cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicate Detection to Solve Combinatorial Optimization Problems

We present a method to design parallel algorithms for constrained combinatorial optimization problems. Our method solves and generalizes many classical combinatorial optimization problems including the stable marriage problem, the shortest path problem and the market clearing price problem. These three problems are solved in the literature using Gale-Shapley algorithm, Dijkstra's algorithm, and Demange, Gale, Sotomayor algorithm. Our method solves all these problems by casting them as searching for an element that satisfies an appropriate predicate in a distributive lattice. Moreover, it solves generalizations of all these problems --- namely finding the optimal solution satisfying additional constraints called lattice-linear predicates. For stable marriage problems, an example of such a constraint is that Peter's regret is less than that of Paul. For shortest path problems, an example of such a constraint is that cost of reaching vertex v1 is at least the cost of reaching vertex v2. For the market clearing price problem, an example of such a constraint is that item1 is priced at least as much as item2. Our algorithm, called Lattice-Linear Predicate Detection (LLP) can be implemented in parallel without any locks or compare-and-set instructions. It just assumes atomicity of reads and writes.
Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in an 11-year-old with multiple peripheral artery aneurysms.

Abstract Pediatric abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are rarely encountered in clinical practice. The combination of a pediatric AAA in a patient with multiple peripheral artery aneurysms is even more rare. We report the management of an 11-year-old boy who presented with a ruptured AAA who also had multiple peripheral arterial aneurysms. Infectious, genetic, and inflammatory workup was negative, classifying this aneurysm as congenital.
L2 learning of opaque Chinese compounds through elaborative encoding

Abstract Chinese compounds consist of two to four characters but function as single word. If the compounds are semantically opaque and contain unfamiliar characters, learners will resort to learning them individually by rote. However, given the large number of Chinese compounds, rote learning can place an excessive burden on memory. To facilitate L2 learning of opaque Chinese compounds, the present study proposes a method called elaborative encoding. In this study, L2 learners were given a booklet with 26 two-character opaque compounds. With elaborative encoding, participants learned the English meanings of the compounds through short metaphorical explanations. With rote memorization, participants learned the compounds’ English meanings without any explanation. To test the effects of elaborative encoding, a Chinese-to-English translation task was conducted immediately after training, five days later, and 14 days later. The results showed elaborative encoding was superior to rote memorization in retaining the meanings of the opaque compounds.
Comparative Democracy Redux: The Economic Development Thesis 1972-2014

This paper replicates the analysis conducted in Burkhart and Lewis-Beck (1994), using current statistical software, where economic development demonstrates a causal relationship to democracy in an extensive cross-national dataset from 1972-1989, even in the face of strong control variables such as regime history and world-system position. It extends those findings with a dataset of approximately 120 countries from 1972-2014, largely confirming the previously published findings.
RainCube and its legacy for the next generation of spaceborne cloud and precipitation radars

The multidimensional challenge of observing cloud and precipitation processes from space has motivated and focused a number of technological developments in the last decade. They span from novel compact instrument architectures to modular millimeter wave phased array solutions. In this paper we summarize the main capabilities offered by three instruments from this new generation, and discuss how they affect formulation of future observing systems.
Educology Is Interdisciplinary: What Is It? Why Do We Need It? Why Should We Care?

Education provides guided and intended learning across various human disciplines. The result of disciplined inquiry about education is distinct from the process of education itself. If adequate, educational research should result in knowledge about education—that is, educology. Educology is needed to improve education, in contrast to trial-and-error approaches. Education should not only become more effective; it should also become more worthwhile. Not all effective education is worthwhile. Education can be instrumentally valuable but lack intrinsic value. We should avoid effective yet bad education. Instead, we should seek worthwhile education—that is both instrumentally and intrinsically good. Worthwhile education should be designed to improve the quality of life for everyone everywhere.
The Impact of Rapid Infuser Use on the Platelet Count, Platelet Function, and Hemostatic Potential of Whole Blood.

Abstract Background Rapid infusion pumps employing filters, roller pumps, and heat exchangers for the administration of blood products are not approved for platelets or cryoprecipitate. This technology may decrease platelet count and degrade coagulation proteins. The effect of rapid infusers on the hemostatic potential of whole blood is unknown. Methods Five units of low titer O+ whole blood were obtained from anonymous donors. Each unit was subjected to infusion by five different techniques: (1) gravity infusion without a filter, (2) gravity infusion with a filter, (3) Belmont rapid infuser at 70 mL/min, (4) Belmont at 100 mL/min, and (5) pressurized infusion with a pneumatic pressure bag and filter. After infusion, platelet count, platelet function, thrombin generation, and hemostatic potential were measured for each aliquot. Infusion techniques were compared, using gravity infusion without a filter as the control. Results There was a significant decrease in platelet count from baseline (168,000) in the BELMONT70 (97,000) and BELMONT100 (94,000) groups (P 0.20). While there were no differences in thromboelastography parameters between control and infusion models (all P > 0.20), there were significant increases in thrombin generation parameters by CAT in both the BELMONT70 and BELMONT100 groups (all P Conclusions The use of a rapid infuser decreases the platelet count of WB but does not decrease platelet function or overall hemostatic potential. In fact, thrombin generation and thrombin potential are actually increased. Rapid infusers are safe for the transfusion of WB.
Analysis of time-to-disposition intervals during early and late parts of an emergency department shift.

