cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Integrating Multidisciplinary Design in an Undergraduate Engineering Curriculum

Multidisciplinary design and analysis has become the normal mode of operation within most aerospace companies, but the impact of these changes have largely not been reflected at many universities. In an effort to determine if the emergence of multidisciplinary design concepts should influence engineering curricula, NASA has asked several universities (Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Clemson, BYU, and Cal Poly) to investigate the practicality of introducing the concepts within their undergraduate curricula. A multidisciplinary team of faculty, students, and industry partners evaluated the aeronautical engineering curriculum at Cal Poly. A variety of ways were found to introduce multidisciplinary themes into the curriculum without adding courses or units to the existing program. Both analytic and educational tools for multidisciplinary design of aircraft have been developed and are in the process of being implemented.
The response of serum growth hormone levels to the long-acting somatostatin analog SMS 201-995 in acromegaly.

SMS 201–995 (SMS) is a long-acting analog of somatostatin. We studied the effect of SMS (50–100 μg, sc, every 8 h) on serum GH in five patients with acromegaly. Serum GH decreased significantly in four of the five patients 4 h after SMS treatment. In two of the four patients, this reduction was not sustained for 7 h, but sustained reduction to normal GH concentrations did occur in the two patients who had basal serum GH levels below 15 ng/ml. In the two patients whose responses were not sustained for 7 h, a higher dose of SMS did not cause sustained reduction in GH. SMS was well tolerated, except for one episode of elevated serum aminotransferase levels. These results indicate that SMS-induced reductions in serum GH in patients with acromegaly are often not sustained despite SMS administration every 8 h and indicate that the insufficient duration of effect may limit its therapeutic efficacy.
Everybody Loves Me: Self-Evaluations and Metaperceptions of Dating Popularity

A limitation of most comparative bias studies is that they lack an objective criterion against which to assess the accuracy of self-evaluations. Furthermore, comparisons are usually made with large populations or "average peers" rather than specific others. To assess the robustness of self-enhancement when strong reality constraints are imposed, we created a video dating paradigm in which participants made profiles that they believed would be evaluated by opposite-sex peers. Blocks of seven profiles were created, and participants ranked their own profiles and estimated how others who viewed their videos would rank them (metaperceptions). Each actor was yoked to one observer who saw and ranked the same block of profiles. Despite the presence of an external reality check, participants in all three studies evinced strong self-enhancement tendencies as measured in self-rankings and metaperception judgments that exceeded those provided by observers.
A History of Microwave Wafer Probing

A series of slides and pictures display the technological history of microwave wafer probing.
Bleb Morphology and Vascularity After Trabeculectomy With Intravitreal Ranibizumab: A Pilot Study

Purpose To investigate outcomes after trabeculectomy using intraoperative intravitreal ranibizumab and topical mitomycin C (MMC) vs MMC alone. Design Prospective randomized single-site pilot study. Methods Patients diagnosed with primary open-angle glaucoma were randomized 1:1 to either combination intravitreal ranibizumab 0.5 mg and topically applied MMC (0.4 mg/mL for 2 min) or MMC (0.4 mg/mL for 2 min) therapy alone at time of trabeculectomy surgery. The primary endpoint measured was bleb morphology and vascularity using the Moorfields Bleb Grading System. Unqualified success was defined as postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) of >5 and 5 and Results Ten patients were randomized to either standard trabeculectomy with MMC (Group A) or trabeculectomy with intravitreal ranibizumab and MMC (Group B). All patients completed the study and were classified as unqualified successes. There were statistically significant differences in peripheral bleb area ( P = .02), peripheral bleb vascularity ( P = .02), and non-bleb-related peripheral conjunctiva vascularity ( P = .0003), with Group B exhibiting more diffuse blebs with a lower degree of vascularity. Conclusions Combination intravitreal ranibizumab and topical MMC at time of trabeculectomy resulted in more diffuse blebs with less vascularity when compared to use of topical MMC alone. Further studies are planned to better understand the utility of anti–vascular endothelial growth factor agents as modulators of wound healing post trabeculectomy.
The composition of cosmic rays at high energies

Measurements of the composition of the cosmic rays at high energies, and of the energy spectra of the individual components provide the basis for the understanding of the sources, of the acceleration mechanism, and of the galactic containment of these particles. A brief review of the presently available information and a recent measurement performed on the Space Shuttle to substantially extend the range of energies in which the elemental composition is known are described. Results, and recent data on the electron component of cosmic rays are discussed and summarized. The body of data now available contains several features that are difficult to explain within current models of galactic shock acceleration and 'leakly box' containment. The need for further measurements is emphasized and possible opportunities for future work are briefly discussed.
Solubility of benzilic acid in select organic solvents at 298.15 K

