cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A sharp interface method for coupling multiphase flow, heat transfer and multicomponent mass transfer with interphase diffusion

Abstract Mixing of partially miscible fluids plays an important role in many physical and chemical processes. The modeling complexities lie in the tight coupling of the multiphase flow, heat transfer and multicomponent mass transfer, as well as diffusions across the phase interface. We present a sharp interface method for modeling such process. The non-ideal equation of state is used to compute the fluid properties such as density, fugacity and enthalpy, and to predict phase equilibrium composition. The phase interface location is tracked using the phase propagation velocity. A third-order one-sided finite difference scheme using a variable grid size according to the interface location is utilized to discretize the partial derivatives immediately next to the interface, while a second-order central scheme is used for the bulk of fluids. An optimization method, the Nelder–Mead method, is applied to search for (1) the phase compositions on both sides of the interface, and (2) the phase propagation velocity based on the coupling of the multicomponent phase equilibrium and the species' balance across the interface. The temperature at the interface is determined by the energy balance. Numerical results are used to demonstrate the convergence of our method and show its capability to simulate the mixing of multicomponent partially miscible fluids.
Perceiving nested affordances for another person’s actions

Affordances are available behaviors that emerge out of relations between properties of animals and properties of their environment. Affordances are nested within one another. One way to conceptualize this nesting is through a mean-ends hierarchy. Previous research has shown that perceivers are sensitive to hierarchical means-ends relationships when perceiving affordances for their own actions. Affordances are also nested in a social context. We investigated perception of hierarchical mean-ends nesting of affordances for another person's actions. We asked participants to judge the maximum reaching height of another person (the "actor"). Judgments of the actor's maximum reaching height reflected manipulated constraints on the reaching task, suggesting that participants were sensitive (prospectively) to hierarchical relations between lower order affordances and higher order affordances. In addition, the results revealed that judgments scaled to the reaching ability of the actor and not that of the perceiver. We argue that perceivers were sensitive to hierarchical means-ends nesting of affordances for another person across two-levels of this hierarchy, and that perceivers' judgments were based upon perceptual information about the actor's action capabilities, rather than being based upon simulation of perceivers' own abilities.
Dynamic provisioning in virtualized Cloud infrastructure in IP/MPLS-over-WDM networks

Reliance on cloud computing infrastructure has increased rapidly worldwide, and increasing amount of resources are provided to users by the cloud providers. User demand provisioning is an important issue for the cloud provider as the number of demands increases while the resources on the data center (DC) and the available bandwidth between DCs remain limited. The provisioning problem has serious implications in real-time scenarios, where the number of demands for the requested service is not known in advance. In this paper, we consider dynamic provisioning of the cloud resources including bandwidth scheduling for user demands where the requested DC resources (e.g. CPUs, storage and network ports) and bandwidth are not known in advance. We assume that the DCs are connected using IP/MPLS-over-WDM networks, which support grooming of the bandwidth from different demands where possible. Increasing the number of demands accepted while reducing the cost is important for providers. We propose and study the effects, of two greedy approaches to solve this problem, on the blocking probability and the total cost, which includes the operating expenditure (OpEx) and capital expenditure (CapEx).
Mixing Mixed Frequency and Diffusion Indices in Good Times and in Bad

In the field of economics, recent advances in the areas of machine learning, shrinkage, and variable selection have been spectacularly successful. In one key area of study, advances in both modelling and estimation have enabled empirical practitioners to show the usefulness of latent factors designed to efficiently extract common information from interesting new datasets. At the center of this big data success are di¤usion and mixed frequency indices, which have proven useful time and time again in forecasting contexts. This paper lends further support to recent claims of the usefulness of these sorts of indices, albeit with a twist. We show that the usefulness of said indices is pronounced during low GDP growth periods, while simple autoregressive models are adequate during high growth periods. This finding stems from the introduction of very simple hybrid models that employ dynamic recursive (rolling) thresholding in order to switch between benchmark linear models and more complex index driven models, depending on GDP growth conditions. In the context of predicting both quarterly real GDP growth and CPI inflation, these hybrid models are found to be superior, for all forecast horizons. When comparing the hybrid models against a host of alternatives, mean square forecast error gains reach as high as 35%, during the Great Recession, and remain significant throughout our entire prediction period. Additionally, the very best short-term GDP forecasting models contain variants of the Aruoba, Diebold and Scotti (2009) business conditions index, although these models are most useful when di¤usion indices are also incorporated. Thus, mixing mixed frequency and di¤usion indices matters. Finally, across all experiments, we find strong new evidence of the usefulness of survey predictions, including those from the Survey and Professional Forecasters, and those from the Livingston Survey.
Sexual dimorphism and sexual selection in cytheroidean ostracodes from the Late Cretaceous of the U.S. Coastal Plain

