cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A numerical scheme to solve unstable boundary value problems

The considered scheme makes it possible to determine an unstable steady state solution in cases in which, because of lack of symmetry, such a solution cannot be obtained analytically, and other time integration or relaxation schemes, because of instability, fail to converge. The iterative solution of a single complex equation is discussed and a nonlinear system of equations is considered. Described applications of the scheme are related to a steady state solution with shear instability, an unstable nonlinear Ekman boundary layer, and the steady state solution of a baroclinic atmosphere with asymmetric forcing. The scheme makes use of forward and backward time integrations of the original spatial differential operators and of an approximation of the adjoint operators. Only two computations of the time derivative per iteration are required.
Fungal Gummosis in Peach

Peach fungal gummosis (PFG) is a vascular disease that limits the growth and yield of peach orchards in the southeastern United States. This 6-page document discusses the symptoms and management of PFG. Written by Daniel Mancero-Castillo, Ali Sarkhosh, Sara Sherman, Mercy Olmstead, Philip Harmon, and Thomas Beckham and published by the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department, July 2018. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1265
Mitochondrial diabetes and mitochondrial DNA mutation load in MELAS syndrome

Objective Mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome is a very rare condition; it encompasses a diverse group of disorders including diabetes. Phenotypic variability can be attributed to heteroplasmy along with varying proportions of mutant and WT mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). To examine the clinical relationship between mitochondrial diabetes and mutational load, we analyzed the mtDNA of children and young adolescents with MELAS syndrome using next generation sequencing (NGS). Design and methods Of 57 subjects with suspected MELAS syndrome, 32 children and young adolescents were diagnosed as MELAS syndrome with mtDNA A-to-G transition at nucleotide 3243. Mutation load studies and NGS were performed for 25 subjects. Results The mean mutation load was 60.4 ± 18.4% (range: 22.5‒100). Of the 25 subjects with NGS results, 15 (60%) were diagnosed with DM and 2 (8%) were diagnosed with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). The mutational load of subjects inversely correlated with first symptom onset, age at diagnosis of MELAS syndrome, and DM (P < 0.001). However, mutational load did not correlate with the clinical severity or progression of DM/IGT. There was no significant difference in insulin resistance or sensitivity indices between the low- and high-mutation load groups. During the 3.7 years of follow-up, insulin resistance indices were not significantly different between baseline and follow-up. Conclusions We can infer that the mutation load in the MELAS syndrome is significantly associated with the onset of symptoms and associated diseases, including mitochondrial diabetes. However, it may not influence disease progression.
Hydrogel Micropost Arrays with Single Post Tunability to Study Cell Volume and Mechanotransduction

The extracellular matrix varies considerably in mechanical properties at the microscale. It remains unclear how cells respond to these properties, in part, due to lack of tools to create precisely defined microenvironments in a discrete manner. Here, freeform stereolithography is leveraged to control the placement and elastic modulus of individual hydrogel microposts that serve as discrete matrix signals to interface with cells. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) located in the interstitial spaces between microposts above a base layer are analyzed. Cell volume is higher when MSCs interact with more microposts. MSCs show higher strain energy when they interact simultaneously with 4-kPa and 20-kPa microposts than with mechanically homogeneous micropost arrays. MSCs are sensitive to pharmacological inhibition of Rho-associated protein kinase in 4-kPa arrays, but resistant when presented together with 20-kPa arrays. Yes-associated protein (YAP) activity increases with higher cell volume and elastic modulus of microposts. Surprisingly, YAP activity becomes less variable with higher cell volume and decreases with higher average force and strain energy per post when MSCs interact with both 4-kPa and 20-kPa microposts simultaneously. Together, these results describe a material system for systematically investigating how the placement and intrinsic properties of discrete matrix signals impact cell volume and mechanotransduction.
A deep insight on the coal ash-to-slag transformation behavior during the entrained flow gasification process

Abstract Recent research provided deep insight on the coal ash-to-slag transformation characterization during the entrained flow gasification process, with experimentation on a 40 kg/hr (dry basis) coal-fed opposed multi-burner (OMB) entrained flow gasifier and simulation via FactSage™ software. A general mechanism is presented to relate the gasifier design temperature, ash fluid temperature, and operating temperature with the degree of the slag polymerization. The change of the high temperature zone, the corresponding particle residence time in the high temperature zone, and syngas composition have obvious effects on the slag mineral transformation behavior. Mineral types formed on the wall of the gasifier chamber were mainly anorthite (CaAl2Si2O8), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), and calcium sulfide (CaS). These minerals transformed to anorthite and diopside (CaMgSi2O6) at the slag hole zone, while the minerals at the lock hopper were anorthite, orthoclase (KAlSi3O8), quartz (SiO2), gypsum (CaSO4), calcite (CaCO3), and halite (NaCl). FactSage™ predicted minerals as anorthite, diopside, orthoclase, and albite (NaAlSi3O8), etc., where the slag temperature was below the ash fluid temperature and when the ratios of CO/CO2 and (CO + H2)/CO2 were lower than 1.0 and 2.0, respectively. By simulation, residual carbon was found to be the dominant factor over syngas composition to cause mineral transformation, and this was verified experimentally. The Ca-based crystals, typically anorthite, was shifted to diopside, near the slag hole zone, and a linear relationship was found between the content ratios of diopside/(anorthite + diopside), CaO/SiO2, and (CaO + MgO)/SiO2. A dimensionless number, θ, was defined to characterize the changing chemical composition and the degree of slag polymerization, with temperature deviation from the design condition. Three zones of θ were identified and related to the deviation between the actual gasification condition from the design condition. A low slag polymerization degree corresponded with a higher temperature deviation between the actual condition and design condition, and this proved that increased residual carbon content and changing iron valence state increased the mineral types when the slag temperature was below the ash fluid temperature.
Urethral support in female urinary continence part 2: a computational, biomechanical analysis of Valsalva