Experimental solubilities are reported for benzilic acid dissolved in ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol, 1-hexanol, 1-heptanol, 2-propanol, 2-butanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol, diethyl ether and methyl tert-butyl ether at 298.15 K. Results of these measurements reveal that the observed solubilities in the nine alcohol solvents fall within a fairly narrow mole fraction range of each other. Benzilic acid is also very soluble in the two ether solvents studied.
Review of cathodic arc deposition technology at the start of the new millennium

Abstract The vacuum cathodic arc has been known as a means of producing coatings since the second half of the 19th century. This makes it one of the oldest known vacuum coating techniques. In the last century it has been recognized that the copious quantities of ions produced by the process provides certain coating property advantages. Specifically, ions can be steered and/or accelerated toward the parts to be coated. This, in turn, can provide enhanced adhesion, film density, and composition stoichiometry in the case of compound coatings. The ions generated by the cathodic arc have high ‘natural’ kinetic energy values in the range 20–200 eV, leading to enhanced surface mobility during the deposition process and even ion subplantation. In many cases, dense coatings are achieved even when the ions arrive at non-normal angles. The ion energy can be further manipulated by the plasma immersion biasing technique. Macroparticle contamination has been alleviated by a variety of novel plasma filters. The purpose of this review is to describe recent developments in macroparticle filtering and arc control. These developments promise to broaden the range of applications to the semiconductor, data storage, and optical coatings industry.
Comparative study of methods of determining oil content of sunflower seed

An extraction-gravimetric method (AOCS Official Method Ai 3-75) was compared with 2 instrumental techniques, near-infrared reflec-tance (NIR) spectroscopy and wide-line nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), for the determination of the oil content of oilseed-type hybrid sunflower seed. Eight sunflower seed samples of varying oil contents, replicated 5 times, were analyzed by the 3 procedures. The overall mean oil contents and standard deviations for the 8 samples were: AOCS method, 44.5% ± 0.33%; NMR, 44.8% ± 0.27%; and NIR, 44.2% ± 0.81%. Analysis of variance of the means of the 3 methods of analysis indicated no difference (p>0.05) in oil content due to the method. However, there was a difference (p>0.001) in total oil content due to replicated analyses of the same sample with the NIR method. With the AOCS and NMR methods, no effect (p>0.05) of replicated analyses of the same sample was found. The NMR method was more precise and repro-ducible than the other 2 methods. Although the NIR mean oil contents were not significantly different from the means of the other 2 methods, the coefficient of variations for all samples were consistently higher for the NIR analyses than for the AOCS and NMR analyses.
A probabilistic description of convective mass fluxes and its relationship to extreme-value theory

The vertical flux of mass by atmospheric convection, and convective cloud systems in particular, is a key quantity used in parametrization schemes for numerical weather-prediction models and climate models. The concept of formulating mass fluxes in terms of statistical quantities is discussed and a probabilistic description of the upward mass fluxes, based on extreme-value theory, is presented. This approach is illustrated by a statistical analysis of two-dimensional, numerical realizations of two regimes of tropical convection, namely squall lines and non-squall clusters. Our statistical model allows these distinct cloud systems, which play a key role in determining the shape of the mass-flux profile, to be efficiently integrated. Also taken into account is the distinction between mesoscale and convective components of the mass flux. Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society.
Alternate Requirements for Protection Against Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS)

Plants in the United States (U.S.) and many plants outside of the U.S. are required to meet the regulations of the Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS) Rule, 10 CFR 50.61. The Alternate Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS) Rule (10 CFR 50.61a) was approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and included in the Federal Register, with an effective date of February 3, 2010. This Alternate Rule provides a new metric and screening criteria for PTS. This metric, RTMAX-X, and the corresponding screening criteria are far less restrictive than the RTPTS metrics and screening criteria in the original PTS Rule (10 CFR 50.61).The Alternate PTS Rule was developed through probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) evaluations performed for selected U.S. pilot plants. A Generalization Study was also performed which determined that the plants used for these evaluations were representative of and applicable to the U.S. Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) nuclear power plant fleet.Plants outside of the U.S. may be interested in implementing the Alternate PTS Rule. However, direct implementation of the Alternate PTS Rule may not be possible due to differences in plant design, embrittlement prediction techniques, inservice inspection requirements, etc. The objective of this paper is to explore the use the Alternate PTS Rule by PWR plants outside of the U.S. by proposing methods to account for the potential differences mentioned above.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
MILFS and Matrons: Images and Realities of Mothers’ Sexuality

