cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Self-calibrated MEMS gyroscope with AM/FM operational modes, dynamic range of 180 dB and in-run bias stability of 0.1 deg/hr

This paper reports our cumulative progress toward the development of a gyroscope with two interchangeable modes of operation: an Amplitude Modulated (AM) mode, for a precision measurement in more conventional ranges (∼300 deg/sec) and a Frequency Modulated (FM) mode, for an expanded range of operation (over 300 deg/sec and as high as 18,000 deg/sec). We demonstrate that the implemented self-calibration algorithms for AM detection effectively remove the rate random walk, allowing for a highly stable in-run bias. The FM approach is based on tracking the resonant frequency split between two, high Q-factor mechanical modes of a gyroscope, providing a frequency-based measurement of the input angular rate. Temperature characterization of the FM gyroscope exhibited less than 0.2 % variation of the angular rate response between a temperature range of 25 °C and 70 °C. This characteristics is shown to be enabled by the self-calibration capability of differential frequency detection. Measured Allan deviation of the FM gyroscope demonstrated a bias instability of 0.5 7hr and an Angle Random Walk (ARW) of 0.08 °/√hr. Rate table characterization of the gyroscope in FM operational mode demonstrated a linear range of 18,000 7s, representing a dynamic range of 160 dB. In the conventional AM mode, the gyroscope experimentally demonstrated a 0.1 7hr bias instability after implementation of the temperature self-sensing calibration algorithm. Thus, the interchangeable operation of the QMG transducer provides a measured 176 dB dynamic range, making the same high-Q mechanical structure suitable for demanding high precision and wide input range applications.
Digital Divide 2.0: “Generation M” and Online Social Networking Sites in the Composition Classroom

Abstract The digital divide has been largely theorized as a problem of access. Compositionists have attempted to move beyond a binary view of technology access in examining the digital divide and in doing so have raised important questions about the larger societal issues connected to issues of technological literacy and access. While much attention has been paid to students at risk of growing up without access to, and experience with, computers, attention also needs to be paid to students’ critical digital literacies. Additionally, we now face a new instantiation of the digital divide where students are often more technologically adept than their instructors. The problem is not so much providing access for Generation M students surrounded by technology but rather to effectively integrate technological literacy instruction into the composition classroom in meaningful ways. Compositionists should focus on incorporating into their pedagogy technologies that students are familiar with but do not think critically about: online social networking sites, podcasts, audio mash-ups, blogs, and wikis. To do so, however, instructors first need to familiarize themselves with these technologies. In essence, compositionists must catch up with the Generation M students who have left them behind.
Experimental Evaluation of High-Resolution Direction-Finding Algorithms Using a Calibrated Sensor Array Testbed

Abstract In this paper the performance of several direction-finding algorithms is investigated experimentally using the University of Minnesota Sensor Array Testbed. In recent years, many "high-resolution" direction-finding algorithms have been investigated using computer simulation and theoretical analysis. For the most part, no systematic experimental evaluation of these algorithms has been reported in the open literature. An experimental array testbed allows further evaluation of the capabilities and limitations of these algorithms. The system at the University of Minnesota basically consists of a linear array of eight ultrasonic transducers and several transmitters operating at 40 kHz in air. Nonideal conditions in actual arrays require calibration, and the methods of calibrating the sensor array testbed are described. Experimental results are presented, which compare the performance of several well-known algorithms, including Capon′s MLM, MUSIC, Root-MUSIC, Min-Norm, ESPRIT, and a weighted norm version of MUSIC. The analysis includes experimental resolution thresholds, estimate bias and variance calculations, and comparisons with simulated results and the Cramer-Rao lower bound for variance.
New link invariant from the chiral Potts model.

A new link invariant is obtained using the exactly solvable chiral Potts model and a generalized Gaussian summation identity. The new link invariant is characterized by roots of unity and does not appear to belong to the usual quantum group family of invariants. The invariant is given in terms of a matrix associated with the link diagram, and can be readily written down for any given link.
Michelangelo: Art, anatomy, and the kidney

Michelangelo: Art, anatomy, and the kidney. Michelangelo (1475–1564) had a life-long interest in anatomy that began with his participation in public dissections in his early teens, when he joined the court of Lorenzo de' Medici and was exposed to its physician-philosopher members. By the age of 18, he began to perform his own dissections. His early anatomic interests were revived later in life when he aspired to publish a book on anatomy for artists and to collaborate in the illustration of a medical anatomy text that was being prepared by the Paduan anatomist Realdo Colombo (1516–1559). His relationship with Colombo likely began when Colombo diagnosed and treated him for nephrolithiasis in 1549. He seems to have developed gouty arthritis in 1555, making the possibility of uric acid stones a distinct probability. Recurrent urinary stones until the end of his life are well documented in his correspondence, and available documents imply that he may have suffered from nephrolithiasis earlier in life. His terminal illness with symptoms of fluid overload suggests that he may have sustained obstructive nephropathy. That this may account for his interest in kidney function is evident in his poetry and drawings. Most impressive in this regard is the mantle of the Creator in his painting of the Separation of Land and Water in the Sistine Ceiling, which is in the shape of a bisected right kidney. His use of the renal outline in a scene representing the separation of solids (Land) from liquid (Water) suggests that Michelangelo was likely familiar with the anatomy and function of the kidney as it was understood at the time.
Two-Fluid and Single-Fluid Natural Convection Heat Transfer in an Enclosure

