurpose: Urinary continence rates after reconstruction of the urinary tract for classic bladder exstrophy are variable. We review our experience with procedures required to optimize continence.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of patients with classic bladder exstrophy undergoing staged reconstruction between 1976 and 2001. Continence was reviewed and associated with the procedures performed. Patients were considered continent if dry for greater than 3 hours with no stress incontinence and dry at night. Partial continence required dryness for 1 to 3 hours, minor stress incontinence and occasional nighttime leakage. Incontinent patients were dry for less than 1 hour, had significant stress incontinence or were wet at night. Patients were followed for a median of 12.5 years.Results: Continence was achieved in 43 of 48 patients (90%), partial continence in 4 (8%) and 1 (2%) remains incontinent. Continence occurred before bladder neck repair in 4 patients. Bladder neck repa...
Characterization of the acoustic signature of a small remotely operated vehicle for detection

We present a characterization of both the hydrodynamic flow associated with the motion of a small remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and the acoustic signature emitted from the ROV. We experimentally measure the acoustic signature of a commercial off-the-shelf mini ROV by recording the underwater sound with stationary hydrophones, simultaneously compared with measuring the flow fields with particle image velocimetry (PIV). By conducting the trials during a variety of ROV maneuvers, we quantify the most underlying mechanisms that generate the ROV acoustic signatures which include the electric motor signal, propeller induced signal, pressure fluctuation due to the propeller wash and emission induced by flow over the ROV body. From the experimental results, we conclude that the electric motor is the main source of acoustic signature. The dominant acoustic frequency is between 70 Hz to 80 Hz with sound pressure level of 146 dB re 1 µPa at 1 m. Based on this characterization, we predict the feasibility of the detection of a small ROV using a model for transmission loss to predict the influences of attenuation and spreading. The predictions of detecting performance are based on a signal-tonoise ratio (SNR) for typical environments: shallow coastal water, ports and harbors, and deep oceans. Based on these models, we can quantify potentially the effective range of passive detection of underwater vehicle in the three distractive environments.
Life-Cycle Risk Assessment of Spatially Distributed Aging Bridges under Seismic and Traffic Hazards:

This paper presents a rational framework for the quantitative assessment of life-cycle risk of bridges within a transportation network. Bridge vulnerability is evaluated with respect to seismic and...
Executive cognitive functioning, alcohol, and aggression: comment on Giancola (2000).

P. R. Giancola (2000) postulated executive cognitive functioning (ECF) as a mechanism to explain the association between alcohol consumption and aggression. Alcohol intoxication disrupts ECF, which heightens the probability of aggression. This is most likely to occur in individuals with low ECF. These propositions are found lacking. The disruption in ECF by alcohol would be greatest among individuals with high ECF, and low-ECF individuals presumably would not experience much further disruption as result of low baseline functioning. These 2 premises appear to be inconsistent. The concept of ECF suffers from the problems associated with hypothetical constructs. Patterns of aggression emerge in young children before the development of cognitive skills associated with ECF, and the association of aggression and low ECF occur as results of environmental risk factors. ECF is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition to explain aggression following alcohol drinking. Language: en
Positive behavioral contrast as a function of time-out duration when pigeons peck keys on a within-session procedure

Three pigeons pecked keys for food reinforcers delivered by multiple variable interval variable interval schedules in the first part of each session (baseline) and by multiple variable interval extinction schedules in the second part of each session (contrast). The variable interval schedules delivered reinforcers after an average of 4 min or 30 sec in different conditions. The duration of a time-out between the components varied in five steps from 5 to 120 sec. Positive contrast occurred for all time-out durations in both experiments. That is, the rate of responding emitted during the constant, variable interval component was greater during the contrast than during the baseline schedules. The size of contrast did not change systematically with changes in timeout duration. These results violate most theories of contrast. They are compatible with the idea that animals integrate reinforcers over intervals longer than 2 min.
A longitudinal survey of business school graduates' assessments of business ethics

