cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Systems Analysis Approach to Modelling of Surface and Ground Water Resources

Abstract The systems analysis approach has enjoyed widespread application to the management of water resources over the last two decades. This is not surprising since systems analysis, by definition, aims to tackle those needs of most concern to the water resource manager. As a decision maker, the resource manager requires help in identifying and selecting a preferred course of action among a restricted set of alternatives. It is exactly this help that the systems analysis approach aims to provide. This paper selects three areas of study which have been strongly associated with the systems analysis approach as applied to water resource modelling. The first is the use of state-space techniques and specifically the use of Kaiman filters for recursive state updating. The successes and failures of updating in a water resource context are critically reviewed. Second is the modelling of complex systems. Here the power of a structured systems analysis approach is illustrated through the adoption of a river network strategy as the basis of a basin-wide flow forecasting system. Third is the role of the systems analysis approach in decision making. This is illustrated through a recently developed decision support system for drought management which successfully combines hydrological models, water resource models, hydrological data and risk analysis to assist the water resource manager in tactical decision making.
In vitro evaluation of percutaneous drainage catheters: Flow related to connections and liquid characteristics

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the effect of catheter connections on drainage catheters’ flow rate. Materials and method The in vitro model used commercially available catheters (8.5-F, 10.2-F, 12-F, and 14-F), connections - Luer-lok (2.33 mm inner diameter), and stopcocks (1.33 mm, 2.00 mm, and 2.67 mm inner diameters), water, ultrasound gel, textured vegetable protein (TVP) 2-mm particles, and collection bags. Plain water, viscous fluid (30% ultrasound gel solution in water), or water/viscous fluid with TVP were placed in collection bags and drained by gravity through each of the catheters and each connection. The flow rate was measured, recorded, and compared for each catheter and each connection as well as to the control flow rate of the catheters without connections. Ten one-minute trials were performed, and the mean flow rates were analyzed using Student t -test and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results Flow rate was significantly decreased in the 12-F and 14-F catheters with all stopcock and Luer-Lok connections with both water and viscous fluids. There was no significant reduction in flow for the 8.5-F and 10.2-F catheters with the 2.00-mm, 2.33-mm, and 2.67-mm connections; flow rate was significantly decreased in the 8.5-F and 10.2-F catheters with the 1.33-mm connection. A majority of trials with particulate fluid became occluded, and no consistent pattern between connections could be made. Conclusion This in vitro study suggests that stopcock and Luer-Lok connections limit catheter flow rate when their inner diameter is less than that of the drainage catheter.
Show Me the Money: The Economics of Copyright in Online News

This paper examines copyright in online news through an economic perspective of copyright law. The paper asks: To what extent are news publishers entitled to reap any economic benefits from the online distribution of news? In its analysis, this paper distinguishes between different types of news uses and relies upon the following three branches of law: (1) the fair use doctrine, (2) the hot news doctrine, and (3) laws related to the retransmission of copyrighted programs by cable television.
Gamma Oscillations in Rat Hippocampal Subregions Dentate Gyrus, CA3, CA1, and Subiculum Underlie Associative Memory Encoding

Neuronal oscillations in the rat hippocampus relate to both memory and locomotion, raising the question of how these cognitive and behavioral correlates interact to determine the oscillatory network state of this region. Here, rats freely locomoted while performing an object-location task designed to test hippocampus-dependent spatial associative memory. Rhythmic activity in theta, beta, slow gamma, and fast gamma frequency ranges were observed in both action potentials and local field potentials (LFPs) across four main hippocampal subregions. Several patterns of LFP oscillations corresponded to overt behavior (e.g., increased dentate gyrus-CA3 beta coherence during stationary moments and CA1-subiculum theta coherence during locomotion). In comparison, slow gamma (∼40 Hz) oscillations throughout the hippocampus related most specifically to object-location associative memory encoding rather than overt behavior. The results help to untangle how hippocampal oscillations relate to both memory and motion and single out slow gamma oscillations as a distinguishing correlate of spatial associative memory.
Recent Developments in Soliton Cellular Automata

There is at present a growing interest in the study of Cellular Automata (CA), one of the reasons being their wide applicability in computer science, physics, biology, etc. [1]–[3]. In this article we summarize the results of our study of a particular class of CA, called parity-rule filter automata, introduced in [4]. These results were obtained in collaboration with A.S. Fokas and Y.G. Saridakis in [6], [8], [9] and also M.J. Ablowitz in [7]. A very interesting property of this CA is that it exhibits solitonic behavior, in the sence that particles supported by this automaton rule collide in nondistructive ways, namely the particles emerging after interaction are, most of the time, identical to the original ones (see Figure 1).
The Shnirel’man-Goldbach theorem

In a letter to Euler in 1742, Goldbach conjectured that every positive even integer n > 2 is the sum of two primes. Euler replied that he believed the conjecture but could not prove it. It is still unproven, but it has been confirmed by computer calculations for even integers up to 4. 1011.
Methods in Statistical Kinetics