Sexual dimorphism is common in many extant animals, but it is difficult to demonstrate in fossil species. Working with material from the Late Cretaceous of the U.S. Coastal Plain, we herein analyze sexual dimorphism in ostracodes from the superfamily Cytheroidea, a group whose extant members have males that are relatively more elongate than females. We digitized outlines of more than 6000 individual ostracode valves or carapaces, extracted size (area) and shape (length-to-height ratio) information, and used finite mixture models to assess hypotheses of sexual dimorphism. Male and female clusters can be discerned in nearly all populations with sufficient data, resulting in estimates of size and shape dimorphismfor 142 populations across 106 species; an additional nine samples are interpreted to consist only of females. Dimorphism patterns varied across taxa, especially for body size: males range from 30% larger to 20% smaller than females. Magnitudes of sexual dimorphism are generally stable within species across time and space; we can demonstrate substantial evolutionary changes in dimorphism in only one species, Haplocytheridea renfroensis. Several lines of evidence indicate that patterns of sexual dimorphism in these ostracodes reflect male investment in reproduction, suggesting that this study system has the potential to capture variation in sexual selection through the fossil record.
Allozymes of the Cyprinid Fishes

The cyprinid fishes comprise a major element of the ichthyofauna of Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. More than 1600 species in over 275 genera make the Cyprinidae the most speciose of fish families (Nelson, 1976). Cyprinid fishes have been the subject of several allozyme studies. However, given the number of species in the family, cyprinids have been underrepresented in such studies to date. Nevertheless, cyprinids have contributed to our understanding of genetic variation in natural populations and a variety of evolutionary processes. Studies of heterozygosity, population differentiation, hybridization including introgression, and rates of evolution have been addressed using cyprinids and are discussed in this chapter.
Case 12: Gum Elastic Bougie

Today you are working with a medical student in what would seem to be a straightforward surgical list. The first patient is a 40-year-old female for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. On examination, she has a class 2 airway, weighs 80 kg, and is 5’6”. She has no other medical or surgical problems. The medical student places the IV and you induce anesthesia. The medical student is masking the patient with ease. You tell the medical student to get the laryngoscope out. He places the scope correctly but tells you that he cannot see anything. You look and have to agree with him. You decide the patient is a class 3. You take out your gum elastic bougie (GEB) and place it blindly in what you think is the trachea. You pass a #7 endotracheal tube (ETT) over the GEB but have difficultly advancing the ETT. You turn the ETT 90–160 degrees to the right, and the ETT glides into what you presume is the trachea.
Steady states and transport processes in urban ozone balances

Core chemical theory is combined with transport processes and local emissions to study the validity of commonly made assumptions regarding steady states to interpret urban and regional ozone data. It is shown that photo-stationary states of NO and NO2 cannot exist in urban areas or polluted regions in addition to the lack of such a state for ozone. Calculations in published papers, which make the assumption of a photo-stationary state for NO and NO2, or ozone, are likely to be inaccurate by unacceptable amounts. The Leighton Ratio is re-interpreted to show how it incorporates both the peroxy radical and transport effects on ozone, separating local chemical production from its transport. To illustrate the concepts and test the assumptions, hourly observations of ozone and its precursors from Yanbu in Saudi Arabia are analyzed. The major role of local transport processes and a large import of ozone at night, probably from aloft, are uncovered as a by-product. It is shown that photo-stationary states of ozone and nitrogen oxides do not exist in polluted urban environments. In the past, such states have been assumed and conclusions have been drawn about how much net ozone is produced by chemical processes. Or sometimes, the concentrations of peroxy radicals—important intermediate chemicals that increase ozone production—are calculated under this faulty assumption. This research shows that such photo-stationary state calculations are invalid, underestimate net ozone production and ignore transport processes to the detriment of ozone abatement efforts. The ideas are tested and applied to a data set from Yanbu, a desert city of Saudi Arabia, showing major effects of transported ozone both day and night.
A simple generalized gradient approximation for the noninteracting kinetic energy density functional

A simple, unconventional, nonempirical, constraint-based orbital-free generalized gradient approximation (GGA) noninteracting kinetic energy density functional is presented along with illustrative applications. The innovation is adaptation of constraint-based construction to the essential properties of pseudodensities from the pseudopotentials that are essential in plane-wave-basis ab initio molecular dynamics. This contrasts with constraining to the qualitatively different Kato-cusp-condition densities. The single parameter in the proposed functional is calibrated by satisfying Pauli potential positivity constraints for pseudoatom densities. In static lattice tests on simple metals and semiconductors, the LKT (for the authors' initials) functional outperforms the previous best constraint-based GGA functional, VT84F [Phys. Rev. B 88, 161108(R) (2013)], is generally superior to a recently proposed meta-GGA, is reasonably competitive with parametrized two-point functionals, and is substantially faster.
Pharmacists’ Attitudes Regarding Quality of Worklife

