cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of Rho Family GTPases in Development: Lessons from Drosophila melanogaster

It has become increasingly clear in the last few years that the Rho family GTPases regulate cytoskeleton rearrangements that are essential for a variety of morphogenetic events associated with the development of multicellular organisms. In particular, Drosophila has provided an excellent in vivo system for deciphering the signaling pathways mediated by Rho GTPases, as well as establishing the role of these pathways in numerous developmental processes. Continued use of this system will undoubtedly lead to the identification of additional Rho signalling components and information regarding the function and organization of the Rho signaling pathways in tissue morphogenesis. The striking similarity between Drosophila and mammalian Rho signaling components identified thus far indicates that the Rho pathways are highly conserved in evolution. Therefore, the findings from the Drosophila system can be extrapolated to higher organisms, including humans. Combined with the rapid progress in the human and Drosophila genome projects, these findings should contribute greatly to our understanding of mammalian Rho GTPase signaling pathways and their roles in normal development and pathological conditions.
Using modeling and simulation to evaluate stability and traction performance of a track-laying robotic vehicle

DOD has been involved in the research, development and acquisition of unmanned ground vehicle systems to support the troops in the field while minimizing the risks associated with supplying these troops. Engineers and scientists at TARDEC are using computer based modeling and simulation (M&S) to investigate how modifications to unmanned ground vehicles impact their mobility and stability, and to predict performance levels attainable for these types of vehicle systems. The objective of this paper will be to describe the computerbased modeling, simulation, and limited field testing effort that has been undertaken to investigate the dynamic performance of an unmanned tracked vehicle system while conducting a full matrix of tests designed to evaluate system shock, vibration, dynamic stability and off road mobility characteristics. In this paper we will describe the multi-body modeling methodology used as well as the characteristic data incorporated to define the models and their subsystems. The analysis undertaken is applying M&S to baseline the dynamic performance of the vehicle, and comparing these results with performance levels recorded for several manned vehicle systems. We will identify the virtual test matrix over which we executed the models. Finally we will describe our efforts to visualize our findings through the use of computer generated animations of the vehicle system negotiating various virtual automotive tests making up the test matrix.
MECHANISMS OF QUENCHING OF THE FLUORESCENCE OF A BENZO[a]PYRENE TETRAOL METABOLITE MODEL COMPOUND BY 2′-DEOXYNUCLEOSIDES

The hydrophobic interactions of bulky polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with nucleic acid bases and the formation of noncovalent complexes with DNA are important in the expressions of the mutagenic and carcinogenic potentials of this class of compounds. The fluorescence of the polycyclic aromatic residues can be employed as a probe of these interactions. In this work, the interactions of the (+)-trans stereoisomer of the tetraol 7,8,9,10-tetrahydroxytetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BPT), a hydrolysis product of a highly mutagenic and carcinogenic diol epoxide derivative of benzo[a]pyrene, were studied with 2'-deoxynucleosides in aqueous solution by fluorescence and UV spectroscopic techniques. Ground-state complexes between BPT and the purine derivatives 2'-deoxyguanosine (dG), 2'-deoxyadenosine (dA), and 2'-deoxyinosine (dI) are formed with association constants in the range of approximately 40-130 M(-1). Complex formation with the pyrimidine derivatives 2'-deoxythymidine (dT), 2'-deoxycytidine (dC), and 2'-deoxyuridine (dU) is significantly weaker. Whereas dG is a strong quencher of the fluorescence of BPT by both static and dynamic mechanisms (dynamic quenching rate constant k(DYN) = [2.5 +/- 0.4] x 10(9) M(-1)s(-1), which is close to the estimated diffusion-controlled value of approximately 5 x 10(9) M(-1)s(-1), both dA and dI are weak quenchers and form fluorescence-emitting complexes with BPT. The pyrimidine derivatives dC, dU, and dT are efficient dynamic fluorescence quenchers (k(DYN) approximately [1.5-3.0] x 10(9) M (-1)s(-1), with a small static quenching component due to complex formation evident only in the case of dT. None of the four nucleosides dG, dA, dC and dT are dynamic quenchers of BPT in the triplet excited state; the observed lower yields of triplets are attributed to the quenching of single excited states of BPT by 2'-deoxynucleosides without passing through the triplet manifold of BPT. Possible fluorescence quenching mechanisms involving photoinduced electron transfer are discussed. The strong quenching of the fluorescence of BPT by dG, dC and dT accounts for the low fluorescence yields of BPT-native DNA and of pyrene-DNA complexes.
War in the Garden of Eden: a Military Chaplain's Memoir from Baghdad Faith Under Fire: an Army Chaplain's Memoir

War in the Garden of Eden: a Military Chaplain's Memoir from Baghdad, by Frank E. Wismer III. New York: Seabury Books, 2008, 184 pp., ISBN: 978-1-59627-103-6 (paperback). Faith Under Fire: an Army ...
A method for studying controlled substance use: a preliminary investigation.

