cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interferometric testing of cylinder optics using a computer-generated hologram (CGH)

In this paper we describe an interferometric technique for testing uniformity in surface figure of large cylinder optics. In our laser scanning system, we employ large (1 1 inch) cylinder mirrors for focusing of laser beams over a wide scan range. Performance of the system depends critically on the uniformity of the beam size on the focal plane over this scan range. Departure of portions of the surface figure from the ideal cylindrical surface lead to varying beam size that limit the performance of our systems. Initially we tested these mirrors with a metrology technique that sample beam size on the focal plane at various scan positions. This technique is both time consuming and unreliable. To circumvent these limitations, we developed a fast interferometric technique to qualify these mirrors using a computer generated hologram (CGH) as our reference cylinder optics. The methodology employed simulates the scanning process by subdividing the interferogram of the cylinder mirror into small sections that are of the order of the beam size, analyzing the surface figure over these subsections and then computing a figure of merit (FOM) that is tied to the uniformity of the surface figure over the entire mirror. The correlation between the two independent measurements is found to be very good. In the following we discuss briefly the methodology developed in the Zygo platform, which can be easily implemented as an automated QA procedure.
Effect of spectinomycin on polypeptide synthesis in extracts of Escherichia coli

Abstract Spcotinomycin, a dibasic aminoglycoside antibiotic, inhibits protein, synthesis reversibly on Escherichia coli ribosomes. Its effect depends strikingly on the nucleotide composition of the messenger: inhibition is completely absent with poly U or poly A; it becomes increasingly pronounced with increasing C or G content in mixed polymers; and it is almost complete with poly I. The degree of inhibition becomes maximal within a relatively narrow range of increasing Spc§ concentration. Moreover, one-step mutants with a highly resistant 30 s ribosome subunit are readily isolated. These properties suggest that the drug acts on only a single site on this subunit. In contrast to streptomycin, however, which also acts on the 30 s subunit, Spc does not cause detectable misreading in translation, and its action in vitro is independent of Mg2+ concentration over a wide range. Spc does not appear to influence directly the initiation, recognition, peptideforming, or termination steps in polypeptide synthesis. Moreover, when ribosomes are preloaded with peptidyl-tRNA Spc does not affect amino acid transfer for the first few minutes after its addition; and evidence is presented that this lag depends on having the ribosomes reach the susceptible state, rather than on a slow interaction of Spc with some component of the system. These findings suggest that Spc blocks some aspect of the complex translocation process in the cycle of amino acid transfer.
Optically Powered WDM Signal Transmission System With Distributed Parametric Amplification

We report, for the first time to our knowledge, an optically powered wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) communication system with distributed parametric amplification in the dispersion-shifted fiber. The parametric pump for the amplification of WDM signals also acts as the power supply for the receiver component. The proposed scheme is also a potential candidate for the “last mile” transmission. Successful musical signal transmission has been demonstrated. Additionally, four channels of 10-Gb/s WDM signals are used to get more precise performance evaluation of the system. The power penalties of less than or equal to 1.35 dB at a bit-error rate of 10-9 are achieved for all WDM channels in the presence of 10-dB parametric gain.
Two-dimensional high-speed acoustic Fourier transform of optical images

We employ a two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor acoustic convolver to generate the Fourier transform of 2D images. The transformed plane is raster-scanned along oblique lines with variable tilt angle, and the line time can vary from a few microseconds upwards.
π‐ELECTRON PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF DL‐PHENYLALANINE IN OXYGEN SATURATED AND OXYGEN FREE SOLUTIONS*

— The photochemistry of Dhphenylakinine in dilute aqueous solutions has been investigated in detail by means of quantitative paper chromatography using C14-labelled material. Solutions were irradiated at the exit slit of a grating monochromator using a high pressure xenon arc as light source. The illuminating beam contained wavelengths from 2475A to 2675 A at the half-power points with maximum intensity at 2575 A By using six different chromatographic solvent systems, the following photoproducts have been identified: tyrosine, 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), aspartic acid, benzoic acid, phenyllactic acid and a high molecular weight melanic polymer. An additonal photo-product derived from two of the side chain carbons of phenylalanine and having an Rf value of 0.13 in n-butanol: acetic acid: water, 4:1:5 (v/v/v), has been detected in both oxygen saturated and oxygen free solutions, but has not yet been identified. All of these substances are stable solids at room temperature. Volatile or gaseous products could not be detected directly by the methods used in this investigation. Indirect evidence has been obtained that decarboxy-lation is the dominant photochemical process in phenylalanine solutions irradiated both in the presence and absence of oxygen. The occurrence of phenyllactic acid in irradiated phenylalanine solutions shows indirectly that ammonia is liberated, but the quantum yield is about an order of magnitude smaller than that for carbon dioxide liberation. The kinetics of photoproduct accumulation and of phenylalanine loss have been determined under well-defined conditions of incident light intensity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and phenylalanine concentration. These data were used to estimate quantum yields for the photoproducts and for phenylalanine loss after a specified dose of radiation at 2575A under the given conditions. The results show that dissolved molecular oxygen greatly enhances the yields of tyrosine, DOPA, and the melanic polymer. Dissolved oxygen is not required for the synthesis of aspartic acid or phenyllactic acid. In the case of phenyllactic acid, water provides the necessary oxygen. Evidence is presented which suggests that the optical absorbance changes occurring during ultraviolet irradiation of phenylalanine are due in part to the formation of intermediates in melanin synthesis which cannot be detected by paper chromatography because they are too oxygen labile and occur in very low concentrations.
Real-time X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation: system characterization and applications

