cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mineralogical Controls on Microbial Reduction of Fe(III) (Hydr)oxides

This chapter discusses the current state of knowledge regarding the geochemical controls on the initial and sustained reduction of Fe(III) minerals. It introduces the major controlling factors for microbial Fe(III) reduction. Cultured model dissimilatory metalreducing bacteria (DMRB) show diminished abilities to reduce the more crystalline phases, only reducing a small fraction of the potentially available Fe(III). The chapter summarizes the current understanding of the geochemical and mineralogical constraints on microbial Fe(III) (hydr)oxides reduction with the realization that the field is far from a resolution or consensus on what factors ultimately control the transfer of electrons to Fe(III) mineral surfaces. Recent investigations have clearly illustrated differential expression of proteins involved in metal respiration in the common DMRB Geobacter sp. More sophisticated techniques and experimental approaches, including surface-sensitive and time-resolved spectroscopy need to be used to accurately interrogate the molecular environment. The use of poised anodes as surrogate minerals holds promise in addressing the role of reduction potential in electron transfer processes. Ultimately, unraveling the enigma of the microbe- mineral interface will require a multidisciplinary approach requiring an appreciation of the physics and chemistry of mineral surfaces, the enzymatic and nonenzymatic pathways responsible for electron transfer, and the ecology of metal-reducing microbes within a complex mineral framework.
Psychosocial Snapshots: Perinatally Infected HIV+ Adolescents' Sexual Behaviors and Pregnancies

Perinatally infected HIV+ adolescents are confronted with unique psychosocial challenges as they navigate sexual behaviors and pregnancies. How their health and the nature of their chronic illness affect the normal developmental challenges of adolescence is explored through case vignettes taken from social workers' clinical practice at an East Harlem Medical Center. The successes and difficulties faced by both the patient and the practitioner are illustrated.
Natural Products as Cytotoxic Agents

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the occurrence of cancers has increased not only in First World countries but also in those countries considered to have a lower standard of living, according to a world cancer report issued in 2008 for the IARC Nonserial Publication by Boyle and Levin. So widespread is cancer, in its various forms, that most adults have either had family members or had friends who have been afflicted by the disease. Projected figures for cancers indicate, in the aforementioned publication, that 12 million cancer cases were diagnosed in 2008 alone and that the number of cancer victims has doubled since 1978. Coupled to the psychological impact that a diagnosis has on an individual is the cost of treatment that must also be considered. Again, according to the National Cancer Institute (December 2008) these costs are estimated to be US$147 billion by 2020. An article, published in USA Today, claims that new cancer cases in 2008 were projected to be 40,480. And the cost for elderly Medicare patients will be US$21.1 billion for 5 years of treatment for the period 2004–2009. Sadly, one in eight patients with advanced stages of cancer will turn down the offer of recommended care because of costs. While cases may have been misdiagnosed in the twentieth century, the sophisticated techniques available today give a clearer graph of the incidence of the disease. With advanced diagnostics, there has been a concomitant advance in anticancer chemotherapy. Keywords: cancer; cytotoxic agents; DNA; therapeutic agents
Assessment of Ischemic Cardiomyopathy Using Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Pictorial Review

Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. In the last two decades, cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) has emerged as the primary imaging tool in the detection and prognostic assessment of ischemic heart disease. In a single study, CMRI allows evaluation of not only myocardial wall perfusion, but also the presence, acuity, and extent of myocardial ischemia and infarction complications. Also, rest and stress perfusion imaging can accurately depict inducible ischemia secondary to significant coronary artery stenosis. We present a pictorial review of the assessment of ischemic cardiomyopathy with an emphasis on CMRI features.
The Fourier Integral

We are going to define a space of functions such that any operation we want to make on improper integrals converges for functions in that space.
Quantum-dot-tagged microbeads for multiplexed optical coding of biomolecules.

Multicolor optical coding for biological assays has been achieved by embedding different-sized quantum dots (zinc sulfide-capped cadmium selenide nanocrystals) into polymeric microbeads at precisely controlled ratios. Their novel optical properties (e.g., size-tunable emission and simultaneous excitation) render these highly luminescent quantum dots (QDs) ideal fluorophores for wavelength-and-intensity multiplexing. The use of 10 intensity levels and 6 colors could theoretically code one million nucleic acid or protein sequences. Imaging and spectroscopic measurements indicate that the QD-tagged beads are highly uniform and reproducible, yielding bead identification accuracies as high as 99.99% under favorable conditions. DNA hybridization studies demonstrate that the coding and target signals can be simultaneously read at the single-bead level. This spectral coding technology is expected to open new opportunities in gene expression studies, high-throughput screening, and medical diagnostics.
The Coordination of External Representations and Internal Mental Representations in Display-Based Cognitive Tasks

