cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Segregation phenomena at surfaces and at grain boundaries in oxides and carbides

Abstract Impurities and dopants have been found to segregate to the surface and to grain boundaries in oxides such as MgO and in carbides such as SiC. In addition, there is a charge accumulation which corresponds to a nonstoichiometric boundary or to local electron energy levels or both. This charge leads to a space charge layer adjacent to the boundary or surface. In addition, some boundaries show a dopant accumulation several hundred angstroms in width. It seems unlikely that boundary and surface transport data can be properly interpreted without appropriate microchemical information.
The effect of lining segmentation on the reliability of hybrid ceramic/steel gun barrels

Abstract The effect of α-SiC-lining segmentation on the failure probability of a gun-barrel lining during single-shot and burst firing events has been studied by combining finite-element method based thermo-mechanical calculations with the Weibull statistical structural reliability analysis. The results obtained reveal that, due to a lining/jacket slippage near the barrel ends and due to α-SiC-lining/CrMoV-steel-jacket thermal-expansion mismatch, tensile axial stresses develop in both single-piece and segmented ceramic liners near the barrel ends. These stresses can become sufficiently high, particularly during the burst firing case, so that they can induce formation of the circumferential cracks and, in turn, lining failure. The lining failure probability has been computed for a single-round and a ten-round burst firing mode. Lining segmentation is found to be beneficial, particularly in the ten-round case where it can reduce the lining failure probability by as much as 18%.
Food Webs, Competition Graphs, and Habitat Formation

One interesting example of a discrete mathematical model used in biology is a food web. The first biology courses in high school and in college present the fundamental nature of a food web, one that is understandable by students at all levels. But food webs as part of a larger system are often not addressed. This paper presents materials that can be used in undergraduate classes in biology (and mathematics) and provides students with the opportunity to explore mathematical models of predator-prey relationships, determine trophic levels, dominant species, stability of the ecosystem, competition graphs, interval graphs, and even confront problems that would appear to have logical answers that are as yet unsolved.
Padé-Approximant Studies of Long-Range Forces

Two-point Pad\'e approximants of the dynamic polarizabilities are used to calculate the leading term of the long-range (van der Waals) force between atoms. The bounding properties of these approximants are established explicitly. A successive-approximation procedure is introduced. It keeps each step simple and makes the higher-order approximation expressible in closed forms and readily applicable. The results of hydrogen and noble gases show that, with the known moments, the present method gives the tightest upper and lower bounds yet established.
The variability of practice hypothesis in motor learning: does it apply to Alzheimer's disease?

Based on Schmidt's (1975) variability of practice hypothesis, this study examined acquisition and transfer of a gross motor skill, namely tossing, in 58 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 58 healthy older adults under constant, blocked, and random practice conditions. While healthy older adults were able to learn the tossing task equally well under the three practice conditions, only AD patients receiving constant practice showed significant improvements. Tests of intermediate transfer yielded the expected random practice advantage in healthy controls but not AD patients. None of the practice conditions facilitated intermediate transfer in AD patients; however, constant practice did benefit these impaired individuals on tests of near transfer. These results indicate that the variability of practice hypothesis does not extend to AD patients. As motor learning and transfer were clearly a function of constant practice, future attempts to retrain basic activities of daily living in AD patients should emphasize consistency in training.
Assessment of a quasi-piezoelectric mattress monitor as a detection system for generalized convulsions

The risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is highest with nocturnal, unattended generalized convulsions, and basic resuscitation may be able to prevent SUDEP. This study investigates an under-mattress device (ElectroMechanical Film - Emfit®) which is triggered by rhythmic motor activity of a specifiable duration, frequency, and intensity using a quasi-piezoelectric material sensitive to changes in mattress pressure. The device was tested during inpatient video-EEG monitoring. Eighteen GTCSs were recorded, 10 out of wakefulness and 8 out of sleep. Sixteen of the 18 seizures (89%) resulted in Emfit® activation with both false negative alarms occurring during wakefulness. On average, the device was activated within 9 s of onset of bilateral clonic motor movements (range: -37 to +39 s) and occurred, on average, 45 s before seizure end (range: 19 to 76 s). Only 21 false alarms were encountered, all occurring during wakefulness (PPV: 43%). The data suggest that the Emfit® detection device has a high predictive value for generalized convulsions, offers caregivers a reliable and early warning to assist the patient during convulsions, and may be a novel way to prevent SUDEP.
Localization of Ion Channels to Lipid Raft Domains within the Cardiovascular System

The subcellular localization of ion channels to discrete microdomains is critical for proper electrical signaling in the cardiovascular system. Ion channels are important components of many signal transduction pathways; therefore, this localization ensures that the channels are located in proximity to the signaling molecules that modulate them, permitting dynamic regulation of cardiovascular function. However, little is known about the mechanisms governing the subcellular localization of ion channels. Whereas protein-protein interactions play an important role in ion channel localization, the recent discovery of ion channels in sphingolipid- and cholesterol-rich lipid rafts presents a novel mechanism for ion channel localization. Furthermore, many signaling proteins are localized to lipid rafts, including several that play an important role in cardiovascular function. This review focuses on the localization of cardiovascular ion channels to lipid rafts and its impact on channel function.
GENERALIZED DUALITY: A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THREE-BODY FORWARD SCATTERING AND TWO-BODY SCATTERING.

