cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of surface embrittlement on the mechanical behavior of rubber-modified polymers

An experimental study was conducted to better understand the mechanism of surface embrittlement in rubber-modified thermoplastics. Brittle polymer films were laminated onto acryionitnie-Duraaiene-styrene terpolymer and high-impact polystyrene to simulate either embrittlement due to environmental degradation or brittle paint systems. The effect of varying coating thickness and molecular weight was studied in tensile and impact testing. Results of this study suggest that the multiple crazing mechanism normally associated with the energy-absorbing capability of rubber-toughened polymers is severely restricted due to the formation of multiple surface cracks resulting from coating failure. This is particularly true when the coating thickness reaches a critical value at which a single surface crack is able to propagate across the coating/substrate interface in an unstable manner.
Human blood groups M-, N-, T-, and Tn-specific substances in lipidic extracts of line 10 hepatocarcinoma of strain 2 guinea pigs.

Live line 10 (L-10) hepatocarcinoma cells of Strain 2 guinea pigs carry immunoreactive human blood group T (Thomsen-Friedenreich)- and Tn-specificities on their surface as determined with human antisera. Disintegrated L-10 cells show in addition M and N activities; this indicates their presence within the tumor cells. Blood groups S and D(Rh0) activities were not demonstrable. M and N but not Tn and T specificities were also found in normal submaxillary and sublingual glands, kidney, and liver of Strain 2 guinea pigs. After extraction of L-10 carcinoma cells with n-butanol-water, all activities resided in the organic phase. Extraction of the organic phase by Sevag's deproteinization procedure yielded nearly eight times as much active material (by weight) in the chloroform layer as in the aqueous layer. Depending on the antisera used, M and N activities of the extracts amounted to 10 to >100% of authentic red cell M and N glycoproteins, Tn activity to ∼75%, and T activity to between 5 and 10% of that of human red blood cell-derived T antigen. The active extracts had <0.75% protein and <3.50% ash. We report two novel findings: (a) the occurrence of M and N specificities in nonprimates, and (b) the association of these specificities with lipidic substances.
The regulation of nuclear migration and division during pseudo-mycelium outgrowth in the dimorphic yeast Candida albicans

Abstract The relationships of the first nuclear division during pseudo-mycelial outgrowth in the infectious yeast Candida albicans to pseudo-mycelial length and DNA replication have been investigated. Evidence is presented that the first nuclear division does not occur until the pseudo-mycelium grows to a minimum length equal to or greater than the diameter of the mother cell and until the cells pass through a minimum time period of approx. 150 min which probably reflects the time necessary to complete nuclear DNA replication. Evidence is also presented that pseudo-mycelial outgrowth and nuclear migration occur independently of DNA replication, and that nuclear migration is probably regulated by the length rather than by the volume of the growing pseudomycelium. Similarities to the requirements for nuclear division during budding in Saccharomyces are discussed, and a model for nuclear migration is proposed.
The effect of experimental ecosystem warming on CO2 fluxes in a montane meadow

Climatic change is predicted to alter rates of soil respiration and assimilation of carbon by plants. Net loss of carbon from ecosystems would form a positive feedback enhancing anthropogenic global warming. We tested the effect of increased heat input, one of the most certain impacts of global warming, on net ecosystem carbon exchange in a Rocky Mountain montane meadow. Overhead heaters were used to increase the radiative heat flux into plots spanning a moisture and vegetation gradient. We measured net wholeecosystem CO2 fluxes using a closed-path chamber system, relatively nondisturbing bases, and a simple model to compensate for both slow chamber leaks and the CO2 concentration-dependence of photosynthetic uptake, in 1993 and 1994. In 1994, we also measured soil respiration separately. The heating treatment altered the timing and magnitude of net carbon fluxes into the dry zone of the plots in 1993 (reducing uptake by µ100 g carbon m ‐2 ), but had an undetectable effect on carbon fluxes into the moist zone. During a strong drought year (1994), heating altered the timing, but did not significantly alter the cumulative magnitude, of net carbon uptake in the dry zone. Soil respiration measurements showed that when differences were detected in dry zone carbon fluxes, they were caused by changes in carbon input from photosynthesis, not by temperature-driven changes in carbon output from soil respiration. When differences were detected in dry-zone carbon fluxes, they were caused by changes in carbon input from photosynthesis, not by a temperature-driven changes in carbon output from soil respiration. Regression analysis suggested that the reduction in carbon inputs from plants was due to a combination of two soil moisture effects: a direct physiological response to decreased soil moisture, and a shift in plant community composition from high-productivity species to low-productivity species that are more drought tolerant. These results partially support predictions that warming may cause net carbon losses from some terrestrial ecosystems. They also suggest, however, that changes in soil moisture caused by global warming may be as important in driving ecosystem response as the direct effects of increased soil temperature.
Chaos and the rationality proposition

