cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simulation of saltwater intrusion in the Northern Guam Lens using a microcomputer

Abstract A two-dimensional (areal) finite element model of saltwater intrusion was modified so that it can run on a microcomputer. The model assumes a sharp interface between fresh water and salt water and simulates the movement of both fresh water and salt water. Linear triangular elements are used to discretize the domain. A preprocessor is used to renumber the nodes of a given network to reduce the bandwidth of the matrix. The model was applied to the Northern Guam aquifer. The hydraulic conductivity in three regions of the aquifer was calibrated using the water-level history for a few observation wells. Field measurements of the depth of the interface indicate that the sharp interface assumption is valid for most of the aquifer. Comparison of the depth of the measured 50% isochlor with the computed depth of the interface shows that the two are equal at most locations. In some cases, the computed depth is less than the measured depth which results in a conservative estimate of the interface depth.
Resolving observation conflicts in steady state metabolic network dynamics analysis

SMDA is a recently proposed computational tool that (i) captures a metabolic network and its rules via a (mammalian) metabolic network database, (ii) given a set of metabolic observations, mimics the reasoning of a biochemist, and locates efficiently all possible metabolic activation/inactivation alternatives. However, many factors may cause the SMDA algorithm to eliminate feasible scenarios. These factors include (i) inherent error margins in observations (measurements), (ii) lack of knowledge to classify measurements as normal versus abnormal, and (iii) choosing a highly constrained metabolic sub-network to query against. In this work, we present and formalize these obstacles. Then, we propose techniques to eliminate them, and present an experimental evaluation of our proposed techniques.
Balancing Accuracy and Efficiency in TCP Flow Simulation

Efficient and accurate network simulation techniques are critical for evaluating protocols and systems at scale. For example, the magnitude of modern data center deployments requires the use of fast simulation techniques in order to evaluate newly proposed algorithms and system architectures. Unfortunately, efficient simulation can come at the cost of accuracy and realism. In this work-in-progress paper, we examine specific limitations of existing closed-form models of TCP throughput, which are commonly used to simulate aggregate performance of TCP flows. We evaluate two models in particular, comparing predictions of the models with actual performance measured using the Mininet platform. We find that the open-loop nature of these models and sensitivity to different parameters contributes to significant inaccuracies, which may in turn lead to incorrect conclusions when using such models as the basis for simulation. We describe our ongoing work on a new method for scalable TCP flow simulation that is based on ideas from XCP. Our proposed technique is highly efficient, incorporates network feedback in a closed-loop manner, and in our initial experiments shows appreciable improvement in accuracy over prior models.
Temporal Patterns of Emergence and Reproductive Behavior of the Hessian Fly (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

Under controlled laboratory conditions, the diel emergence pattern of male Hessian flies was bimodal; the majority of males emerged from 1500 to 1800 hours (CST) and a secondary peak of emergence occurred from 0600 to 0800 hours. In the absence of females, the onset of male activity (walking or flying) was a function of time of day rather than of male age; afternoon-emerged and morning-emerged males became active about 10 and 16 h after emergence, respectively, or 5–6 h after the onset of the scotophase. Males continued to exhibit walking and flight behaviors until death at about 17 and 21 h after emergence for afternoon- and morning-emerged males, respectively. In the presence of calling females, morning-emerged males sat for 45 min before taking flight and copulated about 10 min later. Female emergence was unimodal; 99.5% of total emergence occurred from 0100 to 0900 hours with a peak at about 0500 hours. Females began calling about 8.8 min after emerging and continued to call until 1000–1100 hours. There was a strong inverse relationship between the time of emergence and the duration of calling. On the second and third days after eclosion, females exhibited calling behavior from the early hours of the morning until 1000–1100 hours. By the morning of the fourth day after eclosion, 90% of all females were near death or had died. For both sexes, wing length was a strong correlate of fresh weight. Reproductive potential of both sexes, as measured by the number of females inseminated per male and the number of oocytes per female, was strongly correlated with body weight and wing length.
Effect of Welding Sequence on Welding-Induced-Alignment-Distortion in Fiber-Optic Device Packaging: Packaging of Butterfly Laser Diode Module

The welding-induced-alignment-distortion (WIAD) is a serious issue in fiber-optic packaging using laser welding, which may significantly affect the packaging yield. An elimination or minimization of WIAD is expected to be possible if the welding process and other packaging parameters can be optimized. This work attempts to evaluate the contribution of laser welding sequence to the WIAD for butterfly laser diode packages. A realistic physics based laser welding model incorporating the spatial and temporal characteristic of laser beam and thermophysical material properties and absorptivity was developed and incorporated in the 3-D finite element model for the thermal induced stresses/strains and the resulting fiber alignment distortion as a function of welding sequence. An experiment study was conducted and the results agreed well with the finite element model in the way welding sequence affects WIAD. Both numerical simulation and experimental investigation suggest that WIAD reduction can be significant if an appropriate welding sequence is employed in the packaging of butterfly laser diode packages.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
The Odyssey of Korean Democracy: Korean Politics, 1987-1990

