cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tillage effect on nutrient stratification in narrow- and wide-row cropping systems

Recent research has indicated that conservation systems with narrow-rows have potential for higher crop productivity on southeastern USA Coastal Plains Soil. The objective of this study was to determine how surface tillage and subsoiling affect nutrient distribution in the soil profile in narrow- and wide-row systems. A secondary objective was to determine the effect of row position on soil pH and nutrient concentrations in the wide-row system. Soil samples were collected in 1996 from plots that had been growing soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) double cropped with wheat (Tritiucum aestivum L.) for 3 years and then again in 1999 after 3 years of continuous corn (Zea mays L.). Narrow-row spacing was 19 cm for soybean and 38 cm for corn. Wide-row spacing was 76 cm for both soybean and corn. Wheat was grown in 19 cm wide-rows. Soil samples were randomly collected from throughout the plots in the narrow-row culture. In the wide-row culture, separate samples were collected from the row and from between rows. Treatments were surface tillage (disc tillage (DT) and no surface tillage (NT)), with different frequencies of subsoiling. The soil type was Goldsboro loamy sand (fine-loamy, siliceous, thermic, Aquic Kandiudult). Soil samples from four depths (the surface 5 cm of the A horizon, the remainder of the A horizon, the E horizon, and the top 7.5 cm of the B horizon) were analyzed for pH, P, K, Ca, and Mg. Nutrient concentrations and pH differed little between row spacings at any depth after either 3 or 6 years. Differences due to subsoiling appeared mainly due to nutrient removal as the treatments with more intense subsoiling had higher yield and lower concentrations of nutrients (except K). Concentrations of P, Mg, and Ca at the soil surface tended to be higher in NT than in DT, especially in the mid-rows of the 76 cm wide-row systems. The data suggest only small differences in soil nutrient stratification can be expected as growers adopt narrow-row crop production systems with intensive subsoiling.
Long-term trends and regime shifts in sea surface temperature on the continental shelf of the northeast United States

Abstract We investigated sea surface temperature (SST) variability over large spatial and temporal scales for the continental shelf region located off the northeast coast of the United States between Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and the Gulf of Maine using the extended reconstruction sea surface temperature (ERSST) dataset. The ERSST dataset consists of 2°×2° (latitude and longitude) monthly mean values computed from in situ data derived from the International Comprehensive Ocean Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS). Nineteen 2°×2° bins were chosen that cover the shelf region of interest between the years of 1854 and 2005. Mean annual and range of SST were examined using dynamic factor analysis to estimate trends in both parameters, while chronological clustering was used to determine temporal SST patterns and breakpoints in the time series that are believed to signal regime shifts in SST. Both SST and SST trend analysis show that interannual variability of SST fluctuations shows strong coherence between bins, with declining SST at the beginning of the last century, followed by increasing SST through 1950, and then rapidly decreasing between 1950 and mid-1960s, with somewhat warmer SST thereafter to present. Annual SST range decreases in a seaward direction for all bins, with strong coherence for interannual variability of range fluctuations between bins. The trend in SST range shows a decreasing range at the beginning of the last century followed by an increase in range from 1920 to the late-1980s, remaining high through present with some spatial variability. A more detailed spatial analysis was conducted by grouping the data into 7 regions using principal component analysis. We analyzed regional trends in mean annual SST, seasonal SST range (summer SST−winter SST), and normalized SST minima and maxima. Both the summer and winter seasons were also analyzed using the length of each season and amplitude of the warming and cooling season, respectively, along with the spring warming and fall cooling rates. Trends in all of the parameters were examined after low-pass filtering using a 10-point convolution filter ( n =10 years) and regime shifts were identified using the sequential t -test analysis of regime shifts (STARS) method. The analysis shows some difference between regions in the timing of minimum SST with minima being reached 1 month earlier in the south (February) relative to more northern regions (March). Regional annual SST range decreased in a seaward direction. Amplitude of summer warming and the length of summer have shown fluctuations with recent years showing stronger warming and longer summers but generally not exceeding past levels. Overall, the difference in SST range, with recent larger values may be the most significant finding of this work. SST range changes have the potential to disrupt species important to local fisheries due to combinations of differing temperature tolerances, changes in reproduction potential, and changes in the distributional range of species.
Thermal Transient Effects in Repetitively Pulsed Flashlamp-Pumped YAG:Nd and YAG:Nd,Lu Laser Material

Measurements have been made of the change of the optical pathlength due to thermal transient effects of two laser rod materials:YAG:Nd and YAG:Nd, Lu. These optical distortion measurements were studied as a function of flashlamp input energy level, coolant temperature, and pulse repetition frequency. Experimental data were obtained by passing a collimated He–Ne probe beam through the flashlamp pumped laser rod and recording the detector output as a function of time. The data show a significant difference between YAG:Nd and Lu co-doped YAG:Nd with respect to thermal transient effects. Using existing theory, results of calculations that predict the thermal effects are also presented for comparison with the experimental observations.
The rate of rhythmic contraction of the small bowel of rabbits as influenced by experimentally produced hyperthyroidism