Abstract A variety of recent advances in single-molecule methods are now making possible the routine measurement of the distinct catalytic trajectories of individual enzymes. Unlike their bulk counterparts, these measurements directly reveal the fluctuations inherent to enzymatic dynamics, and statistical measures of these fluctuations promise to greatly constrain possible kinetic mechanisms. In this chapter, we discuss a variety of advances, ranging from theoretical to practical, in the new and growing field of statistical kinetics. In particular, we formalize the connection between the hidden fluctuations in the kinetic states that compose a full kinetic cycle and the measured fluctuations in the time to complete this cycle. We then discuss the characterization of fluctuations in a fashion that permits kinetic constraints to be easily extracted. When there are multiple observable enzymatic outcomes, we provide the proper way to sort events so as not to bias the final statistics, and we show that these classifications provide a first level of constraint on possible kinetic mechanisms. Finally, we discuss the basic substrate dependence of an important function of the statistical moments. The new kinetic parameters of this expression, akin to the Michaelis–Menten parameters, provide model-independent constraints on the kinetic mechanism.
Current Practice Trends in Primary Hip and Knee Arthroplasties Among Members of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons: A Long-Term Update

At the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, an audience response poll was conducted to determine current practice patterns among its members. The poll pertained to primary total hip arthroplasties and primary total knee arthroplasties, and results were compared to the findings from similar polls completed at previous annual meetings of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. This article summarizes the current findings and compares trends over time from the previous polls.
Genotoxic Escherichia coli Strains Encoding Colibactin, Cytolethal Distending Toxin, and Cytotoxic Necrotizing Factor in Laboratory Rats.

Although many Escherichia coli strains are considered commensals in mammals, strains encoding the cyclomodulin genotoxins are associated with clinical and subclinical disease in the urogenital and gastrointestinal tracts, meningitis, and inflammatory disorders. These genotoxins include the polyketide synthase (pks) pathogenicity island, cytolethal distending toxin (cdt), and hemolysin-associated cytotoxic necrotizing factor (cnf). E. coli strains are not excluded from rodents housed under SPF conditions in academic or vendor facilities. This study isolated and characterized genotoxin-encoding E. coli from laboratory rats obtained from 4 academic institutions and 3 vendors. A total of 69 distinct E. coli isolates were cultured from feces, rectal swab, nares, or vaginal swab of 52 rats and characterized biochemically. PCR analysis for cyclomodulin genes and phylogroup was performed on all 69 isolates. Of the 69 isolates, 45 (65%) were positive for pks, 20/69 (29%) were positive for cdt, and 4 (6%) were positive for cnf. Colibactin was the sole genotoxin identified in 21 of 45 pks+ isolates (47%), whereas cdt or cnf was also present in the remaining 24 isolates (53%); cdt and cnf were never present together or without pks. All genotoxin-associated strains were members of pathogen-associated phylogroup B2. Fisher exact and χ² tests demonstrated significant differences in genotoxin prevalence and API code distribution with regard to vendor. Select E. coli isolates were characterized by HeLa cell in vitro cytotoxicity assays, serotyped, and whole-genome sequenced. All isolates encoding cyclomodulins induced megalocytosis. Serotypes corresponded with vendor origin and cyclomodulin composition, with the cnf+ serotype representing a known human uropathogen. Whole-genome sequencing confirmed the presence of complete pks, cdt, and hemolysin-cnf pathogenicity islands. These findings indicate that genotoxin-encoding E. coli colonize laboratory rats from multiple commercial vendors and academic institutions and suggest the potential to contribute to clinical disease and introduce confounding variables into experimental rat models.
The Alpha War

Benjamin et al. Nature Human Behavior 2 (1), 6–10 (2018) proposed decreasing the significance level by an order of magnitude to improve the replicability of psychology. This modest, practical proposal has been widely criticized, and its prospects remain unclear. This article defends this proposal against these criticisms and highlights its virtues.
Abstract 2653: Usefulness of plasma exosomes to characterize hypoxic phenotype in primary prostate tumors