Preface Advancing Society, Political Illegitimacy, Radicalism, and Political Culture The Rough Road To Compromise The 1987 Presidential Election: Phase One The 1987 Presidential Election: Phase Two The PostPresidential Election: The April 1988 General Election and the Birth of the Ruling Minority Party Roh and the Three Kims: From Confrontation and Cooperation into a Major Political Realignment Appendixes Suggested Readings in English on Korean Politics and Society Index
Current status and outlook of computational materials science education in the US

We examine the current state of computational materials science education based upon information compiled from top universities in materials science and engineering (MSE). We find that there is a large variation in the emphasis on computational modelling between universities. It is reported that a relatively large course offering is the result of changes in the curriculum made in the last five years, showing a rapid pace in the implementation of computational courses at these departments. We also collected information from industry and national labs regarding their current and future needs in MSE graduates, and the results are summarized. This paper also provides a list of resources that are currently used in computational materials science education.
Teachers' perspectives on competency-based testing

The study described in this article was designed to gather information about teachers' perspectives on achievement testing and to describe where the competency-based testing in Continuous Uniform Evaluation Systems (CUES) programs fits into teachers' overall plans for teaching and assessing students.
Comparison of directly measured to derived polarization imagery using an adaptive signature detection algorithm

Directly measured linear polarization images are shown to be more effective in target detection compared with derived imagery using a constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detection algorithm. The CFAR algorithm is derived from a maximum likelihood ratio test and is used to compare two pairs of inputs. One pair is directly measured imagery: an image with reflectivity/emissivity and a linear polarization and another with reflectivity/emissivity and a linear polarization perpendicular to the first image. The other pair is the first two Stokes images (S"0,S"1): a linear polarization image and a reflectivity/emissivity image. Detection using the directly measured pair is shown to be consistent with detection using the derived pair. Furthermore, using the directly measured pair is computationally simpler, and for target detection on natural backgrounds, does not increase the false alarm rate.
Randomized, controlled trial to improve self-care in patients with heart failure living in rural areas.

Background—Patients with heart failure (HF) who live in rural areas have less access to cardiac services than patients in urban areas. We conducted a randomized, clinical trial to determine the impact of an educational intervention on the composite end point of HF rehospitalization and cardiac death in this population. Methods and Results—Patients (n=602; age, 66±13 years; 41% female; 51% with systolic HF) were randomized to 1 of 3 groups: control (usual care), Fluid Watchers LITE, or Fluid Watchers PLUS. Both intervention groups included a face-to-face education session delivered by a nurse focusing on self-care. The LITE group received 2 follow-up phone calls, whereas the PLUS group received biweekly calls (mean, 5.3±3.6; range, 1–19) until the nurse judged the patient to be adequately trained. Over 2 years of follow-up, 35% of patients (n=211) experienced cardiac death or hospitalization for HF, with no difference among the 3 groups in the proportion who experienced the combined clinical outcome (P=0.0...
Similarity Theory of the Buoyantly Interactive Planetary Boundary Layer with Entrainment

A similarity model is developed for the vertical profiles of turbulent flow variables in an entraining turbulent boundary layer of arbitrary buoyant stability. In the general formulation the vertical profiles, internal rotation of the velocity vector, discontinuities or jumps at a capping inversion and bulk aerodynamic coefficients of the boundary layer are given by solutions to a system of ordinary differential equations in the similarity variable. To close the system, a formulation for buoyantly interactive eddy diffusivity in the boundary layer is introduced which recovers Monin-Obukhov similarity near the surface and incorporates a hypothesis accounting for the observed variation of mixing length throughout the boundary layer. The model is tested in simplified versions which depend only on roughness, surface buoyancy, and Coriolis effects by comparison with planetary-boundary-layer wind- and temperature-profile observations, measurements of flat-plate boundary layers in a thermally stratified wind tunnel and observations of profiles of terms in the turbulent kinetic-energy budget of convective planetary boundary layers. On balance, the simplified model reproduced the trend of these various observations and experiments reasonably well, suggesting that the full similarity formulation be pursued further.
Potential Changes in Thermal Structure and Cycle of Lake Michigan Due to Global Warming

Abstract I used a one-dimensional numerical model to estimate the present and possible future temperature structures in Lake Michigan. The estimates were based on model output from simulations of the 1981–1984 offshore temperature field. Once the water temperature climatology was estimated, I examined three scenarios based on general circulation models in which atmospheric CO2 was doubled. The models were those of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), and Oregon State University (OSU). In general, simulations based on these three scenarios suggested that winter and summer heat contents of the lake would be higher than at present; the summer increase would be less than that in winter. The higher winter heat content would cause an earlier onset of full thermal stratification, and the season of stratification would increase by up to two months. The earlier onset of stratification, coupled with little change in the wind stress pattern, would yield st...
Christmas Tree Drawings before and after Christmas: A Re-Examination:

41 8- and 9-yr.-old children drew pictures of either Christmas Trees or coffee cups 10 days before and 10 days after Christmas. Unlike previous studies, neither height, area, nor embellishment scores of the Trees decreased after Christmas; however, width increased. The coffee cup embellishment scores increased after Christmas but no other measures were significantly different. These data were interpreted as demonstrating an increase in motivation within the drawing session as a function of repeated testing, apart from the motivation aroused by “naturally motivated expectancies.”
An Alternative Pathway for Okazaki Fragment Processing RESOLUTION OF FOLD-BACK FLAPS BY Pif1 HELICASE

Two pathways have been proposed for eukaryotic Okazaki fragment RNA primer removal. Results presented here provide evidence for an alternative pathway. Primer extension by DNA polymerase δ (pol δ) displaces the downstream fragment into an RNA-initiated flap. Most flaps are cleaved by flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) while short, and the remaining nicks joined in the first pathway. A small fraction escapes immediate FEN1 cleavage and is further lengthened by Pif1 helicase. Long flaps are bound by replication protein A (RPA), which inhibits FEN1. In the second pathway, Dna2 nuclease cleaves an RPA-bound flap and displaces RPA, leaving a short flap for FEN1. Pif1 flap lengthening creates a requirement for Dna2. This relationship should not have evolved unless Pif1 had an important role in fragment processing. In this study, biochemical reconstitution experiments were used to gain insight into this role. Pif1 did not promote synthesis through GC-rich sequences, which impede strand displacement. Pif1 was also unable to open fold-back flaps that are immune to cleavage by either FEN1 or Dna2 and cannot be bound by RPA. However, Pif1 working with pol δ readily unwound a full-length Okazaki fragment initiated by a fold-back flap. Additionally, a fold-back in the template slowed pol δ synthesis, so that the fragment could be removed before ligation to the lagging strand. These results suggest an alternative pathway in which Pif1 removes Okazaki fragments initiated by fold-back flaps in vivo.
The nature of lipidic particles and their roles polymorphic transitions

Abstract The structural transition between bilayer (Lα), inverted hexagonal (HII and inverted cubic (CII) phases in mixtures of unsaturated phosphatidylethanolamines (PE) and phosphatidylcholines (PC) were investigated. Freeze fracture electron micrographs of intermediate stages of phase transitions showed that CII was a stable intermediate form between the Lα-HII transition. The electron microscopic observation was supported by X-ray diffraction and 31P-NMR results. Detailed morphology revealed that during the Lα-CII transition, interlamellae attachment points (conical lipidic particles) connect adjacent bilayers to form arrays of entrapped water pockets (inverted micelles). These water-containg spherical units were packed in a cubic lattice. In the CII to HII transition, these spherical units were linearly connected to form tubes. During the Lα-HII transition, a ripple pattern was observed across the otherwise smooth lamellar. The troughs of the ripples were transformed into linear connections between adjacent bilayers, thereby converting multilayer structures into parallel tubes. No lipidic particles were involved in this type of transition. We show that there are different mechanisms involved in the Lα, HII, CII polymorphic transitions, and that different types of ‘lipidic particles’ representing different molecular organizations may be involved in each case. Models of these transitions are proposed.
A Reasonable C++ Wrappered Java Native Interface

A reasonable C++ Java Native Interface (JNI) technique termed C++ Wrappered JNI (C++WJ) is presented. The technique simplifies current error-prone JNI development by wrappering JNI calls. Provided development is done with the aid of a C++ compiler, C++WJ offers type checking and behind the scenes caching. A tool (jH) patterned on javah automates the creation of C++WJ classes. The paper presents the rationale behind the choices that led to C++WJ. Handling of Java class and interface hierarchy including Java type downcasts is discussed. Efficiency considerations in the C++WJ lead to two flavors of C++ classes: jtypes and Jtypes. A jtype is a lightweight less than full wrapper of a JNI object reference. A Jtype is a heavyweight full wrapper of a JNI object reference.
Imipenem/Cilastatin in the Treatment of Obstetric and Gynecologic Infections: A Review of Worldwide Experience

Worldwide experience with imipenem/cilastatin in the treatment of 72 patients with a variety of obstetric and gynecologic infections is reviewed. Clinical cure or improvement occurred in 97% of 72 assessable patients. The most common etiologic pathogens were Escherichia coli, group B streptococci, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, enterococci, Bacteroides bivius, Bacteroides species, Bacteroides fragilis, and Peptostreptococcus. Of the recovered pathogens, 99.5% were susceptible to imipenem/cilastatin. Bacteriologic response was also excellent and none of the pathogens acquired resistance to imipenem. Most patients tolerated intravenous administration of imipenem/cilastatin well to moderately well.
Intralobar pulmonary sequestration (a nonentity

