cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Arthropods in urban habitat fragments in southern California: Area, age, and edge effects

The distribution of non-ant arthropods was examined in 40 urban habitat fragments in coastal San Diego County, California, USA, to look for effects of fragmen- tation, proximity to developed edge, and the non-native Argentine ant (Linepithema humile). Arthropods were sampled with pitfall traps and by vacuum sampling from California buck- wheat shrubs (Eriogonumfasciculatum). Individual arthropods were identified to order and Recognizable Taxonomic Unit (RTU), or morphospecies. At the fragment scale we looked for correlations in the point diversity and abundance of arthropods as a function of the age and area of the fragment being sampled. At the scale of the individual sample points we looked for correlations of abundance and diversity with variables that describe the species composition of the shrub vegetation and disturbance. As indicators of disturbance we used the cover of native woody and exotic non-woody vegetation, the distance to the nearest developed edge, and the abundance of Argentine ants. The following patterns were found: (1) In general, arthropods showed a fragmentation effect with point diversity and abundance positively correlated with fragment area and negatively correlated with fragment age. (2) The pitfall samples were dominated by three primarily non-native orders, Isopoda (pillbugs), Dermaptera (earwigs), and Blattaria (roaches). Over 35% of all pitfall-captured arthropods belonged to four species in these orders. Dermaptera and Blattaria increased in abundance in smaller and older fragments, respectively. Isopod abundance, in contrast, was unrelated to fragment attributes. None of these groups appeared to be associated with edges, but were distributed throughout the fragments. (3) Point diversity and abundance in ground-active spiders appears to be enhanced by fragmentation. (4) Total pitfall RTU richness and abun- dance, and abundance or richness in the Coleoptera (vacuum), Diptera, non-ant Hymenop- tera, Hemiptera, Microcoryphia, and Acarina had significant partial negative correlations with Argentine ant abundance. The Diptera and Coleoptera had this negative partial rela- tionship with the Argentine ants despite the fact that both they and the ants were positively associated with edges. (5) In general, diversity in most orders was higher in sampling locations dominated by coastal sage scrub habitat than in those with appreciable cover of chaparral shrub species. (6) There was a strong seasonal variation in abundance and diversity in most orders. Diversity and abundance were highest in spring, intermediate in winter, and lowest in the fall. (7) Although higher trophic levels are often considered to be more sensitive to fragmentation, two groups of arthropod predators, spiders and carabid beetles, increased in abundance in older fragments. Abundance of these predators was positively correlated with the abundance of Argentine ants and the non-native Isopods, Dermaptera, and Blattaria.
Nursing's newly emerging social contract

Social contracts are the mechanisms by which society legitimizes professions and grants them authority and autonomy to carry out their functions. The nursing profession is currently renegotiating its contract with society in a manner which clearly reflects a change from physician dominance, and emphasis on ‘illness care’ to increased independent and autonomous functioning within a newly developing framework of nursing science which emphasizes ‘health care’. In return for their services, nurses are also negotiating for those benefits which historically they have not received. These include legitimization of their newly acquired autonomous role functions, and adequate reimbursement mechanisms and structures. When the contemporary role of the nurse is fully legitimzed, the impact on contemporary society and health care is likely to be enormous.
Branding a College of Pharmacy

In a possible future of supply-demand imbalance in pharmacy education, a brand that positively differentiates a college or school of pharmacy from its competitors may be the key to its survival. The nominal group technique, a structured group problem-solving and decision-making process, was used during a faculty retreat to identify and agree on the core qualities that define the brand image of Midwestern University’s College of Pharmacy in Glendale, AZ. Results from the retreat were provided to the faculty and students, who then proposed 168 mottos that embodied these qualities. Mottos were voted on by faculty members and pharmacy students. The highest ranked 24 choices were submitted to the faculty, who then selected the top 10 finalists. A final vote by students was used to select the winning motto. The methods described here may be useful to other colleges and schools of pharmacy that want to better define their own brand image and strengthen their organizational culture.
A general structural model for semiconducting glasses

Abstract A general structural model is proposed for multi-component, covalent amorphous and glassy systems. The model demonstrates the importance of a generalized “8 - n ” rule and of the average number of valence electrons in amorphous systems. This model explains glass forming tendencies in a wide range of multi-component systems.
Normal and abnormal zinc absorption in man and animals: the tryptophan connection.