Abstract Time resolved X-ray diffraction can provide information about temporal aspects of structural changes as they occur in a sample. The advent of powerful synchrotron radiation sources and the development of various fast detection systems make it possible to explore this developing area. The dynamics of wide and small angle X-ray diffraction have been recorded in real-time with a two-dimensional electro-optical detector. Performance characteristics of the detection system [3-stage image intensifier with ZnS(Ag) fluorescent screen] and read-out devices (video camera, cassette recorder/player, and monitor) are presented. Quantitative intensity information was obtained by interfacing the video recorder with a Grinnell digital image processing system. We have demonstrated the applicability of this real-time diffraction method for investigating the dynamics and mechanism of structural changes induced in a variety of materials. Samples were selected to (1) cover a range of material types representative of the various applied and basic sciences, (2) provide examples of materials that scatter well enough to investigate their wide or small angle diffraction patterns in live time, and (3) illustrate the type of perturbations that can be applied and the range of processes that can be examined.
HEAT TRANSFER WITHIN DEFORMING DROPLETS

The effect of droplet oscillation on internal heat transfer was investigated using a transient, three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver for free-surface flows. The code solves conservation of momentum and energy on a three-dimensional deforming domain. The investigation sought to explore the effect that oscillations might have on temperature non-uniformity within droplets. Biot numbers of 0.1 and 0.25 were investigated for three different degrees of distortion: no perturbation, 13% and 35%. The droplets were given an initial perturbation and allowed to relax back to a spherical shape. The results show that the effect of the oscillation is minimal. As expected, the effect was greatest at large distortion and large Biot number. However, it appears that distortion does not contribute much to heat transfer within droplets.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Comparative Studies on Dielectric Properties of Liquids and Solids by Time-Domain Reflectometry

The complex permittivity, ?*=?'- ??", has been measured for six alcohols in the liquid state and two solid polymers by Cole's multiple-reflection-time-domain spectroscopy method. The instrumental frequency range was about 1 MHz to 4 GHz but analyses using Cole's method allow the determination of the static permittivities of the liquids with surprisingly good results. The results also compare favorably with frequency-domain measurements, but require a much shorter time to acquire. The materials studied were methanol, ethanol, butanol, octanol, decanol, dodecanol, poly(vinylidene fluoride), and poly (tetrafluoroethylene). The solid samples still present challenging experimental problems, which are discussed.
Real-time measurement of inorganic fouling of RO desalination membranes using ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry

Fouling is a major problem that limits the wider application of membranes for liquid separations. Progress towards improved methods for the control of this generally complex process would be facilitated by the development of additional techniques for the study of fouling under realistic operating conditions. This paper describes a novel approach to the real-time, noninvasive, in situ measurement of membrane fouling using ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry (TDR). Membrane fouling of commercial composite membranes was studied during reverse osmosis desalination of calcium sulfate solutions at three different axial velocities under conditions of constant feed pressure and concentration. The ultrasonic TDR measurements are compared with traditional indicators of fouling including flux decline, changes in permeate concentration, and magnitude of membrane surface coverage. Overall, the results show a good correspondence between the decline in the ultrasonic signal amplitude and the development of a fouling layer. In addition, the data suggest that ultrasonic TDR may be particularly responsive to fouling layer initiation and its subsequent removal during membrane cleaning. While the present results show promise, additional work is required to fully evaluate the capabilities of the technique and its applicability in commercial membrane separation systems.
Tests of age-independent competition indices for individual trees in natural hardwood stands