Abstract This study examined relapse following treatment in a smoking reduction program. Twenty-two smokers with an average daily smoking rate of 25.7 cigarettes were provided a reduction-oriented smoking self-manegement program. Subjects were then classified on the basis of their reduction at posttreatment. A 50% or greater reduction from pretreatment qualified subjects as successful reducers. To provide further understanding of controlled smoking, subjects who successfully maintained at least a 50% reduction (at three month follow-up) were compared to those subjects who were unable to maintain that level of reduced smoking. A set of cognitive, smoking history, and reduction motivation variables were used to compare the two groups in a stepwise discriminant function analysis. Two variables, internal locus of control and self-label as a nonsmoker, produced an overall correct classification rate of 88.9%. Multiple regression analyses further demonstrated the importance of these two cognitive variables; self-label and internal locus of control accounted for 50.4% of the variance in smoking at three months follow-up. The implications of these findings for future study of controlled smoking are discussed.
ARF Is Required for Maintenance of Yeast Golgi and Endosome Structure and Function

ADP ribosylation factor (ARF) is thought to play a critical role in recruiting coatomer (COPI) to Golgi membranes to drive transport vesicle budding. Yeast strains harboring mutant COPI proteins exhibit defects in retrograde Golgi to endoplasmic reticulum protein transport and striking cargo-selective defects in anterograde endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi protein transport. To determine whether arf mutants exhibit similar phenotypes, the anterograde transport kinetics of multiple cargo proteins were examined in arf mutant cells, and, surprisingly, both COPI-dependent and COPI-independent cargo proteins exhibited comparable defects. Retrograde dilysine-mediated transport also appeared to be inefficient in the arf mutants, and coatomer mutants with no detectable anterograde transport defect exhibited a synthetic growth defect when combined with arf1Delta, supporting a role for ARF in retrograde transport. Remarkably, we found that early and medial Golgi glycosyltransferases localized to abnormally large ring-shaped structures. The endocytic marker FM4-64 also stained similar, but generally larger ring-shaped structures en route from the plasma membrane to the vacuole in arf mutants. Brefeldin A similarly perturbed endosome morphology and also inhibited transport of FM4-64 from endosomal structures to the vacuole. Electron microscopy of arf mutant cells revealed the presence of what appear to be hollow spheres of interconnected membrane tubules which likely correspond to the fluorescent ring structures. Together, these observations indicate that organelle morphology is significantly more affected than transport in the arf mutants, suggesting a fundamental role for ARF in regulating membrane dynamics. Possible mechanisms for producing this dramatic morphological change in intracellular organelles and its relation to the function of ARF in coat assembly are discussed.
A Detached Cucumber Fruit Method to Screen for Resistance to Phytophthora capsici and Effect of Fruit Age on Susceptibility to Infection

Identification and utilization of resistance to Phytophthora capsici could provide the basis for a viable management strategy against cucumber fruit rot, a persistent threat in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) production. Our objectives were to develop a method for testing detached, nonwounded, cucumber fruit for resistance to P. capsici, and to screen cucumber cultivars and plant introductions (collectively referred to as cultigens) for resistance. Four P. capsici isolates (differing in their sensitivity to the fungicide mefenoxam and compatibility type) were compared for their fruit infection capability in 1999 and 2000. No significant differences were found among isolates, and a single isolate was used for all subsequent screens. From 1999 to 2004, 480 cucumber cultigens were grown according to standard practices at Michigan State University research farms in four fields with no history of P. capsici. Commercially mature fruit were harvested, inoculated with P. capsici, and rated for lesion diameter, pathogen sporulation diameter, and density of pathogen sporulation. Although no fruit exhibited complete resistance to P. capsici, some cultigens exhibited limited pathogen sporulation. In the process of screening, it was observed that younger, smaller fruit were comparatively more susceptible than older, larger fruit. Replicated trials with hand-pollinated fruit showed that the transition from susceptible to more resistant appeared to coincide with the transition from the period of rapid fruit elongation to the period of increased fruit diameter. This is the first report using a nonwounded fruit screen to analyze cucumber resistance to P. capsici.
Interactions of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol with phenobarbital, ethanol and chlordiazepoxide

Abstract The acute, reciprocal dose-response interactions between Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol ( Δ 9 -THC; 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg; IG) and each of three depressants — phenobarbital (PB; 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg; IP), ethanol (ETOH; 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg; IP), and chlordiazepoxide (CDP; 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg; IP) — were studied for their effects on performance of a conditioned avoidance response (CAR), photocell activity, heart rate, body temperature, and rotarod performance. Δ 9 -THC impaired CAR and rotarod performance, depressed photocell activity, and decreased heart rate and body temperature. None of the three depressants significantly influenced CAR performance but they all decreased photocell activity and impaired rotarod performance at one or more doses. PB and ETOH also decreased heart rate and body temperature at the highest doses. When combined with Δ 9 -THC each of the three drugs at some dose combinations caused greater depressant effects on most measures than caused by either drug alone. Only CDP did not augment the impairment of CAR performance caused by Δ 9 -THC. The highest dose combinations of Δ 9 -THC and each of the three drugs almost completely eliminated photocell activity and rotarod performance. The interactions were also studied after subacute treatment for six days with Δ 9 -THC and/or each of the three depressants. There was clear evidence for tolerance to the effects of Δ 9 -THC and each of the depressants. There was also evidence for tolerance to the effects of PB and ETOH on some measuresbut not CDP. The reduction of effects alone or combined with Δ 9 -THC could be accounted for by assuming a partial loss of potency after subacute treatment that decreased the pharmacologically effective doses of either or both interacting drugs.
Multilayer graphene nanoribbon for 3D stacking of the transistor channel

