cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-performance interband cascade lasers for λ = 3-5.5 µm

We report that various recent design modifications and optimizations have produced significant advances in the performance of interband cascade lasers (ICLs) for the mid-IR spectral band. Figure 1 illustrates the progression with time of ICL pulsed threshold current densities, as compared to some of the lowest reported results for quantum cascade lasers. All of the ICL devices were standard 150-µm-wide broad-area ridges with 2 mm cavity lengths. Note that thresholds for all of the latest generation of ICL designs (labeled Gen3) decreased substantially, to the 170–260 A/cm2 range. Figure 2 shows threshold power densities (P th = current density × voltage) as a function of wavelength for the last four generations of 5-stage devices. Note that the Gen3 power densities are substantially lower than any of the earlier results, and that they fall below the dashed curve corresponding to probable room-temperature cw operation at wavelengths as long as 5.5 µm.
Low-Power Feedback-Enhanced Electro-mechanical Impedance (FEMI) Sensors

Electro-mechanical impedance (EMI) method utilizing smart piezoelectric sensors has emerged as a promising technology for structural health monitoring in civil, mechanical and aerospace engineering. However, two major limiting factors have prevented field deployment of this method in real life. First, smart piezoelectric sensors, such as Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) patches, are highly sensitive to environmental changes such as temperature, humidity, and vibration. Secondly, bulky and expensive equipment is needed for performing impedance measurement. This paper proposes a feedback-enhanced electro-mechanical impedance (FEMI) technique for improving robustness against environmental variations and a design of a low-power EMI sensor with built-in measurement circuitries based on this new technique. The proposed FEMI technique employs a feedback scheme to amplify the peaking characteristics of the natural resonance frequencies in the EMI frequency response. The feedback loop includes a phase-locked loop (PLL) and a transimpedance amplifier (TIA). An analog EMI measurement circuit is developed to replace bulky EMI measurement instruments. To keep the power consumption low, the proposed system does not require any analog-to-digital conversion or DSP circuit blocks, but uses a simple analog mixer to multiply input and output waveforms of the PZT sensor, and then extract the EMI amplitude by passing the mixer output through a low-pass filter (LPF). The performance of the proposed FEMI sensor is verified by simulations using MATLAB. Simulated natural frequency peaks in the EMI spectrum are noticeably sharper with the feedback scheme than the one without feedback. As a result, the natural frequency shift due to any structural change can be more easily detected. To quantify the shift of these natural frequency peaks, the root mean square deviation (RMSD) of the difference between cases with and without damage is calculated. The simulation results show that the RMSD with feedback is greater than the RMSD without feedback by a factor of 3.2, when the damage is emulated by a 30% decrease in stiffness. This result confirms that the FEMI technique with the proposed EMI measurement circuits can detect structural damage with higher sensitivity compared to existing methods. Our future goal is to build a prototype for the FEMI sensors and integrate all the circuitries in a single CMOS chip.
OPTIMAL DISTRIBUTED CONTROL WITH DISTRIBUTED DELAYED MEASUREMENTS

Abstract We consider the problem of optimal distributed controller design of semi-decentralized controllers for a special class of spatially distributed systems. This class includes spatially invariant and distributed systems with an inherent temporal delay in the interaction of distant sites. We consider the problem of optimal design of distributed controllers where controller information passing is as fast or faster than the plant. We show how the YJBK parametrization of such stabilizing controllers yields a convex parametrization for this class.
A cast of thousands: coauthorship and subauthorship collaboration in the 20th century as manifested in the scholarly journal literature of psychology and philosophy

We chronicle the use of acknowledgments in 20th-century scholarship by analyzing and classifying more than 4,500 specimens covering a 100-year period. Our results show that the intensity of acknowledgment varies by discipline, reflecting differences in prevailing sociocognitive structures and work practices. We demonstrate that the acknowledgment has gradually established itself as a constitutive element of academic writing, one that provides a revealing insight into the nature and extent of subauthorship collaboration. Complementary data on rates of coauthorship are also presented to highlight the growing importance of collaboration and the increasing division of labor in contemporary research and scholarship.
Online Software Tool for Predicting Weld Residual Stress and Distortion

Weld residual stress and distortion are inevitable during welding due to rapid local heating and cooling, high-temperature material reactions and weld-fixture effects. To predict weld residual stress and distortion, an engineer has to understand welding processes and the finite element analysis method. It is difficult for an engineer without finite element background to calculate the weld residual stress and distortion. With the development of weld modeling technology, automatic meshing generation, and high performance computation, a web-based analysis tool (E-Weld Predictor), was developed to predict weld residual stress and distortion. This allows an engineer to calculate the weld residual stress and distortion on line. The engineer does not need to have finite element analysis knowledge to perform the calculation. By providing welding parameters, defining a weld joint, giving geometry dimensions, and specifying a material, weld residual stress and distortion are automatically calculated in a remote high performance computer. A report will then be sent to the engineer to review. This paper introduces the development of E-Weld Predictor. The software structure, the theory, the implementation, and the validation of E-Weld Predictor are discussed in detail. It also shows the simulation process of applying this software in predicting temperature, microstructure, residual stress and distortion.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Insight into first-order breakage kinetics using a particle-scale breakage rate constant