Abstract Objective To examine the quality of worklife of pharmacists across practice environments. Design Written survey mailed to a stratified random sample of pharmacists. Participants 2,014 pharmacist-members of the American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA) residing in the United States. Main Outcome Measures Work-related attitudes including job satisfaction, career satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intention, likelihood of voting for a union, and patient care issues. Results Usable surveys were returned by 1,199 practicing APhA members (60% response rate). Overall, work-related attitudes were generally positive. However, clear differences were identified in quality-of-worklife perceptions associated with practice setting, area of primary responsibility, and several demographic variables. Some quality-of-worklife concerns were found in all practice settings. While a majority of respondents indicated that they would not vote for a union at their place of employment if given the opportunity, 43% of staff employee pharmacists (who would likely be targeted in any union campaign) indicated that they would definitely or probably vote for a union. Conclusion From the pharmacist's perspective, important quality-of-worklife issues include job and career satisfaction, turnover intention, and patient care concerns. The data provide a point of departure for future dialogue, action, and research aimed at understanding and enhancing the quality of pharmacists' worklife.
Influence of Particle Charge on the Collection Efficiency of Electrified Filter Mats

A quantitative determination of the electrostatic effects on aerosol filtration is difficult since currently available methods do not provide direct measurements of coulombic and polarization parameters. This paper presents an experimental approach to determine the effects of both coulombic and polarization forces on the particle collection efficiency of filter mats. Two filter mats were tested against submicron aerosols to determine the effect of particle charge on the filtration efficiency with and without a polarizing electric field at two face velocities: 5 and 15 cm/s. The challenge aerosols consisted of either solid particles or liquid droplets in the size range 0.4 to 1.0 μm in aerodynamic diameter either in electrostatically charged or in Boltzmann charge distribution conditions. An Electrical Single Particle Aerodynamic Relaxation Time (E-SPART) analyzer and a Differential Mobility Analyzer (DMA) were used for measuring size and charge distributions of aerosol particles at the upstream and downstream of the filters. Experimental data show that measured single fiber efficiency due to electrical effects increased by factors ranging from 5 to 12 depending upon the electrostatic charge and electrical field involved. Particulate penetration in the submicron range decreased exponentially as a function of the electrostatic filtration parameter KEO defined by the ratio of electrical migration velocity to the face velocity.
The impact of concomitant use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors and proton pump inhibitors on survival in older adults with cancer.

e18732Background: The concomitant use of tyrosine-kinase-inhibitors(TKI) and proton-pump-inhibitors(PPI) is a concern due to potential drug-drug interaction that reduces TKI absorption, thus potent...
Sexually dimorphic metabolic responses mediated by CRF 2 receptor during nutritional stress in mice

Chronic stress is a major contributor in the development of metabolic syndrome and associated diseases, such as diabetes. High-fat diet (HFD) and sex are known modifiers of metabolic parameters. Peptide hormones corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and urocortins (UCN) mediate stress responses via activation and feedback to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. UCN3 is a marker of pancreatic β-cell differentiation, and UCN2 is known to ameliorate glucose levels in mice rendered diabetic with HFD. CRF receptor 2 (CRF2) is the only known cognate receptor for UCN2/3. Here, we ascertained the role of CRF2 in glucose clearance, insulin sensitivity, and other parameters associated with metabolic syndrome in a mouse model of nutritional stress. Wild-type (WT) and Crhr2−/− (null) mice of both sexes were fed either normal chow diet or HFD. After 8 weeks, blood glucose levels in response to glucose and insulin challenge were determined. Change in body and fat mass, plasma insulin, and lipid profile were assessed. Histological evaluation of liver sections was performed. Here, we show that genotype (Crhr2), sex, and diet were all independent variables in the regulation of blood glucose levels, body and fat mass gain/redistribution, and insulin resistance. Surprisingly, CRF2-deficient mice (Crhr2−/−) male mice showed similarly impaired glucose clearance on HFD and chow. HFD-fed female Crhr2−/− mice redistributed their fat depots that were distinct from wild-type females and male mice on either diet. Blood cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were elevated significantly in male Crhr2−/− mice; female Crhr2−/− mice were protected. Male, but not female Crhr2−/− mice developed peripheral insulin resistance. HFD, but not chow-fed wild-type male mice developed hepatic macrovesicular steatosis. In contrast, livers of Crhr2−/− male mice showed microvesicular steatosis on either diet, whereas livers of female mice on this 8-week HFD regimen did not develop steatosis. CRF2 receptor dysregulation is a sexually dimorphic risk factor in development of pre-diabetic and metabolic symptoms.
Applications of transgenic approaches in developing an understanding of drought tolerance in poplar