Many cognitive tasks, whether in everyday cognition, scientific practice, or professional life, are distributed cognitive tasks-tasks that require integrative, interactive, and dynamical processing of information retrieved from internal representations and that perceived from external representations through the interplay between perception and cognition. The representational effect is the ubiquitous phenomenon that different representations of a common structure can generate dramatically different representational efficiencies, task complexities, and behavioral outcomes. A framework of distributed representations is proposed to account for the representational effect in distributed cognitive tasks. This framework considers internal and external representations as two indispensable components of a single system and suggests that the relative distribution of information across internal and external representations is the major factor of the representational effect in distributed cognitive tasks. A representational determinism is also proposed-the form of a representation determines what information can be perceived, what processes can be activated, and what structures can be learned and discovered from the specific representation. Applications of the framework of distributed representations will be described for three domains: problem solving, relational information displays, and numberation systems.
Switched reluctance motor drives : modeling, simulation, analysis, design, and applications

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION OF THE SWITCH RELUCTANCE MOTOR (SRM) Introduction Background Elementary Operation of the Switch Reluctance Motor Principle of Operation of the Switched Reluctance Motor Derivation of the Relationship Between Inductance and Rotor Position Equivalent Circuit SRM Configurations Linear Switched Reluctance Machines References DERIVATION OF SRM CHARACTERISTICS Introduction Data for Performance Computation Analytic Method for the Computation of Machine Characteristics Computation of Unaligned Inductance Computation of Aligned Inductance Computation of Inductance vs. Rotor Position vs. Excitation Current Comparison of Measured, Analytic and Finite Element Results References DESIGN OF SRM Introduction Derivation of Output Equation Selection of Dimensions Design Verification Operational Limit Selection of Number of Phases Selection of Poles Ratio of Pole-Arc to Pole-Pitch Selection of Pole Base Selection of Pole-Arcs Measurement of Inductance Calculation of Torque Design of Linear Switched Reluctance Machine (LSRM) References CHAPTER 4: CONVERTERS FOR SRM DRIVES Converter Configurations Asymmetric Bridge Converter Asymmetric Converter Variation Single Switch per Phase Converters m Switches and 2m Diodes m Switches and 2m Diodes with Independent Phase Current Control (m+1) Switch and Diode Configurations One Common Switch Configuration Minimum Switch Topology With Variable DC Link Variable DC Link Voltage with Buck Boost Converter Topology 1.5m Switches and Diodes Configuration Comparison of Some Power Converters Two Stage Power Converter Resonant Converter Circuits for Switched Reluctance Motor Drives References CONTROL OF SRM DRIVE Introduction Control Principle Closed Loop Speed Controlled SRM Drive Design of Current Controllers Flux Linkage Controller Torque Control Design of the Speed Controller References MODELING AND SIMULATION OF SRM DRIVE SYSTEM Introduction Modeling Simulation References ACOUSTIC NOISE AND ITS CONTROL IN SRM Introduction Sources of Acoustic Noise in Electrical Machines Noise Sources Noise Mitigation Qualitative Design Measures to Reduce Noise Measurement of Acoustic Noise and Vibrations Future Directions Appendix-1: Derivation of First Mode Frequency of SRM References SENSORLESS OPERATION OF SRM DRIVES Introduction Current Sensing Rotor Position Measurement Methods Rotor Position Estimation References APPLICATION CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS Introduction Review of SRM Drive Features for Application Consideration Applications Emerging applications References
A Facile Synthesis of O-[(3-Methyloxetan-3-yl)-methyl]hydroxylamine

Since the first report of its preparation in 1878,1 oxetane has been widely used in polymer synthesis.2–4 Of particular note, C(3)-substituted oxetanes5 readily deliver polyether glycols with the C...
Coordinated Sequence Replays Between the Visual Cortex and Hippocampus

Based on our previously published study, in this chapter, we discuss the interaction between the hippocampus (CA1) and primary visual cortex (V1) in the acquisition and consolidation of memories with an emphasis upon how this study supports, and expands upon, contemporary memory theories. Both CA1 and V1 neurons were shown to contribute to the acquisition of hippocampal-dependent episodic memory and to the memory consolidation process during slow-wave sleep. V1 neurons also participate in hippocampal-independent remote memory function following consolidation. Thus, V1 neurons appear to be tuned to both external stimuli and internal memories. These data not only support key elements of contemporary memory theories but also provide fresh, new insights into the consolidation process. Our findings also raise important questions with regard to the distinctions between sensory and memory circuits.
Towards an Integration of Text and Graph Clustering Methods as a Lens for Studying Social Interaction in MOOCs