The concept of duality is generalized to three-body elastic scattering. The intermediate region where both a Regge and a resonance description exist is discussed, and through a comparison of the two processes information about elastic and quasielastic scattering is obtained. The dual-resonance model is considered as an example of this generalized duality. The theoretical results are applied to $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\mathrm{pp}$, $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}p{N}^{\ensuremath{'}}(1520)$, $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}p{N}^{\ensuremath{'}}(1670)$, and $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}p\ensuremath{\Delta}(1236)$, which are all shown to have a universal behavior.
Perceptions of Marriage Related to Engagement in Conjoint Therapy

The pre-treatment marital perceptions of 36 continuing couples were compared with those of 13 couples who terminated conjoint family therapy prior to the third session. Few statistically reliable differences between the groups were found in this pilot study, but the over-all pattern of results was consistent with clinical theory and empirical findings in related areas. Compared to terminators, continuing husbands had a more positive view of family life and perceived themselves as more closely allied with their wives. Continuing wives were more dissatisfied with matters in the family than either their husbands or terminating wives, but they also had more power vis a vis their husbands than did terminating wives. The results were interpreted in relation to a negotiation model of conjoint therapy.
Initial-boundary value problems for some nonlinear conservation laws

We prove existence and uniqueness of a global weak solution to initial-boundary value problems with time dependent conditions to the equation under the assumption that P is Lipschitz continuous and α is positive, bounded, and measurable.
Differences in Mortality between Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass Caught in Tournaments

Abstract We monitored nine tournaments on three lakes in Maine between June and October 1989 to determine initial and delayed mortality rates of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and smallmouth bass M. dolomieu. Initial mortalities were defined as fishes that were dead at the weigh-in, whereas delayed mortalities were fishes that died during a 48-h holding period after the tournament. Total mortalities (initial and delayed) for both species ranged from 0 to 19.5%. Mortalities were lowest in tournaments that minimized both the number of steps and the time elapsed between the removal of a fish from a live well and the subsequent release of the fish into the lake, We estimated that 8.9% of smallmouth bass and 3.2% of largemouth bass died during tournaments; the probability of either species dying in a large tournament was significantly higher than in a small tournament.
Compositional dependence of glass formability in AlNiFeGd amorphous alloys

Recent work has demonstrated that aluminum-based amorphous alloys (or metallic glasses) of aluminum-transition metal-rare earth quaternary systems demonstrate greatly improved glass formability compared to the previously investigated Al-TM-RE ternary systems. It is therefore useful to investigate in detail the compositional dependence of glass formability in this system, thereby identifying any trends and relationships that can be of use in the understanding of the unique processes that appear to be responsible for this anomalous behavior. The studies described here involved the mapping of the Al-Ni-Fe-Gd quaternary system with respect to glass formability and other methods used to elucidate these compositional phenomena.
Sequence of the promoter region of the gene for human X-linked 3-phosphoglycerate kinase

Abstract We have determined the sequence of an 812-bp BamHI-EcoRI restriction fragment containing the 5' region of the human gene for PGK (3-phosphoglycerate kinase or ATP:3-phospho- d -glycerate 1-phosphotransferase; EC 2.7.2.3). The fragment contains 450 bp 5' to three start points for transcription (located by primer extension and S1 nuclease mapping), a leader sequence 85–94 bp long, the first exon of the gene (65 bp), and part of the first intron. The promoter region is extremely G + C-rich, lacks a TATA box, and has an 8-bp direct repeat. A comparison of the promoter region for PGK with other promoters on the X-chromosome reveals homology with the promoter for HPRT, but not with the operator for factor IX.
Laser-based flame species profile measurements: A comparison with flame model predictions

Abstract Two laser-based diagnostic methods, resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), were used for relative concentration measurements of seven species, O, H, OH, CH, CO, HCO, and CH 3 , in low pressure stoichiometric methane oxygen , ethylene oxygen , and ethane oxygen premixed hydrocarbon flames. For the well-understood methane oxygen flame, measured relative density profiles for these seven species were in good agreement with flame modeling calculations. This agreement justifies the use of the stoichiometric methane oxygen flame as a standard of comparison by which relative density profiles, measured for other hydrocarbon flames, may be placed on an absolute density scale. This approach was applied to measurements for the ethylene oxygen and ethane oxygen flames. Peak HCO densities for these flames appear to be overstimated by model calculations based on current kinetic models of C 1 and C 2 chemistry.
The part-period balancing algorithm and its look ahead-look back feature: A theoretical and experimental analysis of a single stage lot-sizing procedure