Abstract This paper will present an overview of genetic approaches to develop an understanding of interacting roles of reduced nitrogen in conferring drought tolerance in poplar. Included in the discussion are: (1) the critical role that drought tolerant phenotypes of forest trees will play in a worldwide environment faced with the challenges of climate change; (2) a summary of transgenic technologies as applied to poplar with assessment of recent transgenic approaches into biological mechanisms for drought tolerance; and (3) the relationship between nitrogen assimilation and drought tolerance in poplar. Inherent in this discussion is assessment of the complexity and pleiotropic nature of drought tolerant phenotypes, including physiological, biochemical, morphological, and genetic components ( Allwright & Taylor, 2016 ; Borland et al., 2015 ; Harfouche, Meilan, & Altman, 2014 ; Polle & Chen, 2015 ). Central to this discussion are the considerable advances in poplar biology and genome analysis resulting in defining poplar as a model forest species ( Bradshaw, Ceulemans, Davis, & Stettler, 2000 ; Cronk, 2005 ; Taylor, 2002 ). Focus is not only on the application of GE technologies for expression of specific transgenes to produce new phenotypes, but also on assessment of specific phenotypes created through GE approaches that can allow identification of specific genes and gene expression networks correlated with the induced phenotype that can be incorporated into advanced breeding approaches.
Gemäldezerstörung durch Pilze

Summary Investigations on damaged paintings in several buildings of Potsdam-Sanssouci show that above all fungi belonging to Fungi imperfecti are responsible for that decomposition. Intensive growing of fungi and the production of fruitbodies on the surface and in the craquelee of damaged pictures are shown by microscopic investigations. The genera-spectrum of the damaged paintings is similar to the spectrum found in the air of rooms. The found fungi are capable in producing high activities of those enzymes which are responsible for the decomposition of typical painting-substances and for acid-formation. With this behaviour the fungi can damage the paintings, if there exist suitable room-conditions for the growing of fungi.
Impossible, unknowable, accountable: Dramas and dilemmas of data law:

On May 25, 2018, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force. EU citizens are granted more control over personal data while companies and organizations are charge...
Vitamin D Supplements and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

Purpose of reviewThe role of vitamin D supplementation for prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes has been rigorously studied only recently. This review briefly summarizes results from recent randomized controlled trials in the context of prior laboratory and epidemiologic data.Recent f
Moments at Selected Points in Continuous Girders

Formulas for areas under influence line are presented for use in computation of maximum moments at any point in girder spans of continuous structures carrying uniform load; 2 cases are treated, viz, beams or girders receiving uniform loading directly, and girders in which uniform floor-loads are applied in form of floor beam concentrations.
10.2 A SAW-Less Direct-Digital RF Modulator with Tri-Level Time-Approximation Filter and Reconfigurable Dual-Band Delta-Sigma Modulation

A key aspect of 5G systems is supporting multiband and multistandard applications. Depending on operating conditions, this requires high in-band dynamic range and/or low noise floor at specific out-of-band (OOB) frequencies, e.g. the receiver band of an FDD system or radio coexistence. For a transmitter to implement instantaneous bandwidth covering all communication bands while maintaining sufficient dynamic range is usually not cost efficient, and a direct-digital RF modulator (DDRM) with tunable operational band is a potential solution, providing better implementation tradeoff [1]–[4]. However, a conventional DDRM typically incurs an overhead of RF bandpass filtering for signal reconstruction and noise/spur suppression due to the lack of a baseband reconstruction filter between the DAC and mixer. To relax the filter requirement, a bandpass delta-sigma modulator (DSM) [1] is used to create spectral notches for suppressing OOB noise with a limited in-band dynamic range. Recently, a time-approximation-filter (TAF) technique [2] was used to embed a reconstruction filter in the frequency upconversion process. Essentially, this approximates an FIR filter response in the time domain by pulse-width modulation of the LO waveform. While a TAF provides certain reconfigurability in filter response, the time resolution requirement of the modulated LO waveform increases with the approximation accuracy of the target filter response and likely demands a higher system clock rate.
Immediate gestalt: shapes, typography and (quite irregular) shape packing

Instantaneously understanding the gestalt of thousands of words is achieved through the programmatic placement of the words and control of their presentation characteristics, such as size, repetiti...
Transformerless Stacked Active Bridge Converters: Analysis, Properties, and Synthesis

This article presents analysis, properties, and systematic synthesis of a new class of hybrid dc–dc converters named transformerless stacked active bridge (TSAB) converters. The TSAB converters, which are obtained from switched-capacitor (SC) converters by insertion of small ac inductors, inherit advantages of parent SC converters together with conversion and control characteristics similar to transformer-isolated dual-active-bridge (DAB) dc–dc converters. Features of TSAB converters include soft charging and discharging of capacitors, zero voltage switching, low peak and rms current stresses, low energy storage requirement of magnetic components, and regulation capabilities using simple phase-shift control. Based on a network-theoretic approach, an algebraic representation of TSAB converters yields general results for dc characteristics and component stresses. Furthermore, a systematic synthesis approach is formulated allowing construction of TSAB converter topologies starting from various two-phase SC converters. Synthesis results are presented for TSAB converters with two inductors obtained from well-known SC parent topologies, including Dickson, ladder, stacked-ladder, doubler, and Fibonacci. Experimental results are summarized for 48-to-12 V doubler, 48-to-12 V Dickson, and 36-to-12 V ladder TSAB prototypes. It is shown how the TSAB prototypes use small ac inductors (tens to hundreds of nanohenries) while operating at relatively low switching frequencies (150–200 kHz) and have measured efficiency above 98% over wide load range.
Teaching spirituality: A personal view

This paper looks at teaching spirituality in the humanities classroom. It considers some of the theoretical issues involved with teaching spirituality, and it focuses attention on the details of a ...
Inverse Reinforcement Learning Based Stochastic Driver Behavior Learning.

