cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intelligent controls for electro-hydraulic poppet valves

Abstract This paper describes an intelligent controller that combines an auto-calibration state-trajectory-based control method with a simple algorithm that enables fault detection. The application of the controller to achieve intelligent electronic pressure control in a fluid power system is included. More specifically, the proposed control algorithm is designed to learn the inverse input-state map of an Electro-Hydraulic Poppet Valve (EHPV) with the aid of a Nodal Link Perceptron Network (NLPN). While in operation, the controller enforces the tracking of a desired hydraulic supply pressure profile at the same time that it learns the inverse input-state calibration map and monitors the latter for deviations from prescribed bounds. The tracking performance of the auto-calibration scheme is validated experimentally and the fault detection algorithm is explored via a computer simulation.
Eddy, a formal language for specifying and analyzing data flow specifications for conflicting privacy requirements

Increasingly, companies use multi-source data to operate new information systems, such as social networking, e-commerce, and location-based services. These systems leverage complex, multi-stakeholder data supply chains in which each stakeholder (e.g., users, developers, companies, and government) must manage privacy and security requirements that cover their practices. US regulator and European regulator expect companies to ensure consistency between their privacy policies and their data practices, including restrictions on what data may be collected, how it may be used, to whom it may be transferred, and for what purposes. To help developers check consistency, we identified a strict subset of commonly found privacy requirements and we developed a methodology to map these requirements from natural language text to a formal language in description logic, called Eddy. Using this language, developers can detect conflicting privacy requirements within a policy and enable the tracing of data flows within these policies. We derived our methodology from an exploratory case study of the Facebook platform policy and an extended case study using privacy policies from Zynga and AOL Advertising. In this paper, we report results from multiple analysts in a literal replication study, which includes a refined methodology and set of heuristics that we used to extract privacy requirements from policy texts. In addition to providing the method, we report results from performing automated conflict detection within the Facebook, Zynga, and AOL privacy specifications, and results from a computer simulation that demonstrates the scalability of our formal language toolset to specifications of reasonable size.
Sample size calculations for comparative studies of medical tests for detecting presence of disease.

Technologic advances give rise to new tests for detecting disease in many fields, including cancer and sexually transmitted disease. Before a new disease screening test is approved for public use, its accuracy should be shown to be better than or at least not inferior to an existing test. Standards do not yet exist for designing and analysing studies to address this issue. Established principles for the design of therapeutic studies can be adapted for studies of screening tests. In particular, drawing upon methods for superiority and non-inferiority studies of therapeutic agents, we propose that confidence intervals for the relative accuracy of dichotomous tests drive the design of comparative studies of disease screening tests. We derive sample size formulae for a variety of designs, including studies where patients undergo several tests and studies where patients receive only one of the tests under evaluation. Both cohort and case-control study designs are considered. Modifications to the confidence intervals and sample size formulae are discussed to accommodate studies where, because of the invasive nature of definitive testing, true disease status can only be obtained for subjects who are positive on one or more of the screening tests. The methods proposed are applied to a study comparing a modified pap test to the conventional pap for cervical cancer screening. The impact of error in the gold standard reference test on the design and evaluation of comparative screening test studies is also discussed.
Self-transcendent experience: a grounded theory study

Current theories in psychology conceptualize self-transcendence as a personality trait, a developmental construct, and a particular class of anomalous experience. Despite extensive research on self-transcendence, the process, outcomes, and nature of self-transcendent experience (STE) remain elusive. This study focused on the self-reported narratives of STE in 15 healthy adults. Accounts were collected in face-to-face interviews, transcribed, and thematically analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Qualitative results were recursively examined to construct a preliminary mid-range theory of STE in healthy adults. Three major theme areas emerged from interview data. These were (a) context, (b) phenomenology, and (c) aftermath of STE. Each of these major themes was further divided into distinct sub-themes, including setting, perceptual alterations, and long-term effects. The resulting interpretation of STE is discussed in light of current literature and directions for future research.
Localization of estradiol 17β dehydrogenase in human endometrium

Abstract The localization of estradiol 17β dehydrogenase in human endometrium was studied histochemically, using the technique described by Morse and Heller. This enzymatic activity was exclusively found in the glandular epithelium of secretory endometrium. No activity was detected in proliferative tissue or postmenopausal endometrial adenocarrinoma. Previous biochemical studies had also shown a marked increase in estradiol dehydrogenase activity during the secretory phase of the cycle, under progesterone stimulation. It is now shown that this induction occurs in the endometrial glands.
The T cell as a bridge between innate and adaptive immune systems: implications for the kidney.