In rabbits with artificial hyperthyroidism the rate of the rhythmic contraction of both the intact and excised small intestine was increased. The gradient in rate of rhythmic contraction was somewhat flattened. These deviations from normal were less marked in excised than in intact bowel. Alvarez’s observation that the rate of rhythmic contraction is slower in the excised than in the intact bowel was confirmed. This slowing seemed to be due partly to anoxemia and partly to the deprivation of nerve supply.
Importance of Adult Literacy in Understanding Health Disparities

BACKGROUND: In several recent studies, the importance of education and race in explaining health-related disparities has diminished when literacy was considered. This relationship has not been tested in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults.
Rotating Ring‐Disk Electrode Studies of Cyanocuprous Ion Oxidation on Platinum

The anodic oxidation of cyanide ion is catalyzed by the addition of cuprous ion. Studies with a platinum‐platinum rotating ring‐disk electrode indicate that at the anode cyanocuprous ion is oxidized to adsorbed cyanocupric ion which then decomposes primarily by a heterogeneous quasi‐second‐order intracomplex redox reaction. The rate of this heterogeneous reaction increases roughly linearly with homogeneous cyanide concentration, indicating a fundamentally different reaction mechanism from the homogeneous decomposition of the tetracyanocupric ion. An analytic model has been developed to simulate the effect of the heterogeneous reaction on the rotating ring‐disk electrode system. This model reproduces adequately the collection efficiencies observed experimentally.
The Mediating Role of Parent–Child Bonding to Prevent Adolescent Alcohol Abuse Among Asian American Families

The purpose of this paper is to describe unique culturally-based factors that may increase the vulnerability of Asian American adolescents to engage in alcohol use and abuse and the role of parent-child bonding as a protective factor. In particular, this paper addresses the interactions among acculturation, alcohol use, and parent-child bonding and the challenges Asian American families face in strengthening parent-child bonds. We begin by examining likely causes for alienation that occur as a result of immigration to the United States. We then present the cultural context of Asian American families that can also serve to create distance between parent and child, including the contrasting cultural orientations of individualism and collectivism, Asian traditional values, differences in Eastern and Western parenting styles, and intergenerational cultural dissonance. Next, we present a review of the research that has examined acculturation as a risk factor for alcohol use and abuse among Asian American adolescents, with special attention to the mediating role of parent-child bonding. Finally, we conclude with recommendations for future research on the risk and protective factors for adolescent substance abuse, as well as other risky health behaviors among the growing population of Asian Americans in the United States. Language: en
Viscoplasticity theory based on overstress : the modeling of ratchetting and cyclic hardening of AISI type 304 stainless steel

Abstract At room temperature, annealed AISI type 304 stainless steel exhibits rate dependence that manifests itself in rate sensitivity, creep and relaxation. It is also the driving force behind incremental elongation under zero-to-tension load-controlled loading, called ratchetting. It is shown to increase with decreasing stress rate and is independent of stress rate sequence. Accumulated ratchet strain has the same hardening effect as the strain in a monotonic test. For cyclic loading with load or strain reversal, significant cyclic hardening is observed. It is well known that this hardening depends on the path and seems to be most pronounced under 90° out-of-phase cycling. Other paths show various degrees of cyclic hardening. At the same effective strain range, the hardening under nonproportional loading is much more pronounced than under proportional loading. Experiments show that the rate sensitivity is, as a first approximation, unchanged by the significant hardening, which is therefore rate independent. The small-strain, isotropic viscoplasticity theory based on overstress (VBO) is used to model these phenomena. The theory is of the unified type and does not employ yield or loading/unloading criteria. The inelastic strain rate is a function of the overstress, the difference between the stress and the equilibrium stress, which is a state variable of the theory. Its growth law is the repository for modeling nearly elastic regions and hysteresis. Under constant strain rate loading, the theory admits asymptotic solutions, which show that the stress is composed of viscous, rate-independent (plastic) and kinematic contributions. For the modeling of cyclic hardening, a growth law for the rate-independent contribution to the stress is formulated. It models a different type of growth for proportional and nonproportional as well as cyclic and monotonic loadings. Numerical experiments for homogeneous states of stress are performed by integrating the stiff, nonlinear ordinary differential equations using the IMSL routine DGEAR. They demonstrate the modeling capabilities for step-down and step-up two-amplitude loadings, for proportional and nonproportional cyclic loadings including elliptical and square paths as well as for ratchetting.
The epidemiology of primary nervous system tumors in children

