cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Low Compaction Grading Technique on Steep Reclaimed Slopes: Soil Characterization and Static Slope Stability

Since the Surface Mining and Control Reclamation Act of 1977, US coal mining companies have been required by law to restore the approximate ground contours that existed prior to mining. To ensure mass stability and limit erosion, the reclaimed materials have traditionally been placed with significant compaction energy. The Forest Reclamation Approach (FRA) is a relatively new approach that has been successfully used to facilitate the fast establishment of native healthy forests. The FRA method specifies the use of low compaction energy in the top 1.2–1.5 m of the contour, which may be in conflict with general considerations for mechanical slope stability. Although successful for reforestation, the stability of FRA slopes has not been fully investigated and a rational stability method has not been identified. Further, a mechanics-based analysis is limited due to the significant amount of oversize particles which makes the sampling and measurement of soil strength properties difficult. To investigate the stability of steep FRA slopes (steeper than 20°), three reclaimed coal mining sites in the Appalachian region of East Tennessee were investigated. The stability was evaluated by several methods to identify the predominant failure modes. The infinite slope method, coupled with the estimation of the shear strength from field observations, was shown to provide a rational means to evaluate the stability of FRA slopes. The analysis results suggest that the low compaction of the surface materials may not compromise the long-term stability for the sites and material properties investigated.
Derivation of constitutive equations for interfacial force and Reynolds stress for a suspension of spheres using ensemble cell averaging

Abstract A novel new ensemble cell averaging technique has been used to derive various interfacial forces and Reynolds stresses for inviscid two-fluid models of two-phase. New terms, not seen in the spatially averaged conservation equations, have been found. Moreover, deficiencies inherent in spatial averaging techniques have been demonstrated.
Lipid regulators of membrane traffic through the Golgi complex

Enzymes that modify phospholipids play necessary, but poorly understood, roles in constitutive membrane traffic. Local production of specific phosphoinositides is required for endocytosis and regulated exocytosis, and enzymes that produce and consume phosphoinositides are components of post-Golgi membrane vesicles. Both biochemical and genetic data indicate that regulation of the membrane content of phosphatidic acid, diacylglycerol and phosphoinositides is necessary for protein traffic from the Golgi complex. Evidence for a regulatory role for lipids earlier in the constitutive secretory pathway is more limited and controversial. Although the mechanisms that regulate traffic between the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi might be qualitatively different from those that control later membrane transport pathways, recent studies suggest that production of specific lipids is important for transport both into and out of the Golgi. As discussed in this article, one potential mechanism for the involvement of lipids is to control the GTPase cycle of a small GTP-binding protein, ARF (ADP-ribosylation factor).
Trip Generation Rates for Large Elevators: A North Dakota Case Study

Large grain elevators are major sources of truck traffic in many areas. Shuttle trains, a recent railroad innovation, have further concentrated truck deliveries at larger elevators. These facilities—which have not been analyzed in previous trip generation studies—pose issues such as large truck access and pavement design. In this paper, elevator trip generation equations are estimated from detailed facility, land use, and highway traffic data in North Dakota. A trip attraction equation is used to explain the effects of elevator storage capacity and side track capacity on elevator throughput. Elevators are classified on the basis of track capacity as shuttle train, unit train, and multicar. Shuttle-train elevators typically consign 110-car trains, while unit-train elevators consign 50- to 100-car trains. The analysis shows that large shuttle-train elevators may generate 35,000 to 40,000 loaded and empty truck trips per year. A large unit-train elevator may generate 20,000 annual trips. The trucks are usual...
Development of a glass-bonded compliant substrate

Abstract The critical thickness limitation for lattice-mismatched heteroepitaxial growth could potentially be removed by the use of a compliant substrate. This work presents initial results for the development of a compliant substrate consisting of a ∼10 nm GaAs layer (template layer) bonded to a GaAs “handle wafer” through a borosilicate-glass. The glass concentration is chosen to have a moderate viscosity at the temperature used during lattice-mismatched growth. Compliant substrates using 30 and 50 mol% B 2 O 3 glass as the bonding layer were used in the growth of 2 μm of In 0.40 Ga 0.60 As (∼3.1% lattice mismatch to GaAs). X-ray diffraction demonstrated that epitaxy was achieved between the growth and template layer. Optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy were also used to characterize both the initial borosilicate-glass-bonded compliant substrate as well as the grown structures.
On the conjectured upper bounds for entries of mutation count matrices