In this paper, we describe a novel methodology, grounded in techniques from the field of machine learning, for modeling emerging social structure as it develops in threaded discussion forums, with an eye towards application in the threaded discussions of massive open online courses (MOOCs). This modeling approach integrates two simpler, well established prior techniques, namely one related to social network structure and another related to thematic structure of text. As an illustrative application of the integrated technique’s use and utility, we use it as a lens for exploring student dropout behavior in three different MOOCs. In particular, we use the model to identify twenty emerging subcommunities within the threaded discussions of each of the three MOOCs. We then use a survival model to measure the impact of participation in identified subcommunities on attrition along the way for students who have participated in the course discussion forums of the three courses. In each of three MOOCs we find evidence that participation in two to four subcommunities out of the twenty is associated with significantly higher or lower dropout rates than average. A qualitative post-hoc analysis illustrates how the learned models can be used as a lens for understanding the values and focus of discussions within the subcommunities, and in the illustrative example to think about the association between those and detected higher or lower dropout rates than average in the three courses. Our qualitative analysis demonstrates that the patterns that emerge make sense: It associates evidence of stronger expressed motivation to actively participate in the course as well as evidence of stronger cognitive engagement with the material in subcommunities associated with lower attrition, and the opposite in subcommunities associated with higher attrition. We conclude with a discussion of ways the modeling approach might be applied, along with caveats from limitations, and directions for future work.
Mapping of quantitative trait loci/locus conferring resistance to foxtail mosaic virus in maize using the intermated B73 × Mo17 population.

With 2 tables Abstract Foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV) has been reported to have a broad range of hosts, including millet, sorghum, barley, and maize. FoMV-H93, a new strain of FoMV which was isolated from sorghum in 1993, was used to inoculate the Intermated B73 × Mo17 (IBM) syn4 population for quantitative trait loci/locus (QTL) analysis. The parents of the IBM population, B73 and Mo17, are susceptible and resistant, respectively, to this virus isolate. A panel of 94 recombinant inbred lines was used as the mapping population in our study. Eight different QTL responsible for resistance at three different stages on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 were detected. The QTL provide new resources in both maize and closely related crops such as sorghum for breeding resistant plants.
Factorial Schur functions via the six vertex model

For a particular set of Boltzmann weights and a particular boundary condition for the six vertex model in statistical mechanics, we compute explicitly the partition function and show it to be equal to a factorial Schur function, giving a new proof of a theorem of Lascoux.
Cellular prion protein and Alzheimer disease: link to oligomeric amyloid-β and neuronal cell death

Soluble oligomeric amyloid-β (Aβ) has been suggested to impair synaptic and neuronal function, leading to neurodegeneration that is clinically observed as the memory and cognitive dysfunction characteristic of Alzheimer disease, while the precise mechanism(s) whereby oligomeric Aβ causes neurotoxicity remains unknown. Recently, the cellular prion protein (PrPC) was reported to be an essential co-factor in mediating the neurotoxic effect of oligomeric Aβ. Our recent study showed that Prnp−/− mice are resistant to the neurotoxic effect of oligomeric Aβ in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, application of an anti-PrPC antibody or PrPC peptide was able to block oligomeric Aβ-induced neurotoxicity. These findings demonstrate that PrPC may be involved in neuropathologic conditions other than conventional prion diseases, i.e., Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Mg2+ and other polyvalent cations catalyze nucleotide fluorolysis.

Abstract The reaction of fluoride with adenosine triphosphate has been studied as a nonenzymatic analog of the pyruvate kinase-catalyzed fluorokinase reaction. The production of fluorophosphate, as well as adenosine 5′-O-fluorophosphate (FAMP) and adenosine 5′-O-(2-fluorodiphosphate) (βFADP) was found to be dependent on the presence of polyvalent metal ions. All ions tested showed significant activity. Two catalytic regimes for the cations could be distinguished: a less specific enhancement of product formation at lower fluoride/cation ratios, and a considerably more active and specific (for fluorophosphate production) enhancement at high fluoride/cation ratios. A comparison of the results with studies of cation-catalyzed nucleotide hydrolysis indicates that the fluorolysis mechanisms are analogous to the hydrolysis by hydroxyl ions observed at high pH. In addition to these nonenzymatic studies, experiments performed using several commercially available kinases indicated significant fluorokinase activity for two: glycerokinase and acetate kinase, although the activities were much below that of pyruvate kinase. With the exception of the concentrations used in these studies, these reactions proceed under physiological conditions, yielding products at sufficient concentrations to be readily detected by19F NMR spectroscopy.
High-Performance Soft-Tissue Imaging in Extremity Cone-Beam CT.