The studies reviewed suggest that zinc absorption proceeds as follows: in the exocrine cells of the pancreas the metabolism of tryptophan produces picolinic acid which is secreted into the lumen of the intestine. In the lumen, picolinic acid coordinates with Zn to form a complex which facilitates the passage of Zn through the luminal membrane, across the absorptive cell and through the basolateral membrane of the cell. Alternatively, at the basolateral membrane receptor ligands may coordinate Zn which is then transferred to transferrin. In man and animals consuming diets with physiological amounts of Zn, the quantity of Zn transported across the absorptive cell is directly related to the availability of picolinic acid. The availability of picolinic acid depends on the amount of dietary tryptophan, pyridoxine and cations which compete with Zn for coordination with picolinic acid. Inborn errors of metabolism which affect the conversion of tryptophan to picolinic acid also cause impaired Zn absorption.
Hypnotic Dreams as a Lens Into Hypnotic Dynamics

The hypnotic relationship is an important parameter for both experimental and therapeutic contexts. Hypnotic dreams may serve as a lens to examine the hypnotic relationship. By answering 5 questions per item, 70 judges rated 12 accounts of brief hypnotic dreams conducted as part of the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C. The data show that the judges were able to correctly discern highly from less hypnotizable individuals. Interestingly, highly hypnotizable females coached by a male hypnotic operator had more sexually charged dreams than either less hypnotizable females or males regardless of hypnotizability. These findings contextualize for further research and therapy transference issues related to the hypnotic relationship and the use of hypnotic dreams.
Fetal Ovarian Cyst and Subsequent Torsion Prenatal Sonographic Changes and Progression

This case illustrates the sonographic changes seen in and the progression of a fetal adnexal cyst with torsion.
New insights into the development of ordered structure in poly(ethylene terephthalate). 1. Results from external reflection infrared spectroscopy

Front-surface external reflection infrared spectroscopy was used to study a set of samples of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) corresponding to various states of order: highly amorphous, drawn at 80 °C to different draw ratios, and thermally crystallized under different conditions. Kramers−Kronig transformation provided high-quality spectra that included an accurate representation of the most intense bands in the spectrum, which are generally saturated or distorted in transmission and internal reflection spectra. Factor analysis indicated the presence of three principal components in the spectra, and by taking linear combinations of the three principal factors, it was possible to generate three distinct physically meaningful basis spectra designated G, TC, and TX. The G spectrum corresponds to a gauche conformation of the ethylene glycol moiety, which is predominant in the amorphous state, while the other two correspond to a trans glycol conformation. The TC spectrum corresponds to the true crystalline...
Evaluation of the Benefits of Diamond Grinding of a Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement

This paper discusses a study to evaluate the benefits on a continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) of diamond grinding used specifically for improving pavement functionality in surface macrotexture, skid resistance, roughness, and noise. The effectiveness of diamond grinding in improving those properties is calculated on the basis of in-field observations. The effect of three preexisting conditions (carpet drag, burlap drag, and transverse tining) on the effectiveness of diamond grinding is also evaluated. The results of the analysis indicate that diamond grinding improved the surface macrotexture by 0.6 mm and skid resistance by about 60%. The surface roughness of the diamond-ground sections was, on average, appreciably reduced, from 124 to 80 in./mi. An average overall reduction in noise level of 3.2 dB(A) was evident. A maximum reduction in the region of the noise frequencies (1,000 to 2,500 Hz) was observed, with a maximum noise reduction of 5.6 dB(A) at 1,600 Hz. The grinding operation produ...
Sequence in the Influenza A Virus Nucleoprotein Required for Viral Polymerase Binding and RNA Synthesis

Many proposed mechanisms for influenza A viral RNA synthesis include an interaction of the nucleoprotein (NP) with the viral polymerase. To identify an NP sequence required for this interaction, we used the cryoelectron microscopic structure of an influenza virus miniribonucleoprotein as a guide for choosing promising surface-exposed sequences. We show that three amino acids (R204, W207, and R208) located in a loop at the top of the head domain of NP are required for functional interaction with the viral polymerase. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) measurements of RNAs synthesized in minigenome assays established that each of these NP amino acids is required for viral RNA synthesis. The mutation of these three amino acids does not affect nuclear localization or RNA-binding and oligomerization activities of NP. In vitro binding experiments with purified virus polymerase and NPs established that these three amino acids are required for NP binding to the viral polymerase.
Vesicle-mediated ER export of proteins and lipids

In eukaryotic cells, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a major site of synthesis of both lipids and proteins, many of which must be transported to other organelles. The COPII coat-comprising Sar1, Sec23/24, Sec13/31-generates transport vesicles that mediate the bulk of protein/lipid export from the ER. The coat exhibits remarkable flexibility in its ability to specifically select and accommodate a large number of cargoes with diverse properties. In this review, we discuss the fundamentals of COPII vesicle production and describe recent advances that further our understanding of just how flexible COPII cargo recruitment and vesicle formation may be. Large or bulky cargo molecules (e.g. collagen rods and lipoprotein particles) exceed the canonical size for COPII vesicles and seem to rely on the additional action of recently identified accessory molecules. Although the bulk of the research has focused on the fate of protein cargo, the mechanisms and regulation of lipid transport are equally critical to cellular survival. From their site of synthesis in the ER, phospholipids, sphingolipids and sterols exit the ER, either accompanying cargo in vesicles or directly across the cytoplasm shielded by lipid-transfer proteins. Finally, we highlight the current challenges to the field in addressing the physiological regulation of COPII vesicle production and the molecular details of how diverse cargoes, both proteins and lipids, are accommodated. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Lipids and Vesicular Transport.
Overview of the development of the pathfinder ultra-long duration balloon system

