cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of milk-based foliar sprays on yield components of field pumpkins with powdery mildew

Abstract Previous work has shown that foliar applications of mixtures of cow's milk and water are effective in preventing powdery mildew ( Podosphaera xanthii ) of zucchini on greenhouse grown plants. Our own work on field-grown pumpkins indicated that the efficacy of such foliar sprays is highly variable. This study is an attempt to measure the effect of milk-based sprays on the yield components of field-grown pumpkins naturally infected with powdery mildew. Pumpkins ( Cucurbita pepo cv. Howden) were grown for five seasons (2000–2004) at Lockwood Farm in Hamden, Connecticut under a wide range of environmental conditions and inoculum pressure. The experimental design consisted of five spray treatments arranged in 5×5 Latin squares. In order to minimize over-spray and interplot interference, an unsprayed buffer planting of a susceptible cucurbit separated replicates. Spray treatments were a conventional chemical control, no spray, 1% NaHCO 3 (baking soda), and two milk-based sprays. Powdery mildew severity and plant growth were evaluated over the course of each season and marketable yield before and after a 20-day storage period was taken each year. Treatments based on milk were, on average, about 50–70% as effective in reducing foliar symptoms and post harvest fruit rot and 40–50% as effective in increasing marketable yield as the chemical control. Skim milk was not as effective as whole milk, especially in rainy years. However, both milk treatments consistently outperformed baking soda indicating that the mechanism of milk-based control of the fungus was not just based on its ability to buffer the pH of leaf surfaces.
Understanding Multiplexity of Collaborative Emergency Management Networks

This article explores the multiplex relationships among organizations within the context of emergency management. It examines the role of friendship networks and disaster preparedness networks in p...
ON REGULARITY OF SOLUTIONS TO AN INTEGRAL SYSTEM ASSOCIATED WITH BESSEL POTENTIALS

In this paper, we study the regularity of positive solutions to an integral system associated with Bessel potentials. It is a natural extension of the work of Chen, Li, and Ma in which regularity of solutions to a system of Wolff potentials was proved by using the method of regularity lifting. We will fully use the decay estimate for the Bessel kernel both at the origin and the infinity. This integral system is of independent interest since it coincides with the famous Schrodinger type system of two semi-linear fractional partial differential equations.
Franck-Condon analysis of predissociations in the lower valence states of the NH radical.

Abstract The origins of the predissociations observed by Smith, Brzozowski, and Erman for the A 3 Πand c 1 Π states of NH have been investigated via a Franck-Condon analysis. It is shown that the measured variation of the predissociation probability is is proportional to the Franck-Condon densities between the bound rotational levels of the A and c states and the vibrational continuum of a 5 Σ - state arising from the ground state asympote. Similar calculations for the X 3 Σ - ground state vibrational continuum, the only other state with a lower dissociation limit, showed that state to be ineffective in producing the observed predissociation.
Blockade of CD40-CD40 ligand pathway induces tolerance in murine contact hypersensitivity.

Interactions between CD40 on antigen-presenting cells and its ligand (CD40L) on T cells has been implicated in T cell-mediated immune responses. Previously, we have shown that contact hypersensitivity (CHS), a cell-mediated cutaneous immune response in reaction to haptens, could be subclassified based on whether the hapten primed for Th1 or Th2 cytokines in cells isolated from draining lymph nodes. We also found that tolerance to a Th2-priming hapten could be induced only by simultane blockade of the CD40-CD40L and B7-CD28 at the time of sensitization. Here we demonstrate that blockade of CD40-CD40L signaling alone induces long-lasting unresponsiveness to the Th1 hapten 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB), and inhibits antigen-specific T cell proliferation in vitro. We find that CD40-CD40L signaling is required in the sensitization but not elicitation phase of DNFB-induced CHS, as treatment of mice with anti-CD40L monoclonal antibody (mAb) does not affect the response to hapten challenge in previously sensitized and untreated animals. Examination of cytokine production shows that anti-CD40L mAb decreases interferon-γ production by draining lymph node cells from DNFB-sensitized mice, and reciprocally increases interleukin (IL)-4 production. Consistent with this Th1 to Th2 immune deviation, anti-CD40L mAb prevents the induction of IL-12 mRNA in regional lymph nodes, an event which is normally seen within 12 h following hapten sensitization. In contrast, suppression of CHS by CTLA4Ig decreased the production of all cytokines by draining lymph node cells. Together, these data show that blockade of the CD40-CD40L pathway by itself is sufficient to induce tolerance to DNFB-induced CHS, and that this is associated with blockade of IL-12 induction and Th1 to Th2 immune deviation.
Interoperability in Web-Based Geospatial Applications