Abstract Introduction Time-to-disposition is an important metric for emergency department throughput. We hypothesized that providers view the shift end as a key timepoint and attempt to leave as few dispositions as possible to the oncoming team, thereby making quicker decisions later in the shift. This study evaluates disposition distribution relative to when patients are assigned a provider during the course of a shift. Methods 50,802 cases were analyzed over the one-year study interval. 31,869 patients were seen in the early half of a shift (hours 1–4) and 18,933 were seen in the later half (hours 5+). We ran a linear mixed model that adjusted for age, gender, emergency severity index score, time of day, weekend arrivals, quarter of arrival and shift type. Results Median time-to-disposition for the early group was 3.25 h (IQR 1.90–5.04), and 2.62 h (IQR 1.51–4.31) for the late group. From our mixed model, we conclude that in the later parts of the shift, providers take on average 15.1% less time to make a disposition decision than in the earlier parts of the shift. Conclusion Patients seen during the latter half of a shift were more likely to have a shorter time-to-disposition than similar patients seen in the first half of a shift. This may be influenced by many factors, such as providers spending the early hours of a shift seeing new patients which generate new tasks and delay dispositions, and viewing the end of shift as a landmark with a goal to maximize dispositions prior to sign-out.
Remote Oxidative Activation of a [Cp*Rh] Monohydride

Half-sandwich rhodium monohydrides are often proposed as intermediates in catalysis, but little is known regarding the redox-induced reactivity accessible to these species. Here, the κ2-bis-diphenylphosphinoferrocene (dppf) ligand has been used to explore the reactivity that can be induced when a [Cp*Rh] monohydride undergoes remote (dppf-centered) oxidation by 1e–. Chemical and electrochemical studies showed that one-electron redox chemistry is accessible to Cp*Rh(dppf), including a unique quasi-reversible RhII/I process at –0.96 V vs. ferrocenium/ferrocene (Fc+/0). This redox manifold was confirmed by isolation of an uncommon Rh(II) species that was characterized by EPR spectroscopy. Protonation of Cp*Rh(dppf) with anilinium triflate yielded an isolable and inert monohydride, and this species was found to undergo a quasireversible electrochemical oxidation at +0.41 V vs Fc+/0 that corresponds to iron-centered oxidation in the dppf backbone. Thermochemical analysis predicts that this dppf-centered oxidation drives a dramatic increase in acidity of the Rh–H moiety by 23 pKa units, a reactivity pattern confirmed by in situ 1H NMR studies. Taken together, these results show that remote oxidation can effectively induce M–H activation and suggest that ligand-centered redox activity could be an attractive feature for design of new systems relying on hydride intermediates.
Electoral Systems and Political Context: How Democratic Experience and Party System Development Condition the Effect of Electoral Rules on Strategic Defection

In Chapter 4, we showed that there is significant variation in the number of parties under different electoral rules and political contexts, but we did not demonstrate the mechanisms – such as strategic defection by voters and elites – that underpin the different results we found. In Chapter 5, we began to show how rules and context shape strategic defection by voters under SMD rules, but the existence of a “personal” vote often obscured our view of much of the strategic voting that probably did occur. In this chapter, we introduce a different approach, which we use to highlight more directly how political context – most notably, democratic experience and party system development – conditions the impact of SMD rules on strategic defection in mixed-member electoral systems. Specifically, we use Cox's (e.g., 1997) “SF ratio” measure (usually the vote total of the third-place contestant [the “ S econd loser”] divided by the vote total of the second-place contestant [the “ F irst loser’]) to help draw inferences about strategic defection under particular electoral rules. As we do throughout this book, we use mixed-member systems to gain analytical leverage on electoral system effects. In this chapter we examine patterns of strategic defection in mixed-member systems in 41 elections in 11 different countries, considering how SF ratio patterns within a given country differ between the SMD and PR tiers of mixed-member systems. We show how SF ratio patterns in SMDs – unlike those in PR – often highlight the presence of strategic behavior, presumably because many voters and elites, when facing a competitive district race, transfer their support from candidates/parties who are unlikely to win to one of the top two contestants.
Age sample sizes and their effects on growth estimation and stock assessment outputs: Three case studies from U.S. West Coast fisheries

