cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Collusion in educational peer assessment: How much do we need to worry about it?

Several decades of research have shown peer assessment to be an effective pedagogical approach. Researchers have shown that peer assessment has the potential to provide students more copious, timely and helpful feedback, and also helping reviewers to learn as well. In recent decades, peer assessments in educational settings have increasingly been facilitated by online tools. Some MOOC platforms also rely on aggregated peer-assessment scores to assign grades for each artifact. However, in peer assessment, students can potentially game this process, and thereby harm the validity and reliability of the aggregated scores. Most of instructors assume that the majority of the students' peer assessments are honest since most of the peer assessment is done in double-blind fashion. This assumption only holds in the absence of organized collusion — when no more than a small number of students game the peer assessment and give each other very high scores. This paper identifies two types of collusion that we have observed. They are small-circle collusion and pervasive collusion. Small-circle collusion refers to the behaviors of students who form small circles and give higher peer review grades to each other. Pervasive collusion refers to students assigning top grades to all the submissions they review. We also present our algorithms for detecting these two types of colluders. Our experiments are based on a peer-assessment dataset shared by multiple peer-assessment systems. By removing these colluders' peer assessments, we are able to estimate how much inflation is brought by colluders in educational peer assessment.
The Graft-vs.-Host Reaction in Man

The graft-vs.-host reaction (GVHR) occurs when immunologically competent cells are transfused or transplanted from one individual into another who is immunologically unable to react against foreign cells. Under experimental conditions, GVHR can be induced when immunologically competent cells are transferred to a recipient unresponsive because of immunological immaturity (e.g., newborn mice) or immunosuppressive therapy (e.g., following total-body irradiation), or because, in certain genetically defined situations, the recipient is unable to recognize genetic differences between self and donor (Simonsen, 1962; Billingham, 1966; Elkins, 1971; Grebe and Streilein, 1976). This occurs when an F1 hybrid mouse is grafted with marrow or spleen cells from either parent (i.e., P → F1 graft). The transplant cells from the parent, however, are stimulated by genetic differences expressed by tissues of the F1 recipient, and an aggressor reaction of grafted cells vs. host tissues results (Fig. 1). Several clinical situations exist wherein the transfusion of immunologically competent donor cells to an immunologically deficient recipient can cause GVHR. Patients with primary or secondary immune deficiency can be susceptible to the potential GVHR-inducing activity of lymphocytes present in transfused blood or transplanted bone marrow.
Ultraviolet Spectropolarimetry of Classical Novae in Outburst: Evidence for Aspherical Ejecta

We used the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment during the Astro-2 mission aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, to obtain ultraviolet spectropolarimetry of three classical novae that had recently gone into outburst. All three novae appear to have intrinsic polarization, with polarization changes across emission lines. This result indicates that, geometrically, the ejecta were quite aspherical.
Properties of Strong Local Nondeterminism and Local Times of Stable Random Fields

We establish properties of strong local nondeterminism for several classes of α-stable random fields such as harmonizable-type fractional stable fields with stationary increments, harmonizable and linear fractional stable sheets. We apply these properties to study existence and joint continuity of the local times of stable random fields.
Performing Bayesian inference by weighted model counting

Over the past decade general satisfiability testing algorithms have proven to be surprisingly effective at solving a wide variety of constraint satisfaction problem, such as planning and scheduling (Kautz and Selman 2003). Solving such NP-complete tasks by "compilation to SAT" has turned out to be an approach that is of both practical and theoretical interest. Recently, (Sang et al. 2004) have shown that state of the art SAT algorithms can be efficiently extended to the harder task of counting the number of models (satisfying assignments) of a formula, by employing a technique called component caching. This paper begins to investigate the question of whether "compilation to model-counting" could be a practical technique for solving real-world #P-complete problems, in particular Bayesian inference. We describe an efficient translation from Bayesian networks to weighted model counting, extend the best model-counting algorithms to weighted model counting, develop an efficient method for computing all marginals in a single counting pass, and evaluate the approach on computationally challenging reasoning problems.
Robustness and Evolvability of Multilayer Gene Regulatory Networks

We present multilayer gene regulatory networks (GRNs) consisting of an intercellular layer and an intracellular layer. A network in an intercellular layer represents interactions between cells, and...
Laparoscopic Surgery in Infants Under Spinal Anesthesia Block: A Case Report of 3 Cases.

