cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Potential emissions of volatile and odorous organic compounds from municipal solid waste composting facilities

Abstract The fraction of the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream that is composted is currently small, but increasing. Among the factors that may influence the extent to which MSW composting is adopted are potential emissions of volatile and odorous organics. Odor problems may be minimized through appropriate siting, design and operation. Failure to adequately anticipate odor control needs has, however, contributed to recent difficulties at several installations. Synthetic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are likely to be present in MSW and are likely to be emitted to the air from composting processes. Projections indicate that indoor air quality may be of concern if buildings are inadequately ventilated. VOC releases appear unlikely to be off site concern.
Inequalities for functions of order statistics under an additive model

This work contains inequalities concerning random variables of the form\(\sum\limits_{\iota = 1}^n {c_\iota \phi _\iota (X_{(i)} )} \) where: (a)X (1)≦...≦X (n) are the order statistics of a random vectorX=(X 1,...,X n ) under an additive model, (b)φ i ,i=1,...,n are real-valued functions satisfying certain monotonicity, and convexity or concavity conditions, and (c)c i ,i=1,...,n is a nondecreasing or nonincreasing sequence of constants. A special case is thatφ=φ 1...=φ n is increasing, convex (or linear) andc 1≦...≦c n (concave (or linear) andc 1≧...≧c n ). Inequalities are first obtained under the additive (or location) modelX=Y+δ and then extended to the modelX=Y+Z, where δ is a real vector andZ is a random vector. The inequalities obtained are in terms of the ordered components ofY, δ, andZ. Majorization is an important tool in the derivation of these inequalities. One use of these inequalities is to extend the applicability of the large number of known results for random vectors with i.i.d. components to random vectors with dependent and/or heterogeneously distributed components. Several applications are included by way of illustration.
Characterization of retinal damage in the episcleral vein cauterization rat glaucoma model

Episcleral vein cauterization (EVC) is used in rats to generate a glaucoma model with high intraocular pressure (IOP). The long-term retinal damage in this glaucoma model, however, has not been accurately quantified. We report the location and amount of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) damage caused by (EVC) induced IOP elevation in two rat strains. IOP was raised in one eye of Wistar (N = 5) and Brown-Norway(B-N)(N = 7) rats by EVC and monitored monthly until IOP in contralateral eyes equalized at 5 months post-surgery. Animals were maintained for 3.5-4.5 additional months. B-N rats (N = 7) that had no EVC served as controls for this strain. Scotopic flash ERGs were recorded at baseline and just prior to euthanasia. Automated counts of all retrogradely labeled RGCs in retinal flat-mounts were determined and compared between contralateral eyes. RGC density maps were constructed and RGC size distribution was determined. Oscillatory potentials in the group of eyes which had elevated IOP were decreased at the time of euthanasia, when IOP had returned to normal. The group of normal B-N rats had similar RGC counts between contralateral eyes. In the experimental group the mean number of RGCs was not significantly different between control and experimental eyes, but 1 of 5 Wistar and 2 of 7 B-N experimental eyes had at least 30% fewer RGCs than contralateral control eyes. Total retinal area in B-N experimental eyes was higher compared to contralateral eyes. Cumulative IOP exposure of the experimental eyes was modestly correlated with RGC loss while oscillatory potentials appeared to be inversely related to RGC loss. In retinas with extensive (> 30% RGC loss) but not complete damage, smaller cells were preserved better than larger ones. The above results indicate that RGC loss in both Wistar and B-N strains is variable after a prolonged elevation of IOP via EVC. Such variability despite equivalent IOP levels and ERG abnormalities, suggests unknown factors that can protect IOP-stressed RGCs. Identification and enhancement of such factors could prove useful for glaucoma therapy.
The effect of chronic decentralization on the enkephalin immunoreactive plexus around penile ganglionic neurons

Abstract Target organ responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation are altered following partial decentralization of the pelvic plexus in the rat. One possible explanation for the new responses is that nerve injury has led to a reorganization of synaptic connections within pelvic ganglia. Since one measure of synaptic influence is the occurrence of a pericellular plexus of varicose fibers around autonomic ganglion cells, the present study has used immunocytochemistry for enkephalin (ENK), a peptide present in nerve fibers in the pelvic plexus, to follow changes in the innervation of penile ganglionic neurons after interruption of preganglionic pathways. Penile ganglion cells were located by the injection of the tracer Fluorogold into the penile crura. Four days after lesion of the pelvic nerve, innervation of penile neurons falls from 76% to 20%. This number increases however, to 31% in chronically (6 weeks) lesioned animals. In the totally decentralized ganglia, ENK immunoreactive (IR) fibers enclose fewer than 12% of the penile neurons 4 days after nerve lesion. However, this value rises to 35% in the chronically decentralized pelvic ganglion. Therefore recovery of an enkephalin plexus occurs irrespective of whether the pelvic nerve, or both the hypogastric and pelvic nerve have been cut. Although these findings suggest sprouting within partially decentralized ganglia, the similar incidence of an ENK plexus in ganglia subjected to chronic partial or total decentralization indicates that preganglionic fibers are not responsible for the emergent fibers.
Real Options and Flexibility in Organizational Design