Hypoxia in primary prostate cancer (PCa) selects aggressive clones and causes treatment failure. However, there are several clinical challenges in measuring hypoxia in PCa. For example, MRI needs sophisticated instruments and highly trained personnel; needle electrodes could cause bleeding; and pimonidazole and immuno-histochemistry (IHC) for hypoxia biomarkers require surgical removal of tumor. Hence, novel non-invasive measures are needed to assess hypoxia. Exosomes are nano-vesicles (40-150 nm in size) secreted by cells for intercellular communication and are present in all biofluids loaded with unique cargo that could predict the cell of their origin and cellular physiologic state. Our primary goal here was to use exosomes to non-invasively assess hypoxia in PCa. We employed ultracentrifugation, mass spectrometry (MS), immunogold labeling, electron microscopy, PET, IHC, xenograft and immune-pull down methods. First, we isolated exosomes from the conditioned media of African American PCa MDA PCa 2b and E006AA-hT cells cultured under normoxia (21% O2) and hypoxia (1% O2) by ultracentrifugation. Next, through a novel method involving exosomal surface shaving and LC-MS/MS, we identified 13 unique proteins present only on the surface of exosomes secreted by PCa cells under hypoxia. Among the 13 unique proteins, Annexin A6 expression was highly correlated with 44 hypoxia signature genes in TCGA-PRAD. Next, Annexin A6 expression was confirmed on the surface of exosomes isolated from the blood of nude mice implanted with human PCa 22Rv1 xenografts. Hypoxia in xenografts was confirmed by F18MISO-PET imaging, and pimonidazole staining in xenograft tissues. Next, we pull-down Annexin A6+ exosomes using biotin-tagged human Annexin A6 antibody and streptavidin tagged agarose resin, and analyzed proteins loading by MS. Interestingly, Annexin A6+ exosomes showed a hypoxia signature as 35/172 loaded proteins were hypoxia and HIF1α regulated. We next isolated Annexin A6+ exosomes from the blood of African American and Caucasian PCa patients (n=5 each) with high grade disease (Gleason score >7) and confirmed Annexin A6 expression on their surface. Importantly, for similar Gleason score disease, Annexin A6+ exosomes concentration was 2.6 times higher in African American patients, and could be associated with disease aggressiveness. Together, these results suggest that exosomes could be useful to non-invasively assess hypoxia in PCa. Citation Format: Gatikrushna Panigrahi, Yixin Su, Leslimar Rios-Colon, Taylor Peak, Kiran Sai, Prakash Praharaj, Jingyun Lee, Cristina Furdui, Ashok Hemal, Deepak Kumar, Gagan Deep. Usefulness of plasma exosomes to characterize hypoxic phenotype in primary prostate tumors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2653.
Constraining ordinary chondrite composition via near-infrared spectroscopy

Abstract Ordinary chondrites comprise a significant fraction (~75%) of meteorites that fall on the Earth. A key goal in small body science is to link meteorites to their parent bodies in order to understand their formation conditions early in our Solar System history. Dunn et al. (2010a) provided a robust set of equations for deriving olivine/pyroxene chemistry and abundance ratio from visible and near-infrared (0.35–2.5 μm) spectra of silicate-rich asteroids. These equations were calibrated to X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron microprobe measurements as ground truth for the spectrally derived values. The small body community employs a range of methods to extract spectral band parameters from telescopic spectra of S-/Q-type asteroids and use the Dunn et al. (2010a) equations to constrain mineral chemistry and abundance. The goal of this work is to understand how the changing of polynomial order and method of extracting spectral band parameters from spectra of ordinary chondrite meteorites affects the precision of derived olivine and pyroxene chemistry and abundance compared with laboratory XRD and microprobe values. Based on our analysis, we find that 2nd order polynomials provide good agreement with the linear relationship found by Dunn et al. (2010a), but with a systematic offset. We also find that Band I center values derived from differing polynomial orders cannot be used for extracting mineral chemistry with Dunn et al. (2010a) equations. We find that the Band Area Ratio (BAR) values are independent of polynomial order and the olivine to pyroxene abundance ratio extracted from BAR is immune to changing polynomial order. Of the four published methods for extracting spectral band parameters (Sanchez et al. 2015, Dunn et al. 2010a, Spectral Analysis Routine for Asteroids, or SARA, Modeling for Asteroids, or M4AST), Dunn et al. (2010a)'s method most successfully reproduces both olivine and pyroxene chemistry, followed by Sanchez et al. (2015). SARA most successfully reproduces the olivine to pyroxene abundance ratio, very closely followed by the other three methods. We find systematic underestimation of ordinary chondrite Band I centers compared to Dunn et al. (2010a) and the resulting chemistry derived from them. To account for this underestimation, we have developed a correction factor for band parameters extracted using other methods that must be added to Band I centers for asteroids that fall in H, L, LL chondrite zones when using Dunn et al. (2010a) equations.
Defining Thermally Safe Laser Lithotripsy Power and Irrigation Parameters: In Vitro Model

Introduction: High-power laser settings are commonly employed for stone dusting techniques. Previous in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that a toxic thermal dose can result from treatment within a renal calix without adequate irrigation. Hence, both laser power and irrigation rate must be considered together to determine safe laser lithotripsy parameters. The objective of this in vitro study was to map parameter safety boundaries and create guidelines for selection of safe laser and irrigation settings. Methods: The experimental system consisted of in vitro models simulating ureter, renal calix, and renal pelvis placed in a water bath maintained at 37°C. Temperature was recorded during ureteroscopy with laser activation for 60 seconds. Trials were conducted at strategically selected power levels and irrigation rates. Thermal dose for each trial was calculated based on Sapareto and Dewey t43 methodology with thermal dose >120 equivalent minutes considered to result in thermal tissue injury. A parameter safety boundary was established by plotting the maximal safe power level for each irrigation rate. Results: The parameter safety boundary was found to be linear for each scenario with the renal pelvis able to tolerate the highest laser power and the renal calix the least power without injury. Conclusion: This study describes the methodology to determine parameter safety boundaries that can be used to guide proper selection of thermally safe laser settings and irrigation rates during ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy. This work provides a framework to assess the effectiveness of various strategies to control and mitigate thermal dose.
Linear and nonlinear surface waves in two-dimensional, hexagonal close-packed granular crystals