ABSTRACT Purpose: Clinical performance studies of an extremity cone-beam CT (CBCT) system indicate excellent bone visualization, but point to the need for improvement of soft-tissue image quality. To this end, a rapid Monte Carlo (MC) scatter correction is proposed, and Penalized Likelihood (PL) reconstruction is evaluated for noise management. Methods: The accelerated MC scatter correction involved fast MC simulation with low number of photons implemented on a GPU (10 7 photons/sec), followed by Gaussian kernel smoothing in the detector plane and across projection angles. PL reconstructions were investigated for reduction of imaging dose for projections acquired at ~2 mGy. Results: The rapid scatter estimation yielded root-mean-squared-errors of scatter projections of ~15% of peak scatter intensity for 510 6 photons/projection (runtime ~0.5 sec/projection) and 25% improvement in fat-muscle contrast in reconstructions of a cadaveric knee. PL reconstruction largely restored soft-tissue visualization at 2 mGy dose to that of 10 mGy FBP image. Conclusion: The combination of rapid (5-10 minutes/scan) MC-based, patient-specific scatter correction and PL reconstruction offers an important means to overcome the curr ent limitations of extremity CBCT in soft-tissue imaging. Keywords: cone-beam CT, extremities imaging, Monte Carlo, scatter correction, nonlinear reconstruction
Particulate matter and sulfur in the natural atmosphere

Abstract The success of PIXE methods for research on chemical processes in the natural atmosphere depends on the identification of significant problems in air chemistry where the PIXE methods can be applied to advantage. In order to facilitate these applications in the future, the present state of knowledge is reviewed with respect to terrestrial dust, radioactive aerosols, sea spray, volcanic emissions, biosphere emanations, biomass burning, and sulfur oxides in clean air. Some of this research has already been conducted using PIXE methods.
Electromagnetic final-state interactions in the leptonic decays of the neutral kaon (I) Kℓ3 mode☆

We present a calculation of the Coulomb final-state interaction effects in the decays KL → π∓ l±Vl. Specifically we investigate the charge asymmetry and the transverse polarization of the charged lepton. We consider the effects of possible ΔQ = −ΔS amplitudes and the q2 dependence of the form factors. The variation of the effects over the Dalitz plot is discussed and many numerical results are given.
Analysis of comments in a petition defending electronic cigarettes.

INTRODUCTION A 2009 petition opposing a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ban on electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) garnered international attention from e-cig users (vapers). Petitioners' comments described the perceived benefits of vaping. METHODS We conducted a qualitative and quantitative analysis of petitioners' comments. A sample of 200 petitioner names was sought in public records. Reviewers identified 13 major themes in a sample of comments, and themes related to current controversies were added. For each theme, software pattern-matching instructions (regular expressions) were developed and were used to scan comments. Agreement between reviewers and software was calculated; theme prevalence and clustering was ascertained. RESULTS A total of 13,414 signatures and 8,285 comments from 50 states and 75 nations were collected in 6 months. Temporal patterns and name matches in public records suggest that most petitioners are authentic. Agreement between reviewers and software was moderate to high (κ = 0.4-0.8). Commonly cited themes were "e-cigs helped me quit" (34%), "a ban would be counterproductive" (15%), and "my health improved with e-cigs" (13%). Two clusters of themes emerged: the first combined comments about smoking cessation, health benefits, and smoking relapse that an e-cig ban would cause; the second combined themes that a "ban would be counterproductive," it would infringe on personal liberties, and it was motivated by government or industrial greed. People who cited mental health issues often mentioned avoiding withdrawal as a benefit of e-cigs. CONCLUSIONS Early e-cig adopters were both frustrated and confused by discussion of a ban. They believed that e-cigs safely delivered nicotine and helped them quit smoking.
Braille Learning: Effects of Symbol Size.

Learning the name for braille symbols was facilitated by the presence of large symbols on study trials when standard-size symbols were present on test trials, and by the presence of large braille symbols on test trials. These effects were found to be independent of the discriminability of the set of items for which the names were to be learned.
Effects of wood and cotton smoke on the surface properties of pulmonary surfactant

Abstract The effects of wood and cotton smoke and several known smoke components on the dynamic surface activity of pulmonary surfactant were characterized with a modified Wilhelmy balance. Surfactant was harvested by saline lavage from dog lungs, placed in the balance and a control surface tension/area isotherm (y-A) and surface tension at minimum area (control ymin = 6.6±1.6 dynes/cm) measured. Hysteresis area (HA), recruitment index (RI), and stability index (SI) were calculated. Following control measurements, smoke (wood or cotton) was gently blown over the surfactant in the balance. Similarly, each of the individual smoke components or Liquid smoke (prepared by bubbling wood smoke through saline) were injected onto the balance. Wood smoke significantly (P
“Respect for the Rights of Others Is Peace”: Learning Aggression versus Nonaggression among the Zapotec

This article examines differences in aggression between two Zapotec communities in Oaxaca, Mexico. An ethological study of three- to eight-year-old children (N = 48) reveals statistically significant intercommunity differences in children's serious and play aggression, corresponding to ethnographically observed intercommunity differences in adult behavior. The parallels between adult and children's conduct within the communities support the conclusion that different social learning environments contribute to the maintenance across generations of divergent ideologies, values, and patterns of social interaction related to violence or peacefulness. Social learning and socialization processes also can be viewed as interacting with economic, historical, and ideological influences. The findings suggest that studies of violence that neglect social learning influences may be providing only partial explanations.
The Impact of Operative Time on Complications After Plastic Surgery: A Multivariate Regression Analysis of 1753 Cases