Spinal anesthesia (SA) is a valuable alternative to general anesthesia in infants, but laparoscopic surgery is considered a contraindication in this age group. We report 3 cases of SA for inguinal hernia repairs. The contralateral inguinal region was explored by laparoscopic port placement and pneum
ESOL pre-service teachers’ experiences and learning in completing a reflection paper and digital storytelling

This qualitative study investigated how pre-service teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) experienced and learned from their completion of a reflective project, including a reflection paper and digital storytelling. The participants were 20 graduate students in a program for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at a university in the United States. This study aimed to identify participants’ experiences when completing the project and its influences on their learning. The findings demonstrated their diverse performance and perspectives during the tasks, as well as their learning in language, culture, education, and technology. Based on these findings, dialogic hybrid learning and the pedagogical implications are discussed.
Mental Health Services in Childhood: The Role of Family Adversity:

Objective:Much of the research on the effects of childhood adversity on mental health has focused on adults. The objective of our study was to examine the individual and cumulative effect of childh...
223) Anatomical Organization and Functional Contributions of NK1R Spinal Projection Neurons in Pain and Itch

Dissecting the spinal circuitry of pain and itch has been limited by a lack of genetic tools to label discrete subpopulations of spinal neurons. In particular, markers for spinal projection neurons are lacking, and thus the contributions of spinal projection neurons to somatosensation are largely unknown. Currently the only known marker for spinal projection neurons is neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R), which captures the majority of spinal projection neurons. While neurotoxic ablation studies have provided evidence demonstrating the importance of NK1R spinal projection neurons to itch and hyperalgesia, interpretation of these studies is limited by ambiguities in the time course, specificity, and extent of neuronal death. Here we describe our recently developed NK1R-CreER mouse line as a tool to dissect the spinal circuitry of somatosensation. Using this novel genetic tool, we visualize the outputs of NK1R spinal projection neurons, manipulate their activity and determine their contribution to pain and itch behaviors, and identify new molecular markers using recently published single cell RNA-sequencing of spinal cord dorsal horn neuron populations. These studies shed light on the anatomical organization and functional contributions of NK1R spinal projection neurons to pain and itch. Supported by T32NS086749 and F32NS110155 to TDS and R01NS096705 to SER.
Novel Method for Removing Embedded Cactus Spines in the Emergency Department

Injuries from cactus spines can present challenges to Emergency Medicine providers. When the patient has mental limitations that prevent cooperation with removal, these challenges grow. Traditional removal techniques have several drawbacks including prolonged time for complete removal and incomplete removal. We present the case of a 22-year-old with a history of low-functioning autism and congenital motor dysfunction with a cactus spine injury to a large surface area of her chest, abdomen, and extremities. Conscious sedation utilizing intramuscular ketamine and Operating Room (OR) hair removal mitts were utilized to quickly and effectively remove the cactus spines. The patient had efficient, painless resolution of her injury without need for additional spine removal.
Stereoselective Synthesis of Optically Active β-Lactams, Potential Inhibitors of Pilus Assembly in Pathogenic Bacteria

Stereoselective Synthesis of Optically Active β-Lactams, Potential Inhibitors of Pilus Assembly in Pathogenic Bacteria
Spin-Electron (s-d) Interaction in TI Thin Films

In this chapter, we propose the effective surface model, in which the interaction matrix depends on the position of localized spins relative to the slab surfaces. The s-d interaction constants are specific to a particular TI depending on whether it is a thick sample with a single massless Dirac cone or a thin slab with gapped massive fermions.
Synthesis of Well-Defined Gold Nanoparticles Using Pluronic: The Role of Radicals and Surfactants in Nanoparticles Formation.

Synthesis of gold nanoparticles (GNP) by reacting chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) and Pluronic F127 was thoroughly investigated. The rate of reduction of HAuCl4 and the yield and morphology of GNP strongly depended on the concentration of the reactants and sodium chloride, as well as pH and temperature. Upon completion of the reaction heterogeneous mixtures of small GNP of defined shape and Pluronic aggregates were formed. GNP were separated from the excess of Pluronic by centrifugal filtration. Under optimized conditions the GNP were small (ca. 80 nm), uniform (PDI ~0.09), strongly negatively charged (ζ-potential −30 mV) and nearly spherical. They were stable in distilled water and phosphate-buffered saline. Purified GNP contained ~13% by weight of an organic component, yet presence of polypropylene oxide was not detected suggesting that Pluronic was not adsorbed on their surface. Analysis of the soluble products suggested that the copolymer undergoes partial degradation accompanied by cleavage of the C–O bonds and appearance of new primary hydroxyl groups. The reaction involves formation of free radicals and hydroperoxides depends on the oxygen concentration. GNP did not form at 4 °C when the micellization of Pluronic was abolished reinforcing the role of the copolymer self-assembly. In conclusion, this work provides insight into the mechanism of HAuCl4 reduction and GNP formation in the presence of Pluronic block copolymers. It is useful for improving the methods of manufacturing uniform and pure GNP that are needed as nanoscale building blocks in nanomedicine applications.
Analysis of the outcome of surveillance of endemic arsenium in Gansu Province