Abstract This paper investigates the discrete Part-Period Balancing (PPB) lot-sizing algorithm and its optional feature, the Look Ahead-Look Back tests. PPB is the most commonly used dynamic lot-sizing procedure in practice and it has also been tested extensively in simulation experiments. Although its overall cost performance, relative to other heuristics, have been fairly good, a fundamental flaw with the model has been noted in the literature. This deficiency leads to poor performance under certain conditions. In this paper a simple adjustment to the main algorithm is analytically derived under the assumptions of a constant demand rate and an infinite planning horizon. The adjustment leads to an optimal behavior for the PPB heuristic under the stated conditions. Subsequent experimental analysis through simulation of lot-sizing performance in environments with time-varying, discrete demand shows that the proposed adjustment leads to significant cost reductions. This paper also analyzes the Look Ahead-Look Back tests which is the distinguishing feature between the PPB procedure and the Least Total Cost algorithm. The tests were devised to improve the cost performance of the PPB heuristic by marginally adjusting each tentative lot-size. The effect of the Look Ahead-Look Back tests have, however, never been verified in the literature. The tests have undergone some changes over time, when they have been included in commercial software packages for inventory management. We suggest yet another modified version in this paper. In the last portion of the paper, the cost effectiveness of the Look Ahead-Look Back tests is confirmed through simulation. That is, when used together with the original PPB procedure, they lead to an improved cost performance. It is also shown that a combination of these tests and the adjustment to the PPB procedure mentioned earlier leads to an even lower average total cost. All cost improvements are statistically significant. It is finally noted that the Look Ahead-Look Back tests perform poorly in certain constant demand situations. Additional analytic and experimental analysis shows that these results stem from a dominance of the Look Back test over the Look Ahead test, leading to the former test being performed more often. This can easily be corrected, however, by checking for sufficient variability in the data before the Look Back test is employed.
Determining particle size distributions in the inhalable size range for wood dust collected by air samplers

In the absence of methods for determining particle size distributions in the inhalable size range with good discrimination, the samples collected by personal air sampling devices can only be characterized by their total mass. This parameter gives no information regarding the size distribution of the aerosol or the size-selection characteristics of different samplers in field use conditions. A method is described where the particles collected by a sampler are removed, suspended, and re-deposited on a mixed cellulose-ester filter, and examined by optical microscopy to determine particle aerodynamic diameters. This method is particularly appropriate to wood dust particles which are generally large and close to rectangular prisms in shape. Over 200 wood dust samples have been collected in three different wood-products industries, using the traditional closed-face polystyrene/acrylonitrile cassette, the Institute of Occupational Medicine inhalable sampler, and the Button sampler developed by the University of Cincinnati. A portion of these samples has been analyzed to determine the limitations of this method. Extensive quality control measures are being developed to improve the robustness of the procedure, and preliminary results suggest the method has an accuracy similar to that required of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) methods. The results should provide valuable insights into the collection characteristics of the samplers and the impact of these characteristics on comparison of sampler results to present and potential future limit values. The NIOSH Deep South Education and Research Center has a focus on research into hazards of the forestry and associated wood-products industry, and it is hoped to expand this activity in the future.
The emerging role of HHV-6 in neurologic disease: lesson from multiple sclerosis and epilepsy

Human herpesviruses 6A and 6B (HHV-6A and HHV-6B) are lymphotropic herpes viruses that play a role in the pathogenesis of roseola and febrile illness. HHV-6 is considered a common, ubiquitous virus of humans with a seroprevalence of greater than 90% in the general population. The HHV6 variants have been shown to be distinct and have different cell tropisms, disease associations and reactivity to monoclonal antibodies. While HHV-6B is spread through saliva, the mode of transmission of HHV-6A is not known. HHV-6 predominantly infects CD4 cells, adversely affecting function. HHV-6A, but not HHV-6B also invades CD8 cells. HHV-6 is increasingly being recognized as an emerging pathogen with recently reported associations of both CNS and systemic disease. These include disorders associated with seizures and encephalitis, transplant morbidity, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, cancer, drug induced hypersensitivity syndrome, and immunosuppression. As HHV-6 has been linked to a number of chronic, human disorders further studies are required to elucidate the causal relationship of this virus to the pathogenesis of such diseases. Since our first detection of HHV-6 DNA in diseased brain tissue from a subset of epilepsy patients, an extended cohort of patients with or without mesial temporal sclerosis has been progressively studied, confirming our preliminary results on an association of HHV-6 CNS infection and mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. To validate the extent and distribution of HHV-6 in glial cells, brain tissue from surgical resections was processed to establish cultures of primary astrocytes. The detection of viral late gene transcripts confirmed the presence of active infection in these cultured cells. Viral DNA was documented in cultured astrocytes by quantitative TaqMan and nested PCR. This is the first demonstration of an HHV-6 infection detected in vivo and maintained in primary cultured astrocytes. These results confirm our previous findings on epilepsy brain resections and support an association of HHV-6 active infection in this disorder. These data open a new perspective into the study of pathogenesis of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.
Modeling and measuring the effects of vagueness in decision models

