cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ultrasonic and Electrostatic Self-Cleaning Microstructured Adhesives for Robotic Grippers

This paper introduces electrostatic and ultrasonic techniques to clean dust and other contaminants from the surface of a gecko-like, microstrutured adhesive. The result is a non-destructive, non-contact cleaning method that will afford robotic grippers, climbing robots, and perching robots the ability to operate in real-world environments. Experimental results show that the cleaning efficiency for three different sizes of glass beads, 53–75 um, 75–90 um, and 90–106 um, ranges between 75–99% when using a combination of electrostatic and ultrasonic cleaning. This is a far higher efficiency than when using electrostatic repulsion alone. Experiments also demonstrate an approximately 33% recovery in shear stress on a flat glass for a contaminated directional gecko-like adhesive after contact with a dusty table when electrostatic/ultrasonic cleaning was used. Finally, by applying this method on a robotic gripper, we observed an 18% recovery in normal adhesion on a flat glass substrate.
Sediment-water interactions in the metal-contaminated floodplain of the Clark Fork River, Montana, USA

The distribution and concentration of metals and metalloids in the floodplain of the Clark Fork River of western Montana, USA, are mainly controlled by post-depositional diagenetic mechanisms of metal fractionation. Due to the influx of wastes into the river's headwaters from mining processes around the turn of the century, extensive amounts of contaminated material were deposited onto the floodplain. Tailings were deposited as widespread overbank deposits and point bars adjacent to abandoned channels, and are characterized by orange and gray mottled sediment, which is devoid of vegetation and covered by a blue metal sulfate precipitate during dry periods. Examination of stratigraphic profiles of floodplain sediment indicates three periods of deposition: 1) pre-mining, represented by coarse sand and organic overbank deposits under reducing conditions; 2) syn-mining, characterized by transition sediments and tailings deposits under oxidizing conditions; and, 3) post-mining, distinguished by grass-bound topsoil.
8-Hydroxyquinolines are bactericidal against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

There is an urgent need for new treatments effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis. The 8-hydroxyquinoline series is a privileged scaffold with anticancer, antifungal, and antibacterial activities. We conducted a structure-activity relationship study of the series regarding its antitubercular activity using 26 analogs. The 8-hydroxyquinolines showed good activity against M. tuberculosis, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC90) of 4 log kill at 10× MIC over 14 days. The majority of the compounds demonstrated cytotoxicity (IC50 of <100 μM). Further development of this series as antitubercular agents should address the cytotoxicity liability. However, the 8-hydroxyquinoline series represents a useful tool for chemical genomics to identify novel targets in M. tuberculosis.
Intensive margin of the Volcker rule: Price quality and welfare

Abstract We analyze the impact of dealer regulation on price quality (informativeness and volatility) and its implications for the welfare of market participants. We argue that although price informativeness, volatility, and the dealer’s profitability all deteriorate, against conventional wisdom, other market participants are better off due to the dealer’s risk-shifting motive. A static model is used to clarify the main intuition, and the robustness of the welfare results, as well as the fragility of the conventional wisdom about price quality, are discussed by incorporating dynamics and endogenizing information acquisition.
The effect of subjective perception of cognition on emotional functioning in adults with long-term neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Purpose: To examine effects of subjective perception and objective status of cognition on emotional functioning in a sample of adults with long-term neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.Meth...
Broadband High-Resolution Scanning of Soliton Micro-Combs

We demonstrate continuous scanning of a single soliton micro-comb over 88 GHz with an instantaneous linewidth of 60 kHz. We show such a system can acquire spectra of HCN with a high spectral-resolution. © 2019 The Author(s)
Utilization of Rehabilitation Services in Stroke: A Study Utilizing the Health and Retirement Study With Linked Medicare Claims Data.

Abstract Objectives To describe Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries who used poststroke rehabilitation services and identified the strongest predictors of utilization after the initial stroke care episode. Design Pooled, cross-sectional design using data from 1998 to 2010 from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) with linked Medicare claims data. Setting NA. Participants Stroke survivors who were Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries and participated in the HRS were included (N=515). Main Outcome Measure Utilization of rehabilitation services up to 10 years poststroke was the primary outcome with logistic regression used to predict utilization. Covariates included demographic factors, baseline functional status, health conditions, personal lifestyle factors, and social support. Results Rehabilitation service utilization was 21.6%, 6.8%, 15.8%, 16.5%, and Conclusion A small number of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries who are stroke survivors utilize rehabilitation services in the first 10 years poststroke. Of those who do, age is the primary driver of utilization. We analyzed a multitude of factors that might influence utilization, but other factors not available in these data also need to be explored.
Palliative care skills in CF: Perspectives of adults with CF, caregivers, and CF care team members.