A longitudinal survey of business graduates over a four-year period revealed stability over time in their assessments of proposals to improve business ethics except for significantly greater disapproval of government regulation. A comparison of graduates and executives indicate both favor developing general ethical business principles, business ethics courses, and codes of ethics, while disapproving government regulation and participation by religious leaders in ethical norms for business. The mean rankings by business graduates over time of factors influencing ethical conduct show significant declines in school-university training and significant increases for religious training and industry practices. Graduates and executives rank family training as the most important influence and school-university training as least important. The authors conclude that a more careful consideration be given to matching reform proposals and influence factors, and to increasing the depth of change efforts in individual business ethics.
Hepatocyte growth factor increases glucagon immunoreactivity in jejunal cells during intestinal adaptation

Abstract Background The administration of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) during intestinal adaptation is known to enhance intestinal adaptation. Glucagon has also been implicated as a potential mediator of intestinal adaptation. Previous studies have shown that HGF and glucagon synergistically increase the proliferation of hepatocytes. HGF has also been shown to be preferentially expressed within the glucagon-positive cells of the pancreas, possibly indicating a paracrine or endocrine effect of HGF on glucagon. This study was designed to determine if HGF stimulation in the small intestine during intestinal adaptation influenced mucosal glucagon expression. Methods Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to either a 70% massive small bowel resection group (MSBR) or an HGF-treated MSBR group (MSBR-HGF). Seven days after surgery, HGF was administered intravenously at 150 μ g/kg per day for 14 days. At day 21, the ileal and jejunal mucosa was harvested. The RAE 230A GeneChip (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, Calif) and MAS5 software were used to determine alterations in gene expression in the small intestine mucosa. Immunofluorescent staining of the ileal and jejunal mucosa using an antiglucagon antibody was performed and evaluated qualitatively. Results The MSBR-HGF group had significantly greater protein and DNA content ( P Conclusion Our data suggest that the HGF-induced increase in glucagon availability is disassociated from glucagon gene up-regulation. Thus, HGF may not only enhance intestinal adaptation directly, but also indirectly by increasing the "local" availability of other growth factors in the absence of their gene up-regulation.
Nucleation properties of fly ash in a coal-fired power-plant plume

Abstract Airborne aerosol samples were collected on Nuclepore filters in the plume of a coal-fired power plant. Transmission and scanning electron microscopes were used to determine the concentration and size distribution of aerosols and an X-ray energy spectrometer was used to determine the elemental composition of individual particles. It was found that on a mass basis, only about 2% of the fly ash aerosol is water soluble. However, due to surface coating of insoluble fly ash particles with water soluble materials, the number of cloud condensation nuclei in a plume can be enhanced multifold over the background concentration. The passivation of the ice nucleation capability of fly ash can be alleviated by the evaporation of surface-deposited compounds.
Positive-feedback loops as a flexible biological module.

Summary Background Bistability in genetic networks allows cells to remember past events and to make discrete decisions in response to graded signals. Bistable behavior can result from positive feedback, but feedback loops can have other roles in signal transduction as well. Results We introduced positive feedback into the budding-yeast pheromone response to convert it into a bistable system. In the presence of feedback, transient induction with high pheromone levels caused persistent pathway activation, whereas at lower levels a fraction of cells became persistently active but the rest inactivated completely. We also generated mutations that quantitatively tuned the basal and induced expression levels of the feedback promoter and showed that they qualitatively changed the behavior of the system. Finally, we developed a simple stochastic model of our positive-feedback system and showed the agreement between our simulations and experimental results. Conclusions The positive-feedback loop can display several different behaviors, including bistability, and can switch between them as a result of simple mutations.
Michael Faraday and painless defibrillation.

F f B When undergraduate physics majors attend their first ourse on static electricity, they learn that no electric field xists inside a hollow conductor (Figure 1A). A less widely nown corollary is that if several charges are inside an ncharged hollow conductor, and if the sum of those harges is zero, then the electric field outside the conductor anishes (Figure 1B). In other words, the conductor shields he inside from charges on the outside, and vice versa. Michael Faraday, arguably the greatest experimental hysicist who ever lived,* first demonstrated the shielding ffect of a hollow conductor in 1836 by building a 12 ft 2 ft 12 ft cubic chamber out of metal. We would now all it a “Faraday cage.”
THE VARIETIES AND REVISIONS OF ATHEISM