Because subjective probability assessments do not represent measurements of empirical quantities, they often exhibit vagueness, or ambiguity. We adopt a standard approach to modeling vagueness as a second-order probability (SOP) on a first-order probability. We define the expected value of including vagueness (EVIV) as the change in expected value due to explicit probabilistic representation of vagueness. We show that, under general conditions, the EVIV is always zero, regardless of the SOP or the loss or utility function. This shows that representing higher-order uncertainty as SOP never changes the output of a decision model. We analyze the value of reducing vagueness, and we provide a framework for measuring the expected value of reducing vagueness (EVRV) on a probability assessment using equivalent sample size and relative information multiple (RIM). We use influence diagrams to represent the flow of potential but unobserved evidence from a vagueness-reducing activity. We demonstrate our results for a simple problem implemented in Demos, a decision modeling software environment.
Nanosecond Plasma Enhanced Counterflow Diffusion Flames

The present work establishes an integrated theoretical/numerical framework to study the characteristics of plasma enhanced H2-air counterflow diffusion flames. The oxidizer flow is activated by a parallel-plate nanosecond pulsed plasma discharge system with pulse duration ranging between 15 to 130 ns, and pulsing frequency between 5 to 60 kHz. The plasma discharge is modeled using a two-temperature model, with ions and neutral species in thermal equilibrium at the gas temperature, and electrons in thermal nonequilibrium. Electron transport and reaction rate coefficients are expressed as functions of mean electron energy, and stored in lookup tables. A large portion of input pulse energy is used in electron impact dissociation and excitation of N2 and O2. Plasma activation significantly increases the flame extinction strain rates, resulting in stable combustion even at lean conditions.
Inelastic response of compliant fault zones to nearby earthquakes

[1] Using dynamic rupture models, we examine the response of compliant fault zones that surround pre-existing faults to nearby earthquakes. We find that some portions of a compliant fault zone can experience inelastic deformation due to dynamic stress perturbations, while the remaining portions deform elastically. Inelastic response of the fault zone results in sympathetic fault-parallel motion (i.e., consistent with long-term geologic slip) across the fault, while elastic response causes retrograde motion (i.e., opposite to long-term geologic slip) in the static displacement field. Inelastic deformation signals along fault zones detected geodetically may be used to constrain the stress state in the crust because inelastic response occurs only when the prestress level is close to material strength, which can be measured in the laboratory.
The problem of redundancy problem: why more nuclear security forces may produce less nuclear security.

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, many scholars, journalists, and public officials expressed fear about the security of nuclear facilities in the United States. Terrorists could attack military bases, weapons in transit, or nuclear weapons production and dismantlement plants in order to steal a weapon or its components. Terrorists might attack nuclear power reactors, nuclear materials storage sites, nuclear waste transportation vehicles, or nuclear research facilities, with two basic motives in mind: to cause a conventional explosion, spreading radioactive materials in the area; or to seize the nuclear materials, which could be used for building either a dirty bomb (a radiological weapon) or, conceivably, a primitive nuclear bomb. These fears were highlighted in President George Bush’s January 2002 State of the Union address, in which he reported that diagrams of American nuclear plants were discovered in al-Qaeda hideouts in Afghanistan.(1) Senior U.S. intelligence officials also revealed that Osama bin Laden had sent operatives to try to purchase stolen nuclear materials and that there was “pretty convincing evidence” that al-Qaeda operatives had been “casing” nuclear power plants in the United States prior to the September 11 attacks.(2) In January 2002, U.S. intelligence agencies issued a warning, based on an interrogation of a captured terrorist, of a possible attack on a nuclear power plant or Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear weapons facility.(3) Then, in June 2002, the Justice Department announced that it had arrested
An intelligent control system for resistance spot welding using a neural network and fuzzy logic

