cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Dwell Time and Loading Rate on the Nanoindentation Behavior of Asphaltic Materials

In a nanoindentation test, a test sample is indented or loaded by an intender tip and then unloaded, and the load-displacement data are recorded. Load-displacement data are then analyzed using a common method to determine elastic modulus and hardness of materials. The slope of the unloading curve is positive and typically follows the slope of the loading curve for hard samples such as aluminum and silicon. The analysis method is not applicable if the unloading curve follows a negative slope, which is the case for soft viscous materials, such as asphalt binders and polymers. However, past studies have not attempted to examine the effects of dwell time and loading rate on viscous materials, such as asphalt binders, which are performed in this study. It is shown in this paper that an increase in dwell time shows a decrease in the bowing out or nose effect of the unloading portion of the load-displacement curve. At very low loading rates, asphalt binder shows a high viscous effect, which creates a large negative slope of the unloading curve.
Isolation of ribosomal RNA precursors from Physarum polycephalum.

Ribosomal RNA synthesis in Physarum polycephalum was studied by labeling intact microplasmodia with [3H]uridine. Labeled, high-molecular-weight RNA species were found in a 30,000 S structure released by phenol extraction at room temperature. RNA was released from the structure by further phenol extraction at 65–70 °C. If the labeling period was 15 min or longer, the labeled RNA was seen by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to be of two major types, a heterodisperse collection of 45-35 S molecules and a 26 S species. If the labeling was carried out for 30 min in the presence of cycloheximide, the major labeled species had an electrophoretic mobility corresponding to 40 S. Studies of the labeling kinetics, methylation, and base composition of these RNA molecules indicate that they are precursors to ribosomal RNA. The molecular weights of the homogeneous 40 and 26 S precursors are 3.0 × 106 and 1.45 × 106 daltons, respectively, in comparison with molecular weights of 1.29 × 106 and 0.68 × 106 daltons for the completed ribosomal RNA's.
A computational study of conformers and rotamers of 3-substituted equatorial tetrahydro-2H-thiopyran-1-oxides (tetrahydrothiopyran-1-oxides, thiacyclohexane-1-oxides, thiane-1-oxides)

Abstract Ab initio molecular orbital theory with the 6-31G(d), 6-31+G(d), 6-31G(d,p), and 6-31G(2d) basis sets has been used to calculate the geometry optimized structures and the relative energies (Δ E ) of the rotamers of the chair conformers of 3-substituted equatorial tetrahydro-2 H -thiopyran-1-oxides (tetrahydrothiopyran-1-oxides, thiacyclohexane-1-oxides, thiane-1-oxides; CH 3 , CF 3 , CHO, COCH 3 , CN, F, Cl, Br). The conformational free energies (Δ G °) and relative energies (Δ E ) of the conformers and rotamers are discussed in terms of the repulsive nonbonded interactions in both conformers.
Dilatancy model and empirical formulas for an earthquake area

A physical interpretation of empirical formulas for earthquake magnitude (M) and spatial extents of land deformation and aftershock area is attempted on the basis of a dilatancy model. It is demonstrated that the precursor time interval (τ) vs.M relation approximately fits in that for the τ vs. typical length of earthquake zone provided the above formulas hold good. A diffusion process in a dilatant region seems also to account for these approximate formulas.
EVIDENCE FOR LOCAL ACCELERATION OF SUPRATHERMAL HEAVY ION OBSERVATIONS DURING INTERPLANETARY CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS

Suprathermal particles are an important seed population for a variety of energetic particles found throughout the heliosphere, but their origin is in debate. We present, for the first time, high-cadence observations of suprathermal heavy ions during interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs), from the Suprathermal Ion Composition Spectrometer on board the Wind spacecraft, and investigate their ionic composition and compare it to the bulk solar wind plasma composition, observed from the Solar Wind Ion Composition Spectrometer on board the Advanced Composition Explorer. We find that the composition of the suprathermal plasma is related to the local bulk solar wind plasma and not to the plasma upstream of the ICME. This implies that the suprathermal plasma is accelerated from the local bulk solar wind plasma and not the upstream solar wind plasma.
Strain comparison of synaptic density in hippocampal CA1 of aged rats

Abstract Synaptic density in hippocampal CA1 stratum radiatum was studied in two different strains of rat at 3 and 24–28 months of age. Neither Fischer 344 nor Sprague-Dawley rodents showed any age-related loss of synapses. These data support the contention that synapse loss with age is not a generalized phenomenon in the mammalian CNS.
Hydrogenation of CO2 on group VIII metals: IV. Specific activities and selectivities of silica-supported Co, Fe, and Ru