Background: Little evidence within plastic surgery literature supports the precept that longer operative times lead to greater morbidity. Objective: The authors investigate surgery duration as a determinant of morbidity, with the goal of defining a clinically relevant time for increased risk. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted of patients who underwent a broad range of complex plastic surgical procedures (n = 1801 procedures) at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, from January 1, 2008 to January 31, 2012. Adjusting for possible confounders, multivariate logistic regression assessed surgery duration as an independent predictor of morbidity. To define a cutoff for increased risk, incidence of complications was compared among quintiles of surgery duration. Stratification by type of surgery controlled for procedural complexity. Results: A total of 1753 cases were included in multivariate analyses with an overall complication rate of 27.8%. Most operations were combined (75.8%), averaging 4.9 concurrent procedures. Each hour increase in surgery duration was associated with a 21% rise in odds of morbidity ( P < .0001). Compared with the first quintile of operative time (<2.0 hours), there was no change in complications until after 3.1 hours of surgery (odds ratio, 1.6; P = .017), with progressively greater odds increases of 3.1 times after 4.5 hours ( P < .0001) and 4.7 times after 6.8 hours ( P < .0001). When stratified by type of surgery, longer operations continued to be associated with greater morbidity. Conclusions: Surgery duration is an independent predictor of complications, with a significantly increased risk above 3 hours. Although procedural complexity undoubtedly affects morbidity, operative time should factor into surgical decision making. Level of Evidence: 3 ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Non-genomic Actions of Androgens

Previous work in the endocrine and neuroendocrine fields has viewed the androgen receptor (AR) as a transcription factor activated by testosterone or one of its many metabolites. The bound AR acts as transcription regulatory element by binding to specific DNA response elements in target gene promoters, causing activation or repression of transcription and subsequently protein synthesis. Over the past two decades evidence at the cellular and organismal level has accumulated to implicate rapid responses to androgens, dependent or independent of the AR. Androgen's rapid time course of action; its effects in the absence or inhibition of the cellular machinery necessary for transcription/translation; and in the absence of translocation to the nucleus suggest a method of androgen action not initially dependent on genomic mechanisms (i.e. non-genomic in nature). In the present paper, the non-genomic effects of androgens are reviewed, along with a discussion of the possible role non-genomic androgen actions have on animal physiology and behavior.
A time-driven activity-based costing model to improve health-care resource use in Mirebalais, Haiti.

Abstract Background In resource-limited settings, efficiency is crucial to maximise resources available for patient care. Time driven activity-based costing (TDABC) estimates costs directly from clinical and administrative processes used in patient care, thereby providing valuable information for process improvements. TDABC is more accurate and simpler than traditional activity-based costing because it assigns resource costs to patients based on the amount of time clinical and staff resources are used in patient encounters. Other costing approaches use somewhat arbitrary allocations that provide little transparency into the actual clinical processes used to treat medical conditions. TDABC has been successfully applied in European and US health-care settings to facilitate process improvements and new reimbursement approaches, but it has not been used in resource-limited settings. We aimed to optimise TDABC for use in a resource-limited setting to provide accurate procedure and service costs, reliably predict financing needs, inform quality improvement initiatives, and maximise efficiency. Methods A multidisciplinary team used TDABC to map clinical processes for obstetric care (vaginal and caesarean deliveries, from triage to post-partum discharge) and breast cancer care (diagnosis, chemotherapy, surgery, and support services, such as pharmacy, radiology, laboratory, and counselling) at Hopital Universitaire de Mirebalais (HUM) in Haiti. The team estimated the direct costs of personnel, equipment, and facilities used in patient care based on the amount of time each of these resources was used. We calculated inpatient personnel costs by allocating provider costs per staffed bed, and assigned indirect costs (administration, facility maintenance and operations, education, procurement and warehouse, bloodbank, and morgue) to various subgroups of the patient population. This study was approved by the Partners in Health/Zanmi Lasante Research Committee. Findings The direct cost of an uncomplicated vaginal delivery at HUM was US$62 and the direct cost of a caesarean delivery was US$249. The direct costs of breast cancer care (including diagnostics, chemotherapy, and mastectomy) totalled US$1393. A mastectomy, including post-anaesthesia recovery and inpatient stay, totalled US$282 in direct costs. Indirect costs comprised 26–38% of total costs, and salaries were the largest percentage of total costs (51–72%). Interpretation Accurate costing of health services is vital for financial officers and funders. TDABC showed opportunities at HUM to optimise use of resources and reduce costs—for instance, by streamlining sterilisation procedures and redistributing certain tasks to improve teamwork. TDABC has also improved budget forecasting and informed financing decisions. HUM leadership recognised its value to improve health-care delivery and expand access in low-resource settings. Funding Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Business School, and Partners in Health.
Effects of Drop-Size-Distribution Truncation on Computer Simulations of Dual-Measurement Radar Methods