This paper applies the concept of Real Options (RO) to the design of a flexible organization adaptable to changing team members and evolving requirements. While management theory is often used to develop an organization and later align it with specific goals, the authors contend that applying systems engineering principles will prove more valuable to an organization's success. This paper provides a comparison of the traditional hierarchical organization to how an organization really functions-through interpersonal connectivity. The authors relate the connectivity of the organization to recent laws for valuing a network, and show where these laws both demonstrate the potential RO in a networked organization and how using connectivity to measure the quality of organizational design provides a misleading evaluation of organizational health. This research includes a review of historical organizational structures that enhanced organizational flexibility and organizational performance.
Virus-like particles in the peripheral blood cells of two patients with Chediak Higashi syndrome.

An investigation of the circulating leukocytes of 2 children with the characteristic clinical features of the Chediak-Higashi syndrome has revealed a previously undescribed abnormality. Virus-like particles were found in areas of cytoplasmic degeneration within their white blood cells. Since the particles found were similar in both children and were observed only when they had developed lymphoma, a possible relationship between the known susceptibility to infection and malignancy found in children with this rare disease was suggested. Further, since the granulation anomalies of the circulating leukocytes and the areas of focal degeneration derived from them are lysosomes, the failure of these large granules with acid hydrolase activity to react physiologically in the presence of virus-like particles may indicate a possible mechanism for recurrent infection and malignant transformation in this disease.
Image Schemas in Clock-Reading: Latent Errors and Emerging Expertise

An embodied view of mathematical cognition should account not only for how we use our bodies to think and communicate mathematically but also how our bodies equip us to conceive of mathematical ideas. Research in cognitive semantics claims that the human conceptual capacity rests on a foundation of image schemas: topological patterns of spatial relations and simple dynamics abstracted from sensorimotor experience. A cognitive ethnography of elementary mathematics lessons in clock-reading reveals different image schemas used to read the hour for landmark times (three o'clock), relative times (a quarter past three), and absolute times (three fifteen). When considered together with the sequence of learning, the image schema analysis predicts the most common error observed in children's time-telling while also revealing the source of latent errors that lead to sudden breakdowns. Comparison of the image-schematic structure of different levels of sophistication in reading “quarter past” times illustrates how en...
Plasma FFA responses to prolonged walking in untrained men and women

Gender differences in plasma FFA responses to 90 min of treadmill walking at 35% \(\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{{\text{2max}}} }\)were investigated in six men and six women following an overnight fast. The subjects represented average values for maximal oxygen uptake and body fat percentage for age and gender. Mean plasma FFA concentration at 45 and 90 min of exercise were significantly (P<0.05) higher for women (0.82 mmol·l−01, 0.88 mmol·l−01) than men (0.42 mmol·l−01, 0.59 mmol·l−1). Lower R values for women throughout the exercise period indicated a greater percentage fat in total metabolism than for men while the FFA/glycerol results supported greater lipolytic activity for women. The uniformity of percent fat in metabolism for women from rest to exercise showed that FFA release from adipose tissue increased rapidly with the onset of exercise which was not the case for men. Comparison of metabolic data as well as a statistical analysis (ANCOVA) controlling for the influence of \(\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{{\text{2max}}} }\)and percentage body fat on FFA plasma concentration suggested that gender differences in FFA responses to prolonged submaximal exercise can be expected to occur in untrained subjects.
THE EFFECT OF ETHYL ALCOHOL ON ADRENAL CORTICAL ACTIVITY IN MICE

IT HAS been suggested that a hypofunction of the pituitary-adrenal system may be an important factor in the etiology of chronic alcoholism (1-5). Accordingly, treatment of alcoholic states using ACTH and/or adrenocortical steroid hormones has been attempted (3, 61-11). Although no animal experiments have been reported which would relate chronic alcoholism to a pituitary-adrenal dysfunction, depletion of the adrenal ascorbic acid and cholesterol content was found following acute alcohol intoxication in intact rats (4, 12), and Guinea pigs (13, 14, 15). In this study, the “thymo-regressive response” (16) has been utilized to make qualitative and quantitative evaluations of the increase in adrenocortical activity associated with acute alcoholic intoxication.
Accurate Strand-Specific Quantification of Viral RNA

