cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mixing and chemical kinetic constraints on PIC production during chlorocarbon combustion

Abstract The amount and composition of products of incomplete combustion (PICs) in combustion systems is controlled by the complex interactions of turbulent mixing and chemical kinetics. The current paper addresses this problem by focusing on the effects of incomplete turbulent mixing on the extent of reaction and on the distribution of the local equivalence ratio, and investigating the contributions of chlorocarbon inhibition of chemical reaction to the emission of PICs. The experimental facility has been designed to simulate the conditions in actual incinerator systems; it consists of a Toroidal Jet Stirred Reactor (TJSC) followed by a Plug Flow Reactor (PFR). The experimental conditions allow one to investigate the combined effects of turbulent mixing and chemical kinetic inhibition on PIC emissions. To address these issues methyl chloride is injected into a baseline flow of hot products flowing in the PFR. Instantaneous temperature measurement, obtained by application of a laser Rayleigh scattering diagnostic, and stable species concentrations are then measured at various distances from the point of injection. The temperature probability density functions (pdfs) for fuel-lean and fuel-rich conditions show evidence of mixing constraints. Stable species concentration measurements prove that both mixing and chemical kinetic constraints are present in the PFR environment. Detection of aromatic species is interpreted as an effect of the variation of the local value of the equivalence ratio due to imperfect mixing. Finally, in order to model the combined chemical kinetic and mixing constraints and to determine which constraints are responsible for PIC emission, results from a highly simplified turbulent reacting flow model are presented. The model can predict the trend and magnitude of methyl chloride burnout and CO CO 2 ratio. Species, such as aromatic compounds, having a strong non-linear dependence on the equivalence ratio can provide insights on the mixing history and might serve as diagnostics of failure modes in incinerators.
Influenza vaccination in patients with diabetes: disparities in prevalence between African Americans and Whites.

Background: Patients with diabetes who contract influenza are at higher risk of complications, such as hospitalization and death. Patients with diabetes are three times more likely to die from influenza complications than those without diabetes. Racial disparities among patients with diabetes in preventive health services have not been extensively studied.Objective: To compare influenza vaccination rates among African Americans and Whites patients with diabetes and investigate factors that might have an impact on racial disparities in the receipt of influenza vaccinations.Methods: A secondary data analysis of 47,283 (unweighted) patients with diabetes from the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey (BRFSS) (15,902,478 weighted) was performed. The survey respondents were asked whether they received an influenza vaccination in the last twelve months. We used logistic regression to estimate the odds of receiving the influenza vaccine based on race.Results: The results indicated a significantly lower proportion of African Americans respondents (50%) reported receiving the influenza vaccination in the last year when compared with Whites respondents (61%). Age, gender, education, health care coverage, health care cost, and employment status were found to significantly modify the effect of race on receiving the influenza vaccination.Conclusions: This study found a significant racial disparity in influenza vaccination rates in adults with diabetes with higher rates in Whites compared to African Americans individuals. The public health policies that target diabetes patients in general and specifically African Americans in the 65+ age group, women, and homemakers, may be necessary to diminish the racial disparity in influenza vaccination rates between African Americans and Whites diabetics.
The Battle Over E-commerce Sales Taxes Heats Up

The inability of states to collect sales taxes from online vendors is a salient issue during the current economic decline. Further, brick and mortar retailers, who must charge customers sales tax, have pushed for legislation requiring online vendors to also do so. States have enacted legislation requiring online vendors, such as Amazon.com LLC, to collect and pay these taxes. In this article the authors describe the issue and make recommendations for resolution.
Kinetics of electron transfer mediated oxidations of methyl benzenes by ruthenium(III) tris-bipyridine

Abstract Methyl substituted benzenes can be electrocatalytically oxidized in acetonitrile solvent by electrogenerated [Ru(bpy)3]3+ in the presence of an electroinactive base, tosylate, or radical scavenger, styrene. The kinetics of the step in which the methyl benzene is oxidized to a radical cation by the metal complex are measured by rotated disk electrode voltammetry, for the faster reactions, and by controlled potential electrolysis, for the slowest reactions. The reaction rates vary systematically with the free energy.
Aging and Environmental Exposures Alter Tissue-Specific DNA Methylation Dependent upon CpG Island Context