BACKGROUND The role of cystic fibrosis (CF) care team members in delivering palliative care (PC) remains undefined. We aimed to understand the PC skills of CF care teams. METHODS CF care team members ("clinicians"), adults with CF ("patients"), and family caregivers ("caregivers") rated the ability of CF clinicians to provide aspects of PC using a five-point scale ("poor" to "excellent"). Median ratings were compared between groups. RESULTS A total of 70 patients, 100 caregivers, and 350 clinicians participated. Clinicians consistently rated their PC skills higher than patients or caregivers rated them, particularly for advanced PC skills. While clinicians, patients, and caregivers rated clinicians as "very good" at basic pain assessment and "good" at discussing prognostic uncertainty, clinicians rated themselves more highly at providing most skills, including simultaneous PC and standard CF care (P < .0001), basic depression assessment (P < .001), and discussing transplant, advance directives, end of life, code status, and hospice (all P < .0001). Respondents affiliated with adult CF care teams rated clinicians more highly than respondents affiliated with pediatric CF care teams at discussing lung transplant (P < .001), end of life (P = .006), advance directives (P < .001), code status (P = .012), and hospice (P = .016). Most patients (69%) and caregivers (60%) felt CF clinicians should receive more PC training. CONCLUSIONS Discrepancies exist among patient/caregiver and clinician perceptions of PC skills in CF, and skills of adult and pediatric teams may differ. Patients and caregivers feel clinicians' more advanced PC skills are lacking. CF clinicians may benefit from PC training to enhance skills and to understand how and when to utilize specialty PC services.
Contamination status and characteristics of food-borne pathogenic bacteria in retail meat products in Taiyuan

Objective To investigate the contamination status of Salmonella, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Staphylococcus aureus and bacterial resistance in retail meat products in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. Methods In the epidemic season of diarrhea in 2017, poultry and meat product specimens were randomly collected from the farmer′s markets and supermarkets of 10 districts and counties of Taiyuan. Salmonella, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Staphylococcus aureus were isolated form these specimens. Serotypes of Salmonella strains were analyzed. ELSIA was used to detect Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin (A-E). Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates were tested for the virulence genes encoding direct hemolysin (tdh) and indirect hemolysin (trh). Antibiotic resistance of the three food-borne pathogens were analyzed using microdilution methods. Results A total of 38 food-borne pathogens were isolated from 123 poultry and livestock meat product specimens with a positive rate of 30.9%, of which mainly were Salmonella (26 strains, 21.1%), followed by Vibrio parahaemolyticus (8 strains, 6.5%) and Staphylococcus aureus (4 strains, 3.3%). The 26 strains of Salmonella belonged to 10 serotypes. The Salmonella strains isolated from pork specimens had diverse serotypes. Salmonella serovar Derby, Salmonella serovar Gold-coast and Salmonella serovar Liverpool were isolated from raw and cooked pork food for the first time in Taiyuan. All Salmonella strains isolated form chicken products were Salmonella enteritis. The enterotoxin types of the four Staphylococcus aureus strains were three E-type and one complex type (A/E). All Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates were negative for tdh or trh gene. Ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulphonamides and tetracyclines (ACSSuT) resistance was prevalent in multi-drug resistant (MDR) Salmonella strains, but there was high sensitivity to fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins. MDR Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 75%. No third-generation cephalosporin- or fluoroquinolone-resistant or MDR Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains were isolated. Conclusions There were food-borne multi-pathogenic bacteria contamination in retail raw and cooked meat products in Taiyuan. Salmonella strains had diverse serotypes and high MDR rate. It was suggested that the regulatory authorities should strengthen the management of antibiotic use in aquaculture and specialized laboratory-based monitoring of meat supply chain. Key words: Meat products; Food-borne pathogenic bacteria; Contamination; Multi-drug resistance
Deuterated polyethylene nanowire arrays for high-energy density physics

The interaction of intense, ultrashort laser pulses with ordered nanostructure arrays offers a path to the efficient creation of ultra-high-energy density (UHED) matter and the generation of high-energy particles with compact lasers. Irradiation of deuterated nanowires arrays results in a near-solid density environment with extremely high temperatures and large electromagnetic fields in which deuterons are accelerated to multi-megaelectronvolt energies, resulting in deuterium–deuterium (D–D) fusion. Here we focus on the method of fabrication and the characteristics of ordered arrays of deuterated polyethylene nanowires. The irradiation of these array targets with femtosecond pulses of relativistic intensity and joule-level energy creates a micro-scale fusion environment that produced neutrons per joule, an increase of about 500 times with respect to flat solid CD2 targets irradiated with the same laser pulses. Irradiation with 8 J laser pulses was measured to generate up to 1.2 × 107 D–D fusion neutrons per shot.
A Hidden Markov Model of Developer Learning Dynamics in Open Source Software Projects