Drivers have unique and rich driving behaviors when operating vehicles in traffic. This paper presents a novel driver behavior learning approach that captures the uniqueness and richness of human driver behavior in realistic driving scenarios. A stochastic inverse reinforcement learning (SIRL) approach is proposed to learn a distribution of cost function, which represents the richness of the human driver behavior with a given set of driver-specific demonstrations. Evaluations are conducted on the realistic driving data collected from the 3D driver-in-the-loop driving simulation. The results show that the learned stochastic driver model is capable of expressing the richness of the human driving strategies under different realistic driving scenarios. Compared to the deterministic baseline driver behavior model, the results reveal that the proposed stochastic driver behavior model can better replicate the driver's unique and rich driving strategies in a variety of traffic conditions.
George Floyd's death affected Black and White families differently.

On May 25th, 2020, George Floyd bought a package of cigarettes from a convenience store with a counterfeit $20 bill. Less than an hour later, he showed no signs of life after being pinned to the ground by three police officers, one of whom had his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for over 8 min despite Mr. Floyd crying out that he could not breathe. The murder of Mr. Floyd, indirectly witnessed by innumerable people through cell phone footage, sparked a great deal of public discourse and activity around racial justice. Within a month, people around the world had begun what would become the largest mass protests in support of African Americans since the Civil Rights Movement. Corporations, academic institutions, and yard signs proclaimed solidarity with the aims of the Black Lives Matter movement. Books describing systemic racism and advocating racial dialogue became best sellers. Media raptly characterized responses to the murder of Mr. Floyd as a widespread “racial reckoning” for the people of the United States. In contrast to these public displays, the findings of Sullivan et al. (1) afford insight into how these events shaped the everyday lives of Black and White families. The researchers asked two samples of White and Black parents about their conversations with their children about race, racial inequality, and racial identity, one sample 6 wk before and the other 3 wk after Mr. Floyd’s death. The authors show that everyday family discourse pertaining to racial justice was shaped very differently by the murder of Mr. Floyd, depending on the families’ racial backgrounds. Their findings map the impact of societal movements in the daily lives of families, illustrating both the burden borne by Black families and the challenge of impacting racial discourse in White families. Black parents’ conversations with their children mirrored the increased interest … [↵][1] 1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: ssinclr{at}princeton.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Data Management in CIM Systems---A Mobile Object Approach

Using a notion of mobile objects, we propose a framework for implementation of computer integrated manufacturing CIM systems that unifies previous disparate approaches to building these systems. We model manufacturing as a network of machines and assign a computer workstation called server to each machine. The information processing requirements of a production order or a lot are encapsulated in an object that migrates between the servers after completion of an appropriate service. An event and rule based implementation and a layered approach allows design of CIM systems that can be easily reconfigured in response to changes in products or processes. Moreover, the architecture is compatible with distributed systems used in product design. The traditional hierarchical and distributed control architectures are shown to be special cases of the proposed architecture. Finally, an implementation using next-generation database management systems is proposed.
Adenylate deaminase. V. Effect of alkali metal and magnesium ions on activity.

Alkali metal ions activate adenylate deaminase from calf brain by increasing the apparent affinity of the enzyme for AMP. The enzyme is inhibited, but not inactivated, at high ionic strength. Inhibition of the enzyme by guanosine triphosphate is reversed by lithium ions, and less well by sodium ions. Potassium ions cause only a slight reversal of the GTP inhibition, and this only at relatively high concentrations. GTP decreases the apparent affinity of the enzyme for lithium ions. Alkali metal ions have little or no effect on the inhibition of the enzyme by iso-AMP. Magnesium ions are not required for the activation of the enzyme by ATP or for its inhibition by GTP. For a given concentration of ATP there is a range of magnesium ion concentrations over which the apparent affinity of the enzyme for AMP is increased.
Generation and integration of scalable bipolar compact models [HBT example]

This paper investigates the methodologies for generating and integrating scalable bipolar models in the modern design environment. Additionally, fundamental bipolar parameter scaling is reviewed and demonstrated with a scalable SiGe HBT model valid for models such as VBIC, MEXTRAM, and HiCUM.
Flexural-Torsional Stability of Curved Beams