Epigenetic control of gene transcription is critical for normal human development and cellular differentiation. While alterations of epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation have been linked to cancers and many other human diseases, interindividual epigenetic variations in normal tissues due to aging, environmental factors, or innate susceptibility are poorly characterized. The plasticity, tissue-specific nature, and variability of gene expression are related to epigenomic states that vary across individuals. Thus, population-based investigations are needed to further our understanding of the fundamental dynamics of normal individual epigenomes. We analyzed 217 non-pathologic human tissues from 10 anatomic sites at 1,413 autosomal CpG loci associated with 773 genes to investigate tissue-specific differences in DNA methylation and to discern how aging and exposures contribute to normal variation in methylation. Methylation profile classes derived from unsupervised modeling were significantly associated with age (P<0.0001) and were significant predictors of tissue origin (P<0.0001). In solid tissues (n = 119) we found striking, highly significant CpG island-dependent correlations between age and methylation; loci in CpG islands gained methylation with age, loci not in CpG islands lost methylation with age (P<0.001), and this pattern was consistent across tissues and in an analysis of blood-derived DNA. Our data clearly demonstrate age- and exposure-related differences in tissue-specific methylation and significant age-associated methylation patterns which are CpG island context-dependent. This work provides novel insight into the role of aging and the environment in susceptibility to diseases such as cancer and critically informs the field of epigenomics by providing evidence of epigenetic dysregulation by age-related methylation alterations. Collectively we reveal key issues to consider both in the construction of reference and disease-related epigenomes and in the interpretation of potentially pathologically important alterations.
One country, two systems: Foreign-invested enterprises and domestic firms in China

Abstract This paper shows that there is a dualist legal regime in China in that different bodies of laws and regulations apply to foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) from those that apply to domestic firms. In general, the legal and regulatory treatments of FIEs are superior to those that pertain to domestic firms, especially domestic private firms. The dualist nature of China's legal regime is designed to insulate the economy from full effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) as well as to protect socialism.
National Airspace System demand and capacity modeling

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has undertaken an effort to model and analyze the performance of the National Airspace System (NAS), a system that encompasses the nationwide airport and airspace network in the United States. This effort and the resulting capability, called the National Airspace System Performance Analysis Capability (NASPAC), are based on operations research and computer-modeling techniques. The authors provide a detailed description of a discrete-event simulation model of the NAS developed as part of the NASPAC project. Special emphasis is placed on the model's representation of the airport and airspace entities that constitute the NAS and the airspace user demand. The authors present the results of an initial analysis of the possible impact of a proposed new airport at Denver, CO, and conclude with a discussion of the potential future direction of NASPAC. >
Energetics of interaction between the G-protein chaperone, MeaB, and B12-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase.

Abstract MeaB is an auxiliary protein that supports the function of the radical B12-dependent enzyme, methylmalonyl-CoA mutase, although its precise role is not understood. Mutations in the human homolog of MeaB, MMAA, lead to methylmalonic aciduria, an inborn error of metabolism that can be fatal. To obtain insights into the function of this recently discovered protein, we have characterized the entropic and enthalpic contributions to for complexation of MeaB (in the presence and absence of nucleotides) with methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (in the presence and absence of cofactor). The dissociation constant for binding of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase and MeaB ranges from 34 ± 4 to 524 ± 66 nm, depending on the combination of nucleotide and mutase form. Holomutase binds MeaB 15-fold more tightly when the nonhydrolyzable GTP analog, GMPPNP, is bound versus GDP. In contrast, the apomutase binds MeaB with similar affinity in the presence of either nucleotide. Our studies reveal that a large structural rearrangement accompanies interaction between these proteins and buries between ∼4000 and 8600A2 of surface area, depending on the combination of ligands in the active sites of the two proteins. Furthermore, we demonstrate that MeaB binds GTP and GDP with similar affinity (Kd of 7.3 ± 1.9 and 6.2 ± 0.7 μm, respectively at 20 °C) and has low intrinsic GTPase activity (∼0.04 min–1 at 37 °C), which is stimulated ∼100-fold by methylmalonyl-CoA mutase. These studies provide insights into the energetics of interaction between the radical enzyme methylmalonyl-CoA mutase and MeaB, which are discussed.
Chemical and physical-parameters of liquid manure from swine confinement facilities: Health implications for workers, swine and the environment

Abstract Liquid manure from storage pits in twenty-three swine confinement operations was characterized by taking multiple measurements, over a 6-month period, of twelve different chemical and physical parameters. Low temperature, high ammonia content, excess hydrogen ion content (as measured by low bicarbonate alkalinity and excess Volatile Acids) and excess Volatile Solids were often inhibitory or toxic for anaerobic digestion in the pits. Relative to optimal anaerobic digestion, bacterial metabolic reaction rates are slow, production rates of methane and other gases are relatively low, odorous intermediate products (organic acids and sulfur-containing compounds) are relatively high and waste stabilization is relatively low. Conditions favoring the production of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and other odorous and toxic compounds prevail over conditions favoring methane production. These characteristics were accentuated in grower and finishing buildings as compared with farrowing buildings. High sulfate concentrations in water sources are potentially hazardous because they increase the sulfide content of the manure and therefore increase the potential exposure of workers and swine to toxic levels of hydrogen sulfide. Only a portion of the NH 3 present in the air of confinement buildings comes from the manure pit. Therefore, eliminating the pit under the building would not eliminate the air ammonia problem. Manure in farrowing buildings could possibly be treated in the pit to enhance stabilization by controlling temperature, water content and loading rates. However, in-the-pit treatment to enhance anaerobic digestion in nursery, grower and finishing buildings may be more difficult because of the extremely adverse biological conditions in these pits.
Femtosecond transient absorption with chirped pump and supercontinuum probe: Perturbative calculation of transient spectra with general lineshape functions, and simplifications

