cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Answer‐providing documents: Some inference descriptions and text‐searching retrieval results

Document-answer inference descriptions were written for 20 question- (answer-providing) document pairs randomly selected from 66 found in an earlier study. The first premise of each inference consisted of one or more passages quoted from the document. Some of the quotations were accompanied by bracketed additions, justified by other passages in the document, to make meanings explicit. Each inference included one or more background knowledge premises. In three cases, an inference also required an “author intent” premise because (e.g.) a document gave a reason for negotiating requests but did not say that it was giving a reason; and the question asked, “What reasons have been given … ?” Using the 20 question-document pairs and the document corpus that had been searched to find them, a small-scale study was mode of how effectively answer-providing documents can be retrieved by text searching. Only rather simple procedures were considered. Specifically, answer-providing document passages, their near contexts, and titles and headings regarded as adjacent were examined for stem and thesaurus matches to question words. Proximity of matching words in a document was used as a measure of relation. Matches to question words probably occurring infrequently in the collection were weighted more heavily. A procedure was formulated for ranking question-document pairs for strength of match on the basis of these factors. As a test, the procedure was applied to a random 30 question-document passage pairs in which the documents were not answer providing. One of these false pairs tied or ranked above 9 of the 20 correct question-document pairs. Seven other false pairs each tied or outranked 1 or 2 of the correct pairs. These results indicate that the text-searching procedures used are probably inadequate for high-recall retrieval, but might be satisfactory for high-precision retrieval.
The emergence and impact of consumer brand empowerment in online social networks: A proposed ontology

This article presents a proposed model introducing consumer brand empowerment and discussing its antecedents and outcomes. Consumer brand empowerment reflects the perceived empowerment resulting from the consumer’s influence over the brand-related attitudes and behaviors of other consumers in an online social network. The antecedents in the proposed ontology focus on the sharing of brand information in online social networks and how it promotes a sense of consumer empowerment by enabling a consumer to influence the brand attitudes of other consumers. The online social network participation factors studied include reach and how its impact is moderated by variety, depth and frequency of brand-related information sharing in social networks. The outcomes resulting from consumer brand empowerment relate to the desired cognitive, affective and behavioral brand experiences sought by an empowered consumer. The article discusses the implications of the research relative to both marketing researchers and managers interested in understanding brand management within the emerging social network landscape.
Spreading the honey: a system for maintaining an online community

As online communities, such as social network sites, mature, they face challenges in sustaining user engagement. To address this, we designed and deployed a rating system to encourage a broad set of users to promote a diverse set of content on a social network site. By evaluating the impact of the promotions on the site's content and users over time, we found that the system successfully promotes more diverse content and encourages new social interactions between users.
Integrated Transit Priority and Rail/Emergency Preemption in Real-Time Traffic Adaptive Signal Control

The article discusses a strategy, referred to as Categorized Arrivals-based Phase Reoptimization at Intersections (CAPRI), which integrates transit signal priority and rail/emergency preemption within a dynamic programming-based real-time traffic adaptive signal control system. The system takes as input sensor data, from detectors, automatic vehicle locators, transponders, etc., for real-time predictions of traffic flow, and “optimally” controls the flow through the network using signal phasing. The system utilizes a traffic adaptive signal control architecture that (1) decomposes the traffic control problem into several subproblems that are interconnected in a hierarchical fashion, (2) predicts traffic flows, at appropriate resolution levels (individual vehicles, platoons of vehicles, transit vehicles, emergency response units, and trains) to enable proactive control, (3) supports various optimization modules for solving the hierarchical subproblems, and (4) utilizes data structure and computer/communica...
Effect of soybean stem growth habit on height and node number after beginning bloom in the midsouthern USA

There are two broad types of stem growth habit in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]: indeterminate [generally maturity group (MG) IV and earlier] and determinate (generally MG V and later). Field studies of irrigated April and May plantings were conducted on Sharkey clay soil (very-fine, smectitic, thermic Chromic Epiaquert) at Stoneville, MS (lat. 33°26'N), to determine if current expectations for stem growth habit are valid in genetic backgrounds of indeterminate MG IV and determinate MG V cultivars that are used in the early soybean production system (ESPS) in the midsouthern USA. All cultivars increased height and node number between beginning bloom (R1) and stem termination (ST), but the increases were greater for MG IV cultivars. Height and node number were greater at R1 for MG V than for MG IV cultivars, and greater for MG IV cultivars at ST. Averaged across planting date and year, MG V cultivars increased height and node number after R1 by 23 cm and 3.7 nodes, respectively. These results indicate that determinate MG V cultivars are capable of producing significant increases in height and node number after Rl.
Rectification in metal-semiconductor-metal detectors used as optoelectronic mixers