Lorimer, C.G., 1983. Tests of age-independent competition indices for individual trees in natural hardwood stands. For. Ecol. Manage., 6: 343--360. Recent studies have demonstrated that simple indices of competition that incorporate competitor size and inter-tree distances generally perform as well in predicting individual tree growth as more complex approaches of assessing spatial pattern. A major limitation of diameter-distance indices, however, is that their numerical values decrease in a given stand over time even when the stocking level remains constant. In this paper two modifications are proposed which make the index essentially independent of age, thus necessitating only one competition-grow th regression for each species on a given site and allowing comparisons between different stands. Tests of" several index designs in three evenaged temperate hardwood stands indicated that the correlation between competition and growth is optimal over a wide range of competition radii and that the inclusion of intertree distances is of little value despite considerable small-scale variability in the stocking level around individual trees. Highest correlations were obtained when competitors were defined to be only those trees of equal or higher crown class than the subject tree. In these hardwood stands a comparison of the size of a subject tree to that of the competitors was necessary for reasonable correlations with growth. These correlations varied greatly among species even within a single stand and appear to be related to the shade tolerance of the species. For general use the index (F.Dy)/D l is recommended, where Dy is the diameter of competitor j and D i is the diameter of subject tree i. This index can be computed rapidly in the field and does not require mapping of stem positions.
Chemotherapy in invasive thymomas: Five case reports

We treated 5 cases of invasive thymomas with single agent and combination chemotherapy. A carcinoid tumor of the thymus had a 13-month objective response to monthly courses of a combination of DTIC, adriamycin, cytoxan, and vincristine. A second case of carcinoid achieved stabilization of disease with a combination of adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, and DTIC for 9 months and subsequently 10 months, with fluorouracil and methotrexate. A case of thymoma had stabilization of disease for 14 months with oral cytoxan and prednisone.
Delayed activation of caspase-independent apoptosis during heart failure in transgenic mice overexpressing caspase inhibitor CrmA

Although caspase activation is generally thought to be necessary to induce apoptosis, recent evidence suggests that apoptosis can be activated in the setting of caspase inhibition. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that caspase-independent apoptotic pathways contribute to the development of heart failure in the absence of caspase activation. Acute cardiomyopathy was induced using a single dose of doxorubicin (Dox, 20 mg/kg) injected into male wild-type (WT) and transgenic (Tg) mice with a cardiac-specific expression of cytokine response modifier A (CrmA), a known caspase inhibitor. Early (6 day) survival was significantly better in CrmA Tg (81%) than WT (38%) mice. Twelve days after Dox injection, however, the mortality benefit had dissipated, and increased cardiac apoptosis was observed in both groups. There was, however, a significantly greater release of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) from mitochondria to cytosol in CrmA Tg compared with WT mice, which suggests that an enhancement of activation in caspase-independent apoptotic pathways had occurred. The administration of a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 inhibitor, 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide (4-AN), to Dox-treated mice resulted in significantly improved cardiac function, a significant blockade of AIF released from mitochondria, and decreased cardiac apoptosis. There were also significantly improved survival in WT (18% without 4-AN vs. 89% with 4-AN) and CrmA Tg (13% without 4-AN vs. 93% with 4-AN) mice 12 days after Dox injection. In conclusion, these findings suggest that apoptosis can be induced in the heart lacking caspase activation via caspase-independent pathways and that enabling the inhibition of AIF activation may provide a significant cardiac benefit.
A review on the importance of nanocomposite processing to enhance electrical insulation

Study of the experimental literature regarding nanodielectrics indicates numerous inconsistencies in the results obtained. In many cases, the likely cause is due to a lack of quality control during nanocomposite processing. By examining examples from the literature along with an alumina/polyamideimide nanocomposite and silica/crosslinked polyethylene nanocomposite, this contribution seeks to shed light on some of the likely causes for these inconsistencies. Measurements of the dielectric breakdown strength and voltage endurance confirm that poor dispersion can lead to poor material performance and the use of quantitative techniques is highlighted. Good dispersion alone is not sufficient to achieve improved properties. The addition of nanoparticles can alter the resulting structure of the nanocomposites, can introduce water into the system resulting in cavity formation and can also result in degradation of the polymer if the processing parameters are not carefully selected. In this review, understanding the effects of nanoparticle addition requires not only characterization of relevant dielectric properties, but also careful control of the processing parameters and characterization of changes in polymer structure, particle dispersion, and water content.
Minimum Majorization Decomposition

A famous theorem of Birkhoff says that any doubly stochastic matrix D can be decomposed into a convex combination of permutation matrices R. The various decompositions correspond to probability distributions on the set of permutations that satisfy the linear constraints E[R] = D. This paper illustrates how to decompose D so that the resulting probability distribution is minimal in the sense that it does not majorize any other distribution satisfying these constraints.
Rapid Validation of Mascot Search Results via Stable Isotope Labeling, Pair Picking, and Deconvolution of Fragmentation Patterns