Abstract Femtosecond transient UV/vis absorption spectra of molecules in solution show vibronic structure initially while pump and probe pulses overlap, superimposed on bands which broaden and shift on several time scales. Third-order perturbation theory is used simulate and understand such spectra under experimental conditions, i.e., with chirped pump pulses and 40–80 fs pump/probe correlation time. The electronic system is coupled to a solvent bath whose fluctuations enter through a lineshape function g(t). This approach has two advantages. (i) In the general case when g(t) is modelled realistically it provides a distinction of coherent and sequential contributions to early transient spectra. The time-zero stimulated emission band can be extracted, giving access to the relaxation function for the emission frequency. (ii) For limiting forms of g(t) corresponding to the Bloch approximation and to inhomogeneous broadening the threefold time integrals underlying the theory reduce to a single integral. In such cases the lineshape formulation of transient absorption spectra can be used for data fitting.
Coal: A Human History

Barbara Freese New York, Penguin, 2003, 311 pp., $14.00 paperback ISBN 0-14-200098-1 Barbara Freese, an Assistant Attorney General of Minnesota, has done the unexpected, writing a page-turner about...
Control of acetylcholine receptor mobility and distribution in cultured muscle membranes. A fluorescence study

Abstract The molecular control of the distribution and motion of acetylcholine receptors in the plasma membrane of developing rat myotubes in primary cell culture was investigated by fluorescence techniques. Acetylcholine receptors were marked with tetramethylrhodamine-labeled α-bungarotoxin and lateral molecular motion in the membrane was measured by the fluorescence photobleaching recovery technique. Three types of experiments are discussed: (I) The effect of enzymatic cleavages, drugs, cross-linkers, and physiological alterations on the lateral motion of acetylcholine receptors and on the characteristic distribution of acetylcholine receptors into patch and diffuse areas. (II) Observation of the distribution and/or motion of fluorescence-labeled concanavalin A receptors, lipid probes, cell surface protein, and stained cholinesterase in acetylcholine receptor patch and diffuse areas. (III) The effect of a protein synthesis inhibitor and electrical stimulation on membrane incorporation of new acetylcholine receptors. Some of the main conclusions are: (a) acetylcholine receptor lateral motion is inhibited by concanavalin A plant lectin and by anti-α-bungarotoxin antibody, but marginally enhanced by treatment with a local anesthetic; (b) patches are stabilized by an immobile cellular structure consisting of molecules other than the acetylcholine receptors themselves; (c) this structure is highly selective for acetylcholine receptors and not for other cell membrane components; (d) acetylcholine receptor patch integrity and diffuse area motion are independent of direct metabolic energy requirements and are sensitive to electrical excitation of myotube; (e) lipid molecules can move laterally in both acetylcholine receptor patches and diffuse areas; and (f) acetylcholine receptor lateral motion in diffuse areas and immobility in patch areas are not altered by specific agents which are known to affect extrinsic cell surface proteins, or cytoplasmic microfilaments and microtubules.
SENSORY AND INSTRUMENTAL EVALUATION OF MATERIAL PROPERTIES OF FISH GELS

Over 100 heat coagulated fish pastes with widely varying sensory texture properties were prepared and evaluated. Variations in species, geographical source of fish, cooking procedure and other variables provided a wide range in material properties. Small strain material properties were evaluated instrumentally using uniaxial sinusoidally varying force at a frequency of 2 Hz and recording stress, strain and the phase angle between the two. A multiblade shear/compression cell mounted in an Instron Universal Testing machine was used to measure the shear/compression failure force. The products were also evaluated by a trained texture profile panel using 13 character notes. The maximum shear/compression cell force was a good predictor of sensory springiness, firmness, cohesiveness, and gel strength for the heat coagulated fish pastes tested. These four sensory notes were good predictors of each other so that a panel rating of any one could be used to rate the other three with numerical ratings for all four being very similar. Gumminess and adhesiveness ratings were also very similar and varied inversely with the shear/compression cell force and with the above four panel notes. These two notes were directly proportional to the loss tangent of the product, which correlated with them about as well as did the shearlcompression cell force. The relationships developed between panel notes support the modification of the General Foods Texture profile suggested by Sherman (1969). Statistically developed equations giving sensory texture notes as functions of instrumental material properties are given and their implications discussed.
Fabrication of a fluid encapsulated dermal patch using multilayered SU-8