An intelligent control system based on fuzzy logic able to compensate for variations and errors during automatic resistance spot welding (RSW) and produce consistent sound welds was developed. A fuzzy logic control (FLC) scheme was employed to overcome the lack of a precise mathematical model of the process. Electrode displacement, indicative of weld nugget growth, was used as the feedback signal to create appropriate actions to adjust power delivered to welds in real time. Control action is generated from a rule-based system constructed from experimental data for welds made under a wide variety of conditions. A neural network (NN) was constructed to provide process input-output relationships and tune the fuzzy rules off line. The FLC system was evaluated using the NN to describe electrode displacement as a function of percentage maximum heat input and welding time. Results showed the suitability of applying this control scheme to deal with the uncertainties of RSW in a typical automated production environment.
Abrogation of complex glycosylation by Swainsonine results in strain- and cell-specific inhibition of prion replication

Neuroblastoma-derived N2a-PK1 cells, fibroblastic LD9 cells, and CNS-derived CAD5 cells can be infected efficiently and persistently by various prion strains, as measured by the standard scrapie cell assay. Swainsonine, an inhibitor of Golgi α-mannosidase II that causes abnormal N-glycosylation, strongly inhibits infection of PK1 cells by RML, 79A and 22F, less so by 139A, and not at all by 22L prions, and it does not diminish propagation of any of these strains in LD9 or CAD5 cells. Misglycosylated PrPC formed in the presence of swainsonine is a good substrate for conversion to PrPSc, and misglycosylated PrPSc is fully able to trigger infection and seed the protein misfolding cyclic amplification reaction. Distinct subclones of PK1 cells mediate swainsonine inhibition to very different degrees, implicating misglycosylation of one or more host proteins in the inhibitory process. The use of swainsonine and other glycosylation inhibitors described herein enhances the ability of the cell panel assay to differentiate between prion strains. Moreover, as shown elsewhere, the susceptibility of prions to inhibition by swainsonine in PK1 cells is a mutable trait.
An IP traceback mechanism for reflective DoS attacks

We present a new ICMP message and an automatic process capable of tracing reflective DoS attacks back to attack agents. The newly designed ICMP message carries the packet routing history and is signed by each forwarding router. After receiving the loaded ICMP messages, attack targets can identify the border routers of reflectors in the first flooding path and then use an ICMP message to inform accountable border routers to continue the traceback process to find the attack agents. In this paper, we propose an automatic, efficient, and secure traceback process across domains and discuss some limitations of the protocol.
A high-performance VLSI architecture for advanced encryption standard (AES) algorithm

In this paper we present a high-performance, high throughput, and area efficient architecture for the VLSI implementation of the AES algorithm. The subkeys, required for each round of the Rijndael algorithm, are generated in real-time by the key-scheduler module by expanding the initial secret key, thus reducing the amount of storage for buffering. Moreover, pipelining is used after each standard round to enhance the throughput. A prototype chip implemented using 0.35 /spl mu/ CMOS technology resulted in a throughput of 232Mbps for iterative architecture and 1.83Gbps for pipelining architecture.
Enrichment and photoperiod interact to affect spatial learning and hippocampal dendritic morphology in white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus).

In seasonally changing environments, individuals must coordinate endogenous processes with ambient conditions. Winter is a challenging time to survive and reproduce. In order to anticipate decreased food availability and low temperatures in winter, many rodents use decreasing day lengths as a precise temporal cue. Short day lengths alter several adaptations, including reproduction, immune function, aggressive behavior and spatial learning in non-tropical rodents. Specifically, short days impair spatial learning in white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) and alter dendritic complexity in the hippocampus. The goal of the current study was to determine whether short days constrain neural plasticity. If short days limit the capacity for plasticity, then environmental enrichment, a manipulation that induces morphological changes, should alter dendritic morphology in long, but not short, days. Male white-footed mice were assigned to long (16 : 8 LD) or short (8 : 16 LD) photoperiod in either enriched or standard cages. Enrichment consisted of
Formal Analysis of Discrete-Time Piecewise Affine Systems

In this technical note, we study temporal logic properties of trajectories of discrete-time piecewise affine (PWA) systems. Specifically, given a PWA system and a linear temporal logic formula over regions in its state space, we attempt to find the largest region of initial states from which all trajectories of the system satisfy the formula. Our method is based on the iterative computation and model checking of finite quotients. We illustrate our method by analyzing PWA models of two synthetic gene networks.
ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT, DIFFERENTIATION AND PERCEIVED ENVIRONMENTAL UNCERTAINTY1