Conventional LC-MS/MS data analysis matches each precursor ion and fragmentation pattern to their best fit within databases of theoretical spectra, yielding a peptide identification. Confidence is estimated by a score but can be validated by statistics, false discovery rates, and/or manual validation. A weakness is that each ion is evaluated independently, discarding potentially useful cross-correlations. In a classical approach to de novo sequence analysis, mixtures of peptides differing only in a carboxyl-terminal isotopic label yield fragmentation spectra with single, unlabeled b-type ions but pairs of isotope-labeled y-type ions, facilitating confident assignments. To apply this principle to identification by fragmentation pattern matching, we developed Validator, software that recognizes isotopic peptide pairs and compares their identifications and fragmentation patterns. Testing Validator 1 on a Mascot results file from FT-ICR LC-MS/MS of 16O/18O-labeled yeast cell lysate peptides yielded 2,775 peptide pairs sharing a common identification but differing in carboxyl-terminal label. Comparing observed b- and y-ions with the predicted fragmentation pattern improved the threshold Mascot score for 5% false discovery from 36 to 22, significantly increasing both sensitivity and specificity. Validator 2, which identifies pairs by precursor mass difference alone before comparing observed fragmentation with that predicted by Mascot, found 2,021 isotopic pairs, similarly achieving improved sensitivity and specificity. Finally Validator 3, which finds pairs based on mass difference alone and then deconvolutes fragmentation patterns independently of Mascot, found 964 predicted peptides. Validator 3 allowed raw mass spectrometry data to be mined not only to validate Mascot results but also to discover peptides missed by Mascot. Using standard desktop hardware, the Validator 1–3 software processed the 11,536 spectra in the 93-MB Mascot .DAT file in less than 6 min (32 spectra/s), revealing high confidence peptide identifications without regard to Mascot score, far faster than manual or other independent validation methods.
Seismicity within the actively deforming Eastern Sierras Pampeanas, Argentina

SUMMARY The Eastern Sierras Pampeanas of central Argentina have been interpreted by previous studies to represent the easternmost expression of continental deformation resulting from the flat-slab subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate. Yet, the seismic activity and deformation of this area, as well as its relationship to subduction more than 700 km to the west, are poorly understood. Using seismic data recorded by the Eastern Sierras Pampeanas broadband seismic array between 2008 August and 2009 August, we identified and located 445 local crustal earthquakes, most with magnitudes of 2.5 or less. We employed a double-difference location method to clarify the hypocentral distribution of local seismicity and to define zones of both clustered and diffuse seismicity. The relocated events define active structures in the region, including a horizontal zone of seismicity between 15 and 25 km depth, a prominent west-dipping structure beneath the central ranges and a vertical structure along the eastern margin of the study area. Overall, seismicity in this region during the study period is constrained to the upper ∼25 km of the crust and is mostly concentrated along minor structures and not along the major range-bounding faults. Focal mechanism solutions from the nine clearest events show mainly normal deformation with an oblique component and E–W oriented P-axes that likely result from shortening along structures with oblique orientations to the direction of plate convergence. This is the first seismic study to document that the Eastern Sierras Pampeanas are actively deforming in response to compression from the convergent margin.
Time synchronization on SP1 and SP2 parallel systems

We describe an experimental time utility for synchronizing the operating system clocks on the SP1 and SP2 parallel system nodes. It synchronizes the node clocks typically, within 5 microseconds of each other utilizing the synchronous feature of the SP1 and SP2 interconnection network. This is 2 to 3 orders of magnitude better than what can be achieved by previous methods. Synchronized clocks are useful for parallel program performance measurement and tuning, parallel program tracing and debugging, and gang scheduling of parallel processes, to name a few. We also measure the performance of a widely used time synchronization utility using the SP1 and SP2 interconnection network. >
Trial of a Paclitaxel-Coated Balloon for Femoropopliteal Artery Disease

BackgroundThe treatment of peripheral artery disease with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty is limited by the occurrence of vessel recoil and restenosis. Drug-coated angioplasty balloons deliver antiproliferative agents directly to the artery, potentially improving vessel patency by reducing restenosis. MethodsIn this single-blind, randomized trial conducted at 54 sites, we assigned, in a 2:1 ratio, 476 patients with symptomatic intermittent claudication or ischemic pain while at rest and angiographically significant atherosclerotic lesions to angioplasty with a paclitaxel-coated balloon or to standard angioplasty. The primary efficacy end point was primary patency of the target lesion at 12 months (defined as freedom from binary restenosis or from the need for target-lesion revascularization). The primary safety end point was a composite of freedom from perioperative death from any cause and freedom at 12 months from limb-related death (i.e., death from a medical complication related to a limb), ampu...
Molecular cytogenetic maps of sorghum linkage groups 2 and 8.