A study of the descriptive epidemiology of primary tumors of the brain and nervous system in children aged 0–14 was undertaken using international incidence data. The median cumulative incidence rates for this age group were found to be 0.47 per thousand for boys and 0.39 per thousand for girls with a male: female sex ratio of 1.2. Variation in incidence rates by geographic area and race are discussed and are compared to descriptive findings for tumors of this site among adults. Data on suggested risk factors for childhood brain tumors are reviewed.
Evaluating Public Participation in Environmental Policy-Making

Based on a comprehensive review on the current research on public participation in environmental policy-making, this paper proposes an important extension to the evaluation model of Germain, Floyd, and Stehman by inclusion of the social learning dimension. The revised framework, this paper shows, is more comprehensive to evaluate public participation in environmental policy-making. The paper applied the proposed evaluative framework in a case study of roundtable discussions in the Department of Environment Protection of Pennsylvania with the conclusion that policy-makers could be informed about the method of evaluating this public participation technique based on the revised framework.
Testing Innovative Nursing Care: Home Intervention with Depressed Rural Women

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is common among women and especially so among the disadvantaged. Despite this, nurses' roles in the treatment of MDD have been described only recently and have received little systematic evaluation. Testing of nursing efficacy in treating MDD is critical because nurses predominate among professionals in health care institutions typically accessed by women. In this article, I describe a research demonstration project to test a short-term nursing intervention for disadvantaged depressed rural women. The Women's Affective Illness Treatment (WAIT) Program has been implemented to eliminate depressive morbidity and develop specific self-care and prevention skills. Impoverished, premenopausal rural women with MDD participate in one of two experimental approaches. Several outcome and treatment effectiveness variables are monitored pre- and posttreatment for a period of 12 months.
Developing a risk management system for information systems security incidents

The Internet and information systems have enabled businesses to reduce costs, attain greater market reach, and develop closer business partnerships along with improved customer relationships. However, using the Internet has led to new risks and concerns. This research provides a management perspective on the issues confronting CIOs and IT managers. It outlines the current state of the art of information security, the important issues confronting managers, security enforcement measure/techniques, and potential threats and attacks. It develops a model for classification of threats and control measures. It also develops a scheme for probabilistic evaluation of the impact of security threats with some illustrative examples. It involves validation of information assets and probabilities of success of attacks on those assets in organizations and evaluates the expected damages of these attacks. The research outlines some suggested control measures and presents some cost models for quantifying damages from these attacks and compares the tangible and intangible costs of these attacks. This research also develops a risk management system for information systems security incidents in five stages: (1) Resource and application value analysis, (2) Vulnerability and risk analysis, (3) Computation of losses due to threats and benefits of control measures, (4) Selection of control measures, and (5) Implementation of alternatives. The outcome of this research should help decision makers to select the appropriate control measure(s) to minimize damage or loss due to security incidents. Finally, some recommendations for future work are provided to improve the management of security in organizations.
TE/sub 01/ excitation of an electron cyclotron resonance plasma source

The uniformity of plasma generation in electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) reactors for materials processing, and the subsequent uniformity of fluxes to the substrate, are generally a function of the mode of the microwave radiation injected into the chamber. In the paper, a finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation is used to demonstrate the consequences of exciting an ECR reactor using a TE/sub 01/ mode. Due to the off axis peak in the electric field, power deposition and the plasma density peak off axis. Diffraction of the field around the resonance zone produces a secondary maximum in electron density downstream.
Downward trends in Ngorongoro Crater ungulate populations 1986-2005: Conservation concerns and the need for ecological research

Abstract The concentration of over 25,000 ungulates inside Ngorongoro Crater on a 250 km 2 patch of the African plains was a major reason for designating the Ngorongoro Conservation Area as a World Heritage Site in 1979. As one of East Africa’s premier tourist attractions, it is also a major source of foreign exchange for Tanzania. This paper reports the decline of populations of wildebeest, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles since the mid-1980s and the rise to dominance of the buffalo, the results of research carried out from 1996 to 2000 on the Crater ungulates, and discusses natural and anthropogenic factors that may be linked to the population changes. Samples comparing young:adult female ratios in Ngorongoro and Serengeti populations indicated higher survival rates of Crater wildebeest and zebra young, and lower survival rates of Thomson’s gazelle. The possibility that predation by lions and spotted hyenas was responsible for reductions in the ungulate populations is belied by corresponding declines in the number of predators. Further research in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is urgently needed to increase understanding of this complex ecosystem and promote effective stewardship, not only of Ngorongoro Crater but of the Serengeti ecosystem, of which the NCA is an integral part, comprising an International Biosphere Reserve. Our recommendations include establishment of a scientific advisory board and a research center that would attract and accommodate Tanzanian and foreign scientists.
[Comment on] Scientific Freedom and the Sea, II