Abstract An investigation is made of the effects of truncating the raindrop-size distribution at minimum and maximum diameters on the results of computer simulations of dual-measurement radar methods. The dual-measurement methods investigated include those that involve the pairs of measurables (Z, A), (A, Σ), (ZDR, ZH), and (vZ, Z), where Z, A, Σ, ZDR, ZH, and vz are the Rayleigh reflectivity factor, microwave attenuation, optical extinction, differential reflectivity, Mie reflectivity factor at horizontal polarization, and mean Doppler fall speed, respectively. It is found that the systematic offsets of calculated versus actual values of rainfall parameters observed in previous work using experimental disdrometer drop-size spectra can be attributed almost entirely to truncation effects. Any remaining offset after truncation effects have been removed can be attributed to deviations of the drop-size distribution from exponentiality. The effects of truncation on empirical relations deduced from experimental...
Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony: Witchery and Sacrifice of Self

(2008). Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony: Witchery and Sacrifice of Self. The Explicator: Vol. 67, No. 1, pp. 53-55.
Developing the building blocks for cognitive communications: Adaptive rates & intelligent networking

Applying data-centric and cognitive techniques in the space communications infrastructure promises, by managing and even exploiting complexity, to enhance performance and operational efficiency and to enable future science and exploration operational concepts that require flexible and adaptive communications and networking not currently available.1 2 The paper presents a novel approach to decomposing cognitive communications into constituent parts, referred to herein as building blocks. Deconstructing cognitive communications into a set of underlying technologies or capabilities provides a manageable approach to developing the necessary underlying technologies to enable more dynamic and automated processes in the space communications architecture. To illustrate how these building blocks utilize an understanding of a system's context to drive decisions and actions, the paper presents information concerning several of the building blocks including adaptive rates, context-aware routing, cross-layer interactions, and delay/disruption tolerant networking.
Sustained hippocampal IL-1β overexpression impairs contextual and spatial memory in transgenic mice

Neuroinflammatory conditions such as traumatic brain injury, aging, Alzheimer's disease, and Down syndrome are often associated with cognitive dysfunction. Much research has targeted inflammation as a causative mediator of these deficits, although the diverse cellular and molecular changes that accompany these disorders obscure the link between inflammation and impaired memory. Therefore, we used a transgenic mouse model with a dormant human IL-1beta excisional activation transgene to direct overexpression of IL-1beta with temporal and regional control. Two weeks of hippocampal IL-1beta overexpression impaired long-term contextual and spatial memory in both male and female mice, while hippocampal-independent and short-term memory remained intact. Human IL-1beta overexpression activated glia, elevated murine IL-1beta protein and PGE(2) levels, and increased pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine mRNAs specifically within the hippocampus, while having no detectable effect on inflammatory mRNAs in the liver. Sustained neuroinflammation also reduced basal and conditioning-induced levels of the plasticity-related gene Arc.
Provably secure obfuscation of diverse watermarks for sequential circuits

This paper presents a provably secure method for embedding multiple watermarks in sequential designs. A number of different watermarks signed with the IP owner's secret key from a public key cryptography system are generated. The owner's watermarks are then dissembled into the states and transitions of the original sequential design. Hiding the multiple watermarks in the states and transitions is shown to be an instance of obfuscating a multi-point function with a generalized output. We draw on the theoretical cryptographic results of provable obfuscation of this function family to build a secure sequential multi-watermark system by construction. An iterative synthesis method for integrating the collection of watermarks to the original design is introduced. Analysis of watermark properties and the attack resiliency of the new multiple watermarking construction is presented. Experimental evaluations on benchmark circuits demonstrate practicality and low overhead of the new provably secure multiple watermarks construction method.
Use of RAPD markers to document the origin of the intergeneric hybrid×Margyracaena skottsbergii (Rosaceae) on the Juan Fernandez Islands

Bands of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPDs) were used as markers to test the hypothesis that the species xMargyracaena skottsbergii, which is endemic to the island of Masatierra in the Juan Fernandez archipelago, represents an intergeneric hybrid between Acaena argentea and Margyricarpus digynus. Thirteen 1 0-mer primers produced 18 consistent species-specific bands forA. argentea and 27 for M. digynus, with all 45 bands present in the presumed hybrid x Margyracaena. A second species of Acaena on Masatierra, A. ovalifolia, has 23 unique amplified bands in all plants examined, and it shares none of these bands with x Margyracaena. The data from RAPDs are concordant with morphology in implicating Acaena argentea rather than A. ovalifolia as one parent of x Margyracaena. RAPDs can provide numerous genetic markers while requiring minimal quantities of DNA, thereby making them attractive for the study of hybridization, particularly in rare plants where DNA amounts may be limiting.
Efficient Scheduling for Delay Constrained Multi-Rate CDMA Systems