Age estimates are often used as conditional age-at-length (CAAL) data in stock assessment models to internally estimate growth and other life history parameters of fish populations. Obtaining sufficient numbers of age estimates is not a trivial task, as it requires considerable sampling effort, the development of aging criteria, the validation of age observations, and, finally, the production aging of sufficient numbers of age structures to inform the assessment models. In this study, we evaluated the influence of CAAL data in several assessment models of West Coast groundfish, by both randomly selecting only portions of available CAAL data and by selecting intermittent numbers of years of CAAL data for inclusion in models. These sensitivity tests were conducted on recent stock assessment models for Blackgill Rockfish (Sebastes melanostomus), Bocaccio (Sebastes paucispinis), and Pacific Sanddab (Citharichthys sordidus), as these three species represent a fairly wide range of life history types. The results showed that for the Bocaccio model, the assessment outputs from model runs with reduced numbers of CAAL data were very comparable with the model run with all available data. However, when CAAL data were reduced, the Blackgill and Sanddab models estimated different spawning outputs, stock depletions, and growth functions. Reducing CAAL data in these two models also resulted in larger estimation uncertainties in the assessment outputs. Overall, our results suggest that it is important to obtain more age data from long-lived species over as long a time span as possible, and aging samples from intermittent years may be considered if there are constraints in time or effort to age all available samples.
Methylene: A Personal Perspective

Efforts to unravel the electronic and geometric structure of the methylene molecule are presented from a personal perspective.
Deregulating markets and fast-changing technology: Public policy towards telecommunications in a turbulent setting

Abstract Deregulation of the telecommunications industry is creating challenges for public policy that must be future-oriented yet socially responsible. This paper discusses theoretical and practical issues in designing public policy that balance competing and sometimes conflicting demands of consumer welfare, regional or national competitiveness and corporate efficiency. Using Rhode Island as a case study, selected research findings are used to supplement the discussion on ways in which public policy efforts are underway in various parts of the world.
Mapping Data, Geographic Information Systems

This chapter offers an introduction to geographic information systems (GIS) and provides examples of how this approach to data visualization can help evaluators better understand the context in which they are working, conduct a deeper analysis of the data, and communicate using maps to illustrate important findings and patterns. The chapter also discusses the limitations of this approach and offers suggestions for those interested in integrating GIS in their evaluation practice. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association.
Credit Rationing and Exchange-Rate Stabilization: Examining the Relation between Financial Frictions, Exchange-Rate Volatility, Lending Rates, and Capital Inflows

This paper develops and tests a model of the relation between the volatility of the exchange rate, default rates, the level of interest rates on loans, and the availability of credit, laying emphasis on frictions in the financial market, specifically foreclosure costs to collecting bad debts. On the assumption that foreign sources of funds are crucial for domestic finance, the paper tests the hypothesis of a high positive relation between the volatility of the exchange rate and the lending rate, and between the volatility of the exchange rate and capital inflows, on a sample of 54 countries over 1980-2000. The paper finds that exchange-rate and macroeconomic volatility are strong predictors of capital inflows (but not of lending rates) and that there may be an important role for financial frictions in the transmission process. Moreover, the paper finds that episodes of disinflation that rely on a reduction of the rate of depreciation tend to be accompanied by lower exchange rate volatility (in addition to simply lower rates of devaluation). Both effects, but principally the latter through financial frictions, suggest a solution to the lack of connection between the theory and the stylized facts of exchange rate-based stabilizations: ERBS programs may lead to initial booms through should cause a significant rise in the availability of credit, even if the cost of credit does not fall by much.
Response of the Extract-Release Volume and Water-Holding Capacity Phenomena to Microbiologically Spoiled Beef and Aged Beef

The aging of ground beef was effected by storing in gas-impermeable, sterile plastic bags with incubation at 7 and 15 C. Control meat from the same preparations was wrapped in aluminum foil and stored at the same temperature. In three experiments where control meat was tested, aged meat did not attain a log bacterial number of ca. 8.4 per gram until an average of 6 days after this level was reached in control meats. This degree of difference was shown in values for both extract-release volume (ERV) and water-holding capacity. The previously reported ERV value of around 25, which was found to correspond to an average log bacterial number of ca. 8.5 per gram for ground beef allowed to spoil in aluminum foil and freezer paper, was approximated for aged meats, which required an average of 9.7 days to attain this number compared with 4.1 days for unaged meats. Plate count methods indicated the predominant flora of aged beef to be gram-negative, facultatively psychrophilic rods.
Resource allocation for yield learning in semiconductor manufacturing

We consider performance modeling of yield learning in semiconductor manufacturing. Attention is restricted to the learning of defect reduction in the wafer fabrication stage of IC production. The performance measures of primary interest are the rate of yield improvement and the return on investment for defect reduction strategies. Based on the inputs from fabs, we describe the defect reduction process and learning cycle, and model it to optimize the economic benefits of fast yield improvement. Potential approaches to analyze the model are proposed. We discuss the impact of resources deployed for yield learning on fab performance.
Bitter taste transduced by PLC-β2-dependent rise in IP3 and α-gustducin-dependent fall in cyclic nucleotides