The T cell as a bridge between innate and adaptive immune systems: Implications for the kidney . The immune system is classically divided into innate and adaptive components with distinct roles and functions. T cells are major components of the adaptive immune system. T cells are firmly established to mediate various immune-mediated kidney diseases and are current targets for therapy. Ischemic acute renal failure, a major cause of native kidney and allograft dysfunction, is mediated in part by inflammatory components of the innate immune system. However, recent data from experimental models in kidney as well as liver, intestine, brain and heart implicate T cells as important mediators of ischemia reperfusion injury. These data reveal new insights into the pathogenesis of ischemic acute renal failure, as well as identify novel and feasible therapeutic approaches. Furthermore, the identification of T cells as a mediator of early alloantigen-independent tissue injury demonstrates that the functional capacity of T cells spreads beyond adaptive immunity into the realm of the innate immune response.
July 2012 Greenland melt extent enhanced by low-level liquid clouds

In July 2012, a heat wave swept across Greenland, resulting in extensive melting of surface ice and flooding; this is shown to have been enhanced by liquid clouds forming in such a way that sufficient incoming shortwave radiation could penetrate to the surface while downwelling longwave radiation increased. The heatwave that struck Greenland in July 2012 melted surface ice across virtually the entire ice sheet, causing extensive flooding. Ice core data suggest that such events occur only about once every 150 years on average, with the last one in 1889. Ralf Bennartz and colleagues have examined the physical mechanisms behind the 2012 event. At high elevations thin liquid-bearing clouds had an important role in enhancing surface warming, as they were optically thick enough and low enough to significantly enhance the downwelling infrared flux at the surface. At the same time they were thin enough to allow sufficient solar radiation through to raise surface temperatures above the melting point. Melting of the world’s major ice sheets can affect human and environmental conditions by contributing to sea-level rise. In July 2012, an historically rare period of extended surface melting was observed across almost the entire Greenland ice sheet1,2, raising questions about the frequency and spatial extent of such events. Here we show that low-level clouds consisting of liquid water droplets (‘liquid clouds’), via their radiative effects, played a key part in this melt event by increasing near-surface temperatures. We used a suite of surface-based observations3, remote sensing data, and a surface energy-balance model. At the critical surface melt time, the clouds were optically thick enough and low enough to enhance the downwelling infrared flux at the surface. At the same time they were optically thin enough to allow sufficient solar radiation to penetrate through them and raise surface temperatures above the melting point. Outside this narrow range in cloud optical thickness, the radiative contribution to the surface energy budget would have been diminished, and the spatial extent of this melting event would have been smaller. We further show that these thin, low-level liquid clouds occur frequently, both over Greenland and across the Arctic, being present around 30–50 per cent of the time3,4,5,6. Our results may help to explain the difficulties that global climate models have in simulating the Arctic surface energy budget7,8,9, particularly as models tend to under-predict the formation of optically thin liquid clouds at supercooled temperatures6—a process potentially necessary to account fully for temperature feedbacks in a warming Arctic climate.
Type VI Collagen Anchors Endothelial Basement Membranes by Interacting with Type IV Collagen

Type VI collagen filaments are found associated with interstitial collagen fibers, around cells, and in contact with endothelial basement membranes. To identify type VI collagen binding proteins, the amino-terminal domains of the α1(VI) and α2(VI) chains and a part of the carboxyl-terminal domain of the α3(VI) chain were used as bait in a yeast two-hybrid system to screen a human placenta library. Eight persistently positive clones were identified, two coding the known matrix proteins fibronectin and basement membrane type IV collagen and the rest coding new proteins. The amino-terminal domain of α1(VI) was shown to interact with the carboxyl-terminal globular domain of type IV collagen. The specificity of this interaction was further studied using the yeast two-hybrid system in a one-on-one format and confirmed by using isolated protein domains in immunoprecipitation, affinity blots, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based binding studies. Co-distribution of type VI and type IV collagens in human muscle was demonstrated using double labeling immunofluorescent microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy. The strong interaction of type VI collagen filaments with basement membrane collagen provided a possible molecular pathogenesis for the heritable disorder Bethlem myopathy.
Primary central nervous system lymphoma presenting as autonomic dysfunction

We describe a patient with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) who presented with symptoms of subacute onset of dysautonomia. Autonomic testing indicated a peripheral autonomie neuropathy while magnetic resonance imaging revealed brainstem involvement. We propose that this patient's autonomie dysfunction could be the result of a paraneoplastic syndrome and PCNSL should be considered in the differential diagnosis of dysautonomia.
Low earth orbit environmental effects on osmium and related optical thin-film coatings.

A number of samples of optical thin film materials were flown on Shuttle flight STS-8 as part of an experiment to evaluate their interaction with residual atomic oxygen in low earth orbit. Osmium was selected because of its usefulness as a reflective optical coating for far-UV instruments and for confirmation of results from previous Shuttle flights in which such coatings disappeared. Reflectance data and photographic evidence are presented to support the hypothesis that the osmium disappearance is due to reaction with oxygen to form a volatile oxide. Platinum and iridium, which were included for comparison, fared much better.
The effect of alum concentration on the repository and adjuvant properties of alum-precipitated antigens.