Natural convection experiments were performed for an enclosure of square cross section containing either a single fluid or two immiscible fluids in a layered configuration. The two vertical walls of the cross section were respectively heated and cooled, while the two horizontal walls were adiabatic. The single-fluid experiments, performed with distilled water and with n -hexadecane paraffin (Pr = 5 and 39.2, respectively), yielded Nusselt numbers whose Rayleigh and Prandtl number dependences were perfectly correlated by a single dimensionless group. These single-fluid results were used as baseline information for the development of methods to predict the heat transfer in two-fluid layered systems. To test the utility of the predictive methods, experiments were carried out for water–hexadecane systems in which the position of the interface separating the liquids was varied parametrically. It was found that the experimentally determined, two-layer Nusselt numbers were in excellent agreement with the predicted values. The prediction methods are not limited to the particular fluids employed here, nor do they require additional experimental data for their application.
Partial 3β-hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) and 21-hydroxylase Deficiencies in a Family With Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, With Evidence for Increasing 3β-HSD Activities with Age

In this family, two affected boys have perineal hypospadias and bifid scrotum, and two affected girls have slight clitoral enlargement with otherwise normal genitalia. All are mild ‘salt-losers’ with spontaneous crises occurring late (3 months and 2 years) in the boys. The girls had negative Na+ balance only when stressed by salt deprivation at ages 2 months and 4 years. All had elevated 17-ketosteroid excretion when diagnosed and, in the 2 youngest, urinary DHA > androsterone. Cortisol production and/or 17-OH-corticosteroid excretions were normal. Steroid excretion patterns showed an increase of 3β-HSD activity with increased age, but with a persisting high excretion of Δ4-pregnanetriol (Δ5-p′triol). At 2 months, one girl excreted per 24 h: pregnanetriol (p′triol)-0.23 mg, Δ5-p′triol-1.2 mg, 17α-OH-pregnenolone-2.6 mg, 16α-OH-pregnenolone-8.2 mg, 16α-OH-DHA-5.4 mg, DHA-0.5 mg. Her sister, at age 10 years, during withdrawl of cortisone therapy, excreted per 24 h: p′triol-24 mg, Δ5-p′triol-14 mg, DHA-1.2 mg, no 16α-OH-pregnenolone or 16α-OH-DHA. We conclude that these cases have partial 3β-HSD deficiencies, on the basis of the inadequate fetal virilization and persistent post-natal excretion of large amounts of Δ5-′triol; and partial 21-hydroxylase deficiencies, on the basis of the high p′triol excretions. The low post-natal excretion of DHA, relative to Δ5-p′triol and 17α-OH-pregnenolone, may be due to a late fetal appearance of the 3β-HSD for DHA or may be due to an underactivity of the 17–20 desmolase (side-chain splitting) enzyme.
Examining the Relationship Between Race, Ethnicity, Foreign-Born Status, and Social Capital Among Women on Public Assistance

The purpose of this research study was to examine the relationship between race, ethnicity, foreign-born status, and social capital among single women who use welfare. It was hypothesized that the utilization of various types of social capital would vary by group. This study analyzed Wave 2 (2005–2007) data from the Making Connections Cross-Site Survey database. 1,428 women with no spouse/partner present in the household who indicated use of a TANF/welfare office in the last 12 months were selected for inclusion in the study sample. Structural equation modeling was used to answer this study’s research question. Black women had a higher level of bridging, support giving, and support receiving social capital. Hispanic women had a lower level of bridging social capital. Foreign-born women had a higher level of bonding and value sharing social capital. Implications for policy, social work practice, and research are discussed.
Addiction and dependence in DSM-V

As preparations for the fifth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) are under way, this paper focuses upon changes proposed for the substance use disorders section. It briefly outlines the history behind the current nomenclature, and the selection of the term 'dependence' over 'addiction' in earlier versions of the DSM. The term 'dependence', while used in past decades to refer to uncontrolled drug-seeking behavior, has an alternative meaning--the physiological adaptation that occurs when medications acting on the central nervous system are ingested with rebound when the medication is abruptly discontinued. These dual meanings have led to confusion and may have propagated current clinical practices related to under-treatment of pain, as physicians fear creating an 'addiction' by prescribing opioids. In part to address this problem, a change proposed for DSM-V is to alter the chapter name to 'Addiction and Related Disorders', which will include disordered gambling. The specific substance use disorders may be referred to as 'alcohol use' or 'opioid use' disorders. The criteria for the disorders are likely to remain similar, with the exception of removal of the 'committing illegal acts' criterion and addition of a 'craving' criterion. The other major change relates to the elimination of the abuse/dependence dichotomy, given the lack of data supporting an intermediate stage. These changes are anticipated to improve clarification and diagnosis and treatment of substance use and related disorders.
The trouble with teens: Accessing the structure of number names