In Part 1, we observed urethral mechanics during Valsalva that oppose current continence theories. In this study, we utilize a finite element model to elucidate the role of supportive tissues on the urethra during Valsalva. By determining the sensitivity of urethral motion and deformations to variations in tissue stiffnesses, we formulate new hypotheses regarding mechanisms of urethral passive closure. Anatomy was segmented from a nulliparous, continent woman at rest. The model was tuned such that urethral motion during Valsalva matched that observed in that patient. Urethra and surrounding tissue material properties were varied using Latin hypercube sampling to perform a sensitivity analysis. As in Part 1, urethral length, proximal and distal swinging, and shape parameters were measured at peak Valsalva for 50 simulations, and partial rank correlation coefficients were calculated between all model inputs and outputs. Cumulative influence factors determined which tissue properties were meaningfully influential (≥ 0.5). The material properties of the urethra, perineal membrane, bladder, and paraurethral connective tissues meaningfully influenced urethral motion, deformation, and shape. Reduction of the urethral stiffness and/or the perineal membrane soft constraint resulted in simulated urethral motions and shapes associated with stress urinary incontinence in Part 1. The data from Parts 1 and 2 suggest that connective tissues guide the controlled swinging motion and deformation of the urethra needed for passive closure during Valsalva. The swinging and kinking quantified in Part 1 and simulated in Part 2 are inconsistent with current continence theories.
Rapid airfoil design optimization via neural networks-based parameterization and surrogate modeling

Abstract Aerodynamic optimization based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a powerful design approach because it significantly reduces the design time compared with the human manual design. However, CFD-based optimization can still take hours to converge because it requires repeatedly running computationally expensive flow simulations. To further shorten the design optimization time, we propose a fast, interactive design framework that allows us to complete an airfoil aerodynamic optimization within a few seconds. This framework is made efficient through a B-spline-based generative adversarial network model for shape parameterization, which filters out unrealistic airfoils for a reduced design space that contains all relevant airfoil shapes. Moreover, we use a combination of multilayer perceptron, recurrent neural networks, and mixture of experts for surrogate modeling to enable both scalar (drag and lift) and vector (pressure distribution) response predictions for a wide range of Mach numbers (0.3 to 0.7) and Reynolds numbers (104 to 1010). To verify our proposed framework, we compare the optimization results with the ones computed by direct CFD-based optimization for subsonic and transonic conditions. The results show that the optimal designs and the aerodynamic quantities (lift, drag, and pressure distribution) obtained by our proposed framework agree well with the ones computed by direct CFD-based optimizations and evaluations. The proposed framework is being integrated into a web-based interactive aerodynamic design framework that allows users to predict drag, lift, moment, pressure distribution, and optimal airfoil shapes for a wide range of flow conditions within seconds.
Efficient unsupervised monocular depth estimation using attention guided generative adversarial network

Deep-learning-based approaches to depth estimation are rapidly advancing, offering better performance over traditional computer vision approaches across many domains. However, for many critical applications, cutting-edge deep-learning based approaches require too much computational overhead to be operationally feasible. This is especially true for depth-estimation methods that leverage adversarial learning, such as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs). In this paper, we propose a computationally efficient GAN for unsupervised monocular depth estimation using factorized convolutions and an attention mechanism. Specifically, we leverage the Extremely Efficient Spatial Pyramid of Depth-wise Dilated Separable Convolutions (EESP) module of ESPNetv2 inside the network, leading to a total reduction of $$22.8\%$$ , $$35.37\%$$ , and $$31.5\%$$ in the number of model parameters, FLOPs, and inference time respectively, as compared to the previous unsupervised GAN approach. Finally, we propose a context-aware attention architecture to generate detail-oriented depth images. We demonstrate superior performance of our proposed model on two benchmark datasets KITTI and Cityscapes. We have also provided more qualitative examples (Fig. 8) at the end of this paper.
Bilayer Ga-Sb Phase Change Memory with Intermediate Resistance State