This paper characterizes the requirements of geographic information systems (GIS) middleware and its components for dynamic registering and discovering of spatial services specifically for collaborative modeling in environmental planning. The paper explores the role of Web services with respect to implementation standard and protocols and identifies implementation features for exposing distributed GIS business logic and components via Web services. In particular, the paper illustrates applications of the interoperability specifications of Open GIS Consortiumâ€™s (OGC) Web mapping service and (WMS), Web processing standards (WPS) with respect to implementation feature. The paper demonstrates a prototype implementation of collaborative environmental decision support systems (GEO-ELCA- Exploratory Land Use Change Assessment) where Web service-enabled middleware adds core functionality to a Web mapping service. The application demonstrates how individual workspace-based namespaces can be used to perform Web mapping functionality.
Can we afford to do laparoscopic appendectomy in an academic hospital

Background: Multiple studies have shown laparoscopic appendectomy to be safe for both acute and perforated appendicitis, but there have been conflicting reports as to whether it is superior from a cost perspective. Our academic surgical group, who perform all operative cases with resident physicians, has been challenged to reduce expenses in this era of cost containment. We recognize resident training is an expensive commodity that is poorly reimbursed, and hypothesized laparoscopic appendectomy was too expensive to justify resident teaching of this procedure. The purpose of this study was to determine if laparoscopic appendectomy is more expensive than open appendectomy. Methods: From April 2003 to April 2004, all patients undergoing appendectomy for presumed acute appendicitis at our university-affiliated teaching hospital were reviewed; demographic data, equipment charge, minutes in the operating room (OR), hospital length of stay, and total hospital charge were analyzed. OR minute charges were gradated based on equipment use and level of skilled nursing care. Conversions to open appendectomy were included in the laparoscopic group for analysis. Results: During the study period, 247 patients underwent appendectomy for preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis, with 152 open (113 inflamed, 37 perforated, 2 normal), 88 laparoscopic (69 inflamed, 12 perforated, 7 normal), and 7 converted (2 inflamed, 4 perforated, 1 normal) operations performed. The majority were men (67%) with a mean age of 31.4 ± 2.2 years. Overall, there was significant difference (P <.05) in intraoperative equipment charge ($125.32 ± $3.99 open versus $1,078.70 ± $24.06 lap), operative time charge ($3,022.16 ± $57.51 versus $4,065.24 ± $122.64), and total hospital charge ($12,310 ± $772 versus $16,773 ± $1,319) but no significant difference in operative minutes (56.3 ± 1.3 versus 57.4 ± 2.3), operating room minutes (90.5 ± 1.7 versus 95.7 ± 2.5), or hospital days (2.6 versus 2.2). In subgroup analysis of patients with uncomplicated appendicitis, open and laparoscopic groups had equivalent hospital days (1.47 versus 1.49) but significantly different hospital charges ($9,632.44 versus $14,251.07). Conclusions: Although operative time was similar between the 2 groups, operative and total hospital charges were significantly higher in the laparoscopic group. Unless patient factors warrant a laparoscopic approach (questionable diagnosis, obesity), we submit open appendectomy remains the most cost-effective procedure in a teaching environment.
WE‐D‐T‐6C‐04: MRI and MR Spectroscopic Imaging of Cancer Therapy Assessment

Purpose: To describe the use of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging in the assessment of treatment response for prostate cancer and braintumor patients. Method and Materials: Specialized 3D MR spectroscopic imaging acquisition techniques were developed for both 1.5T and 3 T MRscanners. Novel analysis and display software was developed for the processing and interpreting the MR metabolic imaging data. These techniques were applied in braintumor and prostate cancer cohorts prior to and following radiation and/or hormonal therapy. Changes in metabolite levels were calculated and correlated with treatment response measures. Results: The MR spectroscopic imaging techniques demonstrated the ability to reliably detect metabolite levels at both 1.5T and 3 T. Significant metabolite ratios differences were observed between normal and canceroustissues with greater spatial resolution at 3T. Following both successful hormonal therapy and radiation treatment, significant reductions in choline levels were observed in prostate cancer patients. Similarly decreases in choline correlated with therapeutic response in braintumor patients and increased choline significantly correlated with recurrent/residual tumor.Conclusion: These studies demonstrate the ability of MR spectroscopic imaging to detect metabolic differences between cancer and normal tissues in braintumor and prostate cancer patients and the ability to detect metabolic changes following therapy.
Sensory substitution via cutaneous skin stretch feedback

Skin stretch is a novel haptic feedback method that can provide a human operator with information about the magnitude and direction of an applied force. To evaluate the potential for skin stretch feedback to be used as a sensory substitute for kinesthetic (force) feedback in robotic teleoperation systems, a study was conducted to measure the ability of users to discriminate environment stiffness using varying levels of fingerpad skin stretch instead of force feedback. A new, high-fidelity skin stretch feedback device was developed that imposes tangential fingerpad skin stretch in proportion to the intended level of force feedback. In psychophysical experiments, users received skin stretch feedback with magnitude proportional to the users' penetration depth into a virtual wall. Users' stiffness discrimination capability using skin stretch was comparable to that of using force feedback. Furthermore, larger skin stretch cues were perceived by users as portraying greater stiffness without any advance training, which indicates that skin stretch feedback would be an intuitive sensory substitute for force feedback. Thus, skin stretch feedback is a promising method for conveying kinesthetic force information in applications such as robot-assisted surgery, where high levels of force feedback may not be desirable due to stability or safety concerns.
Making Collaboration Work in Inclusive High School Classrooms: Recommendations for Principals.