Abstract The English language forms names for two digit numbers beginning with one (i.e., “teens”) using different rules than those used for naming larger two-digit numbers. The distinction between teens and other two-digit numbers was explored in four studies that looked at adult subjects' ability to form reverse numbers, defined as the number resulting from switching the tens-place and ones-place digits of a stimulus number. In Study 1, subjects had more difficulty reversing numbers ending in one (e.g., seeing “71” and saying “seventeen”) than they did reversing other two-digit numbers. Study 2 explored the possibility that this difficulty manipulating teens might be limited to situations in which subjects had to access the morphological structure of number names in the presence of a number named according to different rules. When subjects had to reverse numbers as in Study 1, but these numbers were presented in a mirror image font, the special difficulty in reversing teens numbers disappeared. Because the teens class is a peculiarity of English and other Western languages, Studies 3 and 4 looked at number reversing times in Chinese-English bilinguals. When speaking Chinese, no difficulty in reversing teens was found in Study 3. When bilingual Chinese-English speakers performed the number-reversing task in English, however, trouble reversing names of numbers in the teens was again found in the fourth study. Implications for theories of the organization and acquisition of mathematical competence are discussed.
Round 2: Flight, Floating, and Mars Courses

“Exploring Mars” and “Flight and Floating” are new courses that have been integrated into the Ripon College curriculum. “Exploring Mars” was developed for non-science major students to increase their general scientific interest through topics of space exploration and space science. “Flight and Floating” was designed for students with physics, math, and engineering interests, combining experimental design and mathematical modeling to study drag, lift, thrust, and buoyancy.
Predictions of Turbulent Flow in a Turbine Stator/Rotor Passage

Numerical study on a three-dimensional turbulent flow in a turbine stator/rotor passage is presented in this paper. The standard k-e model was used for the first phase of the turbulence computations. The computations were further extended by employing the full Reynolds-stress closure model (RSM). The computational results obtained using these models were compared in order to investigate the turbulence effect in the near-wall region. The governing equations in a generalized curvilinear coordinate system are discretized by using the SIMPLEC method with non-staggered grids. The oscillations in pressure and velocity due to non-staggered grids are eliminated by using a special interpolation method. The predicted midspan pressure coefficients using the k-e model and the RSM are compared with the experimental data. It was shown that the present results obtained by using either model are fairly reasonable. Computations were then extended to cover the entire blade-to-blade flow passage, and the three-dimensional effects on pressure and turbulence kinetic energy were evaluated. It was observed that the two turbulence models predict different results for the turbulence kinetic energy. This variation was identified as being related to some non-isotropic turbulence occurring near the blade surface due to the severe acceleration of the flow. It was thus proven that the models based on the RSM give more realistic predictions for highly turbulent cascade flow computations than a Boussinesq viscosity model.Copyright © 1998 by ASME
Large staring IRFPAs of HgCdTe on alternative substrates

PACE-I HgCdTe, an industry-leading intrinsic detector technology for developing large, high performance IR focal plane arrays (IRFPAs) in the MWIR (3-5 microns) spectral band, is reviewed. Emphasis is placed on hybrid HgCdTe 256 x 256 IRFPAs and the status of 640 x 480 hybrid HgCdTe FPA.
In-Fiber Semiconductor Filament Arrays

We report a novel physical phenomenon in which a cylindrical shell undergoing a scaling process evolves into an ordered array of filaments upon reaching a characteristic thickness. We observe that the tendency to breakup is related to the material viscosity in a manner reminiscent of capillary instability. However, unlike the classical breakup of a fluid cylinder into droplets, the structural evolution in our system occurs exclusively in the cross sectional plane while uniformity is maintained in the axial direction. We propose a fluid front instability mechanism to account for the observed phenomena. The fleeting evolution of fluid breakup from a thin film to a filament array is captured in the frozen state by a thermal drawing process which results in extended lengths of solid sub-100 nm filaments encapsulated within a polymer fiber. Hundreds of glassy semiconductor filament arrays are precisely oriented within a polymer fiber matrix making electrical connections trivial. This approach offers unique opportunities for fabrication of nanometer scale devices of unprecedented lengths allowing simplified access and connectivity.
Novel Binding Modes and Hemilability in Atropisomeric Phosphino−Amino Palladium Complexes

