cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
FORTE satellite observations of very narrow radiofrequency pulses associated with the initiation of negative cloud‐to‐ground lightning strokes

[1] The FORTE satellite's radiofreqency receiver/recorder system has been used to study extremely narrow (∼100 ns width) radiofrequency pulses accompanying the initiation of negative cloud-to-ground strokes. These pulses have been observed from the ground for over two decades. The FORTE space-based observations are substantially consistent with the prior ground-based results, at least in regard to pulsewidth, distance-scaled pulse amplitude, and the pulses' basic association with negative cloud-to-ground strokes, relative to either positive cloud-to-ground or intracloud strokes. New results from the FORTE observations include (1) information on the radiation pattern (versus elevation angle), (2) the tendency of the underlying fast-pulse radiation process to occur preferentially in marine, rather than dry-land, locations, and (3) the high degree of linear polarization of the radiated signal. These three new results were not accessible to ground-based measurements, which do not sample elevation angles other than zero, whose signal distortion with overland propagation paths (at zero elevation angle) tends to confuse the issue of the (land versus sea) location affinity of the pulse source itself, and whose received signal is a fortiori linearly polarized because of the adjacent ground plane. The narrow radiofrequency pulse that accompanies negative cloud-to-ground strokes provides a useful identifier, in the satellite's radiofrequency datastream, of the occurrence of this particular kind of stroke. Additionally, the observations reported here indicate that the radiating element is a single, vertical current stalk, rather than a collection of randomly oriented, mutually incoherent dipoles, such as are believed to be responsible for most very high frequency signals from lightning.
Chemical profiles and monitoring dynamics at an individual nerve cell in Planorbis corneus with electrochemical detection

The identified dopamine cell of Planorbis corneus is described as a model system to study neurotransmitter storage and dynamics. Techniques developed with this model system include capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection and microelectrochemistry at single cells. These techniques provide a powerful combination to examine single cell neurochemistry. Whole cell and cytoplasmic dopamine concentrations have been quantified with capillary electrophoresis. Additionally, this technique has been used to profile amino acids and to quantify two compartments of neurotransmitter in a single cell. Individual exocytosis events have been monitored at the cell body of the dopamine cell of P. corneus with microelectrodes. In this case, two different types of vesicles have been identified based on the amount of transmitter released. The psychostimulant, amphetamine, has been shown to selectively affect the amount of dopamine in these vesicles with lower to higher doses affecting the larger to smaller vesicle types, respectively. Microelectrochemistry at single nerve cells has also been used to demonstrate reverse transport of dopamine across the cell membrane and to suggest a role of this process in the molecular mechanism of amphetamine.
Chemistry of Lewis Acid–Base Pairs on Oxide Surfaces

We examine a large number of DFT calculations regarding the chemistry of oxide surfaces and show that their qualitative conclusions can be predicted by using a few rules derived from the Lewis acid–base properties of the species involved. (1) The presence of a Lewis acid on an oxide surface increases substantially the binding energy of a Lewis base. (2) If an oxide has certain properties because it is a Lewis base, these properties can be suppressed by adsorbing a Lewis acid on the surface. (3) The presence of a Lewis base on an oxide surface diminishes the binding energy of another base, as compared to the binding energy on the same surface with no base on it. These rules also hold if the words “acid” and “base” are exchanged. We show that these rules apply to a large number of systems which seem to have no relationship to each other and which are important for catalysis by oxides.
Flight Simulation and Aeronautical Education - Ten Years of Experience

The inclusion of flight simulation into the undergraduate aeronautical engineering curriculum has been a major goal at the U.S. Air Force Academy during the past ten years. Specifically, flight simulation has been used in four flight mechanics/design courses with excellent results. Junior and senior-level aeronautical engineering students are provided the opportunity to "fly" and evaluate a variety of aircraft configurations and flight situations. This paper reviews simulation projects that are used in each of the four courses and highlights lessons learned over the past ten years. The integration of flight simulation into these courses has been very effective as an educational tool and has become a strength of our "hand-on" program. CD§a
The influence of anesthetics on the estrogen-induced afternoon prolactin surge. Althesin does not block the surge.

Abstract The effect of continuous anesthesia produced by ether, ketamine, urethane and althesin on the afternoon prolactin (PRL) surge was examined using aortic catheters in ovariectomized, estrogentreated rats. Ether and ketamine (ip or ia) completely abolished the diurnal PRL surge. Urethane (ip) from two sources and administered at two doses, which produced surgical anesthesia, initially suppressed the PRL surge, however, PRL levels rose slightly in the early evening. The effect of althesin (ip) on the afternoon PRL surge was variable; in some animals the surge was similar to that seen in unanesthetized controls, while in others the surge was reduced or absent. The variable effect of althesin (ip) seemed to be a result of fluctuations in the depth of anesthesia since ia infusion of althesin at a constant rate did not suppress the afternoon PRL surge.
A Theoretical And Experimental Technique Of The Optimum Holographic Process

