cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cognitive and affective determinants of fan satisfaction with sporting event attendance.

The current study proposes and tests a structural model of fan satisfaction with attending a sporting event. Specifically, three cognitive antecedents (expectancy disconfirmation, team identificati...
Excitation-contraction coupling in the heart: the state of the question.

Recent developments have led to great progress toward determining the mechanism by which calcium is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum in the heart. The data support the notion of calcium-ind...
Use of fluorouracil-uracil combinations to study growth accompanied by insufficient deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis in Bacillus cereus.

5-Fluorouracil (FU) at a concentration of 16 μM almost totally inhibited deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis and cell division by Bacillus cereus, whereas growth continued at an exponential rate (25% of control for at least 3 h). In cultures simultaneously given 160 μM uracil (U) along with the FU, DNA synthesis still stopped, but cell division continued for one generation at the control rate and at a much slower rate beyond that; in the meantime, cell mass continued to increase at an essentially normal rate. The cells in cultures treated with FU or FU plus U were elongated and contained about half of the control content of DNA, with one nuclear area per cell instead of two. Loss of cloning ability, unlike mass increase, was always correlated with the continuing inhibition of DNA synthesis, in either FU- or U plus FU-treated cultures. Images
Unconfined creep compression of chondrocytes

Abstract The study of single cell mechanics offers a valuable tool for understanding cellular milieus. Specific knowledge of chondrocyte biomechanics could lead to elucidation of disease etiologies and the biomechanical factors most critical to stimulating regenerative processes in articular cartilage. Recent studies in our laboratory have suggested that it may be acceptable to approximate the shape of a single chondrocyte as a disc. This geometry is easily utilized for generating models of unconfined compression. In this study, three continuum mechanics models of increasing complexity were formulated and used to fit unconfined compression creep data. Creep curves were obtained from middle/deep zone chondrocytes ( n =15) and separately fit using the three continuum models. The linear elastic solid model yielded a Young's modulus of 2.55±0.85 kPa. The viscoelastic model (adapted from the Kelvin model) generated an instantaneous modulus of 2.47±0.85 kPa, a relaxed modulus of 1.48±0.35 kPa, and an apparent viscosity of 1.92±1.80 kPa-s. Finally, a linear biphasic model produced an aggregate modulus of 2.58±0.87 kPa, a permeability of 2.57×10 −12 ±3.09 m 4 /N-s, and a Poisson's ratio of 0.069±0.021. The results of this study demonstrate that similar values for the cell modulus can be obtained from three models of increasing complexity. The elastic model provides an easy method for determining the cell modulus, however, the viscoelastic and biphasic models generate additional material properties that are important for characterizing the transient response of compressed chondrocytes.
Immunologic biomarkers associated with an acute exposure to exothermic byproducts of a ureaformaldehyde spill.

A community was exposed for several days to formaldehyde (HCHO), hexamethylenetetramine, trimethylamine, and paraformaldehyde emitted from an overheated tanker car containing ureaformaldehyde resin...
A Novel Functional Class of Pore-Forming Peptides

Peptides that self-assemble into membrane spanning pores, at low concentration, to allow the passage of macromolecules would be beneficial in multiple areas in biotechnology, including biosensor design and drug delivery. However, there are few, if any, natural or designed peptides have this property. Here we show that the 26-residue peptide “MelP5”, a gain-of-function variant of the bee venom lytic peptide melittin, identified in a high-throughput screen for small molecule leakage, enables the passage of macromolecules across bilayers. In surface supported bilayers, MelP5 forms unusually high conductance, equilibrium pores at low peptide concentration, and also increases the capacitance of the supported bilayers, suggesting that it forms large pores that affect a significant fraction of the membrane surface. The increase in bilayer conductance due to MelP5 is much higher than the decrease due to either melittin or by the potent equilibrium pore-forming peptide, alamethicin. This result prompted us to develop two novel assays for macromolecule leakage from vesicles and use them to characterize MelP5, melittin and alamethicin. Under conditions where osmotic lysis does not occur, MelP5 allows the passage of macromolecules across vesicle membranes at peptide to lipid ratios as low as 1:100. Neither the melittin nor alamethicin release macromolecules significantly under these conditions. Therefore, the macromolecule-sized, equilibrium pores forms by MelP5 are unique, and MelP5 appears to belong to a novel functional class of peptide with many potential biotechnological applications.
Multi-damage detection with embedded ultrasonic structural radar algorithm using piezoelectric wafer active sensors through advanced signal processing