The graphene nanoribbon (GNR) transistor suffers from the problem of a low on-current due to the nanometer-wide channel. In this work, a self-consistent atomistic simulation is performed to explore the possibility of boosting the ballistic on-current of the GNRFET by using the experimentally accessible multilayer GNR, which provides a natural structure for 3D stacking of the transistor channel. The effects of the number of graphene layers and interlayer coupling strength are studied under different gating technologies. Only limited improvement of the on-current can be achieved with a typical bottom gate because of the small gate insulator capacitance. With a high-к gate, the improvement of the multilayer channel, however, is significant. Reducing the interlayer coupling can further increase the on-current by a factor of 2 for a 5-layer GNR channel.
Acoustic levitation and the Boltzmann–Ehrenfest principle

The Boltzmann–Ehrenfest principle of adiabatic invariance relates the acoustic potential acting on a sample positioned in a single‐mode cavity to the shift in resonant frequency caused by the presence of this sample. This general and simple relation applies to samples and cavities of arbitrary shape, dimension, and compressibility. Positioning forces and torques can, therefore, be determined from straightforward measurements of frequency shifts. Applications to the Rayleigh disk phenomenon and levitated cylinders are presented.
U.S. Congress considers hurricane research bills

Legislation currently being considered by both the U.S. House and Senate would create a National Hurricane Research Initiative. The legislation was developed in response to a January 2007 U.S. National Science Board report,“Hurricane warning: The critical need for a National Hurricane Research Initiative.” Both bills require the hurricane research initiative to set objectives in order to make recommendations to the National Science Board and to assemble U.S. science and engineering expertise through an interagency effort designed to bring together the latest research focusing on infrastructure, forecasting, and mitigating impacts on coastal populations. The bills also require the initiative to set objectives for making grants for hurricane research on a variety of topics, ranging from hurricane dynamics to improving emergency communications networks. Coordination of the interagency effort would fall under the jurisdiction of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
The role of lymphocytes and monocytes in hematopoietic growth factor production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNC) are one of the richest described physiologic sources of colony-stimulating activity. To understand the molecular basis for, and the cellular sources of, this MNC activity, we cultured purified human lymphocytes and monocytes for 2 hr to 6 days and examined colony-stimulating factor (CSF) gene activity by Northern blot analysis. We show that MNC are capable of expressing messenger RNA for macrophage (M)-CSF, granulocyte (G)-CSF, GM-CSF, and multi-CSF when stimulated with mitogens. The time courses of induction of these genes differ, with G-CSF induction preceding that of the other CSFs. In addition, the spectra of CSFs produced by cell populations enriched for lymphocytes, monocytes, or macrophages differ. The implications of these findings for the selective activation of hematopoiesis are discussed.
Effects of furniture and contents on peak cooling load

Abstract We assess the impact that furniture and contents (i.e. internal mass) have on zone peak cooling loads using a perimeter zone model in EnergyPlus across 5400 parametric simulation runs. The zone parameters were HVAC system type (overhead, underfloor, and thermally activated building system (TABS)), orientation, window to wall ratio, and building envelope mass. The internal mass parameters were the amount, area, and the material type used. We also evaluated a new internal mass modeling method, which models direct solar radiation on the internal mass surface, an effect that is missing in current methods. We show how each of these parameters affect peak cooling load, highlighting previously unpublished effects. Overall, adding internal mass changed peak cooling load by a median value of −2.28% (−5.45% and −0.67% lower and upper quartiles respectively) across the studied parameter space. Though the median is quite low, this study highlights the range of effects that internal mass can have on peak cooling loads depending on the parameters used, and the discussion highlights the lack of guidance on selecting reasonable values for internal mass parameters. Based on this we recommend conducting an experimental study to answer outstanding questions regarding improved specification of internal mass parameters.
A Redox Titration for a General−Organic−Biochemistry (GOB) Course Using Povidone Iodine

Redox reactions and titrations are an important part of most general chemistry courses. A simplified redox titration that nursing students and other allied health students taking a general−organic−biochemistry (GOB) course find relevant has been developed. Povidone iodine, also known as betadine, is the form of iodine that is used often as an antiseptic agent. This communication discusses an experiment in which the percentage of iodine in povidone iodine is determined by titration with sodium thiosulfate.
A Computational Model of a Combined Cycle Power Generation Unit

A computational model of a combined cycle power generation unit is developed and applied to one operated by a local utility company. The objective is to predict the performance of this unit by carrying out energy and exergy analyses of its components. The model is based on thermodynamic, heat transfer, and psychrometric principles, and includes an inlet air conditioning (fogging) system for the gas turbine cycle. To evaluate the model, simulation results are compared with available plant test data at rated load with and without the inlet fogging system in operation.
Vegetable cost metrics show that potatoes and beans provide most nutrients per penny.

