cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Paleomagnetism of the Neoproterozoic Chuar Group, Grand Canyon Supergroup, Arizona: implications for Laurentia’s Neoproterozoic APWP and Rodinia break-up

Abstract Selected parts of the Galeros and Kwagunt Formations, of the Neoproterozoic Chuar Group (ca. 800–740 Ma) exposed in the eastern Grand Canyon, Arizona, yield paleomagnetic data that are consistent with a primary origin. Both formations are dominated by dark mudrock with multiple, hematite-cemented fine sandstone and mudstone horizons that yield magnetizations of west declination and shallow inclination (or antipodes). The grand mean magnetization for the older Galeros Formation, determined by giving unit weight to each of 16 sites, is Dec=265.5°, Inc=5.1°, α95=8.5°, κ=19.8 and yields a paleopole of 2°S, 163°E (dp=4.3; dm=8.5). The younger Kwagunt Formation provides a grand mean magnetization of Dec=280.8°, Inc=30.6°, α95=8.4°, κ=38.6 (three sites of normal polarity and six sites of reverse polarity), determined by giving unit weight to each of the nine sites, and yields a paleopole of 18°N, 166°E (dp=5.2; dm=9.4). The NRM of about a third of the collection, mainly from coarser-grained hematitic sandstones, is dominated by a north-directed, moderate positive inclination magnetization with laboratory unblocking temperatures up to 680 °C and is interpreted as a recent overprint. We argue that the east–west and shallow magnetization in the Chuar Group strata, although similar to early Paleozoic magnetizations for North America, is primary because both groups of data pass fold tests and because Chuar strata lie in angular unconformity below the flat-lying Middle Cambrian Tapeats sandstone. Furthermore, we infer that the Chuar Group paleopoles, together with other North American Neoproterozoic results, are fully consistent with a tight counterclockwise loop in the south Pacific in the apparent polar wander path for North America during the Neoproterozoic. This new path represents a drift history that positions the central part of the Rodinia supercontinent at or near the equator at ∼800 Ma and slightly younger time. Penecontemporaneous with Chuar deposition, extension began along the Cordilleran margin of Laurentia. This large-scale extensional event culminated in the rift-to-drift transition of Laurentia away from East Gondwana or Asian (South China, Siberia) blocks by ca. 750 Ma.
On-Probe Digestion of Bacterial Proteins for MALDI-MS

On-probe digestion combined with MALDI mass spectrometry is studied as a rapid method for the analysis and identification of bacterial proteins. The use of trypsin adsorbed to the probe surface reduces the digestion time from hours to minutes. A high amount of trypsin must be applied to the probe for the successful digestion of bacterial proteins. Mass spectra of the digest contain a number of low-mass digest fragments. Several components of a B. subtilis bacterial digest can be identified through postsource decay and database searching.
Two profilometric measurements of wear

Abstract It is argued that wear volume measurements in many pin-on-disc wear tests are very tenuous. This is especially so for ion-implanted materials. As more reliable substitutes for wear measurements, wear track profile area and maximum wear depth are suggested. It is shown that these measurements are easily made in the modern profilometer facility. Simple statistical calculations are used to show that profile area and track length can be multiplied to obtain the wear volume when adjacent wear track profiles are highly shape correlated. Maximum wear depth is defined and the depth measurements are shown to be well described by an extreme value distribution. These statistics, based on the measurements, are then used to estimate specimen reliability.
You must be joking...: is change

It is clearly a time of change. Naturally, I am talking about the change of person in the top post: "Le Boss Grand" Christophe Diot is replaced by "Canadian Chief, Eh?" Srinivasan Keshav. Coincidence? No, my friends. This change of the guards in the most powerful position in CCR, and, by some stretch of the imagination, in SIGCOMM, and, by arbitrary extension, in the scientific world at large, is just the start of a period of change that will be later known as the Great Changes. Taking the cue from that, I say, let's change.
Stunned myocardium: a disease of the myofilaments?

Stunned myocardium is the first clinically relevant disorder of excitation-contraction coupling whose pathophysiology has been successfully elucidated by the application of contemporary cellular methods. Direct measurements of intracellular calcium in the stunned myocardium have revealed normal calcium levels during activation, but these normal levels of calcium are dramatically uncoupled from the accompanying contractions. The demonstration that normal intracellular calcium levels result in weak contractions implicates a lesion of the myofilaments in stunned myocardium. Here we review briefly the experimental basis for this conclusion; for a more complete treatment, please refer to Gao et al. (11). We then attempt to resolve the following paradox: if the myofilaments are desensitized to calcium, how is it that the stunned myocardium can still increase its force in response to positively inotropic stimuli?
Physical processes in pseudoparticle fields: The role of fermionic zero modes

The influence of a single pseudoparticle on the electromagnetic current correlation function is calculated. Zero modes of the (massless) fermionic fields which build up the correlation function play an important role in assuring conservation of the electromagnetic current. The long-distance behavior of the correlation function has the form characteristic of massive fermion fields. This provides an expression for the mass shift induced by pseudoparticle interactions and confirms a result obtained by other (approximate) methods.
Packing the Steiner trees of a graph