Simple expressions for the previously given conjectural upper bounds for the entries of mutation count matrices are presented.
The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines and the Oral Proficiency Interview: A Brief History and Analysis of Their Survival

: The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (ACTFL, 1982; 1986; Breiner-Sanders et al, 2000) and the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) derived from them have stimulated abundant and sustained professional engagement by foreign language teachers at all levels and in all languages, as well as intense and equally sustained criticism by specialists in foreign language testing. This paper presents (1) a brief history of the genesis of the Guidelines, (2) a summary of the criticisms leveled against them, and (3) an analysis of the reasons for the continued significance of the Guidelines in curricular and testing initiatives during the last two decades at both state and national levels.
Age at puberty and estrous activity of straightbred and reciprocal crossbred gilts

Abstract Age at puberty, estrous activity and growth were evaluated in 294 straightbred and reciprocal crossbred gilts maintained in confinement conditions. Trial 1 used straightbred Landrace (L), Yorkshire (Y) and reciprocal crossbred (LY, YL) gilts. Trial 2 used LY and YL gilts, and Trial 3 used L and Duroc (D) reciprocal crossbred gilts (LD, DL). Daily observations for estrous activity with a mature boar were initiated at 150 days of age and continued until gilts reached 255 days of age. Gilts not exhibiting estrus by 255 days of age were examined by laparoscopy to determine reproductive status. In Trial 1, age at puberty was greater for Y gilts compared to L and reciprocal crossbred gilts. Differences between reciprocal crosses for age at puberty were not significant in any trial. In Trial 1, the percentage of gilts exhibiting regular estrous cycles at 195 days of age was lower for Y gilts than for the other three groups of gilts; however, by 225 days of age, this difference was not significant. In all trials, reciprocal crossbred gilts did not differ with respect to percentage exhibiting regular estrous cycles or in percentage prepubertal. In Trial 1, Y gilts had a higher percentage prepubertal at 255 days of age than the reciprocal crossbred gilts. The percentage of gilts exhibiting behavioral anestrus at 255 days of age did not differ among breed groups within any trial. Based on these observations, we concluded the breed maternal effects were small or nonexistent relative to direct additive and nonadditive genetic effects in the breed combinations that were investigated.
Ordering principle for cluster expansions in the theory of quantum fluids, dense gases, and simple classical liquids

A study is made of a series-expansion procedure which gives the leading terms of the n-particle distribution function p/sup( n/)(1,2,...,n) as explicit functionals in the radial distribution function g(r). The development of the series is based on the cluster-expansion formalism applied to the Abe form for p/sup( n/) expressed as a product of the generalized Kirkwood superposition approximation P/sup( n/)/sub K/ and a correction factor exp(A/sup( n/)(1,2,...,n)). An ordering parameter ..mu.. is introduced to determine A/sup( n/) and p/sup( n/) in the form of infinite power series in ..mu.., and the postulate of minimal complexity is employed to eliminate an infinite number of possible classes of solutions in a sequential relation connecting A/sup( n/-1) and A/sup( n/). Derivation of the series for p/sup( n/) and many other algebraic manipulations involving a large number of cluster integrals are greatly simplified by the use of a scheme which groups together all cluster terms having, in a certain way, the same source term. In particular, the scheme is useful in demonstrating that the nature of the series structure of p/sup(/sup 3/) is such that its three-point Fourier transform S/sup(/sup 3/)(k/sub 1/,k/sub 2/,k/sub 3/) has as a factor the product of the three liquid-structuremore » functions S(k/sub 1/)S(k/sub 2/)S(k/sub 3/). The results obtained to order ..mu../sup 4/ for A/sup(/sup 3/), p/sup(/sup 3/), and S/sup(/sup 3/) agree with those derived earlier in a more straightforward but tedious approach. The result for p/sup(/sup 4/) shows that the convolution approximation p/sup(/sup 4/)/sub c/, which contains ..mu../sup 3/ terms, must be supplemented by a correction of O(..mu../sup 3/) in order to be accurate through third order. The ..mu..-expansion approach is also examined for the cluster expansion of the correlation function in the Bijl-Dingle-Jastrow description of a many-boson system, and then compared with the number-density expansion formula by using the Gaussian model for g(r)-1 to evaluate cluster integrals.« less
Carrier Diversity via Code Spreaded OFDM