Four propositions are derived from an a priori model which relates environmental characteristics, organizational differentiation, and perceived environmental uncertainty. The four propositions are: (P1) the greater the magnitude of each of several task environmental dimensions confronting an organization, the greater the degree of organizational differentiation, (P2) the greater the degree of task environment change, the greater the degree of organizational differentiation, (P3) the greater the size of the organization, the greater the organizational differentiation, and (P4) the greater the organizational differentiation, the less the degree of perceived environmental uncertainty seen by top administrators. These propositions were tested on 23 Employment Service District Offices with objective environmental and organizational differentiation measures and with self report indices of perceived environmental uncertainty. Zero-order correlational and regression analyses supported propositions P1, P3, and P4. Based on the empirical findings, a revised model of environment, differentiation and uncertainty was developed. Suggestions for future research and theorizing are offered.
Effect of various dyes on solar distillation

An analytical and experimental study of the effect of adding dyes to a solar distillation unit is reported in this paper. The analytical model developed treats the transient heat transfer inside the dye solution as one dimensional. The bulk fluid is discretized into layers with conduction, convection and radiation interactions occurring between them. Coupled with this is the energy exchange from the water surface to the glass cover of the still by convection, radiation and evaporation of water. Finite difference technique is used in solving the nonlinear partial differential equations. The experimental investigation is conducted using two identical stills. The dyes used are black napthylamine, red carmoisine and dark green, at various concentrations. Test results show that a dye solution is able to increase the distillate output by as much as 29 per cent (for black dye with 172.5 ppm concentration). Based on these tests, a method of calculating the percentage increase in evaporation effected by a specific dye over that from the control unit is developed. Among the dyes tested black napthylamine dye is found to be most suitable from two points of view: increased evaporation and no photochemical degradation. The agreement between the results from experiments and those from analytical model is excellent. The analytical model subsequently used to study the effect of ambient temperature, wind velocity and dye concentration on still productivity.
Head Pose Estimation in Computer Vision: A Survey

The capacity to estimate the head pose of another person is a common human ability that presents a unique challenge for computer vision systems. Compared to face detection and recognition, which have been the primary foci of face-related vision research, identity-invariant head pose estimation has fewer rigorously evaluated systems or generic solutions. In this paper, we discuss the inherent difficulties in head pose estimation and present an organized survey describing the evolution of the field. Our discussion focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of each approach and spans 90 of the most innovative and characteristic papers that have been published on this topic. We compare these systems by focusing on their ability to estimate coarse and fine head pose, highlighting approaches that are well suited for unconstrained environments.
Demonstration of gastric submucosal lesions by high-resolution transabdominal sonography.

Purpose We evaluated the accuracy of high-resolution transabdominal sonography (TAUS) in identifying and characterizing gastric submucosal masses previously detected by endoscopy. Methods Patients given endoscopy for suspected submucosal gastric lesions and 2 patients with gastric wall cysts were enrolled. Patients underwent TAUS and then endoscopic sonography (EUS) on the same day, and the sonographic results were compared with endoscopic and histologic findings. Results Among 101 patients with gastric submucosal masses on endoscopy, TAUS revealed a mass in 94 (93%); of these 94 patients, 60 underwent EUS. The final diagnoses were 31 leiomyomas, 10 leiomyosarcomas, 13 ectopic pancreases, 2 cysts, and 1 glomus tumor, 1 carcinoid tumor, 1 lipoma, and 1 fibroma. Leiomyomas (mean size, 3.2 cm) and leiomyosarcomas (mean size, 7.1 cm) were shown sonographically to originate from the muscular layer. Ectopic pancreases (mean size, 1.2 cm) were shown to originate from the submucosal layer and had a homogeneously echogenic pattern. Gastric cysts were found in the submucosal layer and were anechoic. The glomus tumor and the carcinoid tumor were found in the muscular layer and were hypoechoic. The lipoma and the fibroma were located in the submucosal layer and were echogenic on TAUS. Conclusions TAUS had a detection rate of 93% in visualizing submucosal gastric masses previously identified by endoscopy. TAUS is less invasive than EUS and can be used to follow submucosal gastric masses that are not excised. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 28:125–132, 2000.
Positive and Negative Symptoms: Is Their Change Related?

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between change in positive and negative symptoms over time during haloperidol treatment. Subjects were 178 acutely exacerbating chronic schizophrenia patients participating in a clinical trial of haloperidol. Positive and negative symptoms were measured by the positive and negative symptom clusters of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and by the Scales for the Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms. Hierarchical linear model analysis was used to estimate symptom-change trajectories of positive and negative symptoms over time in individual patients and to investigate the inter-relationship between these trajectories. Results indicate that positive and negative symptom-change trajectories over time were closely associated. This result did not depend on extrapyramidal side effects, depression, or the baseline balance of positive and negative symptoms. Thus, our study suggests that in acutely exacerbating schizophrenia patients, changes of positive and negative symptoms over time are related during the initial phase of the pharmacological treatment. This relationship may not extend to other treatment paradigms or beyond the initial phase of the treatment.
Erlotinib and Gefitinib, Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Kinase Inhibitors, May Treat Non-Cancer-Related Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Mediated Inflammatory Diseases

Kinase inhibitors that enter clinical use as treatments for cancer may have off-target effects, making them efficacious in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Case reports are presented on the potential of erlotinib and gefitinib for treating psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other nonautoimmune inflammatory disorders.
Chemistry of the ansamycin antibiotics.