Although I also have endured a few sessions of the UN Law of the Sea Conference, I have a very different interpretation of events from that described by Riddihough in a recent Eos Oceanography Report (Eos, 62, Dec. 1, p. 1162). In fact, his letter is sufficiently misleading to demand comment. It is certainly difficult to distinguish among academic, economic (commercial?), and military research solely on the basis of the types of measurements made. A more useful test is whether the results are openly published. For example, in this country, academic research (about 11% of which is supported by the Office of Naval Research) is openly published, while that of corporations and of military laboratories often is not.
DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF GLASSES AT ULTRA-HIGH FREQUENCIES AND THEIR RELATION TO COMPOSITION *

The dielectric constants and dielectric losses of 104 glasses of a wide range of compositions have been measured at 10-cm. and 3-cm. wave lengths by the resonating cavity method (3000 and 10,000 megacycles, respectively). By correlating the power-factor data with the compositions of these glasses, the authors propose a qualitative explanation of the mechanisms producing energy absorption and dielectric losses in the microwave range. These mechanisms are determined by the nature of the bonds joining atoms and ions in the randomly oriented atomic networks of glasses. The rigid and continuous networks of SiO2 and B2O3 glasses are relatively transparent to centimeter wave lengths. Energy absorption and dielectric losses are low. Addition of network-modifying oxides yields glasses of greater energy absorption owing to the oscillation of the interstitial ions thus introduced. Increasing the content of any one of these ions in a glass results in higher losses while the coexistence of a variety of these ions generally results in lower losses. Alkali ions in glasses give rise to high losses, which increase as the number of ions present increases. Glasses containing a combination of alkalis show lower losses than the equivalent compositions with only one alkali. Divalent ions do not contribute as much to losses as alkalis, but high power factors are shown by glasses with high BaO or PbO contents. Using combinations of these oxides instead of only one, slight reductions in power factor are effected. Dissimilar interstitial ions interact in ultra-high frequency fields with the result that energy absorption is reduced. The losses of high-lead glasses are thus reduced by alkalis and, on the other hand, the presence of RO lowers the losses of glasses containing R2O. Alumina increases the dielectric losses of glasses in much the same manner as other network modifiers.
GRAVITATIONAL INSTABILITY OF A VISCOUS FLUID IN A MAGNETIC FIELD

Abstract : The instability of a viscous fluid between two infinite vertical plates and heated from below in the presence of a magnetic field perpendicular to the plates is investigated, and the most critical stability boundary in the space of the Rayleigh number R, Hartmann number M, and the horizontal wave number a is determined. It is found that the most unstable mode is a symmetric mode with zero wave-number, and that for any M the fluid is unstable for any non-zero R, however small. (Author)
The Effect of Socioeconomic Change on Arab Societal Collapse in Mandate Palestine

Between December 1947 and the first four months of 1948, the fabric of a centuries-old Palestinian Arab society unraveled with astounding rapidity, producing 750,000 refugees. The collapse occurred within the context of widespread socioeconomic disruption and dislocation among peasants and migrant and urban workers. The eroding socioeconomic foundation severely weakened this lower stratum's defense against Zionist settlement, colonial state policies, and military pressures. Beginning in late Ottoman times and throughout the British Mandate period (1918–48), the agrarian social economy had been slowly undermined by the urban landowning class and oppressive tax and land-tenure systems. Peasant dispossession, begun in the 19th century and aggravated by Zionist land-buying in the 20th, created a significant landless rural population that was increasingly dependent on wage labor in scattered rural locations and in the cities. During the British Mandate, as Palestine was rapidly incorporated into the world market, communal harmony and social integration were further strained by urban–rural and peasant–landowner tensions, disjointed urban–working–class development, unemployment, and overcrowding. As a result, by the late 1940s Palestinian Arab society was on the brink of disintegration.
An Investigation of the Influence of Droplet Number Concentration and Giant Aerosol Particles upon Supercooled Large Drop Formation in Wintertime Stratiform Clouds

Supercooled large drops (SLD) can be a significant hazard for aviation. Past studies have shown that warm-rain processes are prevalent, or even dominant, in stratiform clouds containing SLD, but the primary factors that control SLD production are still not well understood. Giant aerosol particles have been shown to accelerate the formation of the first drizzle drops in some clouds and thus are a viable source of SLD, but observational support for testing their effectiveness in supercooled stratiform clouds has been lacking. In this study, new observations collected during six research flights from the Alliance Icing Research Study II (AIRS II) are analyzed to assess the factors that may be relevant to SLD formation, with a particular emphasis on the importance of giant aerosol particles. An initial comparison of observed giant aerosol particle number concentrations with the observed SLD suggests that they were present in sufficient numbers to be the source of the SLD. However, microphysical calculations within an adiabatic parcel model, initialized with the observed aerosol distributions and cloud properties, suggest that the giant aerosol particles were only a limited source of SLD. More SLD was produced in the modeled clouds with low droplet concentrations, simply by an efficient warm-rain process acting at temperatures below 0°C. For cases in which the warm-rain process is limited by a higher droplet concentration and small cloud depth/ liquid water content, the giant aerosol particles were then the only source of SLD. The modeling results are consistent with the observed trends in SLD across the six AIRS II cases.
Differential Interference with Pythium ultimum Sporangial Activation and Germination by Enterobacter cloacae in the Corn and Cucumber Spermospheres