Recent research in distributed artificial intelligence may give an analytical model for exchange theory. These researchers have used techniques to control chaotic behavior that correspond to the rationality proposition and may, therefore, give a new avenue of sociological research in exchange theory. This article gives an overview of the research and comments on its potential use in sociology.
Absorption by Bacterial Cells: Interaction Between Receptor Sites and the Effect of Fluid Motion

The absorption of some species X by a bacterial cell depends (i) on the concentration of receptors for species X and (ii) on the state of motion of the surrounding medium. The latter problem is particularly interesting, since without any restriction on the type of fluid, details of the flow field or kind of cell, an explicit expression for the increase in uptake is obtained. To study the interaction between neighboring receptor sites we concentrate on the limit of small area fraction. The result obtained correlates quite well with experimental data.
Mouse myelomas producing precipitating antibody to nucleic acid bases and-or nitrophenyl derivatives.

About 10 per cent of mouse myeloma proteins have antibody activity directed against various combinations of purine, 5-acetyl uracil, dinitrophenyl and trinitrophenyl groups.
Teaching Creativity in Higher Education

Individual creativity is ubiquitous. New technologies both enable and urge fresh approaches to creativity in the context of education. University-level education offers a natural place to adjust pedagogical structures in favor of a more individual approach to learning that organizes the intellectual community into new patters of interaction and time allocation. This direction is made possible by the vast improvements in access to information, data, knowledge, and opinion. College students live in this world of access, in an ever-expanding sea of material. Networking second-by-second is central to their zeitgeist. The result is far more than social. Interaction and collaboration are now important in most workplaces, and are expected to be even more important in the future. Higher education needs to use its natural resources in ways that develop content knowledge and skills in a culture infused at new levels by investigation, cooperation, connection, integration, and synthesis. Creativity is necessary to ac...
Nonlinear magnetic resonance behavior and reversible adsorbed gas effects from trace ferromagnetism in Y-zeolite☆

Abstract Unusual spin resonance observations made on a sample of rare earth ion-exchanged Y-zeolite have been attributed to the presence of a ferromagnetic impurity, and are qualitatively explained in terms of existing theories on nonlinear behavior in ferromagnetic resonance at high power. The effects included foldover and bistable response below 136 K, due to classical, anisotropy-based nonlinearity; above 136 K, apparent subsidiary absorption—the Suhl instability driven by coupling of low-frequency spin wave modes to the main resonance—predominated. Modification of the surface anisotropy is suggested to account for the complete suppression of the low-temperature effects when the zeolite sample was cooled in air, the high-temperature effects persisting after this cooling but with a loss of orientational anisotropy. Brief room temperature evacuation of the sample was sufficient to regenerate the original effects. Some details of the resonance behavior are very similar to recently published observations from magnetite impurities; those were there attributed to field-induced transitions. The limitations under which a field-dependent Verwey transition could be used to rationalize such observations have been schematically expounded, and the importance of the microwave field again appears to be the dominating factor.
Management of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients With Primary and Metastatic Brain Tumors

Venous thromboembolism occurs commonly throughout the clinical course of patients with brain tumors. A number of hemostatic and clinical factors contribute to this hypercoagulable state. Concern over the possibility of intracranial bleeding has limited the use of anticoagulation in this population. However, mechanical approaches such as vena cava filters have high complication and treatment failure rates in patients with intracranial malignancies. In addition, the available data suggest that anticoagulation can be used safely and effectively in most of these patients. Patients with thrombocytopenia, recent neurosurgery, and tumor types prone to bleeding require special consideration. When intracranial hemorrhage does occur, it is often due to overanticoagulation, requiring prompt anticoagulation reversal and neurosurgical consultation.
Microtubule—macrotubule transformations induced by volatile anesthetics. Mechanism of macrotubule assembly

Halothane, a widely used volatile anesthetic, transforms crayfish axonal microtubules measuring 240 A in diameter into enlarged tubular structures (macrotubules) averaging 460 A in diameter. Tannic acid and negative staining techniques have been used to compare the substructure of microtubules and macrotubules and to determine the mechanism of macrotubule assembly. The tubular transformation is initiated by the dissociation of microtubules into component protofilaments which reassemble into unique “twisted ribbon” intermediate structures. Twisted ribbons appear to form macrotubules when adjacent ribbon gyres come into register and join. Macrotubule formation is rapid and at least partially reversible. Methoxyflurane, isoflurane, enflurane, and trichloroethylene also produce macrotubules by a series of structural modifications identical to those described for halothane. Fluroxene and ether dissociate microtubules but do not lead to macrotubule formation. These data provide new information concerning the effects of volatile anesthetics on microtubular structure and the structural polymorphism of microtubule protein.
The Relation between Variable-Interval Schedule Value and Subsequent Progressive-Ratio Persistence