Objective To explore the distribution of high-arsenic drinking water and prevalence of endemic arsenism in Gansu Province in order to provide basis for prevention. Methods According to State Screening Project of High-arsenic Drinking Water in 2006, 12 counties were investigated to determine the content-arsenic in Gansu Province. The level of arsenic content in drinking water was determined by silver dithyldithiocarbamate spectrophotometric method and atomic fluorescence method. Patients with endemic arsenium were diagnosed with The Standard of Diagnosis for Endemic Arsenium(WS/T 211-2001). Results A total of 11 360 samples of 540 villages, 145 townships, and 12 counties were surveyed. Twenty two high-arsenic wellsprings were found in Chenxian and Xiahe Counties and the rate was 0.19%( 12/11 360). The highest content-arsenic in Sasuoma Village of cool-wellspring was 0.970 mg/L. The endemic arsenium was studied in 17 high-arsenic villages. In Xiahe, 4 patients were diagnosed, the morbidity rate of endemic arsenium in Wangtang, Wanken, Wananang Villages was lower 10%. Detection rate was 49.68%(77/155) in Sasouma Village, 1 case of Boweens was found. The youngest patient was only 2 years old, and the oldest one 82 years old. The highest Detection rate of Han population was 81.25% (13/16), Hui 50.56%(45/89), and Zang 38.00% (19/50). According to The Standard for Determining Affected Area of Endemic Arsenism, the village was claimed to be seriously affected area in the type of cool-wellspring of drinking water arsenic. No patient was found in other villages. Conclusions High-arsenic areas are broadening in recent years. In some places, the prevalence of this disease is very serious. The affected area belongs to drinking water arsenic of cool-wellspring type. Key words: Arsenic poisoning; Drinking; Data collection
Let’s Talk About Sexism: The Differential Effects of Gender Discrimination on Liberal and Conservative Women’s Political Engagement:

As the 2016 election season and the Me Too movement have powerfully demonstrated, sexism is a pervasive force not just in American politics but also, more generally, in women’s everyday lives. Whil...
Cohesiveness in previously deployed Army National Guard units: Implications for postdeployment behavioral health.

A major health policy concern of deployed U.S. military personnel has been the observed high occurrence of postdeployment behavioral health problems. Unit cohesiveness is considered one of several protective factors against the negative effects of combat exposure. Studies, however, have not examined cohesiveness' group-level effects on the relationship of combat stressors to behavioral health problems. These relationships were examined both at the soldier level and unit level using hierarchical linear modeling. Recently, returned deployed Army National Guard soldiers (N = 4,567 in 50 companies) responded to questions about combat exposure, postdeployment unit cohesiveness, and behavioral health problems. Combat events were associated with more suicidal thoughts, alcohol misuse, and behavioral health problems. By comparison, unit cohesiveness was associated with fewer behavioral health problems both at the individual level (all three outcome variables) and unit level (alcohol misuse and behavioral health problems). At the soldier level, the buffering effect of unit cohesiveness was evident only for alcohol misuse. At the unit level the protective factor of unit cohesiveness on unit members' behavioral health was evident for alcohol misuse and behavioral health problems. In addition, the relationship of combat events to suicidal thoughts was less evident among units having higher rather than lower levels of unit cohesiveness (cross-leveling effect). Findings suggest that integrative unit relationships better enable soldiers to adjust to combat exposure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Central limit theorem and sample complexity of stationary stochastic programs

Abstract In this paper we discuss sample complexity of solving stationary stochastic programs by the Sample Average Approximation (SAA) method. We investigate this in the framework of Optimal Control (in discrete time) setting. In particular we derive a Central Limit Theorem type asymptotics for the optimal values of the SAA problems. The main conclusion is that the sample size, required to attain a given relative error of the SAA solution, is not sensitive to the discount factor, even if the discount factor is very close to one. We consider the risk neutral and risk averse settings. The presented numerical experiments confirm the theoretical analysis.
PSMA Expression Assessed by PET Imaging Is a Required Biomarker for Selecting Patients for Any PSMA-Targeted Therapy.

![Figure][1] Johannes Czernin ![Figure][1] Jeremie Calais Approximately 20% of breast cancers express human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 [ERBB2], formerly HER2), and 70% express estrogen or progesterone receptors. All excised breast cancer
Properties of a defined mutant of Escherichia coli thymidylate synthase.

Abstract A mutant of Escherichia coli thymidylate synthase (F3-TS), resulting from the replacement of a tyrosine for a cysteine 50 amino acids from the amino-terminal end, has been purified to homogeneity and found to contain less than 0.2% of the activity of the native enzyme (thyA-TS). Although this protein formed a ternary complex with 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine 5'-monophosphate (FdUMP) and 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate, like the native enzyme, the extent of complex formation was significantly impaired as determined by equilibrium dialysis and circular dichroism. Thus, unlike the native enzyme, where 2 mol of FdUMP were present in each mole of ternary complex, F3-TS contained less than 1 mol of FdUMP/mol of ternary complex. Similarly, the binding of dUMP by F3-TS was greatly diminished relative to thyA-TS, but its binding as well as that of FdUMP could be improved by the presence of either the folate substrate or a tight binding folate analogue, 10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolate (PDDF). However, despite the fact that PDDF enhanced the binding of FdUMP and dUMP to F3-TS, the binding of PDDF to the mutant enzyme was also greatly impaired. This contrasts with the native enzyme, which, under the same conditions, bound about 2 mol of PDDF/mol of enzyme in the presence or absence of either FdUMP or dUMP. Circular dichroism analyses with PDDF in the presence of dUMP or FdUMP yielded analogous results, but the effects were less dramatic than those obtained by equilibrium dialysis. Evidence in support of a structural difference between thyA-TS and F3-TS was obtained by demonstrating that the latter protein was 15-fold slower in forming a ternary complex with dUMP and PDDF than the former and that the mutant enzyme was less stable than the native enzyme.
Regulation of antimicrobial peptide production by autoinducer-mediated quorum sensing in lactic acid bacteria.