Among various phase-change memory materials (PCMs), Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 (GST) is an outstanding representative, widely used in both optical storage and electronic memories [1] . The intrinsic drawbacks of this GST, however, such as tellurium volatility and low amorphous phase stability (resistance retention), hinder it from being a perfect candidate. Tellurium-free antimony-based PCMs have been the subject of considerable recent interest, due to their excellent resistance contrast, rapid crystallization, and high amorphous phase stability [2] . Moreover, with increasing demand for high-capacity memory in consumer electronics, the multibit high-density storage capability of various memory devices has become very attractive [3] – [5] . Here, a bilayer Ga-Sb stack structure is demonstrated, showing multilevel switching properties. The origin of multilevel states and their stability are also studied.
47. Impact of racial disparities on all-cause mortality in patients with a primary malignant or nonmalignant tumor of the spinal cord or spinal meninges: A propensity-score analysis

BACKGROUND CONTEXT Racial disparities have been shown to impact various aspects of cancer care. Previous studies have demonstrated that nonwhite race is associated with inferior outcomes for patients with neurological, spinal, and other tumors. However, the influence that race has on mortality rates in patients with spinal cord tumors is relatively unknown. PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of race on the outcomes of patients with primary malignant or nonmalignant tumor of the spinal cord or spinal meninges. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Retrospective study. PATIENT SAMPLE Patients with primary malignant or nonmalignant tumor of the spinal cord or spinal meninges from 1973 through 2016. OUTCOME MEASURES All-cause mortality. METHODS The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Registry was used to identify all patients with a code for primary malignant or nonmalignant tumor of the spinal cord (C72.0) or spinal meninges (C70.1) from 1973 through 2016. Racial groups (African-American vs white) were balanced using propensity-score (PS) matching using a nonparsimonious 1:1 nearest neighbor matching algorithm. Overall survival (OS) estimates were obtained using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared across non-PS-matched and PS-matched groups using log-rank tests. Associations of survival with clinical variables was assessed using doubly robust Cox proportional-hazards (CPH) regression analysis. RESULTS There were a total of 7,498 patients identified with a primary intradural spine tumor, of which 648 (6.8%) were African-American (White: 6,850 vs African-American: 648). The mean age of diagnosis was greater for patients who were White than it was for patients who were African-American (White: 55.1±17.4 years vs African-American: 50.0±16.0 years, p CONCLUSIONS Our study provides population-based estimates of the prognosis for patients with primary malignant or nonmalignant tumor of the spinal cord or spinal meninges and suggests that race may impact all-cause mortality. Further studies are necessary to corroborate our findings. FDA DEVICE/DRUG STATUS This abstract does not discuss or include any applicable devices or drugs.
Resident Physician Experience and Duration of Electronic Health Record Use.

Background Electronic health records (EHRs) demand a significant amount of physician time for documentation, orders, and communication during care delivery. Resident physicians already work long hours as they gain experience and develop both clinical and socio-technical skills. Objectives Measure how much time resident physicians spend in the EHR during clinic hours and after-hours, and how EHR usage changes as they gain experience over a 12-month period. Methods Longitudinal descriptive study where participants were 622 resident physicians across postgraduate year cohorts (of 948 resident physicians at the institution, 65.6%) working in an ambulatory setting from July 2017 to June 2018. Time spent in the EHR per patient, patients records documented per day, and proportion of EHR time spent after-hours were the outcome, while the number of months of ambulatory care experience was the predictor. Results Resident physicians spent an average of 45.6 minutes in the EHR per patient, with 13.5% of that time spent after-hours. Over 12 months of ambulatory experience, resident physicians reduced their EHR time per patient and saw more patients per day, but the proportion of EHR time after-hours did not change. Conclusion Resident physicians spend a significant amount of time working in the EHR, both during and after clinic hours. While residents improve efficiency in reducing EHR time per patient, they do not reduce the proportion of EHR time spent after-hours. Concerns over the impact of EHRs on physician well-being should include recognition of the burden of EHR usage on early-career physicians.
An efficient one-pot synthesis of 2-aminobenzothiazoles from substituted anilines using benzyltrimethylammonium dichloroiodate and ammonium thiocyanate in DMSO:H2O

Abstract Treatment of a variety of substituted anilines with benzyltrimethylammonium dichloroiodate (1.2 equiv) and ammonium thiocyanate (1.0 equiv) in DMSO:H2O (9:1) at 70 °C gave the corresponding 2-aminobenzothiazoles in excellent isolated yields (75–97%; ave. yield for all substrates = 90%). The reaction worked well for 2(4)-mono-, 2,4-di-, or 3,4,5-tri-substituted anilines, and a wide range of both electron donating groups (MeO, HO, CF3O, Me) and electron withdrawing groups (NO2, CN, CO2Et, CO2H, Cl, F) were well tolerated. This method provides a useful alternative to other methods that are either less efficient (requiring 3–7 fold equivalents of reagents) or utilize highly toxic and corrosive liquid Br2 as the oxidizing agent.
The Human Primary Visual Cortex