Abstract A multilayer fabrication process using SU-8 has been demonstrated for the realization of a robust dermal patch, called the bio-fluidic integrable transdermal (B-FIT) microsystem. This device, which is worn in contact with the skin, samples and measures concentrations of bio-molecules such as glucose in interstitial fluid. The functional substructures of the device include fluidic reservoirs and capillaries, micro-heater element, and a colorimetric detection membrane. The heater elements are used to thermally ablate tiny pores through the surface layer of dead skin, allowing for easy diffusion of normally trapped bio-molecules to the skin surface. The capillaries and fluid containing reservoirs assist in the transport of bio-molecules from the skin surface to the detection patch situated on top of the device. The device offers the advantages of design flexibility, simplicity of fabrication, and the integration of metals with polymers. Highly aligned structures and good adhesion between metals and cured SU-8 layers have been achieved. A promising dry-release process using Teflon has been developed for the removal of the device from a supporting glass substrate used during fabrication. This paper presents the wafer-scale fabrication and characterization of prototype B-FIT devices.
The Siting of Radioactive Waste Faculties: What Are the Effects on Communities?1

Despite literally dozens of attempts, and the expenditure of billions of dollars, efforts to site radioactive waste disposal facilities in this country have been uniformly unsuccessful. While both researchers and policymakers continue to address reasons for these failures, little attention is being given to the consequences for the communities themselves of these intensive siting battles. Using a research framework that addresses both the sources and consequences of community conflict, we examine what is happening in four different areas currently being considered as potential hosts for either a high- or a low-level radioactive waste facility. Some degree of conflict is observed in each community, although it varies from one area to another based on such differences as potential to experience economic benefits, perceptions of class and ethnic equity, and the role of extra-local players in the controversy. We conclude that current policies lead to inequitable distributions of risk that, in turn, create “fairness” questions that are important both in explaining current patterns of conflict and in anticipating long-term consequences for the affected communities.
Heavy ion Rutherford scattering for target profiling, and measurement of heavy element concentrations and isotopic ratios

Abstract Work is currently being done at Caltech to extend the sensitivity limits of RBS techniques. For example, by using 4 MeV Cl ions, one can look at heavy element (e.g. Pb or U) surface concentrations of 109/cm2 on light substrates (e.g. Al or Si) while minimizing detector damage and dead time. This is being used to study archaeological, mineralogical and meteoritical materials. We are also using oxygen, fluorine and carbon backscattering to do isotopic ratio measurements; one example is its use for the measurement of isotopic fractionation induced by ion beam sputtering. At present, we can separate one mass unit at mass 63(Cu); by careful fitting, isotopic ratios can be determined for systems around mass 100. Also, heavy ion RBS can be used to profile multilayer targets. The high dE dx of heavy ion beams gives good depth resolution even on targets consisting entirely of heavy elements.
Activity, intracellular distribution and some properties of 17beta-hydroxy-C-19-steroid dehydrogenases in liver and kidney.

The activity of the DPN- and TPN-specific 17β-hydroxy steroid dehydrogenases of the liver and kidney of guinea pig, rabbit, mouse, rat, hamster and dog were compared. The enzyme activities varied markedly among the species and between tissues. The DPN-enzyme activity of the liver of the guinea pig and rat was primarily in the microsomal fraction, but that of the other species was distributed in varying proportions between the microsomal and the soluble fractions. The activity of the TPN enzyme was in the soluble fraction of the liver of all species. On the other hand, both enzyme activities of the kidney were localized in the soluble fraction. The pH optimum was the same, 9.6 for the 2 enzymes in both tissues of all animals. The microsomal DPN enzyme was precipitated at approximately pH 5.2 and the enzymes of the soluble fraction of both liver and kidney at approximately pH 4.2. The microsomal DPN enzyme was sedimented by Mg++ and by incubation with RNase. Triton X-100, Duponol-C and desoxycholate readily...
Photophysical and redox properties of molecule-like CdSe nanoclusters.

Advancing our understanding of the photophysical and electrochemical properties of semiconductor nanoclusters with a molecule-like HOMO–LUMO energy level will help lead to their application in photovoltaic devices and photocatalysts. Here we describe an approach to the synthesis and isolation of molecule-like CdSe nanoclusters, which displayed sharp transitions at 347 nm (3.57 eV) and 362 nm (3.43 eV) in the optical spectrum with a lower energy band extinction coefficient of ∼121 000 M–1 cm–1. Mass spectrometry showed a single nanocluster molecular weight of 8502. From this mass and various spectroscopic analyses, the nanoclusters are determined to be of the single molecular composition Cd34Se20(SPh)28, which is a new nonstiochiometric nanocluster. Their reversible electrochemical band gap determined in Bu4NPF6/CH3CN was found to be 4.0 V. There was a 0.57 eV Coulombic interaction energy of the electron–hole pair involved. The scan rate dependent electrochemistry suggested diffusion-limited transport of n...
The Role of Physical Ergonomics in Litigation