Several lactic acid bacteria produce peptides with antimicrobial activity. During the last few years, cell–cell communication has emerged as the key regulatory mechanism that controls the production of many of these antimicrobial peptides via a regulatory strategy denominated quorum sensing. Quorum sensing allows population-wide synchronised production of antimicrobial peptides as a function of cell density. The cell–cell communication phenomenon required for sensing of the cell density is mediated by secreted signalling molecules. These ‘molecular messengers’ accumulate in the environment as the cell density increases and activate signal transduction cascades that result in the production of antimicrobial peptides by the stimulated bacterial cell.
A massively scaleable decoder architecture for low-density parity-check codes

A massively scalable architecture for decoding low-density parity-check codes is presented in this paper. This novel architecture uses hardware scaling and memory partitioning to achieve a throughput of 100 Gbps. Simulation results show that this throughput is achieved without significant bit-error performance degradation.
Cutting Edge: All-trans Retinoic Acid Down-Regulates TLR2 Expression and Function

A major consequence of microbial infection is the tissue injury that results from the host inflammatory response. In acne, inflammation is due in part to the ability of Propionibacterium acnes to activate TLR2. Because all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) decreases inflammation in acne, we investigated whether it regulates TLR2 expression and function. Treatment of primary human monocytes with ATRA led to the down-regulation of TLR2 as well as its coreceptor CD14, but not TLR1 or TLR4. The ability of a TLR2/1 ligand to trigger monocyte cytokine release was inhibited by pre- and cotreatment with ATRA; however, TLR4 activation was affected by cotreatment only. ATRA also down-regulated monocyte cytokine induction by P. acnes. These data indicate that ATRA exerts an anti-inflammatory effect on monocytes via two pathways, one specifically affecting TLR2/1 and CD14 expression and one independent of TLR expression. Agents that target TLR expression and function represent a novel strategy to treat inflammation in humans.
Factors affecting the interconnection resistance and yield in the fabrication of multilayer polyimide/metal thin film structures

The use of a lift-off technique to fabricate a high-density structure consisting of multiple layers of metal/polyimide thin film structure on a silicon substrate is described. To achieve better performance and high yield, the authors evaluated the process design, the processing parameters, and the thickness of the Cr/Cu/Cr metallurgy, along with the use of suitable polyimide dielectrics. The plasma processing conditions, the types of passivation metals on Cu, and the use of a siloxane-polyimide as the gap-fill etch-stop material were all shown to play a very critical role in affecting the interconnection resistance and yield of the multilayer thin film structures. By optimizing these parameters the feasibility of fabricating high-density thin film wiring layers with good yield is demonstrated. >
Myelination: Actin Disassembly Leads the Way

The mechanisms that drive the spiral wrapping of the myelin sheath around axons are poorly understood. Two papers in this issue of Developmental Cell demonstrate that actin disassembly, rather than actin assembly, predominates during oligodendrocyte maturation and is critical for the genesis of the central myelin sheath.
The development of a design and technology active research culture at Edge Hill

A school ba s ed or s imilar research proj e ct forms a ma j or co m ponent of th e design and techno l og y undergraduate teache r t r aining cour s e at Edge Hill . Th e re s earch i s central to t h e dis s ertation mod ul e ; t h e struct u re of which has rec e ntl y be e n ch a n g ed to refl e ct it s i mpo r tance in enhanc i ng t h e trainees ' underst a nding of educ at ional i ss ue s. The ne w module con s ist s of two part s. Fir s tl y, a n introduction into re s earch practice including e xp e riment a l d es i g n , d ev i s in g a m e th o dol ogy and data analy s i s. The s econd is a re s e a rch project where trai n ees mak e u s e of th e range of s kill s learnt . Tr a ine es are en c oura ge d to u se a wide range of data coll e ction method s in c ludin g ca s e s s tud ies , tap e d inter v ie ws , obser v ation a l research , qu es tionnaire method s and s tructur e d inter v i e w s . A c o mp ar ati v e approach i s n ow b e in g u se d f o r m a n y of the s t u dies. Thi s a ll ow s on e or more s ets of data to be ob jec ti ve l y co mpar e d so that comm o n trends can be identified. Thi s i s u se ful in the ca s e of international compar a ti v e r e search w hereb y b es t pr a ctice s in d es i g n and technology can be a sse s sed. This p a per wi ll briefl y de sc rib e the r e s e a rch s tructur e a t E d ge Hil l and di s cu ss th e ration a le o f th e approach. It discu ss e s the import a nc e of ac ti v e a nd comp a r a ti ve r es ear c h in t e rm s of their relevance to th e expan s ion of the research ba s e . Thr e e s hort exa mpl es o f r es e <font face="Times New Roman" size="1" col
Latent hydrocarbons from cyanobacteria.