Abstract This study formulates a particle-scale breakage rate constant of the linear time-variant population balance model (PBM) for batch dry-milling. The breakage rate constant separates material properties from the milling environment which is defined by the impact energy distribution obtained by the discrete element method (DEM). The breakage rate constant determined by experiments and DEM simulations of the ball milling of polydispersed silica glass were in close agreement confirming the validity of the proposed methods. The breakage rate constant formulated in this study also allowed a detailed and rigorous energy-based analysis of the milling environment which provided insight into the origin of first-order breakage kinetics and the time-invariance of the breakage rate constant. Feeds of varying polydispersity and the time-wise evolution of the particle size distribution (PSD) were simulated in DEM to show that the PSD does not affect the specific breakage rate constant as assumed in first-order breakage. The adherence to first-order breakage kinetics was attributed to the low feed loading in the mill and the absence of particle beds where mechanical multi-particle interactions can cause non-first-order breakage. It was found that a threshold impact energy must be accounted for in the analysis of DEM results because the majority of low energy impacts do not contribute to particle breakage. Without rigorous assessment of the impact energy distribution, DEM simulations may lead to an erroneous evaluation of milling performance. The findings of this study contribute to a unified DEM−PBM framework to model and analyze milling process and demonstrate that milling performance can be quantified from particle-scale interactions using DEM.
Mitochondrial thioredoxin-2/peroxiredoxin-3 system functions in parallel with mitochondrial GSH system in protection against oxidative stress.

Abstract A dominant-negative, active-site mutant (C93S-Trx2) of mitochondrial thioredoxin-2 (Trx2) was expressed in cells to study the function of the thioredoxin system in protection against mitochondrial oxidative stress. C93S-Trx2 was detected as a disulfide with mitochondrial peroxiredoxin-3 (Prx3) but not peroxiredoxin-5 (Prx5). C93S-Trx2 enhanced sensitivity to cell death induced by tert -butylhydroperoxide or by tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). In cells treated with buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) to deplete glutathione (GSH), endogenous Trx2 was oxidized, C93S-Trx2 potentiated toxicity, and overexpression of Trx2 protected against toxicity. Thus, the results show that Trx2 interacts with Prx3 in vivo and that the Trx2/Prx3 system functions in parallel with the GSH system to protect mitochondria from oxidative stress. The additive protection by Trx2 and GSH shows that Trx2 and GSH systems are both functionally important at low oxidative stress conditions.
Temperature Evolution in the Lokbatan Mud Volcano Crater (Azerbaijan) after the Eruption of 25 October 2001

Temperature measurements have been made in the Lokbatan crater at three locations after the explosion of 25 October 2001. The measurements were made at depths of 0.5m, 1.0m and 1.5m into the mud ejected at the time of the explosion, and have continued to be made at intervals of approximately one month. The temperature measurements do not seem to indicate a steady cool-down with time, but rather an initial cooling for about 150 days after the primary explosion, followed by more recent re-heating events. This pattern of events is likely consistent with the on-going supply of gas to keep the central crater flame burning (at about 0.5m high over an area of about 1m2, as observed in late May, 2002); and also consistent with sporadic flame outbursts since the primary explosion, as also observed. Two regional lines of temperature measurements across the volcano region in roughly north-south and east-west directions, respectively, to distances of several km, indicate that the ejected mud cooled rapidly to backgro...
Computer optimization of small atomic clusters

We have successfully identified stable configurations of both rare-gas and NaCl clusters with a new optimization procedure. An initial cluster configuration is prepared in a so-called shoot-and-stay process. Its total energy is then minimized with respect to the atomic coordinates. To prevent the system from being locked in local minima, the step size of each move is chosen as the width of the energy well at a higher level. As the system evolves, the global minimum is contained in the volume bounded by the decreasing value of step sizes. We have also carried out the optimization of NaCl clusters by the simulated annealing technique, for comparison. The results show that for such heterogeneous systems, the latter method cannot always find the global minimum, because of large energy gaps between different catchment regions in phase space.
Frequency-domain equalisation for optical transmission systems

The first optical single-carrier (SC) transmission system to employ frequency-domain equalisation (FDE) is proposed; 25 Gbit/s SC with FDE is demonstrated in severe chromatic dispersion conditions. The results show that SC with FDE is very tolerant of the chromatic dispersion.
Application of the microbond technique: Characterization of carbon fiber‐epoxy interfaces