Differential protection of plants by Enterobacter cloacae was studied by investigating early sensing and response behavior of Pythium ultimum sporangia toward seeds in the presence or absence of E. cloacae. Ten percent of P. ultimum sporangia were activated within the first 30 min of exposure to cucumber seeds. In contrast, 44% of the sporangia were activated as early as 15 min after exposure to corn seeds with over 80% sporangial activation by 30 min. Germ tubes emerged from sporangia after 2.5 and 1.0 h in the cucumber and corn spermospheres, respectively. Seed application of the wild-type strain of E. cloacae (EcCT-501R3) reduced sporangial activation by 45% in the cucumber spermosphere, whereas no reduction was observed in the corn spermosphere. Fatty acid transport and degradation mutants of E. cloacae (strains EcL1 and Ec31, respectively) did not reduce sporangial activation in either of the spermospheres. Although wild-type or mutant strains of E. cloacae failed to reduce seed colonization incidence, pathogen biomass on cucumber seeds was reduced in the presence of E. cloacae strains EcCT-501R3 and Ec31 by 4 and 8 h after sowing, respectively. By 12 h, levels of P. ultimum on cucumber seeds treated with E. cloacae EcCT-501R3 did not differ from levels on noninoculated seeds. On corn seeds, P. ultimum biomass was not affected by the presence of any E. cloacae strain. When introduced after sporangial activation had occurred, E. cloacae failed to reduce P. ultimum biomass on cucumber seeds compared with that on nontreated seeds. Also, increasing numbers of sporangia used to inoculate seeds yielded increased pathogen biomass at each sampling time. This indicates a direct link between the level of seed-colonizing biomass of P. ultimum and the number of activated and germinated sporangia in the spermosphere, suggesting that E. cloacae suppresses P. ultimum seed infections by reducing sporangial activation and germination within the first 30 to 90 min after sowing.
CRYSTALLINE DESOXYRIBONUCLEASE : II. DIGESTION OF THYMUS NUCLEIC ACID (DESOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID) THE KINETICS OF THE REACTION

A study was made of the enzymatic properties of crystalline desoxyribonuclease. The general effect of the crystalline enzyme on its specific substrate, thymus nucleic acid, was found to be essentially the same as described by previous workers for the digestive action of crude preparations of the enzyme. The digestive action consists mainly in splitting thymus nucleic acid into fragments approaching the size of tetranucleotides. The digested nucleic acid is diffusible through collodion or cellophane membranes and is non-precipitable with strong acid, alcohol, or proteins. The digestion of thymus nucleic acid by desoxyribonuclease is accompanied by the liberation of one atom equivalent of free acid per four atoms of nucleic acid phosphorus. Crystalline desoxyribonuclease acts very slowly, if at all, in the absence of magnesium (or manganese) ions. The optimal concentration of magnesium ion required increases with the increase in concentration of the substrate but is independent of the enzyme concentration. The optimal pH range for the action of crystalline desoxyribonuclease is 6.0 to 7.0. A study was made of the kinetics of the digestion of thymus nucleic acid as manifested mainly by the gradual formation of acid-soluble split products. At low concentrations of nucleic acid, the process approximates closely a reaction of the first order, the unimolecular constant being independent of the concentration of desoxyribonuclease in the digestion mixture. At relatively higher concentrations of substrate, however, the initial rate of reaction decreases rapidly with the increase in concentration of substrate, and the reaction as a whole is represented by non-symmetric S-shaped curves apparently too complicated for a simple rational interpretation.
The origins and genetic distinctiveness of the Chamorros of the Marianas Islands: an mtDNA perspective.

Background: Archaeological and linguistic evidence suggests the Marianas Islands were settled around 3,600 years before present (ybp) from Island Southeast Asia (ISEA). Around 1,000 ybp latte stone pillars and the first evidence of rice cultivation appear in the Marianas. Both traditions are absent in the rest of prehistoric Oceania. Objective: To examine the genetic origins and postsettlement gene flow of Chamorros of the Marianas Islands. Methods: To infer the origins of the Chamorros we analyzed ∼360 base pairs of the hypervariable-region 1 (HVS1) of mitochondrial DNA from 105 Chamorros from Guam, Rota, and Saipan, and the complete mitochondrial genome of 32 Guamanian Chamorros, and compared them to lineages from ISEA and neighboring Pacific archipelagoes from the database. Results: Results reveal that 92% of Chamorros belong to haplogroup E, also found in ISEA but rare in Oceania. The two most numerous E lineages were identical to lineages currently found in Indonesia, while the remaining E lineages differed by only one or two mutations and all were unique to the Marianas. Seven percent of the lineages belonged to a single Chamorro-specific lineage within haplogroup B4, common to ISEA as well as Micronesia and Polynesia. Conclusions: These patterns suggest a small founding population had reached and settled the Marianas from ISEA by 4,000 ybp, and developed unique mutations in isolation. A second migration from ISEA may have arrived around 1,000 ybp, introducing the latte pillars, rice agriculture and the homogeneous minority B4 lineage. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2013. © 2012Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A characterization of an Askey–Wilson difference equation