Straight-chain, or normal, alkanes are the simplest class of organic compounds and are prominent components of petroleum, in which they ultimately derive from geo-thermo-chemical reactions acting over millions of years on biological debris (1). Many of the same compounds are also produced selectively by enzymatic reactions in the biosphere. With the notable exception of methane, a catabolic end product for some archaea, biogenic hydrocarbons are typically anabolic products that do not accumulate to high concentration. Nonetheless, the biosphere’s capacity for hydrocarbon production is impressive in terms of both functional diversity and evolutionary span. A range of alkanes and alkenes are produced by plants (2, 3), bacteria (4), and insects (5); archaea produce alkenes (6), and even polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are produced in termite colonies (7) and possibly by fungi (8). Their functions in these organisms include water balance, self-defense, signaling, and membrane architecture. Algae have long been of interest because of their potential for biofuel production (9); cyanobacterial production of 15- and 17-carbon alkanes, known since 1971 (10), has recently been shown to proceed via enzymatic decarbonylation of the acyl chains typically used for membrane lipid tails (11).
Organic–inorganic hybrid polyhedra that can serve as supermolecular building blocks

[V4O8X(COO)4]z− or [V5O9X(COO)4]2− polyoxometallate anions can function as 4-connected nodes that assemble with 3-connected organic nodes (1,3,5-benzentricarboxylate) to afford small cubicuboctahedral hybrid nanoballs (hyball-3, -4, -5) in high yield. The resulting polyhedral cages exhibit 550 A3 internal volumes and gas sorption measurements reveal that solid forms of the hyballs are permanently porous. The exterior surfaces of the hyballs are suited for further self-assembly and hyball-3 can serve as an octahedral supermolecular building block for the generation of primitive cubic (pcu) nets via two types of linkage: hydrogen bonds or coordination bonds.
Colorectal Surgery After Kidney Transplantation: Characteristics of Early vs. Late Posttransplant Interventions

Background The majority of colorectal complications after kidney transplantation reportedly occur <1 year of transplant. We aimed to identify differences in complications in the early and late posttransplant period.
Estimating the frequency of extreme rainfall using weather radar and stochastic storm transposition

Summary Spatial and temporal variability in extreme rainfall, and its interactions with land cover and the drainage network, is an important driver of flood response. “Design storms,” which are commonly used for flood risk assessment, however, are assumed to be uniform in space and either uniform or highly idealized in time. The impacts of these and other commonly-made assumptions are rarely considered, and their impacts on flood risk estimates are poorly understood. This study presents an alternate framework for rainfall frequency analysis that couples stochastic storm transposition (SST) with “storm catalogs” developed from a ten-year high-resolution (15-min, 1-km 2 ) radar rainfall dataset for the region surrounding Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. The SST procedure involves spatial and temporal resampling from these storm catalogs to reconstruct the regional climatology of extreme rainfall. SST-based intensity–duration–frequency (IDF) estimates are driven by the spatial and temporal rainfall variability from weather radar observations, are tailored specifically to the chosen watershed, and do not require simplifying assumptions of storm structure. We are able to use the SST procedure to reproduce IDF estimates from conventional methods for four urban watersheds in Charlotte. We demonstrate that extreme rainfall can vary substantially in time and in space, with potentially important flood risk implications that cannot be assessed using conventional techniques. SST coupled with high-resolution radar rainfall fields represents a useful alternative to conventional design storms for flood risk assessment, the full advantages of which can be realized when the concept is extended to flood frequency analysis using a distributed hydrologic model.
GenerIE: Information extraction using database queries

Information extraction systems are traditionally implemented as a pipeline of special-purpose processing modules. A major drawback of such an approach is that whenever a new extraction goal emerges or a module is improved, extraction has to be re-applied from scratch to the entire text corpus even though only a small part of the corpus might be affected. In this demonstration proposal, we describe a novel paradigm for information extraction: we store the parse trees output by text processing in a database, and then express extraction needs using queries, which can be evaluated and optimized by databases. Compared with the existing approaches, database queries for information extraction enable generic extraction and minimize reprocessing. However, such an approach also poses a lot of technical challenges, such as language design, optimization and automatic query generation. We will present the opportunities and challenges that we met when building GenerIE, a system that implements this paradigm.
Status of glacial Lake Columbia during the last floods from glacial Lake Missoula