Granular crystals (GCs) are ordered arrays of spherical particles in contact, which have been shown to exhibit rich nonlinear dynamics stemming from Hertzian contact interactions. They are typically modeled as discrete networks of rigid body spheres, which may undergo translational and rotational motion, with Hertzian interactions modeled as effective nonlinear normal and shear springs. Most of the existing literature on GCs concerns one-dimensional chains of spheres, though a growing body of recent work has explored two-dimensional systems in linear and nonlinear regimes, with multiple packing geometries. In a recent analytical study, Rayleigh-like surface waves were shown to exist in the linear regime for two-dimensional GCs with square packing [Phys. Rev. E 93, 023008 (2016)]. In the present work, we report on surface waves in two-dimensional granular crystals with hexagonal close-packed (HCP) geometry. We demonstrate analytically that, in the linear regime, HCP GCs support Rayleigh-like surface waves analogous to the square-packed case, as well as a leaky surface wave mode with quasi-longitudinal polarization. Extensions of the linear surface modes into the nonlinear regime are demonstrated via numerical examples and compared to results from one-dimensional granular chains. [Work supported by the postdoctoral program at ARL:UT.]
Rapid evolution and horizontal gene transfer in the genome of a male-killing Wolbachia

Abstract Wolbachia are widespread bacterial endosymbionts that infect a large proportion of insect species. While some strains of this bacteria do not cause observable host phenotypes, many strains of Wolbachia have some striking effects on their hosts. In some cases, these symbionts manipulate host reproduction to increase the fitness of infected, transmitting females. Here we examine the genome and population genomics of a male-killing Wolbachia strain, wInn, that infects Drosophila innubila mushroom-feeding flies. We compared wInn to other closely-related Wolbachia genomes to understand the evolutionary dynamics of specific genes. The wInn genome is similar in overall gene content to wMel, but also contains many unique genes and repetitive elements that indicate distinct gene transfers between wInn and non-Drosophila hosts. We also find that genes in the Wolbachia prophage and Octomom regions are particularly rapidly evolving, including those putatively or empirically confirmed to be involved in host pathogenicity. Of the genes that rapidly evolve, many also show evidence of recent horizontal transfer among Wolbachia symbiont genomes, suggesting frequent movement of rapidly evolving regions among individuals. These dynamics of rapid evolution and horizontal gene transfer across the genomes of several Wolbachia strains and divergent host species may be important underlying factors in Wolbachia’s global success as a symbiont.
Alcohol Consumption during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey of US Adults.

Emerging but limited evidence suggests that alcohol consumption has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study assessed: (1) whether drinking behaviors changed during the pandemic; and, (2) how those changes were impacted by COVID-19-related stress. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey with a convenience sample of U.S. adults over 21 years in May 2020. We conducted adjusted linear regressions to assess COVID-19 stress and alcohol consumption, adjusting for gender, race, ethnicity, age, and household income. A total of 832 responded: 84% female, 85% White, and 72% ages 26–49. Participants reported consuming 26.8 alcohol drinks on 12.2 of the past 30 days. One-third of participants (34.1%) reported binge drinking and 7.0% reported extreme binge drinking. Participants who experienced COVID-19-related stress (versus not) reported consuming more drinks (β = 4.7; CI (0.2, 9.1); p = 0.040) and a greater number of days drinking (β = 2.4; CI (0.6, 4.1); p = 0.007). Additionally, 60% reported increased drinking but 13% reported decreased drinking, compared to pre-COVID-19. Reasons for increased drinking included increased stress (45.7%), increased alcohol availability (34.4%), and boredom (30.1%). Participants who reported being stressed by the pandemic consumed more drinks over a greater number of days, which raises concerns from both an individual and public health perspective.
A Review of Applications of Machine Learning in Mammography and Future Challenges.