Abstract. The philosopher Antony Flew has argued for decades that theistic arguments cannot meet criteria of truth. In this essay I respond to Flew's recent announcement that research into the emergence of DNA provides grounds for rational belief in an intelligent orderer, a “God.” Flew's theistic turn is important for philosophers of religion and the wider science-and-religion dialogue. It becomes apparent, however, that Flew's “conversion” is not as decisive as one might imagine. While he admits growth in scientific and philosophical understanding, he rejects the idea of growth in religious understanding. Further, he endorses a version of “theoretical theism” while denying the practical importance of belief. Such denial of practical conviction is part of a modernist mindset that separates freedom from the embeddedness of human beings in the natural world. I conclude by noting that the entanglement of human action and wider physical processes, an entanglement seen emblematically in the environmental crisis, requires not only considering the importance of intelligence and order in the emergence of life but also the significance of human agency in claims about the divine and the natural world.
Absence of a Singularity in Loop Quantum Cosmology

It is shown that the cosmological singularity in isotropic minisuperspaces is naturally removed by quantum geometry. Already at the kinematical level, this is indicated by the fact that the inverse scale factor is represented by a bounded operator even though the classical quantity diverges at the initial singularity. The full demonstration comes from an analysis of quantum dynamics. Because of quantum geometry, the quantum evolution occurs in discrete time steps and does not break down when the volume becomes zero. Instead, space-time can be extended to a branch preceding the classical singularity independently of the matter coupled to the model. For large volume the correct semiclassical behavior is obtained.
Symmetry changes its continuous transitions. A simplified theory applied to V3Si

Abstract A simplified theory of continuous phase transitions is outlined, commented, and applied to the V3Si transition. The necessity of taking into account time-reversal symmetry is stressed. The Shubnikov space group of the tetragonal phase of V3Si is found to be either P42/m'mc or P42/n'mc.
An analytical estimate of thermal effects in a composite bonded repair: plane stress analysis

The thermal effects due to curing of the adhesive and due to the low uniform operating temperature on crack patching efficiency in a composite bonded repair are estimated using a two-stage analysis procedure originally proposed by Rose (Int. J. Solids Struct. 17 (1981) 827). The problem is formulated for a bonded repair with an octagonal shaped patch by using the linear elasticity theory. The thermal stresses due to thermal expansion mismatch between the repaired skin and the patch are determined first as if the patch is bonded rigidly to an uncracked skin, by using the equivalent inclusion method. The stress intensity factor associated with these thermal stresses is then estimated by using the displacement compatibility method for a sandwich plate with a part-through and a debonding crack.
Effects of periosteal activation agent on bone repair and ingrowth

A substance that activates the resting periosteum (PAA) was applied to the periosteal surface in two different healing models using the femurs of 2-kg male rabbits. The activation agent was applied to the periosteal surface over the sites of circular defects drilled through the lateral cortex in one model and over the sites of porous polyethylene implants placed in the lateral cortex and the medullary canal in the other model. Results failed to show that the agent either enhanced bone ingrowth into the porous implants or accelerated bony filling of the circular defects. However, there was indication of enhanced mineralization and periosteal callus formation as early as 24 h after application.
The elastic scattering of 3He from tritium and 3He

The cross sections for the elastic scattering of ^3He from tritium and ^3He have been measured for bombarding energies from 4.3 to 21.4 MeV and from 11.9 to 18.9 MeV, respectively. The results agree well with a recent resonating-group calculation in which the marked change in the shape of the angular distributions above 15 MeV is attributed to a broad resonance in the l = 3 partial wave.
Electronic charge density at nuclear sites in beryllium metal: Dependence on lattice constants

A calculation of the electronic charge density at the nuclear site in beryllium metal as a function of lattice parameters is presented. It is based on an orthogonalized-plane-wave method and it includes changes in unit cell volume by -1 and -2 percent as well as changes in c/a ratio from the normal pressure value by +1 percent, 0 percent, and -1 percent. For a typical volume change of - 2 percent, the conduction-electron charge density at the nuclear site changes by +1.4 percent. For the same volume change, the total electron charge density changes by +0.09 percent.
VirR and Mry are homologous trans-acting regulators of M protein and C5a peptidase expression in group A streptococci