Vegetables are important sources of dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals in the diets of children. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National School Lunch Program has new requirements for weekly servings of vegetable subgroups as well as beans and peas. This study estimated the cost impact of meeting the USDA requirements using 2008 national prices for 98 vegetables, fresh, frozen, and canned. Food costs were calculated per 100 grams, per 100 calories, and per edible cup. Rank 6 score, a nutrient density measure was based on six nutrients: dietary fiber; potassium; magnesium; and vitamins A, C, and K. Individual nutrient costs were measured as the monetary cost of 10% daily value of each nutrient per cup equivalent. ANOVAs with post hoc tests showed that beans and starchy vegetables, including white potatoes, were cheaper per 100 calories than were dark-green and deep-yellow vegetables. Fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables had similar nutrient profiles and provided comparable nutritional value. However, less than half (n = 46) of the 98 vegetables listed by the USDA were were consumed >5 times by children and adolescents in the 2003–4 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database. For the more frequently consumed vegetables, potatoes and beans were the lowest-cost sources of potassium and fiber. These new metrics of affordable nutrition can help food service and health professionals identify those vegetable subgroups in the school lunch that provide the best nutritional value per penny.
Radiative decay of the 2 3Po0 level of beryllium-like ions

Abstract A Z-expansion technique is used to estimate the radiative rate for the 2 3 P o 0 −2 1 S 0 transition in berryllium-like ions. It is concluded that the transition rate is so slow as to be unobservable.
The role of gas-phase Cl2 in the formation of PCDD/PCDF during waste combustion

Results of previous experiments investigating formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) through low-temperature (300°C), fly-ash-catalyzed reactions are demonstrated to have occurred through intermediate formation of gas-phase Cl2 by decomposition of the added catalyst, CuCl2. The dependence of PCDD/PCDF formation rates on Cl2 concentration is shown and the implications of the Deacon process on these rates discussed. A scheme for controlling the formation of PCDD/PCDF during incineration using sorbent materials to remove the source of Cl at high temperatures is proposed.
Cross-national election surveys: A French pre-test

Abstract In common with scholars in other leading democracies, election researchers of France and the United States rely heavily on a survey research methodology; but their respective national election surveys do not pose many of the same questions, and the dominant research paradigms in each country offer opposing explanatory models of vote choice. Herein are reported preliminary results from a joint effort of US and French researchers, which seeks to include numerous cross-national items in the French National Election Study (for 1995). The following American National Election Study (ANES)-type items receive attention: candidate feeling thermometers, job approval ratings, economic evaluations, seven-point proximity measures on social issues and party identification. Inclusion of these measures in French surveys may allow an important cross-nation extension of voting models thought to be peculiar to one political culture, such as the US.
PAH concentrations in Coquina (Donax spp.) on a sandy beach shoreline impacted by a marine oil spill

The BP MC252 well failure in the Gulf of Mexico, April 2010 caused concern for crude oil and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) exposure along the sandy beaches of the Florida Panhandle. We began collections of Coquina clams (Donax spp.) from the surf zone of Florida Panhandle beaches to monitor PAH contamination to compliment analysis of surf zone sand samples. These clams had higher levels of PAHs relative to ambient sand, and this allowed us to continue to monitor PAH levels after sand concentrations fell below limits of detection. PAH levels in the Coquina tissues were highly variable, perhaps indicative of the heterogeneous distribution of oil and tar on the beaches and exposure to tar particles. Overall, PAH levels decreased continuously in both sand and Coquina tissues, reaching limits of detection within one and two years respectively after oil landed on Florida Panhandle beaches. Our work suggests these surf zone molluscs may be used to monitor pollutant exposure along high energy sandy beach shorelines.
Semi-Lagrangian advection-propagation (SLAP) scheme for three-dimensional interface tracking

A fully three-dimensional semi-Lagrangian scheme is developed for computing the evolution of advected self-propagating surfaces (e.g., premixed flames) governed by a level-set advection-propagation equation. The scheme provides third-order spatial accuracy and shape preservation. Example numerical simulations of three-dimensional front propagation are presented to illustrate the capability of the scheme of capturing cusp formation and associated surface-area annihilation as well as the formation and consumption of detached closed-surface pockets behind fronts propagating in highly vortical flow.
Scaling and self-similarity in two-dimensional hydrodynamics