Abstract Specific intrinsic rates and product distributions for CO2 hydrogenation on Co/SiO2, Fe/SiO2, and Ru/SiO2 were determined at 450–650 K, 140–1030 kPa, and a range of space velocities. Specific activities in the form of turnover frequencies for CO2 hydrogenation decrease in the order Co/SiO2, Ru/SiO2, Ni/SiO2, Fe/SiO2. The order of decreasing selectivity for methane is Ru/SiO2, Co/SiO2, Ni/SiO2, Fe/SiO2. High levels of CO are produced in CO2 hydrogenation on Fe/SiO2, Co/SiO2, and Ni/SiO2 while significant fractions of C2+ hydrocarbons (about 1 order of magnitude lower than typical methane fractions) are produced on Fe/SiO2 and Co/SiO2 catalysts.
Inhibition of endogenous nitric oxide synthesis potentiates the effects of sodium nitroprusside but not of adenosine in experimental pulmonary hypertension

This study examined the systemic and pulmonary vasodilator effects of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and adenosine during experimental pulmonary hypertension with and without inhibition of endogenous NO synthesis. Male New Zealand White rabbits were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated. The NO synthesis inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) was administered to 15 of the 28 rabbits. Pulmonary hypertension was then produced in all rabbits by U46619, a thromboxane A2 mimetic. SNP was infused in 14 rabbits (7 L-NAME, 7 control) at doses of 0.5-20 microg/kg/min; adenosine was infused in the other 14 rabbits (8 L- NAME, 6 control) at doses of 12.5-300 microg/kg/min. The U46619 dose required to produce pulmonary hypertension was significantly lower in the L-NAME group. SNP dose-dependently decreased pulmonary (Ppa) and systemic (Psa) artery pressures and systemic vascular resistance (SVR). Both Ppa and Psa were decreased more with SNP in the L-NAME than in the no L-NAME group. The SNP ED50 for the decrease in PVR was almost threefold lower in the L-NAME group. Adenosine dose-dependently decreased Ppa, Psa, PVR and SVR. The adenosine ED50 for the decreases in PVR and SVR were similar in the L-NAME group and the control group. We conclude that inhibition of endogenous NO synthesis shifts the dose-response curves for both the pulmonary and systemic vasodilator effects to the left for the nitrovasodilator SNP but not for the non-nitrovasodilator adenosine.
Direct observation of the Fermi surface in an ultracold atomic gas

The ideal (i.e., noninteracting), homogeneous Fermi gas, with its characteristic sharp Fermi surface in the momentum distribution, is a fundamental concept relevant to the behavior of many systems. With trapped Fermi gases of ultracold atoms, one can realize and probe a nearly ideal Fermi gas; however, these systems have a nonuniform density due to the confining potential. We show that the effect of the density variation, which typically washes out any semblance of a Fermi surface step in the momentum distribution, can be mitigated by selectively probing atoms near the center of a trapped gas. With this approach, we have directly measured a Fermi surface in momentum space for a nearly ideal gas, where the average density and temperature of the probed portion of the gas can be determined from the location and sharpness of the Fermi surface.
Improving Routing Quality of Greedy Forwarding in Wireless Networks

In this paper, we reveal the inherent tradeoff between the quality of routing performance and the size of routing states in wireless networks. We suggest that the key approach to an optimal routing design is how to efficiently encode a network topology into small dimensional coordinates from which hop count distances between pairwise sensors can be accurately recovered. Based on the precisely hop count distance comparison, our proposed topology aware routing can assist the greedy forwarding to find the right neighbor that is one hop closer to the destination, and therefore achieve high success rate of packet delivery. The intensive performance evaluation shows that the topology aware routing can achieve routing performance comparable to the shortest path routing while preserving the routing states as small as location aware routing. Particularly, high routing success rate can be achieved in both concave environments where voids are presented and dynamic environments where nodes crash frequently.
An Interdisciplinary Unit Comes to Life

(1985). An Interdisciplinary Unit Comes to Life. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 59, No. 1, pp. 23-26.
Gendered antiblackness and the impossible Brazilian project: Emerging critical black Brazilian studies:

A new generation of black Brazilian scholar-activists is asking critical questions about the polity’s nature and process. No longer restricted to Brazilian white-dominated, Eurocentric academic canons and rituals, these black voices, rooted in collective efforts aimed against ubiquitous and persistent gendered antiblack discriminatory practices, challenge the social world’s cognitive and political machinery. Sonia Santos, Jaime Alves, Luciane Rocha, and Maria Andrea Soares zero in on black experiences that consistently reveal a structure of antiblack antagonisms. Their analyses suggest the imminently corrupt character of the dominant Brazilian social and ideological project. Whether the project can be reformed, or whether it should be destroyed and replaced depends on how we read and how far we are willing to take each analysis.
TIME-PROJECTION-CHAMBERS WITH OPTICAL READOUT FOR DARK MATTER, DOUBLE BETA DECAY, AND NEUTRON MEASUREMENTS