The human primary visual (striate) cortex was one of the first specialized regions identified in the cerebral cortex (Gennari, 1782). Because of its unique anatomical organization and the striking clinical deficits that result from lesions to it (Rizzo, this volume), this region has received nearly continuous attention for over two centuries, making it the best understood of all cortical areas in the human brain.
Ethicists' and Nonethicists' Responsiveness to Student E‐mails: Relationships Among Expressed Normative Attitude, Self‐Described Behavior, and Empirically Observed Behavior

Do professional ethicists behave any morally better than other professors do? Do they show any greater consistency between their normative attitudes and their behavior? In response to a survey question, a large majority of professors (83 percent of ethicists, 83 percent of nonethicist philosophers, and 85 percent of nonphilosophers) expressed the view that “not consistently responding to student e-mails” is morally bad. A similarly large majority of professors claimed to respond to at least 95 percent of student e-mails. These professors, and others, were sent three e-mails designed to look like queries from students. Ethicists’ e-mail response rates were not significantly different from the other two groups’. Expressed normative view correlated with self-estimated rate of e-mail responsiveness, especially among the ethicists. Empirically measured e-mail responsiveness, however, was at best weakly correlated with self-estimated e-mail responsiveness; and professors’ expressed normative attitude was not significantly correlated with empirically measured e-mail responsiveness for any of the three groups.
Evidence for multiple clones of cytotoxic T cells responding to antigenic determinants on the same molecule.

Hzl lymphocytes stimulated in the CML assay by B6 cells kill not only B6 but also M505 targets. (Hzl and M505 are strains that differ from B6 by recent mutations that occurred in the H-2K b gene.) When the Hzl anti-B6 lymphocytes are adsorbed on M505 monolayer, the nonadherent cells still react with B6 but not with M505 targets. This result suggests that different antigenic determinants carried by the same H-2 molecule stimulate different T cell clones. The implication of this finding is that probably large numbers of T cell clones are stimulated by a foreign H-2 haplotype coding for a great number of antigenic determinants.
Complexation of Metal Ions by Humic Substances: Fundamental Considerations

Humic substances play an important role in the mobilization of metal ions in soil and aquatic environments, and they also affect the bioavailability and toxicity of these ions. For those and other reasons, humic substances have been investigated by soil scientists for many years (Stevenson, 1982; Saar and Weber, 1982; Sposito, 1986; Weber, 1988). In more recent years, as the importance of humic substances to processes in other environments was realized, the interactions of these materials have been investigated by scientists in many other disciplines, such as aquatic chemistry and limnology. The increased interest in the study of metalhumic complexation reactions has led to the introduction of numerous methodologies for determining the composition (stoichiometry) and stability ‘constants’ of these complexes, and for measuring metal complexation capacities of the organic matter.
Power-effiicent resource allocation in MapReduce clusters

MapReduce has recently evolved in data-intensive parallel computing. It is a programming model for processing large data sets. The implementation of MapReduce typically runs on a large scale of cluster computing systems consisting of thousands of commodity machines. Such cluster computing systems are called MapReduce clusters. The high power consumption of MapReduce clusters has become a major concern since hundreds of MapReduce programs are implemented and thousands of MapReduce jobs are executed in such clusters like Amazon's Elastic MapReduce Clusters every day. Power management becomes one of the most important problems in MapReduce clusters. Furthermore, the availability of MapReduce clusters plays an essential role in the delivery of quality of services (QoS) for customer services. In this paper, we investigate the problem of resource allocation for power management in MapReduce clusters. Specifically, we propose resource allocation approaches to minimizing the mean end-to-end delay of customer jobs or services under the constraints of the energy consumption and the availability of MapReduce clusters and to minimizing the energy consumption of MapReduce clusters under the availability of MapReduce clusters and the mean end-to-end delay of customer jobs or services. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the proposed approaches are applicable and efficient to solve these resource allocation problems for power management in MapReduce clusters.
Extractive forest resources of the Tana River national primate reserve, Kenya

Plant uses by the Pokomo and their influence on riverine forest structure and composition are examined in the Tana River National Primate Reserve, Kenya. Of a total 98 plant species identified with one or more uses, 15 are used as food, 34 for construction material, 43 for technology, 23 for remedy, 2 for commerce, and 20 for other uses. The mean basal area of cut wood is 3.21 m2/ha, mostly from palms (1.96 m2/ha) and understory trees (1.20 m2/ha). Measured impacts on forest structure include the loss of large trees for canoes or beehives, lowered palm heights, and tree coppicing. Accessibility explains much of the spatial pattern of use. Extraction activities do not reduce forest area, and causal effects on productivity are complicated by the heterogeneous environment and past disturbances. In view of regional pressures on forests and cultural traditions, limited resource extraction offers incentives for local stewardship of a unique ecosystem.
Regulating Climate: What Role for the Clean Air Act? A Primer: Background Paper for a Conference Co-Sponsored by Duke Law, Harvard Law School, and the Duke's Nicholas Institute

This short primer sets out a range of policy choices and legal options available to the EPA as it decides how it might use the Clean Air Act to address climate change. This paper was written as a background paper for a conference co-sponsored by Duke Law, Harvard Law School, and Duke's Nicholas Institute held on March 26, 2009.
On the characterization of timelike mappings representing contracted ricci collineations

Several aspects of the characterization of mappings representing members of the family of contracted Ricci collineations (FCRC) (i.e. mappings satisfyinggµλLRµλ=0) are considered in more detail in this paper than in other recent papers. In particular, the FCRC are suitably characterized in terms of mappings on the linear connection of space-time. In addition, the physical implications of Riemannian space-times admitting timelike FCRC mappings are briefly discussed in relation to an appropriate type of evolution equation and to the concomitant local conservation expressions.
Environmental Studies and Utilitarian Ethics.