The presence of full-length complements of viral genomic RNA is a hallmark of RNA virus replication within an infected cell. As such, methods for detecting and measuring specific strands of viral RNA in infected cells and tissues are important in the study of RNA viruses. Strand-specific quantitative real-time PCR (ssqPCR) assays are increasingly being used for this purpose, but the accuracy of these assays depends on the assumption that the amount of cDNA measured during the quantitative PCR (qPCR) step accurately reflects amounts of a specific viral RNA strand present in the RT reaction. To specifically test this assumption, we developed multiple ssqPCR assays for the positive-strand RNA virus o'nyong-nyong (ONNV) that were based upon the most prevalent ssqPCR assay design types in the literature. We then compared various parameters of the ONNV-specific assays. We found that an assay employing standard unmodified virus-specific primers failed to discern the difference between cDNAs generated from virus specific primers and those generated through false priming. Further, we were unable to accurately measure levels of ONNV (-) strand RNA with this assay when higher levels of cDNA generated from the (+) strand were present. Taken together, these results suggest that assays of this type do not accurately quantify levels of the anti-genomic strand present during RNA virus infectious cycles. However, an assay permitting the use of a tag-specific primer was able to distinguish cDNAs transcribed from ONNV (-) strand RNA from other cDNAs present, thus allowing accurate quantification of the anti-genomic strand. We also report the sensitivities of two different detection strategies and chemistries, SYBR(R) Green and DNA hydrolysis probes, used with our tagged ONNV-specific ssqPCR assays. Finally, we describe development, design and validation of ssqPCR assays for chikungunya virus (CHIKV), the recent cause of large outbreaks of disease in the Indian Ocean region.
A family study of sexual orientation.

Unmarried men aged 25–35 were recruited through newspaper and radio advertisements for a family studyof sexual orientation.Fifty predominantly homosexual and 50 predominantly heterosexual men comprised the index subjects. The test, questionnaire, and interview battery is described. Subjects were asked about the sexual orientations of their relatives. The homosexual index men report a significant excess of homosexual brothers and more distant male relatives but not of homosexual sisters or female relatives. Moreover, the percentage of homosexual brothers increases with the Kinsey rating of the index subjects. Overall, about 25% of brothers of homosexual men are reported also to be homosexual.
On the performance of a hybrid network traffic model

Abstract We study a hybrid network traffic model that combines a fluid-based analytical model using ordinary differential equations with the packet-oriented discrete-event simulation. The hybrid model is important to large-scale real-time network simulations, where the packet-level emulation traffic is handled by discrete events and the majority of the background traffic is described more efficiently as fluids. We present a simple performance analysis of this hybrid approach. We propose three techniques—namely, pointer caching, update dampening, and dynamic time stepping—in an implementation of the hybrid model. Experiments show that these techniques can significantly improve the performance of the fluid-based network simulation.
Cost-effectiveness of a novel blood-pool contrast agent in the setting of chest pain evaluation in an emergency department.

OBJECTIVE. We evaluated three diagnostic strategies with the objective of comparing the current standard of care for individuals presenting acute chest pain and no history of coronary artery disease (CAD) with a novel diagnostic strategy using an emerging technology (blood-pool contrast agent [BPCA]) to identify the potential benefits and cost reductions. MATERIALS AND METHODS. A decision analytic model of diagnostic strategies and outcomes using a BPCA and a conventional agent for CT angiography (CTA) in patients with acute chest pain was built. The model was used to evaluate three diagnostic strategies: CTA using a BPCA followed by invasive coronary angiography (ICA), CTA using a conventional agent followed by ICA, and ICA alone. RESULTS. The use of the two CTA-based triage tests before ICA in a population with a CAD prevalence of less than 47% was predicted to be more cost-effective than ICA alone. Using the base-case values and a cost premium for BPCA over the conventional CT agent (cost of BPCA ≈ 5× ...
Delayed emergence of cholinergic inhibitory functioning in undernourished mice

Mice were reared under “normally nourished” or “undernourished” conditions by maintaining litter sizes at 6, 8, or 16 pups, respectively. In two experiments, age-related activity responses to the cholinergic antagonist scopolamine were examined either cross-sectionally or longitudinally from approximately 11 through 25 days of age as a function of nutrition conditions. Although a delayed emergence of scopolamine-induced activity potentiation was found for undernourished mice only in the longitudinal study, attainment of an adultlike drug response pattern occurred later for undernourished mice in both the cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. The results suggest that an impairment of brain cholinergic functioning contributes to developmental deficits in inhibitory control, which have been reported for undernourished young mice.
The effect of radiation on copolymers of styrene and α‐methylstyrene

The G values for chain scission G(s) and crosslinking G(γ) processes were determined for unfractionated and fractionated polymers having 50–50 and 25–75 mole-%α-methylstyrene and styrene content and are in agreement with the reported values for the respective homopolymers, corrected for mole content. These values are G(s) = 0.12, G(γ) = 0.062, G(s) = 0.10, and G(γ) = 0.094 for the 50–50 and 25–75 copolymers, respectively. The evaluation of the resulting intrinsic viscosities from the distributions computed by the Monte Carlo sampling technique in the interval, O < P < 10 Pn,o, and Small's asymptotic expansion in the interval Pn,o ≦ P ≦ ∞ show the best correlation when g′ values (the ratio of the mean square radii of a branched to linear molecule identical in size and composition) of 0.79 and 0.72 are used for each interval, respectively.
Psychiatric Disorder Does Not Preclude Adequate Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Titration