Abstract The effect of variable-interval reinforcement rate on subsequent progressive-ratio responding was investigated by exposing five groups of rats to 15-session blocks of variable-interval training followed by a single progressive-ratio "test" session. Progressive-ratio test sessions began with a response requirement of 25 and incremented by 25 following each reinforcer. Sessions terminated when no responding occurred for 15 min. The reinforcement rate arranged by the variable-interval schedule was changed following exposure to each block of training and test sessions according to a Latin square design. Each subject received two blocks of training with variable-interval schedules arranging reinforcement rates of .25, .5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 reinforcers per min. Response rates during the final five sessions of each variable-interval exposure was an increasing function of variable-interval reinforcement rate. Similarly, total responses emitted and response rate during progressive-ratio test sessions increased as a function of variable-interval reinforcement rate. In contrast, the amount of time required to satisfy the 15-min extinction criterion used to terminate test sessions decreased as variable-interval reinforcement rate increased. Similarly, the ratio of response rate during test sessions to the response rate during the five variable-interval sessions preceding the test was inversely related to the reinforcement rate arranged during the variable-interval sessions. Responding during test sessions persisted longer and response rate declined less following exposure to the lowest reinforcement rate variable-interval schedules than following the richer parameters. The use of occasional test sessions interpolated between blocks of training sessions is a promising method for assessing the relation among schedule parameters and performance under subsequent conditions.
Sphingomyelinase-to-LDL molar ratio determines low density lipoprotein aggregation size: biological significance

The subendothelial retention of low density lipoproteins (LDL) is believed to be the central pathogenic event in atherosclerosis, as stated by the response-to-retention hypothesis. Sphingomyelinase, an enzyme present in the arteries, has been proven to promote LDL aggregation. This study investigates the hypothesis that the extent of LDL aggregation is determined by the molar ratio of sphingomyelinase (SMase)-to-LDL, rather than the absolute concentrations. A mass action model is used to describe the aggregation process, and binding and dissociation rate constants are determined by fitting of dynamic light scattering data. The model predicts aggregate sizes that agree well with experimental observations. This study also tests the hypothesis that monocyte uptake of LDL correlates with aggregate size. LDL aggregates of three specific sizes (75, 100, and 150 nm) were incubated with J774A.1 cells and the net accumulation of LDL was monitored by measuring changes in the cellular cholesterol and protein content. Relative to a control sample, cholesterol accumulation was enhanced for aggregate sizes of 75 and 150 nm. The intermediate size aggregates, 100 nm, led to a very striking result demonstrating that cholesterol accumulation was markedly greater than the other samples, and was sufficient to cause cell death. These results underscore an important role of colloidal aggregation, and the influence of LDL aggregate size, in atherosclerosis.
Identification and active exploration of deformable object boundary constraints through robotic manipulation

Robotic motion planning algorithms for manipulation of deformable objects, such as in medical robotics applications, rely on accurate estimations of object deformations that occur during manipulation. An estimation of the tissue response (for off-line planning or real-time on-line re-planning), in turn, requires knowledge of both object constitutive parameters and boundary constraints. In this paper, a novel algorithm for estimating boundary constraints of deformable objects from robotic manipulation data is presented. The proposed algorithm uses tissue deformation data collected with a vision system, and employs a multi-stage hill climbing procedure to estimate the boundary constraints of the object. An active exploration technique, which uses an information maximization approach, is also proposed to extend the identification algorithm. The effects of uncertainties on the proposed methods are analyzed in simulation. The results of experimental evaluation of the methods are also presented.
The failed repressor: EEG asymmetry as a moderator of the relation between defensiveness and depressive symptoms

This study assessed the joint effects of defensiveness and frontal asymmetry in predicting symptoms of depression and anxiety. Depression symptoms were measured with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and anxiety symptoms with the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (TMAS). Defensiveness was assessed with both the Marlowe Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSD) and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire L scale (EPQL). Participants completed two EEG recording sessions 3 weeks apart. Six baselines, three eyes open and three eyes closed, were recorded in each session. Alpha power (8-13 Hz) was computed and log transformed. R-L asymmetry was computed at eight pairs of homologous sites for aggregated data. Defensiveness (EPQL and MCSD scores) and depression symptoms (BDI) were assessed at the beginning of the first session. L and MCSD correlated positively with anterior R-L asymmetries. For both scales, the highest correlations were observed at F8-F7. L interacted with F8-F7 asymmetry to predict depressive symptoms. Among left frontally active individuals, there was trend toward a negative correlation between L and BDI. Among the right frontally active individuals, the correlation between L and the BDI was positive. MCSD did not moderate the relation between F8-F7 asymmetry and BDI. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that defensiveness protects against symptoms of depression in the context of left frontal activity, and serves as a diathesis for depression in the context of right frontal activity. High-defensive individuals who are right frontally active may represent "failed repressors," i.e. individuals for whom defensiveness does not protect against depression, and may even exacerbate it.
Physician Assistant Self-Directed Search Holland Codes