Background The aim of this study is to systematically review the literature to summarize the evidence surrounding the clinical utility of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of mammography. Databases from PubMed, IEEE Xplore, and Scopus were searched for relevant literature. Studies evaluating AI models in the context of prediction and diagnosis of breast malignancies that also reported conventional performance metrics were deemed suitable for inclusion. From 90 unique citations, 21 studies were considered suitable for our examination. Data was not pooled due to heterogeneity in study evaluation methods. Summary Three studies showed the applicability of AI in reducing workload. Six studies demonstrated that AI can aid in diagnosis, with up to 69% reduction in false positives and an increase in sensitivity ranging from 84 to 91%. Five studies show how AI models can independently mark and classify suspicious findings on conventional scans, with abilities comparable with radiologists. Seven studies examined AI predictive potential for breast cancer and risk score calculation. Key Messages: Despite limitations in the current evidence base and technical obstacles, this review suggests AI has marked potential for extensive use in mammography. Additional works, including large-scale prospective studies, are warranted to elucidate the clinical utility of AI.
Hazardous industries and distributive environmental injustice in Ahmedabad, India

Urbanization in India has been characterized by declining environmental quality and increasing class and caste segregations. These trends suggest the need to analyze distributive injustices that si...
Livestock grazing, climatic variation, and breeding phenology jointly shape disease dynamics and survival in a wild amphibian

Abstract Wildlife responses to infectious disease can be influenced by environmental stressors that alter host-pathogen dynamics. We investigated how livestock grazing, climatic variation, and breeding phenology influence disease prevalence and annual survival in boreal toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas) populations challenged with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a fungal pathogen implicated in global amphibian declines. We conducted a five-year (2015–2019) capture-recapture study of boreal toads (n = 1301) inhabiting pastures grazed by cattle in western Wyoming, USA. We employed structural equation models to determine whether the effects of climatic variation on Bd prevalence were direct or mediated through effects on breeding phenology and multi-state models to explore the interplay of grazing, weather, and Bd infection on adult survival. Higher winter snowpack was linked with shorter spring breeding seasons, which were associated with lower Bd prevalence. Boreal toads infected with Bd suffered increased mortality, but only at relatively cool temperatures. Although cattle grazing created warmer microclimates, likely by reducing vegetation cover, grazing-induced habitat changes did not scale up to influence adult survival. Our results suggest that boreal toads in cooler environments face increased risk of disease-induced mortality, possibly because infected individuals are not able to elevate body temperature to reduce or clear infection. More generally, we demonstrate that host-pathogen dynamics can be shaped jointly by independent and interactive effects of livestock grazing, breeding season length, and climatic variation. Future investigations of wildlife responses to disease therefore may benefit from considering anthropogenic land use and climatic regimes, including the effect of weather on host phenology.
Phase-Change Material Micro-Displays

Here, we leverage Mie scattering resonances supported by an all-dielectric metasurface made of phase-change material GeSe 3 nanopillars to demonstrate nanoscale high-saturation color switching.
Highly efficient CoFe2O4 electrocatalysts prepared facilely by metal-organic decomposition process for the oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract The novel solution route based on metal-organic decomposition (MOD) process is successfully developed for a facile preparation of CoFe2O4. The electrocatalytic activity of CoFe2O4 for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) of electrochemical water splitting is investigated as a function of calcination temperature in the range between 300 and 450 °C. It is significantly found that a drastic cation redistribution in octahedral and tetrahedral sites within the spinel structure of 450 °C-calcinated CoFe2O4 p-type semiconductor leads to the dramatic enhancement in hole density and concomitant OER activity. The CoFe2O4 integrated on carbon fiber paper (CFP) exhibits high electrocatalytic performance, including an overpotential (η10) of 359 mV at10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 53.8 mV dec−1 in 1 M KOH aqueous solution. Based on this work, a design principle of the MOD solution process developed can be applied to preparation of a greater variety of compounds. Also, elucidation of structure-OER activity relationships in spinel-type CoFe2O4 electrocatalysts will be able to advance further.
REGULATING THE UNITED STATES RAILROADS: THE EFFECTS OF SUNK COSTS AND ASYMMETRIC RISK

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) applies the theory of contestable markets to regulate dominant railroad freight movements. The STB bases its determination whether railroad revenues are excessive if they would be more than sufficient to support investment in a hypothetical stand-alone railroad designed to handle the at-issue traffic efficiently. The STB regulatory approach does not take correct account of the importance of sunk costs and irreversible investments in the railroad industry. We estimate how large the mistakes can be by applying a real options approach that takes into account the effect of sunk costs, irreversible investment, and asymmetric returns.
Asymptotic Rejection of Periodic Disturbances with Uncertain Period

This paper considers the asymptotic rejection of periodic disturbances with uncertin period. It is assumed that the system dynamics are known and the disturbance is not measurable but is periodic with an uncertain or slowly varying period. A recursive scheme for identfying the period of a periodic signal is given. Two indirect adaptive digital repetitve control algorithms based on the identified period are given, one with fixed sampling time and variable period and the other with fixed period and variable sampling time. Simulation results show that the latter has better disturbance rejection performance because of the closer match of the repetitive controller period to the actual disturbance period.
Composites of γ + TaC in the Ni-Ta-C ternary system