Motherhood and sexual appeal are rarely linked in Western culture. There seems to be a notion that once a woman has children she is first and foremost an example, and must be responsible and conservative in a culturally specific way. Most women become mothers at some point in their lives and this is a major physical, emotional, and role transition, one that many women struggle with privately given societal ideals of a “good” mother. Despite its essential role in motherhood and life, and the health benefits known to be associated with sexual activity, public expression of sexuality is still primarily associated with being young, childless, and unmarried. Using a social constructionist perspective, we look at the ways in which acceptable expressions of mothers’ sexuality are defined and negotiated by contemporary women. Based on in-depth interviews with fifty women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, we discuss women’s images of mothers’ sexuality and the ways in which motherhood impacts women’s experiences of sexuality. We find that for most mothers interviewed, the way they felt about sex, their sexual appeal, and their level of sexual desire changed after having children. Coupled with the fatigue and responsibility associated with being a new mother, women felt disconnected from their sexuality for a period of time.
Intensity dependent time‐resolved photoluminescence studies of GaN/AlGaN multiple quantum wells of varying well width on laterally overgrown a‐plane and planar c‐plane GaN

GaN/AIGaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) of varying well width grown on planar c-plane GaN and a-plane GaN templates fabricated by lateral epitaxial overgrowth (LEO) have been studied by subpico-second photoluminescence (PL) downconversion and time-correlated single photon counting as a function of pump intensity. Although slower room temperature decays at higher carrier density are observed in both a-plane LEO and c-plane MQWs with 3 nm well width, this behavior is attributed to suppression of electric field-enhanced recombination through the barriers and interfaces at higher carrier density in the c-plane MQW, while in the a-plane LEO MQW the sublinear dependence of the PL signal at t = 0 on pump intensity implies that the radiative lifetime in this high quality sample increases due to a reduction in excitonic oscillator strength associated with phase space filling. The combination of more intense time-integrated PL spectra and shorter PL lifetimes with decreasing well width in the a-plane LEO MQWs for low pump intensity suggests that the radiative lifetime becomes shorter due to the accompanying increase in exciton binding energy and oscillator strength at smaller well width.
What can we teach about human-computer interaction? (plenary address)

This paper is the closing address for CHI '90. It addresses the problem of educating computer professionals in the area of human-computer interaction, arguing that standard approaches within computer science need to be augmented and that new models of education can aid us in producing students with broad competence in the design of computer systems for human use.
Regulation of ribonucleotide reductase activity in mammalian cells.

Mammalian ribonucleotide reductase catalyzes the rate-limiting reaction for the de novo synthesis 2’- deoxyribonucleoside 5’-triphosphates. There is some suggestion that this step may also be the rate-limiting step of DNA synthesis. It is apparent that the level of the enzyme, ribonucleotide reductase, varies through the cell cycle and is highest in those tissues with the greatest proliferation rate. This increase in activity is associated with increased protein synthesis. The purified enzyme has been shown to be subject to strict allosteric regulation by the various nucleoside triphosphates and it has been proposed that allosteric regulation plays an important role in the level of ribonucleotide reductase activity which is expressed. All experimental data relating to this point, however, do not support the role of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates as a major factor in determining cellular reductase activity during normal cell division. Several naturally occurring factors have been isolated from cells which lower ribonucleotide reductase activity in vitro. These factors have been found in tissues of low growth fraction and appear to be absent or low in tissues of high growth fraction such as tumor, regenerating liver and embryonic tissues.
Mammary cancer in humans and mice: a tutorial for comparative pathology.

Enclosed in this issue of Veterinary Pathology you will find a CD-ROM entitled ‘‘Mammary Cancer in Humans and Mice: A Tutorial for Comparative Pathology.’’ This CD-ROM is designed to provide a source of histopathology images of the common lesions found in the human and mouse mammary gland, with emphasis on genetically engineered mice (GEM); limited coverage of the cat and dog is also provided. The CD-ROM is primarily designed for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and residents. However, it should also be a useful resource for the veterinary pathologist.
Prevalence of Chest Pain, Depression, Somatization, Anxiety, Global Distress, and Substance Use among Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Patients.

Psychosocial factors of cardiovascular disease receive a preponderance of attention. Little attention is paid to psychosocial factors of pulmonary disease. This paper sought to describe psychosocial characteristics and to identify differences between cardiac and pulmonary patients entering a phase II rehabilitation program. Parametric and nonparametric analyses were conducted to examine scores on the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) and the CAGE-D, administered at entry as standard clinical care. Participants were 163 cardiac and 63 pulmonary patients. Scores on the BSI-18 “chest pain” item indicated that more cardiac patients report chest pain than pulmonary patients. Among all subjects, chest pain ratings were positively related to anxiety, depression, and global distress. There were equivocal proportions of anxiety and somatization in patient groups. Pulmonary patients were more likely to endorse clinically significant levels of depression and global psychological distress than cardiac patients. Cardiac patients were significantly more likely to screen positively on the CAGE-D than pulmonary patients. Findings show a relationship between symptoms of chest pain and psychological distress. Despite equivalent proportions of anxiety and somatization between groups, a greater proportion of pulmonary patients reported symptoms of depression and global psychological distress, while more cardiac patients reported chest pain. Further research is needed to examine this paradigm.
Ecological and water quality consequences of nutrient addition for salmon restoration in the Pacific Northwest