Current evidence points to the existence of multiple processes for bitter taste transduction. Previous work demonstrated involvement of the polyphosphoinositide system and an α-gustducin (Gαgust)-m...
Occupation-Based Activity Analysis

Occupation-Based Activity Analysis is an excellent resource intended to provide occupational therapy students with the knowledge and skills necessary to examine the internal and external dimensions...
Polyhomologation. A Living Polymethylene Synthesis

The linear hydrocarbon polymethylene differs from polyethylene in that the polymer chain is built up one carbon at a time. Polymethylene has been synthesized by the catalyzed polymerization of diazomethane.1 We report a new polymerization reaction, polyhomologation, for the synthesis of polymethylene. The reaction utilizes methodology developed for the homologation of organoboranes. Application of this chemistry to polymer synthesis is unprecedented.
Complications in Pediatric Tracheostomies

Objective: To examine complications of pediatric tracheostomy. Study Design: Retrospective. Methods: Chart review of children undergoing tracheotomy or laryngeal diversion between 1990 and 1999. Results: Charts of 142 children were examined. Average age was 2.64 years (standard deviation [SD], 4.73 y) at surgery. Duration of tracheostomy was 2.08 years (SD, 1.72 y) for those decannulated, 3.12 years (SD, 2.5 y) for those still with a stoma, and length of follow-up for the whole group was 4.14 years (SD, 8.69 y). At last follow-up, 56% had a tracheostomy, 29% had none, and 15% had died; one death was tracheostomy-related. Three percent had intraoperative complications, 11% had complications before the first tracheostomy tube change, and 63% had complications after the first tube change. Thirty-four percent had a trial of decannulation; 85% of these were successful. Fifty-four percent of those decannulated had complications. Number of complications was not related to duration of follow-up. In-hospital mortality was congruent to mortality predicted by PRISM (Pediatric Rate of Mortality) scores. Conclusions: Forty-three percent had serious complications involving loss of the tracheostomy airway (tube occlusion or accidental decannulation) or requiring a separate surgical procedure. Deaths directly attributable to tracheostomy complications occurred in 0.7%.
Mental Health Clinicians’ Beliefs About the Biological, Psychological, and Environmental Bases of Mental Disorders

The current experiments examine mental health clinicians’ beliefs about biological, psychological, and environmental bases of the DSM-IV-TR mental disorders and the consequences of those causal beliefs for judging treatment effectiveness. Study 1 found a large negative correlation between clinicians’ beliefs about biological bases and environmental/psychological bases, suggesting that clinicians conceptualize mental disorders along a single continuum spanning from highly biological disorders (e.g., autistic disorder) to highly nonbiological disorders (e.g., adjustment disorders). Study 2 replicated this finding by having clinicians list what they thought were the specific causes of nine familiar mental disorders and rate their bio–psycho–environmental bases. Study 3 further found that clinicians believe medication to be more effective for biologically based mental disorders and psychotherapy to be more effective for psychosocially based mental disorders. These results demonstrate that even expert mental health clinicians make strong distinctions between psychological and biological phenomena.
An Innovative Compiler For Programming And Designing Real-Time Signal Processors

Real time signal processing tasks impose stringent requirements on computing systems. One approach to satisfying these demands is to employ intelligently interconnected multiple arithmetic units, such as multipliers, adders, logic units and others, to implement concurrent computations. Two problems emerge: 1) Programming: Programs with wide instruction words have to be developed to exercise the multiple arithmetic units fully and efficiently to meet the real-time processing loads; 2) Design: With a given set of real-time signal processing tasks, design procedures are needed to specify multiple arithmetic units and their interconnection schemes for the processor. This paper presents a compiler which provides a solution to the programming and design problems. The compiler that has been developed translates blocks of RISC-like instructions into programs of wide microinstructions; each of these microinstructions initiates many concurrently executable operations. In so doing, we seek to achieve the maximum utilization of execution resources and to complete processing tasks in minimum time. The compiler is based on an innovative "Dispatch Stack" concept, and has been applied to program Floating Point System(FPS) processors; the resulting program for computing inner-product and other signal processing tasks are as good as those obtained by laborious hand-compilation. We will then show that the compiler developed for programming can be used advantageously to design real-time signal processing systems with multiple arithmetic units.
On the interpretation of mössbauer effect spectra as related to the constitution of CuNiFe alloys