General fourth order coupled differential equations are presented to determine the elastic buckling loads of in-plane as well as out-of-plane buckling modes of spatial thin-walled curved beams. Included are the warping contribution to the buckling loads, and the effects of antisymmetry of cross-section (found to be significant). The governing differential equations are based on the variational principle. Critical load formulas are given for a few special combinations of loadings and boundary condition. Comparative studies were made and possible sources of discrepancies were traced.
C-band DBS: An analysis of the US scrambling issue

Abstract This paper examines the new form of C-band direct and investigates the problems surrounding it, specifically the issue of scrambling, and the actions taken by Congress and the FCC. It begins with a discussion of the emergence of C-band direct and then gives the different views on scrambling. Attention centres on the legislative and regulatory efforts made by Congress and the FCC towards the scrambling issue. Finally, an analysis of the scrambling controversy is given.
Author's reply to review of the book Signs, Cures, and Witchery: German Appalachian Folklore

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Gerald C. Milnes Year: 2007 Pages: 264 Publisher: University of Tennessee Press ISBN: 1-57233-577-7 (hard cover).
Osteoblast differentiation in vitro and in vivo promoted by Osterix

C3H10T1/2/Osx, a stably transfected cell line with Osterix (Osx), was produced and chondrocytic and osteoblastic differentiation were studied in vitro. Osx promoted osteoblastic lineage that was dexamethasone dependent. Furthermore, in vivo, Osx induced ectopic mineralization in a heterotopic mouse muscle model. Skeletogenesis involves a cascade of molecular activities sequentially performed by osteoblasts and chondroblasts. A transcriptional factor gene Osx appears to influence cell disposition toward the chondrocytic or osteoblastic phenotype and therefore may be an important signaling cue for bone formation. Understanding the molecular conditions involved with Osx promoted osteoblast differentiation will facilitate therapeutic applications of Osx. Consequently, the objective of this study was to investigate chondrocytic and osteoblastic phenotype differentiation using an Osx plasmid DNA exploiting both in vitro and in vivo methodologies. In vitro, a stably transfected C3H10T1/2/Osx cell line was established and promotion of either an osteoblast or chondroblast phenotype was performed by selectively introducing dexamethasone (dex) and assaying mRNA content and phenotype markers. In vivo, a mouse muscle model was used to determine heterotopic ossification using designated Osx plasmid DNA doses incorporated in a (50:50 Poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (i.e., PLGA) 3D scaffold. Histological assessment was used to determine implant responses. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-RT-PCR) showed a significant increase in mRNA expression of osteocalcin (Ocn), Runx2, osteonectin (On) and osteopontin (Op) (p < 0.05) in the C3H10T1/2/Osx cells compared to the empty vector transfected cell control. At day 21, mineralization was demonstrated in the cultures of C3H10T1/2/Osx exposed to dex, but neither in cultures lacking dex nor controls. In the absence of dex, C3H10T1/2/Osx cells revealed a significantly higher expression of Sox9 and Aggrecan (Agc). In vivo, 80 μg of Osx plasmid DNA induced heterotopic mineralization 4 weeks following implantation in a mouse muscle model and the effect was dependent on the Osx plasmid DNA dose delivered in the PLGA scaffold. Using a non-committed cell line (C3H10T1/2), cell differentiation to an osteoblast phenotype appears to be dependent upon an interaction between intracellular events initiated by the transcriptional factor Osx and the presence of dex. The in vivo findings suggest Osx may promote osteoblast differentiationand mineralization at a heterotopic site. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2007
Amine modulation of the transient potassium current in identified cells of the lobster stomatogastric ganglion.

The pyloric network of the stomatogastric ganglion of the lobster Panulirus interruptus is a model system used to understand how motor networks change their output to produce a variety of behaviors...
Impression Formation Online

Sensations of physical temperature can serve as a peripheral cue when some individuals interact with communication technology, but this phenomenon has been shown to occur only when individuals were engaged in peripheral-route associative processing. In an experiment (N = 211) with physical temperature and Web page color as between-subjects factors and need for cognition as a measured independent variable, participants viewed an organization’s Web page. Cognitive misers who experienced physical cold (versus warmth) reported less favorable attitudes toward the Web page. This interaction disappeared, however, when they viewed a Web page that featured a red color scheme, as red seemed to have stimulated an increase in central-route analytic cognitive processing. This pattern of results illustrates the utility of the elaboration likelihood model in studying impression formation in online contexts.
Therapy‐related acute promyelocytic leukemia: observations relating to APL pathogenesis and therapy*