A mailed survey was used to identify the vocational interests of physician assistants (PAs) as measured by Holland’s Self-Directed Search (SDS) Form R. A random sample of 2,323 PAs from the American Academy of Physician Assistants’ mailing list was sent a survey to identify a pool of practicing PAs satisfied with their career choices for further study with the SDS. Of the 1,137 respondents, 945 met the inclusion criteria for SDS participation. Nine hundred twenty-one SDS booklets were sent to qualifying PAs, with 463 usable booklets returned. The PA Holland profile was identified as SIREAC. Men had significantly higher realistic scores than women, even within the surgical and family/general practice specialties. Some implications for the career counseling of individuals considering entry into the PA profession are discussed.
Weather and radar interactions

This paper discusses the effects of weather on radar system performance. This discussion were based on computer simulations and climatological data. The relationships between frequency and range were explored as they interact with the weather. This effort is being conducted in the RF Technology Division of the Applied Sensors, Guidance, and Electronics Directorate, US Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) on the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Although there is extensive work in this area, this paper presents the background in a condensed form and go into greater detail of the attenuation due to rainfall rates and cloud water content. The ground work for this effort was performed in a paper titled "Weather Clutter and Effects on Radar Systems", Joel P. Booth. This research is a continuation of that work. The goal is to uncover any data relating the attenuation or reflection from clouds verses the cloud liquid content. Another goal is to try and quantify attenuation due to rain fall rates. The data obtained from this effort will be used in the selection of new radar system parameters. The effects of weather impact the selection of operating frequency and modes. The results also effect the combination of modes in seeker system design to achieve the mission
Erase band and transition charge-model and MFM

The three-dimensional magnetic vector field for a magnetic recording head with unequal pole width is used as an input to a two dimensional extension of the Williams Comstock model to calculate transition charge, erase band widths, and to simulate magnetic force microscope images. Modeling results are compared to MFM images.
The performance of a real-time I/O subsystem for QoS-enabled ORB middleware

There is increasing demand to extend object request broker (ORB) middleware to support applications with stringent quality of service (QoS) requirements. However conventional ORBs do not define standard features for specifying or enforcing end-to-end QoS for applications with deterministic real-time requirements. This paper describes the design and performance of a real-time I/O (RIO) subsystem optimized for QoS-enabled ORB end-systems that support high-performance and real-time applications running on off-the-shelf hardware and software. The paper illustrates how integrating a real-time ORB with a RIO subsystem can reduce latency bounds on end-to-end communication between high-priority clients without unduly penalizing low-priority and best-effort clients.
Transgenic increase of Wnt7b in neural progenitor cells decreases expression of T-domain transcription factors and impairs neuronal differentiation

Wnt/beta-catenin signaling plays an important role in neural development, instructing both progenitor cell division and differentiation. During early corticogenesis, Wnt7b is expressed in a restricted expression pattern in the ventricular zone progenitor cells. However, its influence on progenitor cell behavior has not been fully studied. We report that transgenic overexpression of Wnt7b in neural progenitor cells impairs neuronal differentiation and the development of forebrain structures at embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5). This was accompanied by a decreased expression of T-domain transcription factors Tbr1 and Tbr2, in both progenitor cells and post-mitotic neurons. However, proliferation, apoptosis and the overall proportion of pax6(+) neural progenitor cells were similar to wild-type litter mates. These results suggest that Wnt signaling may affect early neural progenitor differentiation by regulating the expression of pro-neural transcription factors.
Relationship Drivers of Customer Commitment

A Relationship Drivers Model is developed to capture key motivations as to why customers engage in marketing relationships. The framework of the model contends that firms should simultaneously strive to offer economic, social, and resource driver variables to its customers. Structural equation modeling is used to test the model across three different customer relationship levels in two business-to-consumer settings—customers belonging to a national upscale department store (n = 2,576) and customers of a national restaurant chain (n = 639). The findings can be instructional for helping identify how firms can blend various marketing sources to secure more committed customer relationships.
A bolometric Bond albedo map of Iapetus: Observations from Cassini VIMS and ISS and Voyager ISS

We utilized Cassini VIMS, Cassini ISS, and Voyager ISS observations of Iapetus to produce the first bolometric Bond albedo map of Iapetus. The average albedo values for the leading and trailing hemispheres are 0.06 ± 0.01 and 0.25 ± 0.03, respectively. However, the bright material in high-resolution ISS images has a value of 0.38 ± 0.04, highlighting the importance of resolution in determining accurate albedo values for Iapetus due to the speckling of localized regions of dark material into the trailing hemisphere. The practical application of this map is determining more accurate surface temperatures in thermal models; these albedo values translate into first order blackbody temperatures of 125.5 K and 118.4 K for the trailing and leading hemispheres at the semi-major axis.
Perspective effects in nondeontic versions of the Wason selection task.