Abstract The ultra-long duration balloon (ULDB) Pathfinder Project is developing a small pumpkin balloon system and a new communication package based on the iridium satellites technology to demonstrate a global, 100-day duration capability that is scalable to the full-scale ULDB. A set of trade studies has been conducted to determine the volume, mass and cost of the balloon system to support up to 90 kg payload mass to an altitude of 35 km. The Pathfinder test balloons will provide valuable data in the development of performance models for future ULDB flights. The iridium based communication package will include a power subsystem, a command and data-handling unit, a GPS receiver, and an iridium L-Band Transceiver (LBT) for global communications. The flight data will include, at a minimum: latitude, longitude, altitude, horizontal and vertical speeds, heading, time, and other balloon performance parameters (i.e., system voltages, temperatures, etc.). Although the system will be designed for global launch capability, initial flights will be launched from the proposed full-scale ULDB mission launch locations. This paper will present and discuss the initial series of trade studies conducted for the development of the pathfinder balloon and the design concept of the iridium based communication package.
Frost's Fire and Ice and Dante's Inferno

(1999). Frost's Fire and Ice and Dante's Inferno. The Explicator: Vol. 57, No. 4, pp. 218-221.
Sodium-dependent sugar transport in the intestine.

Abstract The transport of sugars across the small intestine and across the brush border membrane of the intestinal epithelial cells is dependent on the presence of sodium in the mucosal bathing medium. In the absence of sodium, cellular accumulation, net transmural transport, and unidirectional influx are all inhibited. Furthermore, sodium influx across the brush border is stimulated by the influx of sugar and the increase in sodium influx is coupled to sugar influx in a ratio of 1:1. A model for sugar transport across the brush border has been proposed in which sugar binds to a membrane site, but only in the presence of sodium is the sugar translocated into the epithelial cell. The driving force for sugar transport is postulated to be the electrochemical gradient for sodium and/or other ions across the brush border membrane and not direct input of metabolic energy. Therefore, sodium-dependent sugar transport in the intestine can be considered an example of co-transport.
P‐98: Spatiotemporal Analysis of Sustaining Discharge Using an ICCD Camera

In this paper we have classified sustaining discharge into four modes. To analyze each discharge mode of a 50-inch full HD (1920×1080) PDP, spatiotemporal IR images were captured using an ICCD camera. The propagation morphologies, efficiency and controllability were then investigated.
DBSemSXplorer: semantic-based keyword search system over relational databases for knowledge discovery

Keyword search over relational databases has been broadly studied in recent years. Research works have been done to address both the efficiency and the effectiveness of the keyword search over relational databases. One issue with keyword search in general is its ambiguity which can ultimately impact the effectiveness of the search in terms of the quality of the search results. This ambiguity is primarily due to the ambiguity of the contextual meaning of each term in the query (e.g. each query term can be mapped to different schema terms with the same name or their synonyms). In addition to the query ambiguity itself, the relationships between the keywords in the search results are crucial for the proper interpretation of the search results by the user and should be clearly presented in the search results.To address these issues we have designed and implemented a prototype system DBSemSXplorer which can answer the traditional keyword search over relational databases in a more effective way with a better presentation of search results. We address the keyword search ambiguity issue by adapting some of the existing approaches for keyword mapping from the query terms to the schema terms/instances. The approaches we have adapted for term mapping capture both the syntactic similarity between the query keywords and the schema terms as well as the semantic similarity (e.g. definition of the keywords) of the two and give better mappings and ultimately more accurate results. Finally, to address the last issue of lacking clear relationships among the terms appearing in the search results, our system has leveraged semantic web technologies in order to enrich the knowledgebase and to discover the relationships between the keywords.Our experiments show that our system is more effective than the traditional keyword search approaches by enabling the users to find the search results which are more relevant to their keyword queries.
Design and synthesis of a theophylline bonded-phase column for HPLC--application to separation of aromatic carboxylic acids.