To integrate genetic, physical, and cytological perspectives of the Sorghum bicolor genome, we selected 40 landed bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones that contain different linkage map markers, 21 from linkage group 2 (LG-02) and 19 from linkage group 8 (LG-08). Multi-BAC probe cocktails were constructed for each chromosome from the landed BACs, which were also preevaluated for FISH signal quality, relative position, and collective chromosome coverage. Comparison to the corresponding linkage map revealed full concordance of locus order between cytological and prior segregation analyses. The pericentromeric heterochromatin constituted a large quasi-uniform block in each bivalent and was especially large in the bivalent corresponding to LG-08. Centromere positions in LG-02 and LG-08 were progressively delimited using FISH to identify landed BACs for which the FISH signals visibly flanked the centromere. Alignment of linkage and cytological maps revealed that pericentromeric heterochromatin of these sorghum chromosomes is largely devoid of recombination, which is mostly relegated to the more distal regions, which are largely euchromatic. This suggests that the sorghum genome is thus even more amenable to physical mapping of genes and positional cloning than the C-value alone might suggest. As a prelude to positional cloning of the fertility restorer, Rf1, FISH of BAC clones flanking the Rf1 locus was used to delimit the chromosomal position of the gene. FISH of BACs that contain the most proximal linkage markers enabled localization of Rf1 to a ∼0.4-Mbp euchromatic region of LG-08. Cytogenetic analyses of Rf1 and other trait loci will aid in assessing the feasibility of positional cloning and help formulate strategies required for cloning this and other agriculturally critical genes.
Content-Specific and General Reading Disabilities of Secondary-Level Students Identification and Educational Relevance

The purposes of this study were (a) to examine the diagnostic utility of reading from text for distinguishing students with general reading disabilities from those whose reading deficits are related to background knowledge in specific content areas, and (b) to establish the educational utility of these two subgroups. Participants were 121 students (71 male and 50 female) in the 10th grade who were participating in a larger study to examine the contribution of reading to the academic success of secondary students. Students first completed a background-knowledge vocabulary test. Then they read aloud from English and science texts, studied and answered multiple-choice questions based on the selected texts, and finally read aloud from the texts again. The discrepancy between student performance in reading aloud from the prestudy English and science texts was utilized to formulate two subgroups: students with general reading deficits defined by low reading scores in both English and science, and students with ...
An observation on gross substitutability and the weak axiom of revealed preference

Abstract It is shown that if there are three commodities or less, an excess demand function that fulfills the property of Gross Substitutability satisfies also the Weak Axiom of Revealed Preference.
A workload-aware neuromorphic controller for dynamic power and thermal management

A workload-aware low-power neuromorphic controller for dynamic power and thermal management in VLSI systems is presented. The neuromorphic controller predicts future workload and temperature values based on the past values and preemptively regulates supply voltage and frequency. Our specific contributions include: (1) implementation of a digital and analog version of the controller in 45nm CMOS technology, resulting in 3% performance hit with a power overhead in the range of 10–150 microwatts from the controller circuit, (2) higher prediction accuracy compared to a software based OS-governed DVFS scheme, reducing wasted power and improving error margins, (3) power savings of up to 52% and improvement of up to 15% compared to the OS based scheme, (4) implementing DVFS when the processor is memory bandwidth limited for additional savings and (4) accurate temperature prediction to proactively implement DVFS and prevent CPU shutdown.The digital design has minimal power overhead and is more reconfigurable, while analog design is better suited for nonlinear and complex computational tasks.
An integrated, robust approach to lane marking detection and lane tracking

Lane Detection is a difficult problem because of the varying road conditions that one can encounter while driving. We propose a method for lane detection using steerable filters. Steerable filters provide robustness to lighting changes and shadows and perform well in picking out both circular reflector road markings as well as painted line road markings. The filter results are then processed to eliminate outliers based on the expected road geometry and used to update a road and vehicular model along with data taken internally from the vehicles. Results are shown for a 9000-frame image sequence that include varying lane markings, lighting conditions, showing, and occlusion by other vehicles.
Prothrombin G20210A Mutant Genotype Is a Risk Factor for Cerebrovascular Ischemic Disease in Young Patients

The factor II G20210A mutation is a recently identified congenital risk factor for venous thrombosis. Its role in artery disease is still undefined. We investigated 72 patients (35 male and 37 female) with documented ischemic stroke occurred before 50 years of age and without risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia; 198 thrombosis-free individuals were investigated as the control group. We found 7 heterozygotes (9.7%) and 2 homozygotes (2.7%) for the mutant factor II allele among the patients and 5 heterozygotes (2.5%) among the controls; the mutant factor II allele frequency in the patient group (7.6%, 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.3 to 11.9) was significantly higher than in the controls (1.2%; 95% CI, 0.1 to 2.3; P = .0001). The prevalence of other investigated mutant alleles (factor V G1691A, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T) did not significantly differ between the two groups. The odds ratio for ischemic stroke associated with the carriership of the mutant factor II allele (both heterozygous and homozygous genotypes) was 5.1 (95% CI, 1.6 to 16.3). Heterozygous genotype was associated with a 3.8-fold increased risk for cerebral ischemia (95% CI, 1.1 to 13.1); in particular, assuming an expected prevalence of homozygotes in the general population of 1.6 to 10,000 according to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the risk associated with the homozygous genotype was estimated exceedingly high, being increased 208-fold.
The Historical Role Of The Production Function In Economics And Business