Perspective effects in the Wason four-card selection task occur when people choose mutually exclusive sets of cards depending on the perspective they adopt when making their choice. Previous demonstrations of perspective effects have been limited to deontic contexts—that is, problem contexts that involve social duty, like permissions and obligations. In three experiments, we demonstrate perspective effects in nondeontic contexts, including a context much like the original one employed by Wason (1966, 1968). We suggest that perspective effects arise whenever the task uses a rule that can be interpreted biconditionally and different perspectives elicit different counterexamples that match the predicted choice sets. This view is consistent with domain-general theories but not with domainspecific theories of deontic reasoning—for example, pragmatic reasoning schemas and social contract theory—that cannot explain perspective effects in nondeontic contexts.
Shock consolidation of mechanically alloyed amorphous Ti-Si powders

Mechanical alloying was used to synthesize amorphous 5Ti-3Si atomic ratio powders in a SPEX mill under Ar atmosphere. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed formation of a single-phase amorphous compound after about 24 hours of milling. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the milled powder still contained nanocrystallites of Ti and Si among regions of generally amorphous compound. The mechanically alloyed amorphous powder was shock consolidated, using a plate impact assembly, to produce bulk compacts. The compaction resulted in a significant amount of crystallization, forming 30- to 40-nm crystals of TiSi2 and Ti5Si3 intermetallic compounds. The compacts were subsequently annealed above the crystallization temperature, measured to be ∼640 °C using differential thermal analysis. The compacts annealed at 800 °C for 1 hour showed only limited grain growth to ∼50-nm crystallite size. Microhardness of the shocked amorphous alloy compacts was ∼1100 KHN, which increased to ∼1250 KHN upon subsequent annealing, with the formation of a more homogeneous nanocrystalline microstructure.
Elimination of impinging-jet resonance

The pressure fluctuations generated by highspccd impinging jets, normally intense, dramatically increase in amplitude and exhibit peaks at discrete frequencies under certain flow conditions. I t is generally accepted that a feedback loop consisting of downstream-convecting organized motions and upstream-propagating acoustic disturbances is responsible for the maintenance of this flow resonance. This paper describes an effort to control impinging jet resonance through the addition of an annular stream. Fluctuating wall-pressure and near-field acoustic measurements were made in a high-speed (Mj = 0.8 to 1.6) impinging je t issuing from coaxial round, converging w nozzles. Coherent motions critical to the maintenance of the feedback loop were examined via real-time conditional acquisition of schlieren images. The results of the passive control were dramatic. The discrete impingement tone was eliminated and the broadband noise was decreased by an order of magnitude when the Mach number of the annular jet was properly selected. It is hypothesized that the annular stream acoustically shields the nozzle lip from the full strength of the upstream-propagating disturbances. This interferes with the creation and amplification of thc downstreamconvecting organized motions, thereby interrupting the fluid-dynamic feedback.
Factors regulating the slow electrogenic phase in green algae and higher plants.

Abstract The electrochromic rise in the millisecond range, corrected for the subsequent decay, has been studied in Chlorella cells and spinach chloroplasts. The half-time of the electrochromic rise in the millisecond range is independent of the redox states of the components involved in the electrogenic loop. It is also independent of pH in the absence of a pH gradient, but it is dependent upon the transmembrane electric field and the pH gradient. The limiting step of the overall process is thus the electrogenic reaction itself. The amplitude of the electrochromic rise in the millisecond range is controlled by two classes of factors: the redox state of its reactants and the free energy available in the overall process including the electrogenic reaction. This free energy depends upon ΔpH and transmembrane electric field. A fast reduction of cytochrome f + (and thus probably of the Rieske protein) by Photosystem II is still possible when the electrogenic reaction is impeded for energetic reasons. The kinetic behavior of the electrogenic reaction could be interpreted by the following reaction: UH 2int + FeS + + X 2 + H + ext af U + 2H + int + FeS + X 2 H where FeS is the Rieske protein; X 2 would be a new protein (observed in Bouges-Bocquet, B. (1980) FEBS Lett. 117, 54–58); UH 2 which is likely a special quinone, would release its two protons inside the thylakoids and X 2 would use protons from the external medium.
Growth of complex systems can be related to the properties of their underlying determinants.

Abstract Growth—increase in size, number, or amount—in many cases appears to follow simple empirical laws. Such laws have been noted in a wide variety of fields for many years. Until now these laws have never been related to the underlying determinants of these systems. By starting with fundamental properties of the component mechanisms in such systems, one can derive a basic growth equation for which the well-known laws of growth are special cases.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme regulates bradykinin receptor gene expression

The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is a membrane-bound peptidyl dipeptidase known to act on a variety of peptide substrates in the extracellular space. Its most notable functions are the forma...
Determination of ice cloud models using MODIS and MISR data

Representation of ice clouds in radiative transfer simulations is subject to uncertainties associated with the shapes and sizes of ice crystals within cirrus clouds. In this study, we examined several ice cloud models consisting of smooth, roughened, homogeneous and inhomogeneous hexagonal ice crystals with various aspect ratios. The sensitivity of the bulk scattering properties and solar reflectances of cirrus clouds to specific ice cloud models is investigated using the improved geometric optics method (IGOM) and the discrete ordinates radiative transfer (DISORT) model. The ice crystal habit fractions in the ice cloud model may significantly affect the simulations of cloud reflectances. A new algorithm was developed to help determine an appropriate ice cloud model for application to the satellite-based retrieval of ice cloud properties. The ice cloud particle size retrieved from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, collocated with Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) obser...
Analysis of an electrically long, all-dielectric, fiber-optic electric-field sensor