The primary goal of the ergonomist is to develop systems and products that increase productivity, function intuitively, and minimize the user’s risk of injury and illness. Injuries occur when a system or product does not fit or was not designed for the capabilities of the user. The physical ergonomist plays an important role in litigation in reducing the risk of large damages or settlements through improved design. This article outlines three cases that demonstrate how a physical ergonomist uses established methods and techniques to analyze litigation cases.
Clinical update on the management of atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a cardiac arrhythmia associated with significant morbidity and mortality, affecting more than 3 million people in the United States and 1-2% of the population worldwide. Its estimated prevalence is expected to double within the next 50 years. During the past decade, there have been significant advances in the treatment of AF. Studies have demonstrated that a rate control strategy, with a target resting heart rate between 80 and 100 beats/minute, is recommended over rhythm control in the vast majority of patients. The CHA2 DS2 ≥ (congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥ 65 yrs, diabetes mellitus, stroke or transient ischemic attack, vascular disease, female gender) scoring system is a potentially useful stroke risk stratification tool that incorporates additional risk factors to the commonly used CHADS2 (congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥ 75 years, diabetes mellitus, stroke transient ischemic attack) scoring tool. Similarly, a convenient scheme, termed HAS-BLED (hypertension, abnormal renal/liver function, stroke, bleeding history or predisposition, labile international normalized ratio, elderly, drugs/alcohol concomitantly), to assess bleeding risk has emerged that may be useful in select patients. Furthermore, new antithrombotic strategies have been developed as potential alternatives to warfarin, including dual-antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel plus aspirin and the development of new oral anticoagulants such as dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban. Vernakalant has emerged as another potential option for pharmacologic conversion of AF, whereas recent trials have better defined the role of dronedarone in the maintenance of sinus rhythm. Finally, catheter ablation represents another alternative to manage AF, whereas upstream therapy with inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, statins, and polyunsaturated fatty acids could potentially prevent the occurrence of AF. Despite substantial progress in the management of AF, significant uncertainty surrounds the optimal treatment of this condition.
The Performance of Feminism in The Taming of the Shrew

Performance is ideology! This is particularly true of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, one of his two comedies concerning the behaviour of husband and wife after the marriage ceremony—the other being The Comedy of Errors. Here he makes use of what may well be the longest-running English female stock character, the recalcitrant wife, who goes back to Mrs Noah, the disobedient woman of the mediaeval religious cycle plays. But at the same time he adapts the technique of classical farce to observation of human behaviour, by taking an impossible premise (that a wife can be tamed) and extending it logically to the utmost limits of absurdity. He also combines the Mrs Noah figure with the Judy puppet and the clever woman of the Interludes who outwits her husband, but with one distinctive omission: the physical violence commonly assumed essential to shrew-taming. I believe that here Shakespeare has forged a new dramatic mode by humanizing the intellectuality of rhetorically based classical farce and psychologizing the knockabout physicality of its Plautine offshoot.
Preparation of macroporous, monodisperse, functionalized styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer beads : Effect of the nature of the monomers and total porogen volume on the porous properties

The staged templated suspension polymerization method was used for the preparation of 5 μm beads from mixtures of styrene and several substituted styrene monomers, including 4-methylstyrene, 4-aminostyrene, 3-aminostyrene, 4-acetoxystyrene, and 4-tert-butoxycarbonyl oxystyrene, with divinylbenzene in the presence of various amounts of linear polystyrene and dibutyl phthalate as porogens. The nature of the monomer as well as the total percentage of porogenic compounds in the polymerization mixture have a large effect on the porous properties and surface morphology of the monodisperse beads. Beads with large pores can only be obtained once the percentage of porogen in the mixture exceeds a threshold value that varies with the type of monomers involved in the polymerization. The level of incompatibility of the functional polymer chains formed during the crosslinking polymerization with the linear polystyrene porogen that is present in the polymerization mixture is another variable that also affects both the porous properties and the morphology of the beads. Because better compatibility is achieved, this effect is less pronounced if unfunctionalized styrene is used as a monomer. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 67: 597–607, 1998
Discovering Service Similarity by Testing

We describe a comprehensive methodology for discovering service similarity (substitutability) by testing. Our solution does not rely on the service descriptions provided by their authors, it does not assume the existence of ontologies, semantic tagging, or other representations, and it avoids common information retrieval techniques. The only information our method expects is that every service in the repository will be annotated with its inputs and outputs, and that each input and output will be associated with a domain from a published list.
Adaptationism and the adaptive landscape