Abstract The alum-precipitated pyridine extracts of allergenic materials recently introduced for desensitization contain much more alum in the precipitate than is commonly used in most vaccines. A study in rabbits of the relationship of alum concentration to antigen retention and antibody responses showed that an increase in alum concentration to 30 mg. per milliliter resulted in more prolonged retention of antigen at the site of injection than is observed with mineral oil-Arlacel emulsions. When used to elicit secondary immune responses, these very persistent precipitates showed little adjwvant effect and gave antibody responses only slightly better than saline solutions of antigen. Such alum precipitates, however, may provide an even greater safety factor than oil emulsions to prevent systemic reaction to toxic antigens.
Garnet peridotite found in the Greater Antilles

Although Alpine peridotites are relatively common in collisional orogenic zones, garnet-bearing peridotites are rare and only associated with high pressure/ultra-high pressure or temperature (HP/UHP or T) terranes [Brueckner and Medaris, 2000; Medaris, 1999]. Until recently all reported occurrences of Alpine-type garnet peridotites and HP/UHP terranes were in Eurasia and Africa, with one occurrence in the Seward Peninsula, Alaska [Till, 1981;Lieberman and Till, 1987]. Now a new Alpine-type garnet peridotite locality has been discovered in the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. This discovery is the second of its kind in the Americas.
Spontaneous and neurogenic constriction of microvasculature in the rat hippocampal slice.

Abstract The hippocampal slice is characterized by laminar organization and defined synaptic circuitry and provides an in vitro model system for the study of neuronal membrane properties, the action of putative neurotransmitters, and synaptic plasticity. Because the hippocampus is densely vascularized and hippocampal microvessels respond to a variety of stimuli that also affect the activity of neurons in the slice, the preparation is also especially well suited to investigating the physiologic relationship between neurons and intraparenchymal blood vessels. Here we address the issue of potential neurogenic control of cerebral microvasculature using electrical stimuli and specific neurotoxins. A small proportion of slice microvessels displayed spontaneous rhythmic activity that was independent of any exogenous stimulus. The majority of slices examined contained microvessels that responded to a train of electrical impulses delivered to discrete neural pathways. Under particular stimulus conditions, the vascular response could be completely blocked by 1 μM tetrodotoxin. The results are taken to support the existence of a neurogenic influence on penetrating arterioles.
The sensory-motor role of growth cone filopodia

Neuronal growth cones, the motile tips of elongating axons and dendrites, respond very precisely to cues encountered during pathfinding. During the past year, our knowledge about their sensory function, their integrative properties, and their motor function has advanced significantly. In particular, growth cone filopodia are currently being recognized for their prominent roles as sensors, transducers, and autonomous motor structures important for growth cone steering.
RACE, WASTE, AND CLASS: NEW PERSPECTIVES ON ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Many of our readers may already be familiar with evidence suggesting that residents of poor communities and in communities of color in the United States bear a "disproportionate" burden of toxic contamination, both through the generation and release of hazardous chemicals in their neighborhoods, and via the location of waste management facilities. This is an outcome that the landmark 1987 United Church of Christ (UCC) report on toxic waste and race claimed was not the result of mere coincidence (United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice, 1987). Indeed, empirical evidence of disproportionate economic impact from environmental mismanagement, as well as through the regulatory response to air pollution, was already considered a decade earlier by geographers and economists, albeit without the suggestion of discriminatory intent (e.g., Berry, et. al., 1977; and Harrison, 1975).
P.2.11 CINRG Duchenne Natural History Study: Relationship of longitudinal measures of ambulatory timed function tests and loss of clinical milestones

The Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group (CINRG) DMD Natural History Study enrolled 340 individuals with DMD aged 2–28 years in a longitudinal observational study. Clinical assessments were obtained every 3 months for the first year and annually, thereafter. The aim of this sub analysis was to evaluate the predictive capabilities of timed tests in assessing loss of clinically meaningful milestones. We created a 6-level composite of individual “milestone” tasks combining the results from the ability to perform the timed function tests and the Brooke and Vignos functional scales. Three GC groups (naive, current user, past user) were compared on timed function velocities at ages Timed function velocities increased with age in children 10 s. predicted loss of ability to stand (log rank p p 8 s. predicted loss of stair climbing (log rank p p 12 s. predicts loss of ambulation over 12 months (log rank p 10% over a year predicted the likelihood of loss of ambulation over the following 4 years (log rank p Longitudinal studies of timed function tests show predictable maturational changes and improved timed function velocities in those currently treated with GC. Timed function tests are clinically meaningful in terms of predictive ability for loss of function.
Spatial Decompositions, Modeling and Mapping Service Regions to Predict Access to Social Programs