The holographic process has been used for many scientific applications and is expected to be extensively applied in modern optical memories, computer applications, and optical information processings, as well as coherent optical communications. In order to efficiently utilize all of these applications it is extremely important to effectively use the holographic channel. Thus, the optimum technique for the holographic process will be given in this paper.© (1971) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Barracuda Fault Zone in the western North Atlantic: geological and geophysical studies

Abstract The Barracuda Fault Zone lies between the Lesser Antilles and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This paper describes the part between 15°–18°N and 56°–59°W. The main bathymetric feature is the east-west Barracuda Ridge bounded on the north by the Barracuda Abyssal Plain and on the south by the Demerara Abyssal Plain. Sediments are Globigerina ooze above depths of 5000 m and brown lutite below, except on the abyssal plains which are built up of inter-layered lutities and turbidites. Sediment thickness exceeds 3500 m under the Barracuda Abyssal Plain and 2500 m south of the ridge. Elsewhere thickness is only a few hundred meters. The crustal layers are about 7 km thick. The top of the crust and mantle are both about 3 km shallower under the ridge than elsewhere. Gravity anomalies correlate well with bathymetry or basement relief and are accounted for by density differences in the upper 15 km below sea level. Magnetic anomalies show north-south lineations north of the ridge and an irregular pattern to the south. This pattern, which may result mainly from remanent magnetization, suggests east-west motion along the Barracuda Fault. The mean heat flow is 1.25 × 10 −6 cal/cm 2 sec; this is also the mean for the ocean basins of the world. The Barracuda Ridge probably formed by normal faulting. Subsequent events were formation of the Demerara Abyssal Plain, and then of the Barracuda Abyssal Plain, by turbidites from the Amazon. Recently erosion may have occured on the Barracuda Abyssal Plain.
Measurement and correlation of thermodynamic properties for the binary and ternary mixtures containing 2-propanol, 1,3-propanediol, and water

Abstract Thermodynamic properties, such as densities, viscosities, and surface tensions of the ternary system (2-propanol + 1,3-propanediol + water) at T = 298.15 K and its constituent binary systems (2-propanol + 1,3-propanediol, 2-propanol + water, and 1,3-propanediol + water) at T = (298.15, 308.15, 318.15, and 328.15) K were measured under atmospheric pressure. Densities were determined using a vibrating-tube densimeter. Viscosities were measured with an automatic Ubbelholde capillary viscometer. Surface tensions were determined by the Wilhelmy-plate method. From these experimental data, the excess molar volumes (VE), deviations in viscosity (οη), and deviations in surface tension (οϿ) were derived. The values of binary VE and οη were correlated with the Redlich⿿Kister equation. A simple equation based on Connors and Wright was derived for the correlation of binary οϿ data. The values of ternary VE, οη, and οϿ were fitted to a variable-degree polynomial equation and compared with those predicted from binary data using the equations of Kohler, Colinet, Jacob⿿Fitzner, Scatchard et al., Tsao⿿Smith, and Toop. The values of VE and οη were used to discuss the nature of mixing behaviors between mixture components.
Efficiency characteristics of hemi-ellipsoidal and hemispherical collectors of thermal radiation

Abstract Collection efficiencies are determined for integrating hemi-ellipsoids and integrating hemispheres used in connection with radiation surface property measurements. The Monte Carlo method is employed to simulate the trajectories of photon bundles which leave a source of radiation and are collected and focused onto (or adjacent to) a receiver. The radiation source may be a test surface whose reflectance or emittance is to be determined, while the receiver may be a radiation detector. Results are obtained for a wide range of source and receiver sizes and positions. The results show that in the case of the hemi-ellipsoid, the attainment of good collection efficiency requires that the radius of the receiver be at least twice that of the source. The hemisphere is, in general, a less efficient collector than the hemi-ellipsoid When the source and receiver are only slightly displaced from the center of the base plane circle of the hemisphere, then the two collectors are comparably efficient.
Macromolecular Crowding Effects on Gene Regulation