Abstract A stationary phase has been designed and synthesized in which theophylline residues are covalently bonded to a silica support through an eight carbon hydrocarbon linkage. The phase offers improved resolution in the separation of aromatic carboxylic acids over that available with conventional reversed phase supports. The column is relatively stable. Retention can be modified by adjusting mobile phase composition with respect to pH, electrolyte type and concentration, and organic modifier as well as by manipulating the temperature at which chromatography is carried out. The capacity factors, k ′, for a series of ring substituted benzoic acids were correlated with the complexation constants previously reported for these compounds with theophylline in bulk phase solution.
Children’s Attitudes Toward Their Diabetes, Locus of Control, and HbA1c Levels

Children’s health attitudes and whether they are able to exert control over their chronic illness is related to disease management. For the current study, we assessed illness representations, general attitude toward having diabetes and health locus of control for 65 children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and how these were related to parent report of child HbA1c levels. Results of our regression model indicated that internal locus of control moderated the relationship between illness attitude and HbA1c levels. Specifically, children with a high internal locus of control had lower (better) HbA1c levels. Additionally, children with a low internal locus of control for their diabetes and positive attitudes demonstrated lower HbA1c levels, whereas children with a low internal locus of control and negative attitudes had higher HbA1c levels. The generalizability of study findings is limited because the sample was mostly Caucasian youth reporting a fairly high locus of control. Future research is needed to determine whether changes in children’s perceptions of control over illness correspond to long-term improvements in health outcomes.
Transient stability enhancement in multimachine power systems using braking resistors

ABSTRACT In certain situations, it is necessary to consider the use of an alternate control means to enhance and insure power system stability such as an emergency state control. A class of switchable supplementary controls, such as dynamic brakes, shunt reactor or series capacitors could be utilized. The effectiveness of network switching on a one machine system has been well established. However the interaction between closely coupled machines and groups of machines as a result of a control action has not been fully considered. The contribution of the paper is in the area of multimachine control, and, in particular, a power system emergency state control. Topics concerning control models, optimization criteria and characteristics of supplementary controls have been addressed. Dynamic programming is used to derive a switching strategy which takes the form of a closed-loop control. The control strategy is evaluated through the digital simulation of a two machine test system.
Dynamic distributed generation dispatch strategy for lowering the cost of building energy

Abstract The practicality of any particular distributed generation installation depends upon its ability to reduce overall energy costs. A simple yet effective economic dispatch strategy with the goal to use distributed generation to minimize the cost of building energy is developed in this work. The strategy is designed to reduce the individual utility, operations and maintenance charges that increase the cost of energy. Various electric rate structures are modeled in detail and applied with the economic dispatch strategy to simulate meeting various measured building demand dynamics for heat and power. Using the economic dispatch strategy, various modes of operation, such as electric or thermal load following, peak shaving, peak shifting, or base-load operation are simulated. The economic dispatch strategy is compared to more traditional dispatch strategies to demonstrate its effectiveness in reducing total energy costs.
A FRESH APPROACH TO READOUT COUNTING SYSTEMS

Abstract A true readout counter using the systems approach has been developed at Argonne National Laboratory. A gated readout counting decade allows for readout into any serial or parallel output device.
Surrogate markers for lysosomal storage

Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) is safe and effective treatment. It was first developed for Gaucher disease (GD), a disorder in which the bone marrow and the tissue macrophages derived from it play a central role in its pathogenesis. Currently, ERT is being
Learning from planner performance

The planning community has amassed a large body of publicly available problems in a standardized input language and planners that accept the language. We seized this remarkable opportunity to collect data about how some of these planners perform on the benchmark problems. We analyzed the resulting data to learn about the state of the art in Classical planning. Our analyses are retrospective, prescriptive and prospective. The first analyses are retrospective and prescriptive in that they characterize the problems and planners in terms of difficulty, diversity and trends over time. We statistically confirm that problem sets have become more difficult and that new planners are generally more capable. A visualization of planner success on domains shows how the domains distinguish performance. We also assess whether some older planners can be disregarded as out-dated and find that while they are not up to current capabilities, some do provide limited distinct functionality. The second analyses automatically learn models of success and time for each planner. The models are constructed from easily extracted features of problems and domains and use off-the-shelf Machine Learning techniques. We find the models of success to be extremely accurate, but the models of time to be less so. They too are both retrospective and prescriptive in demonstrating the predictability of current planner performance. In a third analysis, we apply the data to an existing explanatory model linking the relationship between the search space and planner performance. Our study validates previous results linking search topology with planner performance on a wider set of planners than the original study. Finally, we fill in some gaps in observed performance of the benchmark problems by constructing new problems; these problems do turn out to be more challenging. This study of existing and new problems and planners is prescriptive and prospective in that the results should help guide researchers in comparatively evaluating their planners and suggest need for additional effort. These analyses highlight the importance of problems in driving research in planning. We show how much can be accomplished with the available resources and point out how much more can be done by broadening the problems available and by learning from what has already been done.
Cross-Layer Scheduling in Cloud Systems