The production function explains a basic technological relationship between scarce resources, or inputs, and output. This paper offers a brief overview of the historical significance and operational role of the production function in business and economics. The origin and development of this function over time is initially explored. Several various production functions that have played an important historical role in economics are explained. These consist of some well known functions, such as the Cobb-Douglas, Constant Elasticity of Substitution (CES), and Generalized and Leontief production functions. This paper also covers some relatively newer production functions, such as the Arrow, Chenery, Minhas, and Solow (ACMS) functions, the transcendental logarithmic (translog), and other flexible forms of the production function. Several important characteristics of the production function are also explained in this paper. These would include, but are not limited to, items such as the returns to scale of the function, the separability of the function, the homogeneity of the function, the homotheticity of the function, the output elasticity of factors (inputs), and the degree of input substitutability that each function exhibits. Also explored are some of the duality issues that potentially exist between certain production and cost functions. The information contained in this paper could act as a pedagogical aide in any microeconomics-based course or in a production management class. It could also play a role in certain marketing courses, especially at the graduate level.
Contractor Selection Model for Highway Projects Using Integrated Simulation and Analytic Network Process

AbstractSelecting the appropriate contractor is a significant step to highway project success. The process of selection is subjected to uncertainty and influence of criteria other than bid price. This paper presents an approach to prioritize competitive contractors at the prebidding stage for highway projects by utilizing the analytic network process (ANP) and Monte Carlo simulation. Both techniques are integrated on a single platform to build the proposed model. Initially, the main quantitative and qualitative criteria affecting the contractors’ selection process are identified and studied. The effective criteria in the selection process were obtained from experts and literature. A structured questionnaire was designed and sent to experts in highway projects. The ANP was used to prioritize these criteria subsequently, and Monte Carlo simulation was utilized to develop the selection model. The applicability of the proposed model was tested using four real cases of highway projects. It was concluded that u...
Embedded Memory Capability of Four-Terminal Relay Technology

An electrostatic four-terminal microrelay is demonstrated to function as a memory cell. This indicates promise for embedding nonvolatile memory with relay-based logic circuits, without incurring additional fabrication cost.
Long-Chain Alcohol Suppression of Snow Evaporation

Autoradiographs and pan studies in the laboratory indicate that long-chain alcohols suppress evaporation from snow if applied as an emulsion. A 1 mg point source of activated hexadecanol (cetyl-1-C14 alcohol) spreads rapidly on ice water. The spread on a melting snow surface, sufficiently concentrated to form a compressed film, is less than 1 cm per hr. In evaporation pan studies with snow, application of powdered Sav-a-Pond (32% hexadecanol, 60% octadecanol) at 50 lb per acre and 100 lb per acre does not result in evaporation reductions. A 10% emulsion of Sav-a-Pond in water yields average evaporation reductions of 38% from a melting snow surface during short duration tests.
The Technological Implications of Superconductivity in the Next Decade

Before I address myself to the questions implied by the rather awe-inspiring title the organizers of this course have assigned me, I would like to issue a disclaimer. I am not now and never have been a card-carrying prophet or seer. By saying that, I hope to forestall any future reminders that I said something perfectly ridiculous here. (Of course, I reserve the right to call attention to my farsightedness in case anything I say actually turns out to be correct.) The actual development of superconducting technology during the next decade will be determined as much by unpredictable factors like the health of the national economy and the actions of the planners who operate within it, or the possible appearance of another Brian Josephson, or a room temperature superconductor, as by the scientific and technological knowledge we have today. Nevertheless, one can discern some interesting developments and possibilities. I would like to discuss these in terms of the following questions: (1) What knowledge and demonstrated capabilities in the field of superconductivity do we now have? There are some pertinent collateral questions here, such as: Who are “we”? Where are “we”? Who has supported our work?
Learning from Lafitte: An Interdisciplinary Place-based Approach to Architectural Research and Education

An innovative trans-disciplinary research studio stack, designed to engage issues of coastal sustainability from a place-based perspective, is entering its second year at LSU School of Architecture. Pursued simultaneously through nested design studios, seminars, and independent scholarly research, these educational and research agendas are supported by the Coastal Sustainability Studios (CSS), a University-wide research initiative focusing on collaborative inter-disciplinary proposals for Coastal Louisiana. Faculty and students from the Departments and Schools of The Coast and the Environment, Earth Sciences, Renewable and Natural Resources, Engineering, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Law, Economics, Geology, Geography and Anthropology collaborate on regional to community scale speculations throughout the lower Mississippi delta. This paper utilizes a CSS geography-based grant to test an NSF funded Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) framework, developed to facilitate socio-ecological research, within the context of generating proposals for coupled built architectural and natural systems. By furthering the 1977 Venturi, Scott Brown, Izenour research methodology developed in “Learning from Las Vegas”, through the integration of ecological and socio-cultural dynamics, time, and feedback loops (essential considerations within the dynamic deltaic system), a long-term architectural design and education research agenda that provides productive definitions of sustainability and resilience is emerging.
Analogize This: Partial Constitutional Text, Religion, and Maintaining Our Political Order