Therapy-related acute promyelocytic leukemia (t-APL) is a well-recognized form of APL for which the underlying etiology has been well characterized. The pathogenesis of de novo (dn-APL) remains unknown; but epidemiologic studies have consistently identified increased body mass index (BMI), younger age, and ethnicity as possible risk factors. We analyzed demographics, clinical features, and treatment responses in a contemporary series of 64 patients treated with all-trans-retinoic acid and anthracycline-based therapy to assess for differences in these two etiologically distinct patient groups. Compared with patients with t-APL (n = 11), those with dn-APL (n = 53) had a greater median BMI (31.33 vs. 28.48), incidence of obesity (60.4% vs. 27.3%) (P = 0.04), and history of hyperlipidemia (45.3% vs. 18.2%) (P = 0.01). Fewer t-APL than dn-APL patients achieved complete remission at 63.6% vs. 92.5% respectively (P = 0.008). This was the result of a higher induction mortality rate of 36.4% vs. 7.5% respectively (P = 0.008). No cases of leukemic resistance were seen in either group. Overall survival (OS) was inferior in t-APL compared with dn-APL at 51% vs. 84%, respectively (P < 0.005), primarily as a result of higher induction mortality. Relapse occurred in nine patients (16.1%) overall, but no relapses occurred in the t-APL cohort. Our observations provide further support for the hypothesis that abnormalities in lipid homeostasis may in some way be of pathogenic importance in dn-APL. Therapy-related APL is sensitive to standard therapy with no cases of resistance or relapse seen. The inferior OS of the t-APL was due to induction mortality, possibly reflecting prior therapy.
Performing T-tests to Compare Autocorrelated Time Series Data Collected from Direct-Reading Instruments

Industrial hygienists now commonly use direct-reading instruments to evaluate hazards in the workplace. The stored values over time from these instruments constitute a time series of measurements that are often autocorrelated. Given the need to statistically compare two occupational scenarios using values from a direct-reading instrument, a t-test must consider measurement autocorrelation or the resulting test will have a largely inflated type-1 error probability (false rejection of the null hypothesis). A method is described for both the one-sample and two-sample cases which properly adjusts for autocorrelation. This method involves the computation of an “equivalent sample size” that effectively decreases the actual sample size when determining the standard error of the mean for the time series. An example is provided for the one-sample case, and an example is given where a two-sample t-test is conducted for two autocorrelated time series comprised of lognormally distributed measurements.
Pointing Unknowingly: Fantasy, Nonsense and ‘Religious Understanding’

Lewis, Charles M. (ed.), Relativity and Religion Tessin, Timothy and von der Ruhr, Mario (eds), Philosophy and the Grammar of Religious Belief
Effects of roughage source and distillers grain concentration on beef cattle finishing performance, carcass characteristics, and in vitro fermentation.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of wet distillers grains plus solubles (DG) and roughage source on finishing cattle performance, carcass characteristics, and in vitro fermentation. In Exp. 1, crossbred beef steers (n=224, initial BW=349 kg) were used in a randomized complete block design with a 2 × 3 + 1 factorial arrangement of treatments. Experimental diets were a standard steam-flaked corn (SFC)-based control (no DG and 10% alfalfa hay), and either 15 or 30% DG (DM basis) with roughage sources of alfalfa hay (15-AH and 30-AH), Coastal bermudagrass hay (15-BG and 30-BG), or sorghum silage (15-SS and 30-SS). Within each DG concentration, roughages provided an equivalent percentage of NDF to 7.5% AH. Steers consuming 15% DG had greater (P 0.14). Overall, feeding 15% DG in SFC-based diets increased ADG, BW, and HCW relative to 30% DG. In addition, feeding AH tended to decrease ADG, final BW, and HCW relative to the other 2 roughage sources, whereas BG improved G:F over SS. These data suggest that including the smaller amount of DG and BG as the roughage source resulted in improved performance relative to other combinations, and that substituting roughages on the basis of equivalent NDF concentration might not be ideal for optimizing performance when feeding SFC-based finishing diets that contain DG.
The α4 subunit of rat α4β2 nicotinic receptors is phosphorylated in vivo

Abstract The intracellular domains of the α4 and β2 neuronal nicotinic subunits between transmembrane segments 3 and 4 contain a number of predicted phosphorylation sites but there is no direct evidence that any of these sites are actually phosphorylated in vivo. We expressed rat α4β2 nicotinic receptors in Xenopus oocytes, labeled them by an overnight incubation in [ 32 P ]orthophosphate, and analyzed the immunoprecipitated receptors by autoradiography and Western blotting. Our results show that the oocytes contained three kinds of α4 subunits with apparent weights of 69, 79, and 89 kDa. The 89 kDa α4 subunit was the most heavily phosphorylated.
Dominant and recessive deafness caused by mutations of a novel gene, TMC1 , required for cochlear hair-cell function

Positional cloning of hereditary deafness genes is a direct approach to identify molecules and mechanisms underlying auditory function. Here we report a locus for dominant deafness, DFNA36, which maps to human chromosome 9q13–21 in a region overlapping the DFNB7/B11 locus for recessive deafness. We identified eight mutations in a new gene, transmembrane cochlear-expressed gene 1 (TMC1), in a DFNA36 family and eleven DFNB7/B11 families. We detected a 1.6-kb genomic deletion encompassing exon 14 of Tmc1 in the recessive deafness (dn) mouse mutant, which lacks auditory responses and has hair-cell degeneration1,2. TMC1 and TMC2 on chromosome 20p13 are members of a gene family predicted to encode transmembrane proteins. Tmc1 mRNA is expressed in hair cells of the postnatal mouse cochlea and vestibular end organs and is required for normal function of cochlear hair cells.
Closure of NBU(2) class under the formation of parallel systems