Studies of macromolecular crowding have shown its important effects on molecular transport and interactions in living cells. Less clear is the effect of crowding when its influence is incorporated into a complex network of interactions. Here we explore the effects of crowding on a model of gene transcription as a network of reactions involving transcription factors, RNA polymerases, and DNA binding sites for these proteins. The novelty of our approach is that we determine the effects of crowding on the rates of these reactions using Brownian Dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations, allowing us to integrate molecular-scale information, such as the shapes and sizes of each molecular species, into the rate equations of the model.The steady state cytoplasmic mRNA concentration shows several regimes with qualitatively different dependencies on the volume fraction ∃∴phi∃ of crowding agents, depending on the concentrations of the transcription factors, polymerases, and DNA binding sites. At physiologically realistic volume fractions, the mRNA output may be an increasing, decreasing, or non-monotonic function of ∃∴phi∃ in these various regimes. Our results suggest that the transcriptional output of a gene can be regulated jointly by the local level of macromolecular crowding, together with the local concentrations of polymerases and DNA-binding proteins.
Crystal structures of mycolic acid cyclopropane synthases from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycolic acids are major components of the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Several studies indicate that functional groups in the acyl chain of mycolic acids are important for pathogenesis and persistence. There are at least three mycolic acid cyclopropane synthases (PcaA, CmaA1, and CmaA2) that are responsible for these site-specific modifications of mycolic acids. To derive information on the specificity and enzyme mechanism of the family of proteins, the crystal structures of CmaA1, CmaA2, and PcaA were solved to 2-, 2-, and 2.65-A resolution, respectively. All three enzymes have a seven-stranded alpha/beta fold similar to other methyltransferases with the location and interactions with the cofactor S-adenosyl-l-methionine conserved. The structures of the ternary complexes demonstrate the position of the mycolic acid substrate binding site. Close examination of the active site reveals electron density that we believe represents a bicarbonate ion. The structures support the hypothesis that these enzymes catalyze methyl transfer via a carbocation mechanism in which the bicarbonate ion acts as a general base. In addition, comparison of the enzyme structures reveals a possible mechanism for substrate specificity. These structures provide a foundation for rational-drug design, which may lead to the development of new inhibitors effective against persistent bacteria.
Hearing Aid Distortion and Consonant Identification

An experiment was conducted with 34 normal-hearing listeners to determine the effects of distortion (generated by a single hearing aid) on consonant identification in noise. Five experimental condi...
NMR, IR/Raman, and structural properties in HNO and RNO (R = alkyl and aryl) metalloporphyrins with implication for the HNO-myoglobin complex.

Structural and functional details of heme protein complexes with HNO and the isoelectronic RNO (R = alkyl and aryl) molecules (metabolic intermediates) are largely unknown. We report a quantum chemical investigation of three characteristic spectroscopic properties, 1H and 15N NMR chemical shifts and NO vibrational frequencies in synthetic HNO and RNO heme complexes, with theory-versus-experiment correlation coefficients R2 = 0.990−0.998. A new density functional theory (DFT) method was found to yield excellent predictions of experimental structures of HNO, RNO, and NO heme systems. Interestingly, this method also helps the identification of an excellent linear quantitative structure observable relationship between NO vibrational frequencies and bond lengths in all of these NO-containing systems. This suggests that NO vibrations are largely local effects of the NO bonds in these complexes and may help deduce the NO bond lengths from using experimental vibrational data in these systems. The NO vibrational f...
Blastogenic responsiveness of human lymphoid cells to mitogens and to homogenates of periodontal pocket bacteria.

Experiments aimed at demonstrating significant differences in the blastogenic responsiveness of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBM) activated using bacterial preparations and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) were performed. The known variables in the in vitro assay system were controlled to the greatest extent possible. A range of cell and activator concentrations, incubation times extending from 3 to 7 days, conical microtest wells, and a labeling procedure which accurately reflects blastogenesis was used. Under these test conditions, cultures of activated patient cells did not differ significantly from activated control cells in counts incorporated, in Stimulation Index, or in incubation time, cell concentration, or activator dose required for maximal blastogenesis, except for cultures activated with LPS and PWM. Responsiveness of cultures of patient cells activated with LPS was significantly lower than that of cultures of control cells (P < 0.01). Cultures from most normal control donors exposed to PWM became maximally activated at 3 days' incubation, while cultures from most patients required 5 to 7 days. Cultures of patient cells did differ significantly (p < 0.05) from control cells in that their spontaneous lymphocyte proliferation was suppressed. These observations indicate that patients with periodontitis may have abnormalities in basic immunologic control mechanisms.
Mechanistic interpretation of solute permeation through a fully aromatic polyamide reverse osmosis membrane

The objective of this study was to assess the contribution of various mass transfer steps (concentration polarization, partitioning, and diffusive and convective transport) toward overall permeation of major solute sodium chloride (NaCl), and trace component nitrobenzene across the fully aromatic polyamide FT-30® membrane. Experiments were performed with a closed-loop flat-leaf reverse osmosis apparatus. Feed solutions tested contained 2000, 4000 or 6000 mg/l NaCl, and 10 mg/l nitrobenzene at pH 6 and 25°C. Solute rejection ranged from 95 to 99.2% for NaCl and from 20 to 60% for nitrobenzene. The overall permeation of both NaCl and nitrobenzene appeared to be primarily by partitioning at water/membrane interfaces and diffusion across the membrane phase. Convection accounting for less than 25 and 0.4% of the overall NaCl and nitrobenzene permeation, respectively, appeared to be the result of a small leakage of feed solution through membrane imperfections estimated at 0.14% of the overall product water flux. Solute permeation was affected by concentration polarization taking place primarily within a fouling film of corrosion products. Concentration polarization levels corresponded to solute concentrations next to the feed water/membrane interface ranging from 5 to 70% (NaCl), and from 8 to 140% (nitrobenzene) higher than bulk feed concentrations.
Biorefineries: Current Status, Challenges, and Future Direction