The growing number of children with disabilities who are served in general education classrooms has made it necessary for general and special education teachers to work together to ensure that all ...
The Impact of Open Access to Atypical Antipsychotics on Treatment Costs for Medi-Cal Patients with Bipolar Disorder

The California Medicaid Program (Medi-Cal) provided open access to atypical antipsychotics in October 1997. This study investigated the impact of open access to atypical antipsychotics on the costs and duration of therapy for patients with bipolar disorders. Paid claims data from Medi-Cal were used to identify episodes of treatment using antipsychotics, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or selected anticonvulsants initiated by patients with bipolar disorders. Episodes of treatment were assigned to one of three time periods based on the start date: closed access (July 1994 to September 1997); a transition period (October 1997 to March 1998); and open access (April 1998 to August 1999). Ordinary least squares models for the cost and duration of drug therapy were estimated for episodes of treatment started after a break in all bipolar-related drug therapy (restarts) and switching/augmentation episodes. 123 796 restart and 206 157 switching/augmentation episodes were identified. Patients with bipolar disorders cost between $US8000 and $US9000 annually (year of values 1998). Open access increased total costs by $US165–203 per year for restart episodes and $US75–125 per year for switching/augmentation episodes, primarily due to increased drug costs of $US101–103 for restart episodes (p < 0.001) and $US124 for switching/augmentation episodes (p < 0.001). Days of therapy decreased by 3.67 days for restart episodes (p < 0.001) and increased by 2.59–2.62 days for switching/augmentation episodes (p < 0.001) from the closed access period to the open access period. Conventional antipsychotic medications are not used for long-term drug therapy for bipolar disorders, and the long-term effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics was not well established in October 1997. It is not surprising that open access to atypical antipsychotics had only limited effects on the costs and duration of therapy for these patients.
Determination of sodium cations in atmospheric particles

A method of detecting sodium ion in atmospheric particles using the magnesium salt of 8-amino-l-naphthalenesulfonic acid is described. The preparation of the reagent is outlined. The reaction product appears as small clusters of soft white or brownish-white needles, which may be readily identified under the optical microscope. A calibration curve is given for the particle-reaction site ratio, using sodium chloride as the calibrating material. Results of field tests of the method are presented. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1962.tb01343.x
A survey of maternity policies and pregnancy accommodations in American police departments

As police organizations in the United States accommodate pregnancy through the adoption and the implementation of disability and maternity policies, managers must negotiate the institutional pressures and organizational conflicts inherent to allocating resources. This study establishes a record of maternity policies in US agencies and indicates that maternity leave has morphed into family leave, with agencies reporting resources invested in paternity leave, and shared family leave. While prior research has suggested a lack of policy in American police departments, this research confirms that maternity and light duty policies have been established.
The Electric Arc and its Function in the New Welding Processes

The subject of this paper is a phenomenon of great interest and very great complexity. The electric arc is a tool of extreme power and flexibility. The electric arc can be used to melt the most refractory substances, cut the armor plates of battleships or weld together the ends of wires no thicker than a human hair. It is a wonderful tool that makes or breaks almost anything. It may unite the most indifferent elements such as nitrogen and oxygen, or break the molecule into its constituent atoms. In this paper we shall discuss only one type of application of the electric arc; namely, the application of the arc to the welding of metals, but even in these limits the field is very wide. The electric arc was discovered by H. Davy who in 1810 was experimenting with the sparking between two horizontally disposed carbon pencils. The density of the current was such that on short circuit the tips of the carbon pencils were heated to incandescence. When the electrodes were separated the electric current continued to flow across the air-gap between the carbon pencils. The air-gap was bridged by some sort of an extremely bright band which under action of the accending currents of hot air was bent upwards and formed a bow or an ``arc.'' This is the origin of the term, the ``electric arc.'' For many years the electric arc was used only as a source of light.
Kinetics of ‘living’ radical polymerizations of multifunctional monomers