Abstract Iron Mossbauer effect data are presented for copper-rich CuNiFe alloys containing up to 53 at % Ni and up to 8 at. % Fe. The problem of interpreting the complex Mossbauer effect spectra in these alloys is discussed in great detail. Phase separation, precipitation and effects of heat treatments are analyzed. A new feature of the Mossbauer spectrum for rapidly quenched Fe in Cu is reported. The use of an external magnetic field is shown to be an aid in identification of spectral features. The possibility of relevance to the Weiss theory of γ 1 -, γ 2 - Fe is noted. Results in Cu—Fe give a new upper limit of 2 at. % for the maximum solubility of Fe in Cu for samples quenched from the melt or from 1000°C.
Real-Time Central Demand Response for Primary Frequency Regulation in Microgrids

Providing ancillary services for future smart microgrid can be a challenging task because of lack of conventional automatic generation control (AGC) and spinning reserves, and expensive storage devices. In addition, strong motivation to increase the penetration of renewable energy in power systems, particularly at the distribution level, introduces new challenges for frequency and voltage regulation. Thus, increased attention has been focused on demand response (DR), especially in the smart grid environment, where two-way communication and customer participation are part of. This paper presents a comprehensive central DR algorithm for frequency regulation, while minimizing the amount of manipulated load, in a smart microgrid. Simulation studies have been carried out on an IEEE 13-bus standard distribution system operating as a microgrid with and without variable wind generation. Simulation results show that the proposed comprehensive DR control strategy provides frequency (and consequently voltage) regulation as well as minimizing the amount of manipulated responsive loads in the absence/presence of wind power generation.
Engineered SMR catalysts based on hydrothermally stable, porous, ceramic supports for microchannel reactors

A novel engineered, porous, ceramic, catalyst support for stable, high temperature (>800 °C) steam methane reforming operation was demonstrated with a rhodium catalyst. The support was designed for operation in microchannel reactors. Typically high temperature alloys such as FeCrAlY or 600 series nickel-based alloys are used as structural supports that are wash-coated with catalyst-impregnated, high surface area, ceramic powders. The hydrothermal conditions used for methane steam reforming create several material challenges that interfere with the performance of metallic supports: corrosive degradation of the metal, delamination of the wash-coated catalyst from the metal support, and accelerated sintering of the high-surface area ceramic powder used to disperse the metal catalysts. Additionally, undesirable side reactions such as coke formation promoted by the support metal typically necessitate operating SMR reactions at higher than equilibrium steam to carbon ratios. The engineered, porous, ceramic support with Rh catalyst was tested at a steam to carbon ratio of 1:1, a contact time of 27 ms, and temperatures up to 900 °C. Near equilibrium conversion and selectivity were achieved. It was found that there was no degradation or sintering observed in the engineered, porous, ceramic support, the catalyst did not delaminate from the support, nor was any coke formation detected after 100 h time-on-stream (TOS) under these reaction conditions.
Alterations in ultrasound scattering following thermal ablation in ex vivo bovine liver

Thermal ablation is a minimally invasive cancer treatment which has been rapidly gaining clinical acceptance. It is well known that thermal ablation increases the acoustic attenuation and shear modulus of tissue. In this work, we examine changes to the spatial distribution of scatterers in liver tissue following thermal ablation. Acoustic scatterers within liver tissue have frequently been modeled as pseudo-periodic. The positions of pseudo-periodic scatterers have been Gamma distributed along the beam dimension, and these scatterers are characterized by their mean scatterer spacing (MSS). Prior work have demonstrated significant changes in MSS due to diffuse liver disease, such as steatosis progressing to cirrhosis. However, relatively few results have been reported regarding changes in MSS following thermal ablation. In this study, we estimated MSS in ex vivo bovine liver by detecting local maxima in spectral coherence functions calculated using Thomson's multi-taper method. We examined a large number of uncorrelated regions of interest recorded from five normal bovine livers (∼300 images from each animal). We also examined a large number of ROI's from five bovine livers following thermal coagulation. All bovine livers were obtained from a commercial meat production facility immediately following animal sacrifice and imaged within 12 hours. Thermal coagulation was induced by heating liver in saline water baths at 80° C for 45 minutes. For normal, unheated liver an MSS of approximately 1.5 mm was estimated. Following thermal ablation, an MSS of approximately 0.5 mm in thermally coagulated tissue was obtained. Frequently, studies estimating MSS in liver tissue provide an MSS estimate regardless of the state of tissue. Authors rarely present what their MSS estimation algorithm would produce if it were applied to tissue which is better modeled as a collection of uniformly, randomly distributed scatterers lacking periodicity. In this study, we found that thermal coagulation results in a loss of periodicity. The MSS of 0.5 mm corresponds to the value that a spectral coherence-based MSS algorithm would produce if presented with a signal that was generated from uniform, randomly distributed scatterers.
Isoflavones from Xanthocercis zambesiaca