We determine the q-orthogonal polynomial solutions to the difference equation , where is the Askey–Wilson divided-difference operator, using an approach that does not appear in the literature. To accomplish this, we construct a polynomial expansion via a Chebyshev basis, which ultimately allows explicit formulas to be derived for the recurrence coefficients of above. From there, we obtain our solutions and discuss some future research.
First-principles modeling, scaling laws and design of structured photocatalytic oxidation reactors for air purification

Abstract First-principles, predictive engineering models provide a sound theoretical basis for quantifying the inherent light energy utilization capabilities and performance limitations of candidate commercial photocatalytic oxidation reactor configurations. In particular, these models provide insight into the similarities and differences between photoreactors based on structured honeycombed monoliths, and those based on reticulated foams or other random catalyst supports. For honeycombed monoliths, a deterministic first-principles radiation field model provides the channel wall light intensity profile down the length of a single channel in the monolith. A three-dimensional developing flow convection–diffusion reaction model employing this radiation field submodel predicts the velocity and concentration fields. The model shows that light intensity gradients in a monolith of typical dimensions are severe, that only a fraction of the monolith can be effectively photo-activated, and as a consequence process performance is largely controlled by light distribution. For a given light source and photocatalyst combination, reactor performance scales according to the aspect ratio of the channeled monolith, the Reynolds number, and the Dahmkohler number. For randomly structured monoliths, the radiation field must be determined by probablistic methods. Monte Carlo simulations show that the radiation field in such random porous structure scales according to the pore size distribution and the void fraction, and the photocatalyst film thickness. Reactor performance scales by the radiation field, the Peclet number, the Stanton number, and the Dahmkohler number. The complex interrelationship between the random structure of the monolith and the resulting radiation field and mass transfer behavior makes scaling of these reactor types particularly difficult.
The Morgan Hill Earthquake of April 24, 1984—Summary of Highway Bridge Damage

Abstract Only one bridge of 39 investigated was observed to sustain major structural damage. The county bridge carrying East Dunne Avenue over Anderson Reservoir, Bridge No. 37C‐166, was closed to traffic by a rock slide and suffered major damage.
Pain Psychology: A Global Needs Assessment and National Call to Action.

Objective. The Institute of Medicine and the draft National Pain Strategy recently called for better training for health care clinicians. This was the first high-level needs assessment for pain psychology services and resources in the United States. Design. Prospective, observational, cross-sectional. Methods. Brief surveys were administered online to six stakeholder groups (psychologists/therapists, individuals with chronic pain, pain physicians, primary care physicians/physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and the directors of graduate and postgraduate psychology training programs). Results. 1,991 responses were received. Results revealed low confidence and low perceived competency to address physical pain among psychologists/therapists, and high levels of interest and need for pain education. We found broad support for pain psychology across stakeholder groups, and global support for a national initiative to increase pain training and competency in U.S. therapists. Among directors of graduate and postgraduate psychology training programs, we found unanimous interest for a no-cost pain psychology curriculum that could be integrated into existing programs. Primary barriers to pain psychology include lack of a system to identify qualified therapists, paucity of therapists with pain training, limited awareness of the psychological treatment modality, and poor insurance coverage. Conclusions. This report calls for transformation within psychology predoctoral and postdoctoral education and training and psychology continuing education to include and emphasize pain and pain management. A system for certification is needed to facilitate quality control and appropriate reimbursement. There is a need for systems to facilitate identification and access to practicing psychologists and therapists skilled in the treatment of pain.
To file or not to file: the causes of municipal bankruptcy in the united states

About 500 municipalities have declared bankruptcy since Congress passed the Municipal Bankruptcy Act in 1937. Based on the experiences of these municipalities and the municipal bankruptcy literature, this paper develops a theory of why municipalities go bankrupt and discusses various ways to prevent other municipalities from going bankrupt. The paper identifies three-dimensional factors that may make municipalities go bankrupt: long-term and short-term, political and economic, and internal and external perspectives. The paper ends with an observation that government failure in the form of municipal bankruptcy can be reduced by strengthening the audit powers of the states and by utilizing more municipal bond and liability insurance policies.
Modeling Competition in Mandatory Participation Third Party Payer Business Models: The Complex Case of Sponsored Search