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a popular technique used to combat frequency selective fading in multipath channels. When spectral nulls are present in the channel, they can severely degrade or cancel out several OFDM tones, resulting in an irreducible error rate. Code-Spreaded OFDM (CS-OFDM) combines the characteristics of OFDM and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) to create a more robust modulation scheme which provides substantial performance improvements relative to standard OFDM. In CS-OFDM, each sinewave carries a weighted sum of all the information symbols being transmitted in an OFDM block interval. In this paper, an MMSE estimator is derived for each symbol for a number of cases, including when the number of carriers is greater than the number of symbols. The performance of CS-OFDM is analyzed and shown to provide substantial improvements relative to standard OFDM, especially in the latter case.
Cumulative reduction in serum cholinesterase following repeated therapeutic plasma exchange

Abstract Study Objective: To investigate the magnitude of serum cholinesterase reduction following repeated therapeutic plasma exchange in patients with neuromuscular disease. Design: Serum cholinesterase activity was measured immediately before and after each plasma exchange in open-label fashion and then analyzed using an analysis of variance model. Setting: Inpatient neurology and allergy and immunology clinics at a university-affiliated hospital. Patients: 50 consecutive patients with neuromuscular disease. Interventions: All patients underwent repeated therapeutic plasma exchange, with each subject receiving up to a maximum of six plasma exchanges. Measurements and Main Results: Serum cholinesterase activity was determined spectrophotometrically. Analysis of variance revealed a significant reduction in serum cholinesterase following each therapeutic plasma exchange ( p p versus after exchange) and treatment number ( p Conclusions: There is a significant reduction in serum cholinesterase following repeated therapeutic plasma exchange. It is suggested that drugs metabolized by serum cholinesterase (e.g., succinylcholine, mivacurium) be used with caution in the period immediately following repeated therapeutic plasma exchange.
Mapping the channels of communication between the tropics and higher latitudes in the atmosphere

Abstract Nonlinear prediction is applied on atmospheric observations in order to derive seasonal to interannual predictability over the Northern Hemisphere. Using ideas from information theory we were then able from the spatial distribution of predictability to discover the exact location of corridors where “information” flows from the tropics to the midlatitudes. Here, information can be thought as a product or output of a physical entity such as El Nino or some other activity or phenomenon in the tropics whose fluctuations may often dictate large scale dynamics. The corridors are paths in the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean and their exact location determines which areas on the globe are most likely to be affected from the interaction between the tropics and the midlatitudes.
The regulation of ionic nickel uptake and cytotoxicity by specific amino acids and serum components.

The effects of serum components and amino acids on the uptake and cytotoxicity of NiCl2 were examined in cultured Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. CHO cells maintained in a minimal salts/glucose medium accumulated 10-fold more63Ni than did cells maintained in complete medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. Cell-surface binding of63Ni appeared to account for the majority of this increased accumulation of cell-associated nickel observed in the simple maintenance medium since such increases were reduced 70% by trypsin treatment. The addition of the Ni2+-binding amino acids cysteine or histidine to the salts/glucose medium markedly decreased63Ni accumulations, an effect not observed following addition of any of several amino acids that do not bind Ni2+. Supplementation of the salts/glucose medium with fetal bovine serum decreased in a concentration dependent fashion both the63Ni2+ uptake and cell detachment caused by Ni2+, while dialyzed (amino acid-free) serum was 3–5-fold less effective than undialyzed serum at reducing63Ni2+ uptake and similarly exhibited only a slight protective effect against nickel-induced cytotoxicity. Supplementation of dialyzed serum with cysteine at levels approximating those in whole serum partially restored its inhibitory activity toward nickel uptake by cells and restored completely its inhibition of nickel's cytotoxicity, indicating the predominant role of specific amino acids over serum proteins in regulating the uptake and subsequent cytotoxicity of Ni2+. Addition of cysteine to the salts/glucose medium during a 2 h exposure of cells to either 100 μM HgCl2 or 1 mM NiCl2 masked the cytotoxic effects of these metal ions. These results demonstrate the importance of extracellular small molecular weight metal ion chelators in altering the biological effects of metal ions at the level of metal uptake.
CIRCULAR DICHROISM OF COBALT(III) COMPLEXES OF THE TYPE[Co(N)6] CONTAINING BIGUANIDE, AND 2,2′-DIPYRIDYL OR 1,10-PHENANTHROLINE