Abstract In addition to the previously described 7-hydroxy-8,4′-dimethoxy- and 7,3′-dihydroxy-8,4′-dimethoxy-isoflavone the heartwood of Xanthocercis zambesiaca has been shown to contain 7-hydroxy-8,3′,4′-trimethoxy-,3′,4′-dimethoxy-6,7-methylenedioxy- and 8,3′,4′-trimethoxy-6,7-methylenedioxy-isoflavone. A technique of determining isoflavone hydroxylation patterns by deuterium labelling is described.
Analysis of bovine herpesvirus 4 (DN 599) major antigens with monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal immune serum

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and polyclonal immune sera were produced and used to identify the major antigens of bovine herpesvirus type 4 (BHV-4). SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of immunoprecipitates of radiolabeled lysates from infected cells resolved 24 peptide bands varying from 12kDa to over 300kDa. Six peptides were identified as major viral antigens by immunoprecipitation. Based on the pattern of radioimmunoprecipitation, MAbs were assigned into four groups. Group 1 precipitated a tunicamycinsensitive glycoprotein complex which contained six components (245, 190, 152, 123, and 48/46kDa). Deglycosylation with endoglycosidase F revealed two peptides with Mr of 93 and 38kDa as the basic peptides of the glycoprotein complex. In addition, a 115kDa glycopeptide containing glycan-peptide bonds of mixed type was identified. Group 2 precipitated a non-glycosylated protein complex consisting of three monomers (33/31/30kDa). Groups 3 and 4 reacted with single monomeric non-glycosylated peptides with Mr of 48 and 14kDa, respectively. Although none of the MAbs exhibited significant neutralizing activity, some reacted strongly in immunosorbent and/or immunohistochemical assays, suggesting they may be good candidates for use in diagnostic assays.
Verification of a One-Dimensional Two-Phase Flow Model of the Frontal Gap in Electrochemical Machining

A set of six equations, which are based on the ECM model developed by Thorpe and Zerkle, can be solved numerically to yield the one-dimensional distributions of pressure, temperature, gas density, gap thickness, void fraction, and electrolyte velocity in the rectilinear ECM frontal gap under equilibrium conditions. The validity of the model, which also applies to radial flow geometries, is confirmed by comparing experimental pressure and gap profiles with theoretical predictions. It is shown that for a given set of operating parameters there is a minimum supply pressure below which no machining is possible. When machining steel with an aqueous NaCl electrolyte the deposition of a black smut (Fe(OH)2 ) occurs beyond a certain smut-free entrance length, which was experimentally found to be proportional to the inlet gap thickness.
Energy impact of modifications of a river freight transport system: The upper Mississippi

Abstract As an example of analysis of the energy impact of enlarging a river freight-transport system, we consider Locks and Dam 26 near Alton, Illinois, which is the principal bottleneck of the upper Mississippi River. A simple queueing theory model is developed to predict the average delay time prior to processing through the locks as a function of traffic growth rates. Estimates of the energy intensity of freight transport on the upper Mississippi are made from a theoretical model and compared with values published in the literature. The energy impact of the replacement of Locks and Dam 26 is assessed by combining the results of the traffic-flow and energy-intensity models. For a traffic growth rate of 2.5%/yr, the cumulative energy savings (during a 40 yr operating life) of replacing the current facility is nearly 20 × 1012 Btu. The economic value of the energy savings is 40–85% of the cost differential between repairing the current installation with no increase in capacity and the construction of an entirely new facility with a 100% increase in main locking chamber size.
A multi-objective optimization approach to balancing cost and traceability in bulk grain handling.

This paper proposes a multi-objective optimization model that provides an effective method for minimizing traceability effort by minimizing the food safety risk caused by lot aggregation at a grain elevator. A mathematical multi-objective mixed-integer programming (MIP) model is proposed with two objective functions that allow in calculating the minimum levels of lot aggregation and minimum total cost of blending grain. Constraints on the system include customer contract specifications, availability of grain at the elevators and the blending requirements. The solutions include quantities of grain from different storage bins to be used for blending for a shipment while using the minimum number of storage bins and minimum total cost. The numerical results are presented for a corn shipment scenario to demonstrate the application of this model. Pareto optimal front is computed for the problem for simultaneous optimization of lot aggregation and cost of blending. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to analyze the application of the model under different operating conditions.
NRF2 promotes neuronal survival in neurodegeneration and acute nerve damage

Oxidative stress contributes to the loss of neurons in many disease conditions as well as during normal aging; however, small-molecule agents that reduce oxidation have not been successful in preventing neurodegeneration. Moreover, even if an efficacious systemic reduction of reactive oxygen and/or nitrogen species (ROS/NOS) could be achieved, detrimental side effects are likely, as these molecules regulate normal physiological processes. A more effective and targeted approach might be to augment the endogenous antioxidant defense mechanism only in the cells that suffer from oxidation. Here, we created several adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors to deliver genes that combat oxidation. These vectors encode the transcription factors NRF2 and/or PGC1a, which regulate hundreds of genes that combat oxidation and other forms of stress, or enzymes such as superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) and catalase, which directly detoxify ROS. We tested the effectiveness of this approach in 3 models of photoreceptor degeneration and in a nerve crush model. AAV-mediated delivery of NRF2 was more effective than SOD2 and catalase, while expression of PGC1a accelerated photoreceptor death. Since the NRF2-mediated neuroprotective effects extended to photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells, which are 2 very different types of neurons, these results suggest that this targeted approach may be broadly applicable to many diseases in which cells suffer from oxidative damage.
UPSILON PI EPSILONKnuth draws record crowd to UPE national convention

ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest UPE has been a proud sponsor of the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest since the fi rst World Finals in 1977. This year’s competition was scheduled for early March in Sharm elSheikh, Egypt, but as the world spotlight turned on the political tensions in Cairo at the end of January, it became increasingly obvious that the Finals could not be held as scheduled. Kudos goes to ICPC Executive Director, William Poucher, for his quick ability to relocate the contest at the end of May, in Orlando, Florida, USA.
Kaposi's sarcoma.

Sixty three patients with Kaposi's sarcoma (1935–1963) have been reviewed. Of this group 18 patients died of a secondary primary. The second primaries included 5 cases of Hodgkin's disease, 3 of lymphosarcoma, 3 of carcinoma of the colon and one each of multiple myeloma, malignant melanoma, carcinoma of the prostate, carcinoma of the tongue, carcinoma of the tonsil, carcinoma of the pancreas and carcinoma of the breast. The mortality rate from the second primary was higher than the mortality of the disease itself. Eleven patients died of disease, with a mean survival time of 9 years. The disease was more common in women in this group than has been described previously; 12 patients were female. The disease seems to follow a more benign course in the female. Only one patient in this group died of the disease. The most successful therapy was irradiation. A diversity of chemotherapeutic agents were used on advanced cases. No response of the disease was recorded in these patients' records.
Chiral analysis of neurotransmitters using cyclodextrin-modified capillary electrophoresis equipped with microfabricated interdigitated electrodes

We present cyclodextrin-modified capillary electrophoresis equipped with a microfabricated chip consisting of an array of eight interdigitated microband platinum electrodes (IDs) for simultaneous analysis of three chiral models: epinephrine, norepinephrine and isoproterenol. The IDE chip, positioned very close to the capillary outlet, served as an amplification/detection system. Emerging neurotransmitters at the IDE surface were oxidized at +1.1 V by seven electrodes of the array and then detected by the remaining electrode, poised at +0.0 V. There was an amplification effect on the detecting electrode owing to the recycle between the reduced and oxidized forms of the optical isomers at the electrode surface. The detecting "amplification" current response was governed by the applied potential, the detecting electrode position, the number of adjacent electrodes used for recycling and the distance between the oxidative and reductive electrodes. The six chiral forms of the three neurotransmitters were resolved using 25 mM heptakis(2,6,di-o-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin with a detection limit of approximately 5 microM. The scheme detected a reduced compound at a reducing potential instead of conventional oxidation detection to alleviate electrode fouling and electroactive interferences. The concurrent oxidation/reduction detection of compounds also facilitated and ascertained peak identification as interfering compounds were unlikely to have the same oxidative/reductive characteristics and mobilities as the analytes of interrogation.
Electron-electron interactions, quantum Coulomb gap, and dynamical scaling near integer quantum Hall transitions

The effects of electron-electron interactions on tunneling into the bulk of a two-dimensional electron system are studied near the integer quantum Hall transitions. Taking into account the dynamical screening of the interactions in the critical conducting state, we show that the behavior of the tunneling density of states (TDOS) is significantly altered at low energies from its noninteracting counterpart. For the long-range Coulomb interaction, we demonstrate that the TDOS vanishes linearly at the Fermi level according to a quantum Coulomb gap form v(ω) = C Q ‖ω‖/e 4 , with C Q a nonuniversal coefficient of a quantum-mechanical origin. In the case of short-range or screened Coulomb interactions, the TDOS is found to follow a power law ‖ω‖ α , with α proportional to the bare interaction strength. Since short-range interactions are known to be irrelevant perturbations at the non interacting critical point, we predict that, upon scaling, the power law is smeared, leading to a finite zero-bias TDOS v(ω)/v(0) = 1 + (‖ω‖/ω 0 ) γ , where y is a universal exponent determined by the scaling dimension of short-ranged interactions. We also consider the case of quasi-one-dimensional (ID) samples with edges i.e., the long Hall bar geometry, and find that the TDOS becomes dependent on the Hall conductance due to an altered boundary condition for diffusion. For short-range interactions, the TDOS of a quasi-1D strip with edges is linear near the Fermi level, with a slope inversely proportional to ρ x x in the perturbative limit. These results are in qualitative agreement with the findings of bulk tunneling experiments. We discuss recent developments in understanding the role played by electron-electron interactions at the integer quantum Hall transitions and the implications of these results on the dynamical scaling of the transition width. We argue that for long-range Coulomb interactions, the existence of the quantum Coulomb gap in the quantum critical regime of the transition gives rise to the observed dynamical exponent z = 1.
Effects of damage on the flow strength and ductility of a ductile Al alloy reinforced with SiC particulates