Abstract Although social programs intend to provide equal access for all, in the final evaluation, fairness of the distribution of services is usually dictated by location. Measuring and predicting access to social services can help these programs adjust and better accommodate under-served regions. A method is proposed which delineates the service area of providers delivering social services and produces a probability metric that maps the equity of the program of services for each household. We begin with a computationally trivial method for delineating service areas, map the probability of households being served, and propose an adjustment process, an allocation, to level access to services. We argue such methods can serve to better locate service providers and insure equity when implementing social programs.
Mechanism of biological effects observed in honey bees (apis mellifera, L.) hived under extra‐high‐voltage transmission lines: Implications derived from bee exposure to simulated intense electric fields and shocks

This work explores mechanisms for disturbance of honey bee colonies under a 765 kV, 60-Hz transmission line [electric (E) field = 7 kV/m] observed in previous studies. Proposed mechanisms fell into two categories: direct bee perception of enhanced in-hive E fields and perception of shock from induced currents. The adverse biological effects could be reproduced in simulations where only the worker bees were exposed to shock or to E field in elongated hive entranceways (= tunnels). We now report the results of full-scale experiments using the tunnel exposure scheme, which assesses the contribution of shock and intense E field to colony disturbance. Exposure of worker bees (1,400 h) to 60-Hz E fields including 100 kV/m under moisture-free conditions within a nonconductive tunnel causes no deleterious affect on colony behavior. Exposure of bees in conductive (e.g., wet) tunnels produces bee disturbance, increased mortality, abnormal propolization, and possible impairment of colony growth. We propose that this substrate dependence of bee disturbance is the result of perception of shock from coupled body currents and enhanced current densities postulated to exist in the legs and thorax of bees on conductors. Similarly, disturbance occurs when bees are exposed to step-potential-induced currents. At 275-350 nA single bees are disturbed; at 600 nA bees begin abnormal propolization behavior; and stinging occurs at 900 nA. We conclude that biological effects seen in bee colonies under a transmission line are primarily the result of electric shock from induced hive currents. This evaluation is based on the limited effects of E-field exposure in tunnels, the observed disturbance thresholds caused by shocks in tunnels, and the ability of hives exposed under a transmission line to source currents 100-1,000 times the shock thresholds.
Comparison of intraoperative time use and perioperative outcomes for robotic versus laparoscopic adrenalectomy

Background Recently, robotic techniques have been described for adrenalectomy. However, scant data exist in the literature regarding the comparison of robotic with the conventional laparoscopic approach. We aimed to analyze intraoperative time use and perioperative outcomes in robotic vs laparoscopic adrenalectomy for both lateral transabdominal (LT) and posterior retroperitoneal (PR) approaches. Methods A robotic adrenalectomy program was started in September 2008, and techniques for both the LT ( n = 32) and PR ( n = 18) approaches were established. Data of robotic cases were compared with those of 50 consecutive laparoscopic cases (LT = 32, PR = 18) before the onset of the program from a prospective, institutional review board-approved database. Operative times for individual steps of the procedures were captured from operative video recordings, including docking, exposure, dissection, and hemostasis. Results For both LT and PR approaches, there was no difference when we compared the robotic with the laparoscopic groups regarding demographics, tumor type, and body mass index. For the LT approach, despite larger tumor size (x ± SEM) in the robotic vs the laparoscopic group (4.7 ± 0.4 vs 3.8 ± 0.4 cm, P = .05), the operative times were similar (168 ± 10 minutes vs 159 ± 8 minutes, P = .5). There was no difference between the two approaches regarding the time spent for the individual steps of the operation. In the PR approach, with similar tumor sizes (2.7 ± 0.3 cm vs 2.3 ± 0.3 cm, P = .4), operative time (minutes) was equivalent (166 ± 9 vs 170 ± 15; P = .8). Time spent intra-operatively for each step was similar, except for shorter hemostasis time in the robotic group (23 ± 4 minutes vs 42 ± 9 minutes, P = .03). The robotic docking time (21 vs 25 minutes) decreased by 50% in the second year of the study for both approaches. The presence of two staff surgeons vs a staff and a fellow decreased operative time for the robotic LT ( P P = .006). The percentage of patients requiring more than 1 day of hospital stay was 28% vs 14% ( P = .09). Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting an intraoperative time analysis for robotic adrenalectomy. Intraoperative time use was similar between the laparoscopic and robotic groups for both LT and PR approaches. However, the morbidity was less and hospital stay was shorter after the robotic procedures.
Vibrational relaxation of trapped molecules

Vibrational relaxation of trapped molecules due to collisions with cold atoms is investigated using the results of quantum-mechanical scattering calculations. Trap loss is analyzed using an exactly solvable kinetic model that includes direct collisional quenching and an indirect process of vibrational predissociation. At low atom density, the relaxation is due primarily to collisional quenching. At high atom density, the relaxation involves additional time scales due to the formation and decay of van der Waals complexes. It is shown that the most weakly bound state of the van der Waals complex for a given diatomic vibrational level controls the relaxation at all atom densities. Possible experiments using trapped molecules are discussed.
Interaction of chemical pollutants and virus in a crustacean: a novel bioassay system.