Prior research has demonstrated that there are categories of two-sided markets that develop pernicious behavior over time. Platforms operators in these markets enjoy parallel monopolies, and thus are largely free of the discipline imposed by competition, meaning that competition fails to cause prices to decline or to cause quality to increase. These markets can be described as mandatory participation 3rd party payer businesses (MP3PP). Paradoxically, competition in an MP3PP often results in a reverse price war, where competition between two or more operators actually drives them to increase prices rather than lower them. That does not mean that competition cannot improve social welfare in MPP3P markets, rather, platform operators have figured out how to use reverse price wars to fund subsidies, use subsidies to buy loyalty, and create parallel monopolies. The cost of these subsidies creates significant harm to merchants. We examine sufficient conditions for an MP3PP to develop reverse price wars. Our findings are complex. Under some conditions these reverse price wars are harmful both for consumers and for merchants who must pay to participate in both the competing MP3PP platforms, in other cases merchants are harmed but consumers do benefit from competition.
A Chick Bioassay for Evaluating the Protein Quality of Dry Breakfast Cereals

Abstract Woodham (1968) has described a chick growth test of the protein efficiency ratio (PER) type for evaluating the protein quality of protein supplements in cerealbased diets. In this approach, the total protein efficiency (TPE) of the test supplement is calculated as the weight gain of the chicks divided by the total weight of the protein (supplemental plus background) consumed. The TPE technique may be utilized for protein supplements containing from 20 to 100% of crude protein and has the advantage of being applicable to the evaluation of poor quality proteins which cannot be evaluated by the conventional PER procedure because of their inability to support growth when used as the sole source of dietary protein. The recent attention drawn by Choate (1970) to the nutritive characteristics of dry breakfast cereals (DBC) emphasizes the need for biological assays as opposed to nutritional evaluations based solely upon the percentage of a nutrient…
Catalytic, enantioselective, intramolecular carbosulfenylation of olefins. Mechanistic aspects: a remarkable case of negative catalysis.

In the course of developing an enantioselective, Lewis base/Bronsted acid co-catalyzed carbosulfenylation of alkenes, a seemingly impossible conundrum arose: How could a catalyst inhibit a stoichiometric reaction? Despite the observation of very good enantioselectivities, the rate of the uncatalyzed reaction (i.e., no Lewis base) was found to be comparable to or slightly faster than that of the catalyzed process. A combination of detailed kinetic and spectroscopic studies revealed that the answer is not the direct involvement of the Lewis base catalyst, but rather the secondary consequences of its conversion to the catalytically active sulfenylating agent. Generation of the chiral sulfenylating species is accompanied by the formation of equimolar amounts of sulfonate ion and phthalimide which serve to buffer the remaining Bronsted acid and thus inhibit the racemic background reaction. Thus, the actual background reaction operative under catalytic conditions is not well mimicked by simply removing the cata...
Crisis and Reform of the Western World

T HE wide national and territorial market areas of the European states and their colonial empires were, from the end of the eighteenth century, opened first for internal and later for international free trade. Considerable national and international uniformity of law grew under the influence of the law of the Roman Empire which was favorable not only to national but also to international intercourse. This Roman law had been pretty generally established by the dawn of modern times in practically all leading countries and it had been molded into the national conceptions of law. The gradual guarantee of personal rights even in otherwise absolutist states of Europe, and the abolition of the rest of mediaeval feudalism in favor of personal freedom, legal equality and free individual property and contract rights, opened the way for the activities of the growing bourgeois class. This class, the most active exponent of the spirit of the age, became more and more conscious of its value and importance. The individual, freed from mediaeval ties, immediately and personally confronted with responsibility for the social universe, and armed with weapons of modern science, buoyantly started out for new horizons. The technique of transportation of persons, materials, and news very soon overcame the resistance of time and space to a degree that made the whole world in many respects into one market area and one system of national and international division of labor. This world market was served by an equally widely developed monetary and credit system.
Fabrication of Polyacrylonitrile Nanofiber Membranes Functionalized With Metal Organic Framework for CO2 Capturing

Crystalline particles known as Metal Organic Frameworks (MOF’s) are known for their large surface area and high adsorption and storage capacity for CO2 gas. Electrospun nanofibers are considered as ideal substrates for synthesizing the MOF particles on the fiber surface. In this project, Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and a Cu-based MOF known as HKUST-1 were selected as substrate fibers and adsorbent particles respectively. A precursor solution of PAN polymer hybridized with HKUST-1 particles dissolved in Dimehtylformamide (DMF) is used as the primary component solution for electrospinning. SEM images of the electrospun fibers showed small MOF particles formation into the fiber structure. A secondary solvothermal process of MOF particles growing on the fibers was then executed to increase the amount of MOF particles for effectual gas adsorption. The secondary process consists of multiple growth cycles and SEM images showed uniform distribution of porous MOF particles of 2–3μm in size on the fiber surface. EDS report of the fiber confirmed the presence of MOF particles through identification of characteristic Copper elemental peaks of HKUST-1. Thermogravitmetric analysis (TGA) of HKUST-1 doped PAN fiber displayed 32% of total weight loss between 180°C and 350°C thus proving the as-synthesized MOF particles are thermally stable within the mentioned temperature range. A comparative IR spectroscopic result between the gas-treated and gas-untreated fiber samples showed the presence of characteristic peak in the vicinity of 2300 and 2400cm−1 which corroborates the assertion of adsorption of CO2 on the system. Further step involved is to investigate the gas adsorption capacity of the filter system in an experimental test bench. Non-dispersive Infrared (NDIR) CO2 sensors will be used at the gas inlet and outlet parts to measure the concentration of CO2 and determine the amount of gas uptake by the filter system.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Use of External Cephalic Version and Amnioreduction in the Delivery of a Fetal Demise with Macrocephaly Secondary to Massive Intracranial Teratoma.