Variation in rectification current with ac-bias frequency has recently been observed in metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) detectors when utilized as optoelectronic mixers in a frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FM/cw) LADAR System. This current degrades the performance of the LADAR System by inducing false targets. In this paper, we present a detailed experimental and theoretical investigation on the origin of this current. We find that MSM detectors exhibit asymmetric current-voltage characteristics that are related to imperfections in device design and processing. We also find that, although the asymmetry is usually small, a rectification current may exist even under zero mean ac bias. Both the dark current and the photocurrent exhibit asymmetric behavior, but have opposite asymmetry with respect to one another. Under transient bias voltage the device shows two transient current responses: (1) a fast one related to the displacement current and (2) a slow one related to the removal of carriers from the device. The asymmetry in current related to the slow process is opposite to the dc asymmetry, while the asymmetry in current related to the fast process is more symmetric. The rectification current varies not only with ac voltage and optical power, but also with ac bias frequency.
Para‐performative Practices and Late Modernism: on contemporary art and the museum

Which works of contemporary art belong in museums? Which modes of collecting and display are likely to secure the most appropriate access to such works in the future? Such quandaries are all too fa...
NASA's Space Launch System: A new national capability

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Space Launch System (SLS) will contribute a new national capability for human space flight and scientific missions to low-Earth orbit (LEO) and beyond. Exploration beyond Earth orbit will be an enduring legacy to future generations, confirming America's desire to explore, learn, and progress. The SLS Program, managed at NASA's Marshall Space Fight Center (MSFC), will develop the heavy lift vehicle that will launch the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), equipment, supplies, and science experiments for missions beyond Earth's orbit. This paper gives an overview of the SLS design and management approach against a backdrop of the missions that it will empower. It will detail the plan to move from the computerized drawing board to the launch pad in the near term, as well as summarize the innovative approaches that the SLS team is applying to deliver a safe, affordable, and sustainable long-range national capability.
Coyote vocalizations: A lexicon and comparisons with other canids.

Abstract Vocalizations of free-ranging and captive coyotes ( Canis latrans ) were recorded from January 1972 through August 1975. A lexicon of 11 vocalizations was constructed based on their: (1) sounds as perceived by the observer, (2) behavioural context, and (3) physical characteristics as determined through sound spectrographic analysis. The suspected functions and relative intensities of communication of the vocalizations are described. Comparisons are made with the vocalizations of other canids.
Vertical segregation in granular mass flows: A shear cell study

[1] Non-fluidised, dry granular mass flows are obtained with rock fragments located on a rough rotating disk. In these flows that develop a quasi-rigid upper layer and a basal layer of colliding particles, dense clasts sink whereas light ones rise when surrounded by particles with intermediate density. Our experiments demonstrate that the presence of a quasi-rigid upper layer in granular mass flows does not prevent vertical segregation and that the formation of coarse-tail grading in pyroclastic flows does not require fluidising gases. High-speed videos reveal that vertical segregation in granular mass flow of rock fragments is generated by inertia differences between segregating clasts and matrix when they are both pushed upward by collisions with the basal layer. Coarse-tail grading occurs because the average segregation velocity of smaller clasts is smaller than that of larger clasts.
Requirement of sulfhydryl groups for the catalytic and tRNA recognition functions of isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase.

Abstract The reaction of isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase (IRS) with N -ethylmaleimide (NEM) and p -hydroxymercuribenzoate ( p MB) has been used to probe the role of sulfhydryl groups in the catalytic and tRNA recognition activities of the enzyme. The reaction of the protein with NEM has revealed one rapidly reacting sulfhydryl group and a class that reacts less than 10% as fast. Modification of the fast-reacting group with NEM markedly reduces the ATP-PP i exchange activity and the formation of Ile-tRNA but has no detectable effect on either the equilibrium constant or the rate of binding of tRNA Ile to the enzyme. In the presence of isoleucine and ATP, the reaction with NEM and the attendant loss of activities are prevented; other amino acids, other triphosphates, or tRNA, AMP and PP, do not protect the enzyme. The modification produced by reaction with NEM decreases the rate but not the extent of IRS(Ile-AMP) complex formation; thus, each of the altered molecules can react with isoleucine and ATP to form the enzyme-bound Ile-AMP but at less than 1% the rate. With native IRS, binding of isoleucine stimulates the rate of association and dissociation of tRNA Ile from the enzyme (Yarus & Berg, 1969); with NEM-modified IRS, this effect of isoleucine is reduced, indicating that the modification has interrupted the linkage between the isoleucine catalytic site and the tRNA binding site. Nine sulfhydryl groups per mole of IRS are revealed by titration with p MB. Inactivation of the ATP-PP i exchange reaches a limiting value of 90% when all of the sulfhydryl groups are titrated: Ile-tRNA synthesis, however, is inhibited more than 99% when five sulfhydryl groups are titrated. In contrast to the NEM-modification, binding of the mercurial to IRS markedly decreases the capacity of the protein to bind its cognate tRNA. The data suggest that there is one sulfhydryl group at or near the catalytic site, which must be free for maximal rate of Ile-AMP formation and utilization: this sulfhydryl group has no role in tRNA binding. Other sulfhydryl groups may contribute to the specific binding of the cognate tRNA either directly or by maintaining the needed protein conformation.
Photoemission observation of two molecular phases of CO absorbed on Cu(100)