The Ni−Ta−C ternary system has been studied at the Ni-rich end of the phase diagram. The investigation was directed toward developing a detailed picture of γ+TaC composites. Alloys were melted with Ta/C atomic ratios of 0.79 to 3.33 in an attempt to define the composition range that would produce two-phase γ+TaC eutectics. The liquidus trough rises in temperature across the ternary diagram moving away from the Ni−C eutectic (1320°C) and toward the Ni−Ni3Ta eutectic (1380°C). Bulk chemistries were determined for aligned regions to map the liquidus trough compositions. Ratios of Ta/C atoms varied from 1.3 to 8.8 in the aligned regions. Matrix composition was determined by electron microprobe analysis, and lattice parameters of extracted TaC fibers were measured by X-ray diffraction. Fiber compositions ranged from TaC0.99 to TaC0.97 as the Ta/C ratio of the aligned region increased. The matrix compositions and TaC stoichiometries were used to map tie-lines across the ternary diagram. Volume fraction and microstructural features of the TaC phase were also studied. The volume fraction of TaC decreased from 6.7 vol pct to 1.7 vol pct as Ta/C increased from 1.3 to 8.8. The decreasing volume fraction can be explained by a lever-arm rule application for the ternary phase diagram, based on the liquidus trough and tie-line compositions determined in this study. The TaC growth axis was in each case, but the carbide morphology changed progressively across the phase diagram. The change in morphology is primarily a consequence of the change in volume fraction. Implications of the findings of this study for more complex γ+MC eutectics will be discussed.
Crack opening stretch in a plate of finite width

The problem of a uniaxially stressed plate of finite width containing a centrally located “damage zone” is considered. It is assumed that the flaw may be represented by a part-through crack perpendicular to the plate surface, the net ligaments in the plane of the crack and through-the-thickness narrow strips ahead of the crack ends are fully yielded, and in the yielded sections the material may carry only a constant normal traction with magnitude equal to the yield strength. The problem is solved by neglecting the bending effects and the crack opening stretches at the center and the ends of the crack are obtained. Some applications of the results are indicated by using the concepts of critical crack opening stretch and constant slope plastic instability.
BDDC for nonsymmetric positive definite and symmetric indefinite problems

The balancing domain decomposition methods by constraints are extended to solving both nonsymmetric, positive definite and symmetric, indefinite linear systems. In both cases, certain nonstandard primal constraints are included in the coarse problems of BDDC algorithms to accelerate the convergence. Under the assumption that the subdomain size is small enough, a convergence rate estimate for the GMRES iteration is established showing that the rate is independent of the number of subdomains and depends only slightly on the subdomain problem size. Numerical experiments for several two-dimensional examples illustrate the fast convergence of the proposed algorithms.
Ground-State Radiation Widths for Resonant States in 57Fe

Because the radiative properties of a highly excited nuclear state in the continuum are described by its partial widths for radiative decay, a substantial experimental effort has been focused on their study. Neutron capture data have provided most of the information available for radiative transitions in the 7– 11-MeV region. Recently, high-resolution studies of photoneutron spectra at threshold1,2 have become a promising source of information. Nuclear states of interest are excited by photon absorption from a bremsstrahlung beam of very precisely determined maximum energy and are observed through their decay by neutron emission. With this photon-energy definition, excitation can be limited to a band of excited levels just above the neutron binding energy; and these levels can decay by neutron emission only to the ground state of the daughter nucleus. Because the total yield for each level is given by 2π2λ2gΓγ0 Γn /Γ and Γn /Γ≈ 1, Γγ0 can be determined from the resonance areas? In the work presented here, we have determined the ground-state radiation width Γγ0 for neutron resonances in the range 20– 700 keV in 57Fe by measuring the photoneutron cross section for 57Fe(γ,n) near threshold with high resolution. Our analysis of the data emphasizes problems which, in the past, have been studied in resonance neutron capture — namely, the determination of resonance spins and parities, radiative strength functions, distributions of ground-state radiation widths, and testing for possible correlations between neutron and radiative widths.
Functional implications of liver cell heterogeneity

Some of the functions of the liver, such as the uptake, metabolism, synthesis, and biliary secretion of compounds have generally been studied either at the level of the entire organ or at the intracellular level. Actually, many of these experiments have started with a well-prepared liver homogenate, from which many of the biochemical characteristics of hepatocytes have been defined. The liver cell, however, functions within the environment of a microvascular unit, the hepatic acinus, which provides conditions for cell heterogeneity. The distribution of blood flow is such that the progressive removal of solutes between the acinar inlet and outlet will generate solute concentration gradients in sinusoidal blood as well as cellular concentration gradients between hepatocytes. The contribution of acinar hepatocytes to the transport and metabolism of compounds will thus be different depending on the geographic location of the cells with respect to the incoming blood. In addition, the existence of intrinsic cellular differences among the various acinar zones will also modify the zonal contribution to these functions. Within this context, liver function can be seen as the overall expression of intracellular events occurring with different intensity in each cellular zone of this microvascular unit. The danger of overlooking the fact that hepatocytes function within the framework of a functional and structural unit has been clearly expressed by Wilson: “In the thinking of biochemists and physiologists, and sometimes of cytologists, the liver cell has become dangerously near of being The Cell, the typical cell, and with good reason, because
Sets of sampling and interpolation in Bergman spaces