Two new allyl complexes of palladium bearing the atropisomeric ligands 2-(diphenylphosphino)-2‘-(dimethylamino)biphenyl (L1) and 2-(dicyclohexylphosphino)-2‘-(dimethylamino)biphenyl (L2) have been prepared and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. Their dynamic behavior as well as their structural characteristics in solution have been elucidated by the use of NMR techniques. Of particular interest, Pd−N bond rupture occurs with a low barrier (<10 kcal/mol) in the L1 complex; however, this does not provide a facile pathway for atropisomerization of the ligand. A coordination mode involving η2 binding of carbon atoms in the (dimethylamino)phenyl moiety was also established for the dicyclohexylphosphino analogue L2.
Completeness of many-sorted equational logic

The rules of deduction which are usually used for many-sorted equational logic in computer science, for example in the study of abstract data types, are not sound. Correcting these rules by introducing explicit quantifiers yields a system which, although it is sound, is not complete; some new rules are needed for the addition and deletion of quantifiers. This note is intended as an informal, but precise, introduction to the main issues and results. It gives an example showing the unsoundness of the usual rules; it also gives a completeness theorem for our new rules, and gives necessary and sufficient conditions for the old rules to agree with the new.
Biotic Transitions in Global Marine Diversity

Long-term transitions in the composition of Earth's marine biota during the Phanerozoic have historically been explained in two different ways. One view is that they were mediated through biotic interactions among organisms played out over geologic time. The other is that mass extinctions transcended any such interactions and governed diversity over the long term by resetting the relative diversities of higher taxa. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that macroevolutionary processes effecting biotic transitions during background times were not fundamentally different from those operating during mass extinctions. Physical perturbations at many geographic scales combined to produce the long-term trajectory of Phanerozoic diversity.
Isolation and characterization of a neuroblastoma cell line from peripheral blood in a patient with disseminated disease

Circulation in the blood stream of neuroblastoma cells was confirmed by establishment of a cell line from the peripheral blood of a child with disseminated disease. The morphologic, enzymatic, and chromosomal pattern of this cell line was similar to a cell line established from the primary tumor on a previous occasion. The peripheral blood smear did not demonstrate tumor cells but increased numbers of atypical monocytes; lymphoblasts were evident, which may have been unrecognized neuroblasts.
Flashover of a coaxial insulator with anode and cathode triple point electric field reduction

Summary form only given. Manipulation of the electric field at triple points for vacuum insulators is commonly done to increase flashover voltage. Triple point shielding techniques for vacuum insulator barriers have been shown to increase flashover voltage, but the role of cathode vs. anode shielding is still not fully understood. A test of triple point effects on coaxial flashover was conducted at the Missouri-University terawatt test stand. The testing included effects from shielding triple points on zero degree and 45 degree insulators. Shielding was tested at the cathode triple point outside of the dielectric and at the anode triple point inside the dielectric. The effect of shielding on flashover for a coaxial geometrv is presented. Also, the role of the tangential, normal and electric field magnitude for a coaxial geometry is examined. Understanding the how triple point shielding effects flashover can shed light on the relative effect of processes that initiate flashover. This can help in the design of triple point shielding to increase the performance of insulator barriers.
Effects of apomorphine on self-stimulation responding: does the drug mimic the current?

Abstract The effects of apomorphine (APO) on self-stimulation responding were examined as a function of drug dose and stimulation current intensity. The lowest dose tested (0.02 mg/kg) significantly elevated the stimulation threshold, presumably reflecting the drug's preferential affinity for presynaptic dopamine (DA) receptors at this dose. At a dose which stimulates postsynaptic DA receptors (0.2 mg/kg), the rats responded with a pattern of behavior that resembled that obtained when non-drugged animals are given non-contingent current. However, during extinction, drugged animals were identical to non-drugged rats in their pattern of responding. These data indicate an interaction of APO with the stimulating current and suggest that APO may be mimicking only one component of the stimulation — perhaps the rewarding but not the motivating one.
Experimental determination of the effect of helium on the fracture toughness of steel

Abstract A fundamental issue with the use of structural steels for fusion applications is the effect of helium on mechanical properties. This concern has been difficult to address due to the limited neutron energies, hence limited helium production, of the fission reactor facilities used to simulate the effects of irradiation on properties such as fracture toughness. This paper will compare results from identical pre-cracked DCT fracture toughness samples irradiated using spallation and fission neutrons at ≃60–90 °C. Materials studied were 304L and 316L stainless steel. The spallation neutron irradiated specimens were irradiated over a dose range up to ≃10 dpa with a helium and hydrogen-to-dpa ratio of ≈60 and 400, resp. Fracture toughness was seen to rapidly decreased from a value of ≃250 to ≃150 MPa m1/2 by the 1 dpa level. Following fission irradiation in the 1–1.5 dpa range, fracture toughness results were indistinguishable from those irradiated in the spallation neutron. The helium and hydrogen concentration for the fission neutron irradiated materials was ≃6 appm and ≃30 appm, respectively. It is concluded that, within the measurement uncertainty, increasing the helium and hydrogen concentration by more than an order of magnitude has had little influence on the fracture toughness of 304L and 316L stainless steel irradiated to similar displacement doses of a few dpa in the temperature range of 60–90 °C.
Stochastic modeling of load demand of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles using fuzzy logic