Transcription of the group A streptococcal M12 protein gene (emm12) and the C5a peptidase gene (scpA), which encodes an inhibitor of complement-mediated chemotaxis, was previously shown to depend on a third genetic locus, designated virR. A 1.6 kb region of DNA which is 200 bp upstream of emm12 and is thought to contain the virR locus, was sequenced. An open reading frame which overlaps deletion mutations that define virR was identified. The sequence of the encoded VirR protein, which was deduced to contain 499 amino acids, is characteristic of cytoplasmic proteins. Comparison of the VirR protein to a variety of DNA binding proteins, such as lambda Cro, revealed a DNA binding motif. VirR was also compared to the M6 positive regulator, mry, and found to be 98% homologous. The predicted virR promoter is preceded by two sets of inverted repeats, in contrast to mry which is preceded by one repeat. Introduction of virR on the shuttle vector pAM401 into a strain of group A Streptococcus with a deletion in the chromosomal virR gene demonstrated that the VirR protein activated transcription of both emm12 and scpA genes in trans. Analysis of RNA by Northern blot using virR-specific probes identified two virR transcripts, a 1.6 kb transcript which corresponds to the predicted size of the gene, and a second transcript, 3.5 kb, which also overlaps virR. These results demonstrate that virR and mry are structurally and functionally very similar and show that the former is a trans activator of both M protein and C5a peptidase synthesis.
Lipid transport to air/water interfaces

Abstract Experimental evidence of the time scales of lipid transport to air/water interfaces is reviewed. Several one-dimensional models of diffusion and adsorption of surfactant at the air/water interface are examined. To obtain a model which yields a qualitatively realistic description of adsorption rates, one should use a finite diffusion length and a time-dependent boundary condition (or an adsorption isotherm) which can account for adsorption barriers and the finite adsorption capacity of the surface. The models can be used for either transport of individual molecules or particulates (complexes, liposomes, vesicles, etc.). In the latter case, an effective lipid concentration which is capable for adsorption should be used. Sample calculations and experimental observations for DPPC (dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine), which is a key component of lung surfactant, suggest that particulates play a key role on the adsorption rate, either by being transported themselves or by affecting the concentration of dissolved or adsorbable DPPC. The models can be used for correlating results of laboratory experiments to in vivo behavior of lipids.
Sulfur Mustard Induced Cytokine Production and Cell Death: Investigating the Potential Roles of the p38, p53, and NF-kappaB Signaling Pathways with RNA Interference

Cutaneous and ocular injuries caused by sulfur mustard (SM; bis-(2-chloroethyl) sulfide) are characterized by severe inflammation and death of exposed cells. Given the known roles of p38MAPK and NF-kappaB in inflammatory cytokine production, and the known roles of NF-kappaB and p53 in cell fate, these pathways are of particular interest in the study of SM injury. In this study, we utilized inhibitory RNA (RNAi) targeted against p38 alpha, the p50 subunit of NF-kappaB, or p53 to characterize their role in SM-induced inflammation and cell death in normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK). Analysis of culture supernatant from 200 microM SM-exposed cells showed that inflammatory cytokine production was inhibited by p38 alpha RNAi but not by NF-kappaB p50 RNAi. These findings further support a critical role for p38 in SM-induced inflammatory cytokine production in NHEK and suggest that NF-kappaB may not play a role in the SM-induced inflammatory response of this cell type. Inhibition of NF-kappaB by p50 RNAi did, however, partially inhibit SM-induced cell death, suggesting a role for NF-kappaB in SM-induced apoptosis or necrosis. Interestingly, inhibition of p53 by RNAi potentiated SM-induced cell death, suggesting that the role of p53 in SM injury, may be complex and not simply prodeath.
Temperature dependence of the stretched exponent in structural relaxation of fragile glass-forming molecular liquids

Abstract The Adam-Gibbs theory of structural relaxation in glass-forming liquids based on independent transitions of cooperative rearranging regions has been modified by Ngai, Rendell and Plazek to include possible interactions between them, using the coupling model. From this modified theory it has been shown that the structural relaxation function has the stretched exponential form. In this work, the possible temperature dependence of the stretch exponent, β, is inferred and its trend deduced from the modified Adam-Gibbs theory.
Integration of Supply Chain Decisions at the Conceptual Design Stage: A Repository Enabled Decision Tool