Abstract Biguanide-diamine mixed complexes of the type [Co(diamine)(Hbg)2]3 and [Co(diamine)2 (Hbg)]3+, where the diamines are 1,10-phenanthroline or 2,2′-dipyridyl, have been prepared and resolved. The absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectra in water, 0.1 M NaOH aqueous solution, and ethanol are reported. Hydroxide ion affects the CD intensity mainly in the first absorption band region. A marked solvent effect of ethanol was also observed for both absorption and CD spectra especially in the first absorption band region. The absolute configurations for all of these complexes are assigned on the basis of their CD spectra.
The Relation of a Venous-Arteriolar Reflex to Transmural Pressure and Resistance in Small and Large Systemic Vessels

Data are presented which indicate that, even in pressure ranges well above critical closing pressures, transmural pressure is an important factor in determining systemic vascular resistance but that a mechanism is present which actively limits these pressure changes in resistance when transmural pressure is varied on the venous side.
Allocative Efficiency in Public Budget Distribution The Case of Massachusetts Child Support Payments

An evaluation was conducted of a federally funded demonstration child support- enforcement project. The basic research question was whether a multifaceted program of judicial and public awareness efforts and operational procedures administered to the Massachusetts District Courts was effective in establishing and advocating the use of wage-assignment legislation as an effective collection technique in child support cases. A pre- and posttreatment time-series design compared District Courts to relevant compari son groups on a number of dependent measures. The results of the evaluation study suggest that making clerical-level staff available to approximately one-fourth of the Massachusetts District Courts significantly stabilized total child support collections for AFDC families. It was estimated that the additional child support payments collected in Massachusetts as a result of the treatment program administered to the District Courts represents almost 2% of the total annual child support collections for ...
Surgical treatment of congenital atresia of theesophagus

Summary The infant with atresia of the esophagus no longer faces certain death but instead has a very good chance of surviving if the recently perfected surgical procedures are carried out. Three of the four reported here are alive and well. Including these, there is information concerning twenty-eight others who are living. Thirteen of these had the preferred operation of direct anastomosis. The low mortality in this small series may be attributed in part to the fact that the three infants who survived were in excellent condition at the time of operation. Pneumonia from the aspiration of milk during persistent but futile attempts at feeding was prevented because a relatively early diagnosis was made in each case. It should be stressed that if the anomaly is suspected, barium should not be used to demonstrate it, since this contrast medium is very irritating to the bronchial mucosa. A small amount of iodized oil should be introduced through the catheter under fluoroscopic control and removed after the film has been made. It should be noted that the operation for the repair of atresia of the esophagus is not necessarily an emergency operation. There was a delay of three days between the diagnosis and the procedure in Case 3 because of the absence of the thoracic surgeon. Even a two-week interval is not incompatible with a successful result. 12 Therefore, if the diagnosis is made reasonably early, there is ample time for an infant, accompanied by a physician or nurse, to be carried by modern methods of transportation from almost anywhere in the world to a surgical center where there is a chest surgeon who is interested in salvaging these lives.
Yield Loss in Sweet Corn in Response to Defoliation or Infection by Exserohilum turcicum