Debates over adaptationism can be clarified and partially resolved by careful consideration of the ‘grain’ at which evolutionary processes are described. The framework of ‘adaptive landscapes’ can be used to illustrate and facilitate this investigation. We argue that natural selection may have special status at an intermediate grain of analysis of evolutionary processes. The cases of sickle-cell disease and genomic imprinting are used as case studies.
Estimation of Spatially Distributed Evapotranspiration Using Remote Sensing and a Relevance Vector Machine

AbstractWith the development of surface energy balance analyses, remote sensing has become a spatially explicit and quantitative methodology for understanding evapotranspiration (ET), a critical requirement for water resources planning and management. Limited temporal resolution of satellite images and cloudy skies present major limitations that impede continuous estimates of ET. This study introduces a practical approach that overcomes (in part) the previous limitations by implementing machine learning techniques that are accurate and robust. The analysis was applied to the Canal B service area of the Delta Canal Company in central Utah using data from the 2009–2011 growing seasons. Actual ET was calculated by an algorithm using data from satellite images. A relevance vector machine (RVM), which is a sparse Bayesian regression, was used to build a spatial model for ET. The RVM was trained with a set of inputs consisting of vegetation indexes, crops, and weather data. ET estimated via the algorithm was us...
Interactions of sub-wavelength light scatterers with a whispering-gallery-mode optical microresonator

Investigation of the dynamics of mode splitting manipulated by two scatterers in an optical microresonator is presented. The experimental results are explained by a multiple-scatterer theory and the applications on nanoparticle detection and sizing are discussed.
Multi-GHz Radio DSP

This chapter discusses DSP techniques used to design digitally intensive front ends for radio systems. Conventional radio architectures use analog components and RF filters that do not scale well with technology, and have poor tunability required for supporting multiple modes of operation. Digital CMOS scales well in power, area, and speed with each new generation, and can be easily programmed to support multiple modes of operation.
Depth-stratified community zonation patterns on Gulf of Alaska rocky shores

Vertical zonation patterns have been considered ubiquitous in intertidal ecosystems but questions remain about their generality for individual taxonomic groups and over broad spatial scales, and whether they continue into adjacent shallow subtidal habitats. Taxon richness, invertebrate abundance, and macroalgal biomass were examined in the summer of 2003 along a vertical gradient in the rocky intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats around Kodiak Island, Kachemak Bay, and Prince William Sound, all within the Gulf of Alaska. Replicate samples of benthic organisms were taken in the high ( 7 m), mid ( 4 m) and low ( 0 m) intertidal (relative to MLLW), and at 1, 5, 10 and 15 m water depths at three sites in each region, and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. Our primary goals were to assess (1) how estimates of taxon richness, invertebrate abundance, and macroalgal biomass vary among intertidal heights and subtidal depths and (2) how general these patterns are when considered across the Gulf of Alaska. Our results show that when all invertebrates were considered together, most of the variation in taxon richness was accounted for by differences among depths (i.e. intertidal heights and subtidal depths) ( 51%), and among replicate samples within each depth ( 26%). Little to none of the variation was accounted for by differences among sites within each region ( 1%) or among regions themselves ( 0%). When considered across the Gulf of Alaska, total taxon richness and organism abundance were greatest in the low intertidal ⁄shallow subtidal and decreased with increasing height ⁄depth. When separated by phylum and examined together with macroalgae, variation in abundance and ⁄or biomass among depths was significant and accounted for most of the variability. Differences among regions and sites within each region were not significant and accounted for little to none of the variance. Because the pattern of zonation varied among sites within each region, it reduced the generality of a single zonation pattern for the Gulf of Alaska. Likewise, when community composition was compared among depths, geographic regions and sites within each region using multivariate analyses, vertical zonation patterns were evident at a regional scale, but high variability in these patterns among sites within each region reduced the generality of these patterns.
A content analysis of CPA advertising in national print media from 1979 to 1984

Certified Public Accountants were not allowed to advertise from 1922 to 1977. Even though the AICPA Code was changed in 1978, there has been continued discussion and disagreement among practitioners about whether accountants should advertise. A content analysis of 38 publications (over a six year period) from industry/trade, accounting, and general business was performed in order to determine where advertisments appeared, timing, frequency and to whom CPAs were advertising as well as the message content, components, and objectives of the advertisements. Of 812 advertisements, 71% were from Big Eight firms. The advertisements promoting services not requiring CPA certification and were found mostly in industry/trade publications. The number of advertisements increased through the years except for 1982. Advertising by CPA firms still appears to be conservative in numbers; however, the trend indicates that such advertising will increase in the future.
Use and efficiency of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether and monoethanolamine to trap volatilized [7-14C]naphthalene and 14CO2