Introduction Congenital intracranial tumors are rare and often incidentally diagnosed on routine ultrasound. We report a case of a fetal demise with a massive intracranial teratoma at 25 weeks of gestation and the management of her delivery in the setting of macrocephaly, breech presentation, and polyhydramnios. Case A 31-year-old G3P1011 woman at 25 weeks' gestation presented with a recent fetal demise and a fetal intracranial tumor first identified at 16 weeks' gestational age. The patient had declined termination of pregnancy. Biometry was consistent with 24 weeks' gestation, except for a head circumference of 394.4 mm consistent with 39 weeks' gestation. The fetus was in a breech presentation. An external cephalic version (ECV) was successfully performed under epidural anesthesia and an amnioreduction was then performed to stabilize the fetal position. Immediate induction of labor and vaginal delivery followed. Discussion ECV and amnioreduction may help facilitate delivery in cases of fetal demise complicated by macrocephaly, malpresentation, and polyhydramnios.
Are There Gaps in Current Thoracic Surgery Residency Training Programs

Background Cardiothoracic surgery is rapidly evolving to adapt to a changing health care environment and a wider application of innovative techniques. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Thoracic Surgery Resident Issues Transition to Practice Task Force sought to identify new or existing gaps of training in contemporary thoracic surgery residency training programs. Methods A voluntary survey consisting of 24 questions was distributed to recent graduates of thoracic surgery residency programs in the United States during the 2014 American Board of Thoracic Surgery oral examination application process. Fifty-five of 132 applicants anonymously participated. Results The majority of respondents admitted that they needed more instruction or lacked confidence with the following specific cardiothoracic procedures: minimally invasive cardiac operations (25/52, 48%), robotic cardiac operations (29/52, 55.8%), endovascular operations (28/52, 53.8%), robotic pulmonary operations (29/52, 55.8%), minimally invasive esophageal operations (24/52, 46.2%), robotic esophageal operations (32/52, 61.5%), and operations on congenital cardiac conditions (31/52, 59.6%). The respondents further declared either a need for more instruction or lack of confidence in employment contracting (17/21, 81.0%), negotiating terms of employment (17/21, 81.0%), and professional service agreements (16/21, 76.2%). Conclusions Further exposure to minimally invasive robotic procedures, operations on congenital conditions, and issues of practice management appear to be needed in contemporary cardiothoracic training in the United States. These identified gaps may assist cardiothoracic surgery residency programs to optimally prepare future graduates for our evolving specialty.
Modeling and design guidelines of high density power inductor for battery power unit

This paper presents the modeling, simulation and design guidelines of a high density power inductor for battery power unit (BPU) in order to reduce weight and size especially in automotive applications. A ∼4.5µH 30A high current density low profile permanent magnet power inductor (PMPI) design is developed and evaluated. By placing a small piece of NdFeB permanent magnet in the air gap of conventional power inductor (PI), PMPI achieves doubled saturation current while maintaining the same size and the same inductance value. Alternatively, PMPI achieves size reduction to half while maintaining the same inductance and the same saturation current. ANSYS®/Maxwell® 3-D physical model simulation results are used to illustrate the saturation current doubling (from 15A to 30A) and 55.5% size reduction (from 7.94cm3 to 3.53cm3) of the PMPI compared with PIs.
Addition of basal insulin to oral antidiabetic agents: a goal-directed approach to type 2 diabetes therapy.

Abstract The objective of this article is to review current findings in the published literature on the efficacy of insulin therapy in combination with oral antidiabetic agents, with a focus on practical information that might help to provide an evidence-based template for selecting how best to combine oral agents and basal insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes. Here we review the current oral agents used to treat type 2 diabetes, their mechanisms of action, and how they can be combined with insulin therapy to help patients achieve guideline-recommended glycemic goals. While practical advice exists for initiating a therapeutic regimen comprised of basal insulin and oral agent(s), direction as to appropriate therapy for individual patients with differing physiologic requirements is needed. Oral antidiabetic therapy in combination with insulin provides an effective therapeutic option for patients who are unable to achieve or maintain glycemic goals on oral therapy alone.