Abstract The valence orbital electronic structure of CO chemisorbed on Cu(100) shows two discrete molecular phases in the sub-monolayer regime. Both 1π- and 5σ-orbitals of CO are found to interact with Cu. The more weakly bound phase of CO (not observed on polycrystalline Cu or Au) exhibits a strong reduction in the 5σ orbital bonding interaction. These results show significant differences in CO bonding on Cu, Ag or Au vs that on Ni, Pd or Pt surfaces.
The evolution of the state and taxation: role of agriculture

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze those conditions which determine whether the state will be developmental or predatory.Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical model is developed to analyze those factors influencing state policy towards agriculture. Then the historical experiences of China, Japan, and Sub‐Saharan Africa are used to illustrate the workings of the model.Findings – A necessary condition for growth promoting (poverty reducing) policy reforms, with respect to agriculture, is that a technological backlog must exist in agriculture.Practical implications – International organizations can play an important role in helping to create the necessary condition for effective reform. Significant investment in regional agricultural research institutions must be made so as to create a technological backlog in agriculture.Social implications – Investment in agricultural research has been declining. Thus, the availability of new technology has lessened. This poses an obstacle to rapid gro...
Dynamics of Vegetatin Indices in Tropical and Subtropical Savannas Defined by Ecoregions and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectoradiometer (MODIS) Land Cover

In this study, we explored the capacity of vegetation indices derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) reflectance products to characterize global savannas in Australia, Africa and South America. The savannas were spatially defined and subdivided using the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) global ecoregions and MODIS land cover classes. Average annual profiles of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, shortwave infrared ratio (SWIR32), White Sky Albedo (WSA) and the Structural Scattering Index (SSI) were created. Metrics derived from average annual profiles of vegetation indices were used to classify savanna ecoregions. The response spaces between vegetation indices were used to examine the potential to derive structural and fractional cover measures. The ecoregions showed distinct temporal profiles and formed groups with similar structural properties, including higher levels of woody vegetation, similar forest savanna mixtures and similar grassland predominance. The potential benefits from the use of combinations of indices to characterize savannas are discussed.
Birthweight, early life body size and adult mammographic density: a review of epidemiologic studies

To evaluate the association between birth weight and early life body size with adult mammographic density in the peer-reviewed literature. A comprehensive literature search was conducted through January, 2014. English language articles that assessed adult mammographic density (MD) in relation to early life body size (≤18 years old), or birthweight were included. Nine studies reported results for early life body size and %MD. Both exposure and outcome were assessed at different ages using multiple methods. In premenopausal women, findings were inconsistent; two studies reported significant, inverse associations, one reported a non-significant, inverse association, and two observed no association. Reasons for these inconsistencies were not obvious. In postmenopausal women, four of five studies supported an inverse association. Two of three studies that adjusted for menopausal status found significant, inverse associations. Birthweight and %MD was evaluated in nine studies. No association was seen in premenopausal women and two of three studies reported positive associations in postmenopausal women. Three of four studies that adjusted for menopausal status found no association. Early life body size and birthweight appear unrelated to %MD in premenopausal women while an inverse association in postmenopausal women is more likely. Although based on limited data, birthweight and %MD appear positively associated in postmenopausal women. Given the small number of studies, the multiple methods of data collection and analysis, other methodologic issues, and lack of consistency in results, additional research is needed to clarify this complex association and develop a better understanding of the underlying biologic mechanisms.
Development of an extraction method for mycobacterial metabolome analysis

Abstract As a prerequisite for studying the intracellular metabolome of mycobacteria, several methods were evaluated for efficient breakage of the cell using Mycobacterium bovis (BCG) as a model microorganism. Several pulping methods, treating with an Ultra-Turax ® , deep-freezing in liquid nitrogen followed by mechanical grinding, sonicating with probe head or cup horn and bead beating prior to solvent extraction were applied and compared. Gravimetry, electron microscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry were used to analyze the extracts. All analytical methods prove that sonicating is superior to mechanical grinding of deep-frozen cells. Two methods indicated that sonicating with a probe head enhances the efficiency of cell disruption compared to sonicating with a cup horn. The highest extract yield and chemical diversity were achieved by a combination of mechanical grinding and sonicating. Within the scope of a metabolomic analysis, the method of choice to treat mycobacterial cells is a combination of deep-freezing in liquid nitrogen and mechanical grinding followed by sonicating with a probe head.
A broadband multimedia TeleLearning system

We discuss a broadband multimedia telelearning system under development in the Multimedia Information Research Laboratory at the University of Ottawa. The system aims at providing a seamless environment for telelearning using the latest telecommunication and multimedia information processing technology. It basically consists of a media production center, a courseware author site, a courseware database, a courseware user site, and an online facilitator site. All these components are distributed over an ATM network and work together to offer a multimedia interactive courseware service. An MHEG-based model is exploited in designing the system architecture to achieve the real-time, interactive, and reusable information interchange through heterogeneous platforms. The system architecture, courseware processing strategies, courseware document models are presented.
Discrimination between Internal Waves and Temperature Finestructure