Email: wolff017@tc.umn.edu Abstract: Environmental ethicists have focused much attention on the limits of utilitarianism and have generally defined “environmental ethics” in a manner that treats utilitarian environmental ethics as an oxymoron. This is unfortunate because utilitarian ethics can support strong environmental policies, and environmental ethicists have not yet produced a contemporary environmental ethic with such broad appeal. I believe educators should define environmental ethics more broadly and teach utilitarian ethics in a non-pejorative fashion so that graduates of environmental studies and policy programs understand the merits of utilitarian arguments and can comfortably participate in the policymaking arena, where utilitarian ethics continue to play a dominant role.
ABO‐incompatible living donor kidney transplantation without post‐transplant therapeutic plasma exchange

Blood group incompatibility remains a significant barrier to kidney transplantation. Approximately, one-third of donors are blood group incompatible with their intended recipient. Options for these donor-recipient pairs include blood group incompatible transplantation or kidney paired donation. However, the optimal protocol for blood group incompatible transplantation is unknown. Protocols differ in techniques to remove ABO antibodies, titer targets, and immunosuppression regimens. In addition, the mechanisms of graft accommodation to blood group antigens remain poorly understood. We describe a blood group incompatible protocol using pretransplant therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin, and rituximab in addition to prednisone, mycophenolate mofetil, and tacrolimus. In this protocol, we do not exclude patients based on a high initial titer and do not implement post-transplant TPE. All 16 patients who underwent this protocol received a living donor transplant with 100% patient and graft survival, and no reported episodes of antibody-mediated rejection to date with a median follow-up of 2.6 years (range 0.75-4.7 years). We conclude that blood group incompatible transplantation can be achieved without post-transplant TPE.
The physical process of melting and freezing

Abstract It is suggested that at the melting temperature the wavelength of the average thermal phonon vibration is equal to or is a harmonic of the distance separating the atomic layers in the crystal. This resonance between the phonon and lattice vibrations equals out the energy of the vibrating atoms in the surface layer. If this “uniform” energy is higher than the energy corresponding to the metastable transition state then all the surface atoms lose its position stability. In order to make the jump to the next potential well energy is required to overcome on the viscous resistance of the liquid. If this energy, latent heat of fusion, is supplied then the atomic/molecular sheet or platelets from the surface are detached and melting occurs. The proposed model is consistent with all of the characteristic features of melting and freezing. Equations calculating the average phonon wavelength and the corresponding lattice distance at the melting temperature are derived from fundamental thermodynamic relationships. The required thermodynamic parameters are determined from experiments of the nine selected highly symmetrical solids. The calculated wavelengths of the phonon vibration are equal to or is a harmonic of the d -spacing of the atomic/molecular layers in agreement with theory.
Due process: a boundary for intervention

Lawrence Mark Stone, MSSW, JD, is a lawyer and a doctoral student, School of Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles. HISTORICAL ORIGINS Although Webster's defines "due legal and social work professions tend process" as a course of legal proceedto be mechanistic in their approach ings carried out regularly and in acto due process, treating it as a fixed cordance with established rules and rather than as a dynamic concept, procedures, the legal term can be conceptually defined as the parame ters of intervention between the state
An Analysis of Probabilistic Causation in Dichotomous Structures

During the past decades several philosophers of science and social scientists have been interested in the problems of causation. Recently attention has been given to probabilistic causation in dichotomous causal systems. The paper uses the basic features of probabilistic causation to argue that the causal modeling approaches developed by such researchers as Blalock (1964) and Duncan (1975) can provide, when an additional assumption is added, adequate qualitative measures of one variableś causal influence upon another. Finally, some of the difficulties and issues involved in developing adequate quantitative measures are discussed, and it is concluded that the causal modeling measures cannot provide adequate quantitative measures.
Development of a reliability strategy for new IC component family and process