Separation of radiolabeled CO2 from volatile parent compound(s) or degradation products in air from biodegradation microcosms has been done by using solubility in alkaline vs. nonpolar solvents or solutions. However, trapping solvents or solutions used to collect radiolabeled CO2 may absorb some volatile intermediate products or the volatilized parent compound. Similarly, solvents used to trap volatile radiolabeled degradation intermediates or volatile parent compound may absorb some radiolabeled CO2. If this lack of absorption specificity is significant, the clear interpretation of radioactivity-counting analyses may be compromised. A procedure designed to separate volatilized [7-14C]naphthalene and 14CO2 from the same air stream was evaluated for its efficiency. Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME) effectively trapped naphthalene (98.6% recovery) but retained approximately 0.8% of the 14CO2, whereas monoethanolamine (MEA):methanol:scintillation cocktail solution trapped approximately 99.5% of the naphthalene and virtually 100% of the CO2. Preliminary studies of the efficiency of trapping solutions for parent compounds and mineralized CO2 should be made before conclusions are made concerning the extent or rate of mineralization based on the amount of radiolabeled carbon retained in a trapping solution.
A new system for concurrent measurement of respiration and water loss in arthropods

A new, flow-through system for the concurrent measurement of water loss and CO2 production from arthropods is described. The system employs an Al2O3 sensor to measure the moisture content of the air stream, and an infrared gas analyzer to determine the CO2 content. The system responds rapidly, is accurate, and provides a continuous record of both variables at constant or increasing temperatures. Preliminary studies on the house cricket, Acheta domesticus, showed that water loss and V were highly variable depending upon the activity of crickets and that water loss increased greatly as a result of oral and anal discharges of fluid. Occlusion of the mouth and anus (paraffin) reduced water loss and V at 30°C by 82 and 46%, respectively. Strong correlations between V and water loss were observed in crickets whose mouth and anus had been sealed, both in long-term (3 hour) isothermal studies and under conditions of rapidly increasing temperature.
An early nineteenth century absorption-based theory of mesmerism.

Abstract In 1844, an obscure and little-remembered American theorist, A. Yorke (no further identification is available), published a theory of mesmerism based on absorption, i.e., mental concentration. Unlike Mesmer's conceptualization of animal magnetism as a biological fluid, however, Yorke's theory emphasized the psychological importance of the mutual interaction between mesmerist and subject. This paper discusses the latter's theory of absorption as an important development in neomesmerism, the circumstances that led him to his conclusions, and his role in advancing our knowledge of the historical origins of modern hypnosis. “Everything has been thought of before. The difficulty is to think of it again.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832)
Cultural approaches to diabetes self-management programs for the Latino community

The issue of diabetes within the Latino population of the United States is of such magnitude that reviewing previously published studies on culturally oriented diabetes self-management interventions is imperative to further understanding and progress on this matter. The purpose of this revision is to illustrate what has been accomplished to date, analyze the lessons learned, and restate the importance of developing culturally relevant interventions for vulnerable populations.
Who sends what: a comparison of dermatopathology referrals from dermatologists, pathologists and dermatopathologists.

Background: Dermatopathologists, dermatologists and pathologists interpret skin pathology specimens. Objective: To examine dermatopathology referral patterns of dermatologists, pathologists and dermatopathologists. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed diagnoses rendered by one dermatopathologist to 916 primary interpretation cases (543 from university dermatologists and 373 from private practice dermatologists) and 517 consultations (450 from dermatologists, 52 from pathologists and 15 from dermatopathologists). Each diagnosis was assigned into one of six categories. Chi-square tests were used to compare referral types pairwise and correspondence analysis was performed. Results: All profile comparisons tested significantly from each other (p-value < 0.01) except the comparison between dermatopathologists and pathologists. Correspondence analysis suggested that consultation profile of dermatopathologists was most dissimilar from other profiles and tended to associate more with the presence of malignant and benign melanocytic referral types. Referral pattern of pathologists was more similar to that of dermatologists who interpret skin pathology specimens than that of dermatopathologists. Limitations: Small sample size, referral bias, difficulty classifying certain lesions. Conclusions: Referral pattern of dermatopathologists was most dissimilar from other profiles and tended to associate more with malignant and benign melanocytic referral types. Referral pattern of pathologists was more similar to that of dermatologists who interpret skin pathology specimens than that of dermatopathologists.
EFFECT OF CONTEXT ON TRANSFER OF INFORMATION FROM SHORT- TO LONG-TERM MEMORY

Summary.-Manipulation of the context in a short-term memory paradigm produces changes in the ability to recognize the same material from long-term memory 24 hr. later. If immediate recall is accurate, later recognition is improved if this recall is conducted with the same concext as occurred at learning. If immediate recall is completely inaccurate, later recognition is improved if this recall is conducted with different concext than was present at learning. Shortterm recall did not need to be accurate to transfer the learned nonsense trigrams to long-term memory. Manipulation of context 24 hr. after learning had no effect on recognirion. Results are discussed in terms of the Waugh and Norman memory model, Tulving's encoding specificity hypothesis, and interference
Effect of cognitive status on self-regulatory driving behavior in older adults: an assessment of naturalistic driving using in-car video recordings.