This study examines whether developers learn from their experience and from interactions with peers in OSS projects. A Hidden Markov Model (HMM) is proposed that allows us to investigate (1) the extent to which OSS developers actually learn from their own experience and from interactions with peers, (2) whether a developer's abilities to learn from these activities vary over time, and (3) to what extent developer learning persists over time. We calibrate the model on six years of detailed data collected from 251 developers working on 25 OSS projects hosted at Sourceforge. Using the HMM three learning states (high, medium, and low) are identified and the marginal impact of learning activities on moving the developer between these states is estimated. Our findings reveal different patterns of learning in different learning states. Learning from peers appears as the most important source of learning for developers across the three states. Developers in the medium learning state benefit most through discussions that they initiate. On the other hand, developers in the low and the high states benefit the most by participating in discussions started by others. While in the low state, developers depend entirely upon their peers to learn whereas when in medium or high state they can also draw upon their own experiences. Explanations for these varying impacts of learning activities on the transitions of developers between the three learning states are provided.
Evidence for pebbles in comets

Abstract When the EPOXI spacecraft flew by Comet 103P/Hartley 2, it observed large particles floating around the comet nucleus. These particles are likely low-density, centimeter- to decimeter-sized clumps of ice and dust. While the origin of these objects remains somewhat mysterious, it is possible that they are giving us important information about the earliest stages of our Solar System’s formation. Recent advancements in planet formation theory suggest that planetesimals (or cometestimals) may grow directly from the gravitational collapse of aerodynamically concentrated small particles, often referred to as “pebbles.” Here we show that the particles observed in the coma of 103P are consistent with the sizes of pebbles expected to efficiently form planetesimals in the region that this comet likely formed, while smaller pebbles are may be expected in the majority of comets, whose chemistry is often indicative of formation in the colder, outer regions of the protoplanetary disk.
Reactive Oxygen Species and Cell Signaling in Lung Ischemia

This chapter presents a new paradigm for the response to ischemia in the pulmonary circulation. The ischemic response depends on the sensing of decreased shear stress by the endothelial cell, resulting in the activation of membrane-associated NADPH oxidase, generation of O(in2)-, and activation of a signaling cascade. The initial response of the endothelium leading to NADPH oxidase activation is depolarization of the endothelial cell membrane, possibly a result of inactivation of membrane K(inATP) channels (KIR 6.2). ROS signaling leads to NO generation and cell proliferation. Thus, the K(inATP) channel may function as a “flow sensor” with the ability to initiate signaling subsequent to flow cessation. This response to altered shear stress may represent a physiological attempt to promote both vasodilation and the generation of new capillaries as mechanisms to restore blood perfusion.
Endoscopic therapy for weight loss: Gastroplasty, duodenal sleeves, intragastric balloons, and aspiration

A new paradigm in the treatment of obesity and metabolic disease is developing. The global obesity epidemic continues to expand despite the availability of diet and lifestyle counseling, pharmacologic therapy, and weight loss surgery. Endoscopic procedures have the potential to bridge the gap between medical therapy and surgery. Current primary endoscopic bariatric therapies can be classified as restrictive, bypass, space-occupying, or aspiration therapy. Restrictive procedures include the USGI Primary Obesity Surgery Endolumenal procedure, endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty using Apollo OverStitch, TransOral GAstroplasty, gastric volume reduction using the ACE stapler, and insertion of the TERIS restrictive device. Intestinal bypass has been reported using the EndoBarrier duodenal-jejunal bypass liner. A number of space-occupying devices have been studied or are in use, including intragastric balloons (Orbera, Reshape Duo, Heliosphere BAG, Obalon), Transpyloric Shuttle, and SatiSphere. The AspireAssist aspiration system has demonstrated efficacy. Finally, endoscopic revision of gastric bypass to address weight regain has been studied using Apollo OverStitch, the USGI Incisionless Operating Platform Revision Obesity Surgery Endolumenal procedure, Stomaphyx, and endoscopic sclerotherapy. Endoscopic therapies for weight loss are potentially reversible, repeatable, less invasive, and lower cost than various medical and surgical alternatives. Given the variety of devices under development, in clinical trials, and currently in use, patients will have multiple endoscopic options with greater efficacy than medical therapy, and with lower invasiveness and greater accessibility than surgery.
Western equatorial Pacific deep water carbonate chemistry during the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation: Using planktic foraminiferal Mg/Ca to reconstruct sea surface temperature and seafloor dissolution

[1] We present a reconstruction of deep-water carbonate saturation state (ΔCO32−) in the western equatorial Pacific for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and deglaciation based on changes in the Mg/Ca ratio of planktic foraminifers with increased water depth. Our data suggest there have been changes in bottom water ΔCO32− over the past 25,000 years at water depths as shallow as 1.6 km. The ΔCO32− reconstruction for the LGM suggests ΔCO32− was similar or slightly higher than modern values between 1.6 and 2.0 km, shifting sharply to lower values (an average ∼30 μmol/kg lower) below 2.5 km. The shift in chemistry between 2.0 and 2.5 km supports a hypothesis that Pacific overturning circulation occurred deeper during the LGM with a slightly more ventilated water mass above 2.0 km. The data are not consistent with enhanced preservation in this region of the deep Pacific at depths greater than 2.5 km, suggesting that the long-held view of better preservation throughout the glacial deep Pacific must be reevaluated. For the deglaciation, we have evidence of a ΔCO32− maximum that suggests enhanced deglacial preservation between 1.6 and 4.0 km in comparison to the Holocene and the LGM. The deglacial ΔCO32− was as much as 28 μmol/kg higher than modern between 1.6 and 4.0 km. Results suggest carbonate burial rates were 1.5 times greater during the deglacial than the over the past 5 kyr.
Neural Models for Flexible Control of Redundant Systems