Abstract The polymerizations of multifunctional monomers with an iniferter, p-xylylene bis-(N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate) (XDT), were studied with differential photocalorimetry. The iniferter was used to simulate a ‘living’ radical polymerization. The normal autoacceleration behavior that is often observed in the polymerization of multifunctional monomers was not evident in the reactions with the iniferter. The reversible reaction between the propagating polymer chain and the sulfur radical from the XDT molecule dominated the reaction and drastically decreased the rate of polymerization. Various parameters of the reaction (length between functional groups in the monomer, iniferter concentration, UV light intensity, and temperature) were investigated to determine the effect on the polymerization. The rate of polymerization and the final conversion of the polymer were increased significantly by increasing the temperature, initiator concentration and UV light intensity, and decreasing the length between functional groups. Mechanical properties of the resulting polymers were also examined. It was concluded that the presence of the iniferter during the polymerization of the multifunctional monomers had no effect on the heterogeneity of the polymer network. This was in agreement with previous modeling results.
Endovascular Management of Cerebral Vasospasm

Cerebral vasospasm is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Most cases of vasospasm can be managed medically. Medical strategies for treatment include hemodynamic augmentation to improve cerebral perfusion pressure and medical therapy to prevent or reduce cerebral vasospasm. In patients with acute neurological deterioration, imaging assessment is essential to triage those patients appropriate for aggressive medical or endovascular therapy. Such imaging assessment can be performed with many radiologic techniques such as transcranial Doppler, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging, and single-photon emission CT (SPECT). Advanced CT applications like CT angiography and CT perfusion are gaining popularity and playing an increasingly important role in the decision making. Endovascular techniques for treatment of vasospasm include intra-arterial administration of vasodilators and intracranial angioplasty. This article discusses the use of these endovascular techniques in the management of vasospasm and provides a current review of literature. Sustained efficacy of intra-arterial vasodilators is less well established at this time, and repeated treatments may be necessary. Balloon angioplasty is an effective technique in treating vasospasm and results in durable clinical improvement. It should be used judiciously, however, given a small risk of vessel rupture associated with intracranial angioplasty. The goal of angioplasty should be improvement of vessel caliber to augment flow rather than to achieve a picture-perfect result.
Translocation and fate of the insecticide mirex within a bahia grass pasture ecosystem

Abstract The insecticide mirex was widely used in baits for control of the imported fire ant in the southeastern United States from 1965 to 1978. This study attempts to determine the rate and manner of movement of this pesticide within a typical ecosystem and its environmental fate. The study was conducted in three bahia grass pastures located in an 800-ha block of land in southeastern Louisiana. Following a standard application of Mirex 4X baitR, samples of the representative components of the pasture ecosystem—animals, plants, soil, water and sediment—were collected and analysed for mirex residues. Using the residue levels obtained and estimates for the size of various components of the ecosystem (animals, plants and physical units), estimates of the total amount of mirex recovered were determined at various sampling intervals for one year following treatment. Various probable pathways for the movement of mirex are proposed. Accountabilities of the 4·2 g of mirex applied per hectare were 100% at one day, 63% at one month, 26% at 6 months and 3% at one year.
Protective Action of Sulfapyridine Against Type II Pneumococcal Infections in Mice.

SummaryWith subcutaneous inoculations of 4000 to 8000 average lethal doses of a Type II pneumococcus in mice, the survival rates at both 30 and 60 days were (1) with 0.5% sulfapyridine in the food, 44%, and (2) with 1.0% sulfapyridine in the food, 63.4%. It is believed that the slight variations in drug-intake from day to day are more than counterbalanced by a more or less continuous drug-absorption from ingested food plus drug.
A STRONG CONSISTENCY PROOF FOR HETEROSKEDASTICITY AND AUTOCORRELATION CONSISTENT COVARIANCE MATRIX ESTIMATORS

A strong consistency result for heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation consistent covariance matrix estimators is proven in this paper. In addition, an error in a weak consistency proof for such estimators in the econometrics literature and a correction of that result is provided.
APPLICATIONS OF MASS SPECTROMETRY TO THE CHARACTERIZATION OF OLIGONUCLEOTIDES AND NUCLEIC ACIDS

Mass spectrometry-based techniques continue to undergo active development for applications to nucleic acids, fueled by methods based on electrospray and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization. In the past two years, notable advances have occurred in multiple interrelated areas, including sequencing techniques for oligonucleotides, approaches to mixture analysis, microscale sample handling and targeted DNA assays, and improvements in instrumentation for greater sensitivity and mass resolution.
Origins for the near-earth asteroids

Because of their short dynamical lifetimes, the population of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) must be resupplied. Two sources have been hypothesized: main-belt asteroids and extinct comet nuclei. The difficulty of making physical measurements for similar sized (diameter D less than 5 kilometers) main-belt asteroids and comet nuclei has limited comparative tests for distinguishing between these alternatives. A new survey of physical properties for D < 5 kilometers main-belt asteroids reveals that their spin rate and shape distributions are similar to those of NEAs, as is fully consistent with a main-belt origin for most NEAs. Physical data on comet nuclei are limited. If the existing sample is representative of the comet population, analysis of the asteroid and comet samples constrains the fraction of comet nuclei to between 0 and 40 percent of the total NEA population.
Determination of density and birefringence of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers using Raman microscopy