Microbonding has been applied to measure the interfacial shear strength, τ, between single carbon fiber and microdroplets of epoxy resins. The effect of thermoset cure and resin modification on this initial parameter for composite performance have been studied. The interfacial shear strength for the host fiber/epoxy system (T-300/Epon 828) increased 3 fold from a B-stage for the host to a fully cured material. The addition of a toughening agent called fortifier P to the host resin system increased τ by 40%. Residual thermal stresses were calculated and their contribution to mechanical adhesion were related to friction components
PI(3) kinase is associated with a mechanism of immunoresistance in breast and prostate cancer

Immune escape describes a critical event whereby tumor cells adopt an immunoresistant phenotype to escape adaptive surveillance. We show that expression of a pivotal negative regulator of T-cell function, B7-H1, correlates with PI(3) kinase activation in breast and prostate cancer patients. B7-H1-mediated immunoresistance can be attenuated by inhibitors of the PI(3) kinase pathway, and is dependent on S6K1-mediated translational regulation of B7-H1 protein. Breast and prostate carcinoma cells with activated PI(3) kinase lose the immunoresistant phenotype after treatment with B7-H1 siRNA. Conversely, breast and prostate carcinoma cells with minimal PI(3) kinase activation adopt an immunoresistant phenotype when engineered to overexpress B7-H1 protein. These observations describe a mechanism for immune escape from tumor dormancy in humans that relates to oncogenesis.
Characterization of an intronic enhancer that regulates myelin proteolipid protein (Plp) gene expression in oligodendrocytes.

The myelin proteolipid protein (Plp) gene is expressed in oligodendrocytes and encodes the most abundant protein (∼50%) present in mature myelin from the central nervous system (CNS). Plp gene activity is low to nonexistent early in development but sharply increases, concurrently with the active myelination period of CNS development. Work from our laboratory suggests that the temporal regulation of Plp gene expression in mice is mediated by a positive regulatory element located within Plp intron 1 DNA. We have termed this regulatory element/region ASE (for antisilencer/enhancer). The ASE is situated approximately 1 kb downstream of exon 1 DNA and encompasses nearly 100 bp. To understand the mechanisms by which the ASE augments Plp gene expression in oligodendrocytes, Plp-lacZ constructs were generated and transfected into a mouse oligodendroglial cell line (N20.1). Results presented here demonstrate that upstream regulatory elements in the Plp promoter/5′-flanking DNA are not required for ASE activity; the ASE worked perfectly well when the thymidine kinase (TK) promoter was substituted for the Plp promoter. However, the relative location of the ASE appears to be important. When placed upstream of 2.4 kb of Plp 5′-flanking DNA, or downstream of the lacZ expression cassette, the ASE was no longer effective. Thus, the ASE might have to be in the context of the intron in order to function. To begin to identify the crucial nucleotides within the ASE, orthologous sequences from rat, human, cow, and pig Plp genes were swapped for the mouse sequence. Results presented here demonstrate that the orthologous sequence from rat can substitute for the mouse ASE, unlike those from human, cow, or pig. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A strategy for the generation of surfaces presenting ligands for studies of binding based on an active ester as a common reactive intermediate: a surface plasmon resonance study.

This paper describes the immobilization of ten proteins and two low-molecular-weight ligands on mixed selfassembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiolates on gold generated from the tri(ethylene glycol)-terminated thiol 1 (HS(CH2)11(OCH2CH2)3OH) (χ(1) = 1.0−0.0) and the longer, carboxylic acid-terminated thiol 2 (HS(CH2)11(OCH2CH2)6OCH2CO2H) (χ(2) = 0.0−1.0). The immobilization was achieved by a two-step procedure: generation of reactive N-hydroxysuccinimidyl esters from the carboxylic acid groups of 2 in the SAM and coupling of these groups with amines on the protein or ligand. Because this method involves a common reactive intermediate that is easily prepared, it provides a convenient method for attaching ligands to SAMs for studies using surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (and, in principle, other bioanalytical methods that use derivatized SAMs on gold, silver, and other surfaces). These SAMs were resistant to nonspecific adsorption of proteins having a wide range of molecular weights and isoelectri...
ROP: Near-Optimal Rendezvous for Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks

This paper presents a rendezvous scheme termed rendezvous with near-optimal performance (ROP) for dynamic spectrum access (DSA) networks. ROP distributes nodes in pairs onto different rendezvous channels without using a control channel and achieves near-optimal throughput, minimum expected time to rendezvous (ETTR), and channel load when the network is fully loaded. For large networks, we further propose an efficient variant of ROP, which is termed fast ROP (FROP), to significantly reduce the convergence time while still maintaining near-optimal performance. Moreover, the simulation results have shown that the convergence time of FROP is not only short but independent of the network size as well; hence, FROP has good scalability. We have developed mathematical models to analyze the performance of ROP and FROP. Both the analytical and the simulation results validate the near-optimal performance of ROP and FROP.
Investigation of Oxidative Degradation in Polymers Using 17O NMR Spectroscopy