In this essay, I respond to a debate between Geoffrey Stone, Seth Barrett Tillman, Alan Brownstein, and others about the complex relationships between the authors of the 1787 Constitution, contemporaneous religious practices and beliefs, and the enterprise of constitutional interpretation and textual exegesis. I identify religion and other “partial” constitutional phenomena as concepts alluded to in the Constitution but not given a more complete, direct articulation. In order to describe our political system accurately, and sustain the general project of constitutionalism, we need to understand partial constitutional text by adopting a somewhat novel hermeneutic approach. First, we should assume a somewhat abstracted and ahistorical “framer’s perspective” that contrasts rather sharply with the “Framer’s intention” or “originalist” stance holding such a prominent place in today’s constitutional analysis. Second, in reconciling religion and God as concepts incompletely contained within our supreme law, we need to consider the power and utility of constitutional analogies.
Results of Groundwater Monitoring for the 183-H Solar Evaporation Basins Reporting Period: July-December 2006

This is one of a series of reports on Resource Conservation and Recovery Act monitoring at the 183 H basins. It fulfills a requirement of WAC 173-303-645(11)(g) to report twice each year on the effectiveness of the corrective action program. This report covers the period from July through December 2006. The current objective of corrective action monitoring is simply to track trends. Although there is short-term variability in contaminant concentrations, trends over the past 10 years are downward. The current RCRA permit and monitoring plan remain adequate for the objective of tracking trends.
Excited States of Ce 140

Scintillation and magnetic beta-ray spectrometry have been applied to the study of the more important levels of ${\mathrm{Ce}}^{140}$. Coincidence experiments verify that successive levels are at 1.60, 2.09, 2.42, and 2.53 Mev above the ground state and correspond to gamma rays of energies 1.60, 0.815, 0.490, 0.438, and 0.328 Mev. The relative intensities of the gamma rays are found to be 2.50, 1.15, 1.25, 0.15, and 1.00, respectively. The energies and relative intensities of two weak high-energy transitions have been determined by means of a scintillation pair spectrometer. Values of 2.50\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05 and 3.00\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.20 Mev are obtained with corresponding intensities of one percent and 0.04 percent of the 1.60-Mev gamma-ray. The beta-ray measurements substantiate the relative intensities and end-point energies of the beta-ray groups which have been reported by others. In addition, it has been possible to estimate the internal conversion coefficients and $\frac{K}{L}$ ratios. The angular correlation of four cascade pairs of the above gamma rays has been studied. The results obtained, together with the beta-ray and internal conversion data, are most consistent with the assignment 0, 2+, 4+, 3+ for the ground state and first three excited states. The assignment 0, 2+, 4+, 4+ cannot be definitely excluded.
Critical analysis of the use of computer-assisted transverse axial tomography to study human brain in aging and dementia of the Alzheimer type.

Our purpose is to critically review this literature, relate our conclusions to CT studies performed at the Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging, and to discuss the applicability of CT use in assisting the clinician in the diagnosis of dementia. Finally, a brief discussion of future directions in structural imaging is presented
Modeling and simulation of PMSM system based on Matlab

A novel method for modeling and simulink of PMSM system based on Matlab is proposed.In Matlab/Simulink,the isolated blocks,such as PMSM block,coordinate transformation block from dq to abc,three phase (current) source inverter controller block,speed controller block etc.,are modeled.By the (functional) combination of these blocks,two control loops are used,which are the inner current-loop and the outer speed-loop.The reasonability and validity are testified by the simulation and this novel method offers a new thought for the design and test of actual motors.
Synthesis and Conjugation of Small Interfering Ribonucleic Neutral SiRNNs

Due to their high potency (EC50 ~1 pM) and exquisite target selectivity for all expressed mRNAs, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-induced RNAi responses hold significant promise as a therapeutic modality. However, the size and high negative charge of siRNAs render them unable to enter cells without assistance from a delivery agent. Most current methods of siRNA delivery rely on encasing siRNA molecules in large nanoparticles or cationic liposomes. However, these approaches suffer from a number of problems, including a poor diffusion coefficient, cytotoxicity, and poor pharmacokinetics. To address the problem of siRNA in vivo delivery, we developed monomeric neutral RNAi prodrugs, termed siRibonucleic neutrals (siRNNs), that directly neutralize the phosphate backbone negative charge by synthesis with bioreversible phosphotriester groups that are enzymatically cleaved off in the cytoplasm of cells. Here we describe the synthesis and purification of siRNN conjugates that induce in vivo target gene knockdown following systemic delivery into mice.
Effect of Doubling Daily Energy Intake during the Last Two Weeks of Pregnancy on Pig Birth Weight, Survival and Weaning Weight