Abstract Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent disorder associated with significant morbidity and multiple complications. A large proportion of patients with OSA also have a coexisting primary psychiatric disorder. The effect of psychiatric disorders on the ability to tolerate continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration is not known. In this study, whether the presence of psychiatric disorders precludes the patients’ ability to tolerate CPAP titration for OSA was investigated. A retrospective chart review on a sample of 284 patients who underwent sleep studies in a single-center, university-based Veterans Affairs hospital was performed. A total of 143 patients with OSA who underwent titration of CPAP therapy were identified. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders between patients who tolerated titration and those who did not tolerate it was compared using the χ 2 test. The percentages of patients with psychiatric disorders who tolerated and did not tolerate CPAP were 33.6% and 33.3%, respectively. No statistically significant difference between the 2 groups (χ 2 = 0.051 with 1 degree of freedom; P = 0.82) was found. The predominantly male patient population, exclusion of mild OSA, lack of data about the level of control of the psychiatric symptoms and the sleep technicians not being blinded to the patients’ psychiatric diagnoses were some of the limitations of this study. No significant difference existed in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders between patients intolerant to CPAP titration and those who tolerated CPAP for OSA.
Multi-dimensional inverse boundary problems by BC-method: Groups of transformations and uniqueness results

We consider inverse spectral boundary value problems for a general self-adjoint elliptic operator of the second order with real coefficients and describe the group of transformations preserving the boundary spectral data. In particular, we describe the groups of admissible transformations for the anisotropic conductivity operator and general isotropic one in a domain of Euclidean space. For the Schrodinger operator on a Riemannian manifold we prove the uniqueness result and provide a procedure for the reconstruction of the manifold (with metrics) and the potential in terms of the boundary spectral data. All results are obtained for operators controllable from the boundary.
Cost Effectiveness of Antiviral Treatment with Zalcitabine plus Zidovudine for AIDS Patients with CD4+ Counts Less Than 300/µ1 in 5 European Countries

Summary A cost-effectiveness model was developed on the basis of early clinical trial results from the US reporting sustained CD4+ cell response in patients receiving zalcitabine in addition to zidovudine. This model was then adapted and applied to 5 European countries to assess the comparative cost effectiveness of adding zaldtabine to antiviral treatment for AIDS patients. The countries included in the modelling effort were Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany and the UK. The model used a Markov state-transition process to estimate the rate of acute opportunistic disease episodes, li fetime medical treatment costs, and survival for pop. ulations of AIDS patients with baseline CD4+ counts of less than 300/]l1. Physic ian panels in each country developed standard treatment algorithms and adjusted the epidemiological data to renect the AIDS profile of each country. Economic consultants provided cost data. Results from this exploratory data analysis show that if CD4+ counts correlate with the incidence of opportunistic disease episodes as expected, the combined use of zalcitabine and zidovudinc for a 1-year period should be cost effective.
Withdrawal of warfarin prior to a surgical procedure: time to follow the guidelines?

Background and Objective: Patients with cardiogenic sources of embolism may be at increased risk of cerebral infarction when anticoagulation therapy is suspended for surgical proced
Influence of glycosaminoglycan content on mass transfer behavior of porcine artery wall Part 1. Diffusive transport of 45Ca2+ and 3HHO

The diffusion coefficients of Ca2+ and H2O in in vitro porcine arterial tissue were determined to provide a measure of vascular permeability. The effect of anatomical location and diet on the magnitude of that permeability was evaluated. The diffusion coefficient of calcium was found to vary focally and, in addition, pulmonary artery was much more permeable than thoracic aorta. Four months feeding of a high lipid diet did not affect diffusive transport.
Three-dimensional gadolinium-enhanced MR angiography of vascular complications after liver transplantation

OBJECTIVE. The goal of this study was to evaluate three-dimensional gadolinium-enhanced MR angiography as a tool for examination of liver transplant patients with potential vascular complications.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Thirty-eight consecutive three-dimensional gadolinium-enhanced MR angiograms were obtained in 34 patients. Results were retrospectively reviewed and correlated with conventional angiography in 20 of the 38 cases and sonography in 37 of the 38 cases. MR angiograms were evaluated for technical adequacy, vascular patency, and parenchymal abnormalities, and results were compared with angiography and sonography. Conventional angiography and surgery were used as gold standards when available.RESULTS. Thirty-four (90%) of 38 MR angiograms were technically adequate. Vascular abnormalities were identified in 20 patients, and 19 of these patients subsequently underwent angiography, surgery, or both. There were seven cases of hepatic artery thrombosis; all were detected with MR angiography with no fal...
Dose perturbations at interfaces in photon beams: Annihilation radiation

A model is presented for estimating the contribution of annihilation radiation to the dose perturbation at interfaces between high and low atomic number materials. The contribution is small, but not negligible relative to the total interface dose perturbation. The maximum contribution occurs for photon beams of about 8 MeV in energy. For an 8-MeV beam passing first through lead, then through polystyrene, the annihilation radiation contribution to the interface dose perturbation is about 8%, at a copper/polystyrene interface, the contribution is about 7%, and at an aluminum/polystyrene interface, the contribution is about 3%.
The Effect of Pressure on Dryout of a Saturated Bed of Heat-Generating Particles