Today, cloud computing engines such as stream-processing Storm and batch-processing Hadoop are being increasingly run atop software-defined networks (SDNs). In such cloud stacks, the scheduler of the application engine (which allocates tasks to servers) remains decoupled from the SDN scheduler (which allocates network routes). We propose a new approach that performs cross-layer scheduling between the application layer and the networking layer. This coordinated scheduling orchestrates the placement of application tasks (e.g., Hadoop maps and reduces, or Storm bolts) in tandem with the selection of network routes that arise from these tasks. We present results from both cluster deployment and simulation, and using two representative network topologies: Fat-tree and Jellyfish. Our results show that cross-layer scheduling can improve throughput of Hadoop and Storm by between 26% to 34% in a 30-host cluster, and it scales well.
A new model for the thermal oxidation kinetics of silicon

A model is presented which reasons that the thermal oxidation of silicon is surface reaction limited, and that the reaction rate is controlled by the viscous flow of newly forming oxide to accommodate the volume expansion that occurs when silicon oxidizes. The SiO2 must form at silicon lattice sites and therefore epitaxially. This thermody-namically unstable epitaxial structure reconfigures and this reconfiguration results in an increase of the average viscosity of the oxide. The continual increase of average oxide viscosity accounts for the continual decrease in oxidation rate with time. A mathemat-ical analysis based on this model is used to derive the simple power law x = atb relating oxide thickness, x, to oxidation time, t which has been shown previously to model phe-nomenologically all of the extant dry oxidation data.1 The physical significances of the coefficient a and exponent b are obtained by the interpretation of the x vs t data in the literature in terms of this mathematical analysis.
Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea : a preliminary report comparing nasal CPAP to nasal oxygen in patients with mild OSA

Nasal CPAP is presently accepted as first-line therapy for obstructive sleep apnea, but a significant minority of patients do not tolerate nasal CPAP. The purpose of this study was to compare the benefits of nasal CPAP, nasal oxygen (O2), and placebo (air) using patients as their own controls. We studied eight men, aged 33 to 72 (mean 57 years), who had mild obstructive sleep apnea. To be eligible for study, patients had to have an apnea plus hypopnea index ≥5, plus one or more of the following: blood pressure >150705 mm Hg, multiple sleep latency test mean score ≤10 minutes, or significant nocturnal cardiac ectopy. After a baseline study, patients received a month each of nocturnal O2 at 4 LPM and air at 4 LPM, presented in random order. The third month of treatment consisted of nasal CPAP (range 2.5 to 12.5 cm H2O). Patients underwent evaluation at baseline and after each month of treatment. It was concluded that oxygen was more effective in improving oxygenation and hypopneas than is nasal CPAP. However, oxygen did not reduce apneas or improve daytime hypersomnolence as well as nasal CPAP in patients with mild OSA. Oxygen might be considered as an alternate form of treatment for patients who are not hypersomnolent, or as an adjunct to nasal CPAP.
Distribution of glutathione and glutathione-related enzyme systems in mitochondria and cytosol of cultured cerebellar astrocytes and granule cells.

Abstract The cellular and regional distribution of glutathione (GSH) and GSH-related enzyme systems involved in cellular defense against reactive oxygen species and electrophilic xenobiotics in the nervous system has been extensively studied. However, little is known about the subcellular distribution of GSH systems in brain tissue and cultured neural cells. The present study investigates the distribution of mitochondrial and cytosolic GSH and GSH-related enzymes in cultured cerebellar astrocytes and granule cells, and compares them with levels in the adult rat cerebellum. Cytosolic GSH levels and cytosolic activities of glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in astrocytes were 57, 153, 245, and 92% higher than those found in granule cells, respectively. In contrast, granule cells contained significantly higher mitochondrial GSH levels than astrocytes. Granule cells also demonstrated comparable mitochondria/cytosolic concentrations of GSH and GR, GPX and GST activities to those observed in the cerebellar tissue, whereas ratios in astrocytes were markedly lower. Although in vitro treatments with 100 μM ethacrynic acid depleted both cytosolic and mitochondrial GSH in cultured astrocytes and granule cells in a time-dependent fashion, cellular GSH in granule cells was more resistant to the GSH-depleting agent than astrocytes. These results suggest that although GSH and GSH-related enzymes are abundant in cytosolic compartments of astrocytes, mitochondrial pools are relatively small. Since brain mitochondria are sites of significant hydrogen peroxide generation, the mitochondrial localization of GSH and its associated enzymes in neural cells provide important defenses against toxic oxygen species in the nervous system. Differences in subcellular distribution of GSH systems in individual neural cell types may provide a basis for selective cellular and/or subcellular expression of neurotoxicity.
Genetics of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome

Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a pathological entity characterized by massive proteinuria and has diverse etiology. Although it is one of the most common renal diseases in children, the etiological factors responsible for idiopathic NS/FSGS remain largely unknown. Previous studies had implicated a variety of factors including genetic factors, although NS is generally regarded as a sporadic disease. Familial cases of NS have however been reported periodically, and both autosomal dominant and recessive forms have been identified. Studies of familial NS /FSGS have led to the discovery of several genes that are expressed in podocytes and are associated with proteinuria. These discoveries have shifted the focus from glomerular basement membrane (GBM) to recognition of the central role of podocytes in maintaining glomerular perm selectivity and pathogenesis of NS/FSGS. Associations with various genes (NPHS1, ACTN4, NPHS2, WT-1) and linkage to several chromosomal regions (such as 19q13,11q21,11q24) have been reported in patients with familial NS/FSGS.
A wet etching method coupled with finite element analysis-based compliance function to determine residual stress in high-speed milling

High-speed milling (HSM) is widely used in the automotive and aerospace industries in fabricating mechanical components. HSM induced residual stress may significantly impact fatigue life and the corrosion resistance of machined components. Traditional methods of residual stress measurement are very time consuming and expensive. In this paper we presents a wet etching approach to obtain strain as a function of slot depth introduced in the subsurface. The strain readings were collected from a strain gauge mounted on the specimen surface near the slot edge, A compliance function can be conveniently calculated by simulating slot cutting using a finite element method via a Legendre polynomial subroutine as the applied load. The calculated compliance functions and measured strain values at different depths were used as inputs into a program to calculate residual stress. This leads to a faster and less expensive method of determining residual stress when compared with the traditional methods. The capability of this new approach was demonstrated by high-speed milling 6061-T651 and 7050-T7451 aluminum alloys. A design-of-experiment method was used to conduct milling tests with three levels of cutting speed, feed rate, and DOC. Residual stress profiles with 12 data points with the spatial resolution as small as I μm in the subsurface were then obtained. Residual stress sensitivity to cutting conditions was investigated. In addition, subsurface microstructure and microhardness were also measured to characterize surface integrity in a broad sense.
Scent of a Ewe: Transmission of a Social Cue by Conspecifics Affects Sexual Performance in Male Sheep

Unlike males from other domestic species, domestic rams (Ovis aries) are not sexually stimulated, as determined by measuring sexual performance, following the opportunity to watch a copulating pair. Previously, we reported that aspects of ram sexual performance were improved when rams interacted with a male conspecific that had mated an estrous ewe. Whether the cues were gender-, estrous state-, or behavior-related was tested in this study. Sexually experienced rams were exposed to male pen mates that had interacted with an estrous ewe, a non-estrous ewe, an estrous ewe with a cloth perineal patch, or a ram, or that had been placed alone in a small pen. The rams were then tested for sexual performance. Rams performed more olfactory investigative behaviors toward pen mates that had interacted with a ewe, regardless of her estrous state, than toward a pen mate that had been exposed to another male. Rams exposed to pen mates that had interacted with a ewe also had shorter postejaculatory and interejaculation intervals and subsequently achieved more ejaculations in standardized sexual performance tests. Results from this experiment confirm that male-male interactions affect sexual performance in male sheep and that olfactory cues likely account for the transfer of information among individuals.
The Impact of Liquid Properties of Edible-Oil Diesel Fuel on the In-Cylinder Combustion Process

Pure edible oils may be used as a diesel fuel. They are nevertheless likely to produce deposits harmful to the engine. The liquid properties have been identified as a major issue but the details of the physical process leading to deposits are not well understood. This paper deals with simulations of a single-cylinder research diesel engine using virtual fuels which show the effects of different liquid properties. The aim is to investigate the impact on the in-cylinder processes of each property change from a conventional alkane to a fatty acid. The critical temperature, which makes fatty acid much less volatile than conventional diesel, has the biggest impact. It strongly delays the release of fuel into the gas phase and extends the combustion time. The effects of droplet break-up, heating and density are marginal. Globally, a longer survival time of droplets tends to spread the combustion and rich mixture zones as well as increase the probability of wall wetting. The swirl motion is likely to expose the droplets to the cooler cylinder walls, which leads to further problems in vaporizing the fuel and completing the combustion process. The findings may be used to explain carbon deposits and lubricating oil contamination.Copyright © 2007 by National Research Council Canada
Elastic–plastic behavior of non-woven fibrous mats