A large group of shrimp, 23.3 percent of which had light patent Baculovirus infections, was divided equally into two groups. One group was exposed to the chemical stressor Aroclor 1254 (a polychlorinated biphenyl) at 0.7 ppB for 35 days in flowing seawater. The other group was maintained as a control group in flowing seawater. Viral prevalence in exposed shrimp samples increased with time at a significantly greater rate than did viral frequency in control shrimp. Viral prevalence in Aroclor-exposed shrimp survivors was 75 percent after 35 days, whereas in control shrimp, only 45.7 percent had patent viral infections. This finding suggests an interaction among chemical stressor (Aroclor 1254), host, and virus. The nature or mechanism of this interaction has not been defined, but the shrimp-virus system shows promise for future bioassays of influence of low concentrations of pollutants on natural pathogen-host interactions.
Precipitation Polymerization of Acrylic Acid in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

We report the successful precipitation polymerization of acrylic acid in supercritical carbon dioxide at pressures ranging from 125 to 345 bar utilizing AIBN as a free radical initiator. Analyses by GPC and SEM indicate that for the pressure range studied there is no appreciable effect on product molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, or particle size or morphology. In addition, effective molecular weight control was demonstrated for precipitation polymerizations of acrylic acid in CO 2 through the use of ethyl mercaptan as a chain transfer agent.
Functional Morphing in Multistage Manufacturing and Its Applications in High-Definition Metrology-Based Process Control

In multistage manufacturing processes equipped with high-definition metrology (HDM), part surface quality characteristics can be observed to change or “morph” from stage to stage. Such part surface variation propagations are caused by the physical processes, part attributes, and the interaction between stages. Previous research on variation propagation modeling focuses on part dimensional quality using discrete key product characteristics or vectors which have limitations in analyzing complex surface variation patterns contained in the HDM data. This paper proposes a new concept of functional morphing to characterize the surface changes and applies it to process control in high-precision manufacturing. Unlike conventional morphing algorithms that focus on transformations between geometries only, functional morphing integrates process physical insights into the geometric mappings, thus characterizing the complex HDM data patterns in physically meaningful ways. Specifically, a functional free form deformation approach including forward and backward mappings is developed to extract mapping functions between manufacturing stages to enable surface variation propagation analysis. The forward mapping function allows for accurate interstage adjustment that introduces shape deformation upstream to compensate for the end-of-line errors. The backward mapping function can predict surfaces at intermediate stages based on end-of-line measurements, leading to a cost-effective interstage process monitoring scheme. The interstage monitoring can also ensure the repeatability of a process controlled by the interstage compensation algorithm. The developed monitoring and adjustment methods are demonstrated via a case study of a two-stage machining process. Other potential applications of functional morphing such as process tolerance design are also discussed.
Carbon nanotube dispersion and exfoliation in polypropylene and structure and properties of the resulting composites

Abstract Nitric acid treated single and multi wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT and MWNT) have been dispersed in polypropylene using maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MA-g-PP) and butanol/xylene solvent mixture. SWNT exfoliation was characterized by Raman and UV–vis–NIR spectroscopies. Evidence for hydrogen bonding between maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene and nitric acid treated nanotubes was obtained using infrared spectroscopy. Polypropylene/carbon nanotube composites were melt-spun into fibers. Dynamic mechanical studies show that for fibers containing 0.1 wt% SWNT, storage modulus increased by 5 GPa at −140 °C and by about 1 GPa at 100 °C, suggesting temperature dependent interfacial strength. The crystallization behavior has been monitored using differential scanning calorimetry and optical microscopy. Control fibers exhibited 27% shrinkage at 160 °C, while the shrinkage in the composite fibers was less than 5%. Fibers heat-treated to 170 °C show very narrow polypropylene melting peak (peak width about 1 °C).
Focus groups: A new tool for qualitative research

Focus groups have received little attention from sociologists, although they are a commonly used qualitative technique in market research. The data collected in focus group sessions typically consist of tape-recorded group discussions among four to ten participants who share their thoughts and experiences on a set of topics selected by the researcher. We present a brief description of dimensions along which focus groups vary in their format and relate these dimensions to an example from our own focus groups, where the topic is how people think about the causes and prevention of heart attacks. We compare focus groups to informant interviews and participant observation, and we describe their application, either as a self-contained data collection strategy, or in conjunction with other qualitative and quantitative methods. We conclude with a discussion of the value of focus groups in triangulating data collection from several different methods.
Small business resources on the World Wide Web: an evaluative guide