Eighty-eight multiparous sows of four breeds -British Landrace (BL), Chester White (CW), Large White (LW) and Yorkshire(Y)-were mated to boars of their own breed or another breed-BL, Hampshire (H) or Y-to form eight breed groups. All sows were fed daily 1,8 kg of a standard 14% protein gestation diet based on corn-soybean meal through day 100 of pregnancy (6,000 kcal digestible energy/day). From day 100 of gestation to parturition, each sow received either the basal diet (6,000 kcal digestible energy/day) or the basal diet plus 1.82 kg corn starch (12,000 kcal digestible energy/day). All sows were fed a 16% protein corn-soybean meal-based diet ad libitum from day 1 to day 28 of lactation. Energy intake during gestation had no effect on individual pig birth weight, percentage survival or 28-day body weight. There were differences among breeds in pig birth weight (P less than .01) and 28-day weight (P less than .01), and a breed X gestation energy level interaction (P less than .05) was found, but the biological significance is questionable because of the small sample size. Pigs that nursed before blood samples were taken had lower (P less than .01) hematocrit than pigs not allowed to nurse before blood sampling. Energy intake of the dam had no effect on the magnitude of the difference between nursed and nonnursed pigs. We conclude than the normal pregnant dam maintains blood glucose homeostasis during hyperalimentation, thereby rendering ineffective this approach to increasing neonatal growth and survival.
Economic performance, environmental concerns, and renewable energy consumption: drivers of renewable energy development in Sub-Sahara Africa

This paper analyzes the drivers of renewable energy development and consumption in Sub-Sahara African countries for the period, 1980–2011. The fully modified ordinary least squares, dynamic ordinary least squares, and fixed-effects estimation techniques are used to evaluate the statistical significance of the determinants of renewable energy consumption. Results indicate that income has the desired positive, albeit statistically insignificant contribution to renewable energy consumption growth. This indicates that recent economic strength in the region has not been accompanied by increased development and consumption of renewable energy, in contrast to empirical evidence in other developing economies. A review of the possible reasons for this incongruence is presented. Also, increased consumption of renewable energy is associated with heightened concerns for climate change caused by pollutants such as carbon dioxide. Population and industrial expansion are statistically significant determinants of renewable consumption, and oil prices correlate negatively with renewable energy consumption.
From smart testing to smart learning: how testing technology can assist the new generation of education

This paper provides a brief overview of the theories and research in modern measurement and test theory, also known as smart testing, and further discusses how smart testing relates to the concepts and practices in smart learning. An introduction to smart learning and some of the challenges it is facing will be provided, followed by an introductory survey to a selected few topics in psychometrics, such as item response theory, computerised adaptive testing, large-scale assessments, cognitive diagnosis, and linking, etc. A couple of models regarding the implications of smart testing theories and techniques in smart education will then be proposed, together with the descriptions of some of the ongoing projects combining the two, as well as a discussion on potential future research directions.
Theory of Σ-Hyperon Decays

A theory of hyperon ( SIGMA ) decay is given tn which the SIGMA is considered as a bound state of a LAMBDA /sub 0/ and a pion. In this way, some observed features of SIGMA decay can be explained in terms of the observed properties of LAMBDA /sub 0/ decay. (D.L.C.)
Leadership, Dominance, and Preeminence in a Channel Structure with a Common Retailer

As firms embrace collaborative principles, partners of varying strengths and standing are coming together to deliver products effectively to consumers. In a two-tier collaborative channel, a partner's relative standing is manifest in the order in which wholesale and retail prices are determined; in turn, standing influences a partner's ability to achieve profits. We propose a framework, based on two factors that specify the strength of partners across channel tiers (channel leadership) and within a tier (echelon dominance) and together determine a partner's standing in the pricing process, to effectively study various channel strength scenarios. Our analysis of Stackelberg games corresponding to these scenarios reveals interesting insights regarding the impact of channel leadership and echelon dominance, both individually and jointly. For instance, we show that the presence of a dominant player in the upstream manufacturing tier benefits both the dominant and the weak manufacturers. The leadership-dominance framework also allows us to study the effect of a retailer's sequencing of its pricing of the two manufacturers’ products. By embedding the retailer's timing choices in channel strength scenarios, we find that both retailer and weak manufacturer prefer that the retailer set prices for the two products simultaneously; in contrast, the echelon-dominant manufacturer benefits from the retailer sequentially pricing the manufacturers’ products. Our analysis also covers preeminent channel leaders that control both wholesale and retail prices, finding that preeminent partners achieve significant gains and consumers benefit from low retail prices. Moreover, the weak manufacturer benefits from the presence of a preeminent manufacturer.