Abstract This chapter discusses the explanation of a class of human motor equivalence competencies put forth by the DIVA and DIRECT models of motor skill acquisition and performance. It is suggested that experimental data indicating approximate postural invariance for reaches do not imply that the motor system is utilizing postural targets. Instead, an inverse kinematics transformation utilizing a directional mapping with a “postural relaxation” component is shown to be consistent with these data while also providing motor equivalent capabilities not possessed by models that use postural targets. This transformation is related to robotics techniques utilizing a Jacobian pseudoinverse and to the motor control models of Cruse and colleagues. A self-organizing neural network architecture that learns such a directional mapping is presented, including simulations verifying its ability to explain the approximate postural invariance seen in the experimental data. Side effects of the model’s learning process suggest two sources that may contribute to the gentle curvature seen in human reaches: a bias toward movements along the long axis of the manipulability ellipsoid, and a tendency toward more comfortable postures.
The Design of an Eco-Marketing and Labeling Program for Vehicles in Maine

Acknowledging and understanding the role that information may play in affecting consumer assessment of eco-marketed products is a key step in improving the effectiveness of eco-labeling policy initiatives. Consumers who hold preferences for environmentally preferred products may be unable to express their preferences for such goods under current eco-information campaigns. The emerging use of eco-labels suggests they may be an effective means of communicating the environmental attributes of a product to consumers, and thus provide an opportunity for consumers to alter their consumption behaviors. This analysis employed a state-wide sample of Maine registered vehicle owners in a survey effort aimed at determining the factors which affect their assessments of eco-labeled traditional-fueled passenger vehicles. The study focuses on developing an appropriate empirical framework with which to model the vehicle choice decision under eco-labeled conditions. We specifically examine how eco-information may affect the two-stage vehicle purchase process. The study builds upon environmental economic and psychology literature in examining the role of personal characteristics such as perceived effectiveness of consumer purchase decisions and perceptions of the eco-labeled products as factors in the vehicle purchase decision. It was found that environmental attributes of an eco-labeled passenger vehicle are significant in the purchase decision. The eco-information is considered in the vehicle purchase decision, but is generally not considered at the class level decision. The analysis provides important information for policy makers in that policy makers should recognize the two-stage nature of the vehicle purchase decision and adjust current eco-labeling programs accordingly.
Generalized pattern matching using orbit decomposition

Motion estimation, motion detection and tracking invariably require finding a particular pattern in a set or sequence of images. The task involves finding appearances of a given pattern in an image under various transformations and at various locations. This process is of very high time complexity since a search must be implemented both in the transformation domain and in the spatial domain. Contributing to this complexity is the chosen distance metric that measures the similarity between patterns. The Euclidean distance, for example, may change drastically when a small transformation is applied to the pattern. Applying a different metric distance might be advantageous, though at the expense of loosing the norm structure of the Euclidean space. In this work we present a new method for fast search in the transformation domain, which can also be applied in metric spaces. The method is based on recursive decomposition of the transformation domain, and a rejection scheme, which enables the process to quickly reject as irrelevant large percentages of this decomposition.
Effects of structure-activity relationships of α-adrenergic compounds on electrolyte transport in the rabbit ileum and rat colon

Abstract Clonidine, an α 2 -adrenergic agonist, increases electrolyte absorption in the intestine and inhibits diarrhea. In an attempt to develop a gut-specific α 2 -adrenergic compound for the treatment of diarrhea, we tested several imidazoline derivatives to determine which aspects of the molecule are gut specific. The potency of each compound in the stimulation of electrolyte transport in the rabbit ileum and rat colon was determined using a modified Ussing chamber technique. These results were then compared with the ability of these drugs to lower blood pressure following intracisternal injection in spontaneously hypertensive rats, as well as with other α 2 -adrenergic properties that have been defined in previous studies. Results indicate that all imidazoline derivatives interact with α 2 -adrenergic receptors in the gut preparation but activate the ion transport processes to a variable extent; i.e., all analogs tested are either agonist or antagonist for ion transport. Structure activity relationships were derived; for the agonist property in the gut, the imidazoline derivative required (a) substitution (in order of potency) with halide > CH 3 or C 2 H 5 > CH 3 O or > OH at position 2 or 6 of the phenyl ring, or a simultaneous substitution at positions 3 and 4 with hydroxy groups, or certain other groups that independently enhance the agonist properties and (b) the presence of a proper bridging unit between the phenyl and imidazoline rings, NH ⩾ CH 2 . In addition, it was found that certain compounds with a methoxy substitution of the phenyl ring displayed a dissociation between the intestinal ion transport potency and central hypotensive activities. 2-Methoxytolazoline, which was relatively active in the gut as compared with other methoxy-substituted compounds, had little effect in lowering blood pressure. However, 3,5- or 2,5-dimethoxytolazoline had no effect on intestinal ion transport but lowered blood pressure in spontaneous hypertensive rats. These results indicate that the α 2 -adrenergic receptors in the gut and brain may be different. Further modification of the imidazoline molecule could result in analogs with selective ion transport action in the intestine.
Fluorescence spectral characteristics and fluorescence decay profiles of covalent polycyclic aromatic carcinogen-DNA adducts.