The results of an experimental investigation of pressure effects on dryout heat flux in a volume-heated porous bed are reported. Several porous beds of near-uniform-sized particles were studied at pressures up to 5 atm. The beds were saturated with water, Freon-113, acetone, and methanol. Simple scaling of the Freon-113 results is used to yield results valid for water pressures from 1 atm to 37.3 atm.
Distributed MDSplus database performance with Linux clusters

The staff at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, operated for the USDOE by General Atomics, are investigating the use of grid computing and Linux technology to improve performance in our core data management services. We are in the process of converting much of our functionality to cluster-based and grid-enabled software. One of the most important pieces is a new distributed version of the MDSplus scientific data management system that is presently used to support fusion research in over 30 countries worldwide. To improve data handling performance, the staff is investigating the use of Linux clusters for both data clients and servers. The new distributed capability will result in better load balancing between these clients and servers, and more efficient use of network resources resulting in improved support of the data analysis needs of the scientific staff.
Protein Unfolding Revealed by Factor Analysis of Raman Spectra: Application to HK97 Virus Assembly

Double-stranded DNA virus assembly involves precisely coordinated interactions of hundreds of identical protein subunits to form a precursor shell that is subsequently transformed into the mature shell of the native virion at the time of DNA packaging. While precursor shell assembly typically requires a chaperone-like protein (scaffolding) to ensure formation of the properly dimensioned particle, no scaffolding is required to assemble the HK97 virus. Instead, a multi-domain subunit (gp5) self-assembles to yield the required precursor shell architecture (Prohead I), and the gp5 subunits of this shell are subsequently cleaved between residues 103 and 104 by a viral protease to eliminate the N-terminal domain (Delta-domain). The resulting metastable shell (Prohead II) is competent to package DNA and eventually mature to the native virus architecture (Head). Although the structures and stabilities of Prohead I, Prohead II and mature Head of HK97 have been investigated, little is known about the structure and stability of the Delta-domain and its role in the Prohead I to Prohead II transformation. We have addressed this problem using a novel factor analysis approach; namely, singular value decomposition (SVD) of temperature-dependent Raman spectra. The structure and stability of two distinct forms (states) of the Delta-domain have been investigated: (i) a recombinantly expressed 111-residue Delta-domain in vitro, which is free of interactions with other domains of the Prohead I subunit, and (ii) the in situ Delta-domain of the gp5 subunit of the native Prohead I assembly. Raman spectra were analyzed over the interval 10-90°C. SVD analysis has provided the key thermodynamic parameters of the complete Gibbs-Helmholtz equation. Simultaneously, these data have allowed evaluation of secondary and tertiary structural changes accompanying Delta-domain unfolding in the two Delta-domain states. [Supported by NIH grant GM50776.]
Use and Safety Perceptions Regarding Herbal Supplements: A Study of Older Persons in Southeast Idaho

Herbal supplements (HS) are used by older persons and are often perceived as safe, although there is limited research that examines why this perception exists. A questionnaire was developed and pilot tested to investigate the use and perceived safety of HS among a convenience sample of 112 adults aged 60 to 92 in southeast Idaho. Fifty-five percent of the participants (n = 62) reported using HS in the past. Ninety-five percent (n = 59) of those using HS and 75% (n = 37) of nonusers reported they believed most or some HS were safe. Perception of herbal supplement safety was greatly influenced by family and friends, and HS users had a greater perception of safety than nonusers (p < or = .001). The top reasons for perceived safety given by HS users were that HS: (1) can be purchased without a prescription, (2) can be purchased in many locations, and (3) are natural.
Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is uncommon in patients undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Most previously described patients with breast cancer and PCP received treatment with corticosteroids, a known risk factor for PCP. We describe two patients with metastatic breast cancer who developed PCP after receiving therapy with high doses of cyclophosphamide with peripheral blood stem cell support. Both patients developed fevers of unclear etiology in the setting of recovery of the neutrophil count. Only one patient had pulmonary symptoms. P. carinii infection was documented in both cases by bronchoscopy. One patient died after prolonged ventilatory support for PCP. Steroid exposure did not appear to be a risk factor for the development of PCP in either patient. Patients receiving sequential high doses of chemotherapy with stem cell support may be at increased risk for PCP. The role of prophylaxis for PCP in this setting should be continually redefined as the type and intensity of chemotherapy, as well as methods of procurement of autologous stem cells, continue to change.
A competition between stimulators and antagonists of Upf complex recruitment governs human nonsense-mediated mRNA decay.

The nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) pathway subjects mRNAs with premature termination codons (PTCs) to rapid decay. The conserved Upf1–3 complex interacts with the eukaryotic translation release factors, eRF3 and eRF1, and triggers NMD when translation termination takes place at a PTC. Contrasting models postulate central roles in PTC-recognition for the exon junction complex in mammals versus the cytoplasmic poly(A)-binding protein (PABP) in other eukaryotes. Here we present evidence for a unified model for NMD, in which PTC recognition in human cells is mediated by a competition between 3′ UTR–associated factors that stimulate or antagonize recruitment of the Upf complex to the terminating ribosome. We identify cytoplasmic PABP as a human NMD antagonizing factor, which inhibits the interaction between eRF3 and Upf1 in vitro and prevents NMD in cells when positioned in proximity to the termination codon. Surprisingly, only when an extended 3′ UTR places cytoplasmic PABP distally to the termination codon does a downstream exon junction complex enhance NMD, likely through increasing the affinity of Upf proteins for the 3′ UTR. Interestingly, while an artificial 3′ UTR of >420 nucleotides triggers NMD, a large subset of human mRNAs contain longer 3′ UTRs but evade NMD. We speculate that these have evolved to concentrate NMD-inhibiting factors, such as PABP, in spatial proximity of the termination codon.
Upper Bound Kullback-Leibler Divergence for Hidden Markov Models with Application as Discrimination Measure for Speech Recognition

This paper presents a criterion for defining an upper bound Kullback-Leibler divergence (UB-KLD) for Gaussian mixtures models (GMMs). An information theoretic interpretation of this indicator and an algorithm for calculating it based on similarity alignment between mixture components of the models are proposed. This bound is used to characterize an upper bound closed-form expression for the Kullback-Leibler divergence (KLD) for left-to-right transient hidden Markov models (HMMs), where experiments based on real speech data show that this indicator precisely follows the discrimination tendency of the actual KLD.
Multi-port Power Electric Interface for Renewable Energy Sources

In order to accommodate increasing energy demand from "more electrified" domestic and vehicular applications, simultaneous use of various renewable sources are encouraged. Multiple converters are commonly adopted to process the renewable power as a distributed power system (DPS). However, due to the loose structure of DPS, reliability and load/source regulation will degrade as compared to an integrated converter system. This paper presents the concept of Multi-port Power Electronic Interface (MPEI) for renewable energy sources. With a unified converter topology and highly integrated digital control system, MPEI possesses the inherent capability of both source disturbance rejection and load dynamics regulation. MPEI identification, modeling and design are treated in a systematic manner in this paper. Power stages and digital control system will be implemented for a five-port MPEI in this paper. Experimental results will be presented to prove the feasibility of system design methodology.
Out-of-Band Correction for Multispectral Remote Sensing

A general method for correcting out-of-band (OOB) effects to improve radiometric accuracy in multispectral sensors is proposed using an OOB correction transform (OBCT) developed according to linear systems theory. The correction for a particular channel is based on the intensities measured by all the channels. To recover the narrowband signals, the measured signals (with OOB effects) are partitioned by spectral subranges of in-bands and band-gaps. The OBCT matrix is derived using appropriate approximations for the band-gap integrals. For an N-channel multispectral sensor, OOB effects are corrected by applying an N × N OBCT matrix to the measured signals. The OBCT matrix for bands M1-M7 of the VIIRS, which was successfully launched on Oct. 28, 2011, is presented, along with simulation results using hyperspectral data from the Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer and Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean sensors.
Formation of a ternary silicide for Ni/Ti/Si (100) and Ni/TiSi 2 structures

Phase formation was studied for Ni/Ti/Si and Ni/TiSi2 structures processed by vacuum RTP. Intermetallic compounds Ni3Ti and Ti2Ni form sequentially above 425 °C for metal bilayers Ni/Ti on Si, as Ni diffuses into Ti. When the temperature reaches 550 °C, Si becomes mobile and diffuses into the Ni–Ti compound, resulting in the growth of a ternary phase Ti4Ni4Si7, (V phase). If Ni is in excess with respect to this ternary silicide, a separate layer of Ni silicide grows between the substrate and the V phase, due to the fact that Ni is the main diffusing species. For the case of an excess Ti, the Si atoms are the most mobile species during Ti silicidation. Below 700 °C, TiSi2 grows with a C 49 structure whereas a mixture of TiSi2 C 54 and V phase forms at high temperature, without phase separation in distinct layers. Ni is also a fast diffuser in TiSi2. The activation energy for the diffusion along the grain boundaries of the Ti silicide is about 1.25 ± 0.2 eV. For these Ni/TiSi2 samples too, the same V phase starts to grow at the metal/silicide interface.
Phonological variant recognition: representations and rules.

The current research explores the role of lexical representations and processing in the recognition of phonological variants. Two alternative approaches for variant recognition are considered: a re...
CRYSTALLINE TRYPSIN : V. KINETICS OF THE DIGESTION OF PROTEINS WITH CRUDE AND CRYSTALLINE TRYPSIN.