The ansamycins constitute a class of antibiotics characterized by an aliphatic bridge linking two non-adjacent positions of an aromatic nucleus. The name, originally suggested by Prelog, is derived from the term “ansa compounds” coined by Luttringhaus in 1942 (71). It is the structures of the ansamycins which have provided the name for these antibiotics and their structures are remarkably complex, as we shall see in the next section, but it is the bioactivities which have attracted the greatest attention. A derivative of one of the rifamycins, rifampicin, is marketed widely for treatment of tuberculosis and other infections caused by gram-positive organisms (69), while other derivatives of rifamycin and streptovaricin are biological probes because of their binding to DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (42a, 103, 162) and their inhibition of reverse transcriptases (3, 8, 15, 33, 40, 92, 103, 135). Maytansine and related compounds are powerful anti-tumor agents (61, 62, 63, 150). Bioactivities of the ansamycins have been reviewed extensively elsewhere (4, 69, 101, 111, 119, 153) and need not be exhaustively described here, although they will be noted in the section of this review dealing with reactions of individual antibiotics. Instead, the present review will stress the chemistry of the compounds, attempting to correlate the properties of related members of the class. The literature coverage of this review includes articles appearing through April, 1975. No attempt has been made to review patents in any comprehensive way.
Gene expression in primary and metastatic kidney cancer to discover drivers of metastasis and targets for drug development

Meeting abstracts An estimated 63,920 cases of kidney cancer will occur in the USA in 2015, and about 13,860 deaths will occur. The incidences of kidney cancer has steadily increased by 2-4% each year. Currently high dose IL (Interleukin)-2, VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) inhibitors, and
Preparedness of Entering Pediatric Dentistry Residents: Advanced Pediatric Program Directors’ and First-Year Residents’ Perspectives

For children to receive needed oral health care, adequate training at both the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels of dental education is required, but previous studies have found inadequacies in predoctoral education that lead to general dentists' unwillingness to treat certain young populations. As another way of assessing predoctoral preparation, the aim of this study was to determine the perspectives of first-year residents and pediatric program directors about residents' preparedness to enter advanced education programs in pediatric dentistry. Surveys were sent to all 74 U.S. program directors and 360 first-year residents. The survey focused on procedures related to prevention, behavior management, restorative procedures, pulp therapy, sedation, and surgery, as well as treating patients funded by Medicaid and with special health care needs. Among the first-year residents, 173 surveys were returned for a 48% response rate; 61 directors returned surveys for an 82% response rate. Only half of the residents (55%) reported feeling adequately prepared for their first year in residency; less than half cited adequate preparation to place stainless steel crowns (SSCs) (42%) and perform pulpotomies (45%). Far fewer felt adequately prepared to provide treatment for children six months to three years of age, including examinations (29%), infant oral exams (27%), and children with severe caries (37%). The program directors were even less positive about the adequacy of residents' preparation. Only 17% deemed them adequately prepared to place SSCs and 13% to perform pulpotomies. Approximately half reported their first-year residents were inadequately prepared to treat very young children and children with severe caries (55% each). This study found that the perceived inadequacy of predoctoral education in pediatric dentistry was consistent at both the learner and educator levels, supporting previous studies identifying inadequacies in this area.
Further Studies of Effects of Antibiotics and Other Compounds on Fecundity and Mortality of the Two-Spotted Spider Mite

Egg laying of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae (Koch), was effectively inhibited by the antibiotic actinomycin D, especially in the first 3 days after treatment, when there was no significant effect on mortality of the adults. After 7 days, the material was significantly acaricidal. Other antibiotics such as pactamycin, novobiocin, ampicillin, anthelmycin D. sarkomycin, humulon, puromycin, Carzinophilin® (from Streptomyces sahachiroi ), and mitomycin C were significantly toxic to adult females (mortalities of 76–100% in 7 days). Most of these antibiotics evidently caused some suppression of egg laying at lower dilutions that were sublethal to some adults. Some purine and pyrimidine derivatives and some dye compounds had no marked effects on the mites.
Control and Simulation of an Autonomous Lunar Lander