Abstract Development of a credible reliability strategy for the new IC component family and process advancing some aspects of the technology state-of-the-art presents the reliability management with a challenging task, because the new material quality levels and combinations, the new requirements on dimensional tolerances, new impacts of process variations, etc., will result in new, difficult to predict failure mechanisms. However, the managerial need to have a reliability strategy early in the development or planning stages is justified by the risk and cost levels involved. One possible approach to avoid the undefined technological aspects of the problem and still propose an acceptable strategy, an approach developed for the Hewlett-Packard Desktop Computer Division technology operation, is based on the combination of an empirical reliability model with reliability cost models. The behavior of model parameters in time and their values, reflecting different design for reliability and manufacturing screening scenarios, can be estimated with reasonable accuracy which, in turn, allows studies leading to optimum strategy. And, of course, reliability strategy minimizing total cost of reliability and optimizing the cost allocation among R & D, manufacturing and warranty is usually acceptable to all parties involved. This paper describes the logic and the mathematical structure of the models and their application to the development of HP's NMOS process and chip family, with examples of actual parameters used and optimization studies performed. The study results, stated in failure rate, number of expected redesign cycles and screening strategy, are then compared with the actual reliability observed in the field use of manufactured components. This favorable comparison justifies the proposed approach to reliability strategy development, demonstrates the usefulness of the underlaying models and shows a successful example of managing towards maximum productivity of resources dedicated to reliability.
Lost protection and wages: Some time series evidence for the US

Abstract This short note examines some time series evidence relating prices of exports and imports to the aggregate US wage over 34 years of falling tariffs starting in the mid 1960s. The cointegrated unit root series lead to error correction and vector autoregression models. The lost protection and changing traded prices lowered the US wage very slightly, by less than 1%.
Facing Realities: Planning for Faculty Needs in a Major Research University.

The University of California at Berkeley will need to appoint 1,543 new faculty between 1987 and 2006. A potential shortage of faculty and scarce resources led to policy analysis of the management of faculty positions. The Berkeley culture of decentralized decision making and significant faculty involvement led to the development of a new model of management.
REAGANISM AS CORPORATE LIBERALISM: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE AMERICAN FUTURE

The “corporate liberal” regime that held together in America from the end of World War I1 to the 1960s was marked by broad agreement on ideology, public policy and a stable ruling coalition centered in the Democratic Party. This regime unraveled in the late 1960s and 1970s with the relative decline in American military and economic hegemony and the rise of a “left liberal insurgency”. Key corporate liberal intellectuals and constituencies migrated to the Republican Party under Reagan. Reaganism will not sustain itself because its coalition partners are too disparate, its failure to transform the Republicans into a majority party, a lack of consensus on many issues, and the continued decline of the U.S. in the international economy. Corporate liberalism will find itself migrating to a revitalized Democratic Party, under a centrist leadership favoring fiscal responsibility, government-corporate partnerships, and a more efficient military.
Enthalpy of formation and dehydration of alkaline earth cation exchanged zeolite beta

Abstract Cationic variants of zeolite beta (Mg-BEA 14, Ca-BEA 14, Sr-BEA 14, Ba-BEA 14, Mg-BEA 4 and Ca-BEA 4) were achieved by alumination and ion exchange processes, and characterized by XRD, NMR and TG–DSC. Mg-BEA 14/Ca-BEA 14, Sr-BEA 14/Ba-BEA 14, and Mg-BEA 4/Ca-BEA 4 have distinct thermal behavior. The low silica zeolites Mg-BEA 4 and Ca-BEA 4 were observed to have octahedral Al atoms and less crystallinity compared with high silica Mg-BEA 14 and Ca-BEA 14. High temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry determined the dehydration enthalpy and the formation enthalpy from the constituent oxides. For alkaline earth zeolite beta with the same Si/Al ratio, both the integral dehydration enthalpy and formation enthalpy from oxides becomes more endothermic with increasing average ionic potential. Mg-BEA 4 and Ca-BEA 4 have very endothermic formation enthalpies, in both dehydrated and hydrated forms, indicating a likely thermodynamic barrier to their direct synthesis, despite the natural occurrence of their analog, tschernichite.
Molecular mechanics calculations (MM2 and MM3) on enamines and aniline derivatives

The MM2 and MM3 force fields have been extended to cover this class of compounds. Structures, vibrational spectra, and other data for 13 compounds were examined and can be reproduced satisfactorily by MM3. Except for the spectra, the other data can be reproduced somewhat less well by MM2. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
On occasional monetary policy coordinations that fix the exchange rate

Abstract Occasionally, central banks have simultaneously expanded monetary policy to prevent adverse effects upon the exchange rate. This paper offers a motivation for this behavior. Although governments prefer non-cooperative policies most of the time, upon viewing sufficiently excessive disturbances to output, the benefits of stabilization become greater than the costs required to institute temporary policy coordinations. Thus, coordination occurs during periods when the gains are the greatest. Also, since the authorities target a higher employment level than labor markets, coordination of policies occurs with greater frequency during periods of low rather than high output shocks.
Characterization and application of electrodeposited Pt, Pt/Pd, and Pd catalyst structures for direct formic acid micro fuel cells