Abstract Net CO2 assimilation was reduced in sites of infection by Exserohilum turcicum in leaves of Seneca 60 sweet corn before lesions appeared. In leaf tissue adjacent to infected areas, there was an early small increase in CO2 assimilation followed by a gradual decline to nearly 0 net CO2 exchange by 7 days after inoculation. Translocation of photosynthates in to disease lesions from healthy tissue distal to the lesions was observed within 1 h after exposure of 1.2–cm2 areas of the leaf blade to 14CO2. No translocation from lesions to healthy leaf tissue was observed. The effects of defoliation at specific leaf positions on yield of sweet corn plants were accurately simulated by a model in which yield is expressed as a function of healthy leaf area absorption of incident insolation. Removal of leaves from the bottom third of the plants caused no yield loss, whereas removal of leaves above the ear caused significant losses. The model underes, timated the yield loss caused by infection by E. turcicum by approximately 22 %. The observed effects of infection by E. turcicum on photosynthetic efficiency in leaf tissue adjacent to lesions and on translocation of photosynthates into lesion from distal parts of the leaf show that the effect of northern leaf blight on yield is greater than can be accounted for by the direct loss of healthy leaf area through necrosis within disease lesions.
Organizational Structure and Student Alienation

This study examines the relationship between two types of student alienation and the organization of middle schools with teaching teams and traditional junior high schools. The findings do not support notions that teacher teams under middle school organization enhance student identification with their school or reduce feelings of powerlessness any more than do typical junior high school programs.
Navigating Change Employee Communication in Times of Instability

Employees often perceive periods of change—no matter how warranted or beneficial—as crises, exhibiting both cognitive and emotional reactions including feelings of insecurity and uncertainty, even fear, chaos, stress, betrayal, grief, and anger. Management must have a clear strategy for communicating with employees through change, as employee expectations for open and honest communication are increased in times of shift and uncertainty. Open, honest, and regular communication is essential to keeping employees motivated and productive. Benefits of effective communication in times of change include higher employee satisfaction and engagement, lower turnover, and stronger long-term commitment. Solid internal relationships also strengthen ethics-related outcomes such as fraud reduction and reputation management.
Identification and localization of myosin superfamily members in fish retina and retinal pigmented epithelium

Myosins are cytoskeletal motors critical for generating the forces necessary for establishing cell structure and mediating actin-dependent cell motility. In each cell type a multitude of myosins are expressed, each myosin contributing to aspects of morphogenesis, transport, or motility occurring in that cell type. To examine the roles of myosins in individual retinal cell types, we first used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening to identify myosins expressed in retina and retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE), followed by immunohistochemistry to examine the cellular and subcellular localizations of seven of these expressed myosins. In the myosin PCR screen of cDNA from striped bass retina and striped bass RPE, we amplified 17 distinct myosins from eight myosin classes from retinal cDNA and 11 distinct myosins from seven myosin classes from RPE cDNA. By using antibodies specific for myosins IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB, VI, VIIA, and IXB, we examined the localization patterns of these myosins in retinas and RPE of fish, and in isolated inner/outer segment fragments of green sunfish photoreceptors. Each of the myosins exhibited unique expression patterns in fish retina. Individual cell types expressed multiple myosin family members, some of which colocalized within a particular cell type. Because much is known about the functions and properties of these myosins from studies in other systems, their cellular and subcellular localization patterns in the retina help us understand which roles they might play in the vertebrate retina and RPE.
Precise and Sensitive Water Soluble Ion Extraction Method for Aerosol Samples Collected on Polytetrafluoroethylene Filters

Abstract The widely used aerosol collection filters composed of polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) present a problem in the extraction of water soluble ions from the collection surface due to the hydrophobic nature of the Teflon. A method is presented for the extraction and analysis of water soluble ions from Teflon aerosol filters which is efficient and sensitive. This method uses a direct application of ethanol to the filter surface to decrease the surface tension of the filter and allow a dilute HC10, solution to contact the collection surface and extract any water soluble ions. This study compares this extraction method with other extraction methods currently being used. The results obtained from the extraction of water soluble ions from the Teflon filters were also compared to the results obtained from quartz filters collected on a colocated high volume sampler. From these studies, it is concluded that the hydrophobic nature of the Teflon filters makes the complete dissolution of water soluble ions exc...
Quality care in epilepsy: Women's counseling and its association with folic acid prescription or recommendation