Intralobar pulmonary sequestration has generally been considered a congenital malformation in which an accessory lung bud develops, is enveloped by normal lung, and retains its systemic arterial supply. Also usually included in the "sequestration spectrum" are aberrant arteries to normal lung with either normal or anomalous venous connection. We reviewed all surgical pathology specimens and autopsies performed at Texas Children's Hospital from 1955 through 1984. There were 15 cases with an aberrant systemic artery to normal or abnormal lung. Nine were cases of structurally normal lung with an aberrant systemic artery, and five were cystic adenomatoid malformations with a systemic artery. In one older child some features of intralobar sequestration were present, but a major bronchial connection was retained. We propose that most intralobar sequestrations represent either cystic adenomatoid malformations that clinically are unrecognized until they become secondarily infected or developmentally normal lung supplied by a systemic artery.
A sensitivity study of fast outlet glaciers to short timescale cyclical perturbations

Abstract. The dynamic response of outlet glaciers on short (annual to decadal) timescales is affected by various external forcings, such as basal or oceanic conditions. Understanding the sensitivity of the dynamic response to such forcings can help assess more accurate ice volume projections. In this work, we investigate the spatiotemporal sensitivity of outlet glaciers to fast cyclical forcings using a one-dimensional depth and width-averaged heuristic model. Our results indicate that even on such short timescales, nonlinearities in ice dynamics may lead to an asymmetric response, despite the forcing functions being symmetric around each reference value. Results also show that such short-timescale effects become more pronounced as glaciers become closer to flotation. While being qualitatively similar for both downsloping and upsloping bed geometries, the results indicate higher sensitivity for upsloping ("West Antarctica-like") beds. The range in asymmetric response for different configurations motivate parameterizing or including short-timescale effects in models while investigating the dynamic behavior of outlet glaciers.
Correlates of Psychological Distress Among Mothers of Children and Adolescents with Hemophilia and HIV Infection

Evaluated the correlates of mood state (psychological distress) in a multisite study of two groups: (a) mothers of HIV-positive children and adolescents with hemophilia (n = 91), and (b) mothers of HIV-negative children and adolescents with hemophilia (n = 92). Socioeconomic status, quality of family relationship support, and frequency of negative life events accounted for significant variance in Total Mood Disturbance (psychological distress) as measured by the Profile of Mood States in the overall sample. Severity of hemophilia was unrelated to distress. A significant interaction between HIV status and frequency of stressful life events indicated that this variable related more strongly to distress among mothers of HIV-infected children and adolescents with hemophilia than among mothers of HIV-negative children with hemophilia. Findings suggest that the presence of HIV infection in their children and adolescents may heighten the impact of negative life events on the psychological distress experienced by these mothers.
THE IMPACT OF CREDITWATCH PLACEMENT ON EQUITY RETURNS AND BOND PRICES

This paper examines the equity returns and bond prices of firms around the dates of their placement on CreditWatch by Standard and Poor's. Bond prices and equity returns for companies listed on CreditWatch are compared with a set of firms whose debt was rerated during the same time period but were never placed on CreditWatch. The evidence indicates no market reaction when firms are listed on CreditWatch with subsequent rating affirmations, but a significant reaction exists in those cases where the listing was followed by downgradings. Furthermore, the bond market does not appear so efficient as the stock market since relative bond prices continue to decline as long as seven months after a rating change.
Over-the-Counter Relief From Pains and Pleasures Alike: Acetaminophen Blunts Evaluation Sensitivity to Both Negative and Positive Stimuli

Acetaminophen, an effective and popular over-the-counter pain reliever (e.g., the active ingredient in Tylenol), has recently been shown to blunt individuals’ reactivity to a range of negative stimuli in addition to physical pain. Because accumulating research has shown that individuals’ reactivity to both negative and positive stimuli can be influenced by a single factor (an idea known as differential susceptibility), we conducted two experiments testing whether acetaminophen blunted individuals’ evaluations of and emotional reactions to both negative and positive images from the International Affective Picture System. Participants who took acetaminophen evaluated unpleasant stimuli less negatively and pleasant stimuli less positively, compared with participants who took a placebo. Participants in the acetaminophen condition also rated both negative and positive stimuli as less emotionally arousing than did participants in the placebo condition (Studies 1 and 2), whereas nonevaluative ratings (extent of color saturation in each image; Study 2) were not affected by drug condition. These findings suggest that acetaminophen has a general blunting effect on individuals’ evaluative and emotional processing, irrespective of negative or positive valence.
A simple element for static and dynamic response of beams with material and geometric nonlinearities