Multiple regression analysis has been used to calibrate polarized Raman spectra of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers in terms of density and birefringence. The calibration spans PET fibers having a wide range of density and birefringence values. The calibration required the Raman spectrum in only one polarization direction, that is, with the polarization directions of the incident and scattered light parallel to each other and to the fiber axis. The peak at 631 cm−1, which has been used previously as an internal standard band, could be used for the prediction of density, but not for the prediction of birefringence. The peak at 702 cm−1 was found to be a good internal standard band for both density and birefringence. Density could be predicted with a standard error of prediction of 0.003 g/cc using only the ratio of the intensity of the band at 996 cm−1 to that of 702 cm−1 and the full width at half maximum of the 1725-cm−1 band. Birefringence was predicted with a standard error of 0.01 using the ratios of the intensities of the bands at 996 and 1616 cm−1 to that of the 702-cm−1 band. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 73: 943–952, 1999
Nurses' Self-Care: A Question of Balance

IS IT LUDICROUS to propose that nurses can and should seek and achieve balance in professional work and in life? Are nurses in your unit, and in your workplace, given kudos for taking personal time off, for using time to promote self-care, for trying to limit work hours to a part-time or flexible schedule that fits in with family/personal life? Or is their value to the workplace and the management team directly proportional to the number of shifts added on to the already loaded time sheet? Is a nurse’s value to her/his peers related to the amount of work produced, to how many patients she/he takes care of, and/or to how many times the nurse asks for help with patient care?
Prolactin activates protein kinase C and stimulates growth-related gene expression in rat liver.

Abstract We have examined the effect of prolactin (PRL) on growth-related gene expression, protein kinase C (PKC) activity and diacylglycerol (DAG) mass in rat liver. Hepatic levels of messenger (m)RNA for c- myc , ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and β-actin increased in a dose-dependent manner within 1 h after PRL administration. Prolactin also caused a transient elevation of liver DAG levels and particulate-associated PKC activity. The PRL-provoked increases in DAG mass and particulate PKC activity were coincident and maximal at 20 min and began declining toward control levels by 30 min. These results suggest a temporal relationship between PRL-stimulated DAG accumulation and PKC activation. Furthermore, the subsequent rapid induction of growth-related gene expression provides new information on the role of PRL as a hepatic mitogen.
Infectivity and immunogenicity of irradiated Babesia rodhaini.

SYNOPSIS. Babesia rodhaini-parasitized mouse blood exposed to varied doses of γ radiation up to 30 kRad was inoculated into mice. Mice inoculated with nonirradiated B. rodhaini developed progressive infections and died 7–11 days postinoculation. Mice infected with B. rodhaini-parasitized blood exposed to doses up to and including 22 kRad developed progressive parasitemias which were delayed in comparison to mice inoculated with non-irradiated B. rodhaini. Some mice receiving parasitized blood irradiated at 26 kRad did not develop progressive parasitemias. Progressive infections were prevented by exposure to irradiation at 30 kRad. The results of 2 separate experiments revealed that one inoculation of parasitized blood exposed to 30 kRad or higher apparently stimulated a resistance to a challenge infection with nonirradiated parasitized blood. While 20 of 20 control mice died as a result of challenging infections, 9 of 28 mice previously exposed to irradiated parasitized blood survived. The injection of irradiated nonparasitized blood did not produce a discernible acquired resistance to B. rodhaini. Presumably the irradiated parasitized blood was responsible for the development of acquired resistance to B. rodhaini.
Rapid chemical separations for thermal neutron activation analysis of niobium and vanadium and application to controlled thermonuclear reactor materials studies

Procedures are described for rapid, high yield chemical separation of niobium and vanadium from surfaces of quartz, silicon, and carbon following thermal neutron activation. Practical detection limits for stable niobium and vanadium are 7·1010 and 6·1011 atoms respectively. Application of these procedures to controlled thermonuclear reactor materials studies is discussed.
Conformational changes during nucleotide selection by Sulfolobus solfataricus DNA polymerase Dpo4.

The mechanism of nucleotide selection by Y-family DNA polymerases has been the subject of intense study, but significant structural contacts and/or conformational changes that relate to polymerase fidelity have been difficult to identify. Here we report on the conformational dynamics of a model Y-family polymerase Dpo4 from Sulfolobus solfataricus. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange in tandem with mass spectrometry was used to monitor changes in Dpo4 structure as a function of time and the presence or absence of specific substrates and ligands. Analysis of the data revealed previously unrecognized structural changes that accompany steps in the catalytic cycle leading up to phosphoryl transfer. For example, the solvent accessibility of the αB-loop-αC region in the finger domain decreased in the presence of all four dNTP insertion events, but the rate of deuterium exchange, an indicator of conformational flexibility, only decreased during an accurate insertion event. Of particular note is a change in the region surrounding the H-helix of the thumb domain. Upon binding DNA and Mg2+, the H-helix showed a decrease in solvent accessibility and flexibility that was relaxed only upon addition of dCTP, which forms a Watson-Crick base pair with template dG and not during mispairing events. The current study expands upon a previous report from our group that used a fluorescent probe located near the thumb domain to measure the kinetic properties of Dpo4 conformational changes. We now present a model for nucleotide selection by Dpo4 that arises from a synthesis of both structural and kinetic data.
Optimal placement of phasor measurement units (PMU) using a novel method based on observability gramian and full observability rank