Let G = (V,E) be an undirected graph with a distinguished set of terminal vertices K ⊆ V, |K| ≥ 2. A K-Steiner tree T of G is a tree containing the terminal vertex-set K, where any vertex of degree one in T must belong to K. The Steiner Tree Packing problem (STPP for short) is the problem of finding the maximum number of edge-disjoint K-Steiner trees, tK(G), contained in G. Specifically we are interested in finding a lower bound on tK(G) with respect to the K-edge-connectivity, denoted as λK(G). In 2003, Kriesell conjectured that any graph G with terminal vertex-set K has at least ⌊λK(G)-2⌋ edge-disjoint K-Steiner trees. In this article, we show that this conjecture can be answered affirmatively if the edges of G can be partitioned into K-Steiner trees. This result yields bounds for the problem of packing K-Steiner trees with certain intersection properties in a graph. In addition we show that for any graph G with terminal vertex-set K, tK(G) ≥ ⌊λK(G)-2⌋ - |V - K|-2 - 1. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, 2009
An evaluation of outcome variables in the systematic desensitization of test anxiety

Abstract This study investigated the effects of group systematic desensitization and group counseling on anxiety and academic performance. Fifty-four undergraduates who requested help for debilitating test anxiety were randomly assigned to Desensitization. Group Counseling, or No-treatment control groups. Measures of test anxiety, trait anxiety, and academic achievement were obtained for all students' pre- and post-treatment. The Desensitization group showed a significant decrease in test anxiety; the Counseling and No-treatment groups showed no changes in these measures. None of the groups showed any change in trait anxiety or academic achievement. The results provided evidence that systematic desensitization was an effective treatment for reducing test anxiety, but not for improving grades.
Growth and Carcass Characteristics of Early- and Late-Feathering Broilers Reared Under Different Feeding Regimens

Abstract Growth, immunological characteristics, and carcass traits were measured in early- and late-feathering chickens maintained under three feeding regimens. The regimens were 1) AL, ad libitum, 2) RL, alternate day feed restriction from 6 to 27 days of age and then released to ad libitum, 3) SOD, alternate day feeding restriction from 6 days of age to the end of the experiment. Sexual dimorphism was observed for accelerated growth with convergence in BW of RL with AL chickens occurring at a younger age in males than females. Absolute BW, feather weight, and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) weights were lower for SOD, after 45 days of age, than for AL and RL chickens. Relative to BW, however, GIT and liver weights, at 45 days of age but not 64 days of age, were heavier for SOD than for AL and RL chickens. Percentage of carcass lipid was lower for SOD than for AL and RL chickens. Generally, carcass traits and components of the GIT were similar for Regimens AL and RL at 45 and 64 days of age. Exceptions were lower percentages for carcass lipid and liver lipid for RL than AL chickens at 64 days of age. There was a significant feeding regimen by age interaction for heterophil to lymphocyte ratios caused by a greater increase in ratios with age for AL than for RL and SOD chickens. At 37 days of age, AL chickens had lower antibody titers to SRBC than SOD or RL chickens that did not differ. The AL chickens had reduced bursa of Fabricius and thymus weights relative to BW, indicative of immunological involution, along with reduced livability, compared with RL and SOD chickens, which did not differ in livability. Early- and late-feathering chickens were similar for most of the traits measured. One exception was higher antibody titers to SRBC in early- than late-feathering chickens.
Recent developments in stereoscopic and holographic 3D display technologies

Currently, there is increasing interest in the development of high performance 3D display technologies to support a variety of applications including medical imaging, scientific visualization, gaming, education, entertainment, air traffic control and remote operations in 3D environments. In this paper we will review the attributes of the various 3D display technologies including stereoscopic and holographic 3D, human factors issues of stereoscopic 3D, the challenges in realizing Holographic 3D displays and the recent progress in these technologies.
Phylogenetic utility of the tyrosine kinase gene X-src for assessing relationships among representative cichlid fishes.

The nuclear gene X-src is a member of the tyrosine-kinase class of proto-oncogenes whose normal product is localized within the cytoplasm of the cell. The X-src gene has been used in only a few phylogenetic studies, each focusing on systematics of killifishes (Cyprinodontiformes). The present study is an attempt to examine the phylogenetic utility of X-src for uncovering relationships of representative cichlid fishes, especially the cichlids of Middle America. The family Cichlidae is a species-rich group of tropical freshwater fish made up of more than 1000 species which show a Gondwanan pattern of distribution. Cichlid fish have been the focus of numerous studies ranging from behavioral to biogeographical to systematic in nature. Particular emphasis has focused on the cichlids of the African Great Lakes and the explosive adaptive radiation of this group. However, Neotropical cichlids have received considerably less attention than their African counterparts. Our findings regarding the utility of X-src concur with those of previous phylogenetic analyses showing the exons of X-src to be highly conserved and useful mostly for revealing deep relationships among taxa. Like previous X-src studies, we also found the intron sequences of the gene to be variable in length and difficult to align across distantly related taxa but they provided useful information for resolving relationships among more closely related taxa. The X-src phylogeny supports the monophyly of Neotropical cichlids and cichlasomines groups A (=heroines) + B (=cichlasomines). A highly resolved tree is obtained within the heroines but little support is evident for most nodes based on the low number of unambiguous substitutions. The X-src gene is likely to be quite useful for resolving deep phylogenetic relationships such as those among major groups of actinopterygian fishes.
Novel method for adherent diamond coatings on cemented carbide substrates