The embedded ultrasonic structural radar (EUSR) algorithm was developed by using piezoelectric wafer active sensor (PWAS) array to detect defects within a large area of a thin-plate specimen. EUSR has been verified to be effective for detecting a single crack either at a broadside or at an offside position. In this research, advanced signal processing techniques were included to enhance inspection image quality and detect multiple damage. The signal processing methods include discrete wavelet transform for signal denoising, short-time Fourier transform and continuous wavelet transform for time-frequency analysis, continuous wavelet transform for frequency filtering, and Hilbert transform for envelope extraction. All these signal processing modules were implemented by developing a graphical user-friendly interface program in LabVIEW. The paper starts with an introduction of embedded ultrasonic structural radar algorithm, followed with the theoretical aspect of the phased array signal processing method. Then, the mathematical algorithms for advanced signal processing are introduced. In the end, laboratory experimental results are presented to show how efficiently the improved EUSR works. The results are analyzed and EUSR is concluded to have been improved by using the advanced signal processing techniques. The improvements include: 1) EUSR is able to provide better image of the specimen under monitoring; 2) it is able to detect multi-damage such as several cracks; 3) it is able to identify different damage types.
Depression, implicit memory, and self: a revised memory model of emotion.

Abstract Cognitive constructs are explored for clinical psychologists interested in cognitive phenomena in depression. Both traditional and modern memory constructs are outlined and described with attention to their contribution to understanding depression. In particular, the notions of memory construction, self-schemas, and autobiographical memory (per [Conway, M.A. (2001). Sensory–perceptual episodic memory and its context: Autobiographical memory. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London: Biological Sciences, 356, 1375–1384.]) are discussed. Then, the phenomenon of implicit memory is described as a way to bring these constructs together to understand depression. The Rehm and Naus (1990) [Rehm, L.P., and Naus, M.J. (1990). A memory model of emotion. In Ingram, R.E. (Ed.), Contemporary Psychological Approaches to Depression (pp. 23–35). New York: Plenum Press.] memory model of emotion is updated and expanded to include these cognitive constructs, and depression is viewed from the perspective of understanding interactions between explicit and implicit memory processes.
R-S recall as a function of presence or absence of successive pair repetitions in S-R learning

The hypothesis was examined that at least a part of backward (R-S) recall results from a type of forward practice termed intratrial repetition (ITR) in which S repeats each pair several times in succession before going on to the next pair (e.g., S-R-S-R-S-R). Part of the S s received paired-associate training in which ITR was “built in” by the use of trials on which each pair appeared three times in succession before S advanced to the next pair. The procedure on each trial for the remaining S s was identical except that the order of the pairs was changed so that the three repetitions of each pair were not successive. In both conditions, the rate of presentation was very rapid to reduce covert ITR. The S s in the ITR condition displayed more R-S recall in spite of the fact that all S s learned to the same S-R criterion.
Selective INEPT spectroscopy–‐A powerful tool for the spectral assignment and structure elucidation of natural products

The one-dimensional, J-modified, proton-carbon correlation technique, known as the selective INEPT technique, has proved to be a powerful tool for both unambiguous carbon and proton spectral assignment and also provides critical carbon framework information.
Soybean Aphid Resistance in PI 243540 Is Controlled by a Single Dominant Gene

The soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura) is a pest of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in many soybean growing countries of the world. Host plant resistance is a very useful component of an integrated pest management program to control an insect problem. A maturity group (MG) IV plant introduction (PI) 243540 showed strong antibiosis resistance against the Ohio biotype of the soybean aphid. The objective of this study was to determine the inheritance of soybean aphid resistance gene(s) in PI 243540. The F 1 , F 2 , and F 2 -derived F 3 families from a cross between an aphid susceptible cultivar Wyandot and resistant PI 243540 were screened in a greenhouse with the Ohio biotype of the soybean aphid. All F 1 plants were resistant to the soybean aphid and x 2 analysis of segregation of 341 F 2 plants indicated a fit to a single dominant gene ratio of 3:1 (P = 0.51). Segregation in 330 F 2 , 3 families fit an expected 1:2:1 ratio (P = 0.40). Our results indicate that a single dominant gene controls the soybean aphid resistance in PI 243540. The simple inheritance of this gene should be helpful to quickly transfer the gene to susceptible elite cultivars using the backcross breeding approach.
A virus-free immunogen effective against Epstein-Barr virus.

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-associated diseases—infectious mononucleosis (IM), nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and Burkitt's lymphoma (BL)—constitute considerable world health problems. EBV infection occurs in all human populations and is accompanied by seroconversion and life-long persistence of the virus1. The antibodies present as a consequence of infection are considered important in controlling the persistent viral infection and in preventing recurrent bouts of IM which is known to be caused by the virus2. As EBV infection during childhood does not usually result in illness20, only seronegative adolescents and young adults are susceptible to IM. Similarly, the groups at risk to EBV-associated neoplasms are known. The first group includes children in areas of hyper- and holoendemic malaria in Africa3, where BL is the most common childhood cancer. The other group consists of people, particularly men, of the HLA-2 and Sin 2 haplotypes4, of southern Chinese origin amongst whom NPC is the most common tumour5. It has been suggested that an anti-EBV vaccine should be developed6, and this debate has been stimulated recently by a study further implicating EBV with African BL7. I report here the successful production of a DNA-free immunogen which may be readily prepared in large quantities and will successfully invoke a strong neutralising anti-EBV response in experimental animals. This material could form the basis for developing an anti-EBV vaccination programme.
Special considerations in the purification of the GM3 ganglioside forming enzyme, CMP-sialic acid: Lactosylceramide α2–3 sialyltransferase (SAT-1): Solubilization of SAT-1 with lauryldimethylamine oxide