This paper proposes a new methodology based on observability gramian for optimal placement of phasor measurement units (PMUs) to achieve full observability of power system. This would enable better state measurement and state estimation of large scale power systems. An application to Nine-bus system and Two-area system proves that the proposed architecture is unique and provides better results compared to the existing method for PMU placements. This energy function approach based on observability gramian is simple in structure but perform better than existing methods for the PMU placements. The results illustrates that this method is scalable and the architecture can be implemented in modern power grid.
Length scale of Leidenfrost ratchet switches droplet directionality

Arrays of tilted pillars with characteristic heights spanning from hundreds of nanometers to tens of micrometers were created using wafer level processing and used as Leidenfrost ratchets to control droplet directionality. Dynamic Leidenfrost droplets on the ratchets with nanoscale features were found to move in the direction of the pillar tilt while the opposite directionality was observed on the microscale ratchets. This remarkable switch in the droplet directionality can be explained by varying contributions from the two distinct mechanisms controlling droplet motion on Leidenfrost ratchets with nanoscale and microscale features. In particular, asymmetric wettability of dynamic Leidenfrost droplets upon initial impact appears to be the dominant mechanism determining their directionality on tilted nanoscale pillar arrays. By contrast, asymmetric wetting does not provide a strong enough driving force compared to the forces induced by asymmetric vapour flow on arrays of much taller tilted microscale pillars. Furthermore, asymmetric wetting plays a role only in the dynamic Leidenfrost regime, for instance when droplets repeatedly jump after their initial impact. The point of crossover between the two mechanisms coincides with the pillar heights comparable to the values of the thinnest vapor layers still capable of cushioning Leidenfrost droplets upon their initial impact. The proposed model of the length scale dependent interplay between the two mechanisms points to the previously unexplored ability to bias movement of dynamic Leidenfrost droplets and even switch their directionality.
Toxicity of tritium oxide to mice.

SummaryThe 30-day median lethal dose of H32 for CF No. 1 female mice is about 1 mc per g body weight when given in a single injection. The estimated radiation dosage is about 800 rep in the first 3 days and about 1000 rep in the first 12 days after injection. It is concluded that no unexpected factor of biological effectiveness exists for tritium β rays in relation to X or γ rays.
Human perspective to anomaly detection for cybersecurity

Traditionally signature-based network Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) rely on inputs from domain experts and can only identify the attacks if they occur as individual event. IDS generate large number of alerts and it becomes very difficult for human users to go through each message. Previous researches have proposed analytics based approaches to analyze IDS alert patterns based on anomaly detection models, multi-steps models or probabilistic approaches. However, due to the complexities of network intrusions, it is impossible to develop all possible attack patterns or to avoid false positives. With the advance in technologies and popularity of networks in our daily life, it is becoming more and more difficult to detect network intrusions. However, no matter how rapid the technologies change, the human behaviors behind the cyber attacks stay relatively constant. This provides us an opportunity to develop an improved system to detect the unusual cyber attacks. In this paper, we developed four network intrusion models based on consideration of human factors. We then tested these models on ITOC Cyber Defense Competition (CDX) 2009 data. Our results are encouraging. These Models are not only able to recognize most network attacks identified by SNORT log alerts, they are also able to distinguish the non-attack network traffic that was potentially missed by SNORT as indicated by ground truth validation of the data.
Homodimerization of Marek's Disease Virus-Encoded Meq Protein Is Not Sufficient for Transformation of Lymphocytes in Chickens

Marek's disease virus (MDV), the etiologic agent of Marek's disease, is a potent oncogenic herpesvirus. MDV is highly contagious and elicits a rapid onset of malignant T-cell lymphomas in chickens within several weeks after infection. MDV genome codes an oncoprotein, Meq, which shares resemblance with the Jun/Fos family of bZIP transcription factors. Similar to Jun, the leucine zipper region of Meq allows the formation of homo- and heterodimers. Meq homo- and heterodimers have different DNA binding affinities and transcriptional activity; therefore, they may differentially regulate transcription of viral and cellular genes. In this study we investigated the role of Meq homodimers in the pathogenicity of MDV by generating a chimeric meq gene, which contains the leucine zipper region of the yeast transcription factor GCN4 (meqGCN). A recombinant virus (rMd5-MeqGCN) containing the chimeric meqGCN gene in place of parental meq was generated with overlapping cosmid clones of Md5, a very virulent MDV strain. The rMd5-MeqGCN virus replicated in vitro and in vivo but was unable to transform T cells in infected chickens. These data provide the first in vivo evidence that Meq homodimers are not sufficient for MDV-induced transformation.
In and Out of the Loop: Strategic Skill and Windows of Opportunity in Discrete Process Control