Abstract Electrospinning is a novel method for creating non-woven polymer mats that have high surface area and high porosity. These attributes make them ideal candidates for multifunctional composites. Understanding the mechanical properties as a function of fiber properties and mat microstructure can aid in designing these composites. Further, a constitutive model which captures the membrane stress–strain behavior as a function of fiber properties and the geometry of the fibrous network would be a powerful design tool. Here, mats electrospun from amorphous polyamide are used as a model system. The elastic–plastic behavior of single fibers are obtained in tensile tests. Uniaxial monotonic and cyclic tensile tests are conducted on non-woven mats. The mat exhibits elastic–plastic stress–strain behavior. The transverse strain behavior provides important complementary data, showing a negligible initial Poisson's ratio followed by a transverse:axial strain ratio greater than −1:1 after an axial strain of 0.02. A triangulated framework has been developed to emulate the fibrous network structure of the mat. The micromechanically based model incorporates the elastic–plastic behavior of single fibers into a macroscopic membrane model of the mat. This representative volume element based model is shown to capture the uniaxial elastic–plastic response of the mat under monotonic and cyclic loading. The initial modulus and yield stress of the mat are governed by the fiber properties, the network geometry, and the network density. The transverse strain behavior is linked to discrete deformation mechanisms of the fibrous mat structure including fiber alignment, fiber bending, and network consolidation. The model is further validated in comparison to experiments under different constrained axial loading conditions and found to capture the constraint effect on stiffness, yield, post-yield hardening, and post-yield transverse strain behavior. Due to the direct connection between microstructure and macroscopic behavior, this model should be extendable to other electrospun systems and other two dimensional random fibrous networks.
BRANDOW BOSON LINKED-CLUSTER EXPANSION APPLIED TO THE HIGH-DENSITY CHARGED BOSON GAS.

The Brandow boson linked-cluster expansion has been used to redo the Foldy calculation of the Bogoliubov theory for a charged boson gas. The particle-number conservation is treated exactly. The ring diagrams have been summed using the same techniques as used by Gell-Mann and Brueckner for the electron gas. The next-most-divergent diagrams (twisted rings) have also been summed. These diagrams contain a renormalized hole line and thus show explicitly the dynamics of the condensate which is treated only in an average way in the Bogoliubov theory. The results for the ground-state energy and the condensation fraction agree exactly with Foldy in the high-density limit.
Consistency in the pattern of change in mothers' speech: some discriminant analyses

This study demonstrates a striking absence of variability in the speech which mothers address to children of the same age within the 1- to 5-year range. Speech to children of 1; 0, 1; 8, 2; 3 and 5; 0 years was analysed for aspects of syntactic, semantic, pragmatic and discourse structure. Discriminant function analyses showed that the age of the child to whom a mother was speaking could be predicted very accurately from her speech. The rate at which mothers' speech changed was greatest when the children were 1; 8–2; 3, and least when they were 2; 3–5; 0. These trends in the evolution of the maternal speech register are interpreted as responses to concurrent changes in children's language behaviour.
Guided-Wave Modes in Cylindrical Optical Fibers

This paper proposes a logical and simple approach to the mode designations in a cylindrical optical fiber. An important approximation is introduced in the mathematical analysis to simplify the characteristic equation. Mode enumerations, field distributions, and propagation constants for some lower order modes are discussed and illustrated. The justification of using the linearly polarized mode designation is illustrated.
Dynamic white light holography using an optically addressed multiple quantum well spatial light modulator

Abstract Using achromatic gratings techniques we have written dynamic holograms on an optically addressed spatial light modulator with a temporally and spatially incoherent white light source. The resolution and depth-of-field of these holograms are theoretically derived and experimentally verified. We demonstrate writing speeds over an order of magnitude faster than video framing rates.
A twin tissue expander used in the elimination of alopecia.

Le systeme d'expansion des tissus mis au point a l'Hopital Odstock en 1983 et utilise ulterieurement en clinique est decrit. Une observation illustre l'utilisation de la version jumelle de ce dispositif dans l'elimination de la calvitie masculine. Des donnees indiquent la compliance et la reponse de croissance des tissus a l'expansion hydraulique
Band Saw Safety System

The scope of this project was to produce a complete prototype of an electromechanical safety system that (1) detects human contact with the saw blade, (2) interrupts power to the saw motor, (3) actuates a firing system, and (4) abruptly stops the travel of the blade in order to minimize physical injury. The specific application for the project was a 12.7 mm wide, 0.5 mm thickness Ridgid® saw blade (Part # 03991) mounted on a Ridgid® 14“ vertical band saw (Model #BS 1400). Through engineering analysis and several design iterations, a wedge-brake mechanism was developed and integrated with an electronic control system developed by SawStop™. Upon completion of the nine-month project, the prototype was able to stop the motion of the saw blade in approximately fifteen milliseconds (ms). With this stopping time, it is estimated that the operator would experience a 4.8 mm (3/16 inch) depth of cut. Thus, first aid or a doctor's visit would be required rather than emergency hospitalization. The final project repor...
A two-stage strategy to accommodate general patterns of confounding in the design of observational studies