Abstract Adhesion of diamond films on cemented carbide substrates is a critical issue due to its large thermal expansion mismatch. This large difference in thermal expansion results in the generation of very high stresses in the coating that may lead to delamination, cracking, or other deleterious effects. A method to increase the adherence of diamond coatings on cemented carbide substrates is reported, based on a substrate-modification process that creates a three-dimensional thermally and compositionally graded interface. Indentation tests on diamond coated tungsten carbide substrate showed that the adhesion of diamond films significantly improved with increasing the surface roughness of cemented carbides.
Imperial Saint: The Cult of St. Catherine and the Dawn of Female Rule in Russia – By Gary Marker

Scholarship on Russia in the eighteenth century has tended to stress discontinuities from the past. In the master narrative, Peter the Great transformed Russia's intellectual and governmental elite...
Global Trends in Digital Governance: A Longitudinal Study

This paper highlights the research findings of a digital governance survey conducted in the fall of 2009. The study replicates previous surveys of large municipalities worldwide in 2007, 2005, and 2003. This longitudinal assessment, focused on the assessment of current practices in municipal e-governance by evaluating their official websites. Specifically, the survey analyzed security, usability, content, the type of online services currently being offered, citizen response, and participation through websites established by city governments worldwide. There were significant changes in the top ranking cities when compared to previous studies. Based on the 2009 evaluation of 87 cities, Seoul, Prague, Hong Kong, New York, and Singapore represent the highest performing cities in digital governance. Moreover, there continues to be a divide in terms of digital governance throughout the world; however, this divide, which increased in 2005, decreased in 2009.
Parallels between behavioral and neurochemical variability in the rat vacuous chewing movement model of tardive dyskinesia.

Abstract The widely accepted rat vacuous chewing movement model for tardive dyskinesia could be more fully mined through greater focus on individual variability in vulnerability to this neuroleptic-induced behavior. We have examined parallels between behavioral and neurobiological variability within a cohort in order to evaluate the role that neurobiological factors might play in determining susceptibility to tardive dyskinesia. Inter-observer reliability and individual consistency across time, in both spontaneous and neuroleptic-induced vacuous chewing movements, were empirically demonstrated. While this behavior increased across 8 months of observation in both vehicle controls and haloperidol-treated rats, pre-treatment baselines were predictive of final levels across individuals only in the vehicle control group, not the haloperidol-treated group. Haloperidol-induced elevations in neostriatal D2 and GAD67 mRNA were not correlated with individual variability in haloperidol-induced vacuous chewing movements. Ambient noise during the observations was found to exacerbate chronic haloperidol-induced, but not spontaneous vacuous chewing movements. Significant correlations were found among the haloperidol-treated rats between nigral and tegmental GAD67 and tegmental α7 mRNA levels, measured by in situ hybridization histochemistry, and vacuous chewing movements, specifically in the noisy conditions. Variability in these secondary responses to primary striatal dopamine and GABA perturbations may play a role in determining vulnerability to vacuous chewing movements, and by analogy, tardive dyskinesia. Both the differential predictive value of baseline vacuous chewing movements and the differential effect of noise, between controls and haloperidol-treated rats, add to evidence that haloperidol-induced vacuous chewing movements are regulated, in part, by different mechanisms than those mediating spontaneous vacuous chewing movements.
Distribution and transport of suspended particulate matter in Monterey Canyon, California

From August 1993 to August 1994, six moorings that measure current, temperature, salinity, and water clarity were deployed along the axis of Monterey Canyon to study the circulation and transport of water and suspended particulate matter through the canyon system. The moorings occupied three sites that are morphologically different: a narrow transverse section (axis width 900 m) at 1450 m water depth, a wide transverse section at 2837 m, and a third site in the fan valley axis farther offshore at 3223 m that recorded for 3 yr. In addition, CTD/transmissometer casts were conducted within and near the Monterey Canyon during four cruises. Our data show a mainly biogenic, surface turbid layer, a limited intermediate nepheloid layer, and a bottom nepheloid layer. There is a consistent presence of a turbid layer within the canyon at a water depth of about 1500 m. Tidal flow dominates at all sites, but currents above the canyon rim and within the canyon appear to belong to two distinct dynamic systems. Bottom intensification of currents plays an important role in raising the near-bottom shear stress high enough that bottom sediments are often, if not always, resuspended. Mean flow pattern suggests a convergence zone between the narrow and wide site: the near-bed (100 m above bottom where the lowest current meter was located) mean transport is down-canyon at the 1450-m site, while the near-bottom transport at the 2837-m site is up-canyon, at a smaller magnitude. Transport at the 3223-m site is dominantly NNW, cross-canyon, with periods of up-canyon flow over 3 yr. A very high-turbidity event was recorded 100 m above the canyon bottom at the narrow site. The event started very abruptly and lasted more than a week. This event was not detected at either of the deeper sites. A canyon head flushing event is likely the cause.
Material Properties of Cells Can Be Determined From Compression Experiments of Cell-Gel Constructs