A supply chain connects product suppliers, manufacturers, as well as customers with the goal of managerial efficiency. Meanwhile, product design emphasizes the engineering efficiency of a product. Both supply chain management and product design have been drawing attention from numerous researchers. However, there has been only limited research on the integration of product design and supply chain. Despite this fact, there is significant potential for synergy in the integration of engineering and supply chain management, as well as managerial concepts into product design. In the paper, we present a methodology to form this synergistic connection. The methodology presented first generates functional requirements of a product. A design repository is then utilized to synthesize potential components of all sub-functions, providing multiple options for the potential conceptual designs. These concepts are screened by using a Design for Assembly (DfA) index and then a Design for Supply Chain (DfSC) index to select the best concept. An example from the bicycle industry is presented to demonstrate the benefit of supply chain considerations at the conceptual design phase.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Time-series analysis of the Pleistocene deep-sea paleoclimatic record

Abstract Pleistocene deep-sea cores V16-205, V28-239 and composite core RC11-120/E49-18 were selected for a time-series analysis of climatic periodicities which correspond to secular changes in the earth's orbital parameters. These data were analyzed using the Periodic Regression with Cyclic Descent — a technique which offers three major advantages over more conventional approaches because (1) the observation interval may be unequally spaced with respect to time, (2) resolution of all the discrete periodic components present in the data, including those with low frequencies, is made possible, and (3) the associated Monte Carlo experiments permit the evaluation of the importance of the observed periodic components vis-a-vis “red” climatic noise. Analytical results indicate periodicities which correspond to secular changes in the earth's orbital parameters. In particular, the results strongly suggest a quasi-periodicity of 413,000 years recorded in deep-sea globigerina oozes. Clearly this periodicity is reminiscent of a beat in the eccentricity of the earth's orbit, first detected in tropical North Atlantic core V16-205 by Briskin and Berggren (1975).
Mechanism of Light Detection in Current-Biased Superconducting ${\rm MgB}_{2}$ Microbridges

We report on time-resolved, transient photoimpedance measurements performed on current-biased microbridges excited by 100-fs wide, 800-nm wavelength, and 76-MHz repetition-rate optical pulses. Our bridges had dimensions of 20 mum by 40 mum and were patterned by conventional photolithography and ion milling from 150-nm-thick, epitaxial MgB2 films grown by a hybrid physical-chemical vapor-deposition technique. For high-speed detection experiments, the microbridges were embedded into coplanar-strip transmission lines and connected to a 20-GHz-bandwidth sampling oscilloscope via a semirigid coaxial cable. The test structures were placed inside an optical cryostat and studies were performed in the temperature range between 15 K and 40 K. At temperatures, e.g., 20 K, far below the bridge critical temperature and under low optical excitation, large and fast (130 ps in duration) photoresponse transients were observed, which we associate with the kinetic-inductive (Cooper-pair breaking) mechanism. At temperatures approaching the MgB2 critical temperature and/or under intense light illumination, an additional slow component of the photoresponse with a nanosecond decay time was measured. We interpret this second photoimpedance component as a resistive response, resulting from the hot-electron heating effect. The observed picosecond kinetic photoresponse makes our MgB2 bridges attractive candidates for fast and efficient optical detectors and photon counters.
Gender role beliefs and family migration

Consistent empirical evidence demonstrates that demographic indicators associated with traditional gender roles, such as the presence of children, are linked to the negative effect of moving on married women’s employment and earnings. However, very few studies have directly examined how gender role beliefs are related to family migration behaviour. This analysis demonstrates that when a couple shares egalitarian gender role beliefs, the family has a lower probability of moving when the wife is employed and has a higher probability of moving when the wife is unemployed and wants to work. Among couples that do not share traditional gender role beliefs, migration appears to be unaffected by the employment status of the wife. This study is one of the few which clearly demonstrates that family migration is contingent on the gender role beliefs of husbands and wives. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tree-width and the Sherali-Adams operator

We describe a connection between the tree-width of graphs and the Sherali-Adams reformulation procedure for 0/1 integer programs. For the case of vertex packing problems, our main result can be restated as follows: let G be a graph, let k>=1 and let x@^@?R^V^(^G^) be a feasible vector for the formulation produced by applying the level-k Sherali-Adams algorithm to the edge formulation for STAB(G). Then for any subgraph H of G, of tree-width at most k, the restriction of x@^ to R^V^(^H^) is a convex combination of stable sets of H.
A comparison of four methods for detecting β-lactamase in anaerobic bacteria