Salmon runs have declined over the past two centuries in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Reduced inputs of salmon-derived organic matter and nutrients (SDN) may limit freshwater production and thus establish a negative feedback loop affecting future generations of fish. Restoration efforts use the rationale of declining SDN to justify artificial nutrient additions, with the goal of reversing salmon decline. The forms of nutrient addition include introducing salmon carcasses, carcass analogs (processed fish cakes), or inorganic fertilizers. While evidence suggests that fish and wildlife may benefit from increases in food availability as a result of carcass additions, stream ecosystems vary in their ability to use nutrients to benefit salmon. Moreover, the practice may introduce excess nutrients, disease, and toxic substances to streams that may already exceed proposed water quality standards. Restoration efforts involving nutrient addition must balance the potential benefits of increased foo...
Lack of a Role for Iron in the Lyme Disease Pathogen

A fundamental tenet of microbial pathogenesis is that bacterial pathogens must overcome host iron limitation to establish a successful infection. Surprisingly, the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi has bypassed this host defense by eliminating the need for iron. B. burgdorferi grew normally and did not alter gene expression in the presence of iron chelators. Furthermore, typical bacterial iron-containing proteins were not detected in cell lysates, nor were the genes encoding such proteins identified in the genome sequence. The intracellular concentration of iron in B. burgdorferi was estimated to be less than 10 atoms per cell, well below a physiologically relevant concentration.
Update on the genetics of migraine

The field of migraine genetics has seen an explosion of information over the last year. In a recent breakthrough, missense mutations in a chromosome 1q23 gene, ATP1A2, encoding a Na+, K+-ATPase, have been identified in four distinct pedigrees with a rare form of familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM). ATP1A2 is expressed in the brain, like the voltage gated calcium channel gene, CACNA1A, previously identified as the first hemiplegic migraine gene (FHM1). The shared hemiplegic migraine phenotype of mutations in ATP1A2 and CACNA1A raises the possibility that they coordinately regulate ion homeostasis that determines susceptibility to the initiation of both migraine aura and the pain phase of migraine. For the more common and genetically complex forms of migraine, genome-wide screens have identified several new loci on 4q24, 6p12.2-21.1, 11q24, and 14q21.2-q22.3, suggesting additional migraine genes in these regions. In addition, a recent large case-control association study has linked single nucleotide polymorphisms in the insulin receptor/INSR gene with migraine. However, these polymorphisms do not result in detectable changes in receptor function. The continuing genetic identification of key proteins involved in migraine will refine our understanding of this common and sometimes debilitating disorder, which can strike during the most productive years of a person's life. Given the co-morbidity of migraine with depression and bipolar disorder, our knowledge of the causes of migraine may also contribute to our understanding of these disorders.
Thermosensitive Micelles Based on Folate-Conjugated Poly(N-vinylcaprolactam)-block-Poly(ethylene glycol) for Tumor-Targeted Drug Delivery

Thermosensitive PNVCL-b-PEG block copolymer coupled with folic acid was prepared as an anti-cancer drug carrier. This polymer self-assembled into stable micelles in aqueous solutions at above 33 degrees C. At 37 degrees C, the release profile of PNVCL-b-PEG-FA micelles showed a slower and more controlled release of the entrapped 5-FU than that at 25 degrees C. The blank and 5-FU-loaded PNVCL-b-PEG-FA micelles did not induce remarkable cytotoxicity against the EA.hy 926 human endothelial cell line; however, 5-FU-loaded PNVCL-b-PEG-FA micelles showed a cytotoxicity effect against 4T1 mouse mammary carcinoma cells due to the availability of loaded anti-cancer drugs delivered to the inside of the cancer cells by the folate-receptor-mediated endocytosis process.
Compensator design for a supersonic panel flutter

This paper is concerned with the computational design of a compensator for suppression of vibrations for a panel in flutter conditions. The problem is casted into a first order form. Results from infinite dimensional systems are used to design feedback control laws. The feedback loop includes an observer design to estimate the states on line. Numerical results are presented that indicate the convergence of the feedback control functional gains and the estimator dynamics. The effectiveness of the compensator is studied for control of a one-dimensional panel (beam) as well as a two-dimensional panel (plate). Numerical results indicate that the compensator can effectively be used to suppress the panel vibrations when it is under flutter conditions.
Recent advances in metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy

Recent progress in the development and application of metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) is reviewed. The formation of new and unique materials and structures, including wide-bandgap materials of both III-V and II-VI semiconductors, is discussed. The basic studies of the underlying chemistry and fluid flow behavior in MOVPE reactors and resulting improvements in the control of material properties and the uniformity of growth are considered. New growth precursors yielding both selective area growth and improved material purity are discussed. Improved reproducibility of the MOVPE growth product using growth monitors, for the real-time determination of film thickness and composition, which have resulted in greater acceptance of the MOVPE technique in the manufacturing environment, is discussed. >
Three-dimensional structure of the human class II histocompatibility antigen HLA-DR1

The three-dimensional structure of the class II histocompatibility glycoprotein HLA-DR1 from human B-cell membranes has been determined by X-ray crystallography and is similar to that of class I HLA. Peptides are bound in an extended conformation that projects from both ends of an 'open-ended' antigen-binding groove. A prominent non-polar pocket into which an 'anchoring' peptide side chain fits is near one end of the binding groove. A dimer of the class II alpha beta heterodimers is seen in the crystal forms of HLA-DR1, suggesting class II HLA dimerization as a mechanism for initiating the cytoplasmic signalling events in T-cell activation.
Implementing Qubits with Superconducting Integrated Circuits

Superconducting qubits are solid state electrical circuits fabricated using techniques borrowed from conventional integrated circuits. They are based on the Josephson tunnel junction, the only non-dissipative, strongly non-linear circuit element available at low temperature. In contrast to microscopic entities such as spins or atoms, they tend to be well coupled to other circuits, which make them appealling from the point of view of readout and gate implementation. Very recently, new designs of superconducting qubits based on multi-junction circuits have solved the problem of isolation from unwanted extrinsic electromagnetic perturbations. We discuss in this review how qubit decoherence is affected by the intrinsic noise of the junction and what can be done to improve it.
Mediastinal esophageal duplication cyst associated with a partial pericardial defect.

A two-year-old girl with a mediastinal esophageal duplication cyst is the twelfth example of a thoracic cyst of foregut origin or pulmonary “sequestration” (bronchopulmonary foregut malformation according to the expanded definition of Gerleet al.) that has been associated with a partial pericardial defect on the same side, suggesting that anomalous thoracic masses of several morphologic types have a similar pathogenesis.
Metabolism of 5α-dihydrotestosterone in human benign hyperplastic prostate

Abstract Quantitative aspects of the metabolism of 5α dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by hyperplastic human prostate were studied in vitro by superfusion of tissue slices with mixtures of labeled DHT, 3α, 17β andros-tanediol (Adiol), 3β, 17β androstanediol (3β Adiol), and androstanedione (Adione) in Krebs-Ringer phosphate buffer. The relative values of the rate constants of conversion of DHT to Adiol, Adione, and 3β Adiol were found to be about 10:5:1. Most of the intracellular DHT appeared in the medium unchanged rather than metabolized. The significant interconversion observed to occur between DHT and Adiol favored the formation of DHT, as indicated by the ratio of rate constants corresponding to the forward and backward reactions. Most of the intracellular Adiol was found to be metabolized by direct conversion to DHT and androsterone; a smaller fraction left the cells as Adiol. Comparison of isotope ratios revealed that the conversion of DHT to androsterone proceeded almost exclusively via Adiol.
Ultra-low voltage digital circuit design: A comparative study

Ultra-low voltage digital circuit is an active research area that tailors portable applications. Such applications include wearable electronics, intelligent remote sensors, implantable medical devices, and energy-harvesting systems. Two major goals of such systems are minimized energy consumption and improved compatibility with low-voltage power supplies and analog components. The immediate solution to achieve these goals is to reduce the supply voltage, but doing so raises the issue of operability. At low supply voltages, the integrity of digital signals degrades dramatically due to the indifference between active and leakage currents. In addition, the system timing becomes more unpredictable as the impact of process/voltage/temperature variations being more significant at lower voltages. This paper presents a comparative study of two circuit- and architecture-level techniques that address digital signal integrity and system timing at ultra-low voltages, i.e., Schmitt-trigger gate structure and delay-insensitive asynchronous logic. Results from test circuits show that static designs have wider dynamic range, while Schmitt-trigger designs are capable of operating at lower voltages. In addition, for static designs the synchronous circuit performs better in energy. For Schmitt-trigger design the asynchronous circuit has advantage.
Preservation of the female sideburn.