Mechanical loading has been implicated in regulating cellular behavior which in turn affect tissue development, growth, maintenance and regeneration. The structural components of the cell (cell membrane, transmembrane proteins such as integrins and at least three cytoskeletal networks of actin, microtubules and intermediate filaments) are involved in converting the mechanical loading into biochemical signals which then affect cellular behavior (1). Further, cells are known to alter their cytoskeletal structure during cell division (2), differentiation (3), pathology (4) and in response to mechanical loading (5). These changes will probably be reflected in gross material properties of the cell, such as modulus of elasticity. In this work, we describe a system to determine the modulus of elasticity of cells when they are embedded in agarose gel and subjected to compressive loading.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Effect of the nature of fuel on the characteristics of fully developed compartment fires

The coupling between the constituent reactions of a burning process, namely pyrolysis, combustion of volatiles, and (possibly) oxidation of char, is on the whole quite different for fires occurring in the open and for those that develop in an enclosure. Consequently, knowledge of the characteristics of free burning fires is of only limited value in studies related to compartment fire. Since the singe-rout communication between the fire compartment and its environment, always assumed in classical fire studies, is not at all common in real world fires, great sophistication in the mathematical modeling of classical fires is rarely warranted. An examination of pool-like fires and pile fires of noncharring fuels has shown that the severity of such fires in the fire compartment, as characterized by the so-called ‘fire severity product’, decreases slightly with an increase in ventilation. The principal danger presented by these fires, however, is not so much to the fire compartment itself as to the surrounding spaces. An interesting feature of fires involving charring fuels, cellulosies in particular, is that the rate of consumption of fuel, the so-called ‘rate of burning’, is practically independent of all process variables except ventilation. The severity of fires of cellulosics is, as a rule, much higher than that of fires of noncharring fuels. It exhibits a maximum at relatively low ventilations. From the point of view of spread of fire to the surrounding spaces, cellulosics are generally less dangerous than noncharring plastics. Fires involving cellulosics mixed with smaller amounts of noncharring plastics can be characterized as basically cellulosics fires, with a superimposed initial period of very high spread liability.
CEO duality: how many hats are too many?

Purpose – This paper aims to concentrate on the prevailing agency theory along with its complementary theory of stewardship as foundations for the authors' research. Recent economic turmoil within the USA has resulted in stakeholders demanding change within governance policies of corporations. One such adjustment has been the separation of the CEO and Chairman positions within organizations. The authors' study seeks to uncover the extent to which duality CEO relationships exist in large corporations within the USA. In light of the push towards splitting the dual roles, the authors further investigated new CEOs recently appointed into the CEO position.Design/methodology/approach – Companies selected for this study were the top 500 revenue‐producing companies in the USA as published by Fortune magazine in 2008. For comparison purposes, the authors' database included newly appointed CEOs coming on board with the original 2008 companies that had remained on the listing for both years as published by Fortune i...
Analysis of the activation and heterolytic dissociation of H2 by frustrated Lewis pairs: NH3/BX3 (X = H, F, and Cl).

We performed a computational study of H2 activation and heterolytic dissociation promoted by prototype Lewis acid/base pairs NH3/BX3 (X = H, F, and Cl) to understand the mechanism in frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs). Although the NH3/BX3 pairs form strong dative bonds, electronic structure theories make it possible to explore the potential energy surface away from the dative complex, in regions relevant to H2 activation in FLPs. A weakly bound precursor complex, H3N·H2·BX3, was found in which the H2 molecule interacts side-on with B and end-on with N. The BX3 group is pyramidal in the case of X = H, similar to the geometry of BH5, but planar in the complexes with X = F and Cl. The latter complexes convert to ion pairs, [NH4+][BHX3–] with enthalpy changes of 7.3 and −9.4 kcal/mol, respectively. The minimum energy paths between the FLP and the product ion pair of the chloro and fluoro complexes were calculated and analyzed in great detail. At the transition state (TS), the H2 bond is weakened and the BX3 moiet...
Optical characterization of Mn:YAlO 3 : material for holographic recording and data storage

Photoinduced coloration and the holographic grating recording associated with it are experimentally studied in Mn-doped yttrium orthoaluminate (Mn:YAlO3). High diffraction efficiency is demonstrated in visible and in infrared light. The diffraction efficiency at 514.5 nm exceeds 50%. The strong energy exchange between the writing beams observed in a two-wave mixing experiment suggests that diffraction in Mn:YAlO3 is due to mainly nonlocal holographic effect and an electro-optical effect. Mn:YAlO3 is shown to be a promising material for holographic recording and optical storage.
Causal reasoning using geometric analysis