Lauryldimethylamine oxide (LDAO) was employed in the purification of the GM3 ganglioside forming enzyme, CMP-sialic acid:lactosylceramide alpha 2-3 sialyltransferase (SAT-1) (4). This detergent has advantages over the typically employed Triton detergents in the solubilization and stabilization of this sialyltransferase. Crude protein fractions solubilized from rat liver Golgi by several such detergents are very similar in composition as determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. However, LDAO appears to activate and stabilize SAT-1 activity. It is possible that SAT-1 activation involves the structurally similar hydrophobic moieties and quaternary amino groups of LDAO and phosphatidylcholine.
Linear granuloma annulare

Granuloma annulare is a benign dermatosis with multiple clinical presentations and a common histologic picture, which is characterized by areas of degenerated collagen surrounded by palisading histiocytes. A case of granuloma annulare that presented as progressive, asymptomatic, symmetric truncal bands is described. The varied clinical presentations and possible pathogenetic mechanisms of granuloma annulare are reviewed.
Enhancing Interior Building Sign Readability for Older Adults: Lighting Color and Sign Color Contrast

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the effects of two-dimensional color contrast and interior lighting color on the readability of interior signs for older adults. Research Design: Eleven signs (10 chromatic text and background combinations/1 white and black) were presented to 40 subjects, age 60–75. Three separate fluorescent lighting conditions were used to examine readability within a 3-dimensional interior space. The Kelvin temperature of the lamps ranged from 3000°K to 6250°K. Analysis: The analysis of variance (ANOVA) split-plot technique was used to determine which study variables affected sign readability. Pairwise t-tests employing the Bonferroni Method for multiple comparisons were used to make 5 investigations. Key Findings: Contrast of value and illuminance contrast ratio levels were dominant factors in readability for the older adult sample. Value differences between text and background combinations were more readable than hue differences. Eight of the 10 chromatic combinations were as readable as the white and black control. Conclusions: Three sign readability effects were identified, providing a broad base for future research on sign readability. These effects include contrast of value and illuminance contrast ratio levels, contrast of hue, and the spectral power distribution curve of the illuminating light source. Expanding these effects can further determine how lighting color and hue, value, and chroma interact to affect sign readability for older adults.
Activities of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases in the MollicutesA. laidlawii MG,M. pneumoniae FH, andM. salivarium VV

A radiochemical method was developed for the assay of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities in Mollicutes. Using [1-C14]α-ketoglutarate as the amino group acceptor in transamination, we found that the fermentative speciesAcholeplasma laidlawii MG of the family of Acholeplasmataceae, the fermentativeMycoplasma pneumonia FH of the family of Mycoplasmataceae, and the nonfermentativeMycoplasma salivarium VV, also of the family of Mycoplasmataceae, all had aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities. The radioactive product was identified as [1-C14]l-glutamic acid.Mycoplasma pneumoniae andM. salivarium had very low activity of alanine aminotransferase. Both aminotransferases had a partial requirement for pyridoxal 5′-phosphate and were strongly inhibited by 0.1 mM aminooxyacetate.
Improving dose homogeneity in routine head and neck radiotherapy with custom 3-D compensation.

Abstract Background and purpose : Anatomic contour irregularity and tissue inhomogeneity can lead to significant radiation dose variation across the complex treatment volumes found in the head and neck (H&N) region. This dose inhomogeneity can routinely create focal hot or cold spots of 10–20% despite beam shaping with blocks or beam modification with wedges. Since 1992, we have implemented the routine use of 3-D custom tissue compensators fabricated directly from CT scan contour data obtained in the treatment position in order to improve dose uniformity in patients with tumors of the H&N. Materials and methods : Between July 1992 and January 1997, 160 patients receiving comprehensive H&N radiotherapy had 3-D custom compensators fabricated for their treatment course. Detailed dosimetric records have been analyzed for 30 cases. Dose uniformity across the treatment volume and clinically relevant maximum doses to selected anatomic sub-sites were examined with custom-compensated, uncompensated and optimally-wedged plans. Results : The use of 3-D custom compensators resulted in an average reduction of dose variance across the treatment volume from 19±4% for the uncompensated plans to 5±2% with the use of 3-D compensators. Optimally-wedged plans were variable, but on average a 10±3% dose variance was noted. For comprehensive H&N treatment which encompassed the larynx within the primary field design, the peak doses delivered were reduced by 5–15% with 3-D custom compensation as compared to optimal wedging. Conclusions : The use of 3-D custom tissue compensation can improve dose homogeneity within the treatment volume for H&N cancer patients. Maximum doses to clinically important structures which often receive greater than 105–110% of the prescribed dose are routinely reduced with the use of 3-D custom compensators. Improved dose uniformity across the treatment volume can reduce normal tissue complication profiles and potentially allow for delivery of higher total doses in an attempt to enhance locoregional tumor control.
How illegal drugs enter an island country: insights from interviews with incarcerated smugglers