Previous findings that older drivers engage in strategic self-regulatory behaviors to minimize perceived safety risks are primarily based on survey reports rather than actual behavior. This study analyzed in-car video recording of naturalistic driving of 18 patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and 20 age-matched controls in order to (1) characterize self-regulatory behaviors engaged by older drivers and (2) assess how behaviors change with cognitive impairment. Only participants who were rated "safe" on a prior standardized road test were selected for this study. Both groups drove primarily in environments that minimized the demands on driving skill and that incurred the least risk for involvement in major crashes. Patients with AD displayed further restrictions of driving behavior beyond those of healthy elderly individuals, suggesting additional regulation on the basis of cognitive status. These data provide critical empirical support for findings from previous survey studies indicating an overall reduction in driving mobility among older drivers with cognitive impairment. Language: en
The Relative Performance of Full Information Maximum Likelihood Estimation for Missing Data in Structural Equation Models

A Monte Carlo simulation examined the performance of 4 missing data methods in structural equation models: full information maximum likelihood (FIML), listwise deletion, pairwise deletion, and similar response pattern imputation. The effects of 3 independent variables were examined (factor loading magnitude, sample size, and missing data rate) on 4 outcome measures: convergence failures, parameter estimate bias, parameter estimate efficiency, and model goodness of fit. Results indicated that FIML estimation was superior across all conditions of the design. Under ignorable missing data conditions (missing completely at random and missing at random), FIML estimates were unbiased and more efficient than the other methods. In addition, FIML yielded the lowest proportion of convergence failures and provided near-optimal Type 1 error rates across both simulations.
Bullying and Special Education as Predictors of Serious Delinquency

Bullying can create a climate of fear and discomfort in schools and communities. This study examined the longitudinal associations between children's bullying, special education placements in elementary school, and serious delinquent behavior during secondary school. Using data from the youngest sample of the Pittsburgh Youth Study, the authors examined these associations while controlling for prior poor academic achievement and aggression. They found that contrary to prior research, neither special education placements nor poor academic achievement predicted bullying or serious delinquency. They found substantial continuity between early aggression and special education placements, bullying, and serious delinquency. They discuss the implications of our finding for future research and policy development.
Minimum variance beamforming with soft response constraints

Soft constraints on the beamformer response to the signal are examined in the context of minimum variance beamforming. A quadratic constraint on the beamformer weights is used to control the mean-squared error between a desired response and the actual response in the signal direction. The constraint is purposely chosen to permit distortion of the signal with the goal of achieving improved interference cancellation. Under the assumptions of known signal direction and spectral shape the signal-to-noise ratio is shown to be a nondecreasing function of the mean-square distortion. The distortion presented to the signal is easily computed from the beamformer weights and can be equalized after beamforming if desired. Properties of this beamforming method and its relationship to linear constrained beamforming are discussed. Simulations verify analytic results and illustrate the utility of the soft constrained approach. >
ROLE OF THE RESPONSE SYSTEM IN A JUDGMENTAL CONTRAST EFFECT.

Two experiments were conducted to determine if a judgmental contrast effect produced by a stimulus much larger than the rest of the series was due to a perceptual change or to an effect on the response system. In both studies, half of the Ss learned to associate nonsense syllables to a set of six line-drawn squares and half judged the relative sizes of the squares using a six-category response scale. Also, in both studies, half of each group had as the sixth square the one that immediately followed the preceding five in the geometric series and half had as the sixth one that was several removed from the common set of five in the geometric series. A total of 128 students at Boston University participated in both experiments. The very large square produced the customary contrast effect when scale judgments were required but had no effect on the paired-associative learning. The evidence suggests that the judgmental contrast effect is a result of response factors rather than perceptual changes.
Culturally situated survey of engineering identity for Latina/o undergraduates

Measures of engineering identity have been designed for an aggregate group of engineering students leaving the ways that students of color develop their engineering identities unexplored. This work in progress paper presents a culturally situated survey of engineering identity for Latina/o undergraduates. The survey was built using data from 20 interviews and observations with engineering Latina/o students. This study took an asset-based approach through the use of the Community Cultural Wealth framework. The survey was administered to 75 students. Using the survey responses of 33 engineering identity items, exploratory factor analysis was performed to examine the structural validity of the survey.
Trojan Prevention: Built-In Self-Authentication

The complexity and cost of IC fabrication significantly increases as the technology for integrated circuits (ICs) shrinks to very deep sub-micron levels. As companies increasingly outsource design and fabrication for economic reasons, it has become easier for adversaries to implant a Trojan by modifying the layout of a circuit during GDSII development and fabrication. A circuit’s unused spaces provide great opportunities for Trojan insertion.