Abstract Discrimination between internal waves and finestructure in the ocean is made difficult because of over-lapping scales of each process. We have assumed as a working hypothesis that low frequency/wavenumber variability is predominantly wave-like, while high frequency/wavenumber variability is step-like. Thermal finestructure is modeled as a steppy Poisson process in the vertical, while internal waves are modeled as a random Gaussian process. The model developed is an extension of one of McKean (1974). We describe the vertical temperature spectrum of finestructure, and moored temperature and temperature difference measurements of the internal wave experiment (IWEX). For the data considered, the contamination of moored spectra and cross-spectra is small for low frequencies. The vertical temperature difference, measured over a vertical distance which is small compared to the correlation length of the internal wave field, is shown to provide a critical check of the model, since this signal is directly ...
Depletion of whey proteins and calcium by microfiltration of acidified skim milk prior to cheese making

Pasteurized skim milk was microfiltered (0.2-μm membrane) on a system equipped to provide uniform transmembrane pressure of 262 kPa (inlet:outlet pressure differential of 138 kPa, and crossflow velocity of 7.5 m/s). Retentates were gradually acidified to pH 6.6, 6.3, and 6.0 with glucono-delta-lactone during processing to promote solubilization of micelle-bound colloidal minerals into the serum phase of milk for subsequent transfer into permeate. Compositional characteristics of highly concentrated skim milk retentates (concentration factor 8 to 9) and composited permeates were determined to quantify retention and permeation of whey protein and Ca at specified pH conditions and to evaluate the suitability of retentate for cheese making. Final retentates contained an average 27.7% total solids, 20.2% total protein, 17.9% casein, 2.2% whey protein, 4.9% lactose, 2.3% ash, 0.62% Ca, and 0.4% fat. Dry basis retentate Ca and whey protein content significantly differed with pH level and contained 2.8, 2.4, and 1.9 weight percentage of Ca; and 7.2, 7.7, and 8.1 weight percentage of whey protein at pH levels of 6.6, 6.3, and 6.0, respectively. Microfiltration at pH 6.0, as compared with pH 6.6, reduced retentate Ca content by 20.1% but whey protein content was 12.6% higher. Retentate and butter oil were used to produce Mozzarella cheese with a normal Ca content and partial whey protein incorporation. Skim milk microfiltration, combined with in-process pH adjustment, is a useful method to produce highly concentrated retentate reduced in Ca and whey protein content with good potential for cheese manufacture.
Commercial Runner peanut cultivars in the USA: Fatty acid composition

Though peanuts are classified as a high-fat food, they possess good proportions of fatty acids deemed as heart healthy. The fatty acid compositions of Runner peanuts were determined for commercially grown cultivars over two recent crop years. GC-FID analyses revealed that the fatty acid levels for Runner peanuts were significantly (p <0.05) different among the normal, mid-, and high-oleic peanuts investigated. Oleic acid-to-linoleic acid (O/L) ratios were found to be 1.93 ± 0.30, 5.25 ± 1.12, and 16.9 ± 5.20 for normal, mid-, and high-oleic peanut lipids, respectively. Tamrun OL01 possessed a fatty acid profile characteristic of a mid-oleic cultivar. From the sample set (n = 151), mean % weights for oleic acid and linoleic acid were 52.09 ± 2.84 and 27.38 ± 2.60 in normal, 69.33 ± 3.18 and 13.66 ± 2.35 in mid-oleic, and 78.45 ± 2.05 and 5.11 ± 1.67 in high-oleic peanuts, respectively. Cluster analysis segregated cultivars based on fatty acids into normal, mid-, and high-oleic groups. Factorial analysis revealed that cultivar effects were significant (p <0.01) for all fatty acids, except for lignoceric acid. Cultivar effects were also highly significant (p <0.001) for O/L, IV, unsaturated/saturated fatty acid (U/S) ratio, and % saturation. Significant crop year effects were shown for palmitic, oleic, arachidic, gondoic, and lignoceric acids, as well as U/S ratio and % saturation. Healthy unsaturated fats accounted for ∼80% in all crop years and cultivars.
Want change? Call your representative