Small business is vitally important to the USA and the global economy and small business owner/managers and entrepreneurs need education, guidance and support to be successful. Presents an evaluative guide to Web sites grouped in the following major categories: general small business information, outstanding small business linking sites, women and minority‐owned information sites, venture capital sites and selected international small business sites.
Distance-Redshift in Inhomogeneous Ω0 = 1 Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker Cosmology

Distance-redshift relations are given in terms of associated Legendre functions for partially filled beam observations in spatially flat Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) cosmologies. These models are dynamically pressure-free and flat FLRW on large scales but, because of mass inhomogeneities, differ in their optical properties. The partially filled beam area-redshift equation is a Lame equation for arbitrary FLRW models and is shown to simplify to the associated Legendre equation for the spatially flat, i.e., Ω0 = 1, case. We fit these new analytic Hubble curves to recent supernovae (SNe) data in an attempt to determine both the mass parameter Ωm and the beam-filling parameter ν. We find that current data are inadequate for limiting ν. However, we are able to estimate what limits are possible when the number of observed SNe is increased by factor of 10 or 100, sample sizes achievable in the near future with the proposed SuperNova Acceleration Probe satellite.
The future role of artificial intelligence (AI) in manufacturing

Abstract Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now among the buzzwords in manufacturing. Articles are written about various aspects of AI in manufacturing and some of these are discussed by Miller in “Artificial Intelligence: Applications for Manufacturing” [1]. Most of those authors extol the virtues of AI in manufacturing. From some of the literature, one might draw the conclusion that AI will solve all of our problems. AI technologies are very sophisticated and are not going to easily accomodate the “noise” of the factory floor. We can see some of these techniques beginning to make inroads into manufacturing, but the road to full-scale implementation will be a rocky one.
Diversity, Distribution, and Expression of Diazotroph nifH Genes in Oxygen-Deficient Waters of the Arabian Sea

The Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), the largest suboxic region in the world's oceans, is responsible for up to half of the global mesopelagic fixed nitrogen (N) loss from the ocean via denitrification and anammox. Dinitrogen (N(2)) fixation is usually attributed to cyanobacteria in the surface ocean. Model prediction and physiological inhibition of N(2) fixation by oxygen, however, suggest that N(2) fixation should be enhanced near the oxygen-deficient zone (ODZ) of the Arabian Sea. N(2) fixation and cyanobacterial nifH genes (the gene encoding dinitrogenase reductase) have been reported in surface waters overlying the Arabian Sea ODZ. Here, water samples from depths above and within the Arabian Sea ODZ were examined to explore the distribution, diversity, and expression of nifH genes. In surface waters, nifH DNA and cDNA sequences related to Trichodesmium, a diazotroph known to occur and fix N(2) in the Arabian Sea, were detected. Proteobacterial nifH phylotypes (DNA but not cDNA) were also detected in surface waters. Proteobacterial nifH DNA and cDNA sequences, as well as nifH DNA and cDNA sequences related to strictly anaerobic N -fixers, were obtained from oxygen-deficient depths. This first report of nifH gene expression in subsurface low-oxygen waters suggests that there is potential for active N(2) fixation by several phylogenetically and potentially metabolically diverse microorganisms in pelagic OMZs.
Water’s Contribution to the Energetic Roughness from Peptide Dynamics

Water plays a very important role in the dynamics and function of proteins. Apart from protein-protein and protein-water interactions, protein motions are accompanied by the formation and breakage of hydrogen-bonding network of the surrounding water molecules. This ordering and reordering of water also adds to the underlying roughness of the energy landscape of proteins and thereby alters their dynamics. Here, we extract the contribution of water to the ruggedness (in terms of an energy scale e) of the energy landscape from molecular dynamics simulations of a peptide substrate analogue of prolyl cis-trans isomerases. In order to do so, we develop and implement a model based on the position space analog of the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process and Zwanzig's theory of diffusion on a rough potential. This allows us to also probe an important property of the widely used atomistic simulation water models that directly affects the dynamics of biomolecular systems and highlights the importance of the choice of the water model in studying protein dynamics. We show that water contributes an additional roughness to the energy landscape. At lower temperatures this roughness, which becomes comparable to kBT, can considerably slow down protein dynamics. These results also have much broader implications for the function of some classes of enzymes, since the landscape topology of their substrates may change upon moving from an aqueous environment into the binding site.
2. A New Framework for Macroeconomics

Most forms of macroeconomics today, whether Keynesian or monetarist, presuppose that problems of economic instability can be treated as errors in financial management. Neither fiscal nor monetary policy recognizes the existence of systemic faults in the real economy that result in overinvestment in durable capital that turns over slowly, in contrast to forms of capital that interact more frequently with land and labor. Only by removing serious distortions in microeconomic relations can macroeconomic problems be resolved. The current global economic crisis exemplifies the limitations of policies that ignore distortions in the rate of turnover of investment capital.
Growth of Gallium Nitride Textured Films and Nanowires on Polycrystalline Substrates at sub-Atmospheric Pressures