The conditions under which depth-averaged two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic equations system as an initial-boundary value problem (IBVP) becomes self-similar are investigated by utilizing one-parameter Lie group of point scaling transformations. Self-similarity conditions due to the 2D k-e turbulence model are also investigated. The self-similarity conditions for the depth-averaged 2D hydrodynamics are found for the flow variables including the time, the longitudinal length, the transverse length, the water depth, the flow velocities in x- and y-directions, the bed shear stresses in x- and y-directions, the bed shear velocity, the Manning's roughness coefficient, the kinematic viscosity of the fluid, the eddy viscosity, the turbulent kinetic energy, the turbulent dissipation, and the production and the source terms in the k-e model. By the numerical simulations, it is shown that the IBVP of depth-averaged 2D hydrodynamic flow process in a prototype domain can be self-similar with that of a scaled domain. In fact, by changing the scaling parameter and the scaling exponents of the length dimensions, one can obtain several different scaled domains. The proposed scaling relations obtained by the Lie group scaling approach may provide additional spatial, temporal, and economical flexibility in setting up physical hydraulic models in which two-dimensional flow components are important.
Reconciling the Spatial Distribution of the Surface Temperature Trends in the Southeastern United States

AbstractThis study attempts to explain the considerable spatial heterogeneity in the observed linear trends of monthly mean maximum and minimum temperatures (Tmax and Tmin) from station observations in the southeastern (SE) United States (specifically Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina). In a majority of these station sites, the warming trends in Tmin are stronger in urban areas relative to rural areas. The linear trends of Tmin in urban areas of the SE United States are approximately 7°F century−1 compared to about 5.5°F century−1 in rural areas. The trends in Tmax show weaker warming (or stronger cooling) trends with irrigation, while trends in Tmin show stronger warming trends. This functionality of the temperature trends with land features also shows seasonality, with the boreal summer season showing the most consistent relationship in the trends of both Tmax and Tmin. This study reveals that linear trends in Tmax in the boreal summer season show a cooling trend of about 0.5...
Distribution of α2 agonist binding sites in the rat and human central nervous system: Analysis of some functional, anatomic correlates of the pharmacologic effects of clonidine and related adrenergic agents

Abstract Using [ 3 H]para-aminoclonidine, α 2 adrenergic binding sites have been mapped in the rat and human CNS using in vitro labeling autoradiographic techniques. In both the rat and human thoracic spinal cord, high densities of α 2 binding sites were associated with the substantia gelatinosa and the intermediolateral cell column. In the rat medulla, high binding site density was observed in the medial nucleus of the solitary tract, dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, raphe pallidus and the substantia gelatinosa of the trigeminal nucleus, while lower levels of specific binding were found in the lateral and ventrolateral medulla. In the human, a similar distribution was observed. However, significantly lower levels of specific binding were seen in the medial nts as opposed to the dmv. In the rat, high levels of specific binding were seen at pontine and midbrain levels in the locus coeruleus, parabrachial nucleus and periaqueductal gray. In the forebrain, several hypothalmic and limbic regions, including the paraventricular and arcuate nuclei of the hypothalamus, the central, medial and basal nuclei of the amygdala, lateral septum and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and pyriform, entorhinal and insular cortex were labeled. Each of these regions are involved in either modulating autonomic functions directly or integrating somatosensory and/or affective function with autonomic mechanisms. Further, these regions are interrelated by reciprocal connections, and neurons that utilize nor-adrenaline or adrenaline as their neurotransmitter form a vital part of these connections. Thus, these functional, anatomical and neurochemical correlates of the α 2 binding site distribution establish a neurological basis for the complex pharmacological effects of centrally acting α 2 agonists.
The process of folding proteins into membranes: Challenges and progress

Just 25 years ago the Anfinsen thermodynamic hypothesis was shown to be valid for membrane proteins. Despite the complex biological machinery required for their in vivo assembly and in face of the chemically heterogeneous, anisotropic nature of their biological lipid bilayer "solvent", the evidence continues to suggest that membrane proteins are equilibrium structures. The progress in finding conditions in vitro to investigate the physical origins of their stabilities is the focus of this article. We catalogue in vitro folding studies in detergent micelles and in lipid bilayers. We consider the unique technical obstacles to folding studies of membrane proteins, and we highlight the progress that has been made in quantitative descriptions of membrane protein stability.
The Evans function and generalized Melnikov integrals

The Evans function, $E(\lambda)$, is an analytic function whose zeros coincide with the eigenvalues of the operator, L, obtained by linearizing about a travelling wave. The algebraic multiplicity of the eigenvalue $\lambda_0$ is equal to the order of the zero of $E(\lambda)$. If m is the geometric multiplicity and p is the algebraic multiplicity of the eigenvalue, the term $\partial_\lambda^pE(\lambda_0)$ is shown to be proportional to the determinant of an m × m matrix whose entries are given by the L2 inner products of the eigenfunctions of the adjoint operator L* and the generalized eigenfunctions of L. Perturbation expressions are then derived for coefficients in the Taylor expansion of $E(\lambda)$ at $\lambda=\lambda_0$ in the circumstance that the algebraic multiplicity of the eigenvalue decreases under perturbation. The expressions are used to study the eigenvalue structure for operators obtained by linearizing about bright solitary wave solutions to perturbed nonlinear Schrodinger equations.
Molecular pore-network model for nanoporous materials. I: Application to adsorption in silicon-carbide membranes