A unified simple 6 degrees-of-freedom beam finite element and the associated computational procedures have been developed for the fast and efficient solution of a wide class of static and dynamic response problems of the beam type with material and/or geometrical nonlinearities. The material nonlinearity is treated by including its effect in the governing equations by forming the stiffness matrix of each element using a two-dimensional grid of Gauss points and using the material properties at each point corresponding to the uniaxial strain at that point. Examples are provided for metal and reinforced concrete beams. A powerful yet straightforward method for the solution of elastica problems of beams and frames, using the beam element developed by the senior author, has been extended for determining the dynamic response of beams undergoing large displacements, including large rotations. The solution procedure involves piecewise linearization of response equations and iterations at each incremental step to achieve equilibrium. The solution procedure is simple and easy to apply. A variety of problems is solved to determine the applicability of the proposed simple formulations. Excellent agreement with existing analytical solutions which employ higher order elements demonstrates the efficiency and versatility of the present simple beam element in nonlinear analysis.
Progression of morphological changes after transplantation of a liver with heterozygous α-1 antitrypsin deficiency

Inadvertent transplantation of an α-1 antitrypsin-deficient liver into an adult man provided a unique opportunity to follow the natural history of morphological changes in serial liver biopsies. After doing well initially, the patient developed liver function test abnormalities 6 years posttransplant, but biopsies at that time and 2 years later revealed only chronic hepatitis with no specific features. It was only upon repeat biopsy 10 years posttransplant that characteristic cytoplasmic inclusions appeared. Genotypic and phenotypic testing of pretransplant and posttransplant specimens confirmed α-1 antitrypsin deficiency in the transplanted liver. Serologic tests for viral hepatitis and autoimmune disease were negative throughout the pretransplant and posttransplant period. The case suggests that patients with chronic hepatitis of unknown etiology should be tested for the possibility of α-1 antitrypsin deficiency and illustrates the prolonged course that may precede the development of typical cytoplasmic inclusions in the liver.
Dynamic analysis of 3‐D flexible embedded foundations by a frequency domain BEM‐FEM

A study on the dynamic response of three-dimensional flexible foundations of arbitrary shape, embedded in a homogenous, isotropic and linear elastic half-space is presented. Both massive and massless foundations are considered. The soil-foundation system is subjected to externally applied forces, and/or to obliquely incident seismic waves. The numerical method employed is a combination of the frequency domain Boundary Element Method, which is used to simulate the elastic soil medium, and the Finite Element Method, on the basis of which the stiffness matrix of the foundation is obtained. The foundation and soil media are combined by enforcing compatibility and equilibrium conditions at their common interface. Both relaxed and completely bonded boundary conditions are considered. The accuracy of the proposed methodology is partially verified through comparison studies with results reported in the literature for rigid embedded foundations.
Triadin: The New Player on Excitation-Contraction Coupling Block

See related article, pages 651–658 The Ca2+ movements that control many cellular functions, including contraction of striated and smooth muscle cells and vesicular secretion from endocrine cells and nerve terminals, are increasingly recognized to involve macromolecular Ca2+-signaling complexes that, in addition to the key Ca2+-transporting proteins, include large numbers of associated proteins that provide a variety of regulatory, structural and Ca2+-sensing/buffering functions. The importance of working out the subtle interactions within these macromolecular complexes is underscored by the genetic diseases that have been associated with mutations of their constituent proteins. In this issue, Terentyev et al1 use a spectrum of molecular and electrophysiological techniques to demonstrate that triadin (TRD) plays an unexpectedly important role in regulating the ryanodine receptors (RyRs), found primarily in dyadic junctions of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR; Figure). It has been previously suggested that TRD and junctin are integral membrane proteins of the junctional SR, and serve as linker proteins from the SR Ca release channel (RyR) to calsequestrin (CSQ) complexes, the major Ca2+-buffer in the lumen of the SR (Figure).2 The large (≈4500 aa) cytoplasmic domain of RyR appears to have multiple binding sites for an ever-growing list of proteins that includes: calmodulin, PKA, FKBP 12.6.3 The major findings of the present communication are that overexpression of TRD leads to 3-fold increase in open probability of RyRs in bilayers, a 60% increase in spontaneous spark frequency with only minor decreases in spark amplitude (≈10%) and SR Ca2+ content (≈30%), as well as a marked alteration in the voltage dependence of Ca2+ release. The authors propose the activity of RyRs to be directly modulated by the level of expression of TRD, most likely mediated by amino acid residues 200 to 224 …
A CMOS low voltage high performance interface

Low voltage CMOS interface circuitry with self-correcting pull-up and pull-down output resistances to match the printed circuit board transmission line impedance, suitable for use in both series and parallel high-speed digital communication between integrated circuits and suitable for interfacing CMOS to heterogeneous logic (e.g. ECL), is described. The output driver impedance is controlled by the use of a pull-up and a pull-down, binary weighted transistor ladder in conjunction with an A-to-D convertor and an external resistor, representing the transmission line impedance. >
The San Nicolás batholith of coastal Peru: early Palaeozoic continental arc or continental rift magmatism?