Many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are known to be mutagenic and carcinogenic. The relationships between structure, physico-chemical properties, and differences in biological activities of PAH compounds, have long been a source of fascination to chemists (Lehr et al., 1985; Harvey and Geacintov, 1988). In living cells, the sparingly soluble and relatively inert PAH molecules are metabolically converted to a variety of oxygenated derivatives (reviewed by Conney, 1982); results obtained in many different laboratories indicate that the ultimate mutagenic and tumorigenic forms of PAH compounds are diol epoxide derivatives.
Evaluating the Effects of Traffic on Driver Stopping and Turn Signal Use at a Stop Sign: A Systematic Replication

Abstract The current analyses of observational data found that oncoming traffic substantially affected driver stopping patterns and turn signal use at the target stop sign. The percentage of legal stops and turn signal use by drivers in the presence and absence of traffic was analyzed using a multielement design. The results showed that legal stops were completed 100% of the time when oncoming traffic was present compared to 4.6% of the time when oncoming traffic was absent. Additionally, drivers' used turn signals 63% of the time when oncoming traffic was present compared 43.7% of the time when oncoming traffic was absent. Detailed analyses of these data suggest that researchers should consider traffic conditions when conducting similar observational research in the area of driver safety.
Nutrition of Streptococcus bovis in relation to dextran formation.

Barnes, Isabel J. (Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y.), H. W. Seeley, and P. J. VanDeMark. Nutrition of Streptococcus bovis in relation to dextran formation. J. Bacteriol. 82:85–93. 1961.—Three nutritional types of Streptococcus bovis were encountered. Minimal media for their growth are described. Transferable growth in defined media was always accompanied by dextran production and the nutrition for dextran production could not be distinguished from the minimal nutritional requirements of the organism for growth. Measurable, free CO2 was evolved from a complex medium during the growth of S. bovis. Several compounds were found to replace partially the CO2 requirement of the species. When fractured cell preparations containing S. bovis dextran were employed as antigens, rabbits failed to yield sera which would precipitate S. bovis or leuconostoc dextrans.
Identification of novel functional sequence variants in the gene for peptidase inhibitor 3.

Peptidase inhibitor 3 (PI3) inhibits neutrophil elastase and proteinase-3, and has a potential role in skin and lung diseases as well as in cancer. Genome-wide expression profiling of chorioamniotic membranes revealed decreased expression of PI3 in women with preterm premature rupture of membranes. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms contributing to the decreased expression in amniotic membranes, the PI3 gene was searched for sequence variations and the functional significance of the identified promoter variants was studied. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified by direct sequencing of PCR products spanning a region from 1,173 bp upstream to 1,266 bp downstream of the translation start site. Fourteen SNPs were genotyped from 112 and nine SNPs from 24 unrelated individuals. Putative transcription factor binding sites as detected by in silico search were verified by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) using nuclear extract from Hela and amnion cell nuclear extract. Deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was tested by χ2 goodness-of-fit test. Haplotypes were estimated using expectation maximization (EM) algorithm. Twenty-three sequence variations were identified by direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products covering 2,439 nt of the PI3 gene (-1,173 nt of promoter sequences and all three exons). Analysis of 112 unrelated individuals showed that 20 variants had minor allele frequencies (MAF) ranging from 0.02 to 0.46 representing "true polymorphisms", while three had MAF ≤ 0.01. Eleven variants were in the promoter region; several putative transcription factor binding sites were found at these sites by database searches. Differential binding of transcription factors was demonstrated at two polymorphic sites by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, both in amniotic and HeLa cell nuclear extracts. Differential binding of the transcription factor GATA1 at -689C>G site was confirmed by a supershift. The promoter sequences of PI3 have a high degree of variability. Functional promoter variants provide a possible mechanism for explaining the differences in PI3 mRNA expression levels in the chorioamniotic membranes, and are also likely to be useful in elucidating the role of PI3 in other diseases.
SEEMLESS: distributed algorithm for topology control of survivable energy efficient multihop wireless sensor networks using adjustable transmission power