The thermal oxidation of pentacontane (C50H102), and of the homopolymer polyisoprene, has been investigated using 17O NMR spectroscopy. By performing the oxidation using 17O-labeled O2 gas, it is possible to easily identify nonvolatile degradation products, even at relatively low concentrations. It is demonstrated that details of the degradation mechanism can be obtained from analysis of the 17O NMR spectra as a function of total oxidation. Pentacontane reveals the widest variety of reaction products and exhibits changes in the relative product distributions with increasing O2 consumption. At low levels of oxygen incorporation, peroxides are the major oxidation product, while at later stages of degradation these species are replaced by increasing concentrations of ketones, alcohols, carboxylic acids, and esters. Analyzing the product distribution can help in identification of the different free-radical decomposition pathways of hydroperoxides, including recombination, proton abstraction, and chain scissio...
Liberating Ecological Reason Through Interdisciplinarity

The theory and practice of ecological reason have consistently suffered various shortcomings, versions of anthropocentrism and holism prominent among them. Even definitions of ecological reason that rely on philosophically informed policy studies and that explicitly take the functional and substantive moments of reason into account have not escaped these problems. An account of interdisciplinarity can shed light on how these intractable problems arise, since many of them fail to build interdisciplinarity as such sufficiently into the definition of ecological reason. Genuine interdisciplinarity, distinguished from both multidisciplinarity and metadisciplinarity, can thus be seen to be necessary (not sufficient) to liberate ecological reason and to illuminate its theory and practice for late moderns.
Krull Dimension and Deviation in Certain Parafree Groups

Hanna Neumann asked whether it was possible for two non-isomorphic residually nilpotent finitely generated (fg) groups, one of them free, to share the lower central sequence. Baumslag answered the question in the affirmative and thus gave rise to parafree groups. A group G is termed parafree of rank n if it is residually nilpotent and shares the same lower central sequence with a free group of rank n. The deviation of a fg parafree group G of rank n is the difference μ(G) − n, where μ(G) is the minimum possible number of generators of G. Let G be fg; then Hom(G, SL 2ℂ) inherits the structure of an algebraic variety, denoted by R(G). If G is an n generated parafree group, then the deviation of G is 0 iff Dim(R(G)) = 3n. It is known that for n ≥ 2 there exist infinitely many parafree groups of rank n and deviation 1 with non-isomorphic representation varieties of dimension 3n. In this paper it is shown that given integers n ≥ 2 and k ≥ 1, there exists infinitely many parafree groups of rank n and deviation ...
Reform the PhD system or close it down.

There are too many doctoral programmes, producing too many PhDs for the job market. Shut some and change the rest, says Mark C. Taylor.
Characterization of the Coronary Sinus Ostium by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The diameter and the angle of the coronary sinus (CS) ostium was analyzed in 101 patients who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and had left ventricular ejection fractions ≤0.35 (n = 40) or ≥0.65 (n = 61). The angle of the CS ostium in patients with LVEFs ≤0.35 was less acute than in patients with LVEFs ≥0.65 (73° ± 12° vs 65° ± 10°, p
Acute pyelonephritis in pregnancy in the era of routine antepartum screening for asymptomatic bacteriuria

ANTEPARTUM SCREENING FOR ASYMPTOMATIC BACTERIURIA JAMES HILL, JEANNE SHEFFIELD, F. GARY CUNNINGHAM, GEORGE WENDEL, JR, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, OB/ Gyn, Fayetteville, NC University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dallas, TX OBJECTIVE: To examine the incidence, risk factors, microbial pathogens, and obstetric complications in women with acute pyelonephritis in the era of routine prenatal screening for asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB). STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study of all women admitted antepartum with pyelonephritis from January 2000 through December 2001. Diagnosis of pyelonephritis was made by standard clinical and laboratory evaluation. All women were treated with parenteral antibiotics and discharged on microbial suppressive therapy. Follow-up was performed in an obstetric infectious disease clinic. RESULTS: There were 440 women admitted with acute antepartum pyelonephritis during the study period (incidence of 1.1%). Women with pyelonephritis were significantly younger and more likely to be nulliparous (44% versus 37%) compared with the general obstetric population. Thirteen percent had a known risk factor, including a history of pyelonephritis (4%), ASB (3%), and diabetes (2%). Most pyelonephritis (79%) occurred in the second and third trimesters. Overall, 83%of the urine cultures grew E. coli and 12%grew group B Streptococcus and other gram-positive organisms. There was a shift in the microbiologic pattern of uropathogens by trimester with an increase in grampositive organisms later in pregnancy (15%). Anemia (Hct < 30%) was the most common complication (23%), followed by septicemia (17%), respiratory insufficiency (7%), and renal insufficiency (2%). Five percent of women delivered < 37 weeks’ gestation and 7% delivered an infant < 2500 g. CONCLUSION: The incidence of pyelonephritis has remained low with routine prenatal screening for ASB; however, several changes have occurred. First-trimester pyelonephritis now accounts for over 1 in 5 antepartum cases. Gram-positive uropathogens are found more commonly as pregnancy progresses and may influence antimicrobial choices and efficacy. Maternal complications continue; however, excess poor obstetrical outcomes are rare.
Architecture of a tangible interface for modeling plant cell cycle