Routine face-lift incisions in the temporal hair line may be unsatisfactory because of one or all of the following reasons: (a) Production of an area of baldness immediately in front of the ear; (b) presence of wide unsightly scar in the temporal hairline; (c) loss of hair in the temporal area; and (d) disfigurement of the temporal hair and sideburn. In order to conceal the deformity, the patient is limited to certain hairstyles. The problem is exaggerated in patients with sparse hair or who undergo a secondary rhytidectomy. A solution is an incision at or in the edge of the hairline in the temporal hairline. The technique has been used in over 200 patients during the past 3 years with excellent results. Specific points including location of incision, caveats in technique, and pre- and postoperative results are discussed.
RIPARIAN VEGETATION RESPONSE TO ALTERED DISTURBANCE AND STRESS REGIMES

River damming and flow regulation can alter disturbance and stress regimes that structure riparian ecosystems. We studied the Bill Williams River in western Arizona, USA, to understand dam-induced changes in channel width and in the areal extent, structure, species composition, and dynamics of woody riparian vegetation. We conducted parallel studies along a reference system, the Santa Maria River, an unregulated major tributary of the Bill Williams River. Flood magnitude on the Bill Williams River has been dramatically reduced since the closure of Alamo Dam in 1968: the 10-yr recurrence interval flood in the pre-dam era was 1397 m3/s vs. 148 m3/s post-dam. Post-dam average annual flows were higher due to increased precipitation in a few years, but increases in post-dam May–September flows are largely attributable to dam operation. An analysis of a time series of aerial photographs showed that channels along the Bill Williams River narrowed an average of 111 m (71%) between 1953 and 1987, with most narrowi...
Tape‐stripping method in man: comparison of evaporimetric methods

Background/purpose: If the occlusion time of a closed chamber evaporimeter on the skin is too long, saturation might occur. We previously compared an open chamber and a closed chamber device on healthy volunteers. Comparable data on stripped skin with higher evaporation rates are not available. This study compares the sensitivity and correlation of open and closed chamber devices in a tape-stripping human model. The amount of tape removed SC was also quantified with a protein assay method. Methods: Ten healthy volunteers (six male and four female; seven Caucasians and three Asian; mean age 38±16) were enrolled. In a randomized manner, one forearm was measured by an open chamber device and the opposite by a closed chamber device. After recording baseline measurements, 20 strippings were taken on each test site with tape disks. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) was measured at the end of 10 and 20 tape strippings at each test site. Stratum corneum (SC) aggregates in the strips was assayed. Results: The mean values obtained from two devices were similar after 10 trips and 20 strips. There was no statistically significant difference. The closed chamber device showed a slightly higher (but not significant) inter-individual coefficient of variation. SC aggregates in the strips were similar and without a statistically significant difference. Conclusion: The study suggests that both devices might yield similar TEWL values on stripped human skin in vivo.
Female Lynchings in the United States: Amending the Historical Record

Justice scholars have failed to distinguish an accurate historical record of female lynchings in the United States. Most probably, one reason for this lapse in the lynching scholarship is that rese...
Porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) : a bioscaffold supporting in vitro primary human epidermal cell differentiation and synthesis of basement membrane proteins

The growth pattern of human epidermal cells, fibroblasts or Swiss mouse 3T3/J2 fibroblasts cultured upon the extracellular matrix (ECM) derived from small intestinal submucosa (SIS) was evaluated. The cell/SIS composites were grown submerged, then maintained in air/liquid interface for 2, 7, 10 or 14 days. The presence of differentiation-related keratins 10, 14 and 16, FN, laminin, collagen type VII and collagen type IV was determined by immunohistochemical methods in SIS alone and in the SIS/cell composite. Only FN could be detected in SIS alone. SIS supported the formation of an epithelial structure with suprabasal expression of K16 and regional suprabasal expression of K10. The epidermal cells were K14 positive and tended to 'invade' the SIS to various degrees. Following the growth of epidermal cells and fibroblasts on the SIS substratum, immunolabeling of FN, laminin, collagen type VII and collagen type IV was observed in a cell-associated pattern. The fibroblasts commonly invaded the SIS, when co-cultivated with epidermal cells on the opposite side of the SIS. The ability of SIS to support epidermal cell/fibroblast attachment, migration and/or proliferation and differentiation with deposition of basement membrane (BM) components indicates that the composite model may be useful for studying cell-matrix interactions and for investigation as a dermal substitute.
Take It Back: Dynamic Consumer Goals in Retail Customer Service Transactions

Product returns and exchanges are an important part of a consumer's postpurchase decision-making process and have economic and psychological consequences. Based primarily on a participant observation research, a conceptual model is developed that portrays two distinct process paths that occur during return transactions. The analysis incorporates previous research regarding goal-directed behavior and role and script theories in understanding the complexity of a return transaction. Consumers are identified as having both economic and social goals, and the change catalysts promoting shifts in goal focus as well as the interplay between these goals are represented in the model.
Disappearance and reappearance of islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies in cyclosporin-treated insulin-dependent diabetics.