Abstract Four methods for detecting β-lactamase activity in anaerobic bacteria were evaluated and compared to a nitrocefin saturated filter paper test. The methods studies were Cefinase, PADAC, Beta Lactam, and the slide iodometric technique. Fifty anaerobes were tested including species of Bacteroides , Fusobacterium , and Clostridium . The percentages of agreement with the nitrocefin test are: Cefinase 100%, PADAC 96%, slide iodometric 78%, and Beta Lactam 72%. Positive nitrocefin tests have been shown to correlate with a penicillin MIC > 0.78 μg/ml.
The Generalized Atrophic Benign Form of Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa: Experience With Four Patients in the United States

• We encountered four patients in the United States with the generalized atrophic benign form of junctional epidermolysis bullosa (epidermolysis bullosa atrophicans generalisata mitis, nonlethal junctional epidermolysis bullosa). Prior to the performance of definitive diagnostic studies, each patient had been thought for at least a decade to have either a dystrophic or simplex form of epidermolysis bullosa. Each patient had generalized blisters since birth that healed with atrophy and mild scarring but without milia or contractures. Two of the four patients had experienced laryngeal involvement during childhood. In each patient, correct diagnosis was finally established by either electron microscopic examination or immunofluorescence mapping of skin sections from induced blisters. (Arch Dermatol1986;122:704-710)
Heterogeneity in hormone receptor status in primary and metastatic endometrial cancer

The rationale for endocrine therapy in patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma may be based on the presence of estrogen or progesterone receptors in the primary tumor. A study was designed to evaluate tumor cell heterogeneity of steroid hormone receptors in the primary and metastatic sites in endometrial cancer. Primary endometrial cancer tissue samples from 10 patients and 16 metastatic tumor sites were simultaneously analyzed for estrogen and progesterone receptors, using a radioligand biochemical assay. The primary tumor was estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) positive in 70 and 60% of the patients, respectively. The metastatic sites were ER positive in 63% and PR positive in 25%. The primary tumor tissue and the metastatic disease showed an identical ER and PR status in only 25 and 19%, respectively. Four patients had multiple metastatic sites analyzed. In two of four patients the PR values, and in three of four patients the ER values, in these metastatic sites were discordant. These data support the concept of tumor cell heterogeneity for steroid hormone receptors in endometrial cancer. To optimize treatment planning, it may be important to biopsy primary, metastatic, and recurrent tumor sites for individual analysis of receptor activity.
Advances in Understanding the Molecular Causes of Diabetes-Induced Birth Defects

To review the current understanding of the molecular causes of birth defects resulting from diabetic pregnancy, with a focus on neural tube defects. A mouse model of diabetic pregnancy is described, in which embryo gene expression associated with neural tube defects is examined. Chemical, physiologic, or genetic manipulations are employed to elucidate critical pathways affected by increased glucose metabolism, and how abnormal gene expression disrupts neural tube closure. Increased glucose delivery to embryos, or activation of pathways that are stimulated by high glucose, such as the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway or hypoxia, increase oxidative stress in embryos, inhibit expression of Pax3, a gene that encodes a transcription factor that is required for neural tube closure, and increase neural tube defects. Conversely, blocking these pathways, or providing the antioxidants, reduced glutathione or vitamin E, suppress the adverse effects of excess glucose. Pax3 decreases steady-state levels of the p53 tumor-suppressor protein, such that when Pax3 is deficient, p53 protein increases, leading to increased neuroepithelial apoptosis prior to completion of neural tube closure. Embryos that lack both functional Pax3 protein and p53 do not display neuroepithelial apoptosis or neural tube defects. Excess glucose metabolism by embryos resulting from maternal hyperglycemia disturbs a complex network of biochemical pathways, leading to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress inhibits expression of genes, such as Pax3, which control essential developmental processes. Pax 3 protein is required during neural tube development to suppress p53-dependent cell death and consequent abortion of neural tube closure, but is not required to control expression of genes that direct neural tube closure. Impaired embryo gene expression resulting from oxidative stress, and consequent apoptosis or disturbed organogenesis, may be a general mechanism to explain diabetic embryopathy.
Congenital heart disease, butterfly vertebrae, and extrahepatic biliary atresia: A variant of arteriohepatic dysplasia?