A typology of drug smuggling ‘technologies’ is developed based on interviews with 110 inmates incarcerated in UK prisons for importing illegal drugs. Approximately three-quarters were involved in courier-based operations. The other 30 collectively accounted for substantially greater smuggling throughput capacity and fell into five groups: operations employing ‘bent’ lorry drivers; shipping drugs intermingled with legitimate commerce; transporting drugs on commercial airlines with assistance from corrupt officials; mailing drugs into the UK; and smuggling via boats landing between ports of entry. A Pareto Law seems to apply, with a minority of respondents being responsible for the majority of the smuggling. Most participated in smuggling to make money, but more than a few couriers reported being coerced and/or tricked into carrying drugs. Perhaps not coincidentally, rough calculations suggest that, when balancing profits against prison risk, crime does not pay for couriers but can for organizations employi...
Photochemical Transformation of Carboxylated Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes: Role of Reactive Oxygen Species

The study investigated the photochemical transformation of carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (COOH-MWCNTs), an important environmental process affecting their physicochemical characteristics and hence fate and transport. UVA irradiation removed carboxyl groups from COOH-MWCNT surface while creating other oxygen-containing functional groups with an overall decrease in total surface oxygen content. This was attributed to reactions with photogenerated reactive oxygen species (ROS). COOH-MWCNTs generated singlet oxygen (1O2) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) under UVA light, which exhibited different reactivity toward the COOH-MWCNT surface. Inhibition experiments that isolate the effects of •OH and 1O2 as well as experiments using externally generated •OH and 1O2 separately revealed that •OH played an important role in the photochemical transformation of COOH-MWCNTs under UVA irradiation. The Raman spectroscopy and surface functional group analysis results suggested that •OH initially reacted with the surfa...
Correlations between cavitation, creep and dilation for multiaxial loading

Abstract Intergranular cavitation produces dilation in the specimen. It can also enhance the rate of creep as demonstrated convincingly by experiments of Needham and Greenwood [1] Metals Sci . 9 , 258 (1975). Expressions for cavitation enhanced creep, and for cavitation induced dilation are derived. The latter depends only on geometry, but the first is a consequence of the constrained cavity growth mechanism. That mechanism involves redistribution of stress from regions which have cavities to those which do not; as a result the stress on the constraining regions is increased leading to an increase in the measured creep-rate. A comparison of compressive vs tensile tests is suggested as a means of distinguishing the enhancement in creep-rate.
A novel epidermal growth factor receptor variant lacking multiple domains directly activates transcription and is overexpressed in tumors

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is essential to multiple physiological and neoplastic processes via signaling by its tyrosine kinase domain and subsequent activation of transcription factors. EGFR overexpression and alteration, including point mutations and structural variants, contribute to oncogenesis in many tumor types. In this study, we identified an in-frame splice variant of the EGFR called mini-LEEK (mLEEK) that is more broadly expressed than the EGFR and is overexpressed in several cancers. Unlike previously characterized EGFR variants, mLEEK lacks the extracytoplasmic, transmembrane and tyrosine kinase domains. mLEEK localizes in the nucleus and functions as a transcription factor to regulate target genes involved in the cellular response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, including the master regulator of the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathways, molecular chaperone GRP78/Bip. We demonstrated that mLEEK regulates GRP78 transcription through direct interaction with a cis-regulatory element within the gene promoter. Several UPR pathways were interrogated and mLEEK expression was found to attenuate the induction of all pathways upon ER stress. Conversely, knockdown of mLEEK resulted in caspase-mediated cell death and sensitization to ER stress. These findings indicate that mLEEK levels determine cellular responses to unfavorable conditions that cause ER stress. This information, along with the overexpression of mLEEK in tumors, suggests unique strategies for therapeutic intervention. Furthermore, the identification of mLEEK expands the known mechanisms by which the EGFR gene contributes to oncogenesis and represents the first link between two previously disparate areas in cancer cell biology: EGFR signaling and the UPR.
Lithium chloride and inescapable, unsignaled tail shock differentially affect meal patterns of rats