We describe an approach that uses causal and geometric reasoning to construct explanations for the purposes of the geometric features on the parts of a mechanical device. To identify the purpose of a feature, the device is simulated with and without the feature. The simulations are then translated into a “causal-process” representation, which allows qualitatively important differences to be identified. These differences reveal the behaviors caused and prevented by the feature and thus provide useful cues about the feature's purpose. A clear understanding of the feature's purpose, however, requires a detailed analysis of the causal connections between the caused and prevented behaviors. This presents a significant challenge because one has to understand how a behavior that normally takes place affects (or is affected by) another behavior that is normally absent. This article describes techniques for identifying such elusive relationships. These techniques employ a set of rules that can determine if one behavior enables or disables another that is spatially and temporally far away. They do so by geometrically examining the traces of the causal processes in the device's configuration space. Using the results of this analysis, our program can automatically generate text output describing how the feature performs its function.
What is a Situation

This paper examines the role of ‘situations’ in John Dewey's philosophy of logic. To do this properly it is necessary to contrast Dewey's conception of experience and mentality with views characteristic of modern epistemology. The primary difference is that, rather than treat experience as peripheral and or external to mental functions (reason, etc.), we should treat experience as a field in and as a part of which thinking takes place. Experience in this broad sense subsumes theory and fact, hypothesis and evidence, reason and observation, thought and perception. Logic in this view is a formal study of the generic features of all possible kinds of experience in this broad (thick, deep, wide, multifaceted) sense. The goal of this paper is to explain what Dewey thinks a situation is in the context of this view of experience, and to argue for the fundamental importance of that idea for logic and philosophy in general.
Hydrogen Bonding in Ice

IN a recent communication in Nature1, Prof. Max Born has discussed some features of the Raman spectrum of ice, more particularly in relation to the elastic constants. Since Prof. Born makes no use of the available infra-red measurements on ice2 or of some earlier work on certain aspects of hydrogen bonding in ice, it seems worth while to recall some relevant data :
Memory power management via dynamic voltage/frequency scaling

Energy efficiency and energy-proportional computing have become a central focus in enterprise server architecture. As thermal and electrical constraints limit system power, and datacenter operators become more conscious of energy costs, energy efficiency becomes important across the whole system. There are many proposals to scale energy at the datacenter and server level. However, one significant component of server power, the memory system, remains largely unaddressed. We propose memory dynamic volt age/frequency scaling (DVFS) to address this problem, and evaluate a simple algorithm in a real system.As we show, in a typical server platform, memory consumes 19% of system power on average while running SPEC CPU2006 workloads. While increasing core counts demand more bandwidth and drive the memory frequency upward, many workloads require much less than peak bandwidth. These workloads suffer minimal performance impact when memory frequency is reduced. When frequency reduces, voltage can be reduced as well. We demonstrate a large opportunity for memory power reduction with a simple control algorithm that adjusts memory voltage and frequency based on memory bandwidth utilization.We evaluate memory DVFS in a real system, emulating reduced memory frequency by altering timing registers and using an analytical model to compute power reduction. With an average of 0.17% slowdown, we show 10.4% average (20.5% max) memory power reduction, yielding 2.4% average (5.2% max) whole-system energy improvement.
In vitro peripheral blood and synovial fluid lymphocyte interactions.

In vitro interaction of autologous peripheral blood and synovial fluid lymphocytes was studied using cells isolated from patients with various forms of arthritis. Addition of mitomycin-treated peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with inflammatory arthritis to in vitro cultures of autologous synovial fluid lymphocytes caused an increased incorporation of tritiated thymidine by the synovial fluid lymphocytes. However when the reverse situation was tested, no stimulation of peripheral blood lymphocytes by mitomycin-treated synovial cells was recorded. In some instances synovial fluid lymphocytes were observed to exert an apparent cytotoxic or inhibitory effect on autologous peripheral blood lymphocytes. The latter response pattern was found to occur to a much greater degree with lymphocyte preparations from patients with rheumatoid arthritis than in those with other forms of inflammatory joint disease.
Diversified Microbiota of Meconium Is Affected by Maternal Diabetes Status