A long-standing question in cognitive engineering is the effect of computer aids on work skills. We examined the performance of human operators in a discrete process control environment. During an extended training period, humans controlled production under one of four different conditions (manual, hybrid, supervisory, and automatic) that varied the degree of in-the-loop control. After a training period all subjects transferred to a supervisory condition with two scheduling logic errors to compensate for. Training results showed that production was best overall with supervisory control, intermediate with hybrid control, and worst with manual control. Supervisory performance did not differ across the two scheduling aids. When scheduling logic errors were introduced, subjects who had trained in the automatic condition (simply observing) took longer to respond and let production drop most. Overall, performance depends on an interplay between (1) ability to identify goal-relevant cues and (2) ability to conne...
Social and economic aspects of immigration

The absolute size of the foreign-born U.S. population is at a historical high, but neither the share of the population that is foreign born nor the share of children in immigrant families is high compared with the beginning of the 20th century. While poverty rates for immigrants and children in immigrant families are substantial, poverty is concentrated among certain groups, particularly Hispanics and blacks, non-citizens, and recent arrivals. The general economic well-being of immigrants improves with the move to the United States and as time in the United States increases. However, immigrants remain disadvantaged in terms of health insurance coverage. The economic situation of children in immigrant families has declined since the late 1960s, despite the high labor force participation of immigrant men and the lower prevalence of single-parent households among immigrant families. Still, children in immigrant families are at least as healthy as children in native families and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors. With socioeconomic factors taken into account, children in immigrant families do as well as other children in school. Analyses of the socioeconomic well-being of immigrants have been hampered by lack of information in major data sets about legal status and about the visa status of legally present immigrants, as well as by limited availability of longitudinal data.
Incremental algorithm for updating betweenness centrality in dynamically growing networks

The increasing availability of dynamically growing digital data that can be used for extracting social networks has led to an upsurge of interest in the analysis of dynamic social networks. One key aspect of social network analysis is to understand the central nodes in a network. However, dynamic calculation of centrality values for rapidly growing networks might be unfeasibly expensive, especially if it involves recalculation from scratch for each time period. This paper proposes an incremental algorithm that effectively updates betweenness centralities of nodes in dynamic social networks while avoiding re-computations by exploiting information from earlier computations. Our performance results suggest that our incremental betweenness algorithm can achieve substantial performance speedup, on the order of thousands of times, over the state of the art, including the best-performing non-incremental betweenness algorithm and a recently proposed betweenness update algorithm.
Phytoestrogens for osteoporosis

Phytoestrogens are plant-derived compounds with estrogenic activity found in natural dietary sources. Common phytoestrogen sources include soybeans, soy products, alfalfa fodder, flaxseed, and over-the-counter dietary supplements. This article summarizes the clinical evidence available regarding the bone-altering effects of phytoestrogens in humans, provides guidance as to their potential application in therapy, and briefly describes other uses of phytoestrogens. Evidence that phytoestrogens may provide some positive bone-altering effects is promising, but the full understanding of their efficacy and safety is not completely investigated yet. Some bone-sparing effects have been demonstrated with natural and commercial phytoestrogens and the synthetic Ipriflavone through limited studies. New research involving commercial phytoestrogen containing products such as Promensil®, Rimostil®, Tofupill®/Femarelle®, and the synthetic ipriflavone attempt to address unanswered questions. Research has yielded positive, yet inconsistent, trends with respect to bone turnover markers, bone mineral density, and bone mineral content, but little fracture data exists. Adequate phytoestrogen dosages have yet to be determined; except 200 mg of ipriflavone three times a day is an established dosage in most trials. Inconsistency in positive results also exists for menopausal symptoms and breast cancer, although evidence is established for reduction of cardiovascular disease. In light of better established durg products, phytoestrogens should not be recommended at this time as first-line therapy for prevention or treatment of osteoporosis in men or women because questions remain regarding product selection and the degree of efficacy and safety. Health care providers must stay current with key research and continue to provide important patient education regarding the therapeutic use and safety of phytoestrogens for osteoporosis.
Caring Time Policies in Western Europe: Trends and Implications