Abstract The processing and mechanical properties of an Al alloy reinforced with a high volume fraction of SiC particulates have been investigated. The properties are shown to be appreciably affected by the particle size. These effects have been exclusively related to the incidence of damage caused by the particulates. In particular, particle cracking has been shown to occur in the larger particles, with a cracking probability that increases as the particle size increases. The cracks reduce the flow strength of the materials and crack coalescence controls the ultimate strength and ductility. The measured trends in these properties are in qualitative accordance with simple damage models.
CSI Kernel: Finding a Needle in a Multiterabyte Haystack

Oracle's Clive King and Chris Beal talk about hidden software on which we completely depend-the OS. Although OSs are highly reliable, no OS is perfect. So, when things go wrong in the OS running on modern systems, the needle-in-the-haystack analogy hardly begins to scratch the surface of the needed detective work.
Religious Consumers and Institutional Challenges to American Public Schools: Cases from Jewish Education

The paradigm of American K–12 education is shifting as the institution of local educational polities, each responsible for its own “common schools,” faces competition from programs of school choice. Although charter schools and related reforms are generally studied in terms of quality and equity, the rise of consumer sovereignty as an alternative to political sovereignty as an organizing principle for educational governance has much wider rami­fications. Paradigms of choice have already begun dramatically to alter religious education and its relationship to public schooling. Moreover, because these paradigms rely upon consumer preferences and the aggregation of those preferences by markets, the shape of religious activity in state-subsidized schools will be determined increasingly by consumers and producers – parents and schools – rather than by political actors. Government is likely to find its ability to limit and guide religion/school interactions substantially, and increas­ingly, constrained. In making this argument, this paper draws primarily upon examples from a small but instructive religious sector in American K–12 education, that of Jewish education. It discusses the direct deployment of the charter-school form to provide Jewish education. It then assesses ways in which shifts in the public framing of education from one of politics to one of markets has transformed public school politics in school districts dominated by Orthodox Jews.
Treatment with oral lorcainide in patients with sustained ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation.

Abstract Fifty patients with durg-refractory (failed 7 ± 2 other drug trials) sustained ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation were treated with oral lorcainide. Twenty-three patients underwent programmed stimulation both before and after oral lorcainide, and all 23 remained inducible, although ventricular tachycardia cycle length was prolonged and mean arterial pressure was higher. Lorcainide was discontinued in 23 patients prior to hospital discharge because of death in four patients, side effects in five patients, spontaneous clinical arrhythmia recurrence in six patients, and ventricular tachyarrhythmias induced at electrophysiologic study in eight patients. Twenty-seven patients were discharged on an average dose of 169 ± 56 mg twice a day, including 15 in whom ventricular tachycardia remained inducible. During long-term follow-up the drug was discontinued in 15 patients; three because of side effects, three because of clinical nonfatal arrhythmia recurrence, two who selected other alternative therapy, and seven patients who died suddenly due to ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Twelve patients remain on long-term lorcainide. The actuarial 1-year chance of being arrhythmia free was 38.9%, and 1-year cardiovascular and arrhythmia survival rates were 56.8% and 60.4%, respectively. Based on our data we conclude that: (1) In this extremely drug-resistant patient population the clinical efficacy of lorcainide is low; (2) lorcainide should not be used empirically in such highly drug-resistant patients; (3) persistent ventricular tachyarrhythmia inducibility at electrophysiologic study implies a poor prognosis in patients treated with oral lorcainide; (4) the incidence of becoming noninducible during oral lorcainide therapy in highly drug-resistant patients appears low; and (5) for patients in whom the drug seems partially beneficial it could be used in conjunction with a backup automatic implantable cardioverter/defibrillator.
Benchmark Tests on the New IBM RISC System/6000 590 Workstation

The results of benchmark tests on the superscalar IBM RISC System/6000 Model 590 are presented. A set of well-characterized Fortran benchmarks spanning a range of computational characteristics was used for the study. The data from the 590 system are compared with those from a single-processor CRAY C90 system as well as with other microprocessor-based systems, such as the Digital Equipment Corporation AXP 3000/500X and the Hewlett-Packard HP/735.
The Theory of Matrix Polynomials and its Application to the Mechanics of Isotropic Continua

In this paper we show that a symmetric isotropic matrix polynomial in any number of symmetric 3 × 3 matrices can be expressed as a symmetric isotropic matrix polynomial, in which each of the matrix products is formed from at most six matrices and has one of a certain number of forms which are explicitly given. The significance of these results in the mechanics of isotropic continua is indicated.