We consider efficient scheduling for a delay constrained multi-rate CDMA system. We first find the optimum schedule for CDMA systems without transmit diversity (TD), that minimizes the average transmission energy per bit while maintaining the short term average throughput for each user in the system. We observe that the specifics of the scheduling problem enables it polynomially solvable. Next, we consider the case when mobile devices are capable of employing two antennas and use Alamouti scheme to achieve TD. We observe that our proposed scheduling protocol can be extended to the system with TD with a modest sacrifice in performance and significant saving in computational complexity, as compared to the optimum scheduler. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed scheduling protocols, and the considerable energy savings they provide with respect to the TDMA-type scheduling.
A Genetically Determined Variant of the A-Subunit of Lactic Dehydrogenase in the Deer Mouse

Analysis by starch gel electrophoresis of erythrocyte hemolysates and brain extracts indicated that an electrophoretic variant of lactic dehydrogenase discovered in Peromyscus involves the A subunit. The tetramers containing the variant molecules migrate more rapidly than the normal ones, and the staining reactions suggested a reduced enzymatic activity. Comparisons of the erythrocyte LDH activity of normal and homozygous variant animals indicated that the variant enzyme is intrinsically less active than the normal. The variant is inherited as an autosomal codominant and appears to confer no selective disadvantage.
The evolution of manufacturing systems: Towards the post-industrial enterprise

Abstract The post-industrial manufacturing era is likely to be characterized by increased market diversity, rapid market and technological change, and the world-wide spread of advanced manufacturing technologies. Many firms have had difficulty responding to changing customer needs while improving productivity. Implicitly if not explicitly, top management's responses to these challenges are shaped by two alternative paradigms for managing manufacturing firms—industrial and post-industrial. The industrial paradigm, based on an economic/technical perspective, views manufacturing as a functional area. In contrast, the post-industrial paradigm, based on a customer-oriented sociotechnical perspective, views manufacturing as an enterprise. This paper presents a stage model of the evolution of manufacturing from craft systems, to industrial systems, to the emerging post-industrial manufacturing enterprise. The attributes of each stage are described and the forces driving the evolutionary process are discussed. The authors contend that industrial and post-industrial enterprises seek innovativeness and efficiency in different ways. This model of the evolution of manufacturing systems is used to provide one explanation of the difficulty firms have had adapting to the new era in manufacturing.
An automatic computational pipeline to display MHC binding motifs

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules play key roles in host immunity against pathogens by presenting peptide antigens to CD8+ T-cells. The hallmark of MHC molecules is their capacity to present peptides with tremendous sequence diversity. Both experimental approaches and computational algorithms have been utilized to analyze peptide MHC binding characteristics. However, it remains a challenging task to summarize key binding properties for large number a MHC molecules in an automatic fashion. In this paper, we present a computational pipeline that takes peptide MHC binding data as input and produces a cartoon like summary of binding motif as well as a colored matrix that displays detailed binding information. We tested our automatic algorithms on a set of 18 MHC class I molecules and showed that our predictions are consistent with historic manual assignments. The pipeline has been incorporated into the immune epitope database and analysis resource (IEDB) and motifs can be visualized while browsing MHC alleles through IEDB.
The Minority Report: Targeting the Rare Oncogenes in NSCLC

Lung cancer is still responsible for the highest number of cancer deaths worldwide. Despite this fact, significant progress has been made in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Specifically, efforts to identify and treat genetic alterations (gene mutations, gene fusions, gene amplification events, etc.) that result in oncogenic drivers are now standard of care (EGFR and ALK) or an intense area of research. The most prevalent oncogenic drivers have likely already been identified; thus, there is now a focus on subgroups of tumors with less common genetic alterations. Interestingly, as we explore these less common mutations, we are discovering that many occur across other tumor types (i.e., non-lung cancer), further justifying their study. Furthermore, many studies have demonstrated that by searching broadly for multiple genetic alterations in large subsets of patients they are able to identify potentially targetable alterations in the majority of patients. Although individually, the rare oncogenic drivers subgroups may seem to occur too infrequently to justify their exploration, the fact that the majority of patients with NSCLC harbor a potentially actionable driver mutation within their tumors and the fact that different types of cancers often have the same oncogenic driver justifies this approach.
Economic and Market Analysis of CO2 Utilization Technologies – Focus on CO2 derived from North Dakota lignite

Abstract Based on information obtained about the technical aspects of the technologies, several challenges are expected to be faced by any potential CO 2 utilization technologies intended for North Dakota lignite plants. The weather, alkaline content of lignite fly ash, and space limitations in the immediate vicinity of existing power plants are challenging hurdles to overcome. Currently, no CO 2 utilization option is ready for implementation or integration with North Dakota power plants. Mineralization technologies suffer from the lack of a well-defined product and insufficient alkalinity in lignite fly ash. Algae and microalgae technologies are not economically feasible and will have weather- related challenges.
Evaluation of Meditation in the Treatment of Chemical Dependency