In recent years, there have been impressive advances in the technology of cameras using charged coupled devices (CCD's) and electron multiplying charged coupled devices (EMCCD's) that make possible a number of applications for the detection of ionizing radiation. The new cameras have quantum efficiencies exceeding 90%, effective noise levels less than one electron per pixel, and can be made to detect light ranging from the ultraviolet to the infrared. When combined with photomultiplier tubes (PMT's), and when used with Time-Projection-Chambers (TPC's) that contain narrow gap mesh charge amplification stages and scintillating gas compositions, these cameras can be used to provide three-dimensional images of particle tracks. There are many applications for such devices, including direction sensitive searches for dark matter, measurements of thermal and fast neutrons, and searches for double-beta-decay. I will describe the operation of optical TPC's and their various applications in this review article.
Raman spectroscopic detection and examination of the interaction of amino acids, polypeptides and proteins with the phosphatidylcholine lamellar structure

Abstract Raman spectral peaks in the vicinity of 1100 and 2900 cm −1 for phosphatidylcholine were found to be sensitive to interactions with amino acids, polypeptides and plasma proteins. The amino acids l -leucine, l -isoleucine, l -tryptophan, l -arginine HCl, l -histidine HCl, l -threonine and l -aspartic acid decreased the dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine Raman intensity ratio I 1064 / I 1089 indicating an increase in the gauche hydrocarbon chain character of the lipid. The increase in the lipid approx. 2930 cm −1 peak intensity in relation to the approx. 2850 and approx. 2890 cm −1 peaks upon the addition of the amino acids l -arginine HCl, l -histidine · HCl and l -lysine · HCl to the lipid dispersion indicates that the lipid hydrocarbon chain environment becomes more polar in their presence. The lipid-alamethecin and lipid-valinomycin interactions produced a decrease in the lipid Raman intensity ratio I 1064 / I 1089 again indicating an increase in the gauche hydrocarbon chain character of dicyristoyl phosphatidylcholine while producing no change in this ratio for dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine. Human fibrinogen and bovine serum albumin were found to increase the I 2890 / I 2850 dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine Raman intensity ratio while decreasing the I 2850 / I 2930 dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine Raman intensity ratio indicating that the lipid underwent a conformational change and that the hydrocarbon chain environment was more polar in the presence of albumin or fibrinogen.
Frequency moment sum rules, recurrence relations and continued fractions in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics

Abstract Dynamical properties of quantum many-body systems, e.g., the electron gas, lattice spins are usually studied via frequency moment sum rules. For example, the dynamic structure factor of the density-density response function in an interacting electron gas can be given a continued fraction expansion in terms of frequency moments. Since only a few moments are known, one is faced with the problem of extracting best information from a continued fraction representation. It is desirable to obtain an approximate form which is sufficiently accurate for comparison with experimental data. The method of recurrence relations provides a convergent procedure for obtaining such physical quantities using approximate higher order frequency moments. This idea seems to work very well for a strongly interacting electron gas at metallic densities. The basic ideas behind this procedure are explained.
Low Impedance pH Sensitive Electrochemical Devices That are Potentially Applicable to Transcutaneous PGo2 Measurements

Two classes of low impedance, non-glass membrane electrodes for pH measurement were evaluated: (I) Metal-metal oxide electrodes and (II) Reduction-oxidation electrodes. The fundamental causes of oxygen sensitivity of metal-metal oxide electrodes were examined and three approaches for its suppression were proposed. For the case of Sb-Sb2Ox electrodes, oxygen sensitivity can be attenuated partially by cell loading, either directly across the reference electrode or indirectly across a third slave electrode. In a Po2 range of 8–54 kPa, more than 95% of the Po2 response can be suppressed by loading the cell emf to half of its open-circuit value. The oxygen sensitivity also was observed to be diminished by grinding the metal-metal oxide and pressing it under high pressure into a pellet electrode. Other metal-metal oxide electrodes that have promise in transcutaneous measurement are the Pd-Pdo2 electrodes. The redox electrodes are typified by the Quinhydrone electrode. A membrane Quinhydrone electrode showed a sensitivity of 56 mV/decade at 37dC and no oxygen sensitivity up to 50 kPa and a drift of 1 mV/h over a 24-h period. However, the stability deteriorated over a long-term period.
Attention, Executive Function, Behavior, and Electrocortical Function, Significantly Improved With 19-Channel Z-Score Neurofeedback in a Clinical Setting: A Pilot Study.

Objective: Neurofeedback (NF) is gaining recognition as an evidence-based intervention grounded in learning theory, and 19-channel z-score NF (19ZNF) is a new NF model. This pilot study sought to e...
Ejaculatory Function in Stage T1 Nonseminomatous Germ Cell Tumors: Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection Versus Surveillance—A Decision Analysis

ABSTRACTPurpose: Ejaculatory function remains a major concern for patients with low stage nonseminomatous germ cell tumors of the testis. Whereas, it has been extensively studied in patients undergoing retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, preservation of ejaculatory function on surveillance protocols has not been studied. To compare ejaculatory function for surveillance protocols to primary retroperitoneal lymph node dissection appropriately, we constructed a decision analysis model mimicking the standard treatment algorithm for stage 1 nonseminomatous germ cell tumor of the testis.Materials and Methods: The primary clinical payoff for this study is ejaculatory function. Based on this model, we established that a primary nerve sparing retroperitoneal dissection must be performed with a 96.8% ejaculatory function rate to be recommended as the appropriate therapy. However, if a highly skilled surgeon routinely performs post-chemotherapy dissection with an ejaculatory function rate of 69.2% or greater, sur...
Sleep state and seizure foci related to depth spike activity in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