Conventional resources mainly fossil fuels are becoming limited because of the rapid increase in energy demand. This imbalance in energy demand and supply has placed immense pressure not only on consumer prices but also on the environment, prompting mankind to look for sustainable energy resources. Biomass is one such environmentally friendly renewable resource from which various useful chemicals and fuels can be produced. A system similar to a petroleum refinery is required to produce fuels and useful chemicals from biomass and is known as a biorefinery. Biorefineries have been categorized in three phases based on the flexibility of input, processing capabilities, and product generation. Phase I has less or no flexibility in any of the three aforementioned categories. Phase II, while having fixed input and processing capabilities, allows flexibility in product generation. Phase III allows flexibility in all the three processes and is based on the concept of high-value low-volume (HVLV) and low-value high...
Estrogen Replacement Inhibits Intimal Hyperplasia and the Accumulation and Effects of Transforming Growth Factor β1

Background.The role of estrogens in providing atheroprotection has been well documented in both epidemiologic and experimental studies. This phenomenon has traditionally been attributed to the beneficial lipid-modifying effects of estrogens. Previous studies have used models of either diet- or injury-induced atherosclerosis. As such, the interrelationship between estrogens, lipids, and atherosclerosis remains unclear. We hypothesized that estrogens are atheroprotective independent of changes in serum lipids by directly influencing the accumulation and effects of the peptide growth factor transforming growth factor β1(TGF-β1). Material and methods.Thirteen female sheep (8 years old) were randomized to sham, ovariectomy, or ovariectomy with 17β-estradiol replacement. Serum lipid levels were serially measured. At 9 months, necropsy was performed with histologic morphometric analysis of the aortoiliac bifurcation. Levels of TGF-β1were determined in serum and aortic tissue. Human aortic smooth muscle cells were isolated and cultured. Results.Serum triglyceride, lipoprotein a, and total, low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were similar and normal between groups. Ovariectomy resulted in aortoiliac intimal hyperplasia compared with sham (P< 0.001) and hormone replacement (P< 0.001) groups. Compared with ovariectomy, estrogen replacement attenuated aortic accumulation of TGF-β1(P< 0.02).In vitro,estradiol potentiated TGF-β1inhibition of human vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation and increased TGF-β1release in stimulated VSMCs (P< 0.001). Conclusions.Without dietary manipulation, ovarian ablation induces aortic intimal hyperplasia in the ewe. Estradiol abrogates this response independently of its effects on serum lipids. Hormone replacement decreases the accumulation of TGF-β1, suggesting that estrogens may provide atheroprotection both by modifying local production and by modulating the influence of TGF-β1on VSMC growth.
Performance of the integrated random coefficients covariance probit model: Implications for brand choice

Abstract In probit brand choice models, researchers increasingly focus on random variation of key parameters of interest. An important source of such variation may be due to differing consumer response to marketing efforts across purchase occasions. Also, variables common across alternatives influence purchase behavior, but may not be measured. Failure to adequately control for both these factors may cause biased estimates. More importantly, the incorrect estimates may lead to erroneous managerial conclusions. While either problem can be directly addressed in a (non-independent) probit model, we focus on whether a joint specification of both factors is necessary. We highlight the potential for misleading managerial inferences by contrasting the model with both sources of variation against nested models, using empirical data on ketchup product category. Further, in a simulation study we establish the extent of bias in recovery of parameters due to different specifications of both factors.
El secreto de los flamencos, de Federico Andahazi, y el otro Aleph

This essay has the purpose of discussing the main issues addressed in the novel The secret of the Flemish , by Federico Andahazi, departing from the texts that have determined its composition. Among these texts, the most influential has been Jorge Luis Borges’s “The Aleph”; not only that the story is mentioned specifically in Andahazi’s novel but also the ideas developed in it depart from the Borgesian concept of the Aleph. Borges’s Aleph, however, comes from the mathematician Georg Cantor, who developed a transfinite epistemological system that Borges makes his own to question what we call reality to later suggest that nothing apart from language is real. Both, Borges and Andahazi, may be classified as ‘ironist’ writers who, being aware of the finitude of the epistemic systems that we humans utilize, develop a style of writing that is characterized by a constant metaphorical re-description, not with the intention of establishing a final vocabulary but to maintain open the intellectual dialogue among the different disciplines that deal with theories of knowledge.
A theoretical and empirical analysis of support vector machine methods for multiple-instance classification