Abstract Several motivational states, such as malaise, fear, and satiety, reduce spontaneous food ingestion by rats, and differentiation of these states is often desirable. The present study used the spontaneous meal pattern to this end. The illness-inducing toxin lithium chloride delayed initiation of the first postinjection meal, and that meal was smaller and eaten more slowly (Experiments 1A and 1B). Rats exposed to tail shock also subsequently took longer to initiate meals, but meals were eaten faster and were slightly larger relative to control conditions (Experiment 2). These changes in meal patterns are different from those produced by satiely-related hormones, such as CCK or insulin, which solely reduce meal size in paradigms designed to assess physiological regulation of food intake. Taken together, these findings attest to the ability of meal patterns to distinguish malaise, fear, and satiety from one another.
Incipient yielding behavior during indentation for gold thin films before and after annealing

We studied the deformation mechanisms and mechanics during indentation of polycrystalline gold thin films at depths below 100 nm. The measured material hardness decreased from 2.1 ± 0.1 to 1.7 ± 0.1 GPa after annealing for 4 h at 177 °C. Upon closer inspection, the hardness trends in the gold thin films were discovered to vary according to the indentation depth. At nanometer depths, the material hardness was quantified using multiple parameters, some of which were independent of the area calibration for the tip. The annealed specimen was very “hard” at low indentation depths, relatively soft at moderate indentation depths, and finally harder until the grain-size limit was reached. The as-deposited specimen demonstrated a relatively continuous harness trend as function of indentation depth, exhibiting monotonic convergence to Hall–Petch limited behavior. Discrete displacement jump events (excursions or “pop-ins”) were frequently observed for the annealed specimen but not for the as-deposited specimen. Variation in hardness, excursion activity, and displacement during the hold at maximum load was observed according to the applied loading, which was parametrically varied at constant strain rates. Hardness results are explained in terms of the population and evolution of defects present within the specimens. The population of point defects is also influential, and critical thermal fluctuations, as well as the thermally activated process of diffusion, are believed to influence hardness at the specimen’s free surface and further into its volume. After converging to a monotonic trend (proper tip engagement), the modulus of the gold was measured to be 106.0 ± 12.9 and 101.3 ± 6.0 GPa for the respective Au/Cr/Si specimens. These values exceeded predictions from the aggregate polycrystalline material theory, a representation used to estimate results for anisotropic single crystals. Exaggerated modulus measurements are explained as the result of the contribution of modulus mismatch with the substrate, pileup at the indentor tip, residual stress in the films, and crystallographic anisotropy of the gold.
Stochastic Fate Selection in HIV-Infected Patients

Classic studies proposed that stochastic variability (“noise”) can drive biological fate switching, enhancing evolutionary success. Now, Ho et al. report that HIV’s reactivation from dormant (latently infected) patient cells—the major barrier to an HIV cure—is inherently stochastic. Eradicating an incompletely inducible (probabilistic) viral phenotype will require inventive approaches.
Effects of Multiple Scattering on Light Pulses Reflected by Turbid Atmospheres

Multiple scattering contributions to lidar returns from turbid atmospheres are derived by means of an analytical theory. It is assumed that scattering takes place mainly at small angles except for one event that scatters the light backward. The phase functions are approximated by the sum of Gaussian functions of the scattering angle in both the forward and backward directions. The three-dimensional radiative transfer equation is transformed to a one-dimensional problem by means of Fourier transforms. Neumann solutions to the transformed equation of radiative transfer are then found. A number of examples are presented for cloud, fog and haze models. The results are found to be in satisfactory agreement with results obtained from the Monte Carlo analysis of Kunkel (1974) and the theory of light pulses doubly scattered by turbid atmospheres which was developed by Eloranta (1972).
Inelastic scattering in atom–diatomic molecule collisions. II. Effect of rotation on vibrational transition

Rotational and vibrational transitions in a diatomic molecule caused by collisions with an atom are analyzed by a semiclassical method for conditions where the rotational transitions can be handled well by the sudden approximation and the vibrational transitions belong to the adiabatic regime. The contribution to the vibrational transition probability from the correction, which takes the finite value of the spacing between rotational energy levels into account, is examined.
GIS applications for military operations in coastal zones

Abstract In order to successfully support current and future US military operations in coastal zones, geospatial information must be rapidly integrated and analyzed to meet ongoing force structure evolution and new mission directives. Coastal zones in a military-operational environment are complex regions that include sea, land and air features that demand high-volume databases of extreme detail within relatively narrow geographic corridors. Static products in the form of analog maps at varying scales traditionally have been used by military commanders and their operational planners. The rapidly changing battlefield of 21st Century warfare, however, demands dynamic mapping solutions. Commercial geographic information system (GIS) software for military-specific applications is now being developed and employed with digital databases to provide customized digital maps of variable scale, content and symbolization tailored to unique demands of military units. Research conducted by the Center for Remote Sensing and Mapping Science at the University of Georgia demonstrated the utility of GIS-based analysis and digital map creation when developing large-scale (1:10,000) products from littoral warfare databases. The methodology employed–selection of data sources (including high resolution commercial images and Lidar), establishment of analysis/modeling parameters, conduct of vehicle mobility analysis, development of models and generation of products (such as a continuous sea–land DEM and geo-visualization of changing shorelines with tidal levels)–is discussed. Based on observations and identified needs from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, formerly the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, and the Department of Defense, prototype GIS models for military operations in sea, land and air environments were created from multiple data sets of a study area at US Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Results of these models, along with methodologies for developing large-scale littoral warfare databases, aid the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in meeting littoral warfare analysis, modeling and map generation requirements for US military organizations.
Theoretical analysis of a multi-layered thin shell coupled with piezoelectric shell actuators for distributed vibration controls