[1] During my tenure as an AGU Congressional Science Fellow, which began in September 2010 and continues until November 2011, my time has been shared between working with the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resource Committee Democratic staff and in the office of Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass., ranking Democrat on the committee). I appreciate getting to work with staff, fellows, and interns who inspire me, make me laugh, and know their issues cold. Much of my work on the committee is related to fish, wildlife, oceans, lands, and water issues and is directly related to my background in ecology and evolutionary biology (I studied zebra ecology and behavior in Kenya). My assignments have included asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about why it has not changed the allowed usage of certain pesticides that the National Marine Fisheries Service has found to jeopardize the recovery of endangered Pacific salmon; helping to identify research needs and management options to combat the swiftly spreading and catastrophic white nose syndrome in North American bats; and inquiring as to whether a captive-ape welfare bill, if passed without amendment, could thwart development of a vaccine to stop the Ebola virus from continuing to cause mass mortality in endangered wild apes.
Mobility of 2,2’,5,5’-Tetrachlorobiphenyl in Model Systems Containing Bottom Sediments and Water from the Lower Fox River, Wisconsin

Abstract Sediment-water partitioning and diffusive transport of 2,2’,5,5’-tetrachlorobiphenyl, PCB congener IUPAC #52 (TCB52) were examined in laboratory experiments with sediments from two sites in the lower Fox River, Wisconsin. Native water was pumped at controlled flow rates through cells containing sediments amended with a known activity of carbon-14-labeled TCB52. Concentrations of TCB52 in water and sediments were determined by liquid scintillation measurements of carbon-14 activity. Sediment-water partitioning was independent of flow rate for rates up to 8 m/d. Distribution coefficients (K d ) and soil-sorption coefficients (K oc ) were found to be at maximum levels 5–10 cm below the surface, despite an absence of significant variation in the fraction of organic carbon (f oc ) through the same profile. Other factors, such as the effects of colloids and microbial activity in the sediments, are likely to be important in controlling the PCB distribution. Log K d and log K oc ranges were 4.1–4.9 and 5.3–6.1, respectively, and calculated effective diffusivities at the sediment-water interface ranged from 3 to 8 × 10 −10 cm 2 /s. Gradual increases with time in TCB52 concentrations in the water phase, possibly due to effects of microbial activity, were observed. Diffusion experiments and models showed that the TCB52 migration rate within the sediment column is 8-9 mm/yr.
Differentiation of the giant and fusiform cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus of the hamster

Two categories of large neurons--fusiform cells and giant cells--can be distinguished in the dorsal cochlear nucleus of the hamster. In the adult, these neurons are located in separate laminae in the nucleus and have distinct dendritic morphology. However, the two cell types are not distinguishable in the newborn hamster. At birth the large cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus are clustered into one group and are alike morphologically. On postnatal day 5, laminae are still not apparent, but the neurons have begun to acquire their adult shapes. By day 15 laminae have formed, and the cells appear mature with the one exception that the apical dendrites of the fusiform cells have not acquired the spines which will cover their surface in the adult. The appearance of laminae coincides with the growth of axons and dendrites into a interstitial zone between the layers of cell bodies. Dendritic growth occurs during the time of axonal ingrowth and establishment of contacts between the axons and dendrites. The growth of the apical dendrites of fusiform cells, which are not contacted by these fibers, lags behind. These results demonstrate that afferent ingrowth and the differentiation of dendrites in the dorsal cochlear nucleus are temporally related. The synchronous development may serve to ensure a specific synaptic arrangement between the axons and their target dendrites.
Indocyanine green videoangiography for confirmation of bypass graft patency.

Objective The aim of the study is to determine the efficacy of indocyanine green (ICG) videoangiography for confirmation of vascular anastomosis patency in both extracranial-intracranial and intracranial-intracranial bypasses. Methods Intraoperative ICG videoangiography was used as a surgical adjunct for 56 bypasses in 47 patients to assay the patency of intracranial vascular anastomosis. These patients underwent a bypass for cerebral ischemia in 31 instances and as an adjunct to intracranial aneurysm surgery in 25. After completion of the bypass, ICG was administered to assess the patency of the graft. The findings on ICG videoangiography were then compared to intraoperative and/or postoperative imaging. Results ICG provided an excellent visualization of all cerebral arteries and grafts at the time of surgery. Four grafts were determined to be suboptimal and were revised at the time of surgery. Findings on ICG videoangiography correlated with intraoperative and/or postoperative imaging. Conclusion ICG videoangiography is rapid, effective, and reliable in determining the intraoperative patency of bypass grafts. It provides intraoperative information allowing revision to reduce the incidence of technical errors that may lead to early graft thrombosis.
Intertemporal production and asset pricing: a duality approach

This paper analyzes a firm's intertemporal optimization problem under uncertainty and presents a new asset pricing model from the vantage point of the production side of the economy using the duality principle. The intertemporal profit-maximization problem is formulated using the familiar cost function, and the production Euler equation that encapsulates the joint behavior of production and asset returns is derived. An asset's risk is measured by its covariance with the stochastic discount factor represented by the ratio of discounted marginal costs. The risk premium is determined by the conditional covariances of asset returns with output growth scaled by the degree of scale economies and with input price changes weighted by the cost share of an input. The proposed model has the standard structure of a multibeta pricing model and suggests four economic risk factors-output growth, the return
Die Aufnahme von Wasserdampf durch menschliche Haut, Pflanze und Erdboden

Laboratoriumsversuche und Feldbeobachtungen zeigen einen unerwartet starken Transport von Wasserdampf in die menschliche Haut, in getrocknete und in lebende Pflanzen und in trockenen Erdboden hinein. Diese Vorgange selbst beruhen offenbar auf Diffusion und Sorption. Dabei ist fur menschliche Haut und fur Pflanzen das Entstehen hoher osmotischer Drucke, d. h. niederer Wasserkonzentration, wahrscheinlich gemacht; doch sind die Ursachen dafur noch unbekannt.
Sex-based physiology prior to political correctness.