Depth spike activity was evaluated from medial temporal lobe sites using computer spike recognition techniques in all-night sleep records derived from 10 patients with medically refractory complex partial seizures. Sleep stages were classified into 1 of 4 groups: wakefulness, REM sleep, light sleep and deep sleep. Some disturbance in the periodicity of the sleep cycle was noted in most patients, but the relative proportions of REM sleep, light sleep and deep sleep were close to that reported for normals. Depth spike activity was observed to be most frequent in a majority of sites during deep sleep in 6 patients and during light sleep in 3 patients. In 1 patient equal numbers of sites showed maximal activation during light sleep and deep sleep. In 4 patients, certain sites in the more epileptogenic lobe demonstrated a maximal rate during waking or REM sleep. All patients reported in this study were considered to be suitable for temporal lobectomy. In contrast to the results obtained from a previous study, the side with the site demonstrating maximal mean spike rate did not necessarily correspond to the side chosen for lobectomy. Significant correspondence across patients between the more epileptogenic lobe and maximal spike rate was not found during waking and was further reduced during light sleep and deep sleep. The correspondence was, however, significant during REM sleep and for the side containing the site demonstrating the smallest activation in mean spike rate during light sleep or deep sleep relative to waking. These results indicate that an analysis of sleep induced changes in depth spike activity can be useful in improving predictions concerning epileptogenicity. Quantification of other aspects of the interictal EEG, such as background activity, may further improve such predictions.
Glycoconjugate distribution and mobility on apical membranes of absorptive cells of suckling rat ileum in vivo

The luminal membrane of ileal absorptive cells in suckling rats includes two domains: microvillar membranes and deep invaginations between microvilli. We examined the fates of foreign macromolecules that bind to anionic or saccharide sites on these domains after infusion into ligated loops in vivo. Cationized ferritin (CF) and ferritin-RCAI (beta-galactosyl) binding sites were distributed over the entire apical membrane. Ligands bound to apical invaginations were rapidly endocytosed, but ligands on microvilli were not. After CF binding, anionic sites on microvilli were mobile in the plane of the membrane and formed CF clusters at the tip and base of each microvillus. RCAI binding sites did not cluster. Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA, sialic acid) labeling was restricted to microvillus tips of mature cells but was dispersed over the microvillar surfaces of lower villus cells. Ferritin conjugates of Concanavalia ensiformis (Con A), Ulex europaeus agglutinin (UEA), and Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) did not bind to cell surfaces in vivo. Aldehyde fixation dramatically altered lectin binding patterns, resulting in unmasking and labeling of Con A, WGA, and DBA binding sites that were unavailable in vivo.
A Cluster of Staphylococcus aureus in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Leads to Identification of Prevalence of SA Colonization in the Cardiac Surgery Team

Abstract ISSUE: A cluster of four Staphylococcus aureus (SA) pediatric cardiac surgical site infections (SSIs) was noted within a 2-week period. We evaluated whether staff working in cardiac surgery were colonized with SA and could have transmitted SA to patients. PROJECT: The hands and nares of all staff involved in cardiac surgery (CS) were cultured using standard techniques. This included cardiology staff entering the operating room. In total, 78 staff and 27 environmental cultures were (EC) done. EC included machinery taken into the operating room (OR) and surfaces in two of four ORs. All isolates from both patients and staff were typed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to determine if a clonal relationship existed. RESULTS: The prevalence of SA in this population of heathcare workers (HCWs) was 35.9% (28/78): 44% of physicians were colonized, 25% of nurses were colonized, 38% of the physician and surgical assistants were colonized, and 33% of the perfusionists were colonized. Of these, 14.3% of isolates were MRSA (5.1% of samples taken). All patient isolates were unique. Although several HCWs shared isolates, their isolates did not match patient isolates. All HCWs with MRSA were decolonized with mupirocin ointment. Based on these results, investigation was focused on best practice in OR prep and antibiotic prophylaxis. LESSONS LEARNED: By culturing HCWs in CS, we identified a high prevalence of MRSA colonization. Although we did not demonstrate transfer of SA from HCW to patient, HCWs should be aware of the potential increase in MRSA colonization.
Effects of excitation probability distribution on system responses