We develop a new model for nanoporous materials and inorganic membranes, the pore space of which consists of interconnected pores of irregular shapes and sizes. The model is based on the Voronoi tessellation of the atomistic structure of the crystalline or amorphous materials, of which the membrane is made. It generates three-dimensional molecular pore networks with pore size distributions (PSDs) that resemble those of real inorganic nanoporous materials. In addition to being interconnected and having irregular shapes and distributed sizes, the pores also have rough internal surface, which is what one may expect to exist in most real nanoporous materials. To test the validity of the model, we utilize it to compute the adsorption isotherms of nitrogen in three distinct silicon-carbide (SiC) membranes at 77 K, using equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. Using at most one adjustable parameter, the simulated isotherms and the experimental data are found to be in very good agreement.
Treatment of staghorn calculi with extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy and percutaneous nephrolithotomy

Abstract Between August 1983 and August 1987, 72 staghorn calculi were treated in 66 patients. Treatment was with percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in 30, extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in 18, combination PCNL-ESWL in 23, and nephrectomy in 1. Complications occurred in 59 percent of patients and were twice as common after PCNL as after ESWL. Radiologic follow-up on 69 kidneys (97%) showed 58 percent were stone free, 15 percent had residual sand or matchheads 15 mm residual stone burden. With a mean follow-up of thirty months, 2 of 40 stone-free patients had persistent asymptomatic Proteus urinary tract infections, and 4 of 22 patients with residual calculi ≤ 15 mm required additional operative treatment.
Assessing Individuality in Learning: the learning skills profile

Abstract A typology of learning skills is developed that is congruent with the learning style descriptions of experiential learning theory. The typology is holistic, allowing both idiographic and normative comparisons of individuals and situations, and the ‘fit’ between them. Learning style describes basic and generalised dimensions of individuality in learning, while a learning skill is more situational and subject to intentional development. The Learning Skills Profile (LSP) is a 72‐item, modified Q‐sort assessment instrument designed to assess learning skills. Data from numerous studies are reviewed and reported to establish the LSP's reliability, relational validity, criterion and construct validity. The LSP can be used as a vehicle for providing personal and organisational feedback on skills, and to describe the skills required by different jobs and educational programs.
Evolution of neuroarchitecture, multi-level analyses and calibrative reductionism.

Evolution has sculpted the incredibly complex human nervous system, among the most complex functions of which extend beyond the individual to an intricate social structure. Although these functions are deterministic, those determinants are legion, heavily interacting and dependent on a specific evolutionary trajectory. That trajectory was directed by the adaptive significance of quasi-random genetic variations, but was also influenced by chance and caprice. With a different evolutionary pathway, the same neural elements could subserve functions distinctly different from what they do in extant human brains. Consequently, the properties of higher level neural networks cannot be derived readily from the properties of the lower level constituent elements, without studying these elements in the aggregate. Thus, a multi-level approach to integrative neuroscience may offer an optimal strategy. Moreover, the process of calibrative reductionism, by which concepts and understandings from one level of organization or analysis can mutually inform and ‘calibrate’ those from other levels (both higher and lower), may represent a viable approach to the application of reductionism in science. This is especially relevant in social neuroscience, where the basic subject matter of interest is defined by interacting organisms across diverse environments.
Configurational Workload Characterization

Although the best processor design for executing a specific workload does depend on the characteristics of the workload, it can not be determined without factoring-in the effect of the interdependencies between different architectural subcomponents. Consequently, workload characteristics alone do not provide accurate indication of which workloads can perform close-to-optimal on the same architectural configuration. The primary goal of this paper is to demonstrate that, in the design of a heterogeneous CMP, reducing the set of essential benchmarks based on relative similarity in raw workload behavior may direct the design process towards options that result in sub-optimality of the ultimate design. It is shown that the design parameters of the customized processor configurations, what we refer to as the configurational characteristics, can yield a more accurate indication of the best way to partition the workload space for the cores of a heterogeneous system to be customized to. In order to automate the extraction of the configurational- characteristics of workloads, a design exploration tool based on the Simplescalar timing simulator and the CACTI modeling tool is presented. Results from this tool are used to display how a systematic methodology can be employed to determine the optimal set of core configurations for a heterogeneous CMP under different design objectives. In addition, it is shown that reducing the set of workloads based on even a single widely documented benchmark similarity (between bzip and gzip) can lead to a slowdown in the overall performance of a heterogeneous-CMP design.
Residual Stresses in Alumina/Silicon Carbide (Whisker) Composites by X‐ray Diffraction