This essay examines the historical significance of an APS classic paper that is freely available online: Critchlow V, Liebelt RA, Bar-Sela M, Mountcastle W, and Lipscomb HS. Sex difference in resti...
Two-Hop Two-Path Voice Communications Over a Mobile Ad-Hoc Network

We consider two-hop communication of a delay- sensitive, memoryless Gaussian source over two independent paths in an ad-hoc network. To capture the behavior an ad-hoc network we combine a path availability model and a physical layer packet loss model. The path availability model includes the effect of path failures due to node mobility and route switching delays while the physical layer model accounts for the losses in the wireless channel. An analysis using the path availability model reveals potentially long connection down times due to path failures, suggesting that path diversity may be essential to support voice communications over a mobile ad-hoc network. We compare the performance of a few path diversity based communication methods involving multiple description coding and single description coding in an ad-hoc network with packet losses due to path failures and the physical channel.
Effective pre-processing strategies for functional clustering of a protein-protein interactions network

In this article we present novel preprocessing techniques, based on typological measures of the network, to identify clusters of proteins from protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks wherein each cluster corresponds to a group of functionally similar proteins. The two main problems with analyzing protein-protein interaction networks are their scale-free property and the large number of false positive interactions that they contain. Our preprocessing techniques use a key transformation and separate weighting functions to effectively eliminate suspect edges, potential false positives, from the graph. A useful side-effect of this transformation is that the resulting graph is no longer scale free. We then examine the application of two well-known clustering techniques, namely hierarchical and multilevel graph partitioning on the reduced network. We define suitable statistical metrics to evaluate our clusters meaningfully. From our study, we discover that the application of clustering on the pre-processed network results in significantly improved, biologically relevant and balanced clusters when compared with clusters derived from the original network. We strongly believe that our strategies would prove invaluable to future studies on prediction of protein functionality from PPI networks.
Preparation of fibrin glue: a study of chemical and physical methods

Concentrated fibrinogen was prepared from whole blood by cryoprecipitation or chemical precipitation and combined with thrombin to make fibrin glue (FG). Surgical applications of FG include control of bleeding, adhesion of tissues, and sealing of tissue defects. The purpose of this study was to compare cryoprecipitation (cryo) of fibrinogen to precipitation using ethanol, ammonium sulfate (AS), and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Our results suggest that AS precipitation is as effective as cryo in yielding fibrin glues with high bond strengths and is more effective than ethanol and PEG precipitation. In addition, the volume of FG per milliliter of plasma is greater after AS precipitation than after a single freeze-thaw cycle. It is concluded that AS is an efficient means for preparing FG from autologous blood.
Global trends in land reform: gender impacts

The chapters in this edited volume visit a wide range of rural landscapes, socio-economic conditions, and rural livelihoods. While most chapters deal with land reforms, a few examine dramatic agrar...
Ion Exchange Kinetics--Evolution of a Theory

The theory of ion exchange kinetics has come a long way from its origins oven, a century ago but still has muck distance to cover. In the earliest speculations about “base exchange” in soils, forces other, than those of inanimate nature were suspected to have their part. This view was superseded by an almost equally speculative one regarding ton exchange as a chemical reaction of a kinetic order corresponding to its stoichiometric coefficients. Only the concentrated, extensive, theoretical and practical studies in connection with the Manhattan project in World War II revealed ion exchange as essentially a statistical redistribution of ions by diffusion, with a rate limited by mass transfer resistances in either the particle or the external fluid. The next step ahead ms taken in the 1950’s with the realization that ions, as carriers of electric charges, are subject to the electric field their own diffusion generates. In other words, they obey the Nernst-Planck equations more closely than Fick’s simpler laws. Actually, this was a rediscovery since the Nernst-Planck equations had been proposed as early as 1913 for ionic diffusion in glasses and had become stock in trade of membrane science ever since Teorell and K. H. Meyer published their pioneering studies in 1935.
Prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism after arthroplasty: establishing value requires more than one perspective. Commentary on an article by John T. Schousboe, MD, PhD, and Gregory A. Brown, MD, PhD: "Cost-effectiveness of low-molecular-weight heparin compared with aspirin for prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism after total joint arthroplasty".