Abstract Structural dynamics and controls of distributed mechanical systems have drawn much attention in recent years. In this paper, a multi-layered thin shell coupled with an active distributed vibration actuator—polymeric piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)— is proposed and evaluated. Dynamic equations for the generalized multi-layered thin shell coupled with the polymeric piezoelectrets are derived based on Love's theory and Hamilton's principle. Each layer of the shell can be a polymeric piezoelectric control layer subjected to feedback voltages resulting in a local control force to suppress the vibration of the shell. To demonstrate the derived equations, a cantilever beam coupled with the polymeric piezoelectric actuator is derived by directly simplifying the modified Love's equations. An experimental model was also built and tested in laboratory to validate the results.
The Construction and Properties of Boundary Kernels for Smoothing Sparse Multinomials

Abstract In recent years several authors have investigated the use of smoothing methods for sparse multinomial data. In particular, Hall and Titterington (1987) studied kernel smoothing in detail. It is pointed out here that the bias of kernel estimates of probabilities for cells near the boundaries of the multinomial vector can dominate the mean sum of squared error of the estimator for most true probability vectors. Fortunately, boundary kernels devised to correct boundary effects for kernel regression estimators can achieve the same result for these estimators. Properties of estimates based on boundary kernels are investigated and compared to unmodified kernel estimates and maximum penalized likelihood estimates. Monte Carlo evidence indicates that the boundary-corrected kernel estimates usually outperform uncorrected kernel estimates and are quite competitive with penalized likelihood estimates.
Paricalcitol, a new agent for the management of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients undergoing chronic renal dialysis

Patients with end-stage renal disease commonly develop secondary hyperparathyroidism. Calcitriol may be administered to such patients to decrease the synthesis and secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and to help maintain calcium and phosphorus homeostasis. However, the doses of calcitriol required to suppress serum PTH concentrations can lead to hypercalcemia or hyperphosphatemia in many patients undergoing hemodialysis. Paricalcitol is a new vitamin D analogue that is safe and effective in suppressing elevated concentrations of PTH in patients with established hyperparathyroidism who are maintained on chronic hemodialysis. As with vitamin D, the biologic action of paricalcitol is mediated through activation of the vitamin D receptor (VDR). The VDR functions as a ligand-induced transcription factor regulating the rate of expression of genes that are involved in controlling not only calcium homeostasis and bone remodeling but also hormone secretion, inhibition of cell growth, and induction of cell differentiation. In vitro studies have shown that paricalcitol inhibits PTH secretion from bovine parathyroid cells in a dose-dependent manner. Studies in renally insufficient rats demonstrated that paricalcitol caused approximately 10 times less elevation of serum calcium concentrations than calcitriol. In clinical studies, paricalcitol effectively decreased PTH by about 60% over a 12-week period. Mean serum concentrations of calcium were significantly increased but remained within the normal range. There were occasional (5/414 determinations) transient elevations in serum calcium above the upper limit of normal in some (5/401) patients. Serum phosphorus values did not change significantly compared with baseline, although they tended to be slightly higher in the paricalcitol-treated group than in the group receiving placebo. Elevations of the calcium-times-phosphorus product were relatively few but occurred more often in the paricalcitol than in the placebo group. The terminal half-life of paricalcitol was 5 to 7 hours in healthy subjects; in patients undergoing hemodialysis, it was 14 hours. Adverse events associated with paricalcitol use included, among others, chills, feeling unwell, fever, sepsis, palpitations, dry mouth, gastrointestinal bleeding, nausea, vomiting, edema, light-headedness, and pneumonia. Paricalcitol should be considered as an alternative to calcitriol in the treatment of patients who are undergoing maintenance hemodialysis for end-stage renal disease, as it has a decreased potential to induce hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia. Additional studies are required to determine the long-term effects of therapy.
Chilling Injury in the Housefly: Evidence for the Role of Oxidative Stress between Pupariation and Emergence