Objectives: This study was aimed to assess the diversity of the meconium microbiome and determine if the bacterial community is affected by maternal diabetes status. Methods: The first intestinal discharge (meconium) was collected from 23 newborns stratified by maternal diabetes status: 4 mothers had pre-gestational type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) including one mother with dizygotic twins, 5 developed gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and 13 had no diabetes. The meconium microbiome was profiled using multi-barcode 16S rRNA sequencing followed by taxonomic assignment and diversity analysis. Results: All meconium samples were not sterile and contained diversified microbiota. Compared with adult feces, the meconium showed a lower species diversity, higher sample-to-sample variation, and enrichment of Proteobacteria and reduction of Bacteroidetes. Among the meconium samples, the taxonomy analyses suggested that the overall bacterial content significantly differed by maternal diabetes status, with the microbiome of the DM group showing higher alphadiversity than that of no-diabetes or GDM groups. No global difference was found between babies delivered vaginally versus via Cesarean-section. Regression analysis showed that the most robust predictor for the meconium microbiota composition was the maternal diabetes status that preceded pregnancy. Specifically, Bacteroidetes (phyla) and Parabacteriodes (genus) were enriched in the meconium in the DM group compared to the no-diabetes group. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence that meconium contains diversified microbiota and is not affected by the mode of delivery. It also suggests that the meconium microbiome of infants born to mothers with DM is enriched for the same bacterial taxa as those reported in the fecal microbiome of adult DM patients.
Propagation Characteristics of Dynamic Information Collected by In-Vehicle Sensors in a Vehicular Network

In this paper we see vehicles as mobile sensors and disseminators of information about their surroundings. This emerging concept goes beyond the past efforts of dealing only with traffic congestion that has become a part of daily life for most of us. Many researchers worked on various congestion information systems that are mainly based on the concept of collecting and disseminating traffic information through the use of vehicles roaming throughout the transportation network. Today a number of commercial solutions exist for disseminating traffic information (e.g., Traffic.com, Metrocommute, Etak-Traffic). However, these solutions are plagued by prohibitive deployment and maintenance cost that prevents widespread deployment. As an alternative, solutions based on peer-to-peer architecture have also been proposed. But most these systems are limited with collecting and disseminating the concept of travel time or congestion information. In this paper, we propose a three layered implementation architecture that will use vehicles to collect, process and disseminate information other than travel time including visibility, pavement, and weather conditions. We first describe vehicle-based experiments that we conducted to assess the feasibility of the proposed system. Then, we use a well-calibrated microscopic traffic simulation model of a relatively large network in New Jersey to test the speed and the range of information dissemination.
Low threshold CMOS circuits with low standby current

Multi-Voltage CMOS (MVCMOS) is a design methodology for very low power supply voltages that uses low-threshold transistors in series with the supply rails. The control voltages on the gating transistors need to be outside of the V/sub dd/-V/sub ss/ range (hence the name MVCMOS) in order to reduce the standby current, but the resulting circuits operate at lower supply voltages and have a lower area overhead than the previously proposed Multi-Threshold CMOS (MTCMOS).
Prediction of Railcar Remaining Useful Life by Multiple Data Source Fusion

Nowadays, railway networks are instrumented with various wayside detectors. Such detectors, automatically identifying potential railcar component failures, are able to reduce rolling stock inspection and maintenance costs and improve railway safety. In this paper, we present a methodology to predict remaining useful life (RUL) of both wheels and trucks (bogies), by fusing data from three types of detectors, including wheel impact load detector, machine vision systems, and optical geometry detectors. A variety of new features is created from feature normalization, signal characteristics, and historical summary statistics. Missing data are handled by missForest, a Random Forests-based nonparametric missing value imputation algorithm. Several data mining techniques are implemented and compared to predict the RUL of wheels and trucks in a U.S. Class I railroad railway network. Numerical tests show that the proposed methodology can accurately predict RUL of the components of a railcar, particularly in a middle-term range.
Analysis of magnetic amplifers

This article seeks to acquaint the reader with the elementary problems of thermoelectric generation and some of the solutions that have been devised. Consideration is also given to advantages and disadvantages of thermoelectric generation for uses which may appear desirable at the present state of the art.
Defective monocyte killing in patients with malignancies and restoration of function during chemotherapy.

Abstract Spontaneous monocyte-mediated cytotoxity (SMMC) in 34 patients treated with a chemotherapeutic regimen including cisplatin for various malignancies was depressed (median 7% 51 Cr release) compared with SMMC in 31 normal controls (median 43%; p
Measurement of linewidth of single crystal ferrites by monitoring the reflected wave in short-circuited transmission line

A method is described for measuring the linewidth of single crystal ferrite spheres, based on monitoring the reflected wave in a short-circuited transmission line. The ferrite sample is at the short circuit, or a half wavelength from it. An equation is given for the normalized equivalent resistance of a ferrite sphere at resonance, and a comparison made between theory and experiment. At C band, resonance curves of undercoupled spheres are relatively free of distortion. However, at frequencies of 2 GHz and lower, resonance curves are often distorted. Moreover, it is frequently possible to obtain a discrete number of different resonant curves at a given frequency. Data are given on errors due to nonideal microwave components. A method of displaying a resonance curve on an oscilloscope, using swept fields, is described.
Short range order structure in a copper 16 atomic percent aluminum alloy

A complete set of short range order and displacement parameters have been calculated from a restricted set of diffuse X-ray measurements on a copper-aluminum alloy using a multiple regression analysis. A computer simulation based on a discrete model which matched the experimental parameters indicated that the short range order structure is based upon ordered Cu3Au which is very heavily faulted. The results show that detailed comparisons between the experimental parameters and the simulation can be used to detect deficiencies in either the model or the data.
From mercury to skylab: A decade of space oceanography