Textured gallium nitride (GaN) films were grown on polished, polycrystalline and amorphous substrates in sub-atmospheric pressures, by direct nitradation of a thin molten gallium films using electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) microwave nitrogen plasma. C-plane texturing was achieved, independent of the substrate crystallinity. Single crystal quality GaN nanowires with diameters ranging from 40-50 nm were also synthesized using direct nitridation of thin gallium films with nitrogen plasma. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (CS-TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) and Micro-Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the synthesized gallium nitride films and GaN nanowires.
Synthesis of Highly Reactive Subnano-Sized Zero-Valent Iron Using Smectite Clay Templates

A novel method was developed for synthesizing subnano-sized zero-valent iron (ZVI) using smectite clay layers as templates. Exchangeable Fe(III) cations compensating the structural negative charges of smectites were reduced with NaBH4, resulting in the formation of ZVI. The unique structure of smectite clay, in which isolated exchangeable Fe(III) cations reside near the sites of structural negative charges, inhibited the agglomeration of ZVI resulting in the formation of subnanoscale ZVI particles in the smectite interlayer regions. X-ray diffraction revealed an interlayer spacing of ∼5 A. The non-structural iron content of this clay yields a calculated ratio of two atoms of ZVI per three cation exchange sites, in full agreement with the X-ray diffraction (XRD) results since the diameter of elemental Fe is 2.5 A. The clay-templated ZVI showed superior reactivity and efficiency compared to other previously reported forms of ZVI as indicated by the reduction of nitrobenzene; structural Fe within the alumino...
Subnatural Linewidth Biphotons with Controllable Temporal Length

Following the early papers of the Lukin and Kimble groups [1,2], it became apparent that it should be possible to use double-� systems for the generation of biphoton wave packets with temporal lengths that are controllable by varying the optical group velocity. Early results obtained at Stanford using a spherical magneto-optical trap (MOT) with an optical depth (OD) of about 10 [3,4] demonstrated wave packets with correlation times of about 50 ns and linewidths of about 9 MHz. In this Letter, we report the use of a two-dimensional (2D) MOT operating at an optical depth of 62 to attain major improvements in the performance of this type of biphoton source. These include generation of biphotons as long as 900 ns with linewidths as narrow as 0.75 MHz, a factor of 30 improvement in the effective dephasing rate of the nonallowed transition, a demonstrated efficiency of Stokes to anti-Stokes conversion of 74%, and operation in the regime where the temporal length of the biphoton varies inversely with the optical group velocity, thereby demonstrating that the physics suggested by Refs. [3,5] really works. This Letter also reports a sharp leading edge spike on the front edge of the generated biphoton. This spike is a SommerfeldBrillouin precursor [6] and is observed here by photon correlation. We begin by motivating the need for a source of long and narrow-band biphotons: First, to efficiently absorb the
Intraspecific genetic variability in laboratory strains of Entomophthora as determined by enzyme electrophoresis

Intraspecific variability of isoenzymes is described for approximately 20 isolates each of two species of Entomophthora. E. sphaerosperma was found to possess two electrophoretically distinct alleles for phosphoglucoisomerase (PGI), and E. virulenta was found to have three alleles for leucine aminopeptidase, two alleles for 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, and five alleles for PGI. The data suggest that only a single locus codes for PGI in E. sphaerosperma , while two loci code for PGI in E. virulenta . Two strains of E. virulenta isolated in England suggest complete genome duplication. Difficulties inherent in interpreting electrophoretic data from fungi with complicated life histories are discussed.
An analysis of the teacher's role in supporting the emergence of symbolizations in one first-grade classroom

Abstract The classroom that is the focus of the analysis reported in this paper was the site for a year-long first-grade teaching experiment. The goal of the classroom teaching experiment was to investigate ways to proactively support students' ability to develop strategies for adding and subtracting quantities. In addition, the project also focused on the teacher's proactive role in supporting students' mathematical growth in an inquiry mathematics classroom. Within the project classroom, the teacher often redescribed and notated students' responses so that what students had done mathematically might become an explicit topic of conversation. As part of this process, she frequently introduced either informal or conventional notation to record students' explanations of their mathematical activity. The introduction of these notational schemes led to students' development of ways of notating their own reasoning. In this way, the notation emerged from the students' activity while supporting shifts in their mathematical development.
An Examination of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Men: Do Men Differ From Women in Basic NSSI Characteristics?