Abstract In this work, we study the preparation, structural characterization, and electrocatalytic analysis of robust Pt and Pd-containing catalyst structures for silicon-based formic acid micro fuel cells. The catalyst structures studied were prepared and incorporated into the silicon fuel cells by a post CMOS-compatible process of electrodeposition, as opposed to the more common introduction of nanoparticle-based catalyst by ink painting. Robust, high surface area, catalyst structures consisting of pure Pt, pure Pd, and Pt/Pd = 1:1 were obtained. In addition, Pt/Pd catalyst structures were obtained via spontaneous deposition on the electrodeposited pure Pt structure. The catalyst structures were characterized electrochemically using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. All Pd-containing catalyst structures facilitate formic acid oxidation at the lower potentials and deliver higher oxidation currents compared to pure Pt catalyst structures. Fuel cells of these catalyst structures show that pure Pd catalyst structures on the anode exhibit the highest peak power density, i.e. as high as 28.0 mW/cm 2 . The MEMS compatible way of catalyst electrodeposition and integration presented here has yielded catalyst structures that are highly active towards formic acid oxidation and are sufficiently robust to be compatible with post-CMOS processing.
Structure of Gas Phase Radical Cation of 1,3,6,8-Tetraazatricyclo[4.4.1.13,8] Dodecane Determined from Zero Kinetic Energy Photoelectron Spectroscopy

We report gas-phase vibrational spectroscopy of the ground-state cation of 1,3,6,8-tetraazatricyclo[4.4.1.13,8]dodecane (TTD) using two-color two-photon zero kinetic energy photoelectron spectrosco...
Intracellular Effect of Imidazoline Receptor on α2A‐Noradrenergic Receptor

Imidazoline-1 receptors (I(1)R) and alpha(2)-noradrenergic receptors (alpha(2)AR) are known to coexist in many cell types and bind many of the same imidazoline ligands. Herein, the possibility of an interaction between these receptors was explored using a cloned cDNA that encodes a protein with I(1)R-like binding properties, designated imidazoline receptor antisera-selected (IRAS). Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) sublines permanently expressing the human subtype alpha(2A)AR cDNA were transiently cotransfected with the human IRAS cDNA (pIRAS). Saturation radioligand binding experiments on membranes isolated from the various sublines allowed distinction between I(1)R and alpha(2A)AR. Transfection of pIRAS into either subline led to a rise in membrane I(1)R-binding sites. Immunoblotting revealed that IRAS was enriched in membranes more than in cytosolic fractions. Transfection of pIRAS in CHO cells harboring the alpha(2A)AR cDNA resulted in a twofold increase in alpha(2A)AR binding sites with no change in alpha(2A)AR binding affinity, compared with controls. Immunoblotting also revealed increased expression of membranous alpha(2A)AR by IRAS. Thus, pIRAS transfection led to I(1) binding sites and to an increase in alpha(2A)AR binding sites in CHO cells expressing the human alpha(2A)AR. Although the mechanism is unclear, this increase in binding sites may explain previous imidazoline drug effects suggestive of interactions between these two receptors.
DNA repair: Right on target with ubiquitin

Cellular DNA-repair mechanisms prevent mutations from accumulating, thereby averting defects in cell function. A molecule best known for its role in protein degradation is now shown to have a specific task in DNA repair.
Atmospheric spouted bed combustion: The role of hydrodynamics in emissions generation and control

Recent studies have reaffirmed the utility of spouted beds as potential combustion devices for a variety of fuels: solid, liquid and gaseous fuels (Arbib and Levy, 1982; Weinberg et al., 1988; Zhao et al., 1987; Altwicker et al., 1989; Altwicker and Lin, 1991; Altwicker et al., 1993; Konduri et al., 1994). In this study, the role of annulus residence time on the performance of such a spouted bed combustor is investigated. The experiments presented here show that fluid hydrodynamics in the annulus of a spouted bed combustor can significantly influence the overall performance; changing the residence time in the annulus significantly affects the concentrations of products due to incomplete combustion at the exit of the combustor. The annular residence time is varied by changing the shape of the bottom of the reactor, by introducing a draft tube and by changing the bed heighn. Propane is used as the fuel and sand as the bed medium. Inferences from the combustion results are supported by pressure and temperature profiles. A streamtube model (Lim and Mathur, 1976) was used to obtain an estimate of the residence time in the annulus. It is concluded that the flame processes taking place at the top of the annulus play a critical role in the emission generation and that more information is needed to understand the annulus-flame. Des etudes recentes ont confirme l'utilite des lits jaillissants comme systemes de combustion possibles pour une variete de combustibles: combustibles solides, liquides et gazeux (Arbib et Levy, 1982; Weinberg et al., 1988; Zhao et al., 1987; Altwicker et al., 1989; Altwicker et Lin, 1991; Altwicker et al., 1993; Konduri et al., 1994). Dans cette etude, on etudie le rǒle du temps de sejour annulaire sur la performance d'un tel combusteur a lit jaillissant. Les experiences presentees ici montrent que l'hydrodynamique du fluide dans la region du lit d'un combusteur a lit jaillissant peut considerablement influencer la performance globale; un changement du temps de sejour dans l'espace annulaire influe de facon significative sur les concentrations de produits en raison d'une combustion incomplete a la sortie du combusteur. On varie le temps de sejour annulaire en changeant la forme de la partie basse du reacteur, en introduisant un tube d'aspiration et en modifiant la hauteur de lit. On a utilise du propane comme combustible et du sable comme milieu de lit. Les deductions tirees des resultats de combustion sont appuyees par les profils de pression et de temperature. On a utilise un modele a tube de courant (Lim et Mathur, 1976) en vue d'obtenir une estimation du temps de sejour dans l'espace annulaire. On a conclu que les processus de flammes survenant en haut de l'espace annulaire jouent un rǒle critique dans la production des emissions et que davantage de donnees sont necessaires pour comprendre ce phenomene.
Mathematical model development of super-resolution image Wiener restoration