Abstract Objective This study aimed to determine if annual counseling about contraception and pregnancy in the setting of treatment for epilepsy is associated with increased recommending or prescribing of folate. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study with medical record abstraction. We selected records from 77 women of childbearing age who had two or more visits for epilepsy at a neurology clinic. The assessment included a review of documentation from the first three visits for epilepsy within a 24-month follow-up window. We defined perfect adherence to annual counseling about the impact of epilepsy treatment on contraception or pregnancy as defect-free care for women (DFCW). A recommendation that the patient take over-the-counter folate or a prescription for folate was independently abstracted from the chart at each visit. Results The group of patients who received DFCW (N = 28, 36.36%) and the group who did not receive DFCW (N = 49, 63.63%) were comparable with respect to age, disease duration, baseline history of drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), presence of concurrent psychiatric disease, epileptologist involvement, number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) prescribed, seizure type, and etiology. Twenty (71.4%) patients in the DFCW group and 42 (85.7%) in the non-DFCW group were not recommended or prescribed folic acid (p = 0.12). Conclusions Even with annual documentation of counseling about how epilepsy treatment may affect contraception and pregnancy, the “action” of prescribing or recommending folic acid during the ensuing 24 months is frequently omitted.
Reasons and Healthcare Professionals' Claims of Conscience

Robert Card (2007) argues against even a limited conscience-based right to refuse to dispense emergency contraception (EC) on the grounds that there are no “reasonable or justified” reasons to supp...
Selection of four-bar mechanisms having required approximate straight-line outputs Part I. The general case of the ball-burmester point

Abstract Four-bar linkages possess many advantages as straight-line mechanisms. The use of such devices has, however, been limited because a simple way of synthesizing the linkage has not been available; trial-and-error procedures are often too cumbersome. Curvature theory, constituting the basis for this analysis, has long existed, but its practical application has been lacking. Design data have been obtained, reduced and converted into series of design charts which can be used to easily size synthesize four-bar linkages yielding desired straight-line outputs of predetermined accuracy. This first article (Part I) presents the general case of the Ball-Burmester point.
Marketing the Unfamiliar: The Role of Context and Item-Specific Information in Electronic Agent Recommendations

Abstract Electronic agents have the capacity to help consumers discover new products and generate demand for unfamiliar products. This article explores how consumers respond to recommendations of unfamiliar products made by electronic agents. Two studies using simulated music shopping agents show that (1) additional recommendations of familiar products serve as a context in which unfamiliar recommendations are evaluated; (2) when the presentation of the recommendations makes unfamiliar and familiar products appear similar, evaluative assimilation results; and (3) when additional information about unfamiliar products is given, consumers discriminate them from the familiar products, which produces evaluative contrast. These results establish that information that leads to higher evaluations when context is absent can lead to contrast and lower evaluations in the presence of attractive contextual recommendations.
GATA-6 Regulates Genes Promoting Synthetic Functions in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Objective— Previous studies suggested the zinc-finger transcription factor GATA-6 inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation and promotes the contractile VSMC phenotype. The objective of this study was to identify bona fide target genes regulated by GATA-6 in VSMCs. Methods and Results— Microarray analyses were performed comparing mRNA from rat aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) infected with either adenovirus encoding a dominant-negative GATA-6/engrailed fusion protein or with control adenovirus. These studies identified 122 genes differentially expressed by at least 2-fold, including multiple genes involved in cell–cell signaling and cell–matrix interactions. Among these, endothelin-1 and the angiotensin type1a (AT1a) receptor are known to be induced in VSMCs in response to inflammatory stimuli and to be expressed in a GATA-dependent manner in cardiac myocytes in response to hemodynamic stress. Consistent with these findings, the endothelin-1 and AT1a receptor promoters were activated by forced expression of GATA-6 and repressed by forced expression of GATA-6/engrailed. Surprisingly, genes encoding SMC contractile proteins were not altered, and myocardin-induced SMC differentiation was not impaired in GATA-6−/− embryonic stem cells. Conclusions— These data demonstrate that in VSMCs, GATA-6 regulates a set of genes associated with synthetic SMC functions and suggest that this transcriptional pathway may be independent from myocardin-induced SMC differentiation.
Inequality and Democratization: A Contractarian Approach