The standard support vector machine (SVM) formulation, widely used for supervised learning, possesses several intuitive and desirable properties. In particular, it is convex and assigns zero loss to solutions if, and only if, they correspond to consistent classifying hyperplanes with some nonzero margin. The traditional SVM formulation has been heuristically extended to multiple-instance (MI) classification in various ways. In this work, we analyze several such algorithms and observe that all MI techniques lack at least one of the desirable properties above. Further, we show that this tradeoff is fundamental, stems from the topological properties of consistent classifying hyperplanes for MI data, and is related to the computational complexity of learning MI hyperplanes. We then study the empirical consequences of this three-way tradeoff in MI classification using a large group of algorithms and datasets. We find that the experimental observations generally support our theoretical results, and properties such as the labeling task (instance versus bag labeling) influence the effects of different tradeoffs.
Passive sensor evaluation for unmanned ground vehicle mud detection

Detecting mud hazards is a significant challenge to unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) autonomous off-road navigation. A military UGV stuck in a body of mud during a mission may need to be sacrificed or rescued, both unattractive options. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is currently developing a daytime mud detection capability under the U.S. Army Research Laboratory Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliances program using UGV-mounted sensors. To perform robust mud detection under all conditions, we expect that multiple sensors will be necessary. A passive mud detection solution is desirable to meet future combat system requirements. To characterize the advantages and disadvantages of candidate passive sensors, outdoor data collections have been performed on wet and dry soil using visible, multispectral (including near-infrared), shortwave infrared, midwave infrared, long-wave infrared, polarization, and stereo sensors. In this paper, we examine the cues for mud detection that each of these sensors provide, along with their deficiencies, and we illustrate localizing detected mud in a world model that can used by a UGV to plan safe paths. We mostly limit our examination to mud detection during the daytime under ideal conditions: isolated wet soil surrounded by dry soil during nominal weather, i.e., no precipitation, calm wind, and near-average temperatures. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, hypotheses and food safety: an overview

The transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) (in both humans and animals) have been reviewed with the principal focus on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), its recent outbreak amongst cattle in the UK ('mad cow disease') and its sequelae. The possible reasons for this outbreak are discussed as well as a number of hypotheses reviewed for TSEs (e.g. prions, organophosphates, etc.) and current measures attendant with food safety and surveillance taken in the European Union. It is generally accepted that the combined weight of all the evidence to date supports the conclusion that the new rare but lethal variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (vCJD) is the human counterpart of the aetiological agent BSE and that eating meat from the infected animals is probably to blame for 24 deaths (23 in the UK and one in France) to date from vCJD. Considerable evidence from biochemical, immunologic, pathologic and genetic studies strongly suggests that PrpSC is the major component of the transmissible prion particle responsible for the rare fatal brain TSE diseases.
Antigenemia in rabbits infected with Candida albicans serotype B: detection by enzyme immunoassay and preliminary characterization of the antigen.

Peroxidase-labeled IgG against Candida albicans serotype A cell walls failed to detect antigenemia in rabbits infected with C. albicans type B. Therefore type B antisera were produced in rabbits immunized with either type B cell walls; whole blastoconidia heated and killed at 60°C (HK); a sublethal intravenous dosage of 106 colony forming units (c.f.u.); or a normally lethal dose of 107 c.f.u. injected into subcutaneously implanted plastic chambers. The four antisera were conjugated to peroxidase for a double antibody sandwich enzyme immunoassay. Sixteen rabbits, immunosuppressed with cortisone, received 107 type B blastoconidia intravenously. On day 4 their kidneys contained between 3.4 × 108 and 1.4 × 1011 c.f.u. Antigenemia was detected only with the conjugated anti-HK-IgG. A mean concentration of 246 ng ml-1 of circulating antigen was detected only when serum-antigen complexes were dissociated by boiling in EDTA. The properties of the circulating antigen were as follows: relative molecular weight betw...
Effect of Ration on Yolk Color

Abstract INTEREST in the factors which influence the color of the yolk of hens’ eggs is being revived. There are at least two reasons for renewed interest in this problem. One is, the illogical discrimination in certain markets against rich yellow yolks, and the other is, the close association between vitamin A and yellow pigment-producing feeds. Evidence has been accumulating to show that carotin is the precursor of vitamin A. This work recently has been reviewed by Mattikow (1932). Karrer, von Euler, and Rydbom (1930), Russell and Weber (1931), and Kline, Schultze, and Hart (1932) have shown that xanthophyll from plant tissue does not have vitamin A producing properties. Palmer and Kempster (1919) showed that the yellow color of egg yolk is produced almost exclusively by xanthophyll instead of carotin, but egg yolks was one of the first substances in which vitamin A was found by McCollum and Davis (1913). The . . .
Heat of reaction between trypsin and soybean trypsin inhibitor.