Abstract In 68 newly diagnosed patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) whose treatment included cyclosporin (CyA) the prevalence and mean titre of islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies (ICA) fell faster than they did in the 56 who received only insulin. However, in the CyA-treated patients the prevalence or titre of ICA at diagnosis did not correlate with β-cell function as measured by glucagon-stimulated C-peptide levels; improvement and recovery of β-cell function after 30 days of CyA therapy occurred despite the continued presence of ICA; and CyA-induced remission of IDDM (ie, glucagon stimulated plasma C-peptide levels >0·6 pmol/ml) was not predicted by nor coincident with disappearance of ICA. Therefore, although CyA therapy was associated with a higher than expected frequency of remission and faster disappearance of ICA, the two observations were not temporally and may not be causally related. ICA should not be used to identify the target population for or to predict response to immunosuppressive therapy. The contribution of ICA to the pathogenesis of β-cell destruction in IDDM needs serious re-examination.
Contemporary Hate Crimes, Law Enforcement, and the Legacy of Racial Violence

This article investigates the association between past lynchings (1882 to 1930) and contemporary law enforcement responses to hate crimes in the United States. While prior research indicates a positive correlation between past levels of lynching and current social control practices against minority groups, we posit an inverse relationship for facets of social control that are protective of minorities. Specifically, we hypothesize that contemporary hate crime policing and prosecution will be less vigorous where lynching was more prevalent prior to 1930. Analyses show that levels of past lynching are associated with three outcome variables germane to hate crime policing and prosecution, but the effect of lynching is partly contingent on the presence of a minority group threat. That is, past lynching combined with a sizeable black population largely suppresses (1) police compliance with federal hate crime law, (2) police reports of hate crimes that target blacks, and in some analyses (3) the likelihood of pr...
Understanding Variation in 30-Day Surgical Readmission in the Era of Accountable Care: Effect of the Patient, Surgeon, and Surgical Subspecialties

Importance Readmission is a target area of quality improvement in surgery. While variation in readmission is common, to our knowledge, no study has specifically examined the underlying etiology of this variation among a variety of surgical procedures performed in a large academic medical center. Objective To quantify the variability in 30-day readmission attributable to patient, surgeon, and surgical subspecialty levels in patients undergoing a major surgical procedure. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective analysis of administrative claims data of patients discharged following a major surgical procedure at a tertiary care center between January 1, 2009, and, December 31, 2013. A total of 22 559 patients were included in this study and underwent a major surgical procedure performed by 56 surgeons practicing in 8 surgical subspecialties. Main Outcomes and Measures In-hospital morbidity, 30-day readmission, and proportional variation in 30-day readmission at patient, surgeon, and surgical subspecialty levels. Results Among the 22 559 patients in this study, patient age, race/ethnicity, and payer type differed across surgical subspecialties. Preoperative comorbidity was common and noted in 65.1% of patients. Postoperative complications were noted in 21.6% of patients varying from 2.1% following breast, melanoma or endocrine surgery to 37.0% following cardiac surgery. The overall 30-day readmission was 13.2% (n = 2975). Readmission varied considerably across the 8 different surgical subspecialties, ranging from 24.8% following transplant surgery (n = 557) to 2.1% following breast, melanoma, or endocrine surgery (n = 32). After adjusting for patient- and surgeon-level variables, factors associated with readmission included African American race/ethnicity (odds ratio, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.11-1.36; P P = .02; and a Charlson Comorbidity Index score of ≥2 : odds ratio, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.24-1.53; P P = .001), and an extended length of stay (odds ratio, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.61-1.96; P Conclusions and Relevance Readmission occurred in more than 1 in 10 patients, with considerable variation across surgical subspecialties. Variation in readmission was overwhelmingly owing to patient-level factors while only a minority of the variation was attributable to factors at the surgical subspecialty and individual surgeon levels.
Congressional committee scrutinizes Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a favored target of criticism by those claiming the agency's regulatory actions hurt the economy, faced further scrutiny during a 17 November House of Representatives hearing to review the agency's research and development activities and discuss the Environmental Research, Development and Demonstration Act (ERDDA), which authorizes research and development activities at EPA. Although the act has not been reauthorized since 1980, EPA also derives authority from a number of other specific environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and Clean Water Act. The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology's Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, which held the hearing, is undertaking the process for reauthorizing ERDDA, according to Rep. Andrew Harris (R-Md.), subcommittee chair.
SUMO Modification and Transcriptional Regulation

Transcriptional regulation is a complex multistep process involving numerous protein-protein and protein nucleic acid interactions influenced by post-translational modifications. Both sequence specific DNA binding factors as well as coregulator proteins are targets of sumoylation, and many of the paradigms for SUMO-mediated effects have been identified in the context of transcriptional regulation. Although SUMO modification is most commonly associated with transcriptional repression, it is now evident that this modification is utilized in multiple contexts to regulate the assembly, function and disassembly of multiprotein and nucleic acid transcription complexes. By focusing on specific DNA binding factors and their coregulators, the goal of this chapter is to provide representative examples that illustrate the pervasive and dramatic influence of sumoylation on transcriptional regulation and provide insights on the underlying mechanisms and factors involved.
A Network Architecture for Large-Scale Science