Residual strains and stresses were determined in hot-pressed α-Al2O3 composites containing 29, 18, and 10 vol%β-SiC whiskers using X-ray diffraction. A 29 vol% SiC hot-pressed specimen containing whiskers coated with a 5- to 10-nm-thick carbon film was also investigated. Strains were determined from the 511 and 333 reflections from SiC and the 146 reflection from Al2O3 using CuKα radiation and applying both the sin2Ω and generalized least-squares methods. The total residual stresses were obtained from the least-squares strains and were further separated into macrostresses and microstresses in each phase using the method of Noyan and Cohen. An error analysis of the strains and stresses was also performed. The average microstresses in the Al2O3 matrix were nearly hydrostatic and decreased with decreasing volume percent of SiC as follows: 397, 222, and 94 MPa for 29, 18, and 10 vol% SiC, respectively. The average microstresses in the whiskers were hydrostatic and were -958, -1058, and -979 MPa for 29, 18, and 10 vol% SiC, respectively. The presence of the carbon film decreased the magnitudes of the microstresses by about 10% and 5%, respectively, for the whiskers and the matrix. The X-ray penetration depth was large (60 to 100 μm) compared with the whisker dimensions, so that the microstresses were representative of the bulk. The measured strains and microstresses were compared with those predicted by the models of Li and Bradt, Hsueh et al., and Majumdar et al., and with strains measured by neutron diffraction. In general, the agreement with the models and among the models was satisfactory, although the small decrease in the measured SiC microstresses in going from 18 to 10 vol% SiC was not predicted. The measured macrostresses were small (<140 MPa tensile), as expected from the light surface grinding of the surfaces (prepared using MIL standard 1942-A).
Multiscale modeling for clinical translation in neuropsychiatric disease.

Multiscale modeling of neuropsychiatric illness bridges scales of clinical importance: from the highest scales (presentation of behavioral signs and symptoms), through intermediate scales (clinical testing and surgical intervention), down to the molecular scale of pharmacotherapy. Modeling of brain disease is difficult compared to modeling of other organs, because dysfunction manifests at scales where measurements are rudimentary due both to inadequate access (memory and cognition) and to complexity (behavior). Nonetheless, we can begin to explore these aspects through the use of information-theoretic measures as stand-ins for meaning at the top scales. We here describe efforts across five disorders: Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, stroke, schizophrenia, and epilepsy. We look at the use of therapeutic brain stimulation to replace lost neural signals, a loss that produces diaschisis, defined as activity changes in other brain areas due to missing inputs. These changes may in some cases be compensatory, hence beneficial, but in many cases a primary pathology, whether itself static or dynamic, sets in motion a series of dynamic consequences that produce further pathology. The simulations presented here suggest how diaschisis can be reversed by using a neuroprosthetic signal. Despite having none of the information content of the lost physiological signal, the simplified neuroprosthetic signal can restore a diaschitic area to near-normal patterns of activity. Computer simulation thus begins to explain the remarkable success of stimulation technologies - deep brain stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, ultrasound stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation - across an extremely broad range of pathologies. Multiscale modeling can help us to optimize and integrate these neuroprosthetic therapies by taking into consideration effects of different stimulation protocols, combinations of stimulation with neuropharmacological therapy, and interplay of these therapeutic modalities with particular patterns of disease focality, dynamics, and prior therapies.
Doubly virtual Compton scattering and the beam normal spin asymmetry

We construct an invariant basis for Compton scattering with two virtual photons (VVCS). The basis tensors are chosen to be gauge invariant and orthogonal to each other. The properties of the corresponding 18 invariant amplitudes are studied in detail. We consider the special case of elastic VVCS with the virtualities of the initial and final photons equal. The invariant basis for VVCS in this orthogonal form does not exist in the literature. We furthermore use this VVCS tensor for a calculation of the beam normal spin asymmetry in the forward kinematics. For this, we relate the invariant amplitudes to the helicity amplitudes of the VVCS reaction. The imaginary parts of the latter are related to the inclusive cross section by means of the optical theorem. We use the phenomenological value of the transverse cross section sigmaT~0.1 mb and the Callan-Gross relation which relates the longitudinal cross section sigmaL to the transverse one. The result of the calculation agrees with an existing calculation, and predicts negative values of the asymmetry Bn of order of 5 ppm in the energy range from 3 to 45 GeV and for very forward angles.
Professional Schools: The Debate Continues

The development of a strong unified profession of engineering should start with a careful restructuring of our educational units. Engineering education is in a state of disarray and cannot provide the leadership necessary to unify the profession. All learned professions have some graduate education requirement, and engineering would do well to evaluate the graduate professional school approach of other professions. Abraham Flexner’s criteria for a practicing professional are recommended as applicable to the engineering profession.
Too Big to Care: The Moral Hazards of Exploding Surveillance and Imploding Accountability