Abstract For a system subjected to a random excitation, the probability distribution of the excitation may affect behaviors of the system responses. Such effects are investigated for a variety of dynamical systems, including a linear oscillator, an oscillator of cubic non-linearity in both damping and stiffness, and a non-linear oscillator of the van der Pol type. The random excitations are assumed to be stationary stochastic processes, sharing the same spectral density, but with different probability distributions. Each excitation process is generated by passing a Brownian motion process through a non-linear filter, which is governed by an Ito stochastic differential equation. Monte Carlo simulations are carried out to obtain the transient and stationary properties of the system response in each case. It is shown that, under different excitations, the transient behaviors of the system response can be markedly different. The differences tend to reduce, however, as time of exposure to the excitations increases and the system reaches the stationary state.
Answering the Fat Emulsion Contamination Question: Three in One Admixture vs Conventional Total Parenteral Nutrition in a Clinical Setting

Fat emulsions (FE) support microbial growth when inoculated in vitro; dextrose/amino acid solutions (D/AA) do not. Can FE be safely added to D/AA when delivered over 24 hrs? We attempted to answer this question by culturing both conventional (C) total parenteral nutrition (TPN), in which the FE and D/AA are given separately, and the 3-in-1 admixture TPN, in which all components are delivered in one bag. Two-hundred TPN fluid cultures were obtained serially by collecting 1 ml of fluid from the distal-most connection when the TPN was changed every 24 hrs. Quantiative and qualitative cultures were obtained. One hundred sixty-six (83%) were negative. Of the 34 (17%) positive cultures, 15 (17% of 88) were from the conventional system whereas 19 (17% of 112) were from the 3-in-1 system. Six clinically septic patients furnished 11 TPN fluid specimens which grew greater than 400 colonies/ml. Seven (8% of 88) of these were from the conventional system whereas four (3.6% of 112) were from the 3-in-1 system. All had distant sites of sepsis. The 23 remaining positive TPN fluid cultures grew less than 25 colonies/ml, with 20 growing Staphylococcus epidermidis. All of these patients were clinically well and there was no significant difference in the distribution of positive cultures between the conventional system (9%) and the 3-in-1 system (13%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Intensity dependent index guiding in a seeded Raman amplifier

This paper examines the effect of index guiding in a Raman amplifier. The slowly varying Maxwell wave equation including the total Raman susceptibility for a seeded Raman amplifier is explored. Numerical calculations indicate that the real part of the Raman susceptibility cause the Raman medium to act as a lens when the Stokes seed is detuned from the Raman resonance. This focusing effect leads to a gain enhancement of up to 5% and a shift in the peak Stokes energy by up to 145 MHz to the blue side of the Raman resonance for Raman scattering in H2 with a pump laser at 532 nm and an input seed near 683 nm.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Efficiency Measurement in Nonmarket Systems Through Data Envelopment Analysis

Measurement of total factor productivity in nonmarket systems has attracted some attention in current research. Given the observed values of inputs and outputs for such systems, the problem of measurement arises due to three major reasons. First, the inputs and outputs may not have for the most part any observable market prices; hence the imputation of an equilibrium market model is not directly available. Second, the production set to which the input and output vectors belong is not directly identifiable from the observed data set; also the input-output data may be subject to a stochastic generating mechanism. Third, the units may not be profit oriented, where profit is a scalar measure of performance.
A Comparison of Professional-Level Faculty and Student Perceptions of Active Learning: Its Current Use, Effectiveness, and Barriers.

Active learning is an instructional method in which students become engaged participants in the classroom through the use of in-class written exercises, games, problem sets, audience-response syste...
Analysis of cylindrical array of infinitely-long slots fed by connected dipoles

We have presented an accurate analysis for the array structure of long slots with dipole feeds as described in Lee et al. (2006). The array exhibits wide-band characteristics, about 3:1 frequency band, with the above specified geometrical parameters. The code we generated could be used to optimize the performance of the element in an infinite array environment.
Morphology and Escape Performance of Tiger Salamander Larvae (Ambystoma tigrinum mavortium)

The ability of an individual to escape predators is an important component of fitness. Several adaptive explanations of body shape variation in amphibians hypothesize relationships between swimming performance and morphology, but these ideas have rarely been tested. Here we investigate bivariate and multivariate relationships between natural variation in morphology and performance. We used high-speed video to examine fast-starts associated with escape responses in small tiger salamander larvae (Ambystoma tigrinum). Our results indicate that performance is influenced by interactions among aspects of morphology, physiology, and behavior. Relationships between morphometric variables and velocity could be detected with multivariate, but not bivariate statistical analyses. In particular, relationships between morphology and velocity depend on tail beat frequency (potentially a measure of effort or vigor). Relationships between morphology and acceleration were detected with bivariate analyses, but multivariate analysis suggests that acceleration performance, too, depends on interactions between morphology and tail beat frequency. We found a positive relationship between tail area and propulsive performance, which supports adaptive interpretations of variation in larval tail shape within and between amphibian species.
Supervisory control of electric power transmission networks