Abstract Calorimetric determinations of the heat of reaction between trypsin and soybean trypsin inhibitor protein indicate that ΔH for the reaction at 25 ° is 0 ± 1 kilocal./mole of trypsin reacted, if similar experiments with the inhibitor protein and bovine serum albumin are accepted as valid controls. The irreversibility of the reaction even at high dilution indicates that it is accompanied by a large decrease in free energy, and consequently a rather large increase in entropy.
X-ray photoelectron and electron spin resonance spectroscopic studies of Cu-NaY zeolites

Abstract X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) studies of hydrated, dehydrated and, reduced Cu NaY zeolites were carried out. With sufficient analyzer resolution, both the Cu 2 p 1 2 and 2 p 3 2 transitions were resolved into two components in hydrated CuNaY. The higher-binding-energy component and the shake-up satellites decreased in intensity with dehydration. By correlation with electron spin resonance (ESR) and X-ray diffraction results the higher-binding-energy component is assigned to octahedrally coordinated Cu2+ in the large α-cages of the zeolite and the lower-binding-energy component to tetrahedrally coordinated Cu2+ in the small β-cages of the zeolite. On hydrogen reduction of dehydrated CuNaY the XPS transitions shift by 1 eV to lower binding energies which correlated with an order of magnitude decrease in the Cu2+ ESR intensity. These shifted transitions are assigned to Cu+ or possibly to Cu0.
Stabilization of High-Dimensional Harmonic Balance Solvers Using Time Spectral Viscosity

We investigate the application of a temporal spectral viscosity operator to eliminate aliasing errors associated with the high-dimensional harmonic balance technique, which is an efficient method for modeling nonlinear time-periodic problems. Previous studies have shown that aliasing errors resulting from the discrete Fourier transformation may slow down convergence, trigger a nonlinear instability, or lead to nonphysical solutions. A temporal spectral viscosity operator, similar to that used for pseudospectral methods, is introduced. The temporal spectral viscosity is added to the high-frequency modes of the solution to eliminate aliasing errors so as to ensure the convergence to the physical solution. The implementation of the technique is straightforward and can be incorporated into the high-dimensional harmonic balance solver as a matrix product operator. The accuracy and effectiveness of the modified method is demonstrated for different test cases including a Duffing oscillator and unsteady flow abou...
Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and fever in patients with metastatic breast carcinoma receiving salvage chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and associated fever and infection are the most common complications of systemic chemotherapy. In this retrospective analysis, the authors evaluated the incidence of neutropenic fever, infection, and mortality in relation to the level of neutropenia, performance status, course number of chemotherapy, bone marrow metastasis, and age among patients with metastatic breast carcinoma receiving salvage chemotherapy. METHODS A total of 174 patients with previously treated metastatic breast carcinoma enrolled on 4 consecutive Phase II protocols were evaluated. RESULTS Twenty-three percent of the patients had an episode of neutropenic fever (41 episodes among 40 patients). The incidence of neutropenic fever did not increase until the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) had decreased to less than 500/μL, and then fever incidence had a linear relationship with decreasing ANC (linear trend, P < 0.01). A source of infection was documented in 59% of the neutropenic fever episodes. The incidence of infection did not increase significantly until the ANC had decreased to less than 250/μL (P < 0.01). The risk of neutropenic fever and infection was also significantly higher when patients had poor performance status or were undergoing the initial courses of chemotherapy. Patients with bone marrow metastases also had a higher frequency of fever, infection, and death, but these differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS For patients with metastatic breast carcinoma receiving salvage chemotherapy, the risk of fever increases with decreasing ANC, but the risk of infection does not increase significantly until ANC decreases to less than 250/μL. Poor performance status, initial courses of chemotherapy, and bone marrow metastases further increase the risk of fever, infection, and death. Cancer 1997; 79:1150-7. © 1997 American Cancer Society.
Blobel's Nobel: A Vision Validated

1980, the year that Christiane Nusslein-Volhard and Eric Wieschaus embarked on their Nobel Prize–winning screen for embryonic lethal mutants in Drosophila, in some ways marked the end of the Age of Beautiful Theories in biology, and the dawn of the Age of Ugly Facts (to paraphrase T. H. Huxley, whose view of a tragedy was “a beautiful theory murdered by an ugly fact” *). If Watson and Crick's double-helical model of the structure of DNA showed that imagination (with a sprinkling of data) could triumph over Nature, Nusslein-Volhard and Wieschaus's saturation mutagenesis showed that evolution can produce biological mechanisms of such unimaginable complexity that it would be useless, if not laughable, to try to intuit them a priori. Nature's imagination, it showed, usually far outstrips that of the human brain. The Awesome Power of Genetics combined with Molecular Biology had created a way to solve biological problems while making as few assumptions as possible, let alone having to construct hypotheses out of whole cloth.
Decision Making by Coaches and Athletes in Sport

Abstract Decision-making is a fundamental element of any sport, especially open, fast, dynamic team sports such as volleyball, football, soccer, rugby, and basketball. In order to succeed in winning any game and competition at national and international level in all individual and team sports there is a need to reconsider all success factors in order to make a better decision to win. At the elite level, coaches and athletes appear to consistently make good decisions in situations that are highly temporally constrained. Although there is no systematic ways of decisionmaking in sports for decision making agents such as coaches, athletes, and referees, there are some characteristics that seem general enough to take away from these fields. This article is to identify these features, then relate them to the methods applied to study decisions in sports by mostly focusing on coaches and athletes.
Effects of Diaphragm Compliance on Spring-Diaphragm Pressure Regulator Dynamics