Properties of the unions of sampling and interpolation sets for Bergman spaces are discussed in conjunction with the examples given by Seip [9]. Their relationship to the classical interpolation sequences is explored. In addition, the role played by canonical divisors in the study of these sets is examined and an example of a sampling set is constructed in the disk. §
A review of Camelops (Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Camelidae), a giant llama from the Middle and Late Pleistocene (Irvingtonian and Rancholabrean) of North America

Camelops is a giant llama from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of western North America. Of the 17 species (most, if not all, from the Irvingtonian and Rancholabrean North American Land Mammal Ages) t...
Survivors perceptions of stakeholders and the 2009 South Pacific tsunami

Purpose – Near-field tsunamis provide short warning periods of equal to 30 minutes, which can complicate at-risk individuals’ protective action decisions. In the face of a tsunami, people may turn to individuals such as friends, family, neighbors, or organizations such as the media to obtain warning information to help facilitate evacuation and/or to seek protection from the hazard. To characterize norms for protection action behavior during a near-field tsunami, the purpose of this paper is to explore American Samoan residents’ perceptions of four social stakeholder groups on three characteristics – tsunami knowledge, trustworthiness, and protection responsibility – regarding the September 29, 2009, Mw 8.1 earthquake and tsunami in American Samoa. Design/methodology/approach – The social stakeholder groups were the respondents themselves, their peers, officials, and media. Mean ratings revealed that respondents rated themselves highest for tsunami knowledge and protection against the tsunami but rated pe...
Recent testing of x band PPM klystrons at the Klystron Department at SLAC

Klystrons capable of driving accelerator sections in the Next Linear Collider have been developed at SLAC during the last decade. The latest specification for these tubes, as of June 2003, is shown. In addition to fourteen 50 MW solenoid focused devices, eight Periodic Permanent Magnet focused (PPM) devices have been tested including a 50 MW klystron, two diodes, an initial 500 kV 75 MW klystron, and 4 more 75 MW tubes. Testing of the first 75 MW device was completed in 1999, attaining 80 MW with 3 /spl mu/s pulses but with a very low duty cycle. Beam transmission must be excellent in such devices in order to gain predictable and stable performance, reduce radiation intensity, keep thermal issues manageable and increase lifetime. Magnet quality and fabrication tolerances have been strong issues during tube development. Knowledge of the beam transmission during testing is difficult due to noise and calibration issues. Our later experiments have included drift tubes which are thermally mapped by including thermocouples into the design.
Longitudinal loading and cascading failure assessment for transmission line upgrades

In this study, transmission line reliability levels are defined using the simplified risk assessment method developed in the "Cascading Failure Risk Assessment" (CASE) project. The CASE project constituted an investigation into the nature of the extreme loads that occur in cascading failures and the corresponding line response. The CASE investigation focused on the effects of a triggering event on a transmission line's integrity rather than the cause for the initial failure. The goals of the project were to identify and/or develop a method to predict extreme event longitudinal load magnitudes and to assess the cascading potential of a line when subjected to such loads.
The long non-coding RNA HOTTIP enhances pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, survival and migration

HOTTIP is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) transcribed from the 5′ tip of the HOXA locus and is associated with the polycomb repressor complex 2 (PRC2) and WD repeat containing protein 5 (WDR5)/mixed lineage leukemia 1 (MLL1) chromatin modifying complexes. HOTTIP is expressed in pancreatic cancer cell lines and knockdown of HOTTIP by RNA interference (siHOTTIP) in Panc1 pancreatic cancer cells decreased proliferation, induced apoptosis and decreased migration. In Panc1 cells transfected with siHOTTIP, there was a decrease in expression of 757 genes and increased expression of 514 genes, and a limited gene analysis indicated that HOTTIP regulation of genes is complex. For example, Aurora kinase A, an important regulator of cell growth, is coregulated by MLL and not WDR5 and, in contrast to previous studies in liver cancer cells, HOTTIP does not regulate HOXA13 but plays a role in regulation of several other HOX genes including HOXA10, HOXB2, HOXA11, HOXA9 and HOXA1. Although HOTTIP and the HOX-associated lncRNA HOTAIR have similar pro-oncogenic functions, they regulate strikingly different sets of genes in Panc1 cells and in pancreatic tumors.
Simplified Interior Ballistics Analysis of a Hybrid Projectile Prototype