The last floods from glacial Lake Missoula, Montana, probably ran into glacial Lake Columbia, in northeastern Washington. In or near Lake Columbia's Sanpoil arm, Lake Missoula floods dating from late in the Fraser glaciation produced normally graded silt beds that become thinner upsection and which alternate with intervals of progressively fewer varves. The highest three interflood intervals each contain only one or two varves, and about 200–400 successive varves conformably overlie the highest flood bed. This sequence suggests that jokulhlaup frequency progressively increased until Lake Missoula ended, and that Lake Columbia outlasted Lake Missoula. The upper Grand Coulee, Lake Columbia's late Fraser-age outlet, contains a section of 13 graded beds, most of them sandy and separated by varves, that may correlate with the highest Missoula-flood beds of the Sanpoil River valley. The upper Grand Coulee also contains probable correlatives of many of the approximately 200–400 succeeding varves, as do nearby parts of the Columbia River valley. This collective evidence casts doubt on a prevailing hypothesis according to which one or more late Fraser-age floods from Lake Missoula descended the Columbia River valley with little or no interference from Lake Columbia's Okanogan-lobe dam.
Conditions for analytically determining general fuzzy controllers of Mamdani type to be nonlinear, piecewise linear or linear

A fuzzy controller has many degrees of freedom in terms of its component selection (e.g., different types of fuzzy sets, and different kinds of fuzzy rules). Consequently, linear or piecewise linear controllers can be unconsciously resulted, which is undesirable, as it is irrational to use fuzzy control that way. Fuzzy controllers should be used, and taken advantage of, as nonlinear controllers only, not as linear or piecewise linear controllers. Currently, there exist no rigorous methods, analytical or otherwise, to precisely determine whether a fuzzy controller designed is nonlinear or not. In the present paper, we establish conditions under which linearity, piecewise linearity or nonlinearity of a general class of Mamdani fuzzy controllers can be determined. These fuzzy controllers can use input fuzzy sets of any types, arbitrary fuzzy rules, arbitrary singleton output fuzzy sets, arbitrary inference methods, either Zadeh or the product fuzzy logic AND operator, and the centroid defuzzifier. We prove that the fuzzy controllers using Zadeh AND operator are always nonlinear, regardless of choice of the other components. The general fuzzy controllers using the product AND operator are also always nonlinear except when all input fuzzy sets are triangular or trapezoidal and a couple of other conditions are satisfied. The exceptions lead to piecewise linear or linear controllers. A concrete example is provided to illustrate the results. Our new findings provide much-needed insight to connections between the components and nonlinearity of the fuzzy controllers. They enable fuzzy control developers to correctly choose appropriate types and configurations of the components (e.g., triangular fuzzy sets instead of Gaussian ones) at the beginning of design stage, saving design time and effort.
Mechanistic aspects and atomic-level consequences of elastic instabilities in homogeneous crystals

Elastic stability criteria, derived for a homogenous lattice under arbitrary external load, provide an upper bound on the critical stress or strain which a crystalline solid can withstand. Since the onset of a structural instability is load dependent, the corresponding theoretical strength can be given similar interpretation. When combined with molecular dynamics simulation, such results allow a systematic discussion of competing structural transitions, as illustrated here in a case study of pressure-induced polymorphic and crystal-to-amorphous transitions and in some remarks on the thermoelastic mechanism for homogeneous (mechanical) melting, a process which defines an upper limit of metastability.
Note on the quantum theory of electric and magnetic charges

Abstract A quantization rule for the product of electric and magnetic charges can be easily obtained from Schrodinger's equation which is solved under the condition that an electric charge is interacting with a uniform magnetic field produced by a plane sheet of magnetic charge.
Moral audit for Diabco Corporation

Diabco Corporation, consisting of both domestic and international operations, aspires to be a world class company. Assumption of that status requires Diabco to develop a profile as a responsible member within the world community. Attributing morality to a corporation may seem somewhat inappropriate because it is merely an artificial entity. Yet, a corporation is only as ethical as its agents. At a minimum, Diabco must meet legal requirements, but the development of moral responsibility requires a conscious effort by all corporate agents to avoid harming others. To appraise the company's moral condition, the authors constructed the premise that Diabco conducted a comprehensive moral audit. Although the concept of a moral audit is still a relatively undeveloped appraisal activity, the purpose of the study is to demonstrate the desirability, feasibility, and possible inadequacies of such an endeavor.
Crystallographic and Catalytic Studies of the Peroxide-Shunt Reaction in a Diiron Hydroxylase