A dynamical model is derived for a spring-diaphragm type automotive pressure regulator containing an annular membrane. Previous studies have generally assumed that the diaphragm was of constant area and that it remained flat. Central features of the model presented are the calculation of the deformed shape of the annular diaphragm and the effects of its resulting fluid compliance and force on the drain orifice cover plate. Elasticity theory is used to derive the diaphragm two-port compliance relation that is integrated into an overall regulator dynamic model. Effects of diaphragm elastic modulus on system dynamic response are studied. The model and its results may be used in other design parameter studies and as a component of a fueling system dynamic model.
Low degree gravitational changes from earth rotation and geophysical models

[1] Spherical harmonic degree 2 gravitational variations ΔC21, ΔS21, and ΔC20 are estimated from accurately measured Earth rotational changes and compared with predictions from atmospheric, oceanic, and hydrological models. Earth rotation-derived changes agree very well with model predictions over a broad frequency band, and particularly well at intraseasonal and seasonal time scales. The agreement is significantly better compared to previous studies, due mainly to improved oceanic and hydrological models. An independent determination of degree 2 changes serves as an important constraint for satellite-based estimates such as those of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission.
Occurrence of Kluyveromyces marxianus var. marxianus Causing Onion Soft Rot in the Columbia Basin of Washington State.

Kluyveromyces marxianus var. marxianus, a causal agent of onion (Allium cepa L.) soft rot, was originally isolated from Walla Walla sweet onion bulbs grown in Oregon and subsequently isolated from onion throughout the southeast Washington onion-growing area, but was not found to be infecting dry bulb storage onions grown in central Washington (1). During September of 2001, a yeast was isolated from dry storage onion bulbs (cv. Teton) grown under sprinkler irrigation in central Washington, exhibiting soft rot symptoms and identified to be K. marxianus var. marxianus (2). Koch's postulate was completed using cv. Teton bulbs surface disinfested with 0.5% NaOCl for 2 min. This isolate and four isolates of Kluyveromyces marxianus var. marxianus (1) were cultured on potato dextrose agar and resuspended to an OD600 = 0.3 (approximately 105 CFU/ml). One-half of a milliliter of each isolate was inoculated to onion using the cut bulb method with three replicates and incubated in a moist chamber at 25°C for 7 days. ...
ON THE ACCURACY OF INDEX NUMBERS

Index number accuracy is affected by formula specification and sampling error. The authors argue that an index formula should be “ideal” and “exact” (with reference to the range of economically plausible aggregator functions) to be economically justified. These indices are invariant in the homothetic case, as well as in certain non-homothetic scenarios. Empirically, based on foreign trade data for Egypt from 1885-1961, the set of economically justified indices are virtually identical, supporting the theoretical argument that “instrumental error” or “formula variance” should be a negligible factor contributing to index number error. In a discussion of sampling error, on the other hand, the authors criticize earlier work and propose an upper and lower bound. Using the same data, these limits imply that sampling error may be a serious problem for many indices.
The Place of Ethics in the Christian Tradition and the Confucian Tradition: A Methodological Prolegomenon

Comparative study of religions and philosophies, in spite of its significance and urgency, has been neither fully appreciated nor developed in the study of religion or philosophy. Comparative study, historically speaking, is still young and complex in its approach. Religious Studies as an intellectual discipline has traditionally concentrated on the investigation of a single tradition, enabling a student to become an ‘expert’ in that particular tradition. The world in which we live, however, no longer allows us to be content with the idea, the value, the way of thinking in our own tradition alone. In short, we no longer live in a ‘provincial’ age but in a ‘global’ age.
Seismic Retrofit of California Hospitals: Implementing Regulatory Policy in a Complex and Dynamic Context

Implementing public policy rarely flows either automatically or smoothly following enactment. This paper is a midstream analysis of a study of the implementation of seismic safety legislation in California aimed at strengthening or eliminating older acute-care hospitals. SB 1953, as it has become known, is legislation requiring that owners of acute-care hospitals built before 1973 strengthen those structures to meet contemporary seismic safety standards. Implementing the Act has been troublesome for both health-care administrators and regulators in large part because of the complex, dynamic, and unpredictable environment within which health-care organizations found themselves in the years following enactment of the policy.
Reply: Human Cerenkov Imaging Using 18F-FDG

REPLY: We appreciate the opportunity to reply to the letter by Spinelli and Boschi about our recent publication ([1][1]). In that pilot work, a high-sensitivity intensified charge-coupled-device camera was used to collect Cerenkov luminescence emitted from lymph node uptake of 18F-FDG in patients
SATURATING SERVOMECHANISM TO FOLLOW A RANDOM PROCESS