Researchers have reported similar prevalence rates for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among men and women, yet few studies have investigated gender differences in NSSI. This study describes and compares basic NSSI characteristics among a nonclinical sample by gender. Forty-eight individuals reporting a history of NSSI were interviewed (M = 18.52 years old, SD = 1.18 years). NSSI characteristics, including frequency, age of onset, method of NSSI, pain and control during NSSI, and degree of medical injury were compared between men (n = 19) and women (n = 29). Men and women differed significantly on age of onset, degree of medical injury, and NSSI methods. This study supports previous findings of gender differences in NSSI and suggests that further investigation of gender differences in NSSI is warranted.
A transformational object: artistic authorship and the phenomenal aesthetics of new media

If there is any metaphor that has come to act as a signpost of current developments in the realm of digital art and design, it is the blur. We have seen the blur as a building, the blur as the theme at conferences, and the blur as a means to describe the totality of the overlapping processes and intentions that all converge in what can be called interactive experiences. For shorthand, we call this convergence new media. Given the various aims and contexts from which the larger category of art objects arrives, the blur seems to best approximate a still undistinguished body of work and its cultural momentum.
Rat lung mitochondrial transport: Factors affecting citrate formation

Abstract 1. 1. Malate-dependent swelling of lung mitochondrial preparations in iso-osmotic ammonium citrate, and the inhibition of citrate formation by n -butylmalonate and benzene 1, 2, 3-tricarboxylate. suggest the presence of a malate-citrate exchange diffusion mechanism in lung mitochondria. 2. 2. d -Malate and 2-hydroxymalonate stimulated citrate formation from pyruvate and 2-oxoglutarate, suggesting that the presence of a suitable counter-ion for citrate efflux is a significant factor in the determination of extramitochondrial citrate availability. 3. 3. ADP-stimulated rates of pyruvate oxidation and citrate formation were inhibited by atractyloside. indicating the presence of the adenine nucleotide translocating system in lung tissue. 4. 4. Palmitoyl-CoA was found to inhibit citrate formation in lung mitochondrial preparations, presumably by an effect on the citrate translocator.
Test-Retest Reliability of Hand-Held Dynamometry During a Single Session of Strength Assessment

This retrospective study was undertaken to determine the test-retest reliability of hand-held dynamometer strength testing for 18 extremity muscle groups. To assess reliability, I compared three dynamometer strength scores recorded for each muscle group on the strength score forms of 30 neurologically involved patients, using the Pearson product-moment correlation and a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures. All correlations were significant (p less than .01); the median and modal correlations were all .97 or .98. The ANOVA revealed significant differences in repeated dynamometer test scores only for hip and shoulder abduction. The results suggest that hand-held dynamometry can be a reliable assessment technique when practiced by a single experienced tester.
The multiple negative randomized controlled trials in perinatology—why?

Many of the multicenter trials in perinatal medicine have been negative in that they have shown no benefit for the intervention relative to the control. Although a negative trial can improve patient care by the avoidance of an unnecessary treatment, most trials are designed with the intent of the intervention improving outcomes. We selectively reviewed a number of recent trials in order to identify why the trials were negative. In general, the preliminary information on which the trials were based, which was a small trial or a meta-analysis of multiple small trials, was not robust or predictive. The weak preliminary information together with limited numbers of patients, problematic primary outcomes and a poor understanding of the biology of neonatal diseases has limited the ability to reliably design trials with positive outcomes.
Work in progress: theme-based redesign of an electrical and computer engineering curriculum

The goal of this work-in-progress is to develop an innovative ECE curriculum that focuses on ECE fundamentals within the construct of real-world integrated system design, analysis, and problem solving. The curriculum is formulated around the theme of integrated sensing and information processing (ISIP). The foundation of this new curriculum is a hands-on theme-based introductory course. This course, taken in the freshman year, introduces students to the major subdisciplines of ECE in the context of real-world applications. In the laboratory, which is tightly coupled to the lecture, students apply basic concepts of sensing, information transmission, information analysis, storage and networking to design and implement an ISIP system, such as a health or weather monitoring station. In this way, students immediately begin to understand the relationships between the major topic areas of ECE as well as be motivated to explore these topics in further depth. Other components of the redesign include the integration of core and upper-level courses into the ISIP theme, the introduction of new ISIP-related design courses, and the integration of MATLAB throughout the curriculum.
TECHNO-EUPHORIA AND THE WORLD-IMPROVING DREAM: GLADIATOR

In this essay, I explore the potential of the epic genre as a form of transnational cinema, and reconsider its traditional role as a vehicle of national ideology and aspirations. I suggest that the contemporary historical epic conveys a sense of double-voicing by adapting epic themes usually associated with national narratives to collectivities that are not framed by nation. Reading the epic alongside the work of Giorgio Agamben, I draw particular attention to the ways that the contemporary epic foregrounds the potential of “bare life” as a form of historical agency, emphasizing the emergence of the multitude and the mongrel community. I also consider the particular formal characteristics of the epic film—its design-intensive mise-en-scene, its use of spectacle and its style of sensory expansiveness—as producing an affective and emotional relation to the historical past, creating a fullness of engagement and amplitude of consciousness.