An electrically short fiber-optic electric-field sensor has a sensitivity that is proportional to the fiber length. In this paper an analysis is presented for a sensor with an electrically long fiber. The result indicates that zeros will occur in the frequency response. A sensitivity tapering technique is presented which prevents these zeros from occurring.
Bile Acids and Bicarbonate Inversely Regulate Intracellular Cyclic di-GMP in Vibrio cholerae

Vibrio cholerae is a Gram-negative bacterium that persists in aquatic reservoirs and causes the diarrheal disease cholera upon entry into a human host. V. cholerae employs the second messenger molecule 3′,5′-cyclic diguanylic acid (c-di-GMP) to transition between these two distinct lifestyles. c-di-GMP is synthesized by diguanylate cyclase (DGC) enzymes and hydrolyzed by phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes. Bacteria typically encode many different DGCs and PDEs within their genomes. Presumably, each enzyme senses and responds to cognate environmental cues by alteration of enzymatic activity. c-di-GMP represses the expression of virulence factors in V. cholerae, and it is predicted that the intracellular concentration of c-di-GMP is low during infection. Contrary to this model, we found that bile acids, a prevalent constituent of the human proximal small intestine, increase intracellular c-di-GMP in V. cholerae. We identified four c-di-GMP turnover enzymes that contribute to increased intracellular c-di-GMP in the presence of bile acids, and deletion of these enzymes eliminates the bile induction of c-di-GMP and biofilm formation. Furthermore, this bile-mediated increase in c-di-GMP is quenched by bicarbonate, the intestinal pH buffer secreted by intestinal epithelial cells. Our results lead us to propose that V. cholerae senses distinct microenvironments within the small intestine using bile and bicarbonate as chemical cues and responds by modulating the intracellular concentration of c-di-GMP.
THERMAL PROPERTIES OF SILICON NITRIDE BEAMS BELOW 1 KELVIN

We have investigated the thermal transport of long, narrow beams of silicon nitride at cryogenic temperatures. Simultaneously employing a superconducting Transition Edge Sensor (TES) as both a heater and a sensor, we measured the thermal conductance of 1 μm thick silicon nitride beams of different lateral dimensions. Based upon these measurements, we calculate the thermal parameters of the beams. We utilize a boundary limited phonon scattering model and assume the phonon mean free path to be temperature independent in the calculation. In the temperature range from 300 mK to 530 mK, the following results are obtained for 20 (30) μm beams: the volume heat capacity is 0.083 T+0.509 T3 J/m3‐K, the width dependent phonon mean free path is 9.60 (11.05) μm, and the width dependent thermal conductivity is 5.60×10−3 T+3.41×10−2 T3 (6.50×10−3 T+3.93×10−2 T3) W/m‐K.
Separation failure in a class of bonded plates

Abstract Separation failure of bonded elastic plates is considered for a class of mathematically one-dimensional structural configurations under various loading and support conditions. These include configurations simulating those of lap joints and ‘patched’ plates in which intermediate edge debonding occurs as a result of applied in-plane tension, three-point loading, and applied transverse pressure. The problems are approached from a unified point of view, as moving boundary problems in the calculus of variations. In this way a self-consistent mathematical model for the intact segment of the composite structure, for the debonded segments of the composite structure, and for the individual plate segments along with the corresponding boundary and matching conditions are obtained, as well as the transversality conditions which define the moving boundaries of a contact zone and of the bonded region itself. The latter establishes the energy release rates for the debonding structures. Numerical results based on analytical solutions then establish delamination paths or threshold curves which predict the onset and propagation characteristics of the evolving structures. These characteristics are seen to be dependent upon the loading conditions, the support conditions, the relative stiffnesses and lengths of the two primitive plates, and on the initial size of the bonded region.
Mortality among California highway workers