Scholars continue to grapple with the question of the relationship between economic development and democratization; prominent recent research has focused on the effects of economic inequality. Boix suggests that democratization is likelier when inequality is low, whereas Acemoglu and Robinson argue that democratization is likelier when inequality is at middling levels. Both assume that democratization is a function of autocratic elites’ fear of the extent to which a future median voter would redistribute under different levels of inequality. Drawing on contractarian political theory, the authors suggest that democratization is instead a function of demands by rising economic groups for protection from the state. This alternative approach suggests that land and income inequality affect democratization differently: Autocracies with equal land distribution are indeed more likely to democratize, but contrary to the conventional wisdom, income inequality is more likely to promote democratization.
SO2‐catalyzed steam explosion: The effects of different severity on digestibility, accessibility, and crystallinity of lignocellulosic biomass

Lignocellulosic biomass is the most promising feedstock for biofuels production. To enhance the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis, lignocellulosics needs to be pretreated to lower their recalcitrance. SO2-catalyzed steam explosion is an efficient and relatively cost-efficient pretreatment method for softwood. This work investigates the effects of steam explosion severity on the digestibility, accessibility, and crystallinity of Loblolly pine. Higher severity was found to increase the accessibility of the feedstock while also promoting nonselective degradation of carbohydrates. The adsorption behavior of Celluclast® enzymes on steam-exploded Loblolly pine (SELP) can be described by a Langmuir isotherm. Cellulose crystallinity was found to first increase and then decrease with increasing pretreatment severity. A linear relationship between initial hydrolysis rates and crystallinity index (CrI) of pretreated Loblolly pine was found; moreover, a strong correlation between X-ray diffraction intensities and initial rates was confirmed. The findings demonstrate the significance of CrI in enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated lignocellulosic biomass. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 29:909–916, 2013
Langmuir monolayers from functionalized amphiphiles with epoxy terminal groups

We studied Langmuir and Langmuir–Blodgett monolayers from amphiphiles with traditional (carboxylic) and bulky functionalized (epoxy) terminal groups at the air–water and air–solid interfaces. We demonstrated that the molecules with a central azobenzene fragment and carboxylic (AA-1 molecule) and bulky epoxy (AE-1 molecule) polar groups formed orthorhombic unit cells with larger than expected area per alkyl tail. The higher order of symmetry indicated by the appearance of higher Qxy peaks revealed that the alkyl tails formed a herringbone structure with limited long range ordering. In the condensed monolayer, the azobenzene group of the AA-1 molecules was oriented vertically in contrast to the AE-1 molecule that was significantly tilted. In addition, the presence of the bulky epoxy focal groups caused a less dense lateral packing of the azobenzene groups. We suggest that the bulky focal group causes intramonolayer packing which can enhance the ability of the chemically grafted azobenzene groups for photoisomerization. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Goals for Global Education

(1982). Goals for global education. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 21, Global Education, pp. 228-233.
Bimodal stimulus presentation and expanded auditory bandwidth improve older adults' speech perception.

Objective: A pair of experiments investigated the hypothesis that bimodal (auditory-visual) speech presentation and expanded auditory bandwidth would improve speech intelligibility and increase working memory performance for older adults by reducing the cognitive effort needed for speech perception.Background: Although telephone communication is important for helping older adults maintain social engagement, age-related sensory and working memory limits may make telephone conversations difficult.Method: Older adults with either age-normal hearing or mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss performed a running memory task. Participants heard word strings of unpredictable length and at the end of each string were required to repeat back the final three words. Words were presented monaurally in telephone bandwidth (300 Hz to 3300 Hz) or expanded bandwidth (50 Hz to 7500 Hz), in quiet (65 dBZ SPL), or in white noise (65 dBZ SPL with noise at 60 dBZ SPL), with or without a visual display of the talker.Result...
Improved Robustness Through Closed-Loop Control for Aluminum Sheet Metal Stamp Forming

A stamp forming die, whose flexible blank holder was designed using FEA, was built. Tests were performed to evaluate the robustness of the die once closed-loop control was implemented. These results were compared to the results of open-loop tests presented earlier. The closed-loop tests were designed to determine the die and control system’s ability to reject process disturbances and demonstrate improved robustness in stamp forming when using a flexible blank holder and closed-loop control. Draw beads were used to control local punch forces and blank holder forces were used to control wrinkling. Experimental tests for the die demonstrated that closed-loop control of local punch forces using active draw beads improves robustness of the die. Two different lubricants and varying quantities of lubricant were evaluated for this study. Additionally, the ability to simultaneously use draw bead height to control local punch force and blank holder force to control wrinkles was demonstrated.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Suppression of LPS-induced inflammatory responses in macrophages infected with Leishmania