Abstract The hypothesis that oxidative stress plays a role in chilling injury in the housefly was investigated by determining the effect of chilling on two important components of the insect's antioxidant defense system: (i) the superoxide anion scavenging enzyme, superoxide dismutase, and (ii) the tripeptide, glutathione, which is significant in maintaining the cellular redox status of the cell. The observations that led to this hypothesis are: (i) the housefly exhibited an U-shaped curve in O2consumption rate during development at 28°C from pupariation to the pharate adult stage when sampled at 24-h intervals and (ii) O2consumption rates of these different age groups prior to chilling was negatively correlated to the time after acute transfer to 7°C required to observe a 50% reduction in adult emergence (LT50s) after their return to 28°C. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity changed during this period of development at 28°C in an inverted U-shaped manner and was positively correlated to their LT50s when acutely transferred and stored at 7°C. The SOD activity increased in the 12–24 h and 36–48 h postpupariation age groups at 7 and 10°C compared to the activity prior to chilling (Day 0). The 60–72 h postpupariation group and older showed initial reductions in SOD activity during cold storage when compared to Day 0. Total glutathione (GSH and GSSG) in the different age groups was typically decreased by cold storage. The percentage loss of glutathione in the different age groups after 7 days at 7°C was negatively correlated to their LT50s at 7°C. The significance of these changes in SOD activity and glutathione levels to chilling injury in the housefly is discussed.
Fast inversion recovery for myelin suppression (FIRMS) a new MRI pulse sequence for highlighting cerebral gray matter

The purpose of this study is to test a new pulse sequence, fast inversion recovery for myelin suppression (FIRMS) for its ability to improve the conspicuity of gray matter. Twenty-six seizure patients were scanned with FIRMS as well as standard sequences. Gray matter conspicuity was evaluated objectively using region-of-interest calculations, including image contrast, contrast ratios, and contrast:noise (C/N). In evaluation of the hippocampus and cortex, all objective measurements of conspicuity were highest for FIRMS. In five clinical cases of suspected cortical dysplasia, FIRMS improved delineation of pathology in positive cases and ruled out the diagnosis in negative cases. In a case of hippocampal sclerosis, FIRMS was able to demonstrate atrophy of the alveus. Fast inversion recovery for myelin suppression holds promise for its ability to highlight the cerebral cortex and hippocampus.
A general approach to develop reduced order models for simulation of solid oxide fuel cell stacks

Abstract Numerical models for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are needed in system modeling studies of fuel cell-based power generation systems. A reduced order modeling approach based on response surface techniques is developed for SOFC stacks. This approach creates a numerical model that can quickly compute desired performance variables of interest based on the stack's input parameter state. The developed method first carefully samples the multidimensional design space based on the input parameter ranges, automatically evaluates an existing detailed stack model at each of the sampled points, and performs regression for selected performance variables of interest to determine the response surfaces. After error analysis to ensure that sufficient accuracy is established for the response surfaces, they are then implemented in a calculator module for use by the system-level software. The benefit of this modeling approach is that it is sufficiently fast for integration with system modeling software while still providing high fidelity information about the internal distributions of key variables in the fuel cell. This paper describes the sampling, regression, sensitivity, error, and principal component analysis to identify the most appropriate methods for simulating a planar SOFC stack.
Taking Stock of Human Rights Today

It has been more than 65 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948 and some 45 years since practical efforts on behalf of human rights accelerated more or less around 1970. Perhaps simply because of time elapsed and evidence amassed, we have seen several books appear taking stock of internationally recognized human rights. The four books reviewed here, all by Western scholars and Western publishers, pay considerable if not central attention to the question of whether universal human rights is little more than Western cultural imperialism. The four books also manifest awareness of the weaknesses of human rights efforts despite the prominence of Western states and the institutions they support in international relations. All four lend support to the importance of constructivist analysis which stresses malleable ideas devised by humans—even if attention to material resources and coercive power is not absent. Hum Rights Rev (2014) 15:219–224 DOI 10.1007/s12142-014-0317-3
Calculation of the structure constants in the Green's-function method

A method is presented for calculating the structure constants of the Green's-function [or Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR)] method which is much more efficient than the conventional one. This approach will allow for a significant reduction in the computing effort expended in calculations of the electronic structure of perfect crystals and of random alloys by the KKR method.
Ribosomal RNA sequences of Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Septata intestinalis and Ameson michaelis: phylogenetic construction and structural correspondence.