A diiron hydroxylase reaction typically begins by combination of O2 with a diferrous center to form reactive intermediates capable of hydrocarbon hydroxylation. In this natural cycle, reducing equivalents are provided by specific interactions with electron transfer proteins. The biological process can be bypassed by combining H2O2 with a diferric center, i.e., peroxide-shunt catalysis. Here we show that toluene 4-monooxygenase has a peroxide-shunt reaction that is approximately 600-fold slower than catalysis driven by biological electron transfer. However, the toluene 4-monooxygenase hydroxylase-effector protein complex was stable in the presence of 300 mM H2O2, suggesting overall benign effects of the exogenous oxidant on active site structure and function. The X-ray structure of the toluene 4-monooxygenase hydroxylase-effector protein complex determined from crystals soaked in H2O2 revealed a bound diatomic molecule, assigned to a cis-mu-1,2-peroxo bridge. This peroxo species resides in an active site position adjacent to the hydrogen-bonding substructure established by effector protein binding and faces into the distal cavity where substrate must bind during regiospecific aromatic ring hydroxylation catalysis. These results provide a new structural benchmark for how activated intermediates may be formed and dispatched during diiron hydroxylase catalysis.
Inhibition of intestinal copper absorption by divalent cations and low-molecular-weight ligands in the rat

l-histidine (His) has been shown to enhance the inhibitory effect of zinc on intestinal copper absorption. This study was aimed at examining whether this effect of His was also extended to the interactions of other divalent cations: ferrous iron, tin, and cobalt, using an in vivo perfusion system in rats. Copper absorption and intestinal content of this element significantly decreased in the presence of 2 mM His and ferrous iron. Iron accumulation was greater when His was present than when omitted. A fivefold excess of tin inhibited copper absorption only when His was present. Citrate, at the same concentration as His, had no effect on copper absorption, but hepatic copper levels were increased, as compared to the absence of either His or citrate. Addition of 0.5 or 1.0 mM cobaltous salt plus His resulted in a sharp decrease in copper intestinal absorption, with an increase in intestinal tissue retention. These results confirm earlier findings with zinc and His, and suggest that a general phenomenon, either accelerating the removal of copper from the intestinal lumen or increasing, the retention of this element by the intestinal tissue, is a common feature of the interaction between cations of similar electronic configuration to copper and a high-affinity ligand, such as His.
Solution NMR of a 463-Residue Phosphohexomutase: Domain 4 Mobility, Substates, and Phosphoryl Transfer Defect

Phosphomannomutase/phosphoglucomutase contributes to the infectivity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, retains and reorients its intermediate by 180°, and rotates domain 4 to close the deep catalytic cleft. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of the backbone of wild-type and S108C-inactivated enzymes were assigned to at least 90%. (13)C secondary chemical shifts report excellent agreement of solution and crystallographic structure over the 14 α-helices, C-capping motifs, and 20 of the 22 β-strands. Major and minor NMR peaks implicate substates affecting 28% of assigned residues. These can be attributed to the phosphorylation state and possibly to conformational interconversions. The S108C substitution of the phosphoryl donor and acceptor slowed transformation of the glucose 1-phosphate substrate by impairing k(cat). Addition of the glucose 1,6-bisphosphate intermediate accelerated this reaction by 2-3 orders of magnitude, somewhat bypassing the defect and apparently relieving substrate inhibition. The S108C mutation perturbs the NMR spectra and electron density map around the catalytic cleft while preserving the secondary structure in solution. Diminished peak heights and faster (15)N relaxation suggest line broadening and millisecond fluctuations within four loops that can contact phosphosugars. (15)N NMR relaxation and peak heights suggest that domain 4 reorients slightly faster in solution than domains 1-3, and with a different principal axis of diffusion. This adds to the crystallographic evidence of domain 4 rotations in the enzyme, which were previously suggested to couple to reorientation of the intermediate, substrate binding, and product release.
Crowning Techniques in Aerospace Actuation Gearing

One of the most important methods to solve the edge loading problem due to excess misalignment and deflection in aerospace actuation gearing is to localize tooth bearing contact by crowning the teeth. Irrespective of the applied load, if the misalignment and/or deflection are large enough to cause the contact area to reduce to zero, the stress becomes large enough to cause damage. The edge loading could cause the teeth to break or pit, but too much crowning may also cause the teeth to pit due to concentrated loading. In this paper, a proposed method to localize the contact bearing area and calculate the contact stress with crowning is presented and demonstrated on some real life examples in aerospace actuation systems.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Eyes: variety, development and evolution.

The selective advantages of using light as a source of information are reflected in the diverse types of extant eyes. The physical properties of light restrict how it can be collected and processed, r
Magnetic resonance imaging of posttraumatic soft tissue disorders

The applications of magnetic resonance imaging with regard to musculoskeletal disorders have continued to expand over the past decade. It is considered to be the preferred imaging method for evaluation of soft tissue processes owing to its marked sensitivity to signal alterations in abnormal tissue, and it is capable of performing this function equally well in processes that affect the muscle, connective tissue, or subcutaneous tissue. In this pictorial essay, a review of many common posttraumatic soft tissue disorders and their characteristic magnetic resonance features, as well as some of the advantages of this imaging method, will be discussed.
Excretion of poliomyelitis virus.