This paper suggests a distributed algorithm named (SEEMLESS) survivable energy efficient multihop wireless sensor networks which determines a transmission power level for each sensor in a wireless sensor network (WSN) with guaranteeing survivability of WSN topology and minimizing the energy consumption of each sensor. The SEEMLESS algorithm provides a mechanism to make WSN topology survivable by letting each sensor have two closest neighbors and by letting each cluster head have one additional neighbor.
HEAO-1 and BBXRT non-source X-ray observations

A more appropriate title for this talk would have been 'Measurements of Large Scale Structure from X-ray Background Fluctuations'. While it has long been recognized that the X-ray Background (XRB) is primarily of a cosmological origin (with z less than a few), it has recently become apparent that surface brightness fluctuations in the surveys of the XRB can be used to trace the distribution of matter in much the same way as complete catalogs of individual objects. The distance which is probed is related to the angular resolution of the detector; for the HEAO-1 A2 experiment, which provides the best all-sky data base for the XRB in the 2-20 keV band, the effective depth is a few 100 Mpc.
Identification and characterization of a putative active site for peptide methionine sulfoxide reductase (MsrA) and its substrate stereospecificity.

Abstract Peptide methionine sulfoxide reductases (MsrA) from many different organisms share a consensus amino acid sequence (GCFWG) that could play an important role in their active site. Site-directed single substitution of each of these amino acids except glycines in the yeast MsrA resulted in total loss of enzyme activity. Nevertheless, all the recombinant MsrA mutants and native proteins had a very similar circular dichroism spectrum. The demonstration that either treatment with iodoacetamide or replacement of the motif cysteine with serine leads to inactivation of the enzyme underscores the singular importance of cysteine residues in the activity of MsrA. The recombinant yeast MsrA was used for general characterization of the enzyme. Its K m value was similar to the bovine MsrA and appreciably lower than the K m of the bacterial enzyme. Also, it was shown that the enzymatic activity increased dramatically with increasing ionic strength. The recombinant yeast MsrA activity and the reduction activity of free methionine sulfoxide(s) were stereoselective toward the l-methionineS-sulfoxide and S-methyl p-tolyl sulfoxide. It was established that a methionine auxotroph yeast strain could grow on either form of l-methionine sulfoxide.
Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition

As enrollments continue to decline, student retention is increasingly vital to the survival of most colleges and universities. In the second edition of this text, Tinto synthesizes far-ranging research on student attrition and on actions institutions can and should take to reduce it. The key to effective retention, Tinto demonstrates, is in a strong commitment to quality education and the building of a strong sense of inclusive educational and social community on campus. This revised and expanded edition incorporates the explosion of recent research and policy reports on why students leave higher education. Incorporating current data, Tinto applies his theory of student departure to the experiences of minority, adult and graduage students, and to the situation facing commuting institutions and two-year colleges. He has revised his theory, giving new emphasis to the central importance of the classroom experience and to the role of multiple college communities.
Demonstration of a collimated in situ method for determining depth distributions using γ-ray spectrometry

In situ γ-ray spectrometry uses a portable detector to quantify radionuclides in materials. The main shortcoming of in situ γ-ray spectrometry has been its inability to determine radionuclide depth distributions. Novel collimator designs were paired with a commercial in situ γ-ray spectrometry system to overcome this limitation for large area sources. Positioned with their axes normal to the material surface, the cylindrically symmetric collimators limited the detection of unattenuated γ-rays from a selected range of polar angles (measured off the detector axis). Although this approach does not alleviate the need for some knowledge of the γ-ray attenuation characteristics of the materials being measured, the collimation method presented in this paper represents an absolute method that determines the depth distribution as a histogram, while other in situ methods require a priori knowledge of the depth distribution shape. Other advantages over previous in situ methods are that this method does not require multiple γ-ray emission energies, provides the capability for characterizing complex depth distributions. The disadvantages are that collimation adds weight to the in situ system and increases the counting time by reducing the detector's field of view. Using a high-purity germanium spectrometry system, collimated in situ measurements of large area sources buried in attenuating materials were performed in laboratory settings and demonstrated the method's capability to yield accurate depth information.
Optimizing clutter mitigation for automated feature extraction in multi-spectral images

Accurate and robust techniques for automated feature extraction (AFE) from remotely-sensed imagery are an important area of research, having many applications in the civilian and military/intelligence arenas. Much work has been undertaken in developing sophisticated tools for performing these tasks. However, while many of these tools have been shown to perform quite well (such as the GENIE and Genie Pro software developed at LANL), these tools are not perfect. The classification algorithms produced often have significant errors, such as false-alarms and missed detections. We describe some efforts at improving this situation in which we add a clutter mitigation layer to our existing AFE software (Genie Pro). This clutter mitigation layer takes as input the output from the previous feature extraction (classification) layer and, using the same training data (pixels providing examples of the classes of interest), uses similar machine-learning techniques to those used in the previous AFE layer to optimise an image-processing pipeline aimed at improving any errors existing in the AFE output. While the AFE layer optimises an image processing pipeline that can combine spectral, logical, textural, morphological and other spatial operators, etc., the clutter mitigation layer is limited to a pool of morphological operators. The resulting clutter mitigation algorithm will not only be optimized for the particular feature of interest but will also be co-optimized with the preceding feature extraction algorithm. We demonstrate these techniques on several feature extraction problems in various multi-spectral, remotely-sensed images.
Synthesis and characterisation of 1,3-bis(dicyanomethylidene)indane (BDMI)-based nonlinear optical polymers