One trend in family policy across Western Europe in recent years has been the expansion of caring time policies – maternity, paternity and parental leaves, as well as part-time work possibilities. This trend reflects economic and demographic motivations as policy-makers seek to combat unemployment, ‘activate’ female labor through flexible forms of work and combat declining birth rates. It also reflects political pressures on governments to help parents balance work and family. In meeting these aims, policy-makers have devised policies that restructure women's time rather than that of men, encouraging temporary or part-time homemaking by women combined with interrupted or part-time work. Lacking are policies that more successfully challenge the gender division of labor in the home, reflecting limits to feminist influence over these policies. Such initiatives can be traced to various factors, including demographic anxieties, the desire for greater economic flexibility and the demands of working parents for more help, and demonstrate the limited influence of feminists in policy design.
Effects of material properties on the fragmentation of brittle materials

We present a fundamental investigation of the influence of material and structural parameters on the mechanics of fragmentation of brittle materials. First, we conduct a theoretical analysis (similar to Drugan’s single wave problem, Drugan, W.J. (2001), Journal of Mechanical and Physics Solids 49, 1181–1208.) and obtain closed form solutions for a problem coupling stress wave propagation and single cohesive crack growth. Expressions for a characteristic fragment size s 0 and a characteristic strain-rate $${\dot\varepsilon}_0$$ are given. Next, we use a numerical approach to analyze a realistic fragmentation process that involves multiple crack interactions. The average fragment size s is calculated for a wide variety of strain-rates $${\dot \varepsilon}$$ and a broad range of material parameters. Finally, we derive an empirical function that relates the normalized fragment size s/s 0 to the normalized strain-rate $${\dot \varepsilon}/\dot{\varepsilon}_0$$ and that fits all of the numerical results with a single master curve.
Functional category production in English agrammatism.

Background: Individuals with agrammatism show selective deficits in functional categories. The tree‐pruning hypothesis (TPH; Friedmann & Grodzinsky, 1997) suggests that this results from inability to project certain nodes in the syntactic tree. On this account, higher nodes in the tree are more vulnerable than lower ones. Other theories, however, suggest that functional category impairments can be explained in the context of a morphological deficit (e.g., Arabatzi & Edwards, 2002; Penke, 2003; Thompson, Fix, & Gitelman, 2002). Aims: This study examined production of complementisers, tense, and agreement morphology in four English‐speaking agrammatic participants to test the hierarchical nature of functional category deficits. The consistency of verb inflection errors was also tested under conditions examining a minimal set versus a full array of English inflected forms. Materials & Procedures: In Experiment 1 participants were asked to produce sentences by using a complementiser (i.e., whether, that, and ...
Market efficiency tests using forward and futures exchange contracts

Abstract The lack of consensus of empirical findings on foreign exchange market efficiency has been well-documented and is a major impetus for this study. 1 Although many foreign exchange market efficiency tests have been conducted using forward rates, only a few have used futures rates and none have compared the two. In this paper, a variety of tests of market efficiency are conducted using data from the futures market and the results are then compared to those obtained using data from the forward market. The data set used covers the period 1977–1988 and includes five currencies—the Canadian dollar, the German mark, the Japanese yen, the Swiss franc and the British pound.
Acquisition of the Voicing Contrast by Language-Delayed and Normal-Speaking Children

Voicing is a phonological contrast which emerges early in the speech of children. However, the acoustic correlates of the voicing contrast for stop consonants are fairly complex. In the initial pos...
Frontier orbital and morphology engineering of conjugated polymers and block copolymers for potential high efficiency photovoltaics

Abstract The photoelectric power conversion efficiencies of currently reported organic/polymeric photovoltaic materials are still relatively low (typically less than 9% under AM 1.5 and one Sun intensity), and the three major losses are still severe, i.e., the ‘photon loss’ due to mismatch of materials energy gaps versus the sunlight photon energies, the ‘exciton loss’ and the ‘carrier loss’ due to poor solid state morphologies of existing polymeric donor/acceptor binary systems. Therefore, both molecular frontier orbitals (HOMOs, LUMOs) and phase morphologies of the photovoltaic polymers need to be optimized to further enhance the efficiency. In this presentation, our recent efforts on frontier orbital and energy gap engineering and terminal functionalizations of conjugated polymer blocks, and the donor-bridge-acceptor type block copolymer approaches will be reviewed. For instance, an earlier developed (DBAB)n block copolymer system (where D represents a conjugated donor block, A represents a conjugated acceptor block, and B represents a non-conjugated bridge unit) exhibited much better photovoltaic properties compared to the corresponding simple D/A blend system. Recently, a new DBA conjugated block copolymer system based on mono-functionalized monomers has also been synthesized. Additionally, a series of terminal functional and sulfone-containing conjugated polymers with evolving frontier orbital energy levels and gaps have recently been designed, synthesized, and studied. The HOMO/LUMO energy gaps of these new polymers were in a range of 1.5–2.6 eV, which are very attractive for solar energy applications. The terminal functional groups (aldehyde or phosphonate) make these polymer blocks potentially ideal candidates for the development of donor/acceptor block copolymer supra-molecular nanostructures for a variety of optoelectronic applications.