This paper presents a methodology for modeling the load demand of Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The accurate prediction of PHEVs-induced loads needs a comprehensive study of PHEV characteristics. The authors divide the PHEV characteristics into two categories: driving pattern and vehicle parameters. Due to the stochastic nature of vehicle arrival time, departure time and daily mileage, probabilistic methods are used to model the driving pattern by many researchers. But the three elements of driving pattern are correlated which each other, making the probability density functions (PDFs) based probabilistic methods inaccurate. Based on the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) database, the authors proposed a fuzzy logic based stochastic model to study the relationship between the three elements of driving pattern. Moreover, the authors proposed a load profile modeling framework (LPMF) for PHEVs to synthesize both the characteristics of driving pattern and vehicle parameters into a load profile prediction system. Finally, the proposed LPMF of PHEVs is tested in a residential distribution grid, and the results are compared with deterministic and probabilistic models of PHEVs.
Sociology in Two-Year Institutions.

In the second half of the twentieth cen tury, both the number of two-year institu tions and the proportion of all college stu dents enrolled in community colleges ex panded rapidly (Kerr 1991). From 1950 through 1975, student enrollment in com munity colleges rose from just over a mil lion students to nearly four million. By the mid-1990s, community colleges employed over a third of this country's faculty (Lucas 1996). The number of four-year institutions has increased in a relatively linear fashion since 1920. In contrast, the number of two year institutions grew from 1920 through 1940, stayed relatively constant through 1960, and then increased rapidly thereafter, particularly in the decade of the 1960s. In 1920, less than five percent of institutions were two-year colleges. By 1960, this pro portion was up to 26 percent, jumping to nearly 35 percent by 1970, and surpassing 40 percent by the 1990s. Student enrollment increased accordingly. In 1950, the enroll ment in four-year institutions was nearly ten times that in two-year institutions. By 1990, nearly 40 percent of all college and univer Lauren R. Contreras
Neural Network Estimation of Microgrid Maximum Solar Power

The integration of photovoltaic (PV) generating stations in the power grids requires the amount of power available from the PV to be estimated for power systems planning on yearly basis and operation control on daily basis. To determine the PV station maximum output power, the PV panels must be placed at an optimal tilt angle to absorb maximum energy from the sun. This optimal tilt angle is a nonlinear function of the location, time of year, ground reflectivity and the clearness index of the atmosphere. This paper proposes a neural network (NN) to estimate the optimal tilt angle at a given location and thus an estimate of the amount of energy available from the PV in a microgrid.
Protein-lipid interactions in antipodal plasma membranes of rat colonocytes.

Abstract The isolation of apical membranes from rat proximal colonic epithelial cells is described. Differential centrifugation yielded a ‘crude’ membrane fraction which was further purified using sucrose density centrifugation. The final membrane fraction was enriched 20–28-fold over homogenate in alkaline phosphatase and cysteine-sensitive alkaline phosphatase specific activities. Lipid-protein interactions and lipid dynamics examined in apical and basolateral membranes prepared from colonocytes demonstrated: (1) apical membrane, as assessed by steady-state fluorescence polarization studies have a low lipid fluidity; (2) colonic basolateral membranes possess a greater lipid fluidity than apical membranes; (3) compositional differences in these antipodal membranes appear to explain these differences in lipid fluidity; (4) fluorescence polarization studies using diphenylhexatriene detect a thermotropic transition at 21–23°C in apical membranes and liposomes prepared from lipid extracts of these membranes; (5) alkaline phosphatase and l -cysteine-sensitive alkaline phosphatase activities appear to be functionally dependent on the physical state of the apical membrane's lipid.
Context Familiarity and Delayed Conditioned Taste Aversion in Young-Adult and Old-Age Rats:

Familiarity with a conditioning context different from the home-cage environment was examined in immediate and delayed (3-hr.) conditioned taste aversion (CTA) learning for young-adult (90-120 days) and old-age (680-750 days) female Wistar albino rats. Context familiarity increased CTA for young adults at the 3-hr. delay. Old-age rats showed no aversion at 3-hr. delays. Results suggest that home-cage cues may be used in mediating long-delay CTA and that the role of these cues may differ with age.
Smith-Purcell radiation in the high conductivity and plasma frequency limits