Advances in high-performance computing and optical networking are making it feasible to handle complex analysis of the multiple phases of cell division. While it is now possible to build and explore simulation and modeling of the cell cycle [1], the complexity of their user interfaces can be intimidating and undesirable to researchers and teachers of such biological phenomena. While supercomputers have already been used for simulation of cell division [2], research in this area has been limited.
Linking definitions, mechanisms, and modeling of drought-induced tree death

Tree death from drought and heat stress is a critical and uncertain component in forest ecosystem responses to a changing climate. Recent research has illuminated how tree mortality is a complex cascade of changes involving interconnected plant systems over multiple timescales. Explicit consideration of the definitions, dynamics, and temporal and biological scales of tree mortality research can guide experimental and modeling approaches. In this review, we draw on the medical literature concerning human death to propose a water resource-based approach to tree mortality that considers the tree as a complex organism with a distinct growth strategy. This approach provides insight into mortality mechanisms at the tree and landscape scales and presents promising avenues into modeling tree death from drought and temperature stress.
Mammary lipoprotein lipase in plasma of cows after parturition or prolactin infusion.

Plasma lipase activity from the mammary vein and a tail blood vessel was measured in periparturient Holstein cows treated in one of three ways: control, CB154 (2-Br-α-ergocryptin) or CB154 plus prolactin. CB154 administration decreased basal serum prolactin concentration by 80% and blocked the normal parturient increase of serum prolactin. In CB154 plus prolactin-treated cows, prolactin was infused continously for six days starting five and eight days prepartum. Plasma lipase activity was not detectable up to 26 hr prepartum in control and CB154-treated cows or before the start of prolactin infusion in CB154 plus prolactin-treated cows. After two hr prepartum, plasma lipase activity was detected in all treatments. In CB154 plus prolactin-treated cows, plasma lipase activity was detected in the presence of high concentrations of serum progesterone four days after the start of prolactin infusion and at least two days before parturition. Plasma lipase activity was four times greater in the mammary vein than in the tail vessel at sampling times at which activity was detected in both vessels. We propose the difference between plasma lipase activity from the mammary vein and tail vessel is due to release of lipoprotein lipase from the mammary gland into blood, and this activity can be induced prepartum by prolactin or at parturition even if the parturient increase in prolactin is suppressed.
Evaluation Research Problems in Existential Psychotherapy with Couples and Families

Abstract In existential psychotherapy with couples and families, practitioners demonstrate and report great suspicion for traditional empirical, evaluation, research methods. In this article, the authors review the major reasons for such suspicion from an existential point of view and outline the components of the “participation report,” which is often used by existential psychotherapists in their knowledge building efforts in practice with couples and families.
Structural heterogeneity of the emm gene cluster in group A streptococci

Summary One or more distinct copies of emm genes lie within a gene cluster that is located downstream from a transcriptional regulatory gene (mry). Mry is a positive regulator for the genes in this cluster and for the downstream gene, scpA. The objective of this study is to examine the structure of this cluster and the distribution of specific alleles within the cluster among group A streptococcal isolates of 32 different serotypes. The peptidoglycan (PG)-spanning domain, which exists in four divergent forms, was used to identify specific alleles of the genes within the emm cluster. Gene content of the cluster was determined by Southern hybridization with allele-specific oligonucleotides. Five different chromosomal patterns for this cluster were observed. Sequence heterogeneity in the adjacent mry locus was demonstrated by the ability of some of the isolates to hybridize with a whole mry gene probe, but not with mry-based oligonucleotide probes. A PCR-based chromosomal mapping technique was used to examine further the gene order within the emm gene clusters. Structural heterogeneity of the emm gene cluster was found within class I isolates in this study, while class II isolates were relatively homogeneous at this chromosomal locus and distinct from class I.
Towards a formalism for mapping the spacetimes of massive compact objects: Bumpy black holes and their orbits