The acquisition of useful data taken over the ocean from space through remote sensing was initially explored in detail during 1964. Oceanographic requirements, the space system and satellite orbit required, atmospheric interactions, atmospheric windows, the sensors, data handling, and a space-oceanographic experimental program are discussed in this paper. Complementary oceanographic cruising for the data acquired from the space platform is also related.
Impact of photoacid generator leaching on optics photocontamination in 193-nm immersion lithography

Leaching of resist components into water has been reported in several studies. Even low dissolution levels of photoacid generator (PAG) may lead to photocontamination of the last optical surface of the projection lens. To determine the impact of this phenomenon on optics lifetime, we initiate a set of controlled studies, where predetermined amounts of PAG are introduced into pure water and the results monitored quantitatively. The study identifies the complex, nonlinear paths leading to photocontamination of the optics. We also discover that spatial contamination patterns of the optics are strongly dependent on the flow geometry. Both bare SiO2 surfaces as well as coated CaF2 optics are studied. We find that for all surfaces, at concentrations typical of leached PAG, below 500 ppb, the in situ self-cleaning processes prevent contamination of the optics.
The incorporation of the quadruply bonded dimolybdenum(II) unit into an unusual 2-D polymeric assembly through the use of the asymmetric [4-Ph2P(O)C6H4CO2]− ligand that provides both equatorial and axial donor sites

Abstract The complex K4Mo2Cl8 reacts with the substituted benzoic acids XC6H4CO2H (X=4-Ph2P, 2-Ph2P, 4-Ph2P(O) or 4-Ph2P(S)) to form the complexes Mo2(μ-O2CC6H4-4-PPh2)4 ( 1 ) , Mo2(μ-O2CC6H4-2-PPh2)4(MeOH)2 ( 2 ) , {Mo2[μ-O2CC6H4-4-P(O)Ph2]4·4EtOH}n ( 3 ) and Mo2[μ-O2CC6H4-4-P(S)Ph2]4(MeOH)2 ( 4 ) . The presence of coordinated methanol molecules in 2 is confirmed by a single crystal X-ray structure determination, while the crystal structure of 3 reveals that a two-dimensional polymer is formed by the coordination of a trans pair of PO groups associated with each dimolybdenum unit to the axial sites of neighboring dimolybdenum [Mo2(μ-O2CR)4] units. The other trans pair of PO groups in 3 are hydrogen-bonded to ethanol.
Automated Fake Color Separation: Combining Computer Vision And Computer Graphics

A system is described for the automation of the color separation process. In current color separation systems, humans must visually segment line-art images, and using pen and ink, delineate the segments in a manner that enables a computer graphics system to be used interactively to color in each segment. The goal of this research was to remove the labor-intensive human visual segmentation, by adding rudimentary visual processing capabilities to the computer graphics system. This is possible through the use of computer vision algorithms which incorporate general knowledge about line-art, and are based on image features that are used by the human visual system in the early stages of visual processing. A major color separation company is planning the hardware implementation of a vision-graphics system based on these algorithms, and the State University of New York is applying for two patents based on this research.
The ribosomal cistrons of the water mold Achlya bisexualis.

Abstract Total DNA was extracted from vegatative mycelia of the water mold Achlya bisexualis . Fractionation of the DNA in CsCl gradients resulted in two components: a major component with a buoyant density of 1.697 g cm −3 and a minor component with a density of 1.685 g cm −3 . The minor component has been identified as mitochondrial DNA based on extractions from isolated mitochondria and Triton X-100 washed nuclei. Detergent washing of the nuclei yielded DNA in which the mitochondrial DNA component was absent, while the isolated mitochondrial preparations contained DNA enriched in the 1.685 g cm −3 component. Hybridization studies of A. bisexualis DNA to rRNA show that the ribosomal cistrons have a buoyant density coincident with that obtained with the nuclear DNA. In addition, preliminary evidence indicates that the mitochondrial DNA does not hybridize to the cytoplasmic RNA under the conditions used for this study. Ribosomal RNA hybridized to about 0.65% of the total DNA.
Adoption of Moringa oleifera to Combat Under-Nutrition Viewed Through the Lens of the “Diffusion of Innovations” Theory

Moringa oleifera, an edible tree found worldwide in the dry tropics, is increasingly being used for nutritional supplementation. Its nutrient-dense leaves are high in protein quality, leading to its widespread use by doctors, healers, nutritionists and community leaders, to treat under-nutrition and a variety of illnesses. Despite the fact that no rigorous clinical trial has tested its efficacy for treating under-nutrition, the adoption of M. oleifera continues to increase. The “Diffusion of innovations theory” describes well, the evidence for growth and adoption of dietary M. oleifera leaves, and it highlights the need for a scientific consensus on the nutritional benefits.
Pitch control design for optimum energy capture in variable-speed wind turbines