Radiation is calculated from currents produced by a nonrelativistic point charge that moves at a constant velocity above a conducting grating. Two different limits are considered. In the high conductivity limit, the surface charge is calculated from a nonretarded image charge, surface currents from the continuity equation, and the far field vector potential from the surface current. In the plasma frequency limit of the grating substrate a nonretarded electric potential is calculated from a two-region problem, bulk current from an interior potential, and the far field vector potential from the bulk current.
Large-scale flows and solar luminosity variations

The influence of a variation of the large-scale flows present in the solar convection zone on solar luminosity is examined. The convection zone is modeled as a plane-parallel fluid layer through which heat is transported by small-scale convection as described by the mixing-length theory, and the large-scale flow is treated as a small perturbation superposed on the layer. The excess energy transported by the flow is calculated and is found to depend critically on the mixing length. The excess luminosity is found to be carried as small-scale convective heat flow rather than bulk enthalpy transport throughout all but the top few percent of the convection zone. The results are applied to the specific examples of supergranules and giant cells.
Development of a Novel Affinity Membrane Purification System for Deoxyribonuclease

A membrane based affinity purification system was developed for the purification of the DNA specific nuclease, DNase I. Single stranded DNA was bound to unmodified polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes which were used to purify DNase I from a solution of bovine serum albumin. Using coated membranes, a 6-fold increase in specific activity was achieved with 80 % enzyme recovery. This method provides a simple yet effective way to purify DNase I and can be very useful for the purification of other DNA specific enzymes.
Effect of Decomposition Kinetics and Failure Criteria on Binder-Removal Cycles From Three-Dimensional Porous Green Bodies

A previously developed algorithm can be used to predict the minimum time for the thermal removal of binder from porous green ceramic bodies. The algorithm combines a variational statement on internal pressure, which is generated by binder decomposition, with a transport model that treats the convective flow of binder decomposition products in a porous medium. The minimum time heating cycles depend on a number of coupled transport, kinetic, and dimensional parameters. The predicted minimum time heating cycles depend on the decomposition kinetics (activation energy, preexponential factor, and decomposition mechanism) and on the temperature and pressure at which failure occurs in the green body.
Effect of levitation forces on the performance of surface micromachined MEMS gyroscopes

In this paper, we study the effect of electrostatic levitation forces on the performance of a MEMS surface micromachined gyroscope. An error model relating the effects of the induced levitation deflections to scale factor and cross axis sensitivity is presented. Simulation and experimental results on a surface micromachined test structure are used to identify deflection versus voltage characteristics. These characteristics are scaled based on typical gyroscope parameters and the findings are that levitation forces can cause more than 50% reduction in scale factor and more than 0.1% increase in undesirable cross-axis sensitivity.
Hybrid external models, and the rejection of harmonic disturbances at the controller input

In this paper, we address the problem of rejecting harmonic disturbances occurring at the input of a linear controller in a stable loop. The task is to recover regulation of the plant output, using only information corrupted by harmonic noise of unknown frequency. The problem departs from the standard output regulation framework, as the assumption of the explicit availability of an error signal to be regulated to zero is not met. We take a novel approach of observing and rejecting the disturbance, reconstructing asymptotically the steady state behavior of the closed-loop system. The solution is provided by an adaptive external model (that is a device placed outside the stabilizing loop) that due to the specific structure of the associated certainty-equivalence, the solution has acquired hybrid system structure. The important issue of convergence in absence of persistence of excitation is addressed in full.
Interethnic Variation in Lipid Profiles: Implications for Underidentification of African-Americans at risk for Metabolic Disorders.

Interethnic differences exist in the distribution of serum lipids, with African–Americans (AAs) generally having a healthier lipid profile than other US ethnic groups. Similar lipid distributions are observed among other African-ancestry groups with distinct lifestyle characteristics, suggesting the importance of inherited factors. Despite healthier serum lipids, AAs experience a disproportionate burden of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. As evidence of a different relationship between serum lipids and disease exists, the characterization of metabolic risk using lipid concentration (as in metabolic syndrome criteria) may lead to the underidentification of AAs at risk. Given the disproportionately high rate of metabolic disorders in AAs, understanding interethnic differences in the association between serum lipids and disease should be a research priority, as better appreciation of these differences will enhance knowledge of disease etiology, improve intervention targeting and may lead to mechan...
Cooperative Peer-to-Peer Repair for Wireless Multimedia Broadcast

This paper explores how to leverage IEEE802.11-based cooperative peer-to-peer repair (CPR) to enhance the reliability of wireless multimedia broadcasting. We first formulate the CPR problem and present an algorithm that assumes global state information to optimally schedule CPR transmissions. Based on insights gained from the optimal algorithm, we propose a fully distributed CPR (DCPR) protocol. Simulation results demonstrate that the DCPR protocol can effectively enhance the reliability of wireless broadcast services with a repair latency comparable to that of optimal scheduling.
An efficient algorithm for computing free distance (Corresp.)

An efficient bidirectional search algorithm for computing the free distance of convolutional codes is described.
Evidence for abundant isolated magnetic nanoparticles at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary.