The methodology of discrete event systems (DESs) and supervisory control is applied to a power transmission line restoration problem, aiming to increase the steady-state security level of a power network during restoration. An example using the IEEE 14-bus system serves to demonstrate the potential of the DES formulation in the control of power networks, and to introduce the basic tools and techniques that this formulation offers. Unlike other types of controllers, a DES-based supervisory controller does not serve to specify the exact control action at each state of the network. Rather, it defines an envelope of allowable actions. Within that envelope, local controllers make specific decisions to satisfy local performance indices. This approach allows the creation of multi-level nonconflicting hierarchical control procedures, which are particularly attractive in the management of large-scale systems. Each level in the hierarchical control structure defines the envelope of operation for the lower-level controllers through the enabling and disabling of controllable events. Component failure such as line or generator outages are formulated as uncontrollable events. Synthesis procedures for DES-based supervisory controllers can then be applied to synthesize hierarchical control for large power networks. >
Trait‐Mediated Indirect Interactions In A Simple Aquatic Food Web

This investigation examines the role of trait-mediated indirect interactions in a simple aquatic food web. We conducted the experiments in cattle watering tanks in order to establish whether competitive and predator-prey interactions between two species are affected by other species in the system; i.e., are pairwise interaction strengths affected by the background species assemblage? We examined the survival and growth response of small bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) and small green frog (Rana clamitans) tadpoles in the presence and absence of a competitor (large bullfrogs), the lethal presence of the larval odonate predator Tramea lacerata,and the nonlethal (caged) presence of the larval odonate predators Anax junius and Anax longipes. We demonstrate that large bullfrog competitors and caged Anax affect traits (foraging activity level) of small bullfrog and small green frog tadpoles and that these changes in traits, in turn, affect interactions of the small tadpole species with each other and with the other species. In particular, the following four trait- mediated indirect interactions were evident: (1) Presence of large bullfrog competitors increased the predation rate of Trameaon small green frogs and small bullfrogs. (2) Presence of nonlethal Anax reduced the predation rate of Tramea on small green frogs. (3) Presence of nonlethal Anax increased the competitive advantage of bullfrogs over green frogs. (4) Presence of nonlethal Anax facilitated midge invasion of the experimental units. The pro- posed mechanisms (changes in small tadpole activity) involved in these trait-mediated indirect interactions were supported by observational data on tadpole activity and resource levels in the experimental units, and in laboratory experiments examining tadpole activity responses to predators. The occurrence of strong trait-mediated indirect interactions in this simple food web underscores the potential importance of such interactions in animal com- munities.
Synthesis and X-ray powder structures of three novel titanium phosphate compounds

Three titanium phosphate porous compounds were prepared hydrothermally and their structures solved from their X-ray powder diffraction patterns collected on a laboratory X-ray source. The compound, [Ti3(PO4)4(H2O)2]·NH3(1), crystallizes in triclinic symmetry witha=8.2506(4),b=8.7879(4),c=5.1022(2) A;α=90.703(1),β=91.083(1),γ=110.158(1)°; space groupP1, andZ=1. The structure was solvedab initioby direct methods and refined by Rietveld methods. The structure consists of two octahedrally coordinated titanium atoms, one of which is bound only by phosphate oxygens and the other by phosphate oxygens and water molecules. The bridging of titanium atoms by phosphate oxygens creates a framework consisting of one-dimensional channels oriented along thec-axis. The ammonia molecules are located in these channels. Compound (2), [Ti2O(PO4)2(H2O)2], also crystallizes in the triclinic space groupP1witha=8.818(1),b=9.654(1),c=5.109(1) A;α=93.818(2),β=93.665(3),γ=73.313(3)°; andZ=2. The complete structure was solved by direct methods. The two independent titanium atoms are bridged by an oxygen atom. The remaining coordination sites of the octahedra are completed by phosphate oxygens and water oxygen atoms. As in the case of compound (1) the water molecules are coordinated to only one type of Ti atom. The structure consists of one-dimensional channels into which the water oxygens are projected. The compound (NH4)2[(Ti3O2) (HPO4)2(PO4)2] (3) crystallizes in the noncentric space groupP21, witha=8.5165(3),b=16.7331(5),c=5.1813(2) A;β=91.173(2)°; andZ=2. A partial structural model was obtained from direct methods procedures and the structure was completed by Fourier methods following Rietveld refinement of the full pattern. In this case there are three independent titanium atoms and they are bridged by oxygen atoms of the Ti3O2group. All the Ti atoms are octahedrally coordinated. As in the case of compounds (1) and (2), compound (3) forms a framework structure containing one-dimensional channels. The hydroxyl groups of the monohydrogen phosphate and the ammonium cations are located in the channels. In the channel the Ti–PO4framework and the hydroxyl groups create cavities around the ammonium cations which block its exchange with other cationic species.
An integrated computational and experimental study to increase the intra-cellular malonyl-CoA: Application to flavanone synthesis