In super-resolution (SR), a set of degraded low-resolution (LR) images are used to reconstruct a higher-resolution image that suffers from acquisition degradations. One way to boost SR images visual quality is to use restoration filters to remove reconstructed images artifacts. We propose an efficient method to optimally allocate the LR pixels on the high-resolution grid and introduce a mathematical derivation of a stochastic Wiener filter. It relies on the continuous-discrete-continuous model and is constrained by the periodic and nonperiodic interrelationships between the different frequency components of the proposed SR system. We analyze an end-to-end model and formulate the Wiener filter as a function of the parameters associated with the proposed SR system such as image gathering and display response indices, system average signal-to-noise ratio, and inter-subpixel shifts between the LR images. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the derived Wiener filter with the optimal allocation of LR images results in sharper reconstruction. When compared with other SR techniques, our approach outperforms them in both quality and computational time.
Nephron segment-specific inhibition of Na+/K+-ATPase activity by cyclosporin A

Decreased kaliuresis and hyperkalemia are common complications of cyclosporin A (CsA) therapy. If CsA significantly inhibits renal tubular Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity, the alteration in transepithelial K+ secretion and K+ homeostasis could result in hyperkalemia. To investigate this possibility, we tested the effects of CsA on Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity in microdissected rat tubules. CsA, at a "toxic" concentration of 600 ng/ml, significantly inhibited Na+/K(+)-ATPase in cortical collecting ducts (CCD), medullary thick ascending limbs (mTAL), and outer medullary collecting ducts from the outer stripe (OMCDos) by 35%, 53%, and 39%, respectively. Cremophore, the commercial vehicle for CsA, did not change Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity in any nephron segment tested. To determine whether CsA inhibits Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity in a dose-dependent manner, microdissected CCD's were incubated with 300, 600, and 2500 ng/ml of CsA for 30 minutes. Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity was inhibited at 600 and 2500 mg/ml, but not at 300 ng/ml. No further inhibition of enzyme activity was noted at 2500 ng/ml. CsA did not change Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity in proximal tubule S1, S2, and S3 subsegments; cortical thick ascending limbs (cTAL), connecting tubules (CNT), or outer medullary collecting ducts from the inner stripe (OMCDis). Prolonging the incubation of CsA with S2 subsegments to 60 minutes did not result in inhibition of Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity. Ouabain-insensitive ATPase activity was unaffected by CsA or its vehicle in any nephron segment tested. In summary, CsA specifically inhibits Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity in the CCD, mTAL, and OMCDos.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The early stages of follicular development: activation of primordial follicles and growth of preantral follicles

Although enormous progress has been made in understanding the events and regulation of the later stages of ovarian follicular development, the early stages of development, to a large extent and particularly in large mammals, remain a mystery. Mechanisms that regulate the initiation of follicular growth (follicle activation) and the ensuing growth and differentiation of preantral follicles are of considerable interest, since their elucidation is a prerequisite to use of the primordial pool to enhance reproductive efficiency in domestic animals, humans, and endangered species. This review is an attempt to summarize the approaches that have been taken to further this goal and the results thus far of these efforts. Preantral follicular development can be divided into three stages: activation of primordial follicles, the primary to secondary follicle transition, and the development of secondary follicles to the periantral stage. The activation of primordial follicles in vitro has been achieved thus far in rodents, cattle, and primates, where it occurs spontaneously without the addition of growth factors or hormones. The ovaries of rodents are small enough to be cultured intact and, in that experimental situation, some follicles activate, while many remain in the resting pool, and the addition of specific factors can increase or decrease the number of follicles that leave the resting pool in vitro. In contrast, follicular activation in cattle and primates has been studied by culturing small pieces of the ovarian cortex, rich in primordial follicles, and the great majority of the primordial follicles activate in that situation, suggesting the importance of inhibitory factors to the normal, gradual exit of follicles from the resting pool. In cultured rodent ovaries, follicles appear to pass easily and spontaneously from the primary to the secondary stage, whereas few of the activated follicles in cultured cortical pieces from cattle or primates progress from the primary to the secondary stage. Understanding the requirements for the primary to secondary transition is critical for growing follicles activated in vitro to the late preantral and antral stages. In contrast, the requirements for the continued growth of larger preantral follicles, which can be isolated for in vitro studies, have been extensively explored in rodents and to a lesser extent in domestic species. A number of hormones and factors have been implicated and will be discussed. Taken together, the results highlight the need for a better understanding of the earliest stages of follicular development in domestic ruminants, particularly follicle activation and the primary to secondary follicle transition.