In June 2014 the National Security Agency (NSA) co-opted the “too big to fail” doctrine in response to a court order instructing it to preserve evidence of its activities – a standard procedural obligation in any lawsuit. The NSA implied, though not in so many words, that it was “too big to comply” with basic legal requirements due to the size and complexity of its operations. Experts have compared this gambit to the “too big to fail” doctrine in finance, and this article will do the same while exploring the ramifications for public policy if the doctrine becomes accepted in the realm of electronic surveillance and big data.
Struktur und Zufälligkeit der Primzahlen

Wir stellen einige Themen der analytischen Primzahltheorie vor. Unser Augenmerk liegt dabei insbesondere auf der seltsamen Mischung von Ordnung und Chaos in den Primzahlen. Obwohl wir offensichtliche Muster in der Menge der Primzahlen finden konnen (so sind etwa fast alle ungerade) und ihre asymptotische Verteilung sehr regular ist (Primzahlsatz), kennen wir immer noch keine deterministische Formel, die schnell grose Primzahlen erzeugt, und konnen selbst einfache Muster wie die Primzahlzwillinge p, p + 2 nicht abzahlen. Trotzdem verstehen wir gewisse Teile der Struktur und Zufalligkeit der Primzahlen bereits so gut, dass wir auch durchaus nichttriviale Ergebnisse erhalten haben.
The effects of lighting on driver's injury severity at highway-rail grade crossings

Summary This study estimates the safety effect of illumination on accidents at highway-rail grade crossings in the United States, using data from exhaustive data from Federal Railroad Administration database covering the period 2002–2011. Using mixed logit modeling approach, the study explores the determinants of driver injury severity at unlighted highway-rail grade crossings compared with lighted highway-rail grade crossings in the United States. Several key issues are explored including availability of relevant highway-rail grade crossing accident inventory data; relevant data element structures; specification and estimation of models to estimate driver's injury severity with lighting and without lighting; and techniques to interpret model parameters. Overall, highway-rail grade crossing lighting improves safety by reducing the probability of high-level injury severity through improvements in driver's visibility compared with unlighted intersections. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Human polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) priming/activation by acute ethanol intoxication.

The effects of chronic alcoholism on susceptibility to infections are well documented. Less is known on the effect of sporadic acute ingestion of ethanol on the immune system. One should not assume that it induces neutrophil function deficiency in vivo. One example of upregulation caused by ethanol treatment was described by Dorio (1): in vitro ethanol treatment of rat macrophages causes an acute rise in intracellular calcium, stimulates a small amount of Superoxide production, but it also inhibits concanavalin A- and phorbol ester-induced Superoxide formation. Acute ingestion of ethanol has been shown to affect some, but not all PMN functions: decreased adherence to surfaces, decreased delivery to inflammation sites, but no abnormality of chemotaxis, Superoxide generation, bacterial killing, or intracellular cAMP and cGMP levels (2,3). In other experimental studies in mice, both low dose (1 mg/Kg) and high dose (4 mg/Kg of body weight) of ethanol increased the number of sticking or plugging PMNs in sinusoids of the liver (4). A small decrease in phagocytosis has been detected by some (3), but not by others (2).
Thermodynamic aspects of Cottrell atmospheres

Using open system elastic constants, we can convert any of the many existing solved small-strain problems of stress fields of dislocation configurations to what the stresses and solute distribution equilibrium would be in alloys. We confine ourselves to small strain linear isotropic elasticity in which the solute atoms are centres of pure dilation and compute the inhomogeneous compositional distributions that are called Cottrell atmospheres, as well as the energy changes due to the segregation. We correct the misconception in the literature that the solute distribution does not affect the stress field of the dislocation and show that the atmosphere around an edge dislocation acts like an edge dislocation with a Burgers vector of opposite sign.
Plasma Torch Production of Ti-Al Nanoparticles

Using the Aerosol-through-Plasma (A-T-P) technique high surface area (from 100 to 203 m2/g) bi-cationic (Ti-Al) oxide particles of a range of stoichiometries were produced that showed remarkable resistance to sintering. Specifically, we found that homogeneous nanoparticles with surface areas greater than 150 m2/g were produced at all stoichiometries. In particular, for particles with a Ti:Al ratio of 1:3 a surface area of just over 200 m2/gm was measured using the BET method. The most significant characteristic of these particles was that their sinter resistance was far superior to that of TiAl particles produced using any other method. For example, A-T-P generated particles retained >70% of their surface area even after sintering at 1000 C for five hours. In contrast, particles made using all other methods lost virtually all of their surface area after an 800 C treatment.
Complications of translaryngeal intubation.

SUMMARY The human larynx is complex and serves multiple functions. Unfortunately, endotracheal tubes do not reproduce all these functions. They serve well as air passages but cannot do so without damaging the mucosa of the posterior larynx. It appears that complications secondary to airway problems in the operating room are decreasing as the use of oximetry and capnometry becomes routine.6 It is hoped that this reduction in complications will carry over into the chronic care setting as such monitoring becomes the standard after intubations. Compared with malposition of the tube, most of the other complications of intubation are minor. However, knowledge of the various complications can ensure avoidance of many and early detection and correction of others.