Astronomical observations have established that extremely compact, massive objects are common in the Universe. It is generally accepted that these objects are, in all likelihood, black holes. As observational technology has improved, it has become possible to test this hypothesis in ever greater detail. In particular, it is or will be possible to measure the properties of orbits deep in the strong field of a black hole candidate (using x-ray timing or future gravitational-wave measurements) and to test whether they have the characteristics of black hole orbits in general relativity. Past work has shown that, in principle, such measurements can be used to map the spacetime of a massive compact object, testing in particular whether the object's multipolar structure satisfies the rather strict constraints imposed by the black hole hypothesis. Performing such a test in practice requires that we be able to compare against objects with the ``wrong'' multipole structure. In this paper, we present tools for constructing the spacetimes of bumpy black holes: objects that are almost black holes, but that have some multipoles with the wrong value. In this first analysis, we focus on objects with no angular momentum. Generalization to bumpy Kerr black holes should be straightforward, albeit labor intensive. Our construction has two particularly desirable properties. First, the spacetimes which we present are good deep into the strong field of the object---we do not use a ``large r'' expansion (except to make contact with weak field intuition). Second, our spacetimes reduce to the exact black hole spacetimes of general relativity in a natural way, by dialing the ``bumpiness'' of the black hole to zero. We propose that bumpy black holes can be used as the foundation for a null experiment: if black hole candidates are indeed the black holes of general relativity, their bumpiness should be zero. By comparing the properties of orbits in a bumpy spacetime with those measured from an astrophysical source, observations should be able to test this hypothesis, stringently testing whether they are in fact the black holes of general relativity.
The zeros of entire functions: Theory and engineering applications

Functions that are analytic over a complex plane are called entire functions. They may be viewed as generalizations of polynomials because they admit power series expansions that converge everywhere. Entire functions are useful models for physical phenomena having finite "spectra," such as important classes of time-varying signals and spatially varying fields. Entire function models may be studied through the linear expansion techniques (e.g., Fourier series and integrals) familiar to most engineers, but product expansions akin to polynomial factorizations provide a less familiar alternative which is often more powerful when phenomena have a nonlinear character. This paper provides a tutorial introduction to relevant aspects of the theory of entire functions of a single complex variable, and also a discussion of exemplary applications. The paper deals specifically with a class of entire functions of exponential type, dubbed B-functions, which contain all functions that are band limited according to the variious extant definitions of bandlimitation. Product expansions are emphasized because they lead one to regard the real and complex zeros of a B-function as its information bearing attributes. This view leads naturally to the study of sampling, clipping, and similar applications, and to more general issues concerned with the sufficiency of zero-based representations and the recovery of a B-function's waveform from a zero-based representation.
Climatology of summer midtropospheric perturbations in the US northern plains. Part II: large-scale effects of the Rocky Mountains on genesis

Propagating convective storms across the US northern plains are often coupled with preexisting midtropospheric perturbations (MPs) initiated over the Rocky Mountains. A companion study (Part I) notes that such MPs occur most commonly at 12 UTC (early morning) and 00 UTC (late afternoon). Using a regional reanalysis and a general circulation model (GCM), this study investigates how such a bimodal distribution of the MP frequency is formed. The results point to two possible mechanisms working together while each has a different timing in terms of maximum effect. The diurnal evolutions between the midtropospheric flows over the Rockies and over the Great Plains are nearly out-of-phase due to inertial oscillation. During the nighttime, the westerly flows at 700–500 mb over the Rockies intensify while flows at the same level over the Great Plains turn easterly. These two flows converge over the eastern Rockies and induce cyclonic vorticity through vortex stretching. After sunrise, the convergence dissipates and the cyclonic vorticity is redistributed by horizontal vorticity advection, moving it downstream. This process creates a climatological zonally propagating vorticity signal which, in turn, facilitates the early-morning MP genesis at 12 UTC. The analysis also reveals marked dynamic instability conducive to subsynoptic-scale disturbances in the midtroposphere over the Rockies. Strong meridional temperature gradients appear over the north-facing slopes of the Rockies due to terrain heating to the south and the presence of cooler air to the north. This feature, along with persistent vertical shear, creates a Charney–Stern type of instability (i.e. sign changes of the meridional potential vorticity gradient). Meanwhile, the development of terrain boundary layer reduces the Rossby deformation radius which, subsequently, enhances the likelihood for baroclinic short waves. Such effects are most pronounced in the late afternoon and therefore are supportive to the MP genesis around 00 UTC. Examination of GCM experiments with and without orography further supports the critical role of the Rocky Mountains and its associated boundary layer impacts on the formation of MPs.
The 5-tier system of assessing fetal heart rate tracings is superior to the 3-tier system in identifying fetal acidemia.

Objective Electronic fetal heart rate monitoring was developed to identify fetuses at risk of acidemia for intervention before adverse outcomes. Our objective was to compare the 3-tier system with a 5-tier system in evaluation of fetal acidemia. Study Design Retrospective case-control study of patients with a fetal arterial pH 7.2. Tracings were categorized into 3- and 5-tier systems by a single reviewer. Sensitivities and specificities were calculated for each. Results Twenty-four cases and 24 controls were identified. The sensitivity for an orange or red tracing was higher than for category III, with more of these in the pH P ≤ .001). There were significantly more green, blue, and yellow tracings in the normal pH group compared with the pH P = .033, P = .008, P = .023), respectively. Conclusion The 5-tier system had a better sensitivity than the 3-tier system.
RAPID ISOCRATIC HPLC ANALYSIS OF HYPERICINS