The rate of digestion, as determined by the increase in non-protein nitrogen or formol titration, of casein, gelatin, and hemoglobin with crystalline trypsin preparations increases nearly in proportion to the concentration of protein, but with crude pancreatic extract the rate of digestion becomes independent of the protein concentration in concentrations of more than 2.5 per cent. With both enzymes the rate of digestion of mixtures of 5 per cent casein and gelatin is greater than would be expected from the point of view of a compound between enzyme and substrate. The rate of digestion of 5 per cent casein in the presence of 5 per cent gelatin is exactly the same as that of 5 per cent casein alone. This result is obtained with both enzymes. The digestion of casein with crude trypsin follows the course of a monomolecular reaction quite closely while with purified trypsin the velocity constant decreases as the reaction proceeds. In the case of hemoglobin the monomolecular velocity constant decreases with both purified and crude enzyme. When the reaction is followed by changes in the viscosity of the solution the abnormal effect of changing substrate concentration disappears and the reaction is in fair agreement with the monomolecular equation. The results as a whole indicate that the abnormalities of the reaction are due to the occurrence of several consecutive reactions rather than to the formation of a substrate enzyme compound.
The Effect of Stress Ageing on the Properties of Shape Memory Alloys

The performance characteristics of shape memory alloys operating in an overtemperature shut-off valve at a temperature of 95 o C for up to 2000 hours are presented. Alloys of NiTi, Cu-Al-Ni and Cu-Zn-Al have been characterized under these ageing conditions. The effect of altering the processing parameters, viz solution treatment temperature, quenching technique and training procedure were examined. All alloys show degradation of the memory behaviour but results are presented which demonstrate that improvements in degradation can arise by altering the solution treatment temperature and training procedure
Supersymmetry and the Relationship Between the Coulomb and Oscillator Problems in Arbitrary Dimensions

We construct the relationship between the radial equations of the d-dimensional hydrogen atom and the D-dimensional simple harmonic oscillator. The supersymmetric partners of each of these systems are obtained, and a series of maps between the various systems is delineated. We present an explicit physical example of our maps. Finally, we generalize to D dimensions the recent work of Balantekin on the supersymmetric oscillator with spin-orbit coupling, and we demonstrate that this supersymmetry is different from the one we study.
ASPECT: an economical bug-detector

A technique-ASPECT-for catching code-level bugs is presented. ASPECT is intended to be economical for everyday software development. It comprises a formal specification language and a code-checking method. Programmers write simple assertions about the information required to compute a result; an efficient mechanical checker can then find bugs in the annotated code. Careless slips that escape type-checking and standard compiler anomaly tests can be detected, without the cost of formal verification or the uncertainty of testing. The essence of ASPECT is reasoning about dependencies between the aspects of abstract objects. >
A new approach to modeling the electromagnetic response of conductive media

We introduce a new and potentially useful method for computing electromagnetic (EM) responses of arbitrary conductivity distributions in the earth. The diffusive EM field is known to have a unique integral representation in terms of a fictitious wave field that satisfies a wave equation. We show that this integral transform can be extended to include vector fields. Our algorithm takes advantage of this relationship between the wave field and the actual EM field. Specifically, numerical computation is carried out for the wave field, and the result is transformed back to the EM field in the time domain. The proposed approach has been successfully demonstrated using two‐dimensional (2‐D) models. The appropriate TE‐mode diffusion equation in the time domain for the electric field is initially transformed into a scalar wave equation in an imaginary q domain, where q is a time‐like variable. The corresponding scalar wave field is computed numerically using an explicit q‐stepping technique. Standard finite‐diffe...
Synthetic quorum-sensing circuit to control consortial biofilm formation and dispersal in a microfluidic device

To utilize biofilms for chemical transformations in biorefineries they need to be controlled and replaced. Previously, we engineered the global regulator Hha and cyclic diguanylate-binding BdcA to create proteins that enable biofilm dispersal. Here we report a biofilm circuit that utilizes these two dispersal proteins along with a population-driven quorum-sensing switch. With this synthetic circuit, in a novel microfluidic device, we form an initial colonizer biofilm, introduce a second cell type (dispersers) into this existing biofilm, form a robust dual-species biofilm and displace the initial colonizer cells in the biofilm with an extracellular signal from the disperser cells. We also remove the disperser biofilm with a chemically induced switch, and the consortial population could tune. Therefore, for the first time, cells have been engineered that are able to displace an existing biofilm and then be removed on command allowing one to control consortial biofilm formation for various applications.
Spontaneous retrocarpal radial artery thrombosis: A report of two cases

Two patients with spontaneous retrocarpal radial artery thrombosis are reported. Both patients had numbness and cold intolerance of the thumb and index finger and one patient had splinter hemorrhages. Angiography revealed identical occlusions of the radial artery over a 2.5 cm segment dorsal to the wrist. Both patients had complete palmar arches. Flow from the ulnar artery was sufficient to prevent frank necrosis of the thumb but not to prevent ischemic symptoms. Both patients were successfully treated by resection of the area of thrombosis and interpositional vein grafting by use of microsurgical techniques. Symptoms resolved after operation in both cases. Follow-up examinations 3 months and 5 1/2 years later revealed continued graft patency.
Near-surface turbulence in a grid-stirred tank