In this paper, we consider the pitch control of variable speed wind turbines with the aim of maximizing power output. Pitch angle control is a common approach for regulating the aerodynamic torque of the wind turbine when wind speed is above rated speed. The proposed pitch controller includes two paths, a nonlinear feed-forward path and a linear feedback path. The feed-forward path uses the information about the desired power output, wind velocity and the turbine speed to determine the pitch angle required. The gains of the linear controller are tuned to minimize changes in the tip speed ratio, which in turn will lead to optimum power. The results obtained from the implementing the proposed controller to a wind turbine show a good performance and optimum energy capture.
Model Calibration for Beam Models in the Presence of Model Discrepancy

Piezoelectric, magnetic and shape memory alloy (SMA) materials offer unique capabilities for energy harvesting and reduced energy requirements in aerospace, aeronautic, automotive, industrial and biomedical applications. However, all of these materials exhibit creep, rate-dependent hysteresis, and constitutive nonlinearities that must be incorporated in models and model-based control designs to achieve their full potential. Furthermore, models and control designs must be constructed in a manner that incorporates parameter and model uncertainties and permits predictions with quantified uncertainties. In this presentation, we compare the Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko beam models for a cantilever beam with an applied PZT patch to illustrate parameter estimation in the presence of model discrepancy.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Donation after cardiac death and liver transplantation.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review discusses recent results and analyses on the use of donation after cardiac death (DCD) allografts in liver transplantation, including outcomes based on donor and recipient risk stratification, as well as associated postoperative complication rates. RECENT FINDINGS Outcomes from the use of DCD donors can be improved with selective and appropriate donor-recipient pairings, although the optimum combination remains undetermined. Older DCD donors can be utilized, and arguments are presented for withdrawal of life support processes in the intensive care unit rather than in the operating room. SUMMARY Increasing the donor pool for liver transplantation is required to prevent many of the deaths that occur while the patient is on the wait list. Under specific conditions, many studies report positive outcomes from of the use of DCD donors for liver transplantation.
Analternative model for the conductivity behavior of K2Pt(CN)4Br0.3·3H2O☆

Abstract It is shown that the reordering of the bromine atoms into a new cubic lattice at low temperatures can produce the changes observed in the conductivity behavior of the mixed valence salt K 2 Pt(CN) 4 Br 0.3 2·3H 2 O. The optical data are examined in terms of an RPA calculation of the dielectric response of the crystal and it is noted that a periodic potential can reproduce the observed structure in the imaginary part without the need for identifying the charge carriers.
Validation of an in vivo developmental toxicity screen in the mouse

A test system for identifying toxicity, including potential teratogenicity has been developed that is based on growth and viability of embryonic, fetal, and postnatal mice (J. Toxicol Environ Health 10:541–550, 1982). To test the utility of this assay, a series of 55 compounds was administered to timed-pregnant ICR/SIM mice during organogenesis. The test compounds included known teratogens, known nonteratogens, and equivocal teratogens. They represented a wide variety of classes including pesticides, organic solvents, metals, steroids, nutrients, food additives, antimetabolites, alkylating agents, and pharmaceutical agents. A single dose level, at or near the level producing overt maternal toxicity in preliminary range-finding studies, was administered by gavage on gestation days 8 through 12. Females were allowed to deliver; litter size and weight on the day of birth and 2 days postpartum were recorded, and stillborns were examined. Dams that had not given birth by gestation days 21 or 22 were killed and their uteri were examined. The results confirmed a strong correlation between reported teratogenic activity and embryo/fetal viability, and/or postnatal growth and viability. The results indicate that this test system is an effective, cost-efficient means of prioritizing compounds for more detailed teratogenicity testing.
Stereoscopic thresholds as a function of head- and object-orientation.

Abstract Stereoscopic thresholds were measured under six degrees of lateral tilt of object and observer respectively. Thresholds increased inversely with the cosine of the angle of inclination. Conditions of head-tilt produced significantly lower thresholds than object-tilt. These results are not compatible with presently available geometric models of binocular disparity.
Selective estrogen receptor modulators : A new category of therapeutic agents for extending the health of postmenopausal women

Selective estrogen receptor modulators are a new category of therapeutic agents that bind with high affinity to estrogen receptors and mimic the effect of estrogens in some tissues but act as estrogen antagonists in others. Tamoxifen, a triphenylethylene derivative, was the first clinically available selective estrogen receptor modulator. It is a potent antiestrogen in the breast, and its use in breast cancer patients has made it the most prescribed antineoplastic drug worldwide. It has estrogen-like activity on bone metabolism, and it also reduces cholesterol. However, its ability to produce proliferation, polyp formation, and even carcinomas in the endometrium is well known. A new selective estrogen receptor modulator, raloxifene, a benzothiopene derivative, has a clinical profile similar to that of tamoxifen. However, both preclinical and clinical studies reveal that, unlike tamoxifen, it is a pure antiestrogen in the uterus. It has recently been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. This report reviews pertinent preclinical and currently available clinical studies about this new selective estrogen receptor modulator and discusses clinical applicability.