We describe a new method for the analysis of hypericins from crude extracts of Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s Wort) using HPLC. Hypericin and pseudohypericin and related compounds were separated in 15 minutes using a simple isocratic elution method on a modified phenyl column. This isocratic method permits the quantitative and rapid analysis of hypericins in crude acetone samples. In addition, we report on the photoconversion of protohypericins to hypericins, as well as the stability of hypericin and pseudohypericin as a function of light, time, and storage conditions.
A fourth-order-accurate Fourier method for the Helmholtz equation in three dimensions

We present fourth-order-accurate compact discretizations of the Helmholtz equation on rectangular domains in two and three dimensions with any combination of Dirichlet, Neumann, or periodic boundary conditions. The resulting systems of linear algebraic equations have the same block-tridiagonal structure as traditional central differences and hence may be solved efficiently using the Fourier method. The performance of the method for a variety of test cases, including problems with nonsmooth solutions, is presented. The method is seen to be roughly twice as fast as deferred corrections and, in many cases, results in a smaller discretization error.
Characterizing Household Vehicle Fleet Composition and Count by Type in Integrated Modeling Framework

There has been considerable interest, and consequent progress, in the modeling of household vehicle fleet composition and utilization in the travel behavior research domain. The multiple discrete-continuous extreme value (MDCEV) model is a modeling approach that has been applied frequently to characterize this choice behavior. One key drawback of the MDCEV modeling methodology is that it does not provide an estimate of the count of vehicles in each vehicle type alternative represented in the MDCEV model. Moreover, the classic limitations of the multinomial logit model, such as violations of the independence of irrelevant alternatives property in the presence of correlated alternatives and the inability to account for random taste variations, apply to the MDCEV model as well. A new methodological approach, developed to overcome these limitations, is applied in this paper to model vehicle fleet composition and count in each body type. The modeling methodology involves tying together a multiple discrete-cont...
Silences and secrecy: The hidden agenda of cartography in early modern Europe

‘On a visit to Leningrad some years ago I consulted a map to find out where I was, but I could not make it out. From where I stood, I could see several enormous churches, yet there was no trace of them on my map. When finally an interpreter came to help me, he said: “We don't show churches on our maps.” Contradicting him, I pointed to one that was very clearly marked. “That is a museum,” he said, “not what we call a ‘living church.’ It is only ‘living churches’ we don't show.” It then occurred to me that this was not the first time I had been given a map which failed to show many things I could see right in front of my eyes. All through school and university I had been given maps of life and knowledge on which there was hardly a trace of many of the things that I most cared about and that seemed to me to be of the greatest possible importance to the conduct of my life. I remembered that for many years my perplexity had been complete; and no interpreter had come along to help me. It remained complete until...
Provider attitudes toward Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plans (SCAMPs).

Introduction. Despite the growing importance of clinical guidelines, their adoption has encountered significant resistance among clinicians. We developed Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plans (SCAMPs) as an innovative, clinician-led approach to building, implementing, and constantly improving flexible guidelines. We hypothesized that SCAMPs would fit well within the culture of medicine and that clinicians would therefore prefer SCAMPs over other guidelines. Methods. We implemented an anonymous, computer-based survey to analyze provider attitudes toward SCAMPs at our institution. Results. Sixty-nine providers completed the questionnaire (73% response rate). Most providers reported a positive opinion about SCAMPs along axes of overall familiarity (83%), trust (91-94%), utility (75-87%), and overall attitude (64%). Fewer providers felt familiar with the SCAMP improvement process (60% neutral to unfamiliar) or knew that they played a role in this process (62% said no or unsure). Sixty-five percent reported experiencing an erosion in their autonomy with SCAMPs; when comparing this to other guidelines, 38% said other guidelines erode more, 26% felt SCAMPs erode more, and 36% were neutral. The plurality of providers chose SCAMPs as their preferred means to incorporate evidence-based medicine into their practice (46% vs 29% for clinical practice guidelines, 25% for other guidelines). Conclusion. Providers look upon SCAMPs favorably and believe that SCAMPs successfully address numerous barriers to guideline adoption. Furthermore, SCAMPs are the preferred means to incorporate evidence-based medicine into practice among providers surveyed. SCAMPs may represent an important step in building guidelines that fit into the culture of medicine, obtain clinician "buy-in," and better influence clinical decision making.
Interleukin-6 Modulation of Intestinal Epithelial Tight Junction Permeability Is Mediated by JNK Pathway Activation of Claudin-2 Gene