Structural analysis is a critical aspect in the successful design of tube launched projectiles, such as mortar rounds. Ongoing research conducted at West Virginia University has focused on a Hybrid Projectile (HP), folding-wing UAV design inspired by mortars. This has driven the necessity of a structural analysis of the prototype design to provide vital feedback to designers to ensure that the HP is likely to survive the act of launching. Due to the extreme accelerations during the launching phase, a typical mortar round experiences dramatic impulse loads for an extremely brief duration of time. Such loads are the result of the propellant combustion process. Thermodynamic-based interior ballistic computations have been formulated and were used to solve the dynamic equations of motion that govern the system. Modern ballistic programs solve these equations by modeling the combustion of the propellant. However, mathematical procedures for such analyses require complex models to attain accurate results. Consequently, the objective of this research was to create a ballistic program that could evaluate interior ballistics by using archived pressure-time data without having to simulate the propellant combustion. A program routine created for this purpose reduces the complexity of calculations to be performed and minimizes computational effort, while maintaining a reasonable degree of accuracy for the motion dynamics results (temporal position, velocity, acceleration of the projectile). Additionally, the program routine was used to produce a mathematical model describing the pressure as a function of time, which could be used as loading conditions for more advanced explicit-dynamic finite element simulations to evaluate the transient response and stress wave propagation of the prototype and individual payload components. Such simulations remove uncertainties related to the transient loads needed to assess the structural integrity of the projectile and its components.© 2012 ASME
Phenomenal complexity theory and change at DisneyResponse to Letiche

This article develops an example of Letiche’s article on phenomenal complexity by contrasting academic research projects that have contradictory findings concerning Disney. Some academics think Disney is unfairly critiqued while others think that Disney escapes. Phenomenal complexity theory is used to explain the disparate results.
Hybrid (Φ,Ψ,ρ,ζ,θ)-invexity frameworks and efficiency conditions for multiobjective fractional programming problems

The parametrically generalized sufficient efficiency conditions for mult iobjective fractional programming based on the hybrid (Φ,Ψ,ρ,ζ,θ)-invexities are developed and then efficient solutions to the multiobjective fractional programming problems are established. Plus, the obtained results on sufficient efficiency condition s are generalized to the case of the ǫ-efficient solutions. The results thus obtained generalize and unify a wider range of investigations on the theory and applications to the multiobjective fractional programming based on the hybrid (Φ,Ψ,ρ,ζ,θ)-invexity frameworks.
Were Archean continental geothermal gradients much steeper than those of today

ARCHEAN geothermal gradients have often been supposed to be much steeper than those of today1 –6. Because heat generation from the decay of radioactive nuclides in the Earth was then much greater4,7,8, extra heat, if it escaped by conduction, must have been carried along steeper thermal gradients. Significant measurements of terrestrial conductive thermal gradients are very difficult to obtain, and estimates of thermal gradients in the past are even harder to make. Estimates made from igneous and metamorphic rock occurrences are of limited value both because igneous rocks occur at levels in the earth shallower by unknown amounts than those at which they form and because nearly all igneous and metamorphic rocks are formed at plate boundaries where thermal gradients are much steeper than within plates. In plate margin areas, advective and convective processes dominate so that the normal conductive gradient of the lithosphere can only be measured or estimated in areas away from plate boundaries. We show here that the rocks of the Superior Province (formed roughly in the interval 3,100–2,500 Myr ago) were not subjected to steep regional geothermal gradients after their assembly into a continent by lateral accretion of island arcs8, and hence that the extra Archean heat escaped the Earth in some way other than by conduction through the continent. We suggest that this escape was mainly by cooling of the ocean floor as a boundary conduction layer.
African-American Ethnicity and Cardiovascular Risk Factors are Related to Aortic Pulse-Wave Velocity Progression

Background Accelerated central arterial stiffening as represented by progression of aortic pulse-wave velocity (PWV) may be influenced by cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Little is known about the relationships between CVD risk factors and PWV progression among women transitioning through the menopause, or whether these relationships vary by ethnicity. Methods We conducted a subgroup analysis of 303 African-American and Caucasian participants in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Heart Study which received PWV scans at baseline examination and at a follow-up examination at an average of 2.3 years later. CVD risk factors were also assessed at baseline. Results Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and waist circumference were the strongest predictors of PWV progression, after adjustment for age, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), glucose, and triglyceride levels. The magnitude of the influence of SBP, DBP, LDL-C, and glucose on PWV progression varied by ethnicity (difference in slopes: P = 0.02 for SBP, P = 0.0009 for DBP, P = 0.005 for LDL-C, and P = 0.02 for glucose). The positive relationship between SBP and PWV progression was significant among women of both ethnicities. LDL-C, DBP, and, to a lesser extent, glucose levels were positively associated with PWV progression only among African Americans. Conclusions Blood pressure, LDL-C, glucose, and excess body size may be important targets for improving vascular health and preventing clinical outcomes related to arterial stiffening, particularly among African-American women.
An Exploratory Comparison of Ethical Perceptions of Mexican and U.S. Marketers

This is a study of the effects of a number of background variables on ethical perceptions of Mexican and U.S. marketers. This research investigates how a marketer’s personal religiousness, relativism, and the ethical values influence in perceptions of the degree of ethical problems in hypothetical marketing scenarios. It also examines differences between Mexican and U.S. marketers on these variables. The results show significant differences in perception between the countries, and we discuss the implications of these differences for cross-cultural business activities.