This research investigated the effect of meditation on warning signs of relapse among adults in residential treatment for chemical dependency. Results were that meditation increased participants' mindfulness, decreased negative mood, and reduced warning signs of relapse. The effect of the intervention on risk of relapse was mediated by mindfulness, the effect of which was, in turn, partially mediated by decrease in negative mood states. The data provide evidence for the effectiveness of meditation to reduce risk for relapse in this population and also add to our knowledge of the relationship between negative mood states and risk for relapse among those in treatment for chemical dependency.
Inverted Cauchy problem for the Laplace equation in engineering design

A Cauchy problem for the Laplace equation is solved by analytic continuation of the space variables on the plane of the complex potential, thereby obtaining an explicit expression for the geometry of physical boundaries of interest. In an illustrative application to the inverse free boundary problem of electrochemical machining, the general solution comprises a closed-form description of a tool family which can be used to machine a prescribed workpiece. The method is extended to include the effects of variable electrolyte conductivity, and a general tool design procedure is suggested in which an analytic series with correct asymptotic behavior is used to represent the given workpiece geometry. Applications in other fields such as heat conduction and hydrodynamics are discussed. The inverted formulation described herein affords considerable advantage and generality in solving Cauchy problems which are encountered in engineering design.
Measurement of Gamma-Ray Energies with Single Crystals of NaI(T1)

A new method is described for determining gamma-ray energies and intensities. The basis of the method is the observation of narrow pulse distributions (lines) in the scintillations of NaI(T1). Due to the presence of the iodine component, pair production and the photoelectric process produce relatively sharp lines in the pulse distributions. The Compton process may also be used in determining gamma-energies. Approximate theoretical curves of the pulse distribution are shown. Experimental spectra resemble the theoretical patterns, except for differences in intensities discussed in the text. Electronic as well as photographic techniques for obtaining spectra are described. With these methods well known spectra are confirmed and new results in the case of ${\mathrm{Ga}}^{66}$ are given. With a source of less than ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}$ curie of ${\mathrm{K}}^{40}$ the energy of the gamma-ray has been determined to within two percent. The method described should make possible a new approach to the study of weak gamma-radioactivities and unknown gamma-ray spectra.
Researching Corporate Social Responsibility: An Agenda for the 21st Century

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a tortured concept. We review the current state of the art across a number of academic disciplines, from accounting to management to theology. In a world that is increasingly global and pluralistic, progress in our understanding of CSR must include theorizing around the micro-level processes practicing managers engage in when allocating resources toward social initiatives, as well as refined measurement of the outcomes of those initiatives on stakeholder and shareholder interests. Scholarship must also account for the influence of diverse, and even mal-adaptive, stakeholders as well as more fully incorporate non-Western philosophical and economic perspectives. Based on this review, we pose five questions that scholars from each of these disciplines should address as the CSR field moves forward. We hope our questions provoke deeper thinking and greater rigor and attention to detail in this important area of business research.
Rheological properties of biopolymers drilling fluids

Abstract Drilling muds are complex fluids, generally used to clean the well, maintain hole integrity, transport the rock cuttings, lubricate the drill bit and control formation pressures. Two basic types of drilling fluids are used, water based muds (WBM) and oil based muds (OBM). OBM are very effective but polluting, and environmental regulations continue to restrict the use of oil based muds in many areas of the world. In order to reduce the mud toxicity, we developed water based mud systems using two biopolymers, which are xanthan gum and scleroglucan, generally proposed for high permeability reservoirs or for complex geometries such as horizontal wells. In this study, we evaluated the rheological behaviour of different samples and we determined the effect of components such as clay, calcium carbonate and potassium chloride. This formulations exhibit non-Newtonian rheological behaviour which can be described well by the tree parameter in Herschel–Bulkley rheological model.
Materials for intelligent sun protecting glazing

Abstract The aim of this review is to present the last 10 years of development in sun protection by use of electrochromic devices, thermotropic gels and polymer dispersed liquid crystalline systems. Furthermore, the properties of new lyotropic liquid crystalline and thermotropic hydrogels are discussed. Thermochromic hydrogels, which change their colour by changes in the temperature, also are presented. The relationship between gel composition, optical behaviour and thermodynamic properties as investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is also demonstrated.
Temperature limit of a graphite divertor surface due to self-sputtering and radiation enhanced sublimation

Abstract The surface temperature limit of a graphite coated tokamak divertor due to particle erosion has been examined theoretically. The analysis uses models for physical sputtering, radiation enhanced sublimation, and redeposition phenomena. An upper bound on surface temperature is computed based on the necessary condition that self-sputtering be finite. The allowable graphite surface temperature is found to depend strongly on the plasma edge temperature, being limited to ≲ 800 ° C for medium plasma edge temperatures (−150 eV).