Abstract New polymers containing nonlinear optical chromophores of electron donor-bridge moieties amino-phenylenethienylidene (APT) coupled with a strong electron acceptor 1,3-bis(dicyanomethylidene)indane (BDMI) were synthesised by coupling the aldehydic APT precursor polymers with acceptor BDMI in acetic anhydride. The aldehydic APT precursor polymers were prepared via traditional condensation or radical polymerisation schemes where the aldehydic group of APT was found intact. Thermal stability of these BDMI-based polymers determined by t.g.a. was up to 500°C depending mainly on the chromophore loading density. The electro-optic coefficient ( r 33 ) of 10 pm V −1 was obtained in a 30% by weight chromophore loading polymer.
The dynamics of ion layer generation in the 80–150 km altitude region at low and mid-latitudes

Abstract The association of sporadic ion and sporadic sodium layers in the low-latitude, 90–100 km altitude region suggests that we must look beyond the windshear theory for details of the formation mechanism of sporadic layers in the 80–150 km altitude region. We present evidence, including specific 85–105 km results from the AIDA-89 and the ALOHA-90 campaigns, that 80–150 km altitude sporadic layers—including sporadic sodium layers—are generated in a complex interplay of tidal and acoustic-gravity wave (AGW) dynamics with temperature-dependent chemistry where wave-produced temperature variations are both adiabatic and dissipative or turbulent (non-reversible) in origin. We suggest that layering processes are best studied with an instrument cluster that includes sodium and iron lidars, MST radar (turbulence), incoherent scatter radar (electron concentration and winds), meteor radar techniques (winds), passive optical/IR imaging techniques, and appropriate rocket payloads to study a significant volume of the 80–150 km altitude region. We introduce the concept of volumtric radar and lidar techniques.
Biodegradation of a poly(α‐amino acid) hydrogel. I. In vivo

A new hydrogel material has been prepared by crosslinking a hydrophilic, nonionic poly(amino acid), poly(2-hydroxyethyl-L-glutamine). The material properties of the hydrogel can be controlled by variation in the crosslink density, and the swelling ratio was found to be a sensitive and convenient method for measuring the extent of in vivo biodegradation of implanted specimens. Degradation of the material was observed only during the first 2 weeks of subcutaneous implantation in rats, and is attributed to hydrolysis by proteolytic enzymes released during the acute and chronic stages of the normal inflammatory response.
Mechanical state relations for inelastic deformation of iron: The choice of variables☆

Abstract Mechanical state relations describing inelastic deformation of solids in terms of common constitutive assumptions are discussed. On these bases it is shown that such relations are not likely to exist when cast in terms of the common variables stress, strain, strain rate, and temperature. Introduction of at least one evolutionary variable is necessary. Stress-relaxation experiments following cyclic and tensile monotonic deformation histories are conducted to test the predictive capabilities of a state relation which gives the stress as a function only of strain rate and one evolutionary variable. This relation is found to lack generality and therefore predictive capability because the form of the relationship changes when the deformation history changes. A more general description of the stress relaxation behavior of iron is provided by the stress-partitioned power law.
Acute hepatic failure in severe iron poisoning

seen in other instances of acute intoxication 3 as well as in chronic intoxication?. 9. ~a This pattern is a result of saturation kinetics operative for DPH elimination in children. 19 ..... :~ DPH is metabolized to para-hydroxyphenytoin (about 80% of a dose) and other metabolites, and little is excreted unchanged in the urine. That previous studies have not reported significant amounts of DPH in dialysis fluid is indicative of metabolic clearance occurring concurrently with dialysis. The apparent clinical improvement reported to occur "immediately" during or after dialysis may be fortuitous or due to removal of an active DPH metabolite. Thus, until a series of DPH intoxicated patients are dialysed and compared with nondialysed controls, each group having excretion studies of DPH and para-hydroxyphen ytoin in urine and dialysis fluid, dialysis should be considered only as an investigative procedure.
Leiomyoma of scrotum

Abstract Leiomyomas arising from the tunica dartos scroti are rare tumors. We report the first case of bilateral leiomyomas of the scrotum.
Propagation of Tracer Signals in Boundary Currents