Major and trace element, U-Pb zircon geochronology and Pb-isotopic data are presented on plutons from the San Nicolas batholith of central and southern Peru. The major oxides of 9 samples indicate a high-K calc-alkaline trend, and trace element discriminant diagrams reveal affinities to volcanic arc or late- to post-collision calc-alkaline intrusions. The apparent contradiction implied by the Rb-Hf-Ta triangular diagram (within-plate) strongly suggests loss of Rb, an interpretation supported by the extensive deuteric alteration and sericitization of feldspar. Ta/Zr, Ta/Hf and Ta/Nb ratios are considerably higher than those of volcanic arc intrusions, and favour the late or post-collision calc-alkaline classification. U-Pb zircon geochronology shows that the San Nicolas batholith was emplaced in two short-lived magmatic events at approximately 425 Ma and 394-388 Ma ago. The presence of an inherited component of radiogenic Pb of Precambrian age in the zircons suggests xenocrystic cores, which were most likely scavenged from Precambrian basement rocks of the Arequipa massif. Time-adjusted Pb isotopic compositions of feldspars have the following ranges: 206 Pb/ 204 Pb = 17.798-18.272, 207 Pb/ 204 Pb = 15.571-15.626, and 208 Pb/ 204 Pb = 38.182-38.291, indicating that Precambrian basement was incorporated into the magmas of the batholith. Other components are believed to have originated in an ‘enriched’ upper mantle or lower crustal wedge pervasively metasomatized by fluids extracted largely from subducted sediments. U-Pb zircon age distribution, trace element characteristics and the linear nature of the plutons firmly establish the San Nicolas batholith as the plutonic substructure of an early Palaeozoic continental arc, which may extend northwards in Peru and southwards
The effects of growth substances and photoperiod on the development of shoot apices of Vitis cultured in vitro

Abstract ‘Rougeon’ grapevines were recovered from shoot apices using in vitro culture. Shoot development from apices 0.5–1 mm in length, which contained 2–4 leaf primordia was obtained with 5 × 10 −6 M benzylaminopurine and 5 × 10 −7 M naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) under a 10-hour photoperiod, but not under continuous light, in a 15-hour photoperiod, or in darkness. At least one vigorous shoot was produced by 100% of the cultures. Rooting of these shoots was induced under the same photoperiod with the same basal culture media containing only 10 −7 M NAA. Roots were produced by 91% of the cultures. Zero-, 16- or 24-h photoperiods were ineffective in promoting root development. Rooted plantlets were transferred into soil with 80% of them surviving. The grapevines were allowed to reach an average length of 2 m in a growth chamber before growth conditions were modified to induce dormancy. Vines were planted in a vineyard; after 2 growing-seasons we were unable to distinguish the micropropagated vines from ‘Rougeon’ vines propagated in the standard manner, on the basis of fruit or vegetative morphology.
The Risks And Rewards Of Investing In The Stocks Of Bankrupt Companies

This paper tracks the effect of reorganization on the equity issues of firms in Chapter 11 both before and after the filing date. It computes risk and return characteristics before and after filing. The calculations indicate that after filing the systematic risk of shares of Chapter 11 firms declines and the total variance rises. This result is important for investors interested in speculating in shares of companies in reorganization.
Interface Morphology, Nucleation and Island Formation of Tisi2 on Si(111)

In this study we investigate the formation mechanisms and morphology of TiSi2 formed by deposition of Ti on atomically clean silicon substrates. Ti films of 50–400 A thickness were deposited in ultra-high vacuum on Si (111) wafers and annealed to temperatures between 500–900°C. Films were monitored in situ with AES and LEED, and post preparation characterization was accomplished with SEM, TEM and Raman scattering. The results show that for films of thickness ≤ 100 A the C49 TiSi2 phase is stable over the entire 600-800°C temperature range. However, for films of 200–400 A thickness, the C49 to C54 phase transition occurs at temperatures varying from 700 to 800°C dependent upon film thickness. The high temperature annealing results in flat interface structures, and island formation is observed for all films with the C54 structure. The interface morphology and the mechanisms of TiSi2 island and phase formation are discussed in terms of surface and bulk free energies considerations based on nucleation theory.
The Design Build Go Universal Power Hub