Malonyl-coenzyme A is an important precursor metabolite for the biosynthesis of polyketides, fatty acids and biofuels. However, malonyl-CoA naturally synthesized in microbial hosts is consumed for the production of amino acids, fatty acids and phospholipids leaving behind only a small amount available for overproduction targets. During the past decade, computational procedures have aided many metabolic engineering efforts to design strains of bacteria and yeast that overproduce malonyl-CoA. In this regard, we present milestones achieved from an integrated computational and an experimental study aimed at improving the intracellular availability of malonyl-CoA in Escherichia coli. We deploy the recent OptForce methodology to predict a minimal set of genetic interventions that guarantees a pre-specified yield for malonyl-CoA in E. coli strain BL21 Star™. In order to validate the model predictions, we have successfully constructed a recombinant strain of E. coli that exhibits a 4-fold increase in the levels of intracellular malonyl-CoA compared to the wild-type strain. Furthermore, we demonstrate the applicability of this E. coli strain in the synthesis of plant-specific secondary metabolites (i.e., flavanones) that are promising agents in the treatment of cardiovascular disorders and diabetes. Specifically, a titer of 474 mg/L of naringenin production was observed which, so far, is the highest yield achieved in a lab-scale fermentation process.
Skunked An Integrative Review Exploring the Consequences of the Dysfunctional Leader and Implications for Those Employees Who Work for Them

Dysfunctional leaders are described in the research literature as those leaders who consistently place burdensome structures in the path of progress, intentionally or unintentionally violate psycho...
Life without post-transcriptional addition of G−1: two alternatives for tRNAHis identity in Eukarya

The identity of tRNA(His) is strongly associated with the presence of an additional 5'-guanosine residue (G-1) in all three domains of life. The critical nature of the G-1 residue is underscored by the fact that two entirely distinct mechanisms for its acquisition are observed, with cotranscriptional incorporation observed in Bacteria, while post-transcriptional addition of G-1 occurs in Eukarya. Here, through our investigation of eukaryotes that lack obvious homologs of the post-transcriptional G-1-addition enzyme Thg1, we identify alternative pathways to tRNA(His) identity that controvert these well-established rules. We demonstrate that Trypanosoma brucei, like Acanthamoeba castellanii, lacks the G-1 identity element on tRNA(His) and utilizes a noncanonical G-1-independent histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HisRS). Purified HisRS enzymes from A. castellanii and T. brucei exhibit a mechanism of tRNA(His) recognition that is distinct from canonical G-1-dependent synthetases. Moreover, noncanonical HisRS enzymes genetically complement the loss of THG1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, demonstrating the biological relevance of the G-1-independent aminoacylation activity. In contrast, in Caenorhabditis elegans, which is another Thg1-independent eukaryote, the G-1 residue is maintained, but here its acquisition is noncanonical. In this case, the G-1 is encoded and apparently retained after 5' end processing, which has so far only been observed in Bacteria and organelles. Collectively, these observations unearth a widespread and previously unappreciated diversity in eukaryotic tRNA(His) identity mechanisms.
Statin therapy for the treatment of diabetic dyslipidemia

The increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes is a major problem for healthcare providers globally, since it is associated with serious microvascular and macrovascular complications. Although microvascular complications can be largely reduced with strict glycemic control, prevention of macrovascular disease involves a multifaceted approach that addresses all major risk factors, including dyslipidemia, hypertension, and insulin insensitivity. In particular, the treatment of diabetic dyslipidemia is a major challenge for diabetologists and cardiologists, as it is characterized by an array of lipid abnormalities. The management of diabetic dyslipidemia should initially include lifestyle approaches such as improved nutrition and weight reduction; however, the majority of patients require the addition of pharmacotherapy. Whilst insulin and/or oral hypoglycemic drugs are generally prescribed for the treatment of hyperglycemia, the addition of lipid-lowering drugs may be necessary for the control of diabetic dyslipidemia. The American Diabetes Association guidelines recommend lowering of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) as a first priority. Hydroxy-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) are recommended for first-line therapy in diabetic patients, since these agents are effective at reducing LDL-C levels. Whilst statins provide effective control of dyslipidemia in the majority of patients, more efficacious treatment regimens would provide greater benefit to more patients. Combination therapies may provide one solution to obtaining maximal lipid profile modifications, although the introduction of new, more efficacious agents for use as monotherapy may provide a more acceptable option, as drug combinations are often associated with poor tolerability and patient compliance.
Cell loss and call blocking at an ATM multiplexor

We study an ATM access node which multiplexes on-off calls onto a common channel on a cell loss and call blocking basis. Calls arrive at a Poisson rate /spl lambda/ calls/sec and require an exponentially distributed holding time of mean 1//spl mu/ seconds. When on, a call generates traffic at a fluid rate R cells/sec and when off it generates no traffic. The on and off time intervals are exponentially distributed with means 1//spl alpha/ and 1//spl beta/ second, respectively. When arriving cells can't be transmitted immediately, they are queued in a common buffer of size B cells. Cells arriving when the buffer is full are assumed lost. Using a fluid model, we derive the cell loss and call blocking probabilities and apply them to provision the maximum call handling capacity, N, of the system. When N calls are already in progress, arriving calls are blocked. When call-level transition rates are much smaller than cell-level transitions, the input process is nearly completely decomposable (NCD). This NCD approximation greatly reduces the computational difficulty of the exact fluid model. Numerical results show that the NCD approximation is quite accurate over a wide range of traffic parameters.
Monocycle shapes for ultra wideband system