Standardized proportional mortality ratios (PMR) were computed for a population of highway workers. Hazards of highway maintenance work include exposure to solvents, herbicides, asphalt and welding fumes, diesel and auto exhaust, asbestos, abrasive dusts, hazardous material spills, and moving motor vehicles. Underlying cause of death was obtained for 1,570 workers who separated from the California Department of Transportation between 1970 and 1983, and who died in California between 1970 and 1983 (inclusive). Among 1,260 white males, the major findings were statistically significant excesses of cancers of digestive organs (PMR = 128), skin (PMR = 218), lymphopoietic cancer (PMR = 157), benign neoplasms (PMR = 343), motor vehicle accidents (PMR = 141), and suicide (PMR = 154). Black males (N = 66) experienced nonsignificant excesses of cancer of the digestive organs (PMR = 191) and arteriosclerotic heart disease (PMR = 143). Among 168 white females, deaths from lung cancer (PMR = 189) and suicide (PMR = 215) were elevated. White male retirees, a subgroup with 5 or more years of service, experienced excess mortality due to cancers of the colon (PMR = 245), skin (PMR = 738), brain (PMR = 556), and lymphosarcomas and reticulosarcomas (PMR = 514). Deaths from external causes (PMR = 135) and cirrhosis of the liver (PMR = 229) were elevated among white males with a last job in landscape maintenance. White males whose last job was highway maintenance experienced a deficit in mortality from circulatory diseases (PMR = 83) and excess mortality from emphysema (PMR = 250) and motor vehicle accidents (PMR = 196). Further epidemiologic and industrial hygiene studies are needed to confirm the apparent excess mortality and to quantify occupational and nonoccupational exposures. However, reduction of recognized hazards among highway maintenance workers is a prudent precautionary measure.
Vestibular efferent neurons and catecholamine cell groups in the reticular formation of the pigeon.

Abstract This study was designed to investigate the relationship between vestibular efferent neurons and catecholamine cell groups within the reticular formation of the pigeon. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was injected into the endolymphatic space of one labyrinth. The brain was perfused with glyoxylic acid and serial sections were examined with a fluorescence microscope. After documentation of the location of fluorescent cells the sections were reacted for HRP with tetramethylbenzidine. Fluorescent cells were noted intermingled among the HRP-labeled vestibular efferent neurons in the nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis. No neurons were both fluorescent and HRP-positive. Fluorescent cells were also noted bilaterally in locus ceruleus, raphe nucleus, and in close proximity to the abducent, facial, hypoglossal and ambiguus nuclei.
Comparison of tissue culture and whole plant responses to salinity in potato

Salt sensitivities of six potato cultivars using six levels of sodium chloride (0.0 to 0.25M) were studied in a greenhouse. Responses of these cultivars were also determined in tissue culture by studying rooting of stem segments, increase in length of cultured roots and inhibition of growth of cell suspension cultures using similar salt concentrations. Responses of cultured stem segments and cell suspensions differed from those expressed by whole plants. A close similarity was observed between the salt stress response of whole plants and of cultured roots. The latter technique may provide a preliminary screening method for assessing salt tolerance in potato genotypes.
FastRoute 2.0: A High-quality and Efficient Global Router

Because of the increasing dominance of interconnect issues in advanced IC technology, it is desirable to incorporate global routing into early design stages to get accurate interconnect information. Hence, high-quality and fast global routers are in great demand. In this paper, we propose two major techniques to improve the extremely fast global router, FastRoute (Pan and Chu, 2006) in terms of solution quality : (1) monotonic routing, (2) multi-source multi-sink maze routing. The new router is called FastRoute 2.0. Experimental results show that FastRoute 2.0 can generate high-quality routing solutions with fast runtime compared with three state-of-the-art academic global routers FastRoute, Labyrinth (Kastner et al., 2000) and Chi Dispersion router (Hadsell and Madden, 2003). On the set of benchmarks used in Pan and Chu, 2006 and Hadsell and Madden (2003), the total overflow of FastRoute 2.0 is 98, compared to 1012 (FastRoute), 2846 (Labyrinth) and 1271 (Chi Dispersion Router). The runtime of FastRoute 2.0 is 73% slower than FastRoute, but 78times and 37times faster than Labyrinth and Chi Dispersion router. The promising results make it possible to integrate global routing into early design stages. This could dramatically improve the design solution quality.
An HVS-Based Image Quality Measure

A preliminary image quality measure which attempts to take into account the sensitivities of the human visual system (HVS) is described. The main sensitivities considered are the background illumination-level and spatial frequency sensitivities. Given a digitized image the algorithm produces, among several other figures of merit, a plot of the information content (IC) versus the resolution. The IC for a given resolution is defined here as the sum of the weighted spectral components at that resolution. The HVS normalization is done via first intensity-remapping the image by a monotone increasing funciton representing the background illumination-level sensitivity, followed by a spectral filtering via an HVS-derived weighting function representing the spatial frequency sensitivity. The developed quality measure is conveniently parametereized and interactive. It allows experimentation with numerous parameters of the HVS model to determine the optimum set for which the high-est correlation with subjective evaluations can be achieved.
Images in clinical medicine. Chondrocalcinosis and hypomagnesemia.