The Design, Build, Go Hub (DBG) is a universal power hub that not only encapsulates the various branches of robotic engineering, but also transforms a student’s creativity into a physical product. The hub serves as both control mechanism and the power delivery system for student designs. The universal design is easily implemented to provide automation to designs including quadcopters, wheeled platforms, and mechanized robotics. This hub gives students the opportunity to gain exposure to electrical, mechanical and systems engineering, as well as how the various disciplines can be integrated into a cohesive design. Powered by a Raspberry Pi 2 microcontroller with a motor controller interface, the DBG Hub can interface with a variety of sensors, motors, servos, cameras and various other electrical components.The mechanical system also has a vast number of possibilities by utilizing rapid prototyping such as 3D printing, vacuum forming, and machining. The DBG Hub was designed to be capable of receiving a vast amount of rapid prototyped parts for nearly any type of mechanical function. The housing, which holds the electrical system, is also a product of rapid prototyping technology. The 3D printed design allows users to create attachments with corresponding electrical components that plug into the housing for a variety of projects. The combination of rapid prototyping with the microcontroller allows the hub to take full advantage of combining the mechanical design with the electrical components. This combination is used to create systems that can sense, think and react.Sample projects created utilizing the DBG hub as the central control unit, such as the DBG quad-copter, or the DBG land vehicle, perfectly showcase these attributes in an introductory manner. These sample projects have been designed and software created as introductory tools for students interested in engineering. The effectiveness of the hub being able to interest students in engineering will be the subject of a future study. This study will show how simplifying the incorporation of multiple engineering disciplines into one easy to use tool is the simplest and most efficient way to become more knowledgeable of the engineering field. While this study has not yet been conducted, it can still be stated that the DBG Hub is an original and groundbreaking design that will excite, promote, and, most importantly, educate students in the field of engineering.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Towards a poetics of decolonization: Mongo Beti’s The Poor Christ of Bomba

The Poor Christ of Bomba (1956), Mongo Beti’s major novel, depicts the effects of French colonial infringement on the Cameroon landscape and consciousness. The novel charts the story of Father Superior Drumont, a Catholic priest assigned to the rainforest region of Cameroon around the 1930s. His professed task is to convert the indigenes of a six-tribe region to Catholicism. Despite Father Drumont’s seeming piety, he is not what he seems. Governed by the French colonial ideology of assimilation, he is bent on forcing his Christian converts to forsake their African traditions and cultural ways as a condition for Christianity. The sixa, a church establishment aimed at grooming young female converts in preparation for Christian marriage, is Father Drumont’s signature project during his twenty-year tenure at the Bomba Mission. In practice, however, the sixa is a complete mockery of Catholicism and a subversion of African traditional marriages. Father Drumont’s increasingly rebellious converts come into a full awareness of his complicity with French colonial administrators like Vidal. Unable to re-establish a strong foothold in a resistant parish, a disillusioned Father Drumont returns to France. The novel depicts an awakening of a growing “national” consciousness similar to the Harlem Renaissance that occurred in the United States in the early twentieth century. Just as slave narratives exposed the brutality of slavery as a means to promote abolition, this essay explores The Poor Christ of Bomba as a fictional slave narrative that exposes French imperialism by constructing a discourse of resistance that is bound to serve as a path to decolonization.
Association of Radiographically Diagnosed Apical Periodontitis and Cardiovascular Disease: A Hospital Records-based Study.

Abstract Introduction Numerous studies have demonstrated an association between oral health status and systemic diseases. However, reports examining apical periodontitis (AP) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are few. This study investigates whether an association exists between AP and CVD. Methods The present study was a pair-matched, cross-sectional design that used medical and dental chart review. The AP group ( n = 182) was defined as subjects with radiographic AP, and the non-AP group ( n = 182) was defined as subjects without any radiographic AP. Samples for both groups were pair-matched by age and gender. Diagnosis for CVD, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and diabetes were identified by using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification and collected from electronic medical records. Documentation of alcohol use, smoking, race, and body mass index within the electronic medical records was also collected. Presence or absence of AP, missing teeth, teeth with root canal treatment, caries experience, and history of periodontal disease were collected from the electronic dental records. Analysis was performed by using Pearson χ 2 , the paired t test, and conditional multivariate logistic regression. Results AP was significantly associated with CVD, hypercholesterolemia, race, missing teeth, caries experience, and number of root canal treatments in our bivariate analysis. Our final adjusted conditional logistic regression model showed statistically significant positive associations between AP and CVD (odds ratio, 5.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.5–18.4). Conclusions Subjects with AP were more likely to have CVD than subjects without AP by 5.3-fold. However, further research is needed to elucidate temporality and reinforce association between CVD and AP.
Study Progress on Detection Technique and Treatment of Inheirted Metabolic Disorders

Inheirted metabolic disodrers(IMD)involves in multiple substance dysbolism,which usually results in irreversible neurological lesions because of various categories and complicated clinical manifestations.In resent years,IMD became one of the hot spots in medical domain around the world,original diagnostic technique and management progressed unceasingly.This paper provides an overview of the traditio-nal detection and treatment about IMD,and reviews the new techniques such as gene analysis,gene chip,organ transplantation and enzyme replacement therapy at the same time.
Determination of 21 kinds of volatile organic compounds(VOCs)in workplace air by passive organic gas sampling-gas chromatography