Abstract : Solutions to the problem of obtaining the optimal bounded input to a servomechanism which must follow a discrete-time random process are given in the case of a first order system. If the random process is a finite Markov chain, solutions can be obtained for any servomechanism with finite state vector, with each component having only a finite range. The cost function is any function of the state and of the control, which is restricted to a finite set of values. The generalizations of these problems can be done in various directions. Keeping the assumptions of a discrete-time random process x(t) and the form of the cost functional, which both ake sense in engineering applic tions, a first extension would be o consider servom c anisms of order greater than one, in the cases of independent and of M rkov dependent random variables. As a further extension, the cost functional could include a function of the control itself, instead of depending only on the error. In the finite case, when the inputs and the servomechanism take values in finite sets only, the problem is theoretically solved by application of the minimization procedure in a product space of sufficiently high dimensions. However, this b comes rapidly numerically unworkable as the number of variabl s increases. How to reduce the dimensionality of the problem is then worth a careful investigation. (Author)
Some strangeness in the proportion, or how to stop worrying and learn to love the mechanistic forces of darkness

Understanding humans requires viewing them as mechanisms of some sort, since understanding anything requires seeing it as a mechanism. It is science’s job to reveal mechanisms. But science reveals much more than that: it also reveals enduring mystery—strangeness in the proportion. Concentrating just on the scientific side of Selinger’s and Engstrom’s call for a moratorium on cyborg discourse, I argue that this strangeness prevents cyborg discourse from diminishing us.
Effect on observed package thermal performance of system board metal content

In a growing number of customer applications, the ultimate success of a semiconductor package design is measured by its thermal performance. Unfortunately, thermal databases consisting of junction-to-ambient thermal resistance (/spl theta//sub ja/) alone fall short of allowing the customer to adequately predict the actual thermal performance of a package, since the actual /spl theta//sub ja/ of a package is sensitive in varying degrees to the details of the system board on which the package is mounted. Though this fact is often acknowledged, the magnitude of the effect is generally not appreciated, and it is rare to find sufficient information in a product data sheet to allow such an evaluation. Variations in thickness and coverage of signal traces, power and ground planes, and insulating layers, can change the nominal /spl theta//sub ja/ of a package by from 25 to 50%. To illustrate this effect, several non-thermally enhanced Quad Flat Pack (QFP) type packages were mounted on several types and sizes of test boards, which were then both measured and modeled. Changes in overall /spl theta//sub ja/ are correlated with the metal content of the boards.
Exact boundary controllability of an abstract Mead-Marcus sandwich beam model

In this paper we prove the exact boundary controllability of an abstract beam system that is a generalization of a sandwich beam model due to Mead and Markus, [2]. Our abstract model also includes multilayer generalizations proposed by Hansen [7]. Our method is based on standard energy multipliers and Hilbert's uniqueness method. We obtain exact controllability in an arbitrarily small positive time.
Adaptive data protection in distributed systems

Security is an important barrier to wide adoption of distributed systems for sensitive data storage and management. In particular, one unsolved problem is to ensure that customers data protection policies are honored, regardless of where the data is physically stored and how often it is accessed, modified, and duplicated. This issue calls for two requirements to be satisfied. First, data should be managed in accordance to both owners' preferences and to the local regulations that may apply. Second, although multiple copies may exist, a consistent view across copies should be maintained. Toward addressing these issues, in this work we propose innovative policy enforcement techniques for adaptive sharing of users' outsourced data. We introduce the notion of autonomous self-controlling objects (SCO), that by means of object-oriented programming techniques, encapsulate sensitive resources and assure their protection by means of adaptive security policies of various granularity, and synchronization protocols. Through extensive evaluation, we show that our approach is effective and efficiently manages multiple data copies.
Genes for TDP-rhamnose synthesis affect the pattern of lipopolysaccharide heterogeneity in Escherichia coli K-12.

The rough lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of commonly used strains of Escherichia coli K-12 has two distinctly different band patterns when analyzed by high-resolution polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The LPS of ancestral strains such as W1485F- consists primarily of a single broad gel band. In contrast, the LPS of strains derived from strain Y10 such as AB1133 or C600 gives three sharp gel bands. Complementation studies using DNA fragments from the rfb gene cluster of Shigella dysenteriae 1 indicated that the difference between the two gel patterns is due to a mutation in the gene encoding the TDP-rhamnose synthetase, the final enzyme involved in TDP-rhamnose biosynthesis. This mutation arose during the construction of strain Y10, and not in strain 679-680 as previously thought. The requirement for the rfaS gene for synthesis of the broad major band seen in W1485F- LPS and the shift in gel migration of a component of this band when an rfaQ mutation was introduced indicated that this broad band contained the unique form of rough E. coli LPS which has been termed lipooligosaccharide. This finding indicates that lipooligosaccharide is likely to contain rhamnose and suggests a model in which one of the functions of partial substituents such as rhamnose may be to direct core synthesis into different pathways to produce alternative forms of LPS. Images