The Autonomous Lunar Demonstrator (ALDER) project was developed at NASA Ames Research Center to demonstrate autonomous decision making on a Lunar lander spacecraft capable of performing autonomous hop maneuvers. Towards these objectives, a conceptual spacecraft design was created to accomplish the mission, a simulation environment was developed, and a control system was designed and implemented to control the spacecraft in response to and integrated with a suite of agents in a higher level autonomy architecture. This paper presents the design of the control system for this autonomous vehicle that can respond to the demands of the higher level reasoning algorithms, and describes the simulation model and environment created to test and demonstrate the conceptual mission.
Microscopic Observations on Fungi Associated with Cotton Boll-Rot Fibers

Cotton boll-rot fibers were examined microscopically to determine the manner in which fungi grow on them. Cellulose decomposing boll-rot fungi wound around the fibers, paralleling closely the helic...
The Pathologic Spectrum of Pulmonary Lesions in Patients With Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Autoantibodies Specific for Anti-Proteinase 3 and Anti-Myeloperoxidase

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA) occur in a subset of patients with systemic small vessel vasculitis, including patients with Wegener's granulomatosis, microscopic polyangiitis (microscopic polyarteritis), and Churg-Strauss syndrome. Pulmonary disease appears at some time during the course in many patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis. The histologic features of 25 open lung biopsies and two autopsy cases were studied from 27 patients with ANCA. Patients' ages ranged from 8 to 79 years with a mean of 52.6 years. There were 12 females and 15 males. Autoantibodies were characterized as C-ANCA in 13 patients and as P-ANCA in 14 patients. Anti-proteinase 3 antibodies were documented in 12 of 13 patients with C-ANCA. Anti-myeloperoxidase antibodies were documented in all 14 patients with P-ANCA. Vascular lesions were present in 21 patients (78%) and 11 patients (41%) had bronchial lesions. Capillaritis was the most common vascular lesion (17 patients, 63%), and was found with similar frequency in patients with C-ANCA and those with P-ANCA. Extravascular structures were a common site of tissue injury. Airway lesions including bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (4 patients, 19%), necrotizing granulomatous inflammation (4 patients, 15%), and non-granulomatous inflammation (3 patients, 11%) were more commonly associated with patients with C-ANCA. Interstitial lesions were found in 20 patients (74%), and included necrotizing granulomatous inflammation (8 patients, 30%), fibrosis (13 patients, 48%), and chronic inflammation (12 patients, 44%). No histologic lesion were found that were specific for C-ANCA or P-ANCA. This series demonstrates the wide variety of pulmonary lesions found in patients with ANCA-associated pulmonary disease, and shows that extravascular structures are a common site of injury in ANCA-associated vasculitis.
Closed-Loop Supply Chains: A Strategic Overview

Managers who consider a closed-loop supply chain just another environmental initiative need to update their thinking. Modern firms that use closed-loop supply chains as a competitive strategy receive many benefits—particularly higher profitability and control over a product’s entire lifecycle. In fact, the market for multiple lifecycle products continues to grow, with current estimates holding that remanufactured product sales exceed $100 billion per year. As a result of analyzing the ever-growing remanufacturing sector through years of working with managers in numerous industries, various levers and themes surrounding effective closed-loop supply chain strategies became apparent. This chapter presents these findings and shows how firms in multiple industries experienced both successes and failures of their closed-loop supply chain strategies.
Anthropogenically accelerated sediment accumulation within playa wetlands as a result of land cover change on the High Plains of the central United States

Abstract Playa wetlands are ubiquitous features of the central and southern Great Plains, and in Kansas alone, there are > 22,000 playas. Consequently, playas are critical wetland resources for the region, providing a range of ecosystem functions, such as groundwater recharge, surface water storage, and wetland habitat. Anthropogenically accelerated sediment accumulation is the primary impact reducing playa ecosystem functions. Objectives of this study were to estimate the amount of recent sediment accumulated within playas, determine how watershed and playa morphometry and land cover influenced sediment accumulation, and assess the role of grass buffers in reducing sediment accumulation. Land surveys and sediment thickness measurements were conducted throughout 64 Kansas playas with watershed cropland ranging from 0 to 100% and grass buffers ranging from non-existent to continuous to a width of ≥ 30 m. Results indicate watershed and playa morphometry have minimal influence on recent sediment accumulation within playas, and land-cover change is the primary driver. Playas without grass buffers within cropland watersheds on average accumulated 8.5 cm of recent sediment and lost 30% volume of storage capacity, while those with grass buffers in mixed cropland watersheds accumulated an average of 1.8 cm of recent sediment and lost 7% volume. Playas within grassland watersheds on average accumulated 2.3 cm of recent sediment and lost 13% volume. Grass buffers, while rarely utilized, could be highly effective at reducing the impacts of anthropogenically accelerated sediment accumulation and protecting playa ecosystem functions. Without grass buffers, anthropogenically accelerated sediment deliveries will continue to accumulate within playas, greatly reducing ecosystem functions, and, ultimately, many playas will disappear from the landscape.