Objective To establish a method for rapid determination of 21 kinds of volatile organic compounds in workplace air.Methods Volatile organic compounds in the air were adsorbed by passive organic gas sampler 3520 and activated carbon respectively,desorbed by carbon bisulfide,and then determined by gas chromatography.Results The curve of 21 kinds of volatile organic compounds showed good linear relationship in a certain range.The correlation coefficient of these calibration curves were more than 0.998,relative standard deviations were 0.5% ～6.1%( n = 3).The average desorption efficiencies of target components were 84% ～ 106% by two kinds of sampling methods.Conclusion This method can effectively separate and determine the VOCs accurately.In addition,the workplace air absorbed by passive organic gas sampler showed the workers' daily exposure level to organic contaminants comprehensively and accurately,it was useful to assess the working place health condition and health risk level.
Environmental and Hormonal Dependence of Induction of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum changes its mode of carbon assmilation from C3 photosynthesis to CAM when water stressed by high soil salinity (1). Such a shift in photosynthetic pathway is accompanied by marked increases in extractable activities of several enzymes including PEP carboxylase and NADP-malic enzyme.
Analysis on the Correlation of RPS19 Expression Level to Diamond-Blackfan Anemia; Insights from the Expression Level of RPS19 Point Mutants in Erythroid Cell Lines.

Abstract Mutations in ribosomal protein S19 (RPS19) gene is closely related to Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA). We have found point mutation, deletion and insertion in RPS19 gene in DBA patients (Blood, 100: 2724–31, 2002). In our analysis of DBA patients, gene expression of RPS19 from these mutated genomes were down regulated. Retroviral transduction of RPS19 gene to patient bone marrow cells restored the ability to differentiate into erythroid in vitro (Mol Ther., 7: 613–22, 2003). However, the mechanisms of how these mutations in RPS19 associate with anemia remains unknown. To analyze the mutated genome, we have made constructs of mutated RPS19 gene-expression vectors. From reported 56 different RPS19 mutations, we focused on the missense mutants and tried to characterize them. Flag-tagged twelve missense mutants (V15F, L18R, P47L, W52R, R56Q, S59F, A61Q, R62W, R101H, G120R, G127Q, and G131R) were exogenously expressed in several cell lines by retroviral vectors and were analysed by western blotting or FACS. When these 12 mutants were expressed in erythro-leukemic cell lines K562 and HEL, almost all the mutant proteins (except for G120R) were expressed at significantly low level compared to that of wild type. However, some of these mutants were expressed in human kidney epithelial cell line, 293T cells. These findings suggest that the expression level of RPS19 protein derived from mutated RPS19 genome is dependent on cell types, whether erythroid-lineage cells or others. In order to analyze the function of RPS19, doxycycline (Dox)-inducible expression of siRNA against RPS19 was induced in K562 cells and observed growth arrest at day 4 after induction of siRNA by Dox. Expression level of RPS19 decreased to one tenth of the normal level. Cell cycle analysis and quantitative-PCR analysis revealed that the growth arrest of K562 cells expressing siRNA against RPS19 was due to the induction of cell cycle arrest at G1 phase (G0/G1 54 % vs 36% ) coincide with the up-regulation of p21 and p57 mRNA level. From these results, we could possibly suggested that, in DBA patients, RPS19 protein expression is not stable and the decreased level of RPS19 protein prolongs G1 phase of cell cycle especially in the course of differentiation on erythroid cells, which may contribute to the retarded production of red blood cells. Our findings allow to understand the entire feature of DBA-associated RPS19 mutations especially on the erythorid differentiation and may help defining the therapeutic target to improve DBA.
Nationalisms and Soft Power Games (民族主义, 软实力的博弈)

This essay focuses on the roller-coaster ride of Chinese language education in Thailand in relation to time-specific nationalisms and “soft power” strategies exercised by the Thai and Chinese states. The article first examines how Thai and Chinese nationalisms shaped the rise and fall of Chinese-language education in 20th-century Thailand and then addresses soft-power games played by these two states in the process of reviving Chinese-language education in 21st-century Thailand. Each state employs distinctive strategies: the Thai government reduces learning the Chinese language to an economic tool; the Chinese government builds Confucius Institutes irrespective of the cost. The tortuous history of Chinese-language programs, especially the Thai state’s policies aimed at first eliminating and then, later, restoring them, sheds light on nation-building and the ability of a small state to exercise soft power, as well as on what has persisted and what has been transformed.本文主题是关于跌宕起伏的泰国中文教育, 民族主义, 以及 泰中“软实力” 博弈 三者之间的联系。文章首先分析在20世纪泰国和中国的民族主义如何影响泰国的中文教育然后讨论两国是如何在21世纪复兴泰国的中文教育并进行软实力博弈。在这一过程中两国各自展示了别具一格的策略: 泰国政府把中文教育等同于经济工具, 中国政府则不惜成本的在泰国建立孔子学院。曲折的中文教育历史, 尤其是泰国政府先是试图根除中文教育然后又试图恢复中文教育的政策, 进一步揭示了教育与国家建设之间的密切关系, 小国运用软实力的能力以及变中有不变。This article is in English.