New rock magnetic results (thermal fluctuation tomography, high-resolution first-order reversal curves and low temperature measurements) for samples from the Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum and carbon isotope excursion in cored sections at Ancora and Wilson Lake on the Atlantic Coastal Plain of New Jersey indicate the presence of predominantly isolated, near-equidimensional single-domain magnetic particles rather than the chain patterns observed in a cultured magnetotactic bacteria sample or magnetofossils in extracts. The various published results can be reconciled with the recognition that chain magnetosomes tend to be preferentially extracted in the magnetic separation process but, as we show, may represent only a small fraction of the overall magnetic assemblage that accounts for the greatly enhanced magnetization of the carbon isotope excursion sediment but whose origin is thus unclear.
An efficient implementation of forward-backward LMS adaptive filters

Without changing the characteristics of the forward-backward LMS (FBLMS) adaptive line enhancer, an efficient implementation of FBLMS adaptive filters is presented in this paper. This implementation technique reduces 25% of multiplications and 12.5% of additions in two successive time samples in comparison to that of the direct implementation of the FBLMS algorithm in both prediction and weight control sections.
Population viability analysis for captive breeding and reintroduction of the endangered Columbia basin pygmy rabbit

Captive breeding has become globally important in endangered species recovery, yet it is fraught with problems such as maintenance of genetic diversity, and adaptation to captivity. We studied survival and population dynamics of a captive population of endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits Brachylagus idahoensis, from 2003 to 2007, to evaluate its potential for supporting reintroduction and recovery of wild extirpated populations in shrub-steppe ecosystems of eastern Washington, USA. We developed stochastic population viability analysis models in Vortex and RAMAS to assess performance and surplus production of the captive population. This pygmy rabbit population has low adult survival beyond 1 year and dependency on high juvenile recruitment for population growth. Low juvenile survival and high variability in stochastic growth rates result in high variability in annual productivity. Our analysis showed that the captive population at n=75 cannot sustain a steady annual harvest of greater-than-or-equal30 rabbits for reintroduction and supplementation without increasing the risk of quasi-extinction (n=30) to 59%. We conducted sensitivity analysis on maternity, carrying capacity and survival rates to identify critical values for model parameters that would lower extinction risk to the captive population when used as a source of rabbits for reintroduction. Increasing juvenile survival and recruitment into the first breeding class is the most effective method for enhancing the breeding program. Our population models suggest that captive breeding and recovery programs for short-lived lagomorphs present significant conservation challenges because of the need to rapidly grow such populations to overcome demographic and genetic challenges.
PHYTATE: REMOVAL FROM WHOLE DRY BEANS BY ENZYMATIC HYDROLYSIS AND DIFFUSION

California Small White beans were found to contain about 1% phytate, of which 70% is in water-soluble form. Incubation of presoaked beans in water at 60°C for 10 hr lowered their phytate content by 90%. Incubation in pH 5.5 buffer at 50°C for 24 hr lowered it by 62%. When leaching was eliminated by incubating in water-saturated air at 60°C overnight, 33% of the phytate was destroyed by hydrolysis. Similar treatments were effective with mung beans, lima beans, and wheat. The study suggests that destruction of heat-sensitive celI membranes leads to the potentiation of phytase.
How Big of an Effect Do Small Dams Have? Using Geomorphological Footprints to Quantify Spatial Impact of Low-Head Dams and Identify Patterns of Across-Dam Variation

Longitudinal connectivity is a fundamental characteristic of rivers that can be disrupted by natural and anthropogenic processes. Dams are significant disruptions to streams. Over 2,000,000 low-head dams (<7.6 m high) fragment United States rivers. Despite potential adverse impacts of these ubiquitous disturbances, the spatial impacts of low-head dams on geomorphology and ecology are largely untested. Progress for research and conservation is impaired by not knowing the magnitude of low-head dam impacts. Based on the geomorphic literature, we refined a methodology that allowed us to quantify the spatial extent of low-head dam impacts (herein dam footprint), assessed variation in dam footprints across low-head dams within a river network, and identified select aspects of the context of this variation. Wetted width, depth, and substrate size distributions upstream and downstream of six low-head dams within the Upper Neosho River, Kansas, United States of America were measured. Total dam footprints averaged 7.9 km (3.0–15.3 km) or 287 wetted widths (136–437 wetted widths). Estimates included both upstream (mean: 6.7 km or 243 wetted widths) and downstream footprints (mean: 1.2 km or 44 wetted widths). Altogether the six low-head dams impacted 47.3 km (about 17%) of the mainstem in the river network. Despite differences in age, size, location, and primary function, the sizes of geomorphic footprints of individual low-head dams in the Upper Neosho river network were relatively similar. The number of upstream dams and distance to upstream dams, but not dam height, affected the spatial extent of dam footprints. In summary, ubiquitous low-head dams individually and cumulatively altered lotic ecosystems. Both characteristics of individual dams and the context of neighboring dams affected low-head dam impacts within the river network. For these reasons, low-head dams require a different, more integrative, approach for research and management than the individualistic approach that has been applied to larger dams.
Endovascular Microcoil Gene Delivery Using Immobilized Anti-adenovirus Antibody for Vector Tethering