Cost-utility analysis is a mature health economics methodology that is one part of a greater universe of comparative effectiveness research. Concerns over the rising cost of medical care and the increasing sense of societal limits on those costs have caused a dramatic rise in the number of studies such as this investigation by Schousboe and Brown. The authors use cost-utility analysis and complex modeling to examine one of the enduring controversies in total joint arthroplasty: postoperative prophylaxis against venous thromboembolic events. They chose to compare aspirin (ASA or acetylsalicylic acid) and low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH); this choice is acutely more relevant at a time of a somewhat restrained convergence of recent guideline recommendations from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)1 and the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP)2, agreeing that either agent might be appropriate. The decisive measure that is estimated through their modeling is the cost of an added quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) relative to an estimated societally acceptable cost-effectiveness threshold of $100,000. Ideally, a cost-utility analysis measures the marginal gains and/or losses of QALYs through real-world patient-reported outcomes using validated measures of general health. Patient-reported outcome measurements would be difficult for this topic, given the fortunate relative rarity of the important adverse outcomes being analyzed, such as death, pulmonary embolism (PE), hemorrhage, and postphlebitic syndrome. The authors resorted to creating a model using multiple external reports of the relative risk and gain or loss of utility for the various health states relative to the use of aspirin compared with LMWH. Their online supplement provides a reasonable justification for each step; the literature chosen provides a slight advantage to LMWH for efficacy and to aspirin for less bleeding. Creating a model of this complexity requires some a priori leaning in one direction or …
Enhanced Automaticity of the His Bundle

Scenario: This ECG was obtained in a 70-year-old female patient being treated for new onset atrial fibrillation on the telemetry unit. The patient has been given several doses of digitalis for her atrial fibrillation. Currently the patient is asymptomatic. ECG PUZZLER A regular feature of the American Journal of Critical Care, the ECG Puzzler addresses ECG interpretation for clinical practice. We welcome letters to the Editors regarding this feature.
Shear-wave anisotropy in the Parkfield Varian well VSP

Abstract A vertical seismic profile (VSP) survey was run to 1334 m depth in the instrumented Varian well, 1.4 km from the San Andreas fault trace at Parkfield, California, to test the sensor string shortly after its permanent installation. The cable subsequently failed near the 1000 m level, so the test survey represents the deepest data acquired in the study. A shear-wave vibrator source was used at three ofsets and two orthogonal orientations, and the data have been processed for P - and S -wave velocities and for S -wave velocity anisotropy. Velocities are well-determined (3.3 and 1.9 km/sec, respectively, at the deeper levels), and the S waves are seen clearly to be split by anisotropy below about 400 m. Some 8 per cent velocity difference is apparent between polarizations parallel to and perpendicular to the San Andreas fault (faster and slower, respectively), and the difference seems to decrease with distance from the fault, suggesting that the cause may be the fabric of the fault zone. Repeated surveys at the 1000 m depth are being conducted as part of the Parkfield monitoring program.
From Nanowires to Nanopores: A Versatile Method for Electroless Deposition of Nanostructures on Micropatterned Organic Substrates

We demonstrate a fast, flexible, parallel, and highly controllable method by which to synthesize a variety of nanoscale and mesoscale structures. This method addresses one of the most significant challenges in nanoscience: the in situ parallel placement and synthesis of nano-objects over the mesoscale. The method is based on electroless nanowire deposition on micropatterned substrates (ENDOM). In ENDOM nanostructures are produced at the boundary between two unlike materials if two conditions are met: (a) deposition is kinetically preferred on one of the materials while (b) transport of reactants is favored on the other. In this study, copper structures were deposited on patterned −OH/–CH3-terminated alkanethiolate self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) by exploiting the different reaction rates of electroless deposition on these using the reducing agent dimethylamine borane (DMAB). We demonstrate production of nanowires (width < 100 nm), mesowires (100 nm < width < ∼3000 nm), nanorings, nanopores, and nanochann...
Growth of Transition Metal Films on AL(110) Surfaces

The growth of thin Pd, Ni, Fe and Ti films on Al(110) surfaces has been studied using high-energy ion scattering (HEIS), x-ray photoemission spectroscopy and photoelectron diffraction techniques. Of these four metals, only Ti grows as an epitaxial overlayer, while the other metals mix with the substrate to form surface alloys. In the HEIS experiments the backscattered ion yield from Al surface atoms is measured as a function of metal coverage on the Al surface. A decrease in the Al scattering is observed for Ti deposition while the other metals result in increased Al scattering, attributed to alloy formation. An explanation for the exceptional growth behavior of Ti on Al is provided using a model of surface strain associated with aluminide formation.
Bioconversion of methane to lactate by an obligate methanotrophic bacterium

Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG), with nearly 60% of emissions derived from anthropogenic sources. Microbial conversion of methane to fuels and value-added chemicals offers a means to reduce GHG emissions, while also valorizing this otherwise squandered high-volume, high-energy gas. However, to date, advances in methane biocatalysis have been constrained by the low-productivity and limited genetic tractability of natural methane-consuming microbes. Here, leveraging recent identification of a novel, tractable methanotrophic bacterium, Methylomicrobium buryatense, we demonstrate microbial biocatalysis of methane to lactate, an industrial platform chemical. Heterologous overexpression of a Lactobacillus helveticus L-lactate dehydrogenase in M. buryatense resulted in an initial titer of 0.06 g lactate/L from methane. Cultivation in a 5 L continuously stirred tank bioreactor enabled production of 0.8 g lactate/L, representing a 13-fold improvement compared to the initial titer. The yields (0.05 g lactate/g methane) and productivity (0.008 g lactate/L/h) indicate the need and opportunity for future strain improvement. Additionally, real-time analysis of methane utilization implicated gas-to-liquid transfer and/or microbial methane consumption as process limitations. This work opens the door to develop an array of methanotrophic bacterial strain-engineering strategies currently employed for biocatalytic sugar upgrading to “green” chemicals and fuels.
Turbulence Modeling: A Brief Overview of Charles G. Speziale’s Contributions

Charles Speziale was, throughout his career, associated almost exclusively with the academic community. His affiliations included Princeton, Stevens, Georgia Tech, ICASE, CTR, and Boston University. His collaborators during his career constitute a sizable portion of the “Movers and Shakers” in the Turbulence Modeling and Turbulence Computation Arenas. However and perhaps atypically for the era of the late 70’s to early 90’s he was interested in and focused on the exigencies/requirements arising from “Practical Applications”. The Research areas to which he contributed throughout his career are exceedingly broad in scope — allowing him to bring to the Turbulence Modeling problem a rich/continually-enriched background in continuum mechanics. These areas included non-Newtonian fluid dynamics, kinetic theory of gases, vortex dynamics and non-linear transition flow dynamics. This intellectual experience base enabled him to make serious and lasting contributions to the turbulence modeling areas of streamline curvature, rotational influences, renormalization group theory, large eddy simulation, dissipation rate equation development, wall region modeling, direct numerical simulation, compressibility influence, second order closure and a plethora of canonical criteria for modeling, calibration and validation.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
The Need for UBI Expense Allocation Methods for Tax-Exempt Organizations

This paper discusses the importance of establishing legislative guidance concerning cost-allocation methods when tax-exempt organizations are engaged in unrelated business activities. Tax-exempt organizations often report losses from unrelated business activities, and many question whether these losses are generated due to various cost allocation methods. Consistent guidance for these organizations is lacking from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The choice of allocation method can greatly alter the resulting profit/loss from the activity. Sound tax policy is needed to deter the over-allocation of costs related to unrelated business activities.
Right Atrial Approach for Ablation of Ventricular Arrhythmias Arising From the Left Posterior–Superior Process of the Left Ventricle

Background— The posterior–superior process of the left ventricle (PSP-LV) is the most inferior and posterior aspect of the basal LV that extends posteriorly to the plane of the tricuspid valve. The PSP-LV is anatomically adjacent to the inferior and medial aspect of the right atrium (RA). We report a series of patients with ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) arising from the PSP-LV and describe a mapping and ablation approach from the RA guided by intracardiac echocardiography. Methods and Results— Mapping and ablation of the PSP-LV with an RA approach under intracardiac echocardiography guidance were performed in 5 patients with VAs (aged 44±14 years, 2 males) who had failed ablation attempts from multiple endocardial and epicardial (1 patient) sites. Mapping of the PSP-LV from the adjacent inferomedial RA was performed at sites anatomically opposite to the earliest endocardial site of activation under direct intracardiac echocardiography visualization. From the RA side of the PSP-LV, a small atrial signal and a larger ventricular signal were recorded in each case, with an activation time of 32±7 ms pre-QRS (versus 16±5 ms pre-QRS in the LV endocardium; P =0.068). We were able to capture the LV from these sites. Cryoablation was performed in 2 patients, and radiofrequency was used in the remaining 3 cases. In all patients, ablation from the RA eliminated the arrhythmia. All patients remained free of recurrent VAs after a mean follow-up of 12 (7–16) months. There were no immediate or long-term complications. Conclusions— The PSP-LV can be a site of origin of VAs, which can be successfully eliminated from the adjacent RA under direct intracardiac echocardiographic visualization.
National health policies under the Reagan Administration and the new Congress

The projected impact of the recent U.S. elections on federal health-care policies and programs is discussed. The elections brought Ronald Reagan to the White House, Republican control to the Senate, and a conservative majority to the House of Representatives. The voters have thus produced a mandate for an end to government intervention as the solution to all the nation's ills. The new power base in Washington will increasingly turn to private industry for provision of health-related services. Costs under a privately based system will be controlled by competition, which is the basis for free enterprise. The nation is at a crossroads in health-care policy. An aging population is in need of more health services, while the government, faced with limited resources, has been moving toward rationing services. Costs must be held down in the short run by voluntary efforts; promoting increased competition provides long-range hope for cost control. Today's leaders should seize the opportunity offered by the new conservative focus of the federal government to shape a viable health-payment system for the future.