. The microsporidian species Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Septata intestinalis and Ameson michaelis were compared by using sequence data of their rRNA gene segments, which were amplified by polymerized chain reaction and directly sequenced. The forward primer 530f (5′-GTGCCATCCAGCCGCGG-3′) was in the small subunit rRNA (SSU-rRNA) and the reverse primer 580r (5′-GGTCCGTGTTTCAAGACGG-3′) was in the large subunit rRNA (LSU-rRNA). We have utilized these sequence data, the published data on Encephalitozoon cuniculi and Encephalitozoon hellem and our cloned SSU-rRNA genes from E. bieneusi and S. intestinalis to develop a phylogenetic tree for the microsporidia involved in human infection. The higher sequence similarities demonstrated between S. intestinalis and E. cuniculi support the placement of S. intestinalis in the family Encephalitozoonidae. This method of polymerized chain reaction rRNA phylogeny allows the establishment of phylogenetic relationships on limiting material where culture and electron microscopy are difficult or impossible and can be applied to archival material to expand the molecular phylogenetic analysis of the phylum Microspora. In addition, the highly variable region (E. coli numbering 590–650) and intergenic spacer regions in the microsporidia were noted to have structural correspondence, suggesting the possibility that they are coevolving.
Cloning and Expression of an Immunoglobulin Superfamily Gene (IGSF1) in Xq25

We have isolated a novel full-length cDNA for a gene (IGSF1) located in distal Xq25. This transcript is highly expressed in adult testis and fetal liver but is undetectable in adult liver. A smaller alternate form is highly expressed in adult heart. The gene encodes a protein of 1327 amino acids with several recognizable functional domains. The protein has a putative signal peptide and transmembrane region, 15 potential sites for N-linked glycosylation, and 12 C2-type immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domains. All of the Ig-like domains contain the two conserved cysteine residues that form intradomain disulfide bonds typical of this superfamily. These features are consistent with a possible role for this molecule in cell surface recognition or cell-cell interaction.
Flow characteristics in a segmented closed-tube design for ion-mobility spectrometry

Abstract Closed-tube design with unidirectional flow of drift gas in ion-mobility spectrometry (i.m.s) was found to provide residence times for analyte from 10 s to 10 min based on drift gas flow rate. The volume of drift gas necessary to restore reactant ions completely to the original intensity, after addition of excess (>900 mg l −1 ) of analyte to the ion source, was three times the inner volume of the tube, regardless of flow rate. Contamination of the i.m.s. tube from analyte in the external atmosphere occurred readily in the open-tube design and in the closed-tube design with or without a slight vacuum attached to the tube. Rates of migration of analyte from outside to inside the tube were similar in all designs and the present closed-tube design was largely non-resistant to external contamination. Product-ion intensities for aromatic and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons were independent of drift flow rate from 100 to 800 ml min −1 in the closed-tube design with no formation of artifacts. Plots of ion intensity vs. concentration of o -xylene were linear int wo ranges, 0.05–0.08 μg l −1 and 0.1–2 μg l −1 , with slopes of 1.2 × 10 −9 A l μg −1 in the first range and 1.0 × 10 −11 A l μg −1 in the second range. No changes in mobility of aromatic product-ion peaks were seen with increases in concentration when the analyte was added to the drift gas rather than near the reaction region in unidirectional flow.
Coupled effects of conduction in the crystal and thermo-solutal convection in a rectangular inclined enclosure

To date modeling of crystal growth of optoelectronic materials using Physical Vapor Transport has been limited to the study of the fluid phase. To achieve it, the equations of coupled heat, mass and momentum transfer in the gas have to be solved. The first objective of this study is to examine the effect of heat conduction in the crystal on the fluid flow in the neighborhood of the interface. Heat transfer boundary conditions on both interfaces were modified to take into account the additional heat flux between gas and solid. It is proved that heat conduction does not affect the fluid flow. In the presence of gravity, density gradients in the fluid phase generate convection responsible for the problem of a nonplanar growth of the interface. The second objective is to study systematically under one-g the different possible flows in order to solve this problem. Depending on the parameters, a diffusive mode and three convective modes (thermal, solutal and thermo-solutal) are observed. The competition between thermal and solutal convections leads to a mathematical condition which can be used to achieve a planar growth. It is proven that, under the physical conditions chosen, this mathematical condition cannot be thermodynamically satisfied.
ACOUSTIC ATTENUATION IN A SOLID PROPELLANT

The acoustic attenuation in l-in.-diam by 15-in.-long rods cast from a double-base propellant mixture has been measured for longitudinal excitation from 500 to 14,000 cps in discrete steps by the successive use of quarterwave (X/4) resonance, half-wave (A/2) resonance, and pulse techniques. The data are observed to give a reasonable fit to a Q of 5.5. No change in Q is observed for X/4 resonance data taken over the range of temperatures 55° to 75 °F, but the velocity of sound in the rod is found to be a sensitive decreasing function of the temperature, i.e., At?/At ~ 2.1% of room temperature velocity/°F. The effect on A/2 resonance of increasing the static pressure from 1 atm to 1000 psi is found to be small, with a slight decrease in Q and in velocity. Room temperature propellant sound velocity is about 810 m/sec, giving an effective Young's Modulus = 1.1 X 10d/cm.
BTeV: pixel development and triggering

Abstract The BTeV vertex detector and trigger system are described. The vertex detector is based on planar pixel arrays. The information from the pixel planes will be used in the Level 1 trigger. Recent startup effort on pixel R&D at Fermilab will also be summarized.