In this article we give a new characterization of NBU(2) class of life distributions, and show that NBU(2) class is closed under the formation of parallel systems.
Numerical Study of Mist Film Cooling in Combustor at Operating Conditions

To improve the gas turbine thermal performance, apart from using a high compression ratio, the turbine inlet temperature must be increased. Therefore, the gas temperature inside the combustion chamber needs to be maintained at a very high level. Hence, cooling of the combustor liner becomes critical. Among all the cooling techniques, film cooling has been successfully applied to cool the combustor liner. In film cooling, coolant air is introduced through discrete holes and forms a thin film between the hot gases and the inner surface of the liner, so that the inner wall can be protected from overheating. The film will be destroyed in the downstream flow because of mixing of hot and cold gases. The present work focuses on numerical study of film cooling under operating conditions, i.e., high temperature and pressure. The effect of coolant injection angles and blowing ratios on film cooling effectiveness is studied. A promising technology, cooling with mist injection, is studied under operating conditions. The effect of droplet size and mist concentration is also analyzed. The results of this study indicate that the film cooling effectiveness can increase ∼11% at gas turbine operating conditions with mist injection of 2% coolant air when droplets of 10μm and a blowing ratio of 1.0 are applied. The cooling performance can be further improved by higher mist concentration. The commercial CFD software, Fluent 6.3.26, is used in this study and the standard k-e model with enhanced wall functions is adopted as the turbulence model.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
The effect of carbon on oxygen precipitation in high carbon CZ silicon crystals

Abstract To clarify the role of carbon impurities in the formation of oxygen precipitates, the behavior of CZ silicon wafers with varying carbon concentrations from 0.2 ppm to 2 ppm were studied under different heat treatment conditions. It is found that the rate of reduction in interstitial oxygen is not a function of carbon concentration as reported previously for both the cases of medium and low temperature annealing. Under medium temperature (1050°C) annealing no carbon reduction was detected, even though the reduction in interstitial oxygen can be very large, while with low temperature (750°C) annealing, oxygen reduction is always associated with the carbon reduction, but is not dependent on carbon concentration alone. A heterogenous precipitation model is presented to explain the observed phenomena.
Two-photon interaction of a phased atom with squeezed vacuum state

Abstract Two-photon interaction of a squeezed-vacuum state with a single atom prepared in a coherent superposition of its ground and excited states is studied. Long time and short time evolution of quadrature squeezing is discussed and compared with the corresponding behavior in the conventional Jaynes-Cummings model. It is found that the two-photon interaction of a phased atom with field in the vacuum state can yield upto 45% squeezing below the shot-noise limit. With a suitably prepared phased atom the initial vacuum state of the field can evolve periodically into a pure state that is a coherent superposition of the vacuum state and the two-photon Fock state.
Continuity of Care for Infants and Toddlers

Theory and research support the need for continuity of caregiving for infants and toddlers, yet current practice often ignores that need. In many child care centers, children are promoted to a new class when they reach a specific milestone, such as a birthday. In other cases, frequent teacher turnover and parental choice add to very young children's discontinuity of care. At the Child and Family Research Center of the University of Nevada, Reno, Infants and toddlers stay with the same teacher for the first 3 years of life. Many benefits are seen from this practice, particularly in the close relationship between children and teachers. Children's attachment to their teachers is evident in the security with which they explore their environment. Another major benefit of this 3‐year continuity of children with teachers is the close relationship that develops between the parents and the teachers. Close bonds are forged between the adults who have nurtured and watched their babies develop over a 3 year period In...
A path integral approach to data structure evolution

Abstract A probabilistic analysis is presented of certain pointer-based implementations of dictionaries, linear lists, and priority queues; in particular, simple list and d-heap implementations. Under the assumption of equiprobability of histories, i.e., of paths through the internal state space of the implementation, it is shown that the integrated space and time costs of a sequence of n supported operations converge as n → ∞ to Gaussian random variables. For list implementations the mean integrated spatial costs grow asymptotically as n2, and the standard deviations of the costs as n 3 2 . For d-heap implementations of priority queues the mean integrated space cost grows only as n2√log n, i.e., more slowly than the worst-case integrated cost. The standard deviation grows as n 3 2 . These asymptotic growth rates reflect the convergence as n → ∞ of the normalized structure sizes to datatype-dependent deterministic functions of time, as earlier discovered by Louchard. This phenomenon is clarified with the aid of path integrals. Path integral techniques, drawn from physics, greatly facilitate the computation of the cost asymptotics. This is their first application to the analysis of dynamic data structures.