Defective intestinal epithelial tight junction (TJ) barrier has been shown to be a pathogenic factor in the development of intestinal inflammation. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic, pro-inflammatory cytokine which plays an important role in promoting inflammatory response in the gut and in the systemic circulation. Despite its key role in mediating variety inflammatory response, the effect of IL-6 on intestinal epithelial barrier remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of IL-6 on intestinal epithelial TJ barrier and to delineate the intracellular mechanisms involved using in-vitro (filter-grown Caco-2 monolayers) and in-vivo model (mouse intestinal perfusion) systems. Our results indicated that IL-6 causes a site-selective increase in Caco-2 intestinal epithelia TJ permeability, causing an increase in flux of small-sized molecules having molecular radius <4 A. The size-selective increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability was regulated by protein-specific increase in claudin-2 expression. The IL-6 increase in TJ permeability required activation of JNK signaling cascade. The JNK pathway activation of AP-1 resulted in AP-1 binding to its binding sequence on the claudin-2 promoter region, leading to promoter activation and subsequent increase in claudin-2 gene transcription and protein synthesis and TJ permeability. Our in-vivo mouse perfusion showed that IL-6 modulation of mouse intestinal permeability was also mediated by AP-1 dependent increase in claudin-2 expression. In conclusion, our studies show for the first time that the IL-6 modulation of intestinal TJ permeability was regulated by JNK activation of AP-1 and AP-1 activation of claudin-2 gene.
Self-stabilizing distributed algorithms for graph alliances

Graph alliances are recently developed global properties of any symmetric graph. Our purpose in the present paper is to design self-stabilizing fault tolerant distributed algorithms for the global offensive and the global defensive alliance in a given arbitrary graph. We also provide complete analysis of the convergence time of both the algorithms.
A composable service model with loss and a scheduling algorithm

We show the composability of a new service model that we propose, which incorporates packet loss. The new model is based on guaranteeing at least a certain fraction of the all packets of a flow, which is to be served through a network element, to meet their deadlines assigned, via a service curve. We also propose a scheduling algorithm to deliver the services as specified by the new service model at a multiplexer. The correctness of the proposed algorithm is also shown
How caterpillars avoid overheating: behavioral and phenotypic plasticity of pipevine swallowtail larvae

We tested the hypothesis that larvae of the pipevine swallowtail butterfly, Battus philenor, employ behavioral and phenotypic plasticity as thermoregulatory strategies. These larvae are phenotypically varied across their range with predominantly black larvae (southeastern USA and California) and red larvae (western Texas, Arizona) occurring in different regions. Two years of field observations in south Texas indicate that the proportion of red larvae increases with increasing daily temperatures as the growing season progresses. Larvae were also observed to shift their microhabitats by climbing on non-host vegetation and avoided excessive heat in their feeding microhabitat. Larvae of ten half-sib families from populations in south Texas and California, reared under different temperature regimes in common garden experiments, exhibited plasticity in larval phenotype, with larvae from both populations producing the red phenotype at temperatures greater than 30°C and maintaining the black phenotype at cooler temperatures. However, larvae from Texas were more tolerant of higher temperatures, showing no decrease in growth rate in the highest temperature (maximum seasonal temperature) treatment, compared to the California population. In a field experiment, black larvae were found to have higher body temperatures when exposed to sunlight compared to red larvae. These results suggest that microhabitat shifts and the color polyphenism observed in pipevine swallowtail larvae may be the adaptive strategies that enable larvae to avoid critical thermal maximum temperatures.
Lukasiewicz logic arrays

Lukasiewicz logic arrays (LLAs) are massively parallel analog computers organized as binary trees of identical processing elements performing either implication, negated implication, or both. The authors have designed and built working 31-cell CMOS VLSI LLA whose cells perform implication. They discuss the representation completeness of Lukasiewicz logic with respect to other multiple-valued logics; describe the architecture of the prototype LLA, its relationship to cellular automata and its VLSI implementation; show how the prototype LLA is programmed; and report on results obtained by programming the prototype LLA as a fuzzy function generator. Because LLAs have both an algebraic and a logical operational semantics, they can be used to implement approximate reasoning systems, including expert systems and neural networks. >
The impact of a utility corridor on terrestrial gastropod biodiversity

Utility corridors are often thought to be disruptive to biodiversity because they cause habitat fragmentation that may lead to increases in predation, parasitism, disease transmittance and vagrant species while decreasing migration rates, gene flow and genetic diversity for interior species. Species with poor dispersal abilities, sedentary lifestyles, and specialized habitats have been thought to be potentially the most vulnerable to these effects. Terrestrial gastropods thus serve as a valuable system in which to investigate these impacts because they are among the poorest active dispersers in the animal kingdom. To document the impact of corridor formation on land snail biodiversity, a 75-year old powerline right-of-way in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan was chosen for analysis. While terrestrial gastropod richness and abundance was significantly reduced for corridor as compared to adjacent control subsamples, with a 2/3 turnover in species composition, the corridor fauna is similar to nearby native grassland sites in terms of species composition, abundance distribution, and numbers and abundance of species of conservation concern. The fauna of control subsamples immediately adjacent to the corridor remained similar to other undisturbed sites in the region, with multiple species of conservation concern persisting at distances of only 30 m from the corridor. Thus, the net impact of corridor generation has been arguably positive: while the surrounding forest fauna has not been degraded, within the corridor the reduction of forest species has been compensated for by establishment of even rarer grassland species.