num, associated malformations tend to be timited to the gut. Multiple atresias, malrotations, gastroschisis, and omphalocele have been reported to occur with increased frequency, but extra-abdominal malformations are unusual. Most postduodenal atresias occur in the small intestine, where a long mesentery suspends the bowel from the posterior abdominal wall. Relatively few occur in the colon, where the mesentery has fused with the posterior wall and the bowel is relatively nonmobile. Observation of these facts followed by experiments in animals suggests that intestinal atresias distant to the duodenum occur as a result of vascular acc ident? The apparent nonfamilial nature of intestinal atresias supports the concept of an accidental etiology. The small family reported here had three affected members in two generations. The existence of a multisystem syndrome was not likely since none had nongastrointestinal malformations. The clustering strongly suggests that genetic factors were involved in the production of these lesions. Louw:' believed that malfixation of the mesentery might predispose to torsion of the intestine. The mesentery was indeed abnormal in the infant managed at this institution. The a'genetic" factor might be one which produced abnormally slow fusion of the bowel mesentery with the posterior abdominal wail, in turn producing an unusual ly mobile sigmoid colon. Even in the presence of a redundant mesentery, however, similar accidents sufficient to produce strangulation in closely related individuals would seem unusual. All of the affected individuals in this family were male: two were the offspring of the sister of the third, by different fathers. Although this pattern is strongly suggestive of X-linked recessive inheritance, it is also compatibtc with inheritance of a dominant gene of reduced penetrance, or with polygenic inheritance. It is important that familial cases of disorders thought to occur sporadically be reported. Familial occurrence may in fact be common. None of the reviews of colonic atresia includes pedigrees; detailed family histories arc absent from case histories in the available reports. Even if the lesion is usually "accidental," a few families may have a genetic predisposition. More complete studies of famil~ ies in which these lesions occur may provide more data for deriving accurate recurrence risks.
Modeling and Data for Thermal Conductivity of Ultrathin Single-Crystal SOI Layers at High Temperature

Simulations of the temperature field in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and strained-Si transistors can benefit from experimental data and modeling of the thin silicon layer thermal conductivity at high temperatures. This paper develops algebraic expressions to account for the reduction in thermal conductivity due to the phonon-boundary scattering for pure and doped silicon layers and presents the experimental data for 50-nm-thick single-crystal silicon layers at high temperatures. The model applies to the temperature range of 300-1000 K for silicon layer thicknesses from 10 nm to 1 mum (and even bulk), which agrees well with the experimental data. In addition, the algebraic model has an excellent agreement with both the experimental data and predictions of thin-film thermal conductivity based on thermal conductivity integral and Boltzmann transport equation. The analytical thermal modeling and ISE-TCAD electrothermal simulations confirm that both the electrical and thermal performances of SOI transistor can be largely affected if the reduced thermal conductivity of the silicon due to phonon boundary scattering is not properly taken into consideration
Kalman filter design and implementation for the 2D real-time testbed control using EVS

This paper addresses Kalman filter design and implementation for a 2D spacecraft control using an external vision system (EVS). Initial work on assessing the vision data quality revealed that the angle measured by the EVS was contaminated with a significant amount of noise. A three-state Kalman filter was therefore designed and implemented to attenuate the vision measurement noise. The Kalman filter model described was derived and quantified. Simulation for nominal cases without external disturbance and simulation for the same noise level but apply a 0.015 N-m external disturbance torque were conducted and gave satisfactory results. Finally, the testbed closed-loop normal pointing performance and slew performance with the designed Kalman filter were tested and evaluated. The results show that the system performances met the 0.25deg RMS pointing requirement
A Unified Network Security and Fine-Grained Database Access Control Model

With the development of Internet and Intranet, Web and distributed databases have been used more and more widely. It is important to properly handle network and Web database security issues including authentication, denial of service, and fine-grained access control. When database access control and the network security are addressed separately, the security systems are not optimized sufficiently as a whole. This paper propose a method of integrating network security with criterion based access control to handle network security and the fine-grained Web database access control simultaneously. To improve efficiency, the model adopts two step access controls. The first preliminary access control is combined with the firewall function, and the second fine-grained access decisions are determined by the user's digital credentials as well as other factors such as his/her IP address.