SummaryPoliomyelitis virus when applied to the central end of a divided branch of the trigeminal nerve in the cheek travels centripetally to the corresponding semilunar ganglion within three days. Centrifugal spredd to the nasopharyngeal surfaces, which are supplied by the trigeminal nerve, was demonstrated by detection of virus in the nasopharyngeal washings on the third and fourth days. Virus was also found in the stools on the fourth but not on the third day, suggesting that it had been swallowed. It is suspected that excretion, like invasion, of poliomyelitis virus occurs through axonal channels.
Framework for Active Clustering With Ensembles

Clustering approaches can alleviate the burden of tagging face identities in ad hoc video and image collections. We introduce a novel semisupervised framework for clustering face patterns into identity groups using minimal human interaction. This technique combines concepts from ensemble clustering and active learning to improve clustering accuracy. The framework actively queries the user for a soft link constraint between each pair of neighboring faces that are ambiguously matched according to the ensemble. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach with the broadest evaluation of active face clustering algorithms to date. Our evaluations focus on data that is appropriate for human-in-the-loop face recognition, including blurry point-and-shoot videos, images of women seen before and after the application of makeup, and photographs of twins. The results indicate that ensemble-based constrained clustering algorithms are generally more robust to noise than alternative approaches. Finally, we show that the proposed clustering algorithm is more accurate and parsimonious than the current state-of-the-art.
An Alcian blue (pH 2.5)-PAS-keratin immunoperoxidase method for the simultaneous demonstration of keratin and neutral and acidic mucosubstances.

A method is proposed for the simultaneous staining of neutral and acidic, periodate reactive and nonperiodate reactive mucosubstances, glycogen and keratin in paraffin sections. Briefly, sections are stained by the Alcian blue (pH 2.5)-PAS method, followed by a peroxidase-antiperoxidase imiminohistochemical stain for keratin. The proposed method modifies an existing method, and expands the range of polysaccharides and mucosubstances which may be demonstrated. The proposed method is easily performed within a single working day and promises to be of value in surgical pathology as well as in studies of bronchial carcinogenesis.
The reaction of selected lanthanide carbides with platinum and iridium

Abstract The dicarbides of yttrium, cerium and erbium have been reacted with platinum and iridium by heating in the range 1000°–1600 °C. The reduction of the carbides leads to the formation of a number of rare-earth platinides and iridides and free carbon. No ternary compounds were found. Ternary diagrams have been deduced. From the reactions, lower limits can be set for free energy of formation of the intermetallic compounds.
The multivariate Cuzick test

We propose a multivariate rank-based test for analyzing case-control studies. The approach presented is an extension of the univariate method proposed originally by J. Cuzick [2]. The formula for asymptotic as well as fixed sample size power of the test under shift alternatives is derived, and the bootstrap algorithm for its consistent approximation is discussed.
An examination of assumptions underlying the first-order kinetic model for release of water-soluble drugs from dicalcium phosphate dihydrate matrices

AbstractIt has been shown that the release of highly water-soluble drugs from compressed dicalcium phosphate dihydrate matrices follows first-order kinetics (1). Good correlation between the rate constant and tablet geometry (2) was also reported. However, the rate constants for different geometry could not be predicted accurately by using the constants obtained for cylindrical tablets. In this work the assumptions regarding the surface area, porosity, and inertness of the drug toward the matrix have been tested using simple experimental designs and techniques such as porosimetry, electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. No interactions between the drug and the matrix were observed. The assumptions regarding porosity/void volume seemed to hold. Using water as a penetrant gave better estimate of porosities than those obtained using mercury. The assumption regarding surface area needs correction; however, a better alternative has not been proposed.
Pump and probe damage testing for investigation of transient material modifications associated with laser damage in optical materials

Laser-induced breakdown in the bulk of transparent dielectric materials is associated with the generation of extreme localized conditions of temperatures and pressures. In this work, we perform pump and probe damage testing experiments to investigate the evolution of transient absorption by the host material arising from modifications following confined laser energy deposition in fused silica and DKDP materials. Specifically, we measure the size of the damage sites observed in the region of spatial overlap between the pump and probe pulses versus probe time delay and energy. Results of this proof-of-principle experimental work confirm that material modifications under extreme conditions created during a damage event include transient optical absorption. In addition, we found that the relaxation times of the induced absorption are very distinct for DKDP and SiO{sub 2} even under identical excitation conditions, on the order of 100 ns and 100 {micro}s, respectively.
Thermal conductivity of apiezon N grease at liquid helium temperatures

Abstract Measurements carried out on bulk samples of apiezon N grease in nylon tubes indicate that the grease behaves as a thermal insulator between 4.2 and 1.4 K, and therefore applications utilizing thick grease coatings to provide thermal contact should be avoided. In addition it was observed that the thermal cycling of glass tubes packed with the grease between 300 and 77 K, under varying conditions of vacuum, can lead to grease column separations which reduce the conductivity further. It is noted that these results may have a bearing on the thermal contact between a heat sink and a small thermometer which has been positioned in a grease hole within the heat sink.