Within the framework of the diversified Internet where architecturally different metanetworks coexist on a shared communication substrate, we present a large-scale scientific metanetwork (LSM) designated for special communication needs of large-scale science. LSM emphasizes performance and security over horizontal scalability and offers two services to users: prompt-delivery service for quick transfers of bulk data and assured-capacity service for applications that require delay or rate guarantees. The prompt-delivery service relies on message-grained scheduling to provide near-minimal average message delay while treating each individual message fairly. In support of the assured-capacity service, LSM maintains differential tree data structures to store and update advance reservations of communication capacities. Explicit accounting for real-world entities involved in communications forms a basis for secure capacity allocation in LSM.
Converging to a National Lynching Database: Recent Developments and the Way Forward

Abstract In tandem with a recent surge in interest in lynching in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, researchers in a number of fields have begun to use lynching data in new ways for a wide range of empirical investigations. A limited number of historical national lynching data series are available, have well-known flaws, and are nonetheless used. This article analyzes and compares these series, summarizes recent efforts to address their shortcomings, and identifies extensions that could aid in the construction a national database of confirmed lynching victims, whose broader applications are just beginning to be explored.
Performance evaluation of an adaptive Volterra/hybrid equalizer for nonlinear ISI in a magneto-optic storage channel

This paper presents performance analysis of an adaptive Volterra/hybrid equalizer in a nonlinear magneto-optic data storage channel. In a storage system, nonlinear intersymbol interference (ISI) is one of the limiting factors for high storage density. Volterra and hybrid (combination of linear and Volterra) equalizers are proposed and developed for compensation of it. The use of Volterra/hybrid equalizers provided an extra 1.3-1.5 dB SNR gain over linear equalizers. Performance and complexity of these equalizers are compared. Convergence issues are also investigated by examining the eigenvalue spread of the covariance matrix. The techniques proposed here are applicable to other communication systems (e.g., wireless, optical) exhibiting nonlinear ISI characteristics.
The striatum and short-term spatial memory: from frog to man

Frogs show a robust memory for the position of recently-seen obstacles after their sudden removal, which may last for at least 60 seconds. This memory can compensate for passive rotation of the frog through at least a 45° turn: thus spatial memory is stored in real-world rather than in retinotopic coordinates. A “sliding map” network model will be presented as a speculative approach to physiological experiments. Evidence that this short-term memory depends upon the frog’s striatum will be presented. Behavioral tests revealing a second mode of spatial memory (based upon landmarks) will be presented. Analogies between these two species of frog memory and contrasting classes of mammalian memory, linked to caudate and hippocampus, respectively, will be discussed. Extensions of this new approach to spatial memory to patients with Parkinson’s Disease and to subjects with loss of corpus callosum will be briefly reviewed. The hypothesis will be presented that neocortex sustains short-term memory as “imagery” but that striatum maintains correlated “anticipatory response sets.”
Performance comparison for constrained radar waveform design

With more users populating the frequency spectrum and less available contiguous bandwidth, radar and communication waveforms are slowly forced to become more efficient at using their available frequencies. In this paper, unconstrained algorithms for jointly designing complex digital transmit wave-forms and receive filters are considered. Varying a convex weight trades performance between signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) and sidelobe levels. Through an empirical study, performance for constrained radar waveform design is established for an instantiation of the interference spectrum.
Three-point Frequency Tracking Method

This paper presents and evaluates in detail a harmonics tracking method (HTM) for tracking the instantaneous frequency and amplitude of a vibration signal by processing only three most recent data points. Teager—Kaiser algorithm (TKA) is a popular four-point method for online frequency tracking, but its accuracy is easily destroyed by measurement noise due to the use of finite difference. Moreover, because a signal is assumed to be a pure harmonic in TKA, any moving average in the signal can destroy the accuracy of TKA. On the other hand, HTM uses a constant and a pair of harmonics to fit three recent data points and estimate the instantaneous frequency and amplitude, and it dramatically reduces the influence of any moving average. Moreover, noise filtering is an implicit capability of HTM even if only three points are processed, and this capability increases with the number of processed points. However, HTM depends on TKA to provide the first frequency estimation in order to start online tracking. To com...
Mechanism of yield and fracture in ABS materials

Four commercial grades of ABS of varying physicomechanical properties were fractured in tension at three straining rates. Photomicrographs of the fracture surfaces were used to qualitatively describe the effects of straining rate on craze growth. Based on a micrograph of what is assumed to be the first stress-activated state of craze formation, a model describing the function of the elastomer phase in these materials is presented.