Abstract The propagation of a range of tracer signals in a simple model of the deep western boundary current is examined. Analytical expressions are derived in certain limits for the transit-time distributions and the propagation times (tracer ages) of tracers with exponentially growing or periodic concentration histories at the boundary current’s origin. If mixing between the boundary current and the surrounding ocean is either very slow or very rapid, then all tracer signals propagate at the same rate. In contrast, for intermediate mixing rates tracer ages generally depend on the history of the tracer variations at the origin and range from the advective time along the current to the much larger mean age. Close agreement of the model with chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and tritium observations in the North Atlantic deep western boundary current (DWBC) is obtained when the model is in the intermediate mixing regime, with current speed around 5 cm s−1 and mixing time scale around 1 yr. In this regime anomalies ...
Sliding Contact Melting: The Effect of Heat Transfer in the Solid Parts

In an earlier paper (Bejan, 1989), the phenomenon of steady melting and lubrication by sliding contact was studied based on a model in which: (a) the block of phase-change material was isothermal and at its melting point, and (b) the solid slider (heater) was either isothermal or adiabatic. These simplifying assumptions had the purpose of decoupling the liquid-film phenomenon (melting and lubrication) from the heat transfer processes that can occur in the two solid bodies. The objective of the present note is to relax the assumptions (a) and (b), and to document the effect of peripheral heat transfer on the sliding-contact melting phenomenon. Consider the two-body configuration. The block of phase-change material (i.e., the body that melts) is pressed against a warmer solid that slides to the right with the velocity U. The melting body advances into the melt-lubricated region with the melting velocity V. The key thermal engineering question relative to this very basic process is What is the relationship between the melting rate V and the mechanical loading (F{sub n}, F{sub t}) of the two-body arrangement ' The answer depends on the thermophysical properties of the two solids and the liquid that is steadily generated in the relative-motionmore » gap of thickness h(x). There is also conduction heat transfer on both sides of the liquid film, because (i) the upper solid is subcooled, T{sub o} T{sub m}, and (iii) the thermal diffusivities of the upper solid ({alpha}{sub o}) and lower solid ({alpha}{sub s}) are finite. In what follows, the authors consider separately the upper solid, the liquid film, and the lower solid, and then mesh the three by invoking appropriate matching conditions along the interfaces that define the liquid film.« less
Final results of the research on the use of Digital Selective Calling (DSC) system at sea

This paper contains results of the research on Digital Selective Calling (DSC) carried out in real conditions of sea voyages during the last year of GMDSS implementation. The results make it possible to estimate a degree of DSC system usefulness in achieving its assumed functions within GMDSS.
Input Distortion and Observer Overlap in Decision-Making

A realistic decision-making situation was developed based on the simulation of a tactical military operation. A three-man team comprised the work unit; two acted in an information-processing role and one was assigned an information-integration and decision-making function. Differential levels of information input distortion and observer overlap were compared. It was found that input distortion degrades decision-making speed and accuracy and that the increased intensity of coverage provided by observer-overlap did not moderate this effect. Detailed analysis of the activities associated with the information-processing function were also made. The findings were interpreted in terms of both theoretical and methodological issues.
Active member bridge feedback control for damping augmentation

An active damping augmentation approach using active members in a structural system is described. The problem of maximizing the vibration damping in a lightly damped structural system is considered using the analogy of impedance matching between the load and source impedances in an electrical network. The proposed active damping augmentation approach therefore consists of finding the desired active member impedances that maximize the vibration damping, and designing a feedback control in order to achieve desired active member impedances. This study uses a bridge feedback concept that feeds back a combination of signals from sensors of the axial force and relative velocity across the active member to realize the desired active member impedance. The proposed active damping augmentation approach and bridge feedback concept were demonstrated on a three-longeron softly suspended truss structure.
The role of membrane gangliosides in murine alveolar macrophage-mediated suppression of the immune response

Abstract Generation of aldehydes on cell membranes of viable alveolar macrophages (AM) by mild oxidation with sodium periodate was previously shown to result in total abrogation of AM-mediated suppression of the plaque-forming cell (PFC) response of spleen cells previously primed with sheep erythrocytes (SRBC). These results suggested a possible role for macrophage sialoglycoconjugates, such as gangliosides and sialoglycoproteins, in suppression. In the present report, it is shown that a purified mixture of gangliosides suppressed the PFC response of SRBC-primed spleen cells in a dose-dependent manner. Addition of rabbit anti-mouse brain antiserum (RAMB), which reacts with the gangliosides, reversed both ganglioside- and AM-mediated suppression of the PFC response. Pretreatment of AM but not spleen cells with RAMB also resulted in the reversal of AM-mediated suppression. The expression of gangliosides on the membrane of AM was detected with RAMB in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results suggest that membrane gangliosides may play an important role in the AM-mediated suppression of the PFC response. Since paraformaldehyde-fixed AM were not suppressive, it is speculated that AM release the suppressive gangliosides into the culture medium and rabbit antimouse brain antibody either prevents their release and/or neutralizes the suppressive function of released gangliosides.