In order to elucidate the turbulent structure below a shear-free gas-liquid interface, turbulence measurements were made in a 50 cm square by 40 cm deep tank stirred by a vertically oscillating grid well below the surface, using a split-film anemometer probe rotating in a horizontal circle. This instrument is able to measure both vertical and horizontal velocity fluctuations to within 0.4 mm of the surface, from which spatial spectra and profiles of r.m.s. velocity fluctuations and integral lengthscales can be calculated. The turbulent structure is affected by the presence of the surface within a ‘surface-influenced layer’ roughly one integral scale, or ten per cent of the distance from the surface to the centre of the grid stroke, in thickness. The shapes of the spectra and profiles within the surface-influenced layer are predicted to a good first approximation by the source theory of Hunt & Graham (1978), which treats the turbulent structure as the superposition of homogeneous turbulence with an irrotational velocity field driven by a source distribution at the surface which cancels the vertical velocity fluctuations there. The magnitudes (as opposed to the shapes) of the profiles scale according to the values that would otherwise occur in the vicinity of the surface-influenced layer were the surface not present. These magnitudes are adequately predicted by the bulk relations determined by Hopfinger & Toly (1976) and Thompson & Turner (1975), with no apparent dependence on turbulent Reynolds number. There are some minor discrepancies between the measured profiles and those of Hunt & Graham. A thin layer of reduced velocity fluctuations below what would be expected from the theory was observed near the surface. Also, anisotropy in the velocity spectra at depths within the surface-influenced layer extended well into the inertial subrange, whereas the Hunt & Graham theory predicts no anisotropy at high wavenumbers.
Protein folding rates and thermodynamic stability are key determinants for interaction with the Hsp70 chaperone system

The Hsp70 family of molecular chaperones participates in vital cellular processes including the heat shock response and protein homeostasis. E. coli's Hsp70, known as DnaK, works in concert with the DnaJ and GrpE co-chaperones (K/J/E chaperone system), and mediates cotranslational and post-translational protein folding in the cytoplasm. While the role of the K/J/E chaperones is well understood in the presence of large substrates unable to fold independently, it is not known if and how K/J/E modulates the folding of smaller proteins able to fold even in the absence of chaperones. Here, we combine experiments and computation to evaluate the significance of kinetic partitioning as a model to describe the interplay between protein folding and binding to the K/J/E chaperone system. First, we target three nonobligatory substrates, that is, proteins that do not require chaperones to fold. The experimentally observed chaperone association of these client proteins during folding is entirely consistent with predictions from kinetic partitioning. Next, we develop and validate a computational model (CHAMP70) that assumes kinetic partitioning of substrates between folding and interaction with K/J/E. CHAMP70 quantitatively predicts the experimentally measured interaction of RNase HD as it refolds in the presence of various chaperones. CHAMP70 shows that substrates are posed to interact with K/J/E only if they are slow-folding proteins with a folding rate constant kf <50 s−1, and/or thermodynamically unstable proteins with a folding free energy ΔG0UN ≥−2 kcal mol−1. Hence, the K/J/E system is tuned to use specific protein folding rates and thermodynamic stabilities as substrate selection criteria.
Views of the Downward Extension: Comparing the Youth Version of the Psychopathy Checklist with the Youth Psychopathic traits Inventory

Increasing interest in "juvenile psychopathy" has been met with scholarly debate about the validity of directly extending the adult construct of psychopathic personality disorder to youth. To inform this debate, this study of 160 serious adolescent offenders compared two alternative, adult-based conceptualizations of juvenile psychopathy: that of the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) and the self-report Youth Psychopathic traits Inventory (YPI). The results indicate that these two conceptualizations overlap only partially, with the YPI focusing more tightly on core interpersonal and affective features than the PCL:YV. Each conceptualization is reliable and predicts different forms of short-term institutional misbehavior. However, only the YPI possesses a theoretically coherent, inverse association with anxiety. Despite this promise, these conceptualizations of psychopathy are less strongly associated with one another than they are with psychosocial markers of developmental maturity. This raises questions about their divergent validity and ability to identify a disorder that will remain stable during the transition from adolescence into adulthood. Implications for future longitudinal research on the validity, manifestations, and course of juvenile psychopathy are discussed.
The effect of stratification on tidal current profiles

Tidal current profile measurements by acoustic doppler current profilers and recording current meters at a continental shelf sea site showed significant changes between winter (homogeneous) and summer (stratified) conditions. In winter the vertical variation of phase was small, whereas in summer there was a 30° phase and a 25° orientation difference between the near surface and near bed regions. This has been modelled using a continuous piece-wise linear eddy viscosity profile. For winter conditions the profile consisted of a linear region in the bottom 4 m, capped by a region of constant eddy viscosity. In summer, when the thermocline was at 30 m depth, the bottom linear layer was thinner (∼1 m) and the thermocline corresponded to very low eddy viscosities, decoupling the surface and sea-bed layers. The inferred bed roughness in summer (z0=0.001 m) was 400 times larger than its winter value. Consequently, the bottom stress was twice as large in summer compared with winter. The cause of the increase is postulated to be the effect of benthic biological activity.