Background and Purpose— Endovascular microcoils are widely used in interventional procedures to treat cerebral aneurysms. In the present study we report for the first time successful use of an endovascular microcoil as a gene delivery system. Methods— Anti-adenoviral monoclonal antibodies were covalently attached to the collagen-coated surface of either platinum or polyglycolic acid microcoils. These antibodies were used to tether replication-deficient adenovirus (Ad-GFP [encoding green fluorescent protein] or Ad-LacZ [encoding β-galactosidase]). Cell culture studies with rat arterial smooth muscle cells (A10) assessed transduction on or near the coil. Platinum coils coated with Ad-GFP were implanted into the ligated common carotid artery (CCA) of adult rats in a model of arterial stasis and pressurization. After 7 days, CCA segments were harvested, and coils were removed for histopathology and GFP expression studies, while organs were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction to assess viral biodistribution...
Antineutrino Reactor Safeguards: A Case Study of the DPRK 1994 Nuclear Crisis

In this article a case study of the application of antineutrino safeguards to a real-world scenario, the North Korean nuclear crisis in 1994, is presented. Detection limits to a partial or full core discharge in 1989 based on actual IAEA safeguards access are derived and it is found that two independent methods would have yielded positive evidence for a second core with very high confidence. To generalize these results, detailed estimates for the sensitivity to the plutonium content of various types of reactors, including most types of plutonium production reactors, are presented, based on detailed reactor simulations. A key finding of this study is that a wide class of reactors with a thermal power of 0.1–1 gigawatt can be safeguarded achieving IAEA goals for quantitative sensitivity and timeliness with antineutrino detectors adjacent to the reactor building. Antineutrino reactor monitoring does not rely on the continuity of knowledge and provides information about core inventory and power status in a ti...
Effect of diet and animal care/housing protocols on body weight, survival, tumor incidences, and nephropathy severity of F344 rats in chronic studies.

Diet is an important environmental factor affecting body weight, survival, and age-related diseases of rodents. The NIH-07 open formula diet was the diet used in the National Toxicology Program's (NTPs) rodent carcinogenicity studies from 1980 to 1994. In 1994 the NTP began using a new diet designated the NTP-2000 diet. This paper compares body weight, survival, tumor incidence, and nephropathy severity in untreated control groups of Fischer 344 (F344) rats fed the NTP-2000 or NIH-07 diets, using data from 22 separate 2-year feed and inhalation studies. The feed studies were conducted in 3 different facilities, and all the inhalation studies were conducted in a single facility. During feed studies, rats were group housed in polycarbonate cages and fed diets in powder (mash) form, while in inhalation studies, rats were housed individually in wire mesh cages, and fed diets in pelleted form. Survival was significantly (p < 0 .05) higher in groups fed NTP-2000 diet compared to the corresponding groups fed NIH...
Object-oriented SECS programming system

An object-oriented programming (OOP) environment for developing SEMI Equipment Communication Standard (SECS) applications with the C++ and C programming languages in a Unix workstation environment is described. The system (referred to as OOSECS) defines a set of programming objects corresponding to the standard SECS-II item types, messages, and headers as well as a number of support classes and operations. Conversion between standard program datatypes and SECS-II items is transparent or explicitly managed by the developer. Within a standard framework using standard C++ input/output methods SECS-II messages may be created, analyzed, and transmitted and received between internal buffers, external files, and communication channels. >
Establishment and maintenance of genomic methylation patterns in mouse embryonic stem cells by Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b.

We have previously shown that the DNA methyltransferases Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b carry out de novo methylation of the mouse genome during early postimplantation development and of maternally imprinted genes in the oocyte. In the present study, we demonstrate that Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b are also essential for the stable inheritance, or “maintenance,” of DNA methylation patterns. Inactivation of both Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b in embryonic stem (ES) cells results in progressive loss of methylation in various repeats and single-copy genes. Interestingly, introduction of the Dnmt3a, Dnmt3a2, and Dnmt3b1 isoforms back into highly demethylated mutant ES cells restores genomic methylation patterns; these isoforms appear to have both common and distinct DNA targets, but they all fail to restore the maternal methylation imprints. In contrast, overexpression of Dnmt1 and Dnmt3b3 failed to restore DNA methylation patterns due to their inability to catalyze de novo methylation in vivo. We also show that hypermethylation of genomic DNA by Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b is necessary for ES cells to form teratomas in nude mice. These results indicate that genomic methylation patterns are determined partly through differential expression of different Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b isoforms.