Ultra wideband (UWB) is a promising technique for wireless communications. It is a carrier-free (base-band) technique, which can greatly reduce the complexity and cost of the transceiver. In contrast with conventional communication systems using the "sine wave", UWB information is carried in a very short pulse, which covers an extremely wide spectrum bandwidth. Several candidate monocycle (narrow pulse) shapes are investigated, their spectrum characteristics and BER performance in AWGN using pulse position modulation (PPM) are simulated, and the results are compared. Their performances in the fading multipath channel are also investigated.
Role for interleukin-1β in Trypanosoma cruzi-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy

Chagas' disease, the leading cause of heart failure in Latin America, results from infection with the intracellular protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Host cell responses elicited in the myocardium early in the infective process are thought to be critical for establishment of infection by this pathogen; however, these changes have not been well characterized. We report here that primary cardiomyocytes undergo hypertrophy as an early response to T. cruzi infection. The T. cruzi-elicited hypertrophic response is characterized by increased expression of genes encoding the contractile proteins MyHCβ and MyHCα, followed by an approximately twofold increase in cell size. Hypertrophy was observed in both parasite-containing and noninfected cell populations represented in T. cruzi-infected cultures, indicating the involvement of a soluble mediator in this process. Conditioned medium harvested from T. cruzi-infected cultures, which contained significant levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) but not endothelin-1 or tumor necrosis factor alpha, was sufficient to induce hypertrophy in isolated cardiomyocytes. Addition of a high-affinity receptor chimera, IL-1 trap, to cardiomyocyte cultures blocked the overall increase in cell size elicited by T. cruzi. These novel findings indicate that IL-1β, which is rapidly induced in response to T. cruzi, promotes cardiomyocyte hypertrophy early in the infective process and may contribute to maintenance of cardiomyocyte function during establishment of T. cruzi infection in the heart.
Benign .... or be mine

In his article “Benign Envy,” Russ Belk addresses the human tendency to covet others’ possessions. He argues that while the phenomnon continues to be pervasive, current cultural conditions temper the extent to which envy has morphed from a malicious equation of “if you win, I lose” to a more benign calculus of “I want to win like you have.” In this commentary I reflect upon the validity of Belk’s proposal and suggest a few social science perspectives to complement his treatise. I also offer some additional considerations—especially in light of consumers’ nascent abilities to more easily acquire and accumulate the (virtual) goods they covet in digital marketplaces.
Effects of Feed Form on Growth and Stomach Ulcers in Yearling Horses

Fourteen yearling Standardbreds, seven fillies and seven colts of similar weight, sex, age, and growth potential, with an average age of 8 months, and an average initial weight of 294 kg, were used to compare differences in ADG and G/F when fed a complete cubed diet (C), or a diet in which the alfalfa hay cubes and oats were fed separately (HG). The forage in both the plain hay cubes and the complete cubes was 80% alfalfa and 20% endophyte-free tall fescue. Diets were fed for 75 days, during which horses were fed no additional feeds, and had free-choice access to water, mineral blocks, and exercise. Horses were weighed on an electronic platform scale before the study and weekly for its duration. Upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopies were performed on all horses at the start and end of the study. Seven horses were randomly assigned to each diet and fed twice daily at 7:00 and 19:00 at a rate of 1.5% body weight as-fed. Horses were housed and fed in individual pens of 500 square feet with identical feeders. At each feeding, leftover feed was recovered and weighed to determine consumption. Feed samples were continuously collected and composited. Fecal samples were collected on days 71-75. Feces were composited and stored at -4 degrees Celsius. Collections were oven-dried at 60 degrees Celsius and samples were sent to a laboratory (Equi-analytical labs, Ithaca, NY) for analysis of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and acid insoluble ash (AIA) using AOAC methods8. Apparent digestibility was calculated using the equation: 100 x (1-(% AIA in feed / % AIA in feces) x (% nutrient in feces / % nutrient in feed))9. Differences in digestibility, ADG, and G/F between diets were determined using T tests.
Finite-Element Analysis in Design with Rubber

Abstract The application of finite-element analysis in rubber technology has been discussed. The intent has been to combine features of a tutorial, an exposition, and a survey. Attention has been limited to homogeneous cured rubber products. The finite-element method is a prime constituent of computer-aided engineering, and, as such, it is a powerful resource for the design and analysis of rubber components. Owing to rapid progress and greater availability of computer hardware and software and, in particular, computer-aided design systems, finite-element analysis is eminently practical. Difficulties such as incompressibility and large deformation, the subjects of a substantial literature, appear to have been successfully addressed. Finite-element analyses of rubber products such as seals and bearings have been published widely, often along with experimental validation. However, note that the implementation of the hyperelastic element in major codes has occurred recently. And, at the time of this review, i...