A 50-year-old woman presented with a several-year history of acute and chronic joint pain. Her serum magnesium level was 0.9 mg per deciliter (0.4 mmol per liter) (normal range, 1.6 to 2.5 [0.7 to 1.0]), and the total daily urinary excretion of magnesium and the fractional clearance of magnesium were elevated. Radiography revealed chondrocalcinosis in the knee (Panel A, arrow), outlining the articular cartilage and especially the lateral meniscus, and calcifications in the wrist (Panel B) that were deposited on the triangular cartilage (arrow) as well as the radial-carpal and intercarpal cartilage. Chondrocalcinosis is the presence of linear, stippled calcification . . .
Vertical Expandable Prosthetic Titanium Rib in Early-Onset Scoliosis

In the past decade, pediatric spine surgeons have widely adopted repetitive distraction strategies (vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib [VEPTR] and growing rods) to manage severe spinal deformity in young children. An increasing body of evidence shows that spine deformity can be successfully controlled until the onset of puberty; spinal length increases and the inexorable pulmonary decline can be halted, and even improved, in most children. VEPTR has many advantages over spine-based growing rods in the management of early-onset scoliosis: Food and Drug Administration approval, limited spinal exposure, chest wall expansion capabilities, easier lengthening, and easier management of the inevitable complications, such as infection and anchor fixation loss. Now that the Food and Drug Administration approval with humanitarian device exemption is complete, engineering modifications will make VEPTR more versatile, especially for conditions such as kyphosis and secondary chest wall collapse.
Simulation of Leveling in Electrodeposition

This paper reports on a model of current distribution and electrode shape change for electrodeposition in the presence of diffusion-controlled leveling agents that have been developed. The system is treated as a special case of secondary current distribution, with the surface overpotential taken to depend on both the current density and the transport-limited flux of the leveling agent, according to an empirical relation adapted from polarization data measured at different conditions of agitation. The spatial variation of the leveling-agent flux is determined from a concentration field problem based on the assumption of a stagnant diffusion layer. The solution is obtained by the boundary element method, with a flexible moving-boundary algorithm for simulating the advancement of the electrode profile. To illustrate the model's performance, the evolution of a groove profile during deposition of nickel from a Watts-type bath containing coumarin is predicted and compared with measurements reported in the literature.
Kinetics and mechanism of the citrate synthase from the thermophilic archaeon Thermoplasma acidophilum.

The kinetics and mechanism of the citrate synthase from a moderate thermophile, Thermoplasma acidophilum (TpCS), are compared with those of the citrate synthase from a mesophile, pig heart (PCS). All discrete steps in the mechanistic sequence of PCS can be identified in TpCS. The catalytic strategies identified in PCS, destabilization of the oxaloacetate substrate carbonyl and stabilization of the reactive species, acetyl-CoA enolate, are present in TpCS. Conformational changes, which allow the enzyme to efficiently catalyze both condensation of acetyl-CoA thioester and subsequently hydrolysis of citryl-CoA thioester within the same active site, occur in both enzymes. However, significant differences exist between the two enzymes. PCS is a characteristically efficient enzyme: no internal step is clearly rate-limiting and the condensation step is readily reversible. TpCS is a less efficient catalyst. Over a broad temperature range, inadequate stabilization of the transition state for citryl-CoA hydrolysis...
Community, Spiritual Traditions, and Disasters in Chinese Society

This article posits a deeply contextual and communal therapy as the best path to a victim’s reconstruction of a sense of ‘home.’ The authors take seriously the recent call of Zhang Kan, chairperson of the Chinese Psychological Society, to consider the localities and heritage of China in the construction of psychotherapy for Chinese. The article follows Walsh’s four ways by which reconstructed communities are a resource for detoxifying the effects of trauma and disaster: shared acknowledgement of the traumatic events, shared experience of loss and survivorship, reorganization of the community, and reinvestment in relationships. It is argued that spirituality can also play a positive role in the recovery of meaning and community after disaster when honored rather than instrumentalized. Examples will be drawn from the communal/religious reconstructive efforts of Ukrainian Mennonites in communist Russia and the ways in which Chinese responded to the earthquake of May 12, 2008.
An undergraduate information assurance curriculum

Recognizing that most information assurance education programs are intended for professional graduate students, we investigate whether a curriculum can be designed for undergraduates who desire entry level positions in information assurance. We find that this task must be constrained before it can be solved and so, for that reason, will specify four requirements that our undergraduate curriculum will satisfy. We then propose and illustrate a five step design process that investigates the learning objectives, course structure, and assessment of an undergraduate information assurance curriculum.
Hermit Thrush is the First Observed Dispersal Agent for Pondberry (Lindera melissifolia)

Abstract We investigated dispersal opportunities for the endangered pondberry, Lindera melissifolia (Lauraceae). In 199 hours of observation at 5 fruiting colonies in the Delta National Forest, Sharkey County, Mississippi, we recorded 82 bird species in the vicinity of a colony. Of these, 12 were observed on pondberry plants, and two consumed ripe pondberry fruits. Of these, the northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis (Cardinalidae), was a seed predator. The other, hermit thrush, Catharus guttatus (Turdidae), was a dispersal agent for the plants. Numbers of fruits declined rapidly after hermit thrushes arrived in October and no fruits remained by January. Winter behavior of hermit thrushes constrains their dispersal of seeds to short distances. Without establishment of additional colonies, pondberry dispersal by birds to unoccupied patches of suitable forest is unlikely.