Accommodating general patterns of confounding in sample size/power calculations for observational studies is extremely challenging, both technically and scientifically. While employing previously implemented sample size/power tools is appealing, they typically ignore important aspects of the design/data structure. In this paper, we show that sample size/power calculations that ignore confounding can be much more unreliable than is conventionally thought; using real data from the US state of North Carolina, naive calculations yield sample size estimates that are half those obtained when confounding is appropriately acknowledged. Unfortunately, eliciting realistic design parameters for confounding mechanisms is difficult. To overcome this, we propose a novel two-stage strategy for observational study design that can accommodate arbitrary patterns of confounding. At the first stage, researchers establish bounds for power that facilitate the decision of whether or not to initiate the study. At the second stage, internal pilot data are used to estimate key scientific inputs that can be used to obtain realistic sample size/power. Our results indicate that the strategy is effective at replicating gold standard calculations based on knowing the true confounding mechanism. Finally, we show that consideration of the nature of confounding is a crucial aspect of the elicitation process; depending on whether the confounder is positively or negatively associated with the exposure of interest and outcome, naive power calculations can either under or overestimate the required sample size. Throughout, simulation is advocated as the only general means to obtain realistic estimates of statistical power; we describe, and provide in an R package, a simple algorithm for estimating power for a case–control study.
Assessing the Effects of Racemic and Single-Enantiomer Albuterol on Airway Secretions in Long-term Intubated Patients

Objective: In vitro data suggest that the S-enantiomer of albuterol can induce mucociliary dysfunction. This clinical study assesses the clinical significance of standard doses of the S-enantiomer on airway secretions in long-term intubated patients by comparing a racemic formulation of albuterol, an R-enantiomer formulation, and normal saline solution. Design A placebo-controlled crossover study. Patients Fourteen stable intubated patients with a median duration of intubation of 21 months and a median age of 72 years. Setting Long-term ventilator unit in skilled nursing facility. Interventions Following a 2-week washout period during which regularly scheduled β 2 -agonists were discontinued, tracheal aspirates were collected for 4 h/d for a 5-day period to establish baseline values, and the patients were then randomized in crossover manner to each of three nebulized treatments: normal saline solution, racemic albuterol, and R-albuterol. Each treatment was administered three times daily for 5 days, followed by a 2-day washout. Measurements Tracheal aspirates were analyzed for volume, sodium, chloride, bicarbonate, interleukin (IL)-8, IL-1β, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Results There were no consistent significant differences among the three treatment periods either in terms of volume of secretions or in the concentrations of the electrolytes or the inflammatory indexes. However, all three treatments, including saline solution, were associated with increased secretion volume after the first dose, but this effect was not apparent on subsequent doses. Conclusion There were no significant differences between racemic albuterol and R-albuterol observed in this study for any of the parameters studied, suggesting that the S-enantiomer does not adversely affect airway secretions at recommended doses. In addition, the routine administration of nebulized β 2 -sympathomimetic agonists to stable patients undergoing prolonged intubation, for the sole purpose of changing the volume and composition of secretions of airway secretions, is not supported by the results of this study.
Percutaneous Pulmonary Vein Isolation for Atrial Fibrillation Ablation

About the Procedure ![][1] Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is the standard catheter ablation procedure for patients with recurrent, symptomatic, drug-refractory … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Automated oscillatory potential detection and parameter extraction in the electroretinogram

The oscillatory potentials (OPs) of the electroretinogram (ERG) have long been used to study the progression of a number of retinal disorders. The OP parameters used in these studies are difficult to evaluate directly from the unconditioned ERG signal. Automated OP detection software was developed in MATLAB to extract the OP wavelets, identify peaks, and extract parameters of interest including the implicit time and amplitude of each OP along with the noise-adjusted RMS value of the entire OP signal. The cutoff frequency for OP filtering was determined adaptively for each record based on the characteristics of the Discrete Fourier Transform of the ERG. Preliminary testing of the software was conducted using mouse data.
Non-linear feature space transformations

Linear methods are strongly preferred in statistical pattern recognition, but problems in perception require nonlinear analysis and operators. Even the most successful linear methods lack robustness, especially when the normal variation in the data reveals new structure. An alternative to computing complex features or devising a complex decision rule is to transform the feature space so that the structure of the density is simplified. Simple nonlinear operations such as folding, applying gauge coordinate transformations, and nonlinear diffusion have been explored. The ultimate objective is to derive the appropriate nonlinear transformations from training data or from a verbal description of the classification task in terms of the variances, equivariances, and invariances of the problem.