Chronic inflammation activated by macrophage innate pathogen recognition receptors such as TLR4 can lead to a range of inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, Crohn's disease, arthritis and cancer. Unlike many microbes, the kinetoplastid protozoan pathogen Leishmania has been shown to avoid and even actively suppress host inflammatory cytokine responses, such as LPS-induced IL-12 production. The nature and scope of Leishmania-mediated inflammatory cytokine suppression, however, is not well characterized. Advancing our knowledge of such microbe-mediated cytokine suppression may provide new avenues for therapeutic intervention in inflammatory disease. We explored the kinetics of a range of cytokine and chemokine responses in primary murine macrophages stimulated with LPS in the presence versus absence of two clinically distinct species of Leishmania using sensitive multiplex cytokine analyses. To confirm that these effects were parasite-specific, we compared the effects of Leishmania uptake on LPS-induced cytokine expression with uptake of inert latex beads. Whilst Leishmania uptake alone did not induce significant levels of any cytokine analysed in this study, Leishmania uptake in the presence of LPS caused parasite-specific suppression of certain LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-12, IL-17 and IL-6. Interestingly, L. amazonensis was generally more suppressive than L. major. We also found that other LPS-induced proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1α, TNF-α and the chemokines MIP-1α and MCP-1 and also the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, were augmented during Leishmania uptake, in a parasite-specific manner. During uptake by macrophages, Leishmania evades the activation of a broad range of cytokines and chemokines. Further, in the presence of a strong inflammatory stimulus, Leishmania suppresses certain proinflammatory cytokine responses in a parasite-specific manner, however it augments the production of other proinflammatory cytokines. Our findings highlight the complexity of inflammatory cytokine signalling regulation in the context of the macrophage and Leishmania interaction and confirm the utility of the Leishmania/macrophage infection model as an experimental system for further studies of inflammatory regulation. Such studies may advance the development of therapies against inflammatory disease.
Asymmetry in the fossil record

Asymmetry is a fundamental aspect of the biology of all organisms, and has a deep evolutionary history. The fossil record contains evidence of both morphological and behavioural asymmetries. Morphological asymmetry is most commonly expressed as conspicuous, directional asymmetry (either lateral asymmetry or spiral asymmetry) in body fossils. Few examples of fluctuating asymmetry, a form of subtle asymmetry, have been documented from fossils. Body fossil evidence indicates that morphological asymmetry dates to the time of the appearance of the first life on Earth (Archaean Eon). Behavioural asymmetry can be assumed to have been concomitant with conspicuous morphological asymmetry, but more direct evidence is in the form of trace fossils. Trace fossil evidence suggests that behavioural asymmetry, including nervous system lateralization, was in existence by the beginning of the Palaeozoic Era.
“It's the economy, honey!” Couples' blame attributions during the 2007–2009 economic crisis

In the current study the authors surveyed a nationally representative sample of 632 cohabiting American couples during the height of the 2007–2009 economic crisis to examine associations between relationship quality and partners' attributions of causation and blame for household money problems. In couples where women attributed causation for household money problems to their partners' debts, spending, or employment, both they and their partners reported lower relationship satisfaction unless women also reported blaming the national economic crisis. Blaming one's partner for household money problems was associated with lower relationship satisfaction unless individuals also blamed themselves. Being blamed for household money problems by one's partner was associated with lower satisfaction among women, but this association was attenuated if the male partner also blamed the economic crisis.
Quantum critical point in graphene approached in the limit of infinitely strong Coulomb interaction

Motivated by the physics of graphene, we consider a model of $N$ species of $2+1$ dimensional four-component massless Dirac fermions interacting through a three dimensional instantaneous Coulomb interaction. We show that in the limit of infinitely strong Coulomb interaction, the system approaches a quantum critical point, at least for sufficiently large fermion degeneracy. In this regime, the system exhibits invariance under scale transformations in which time and space scale by different factors. The elementary excitations are fermions with dispersion relation $\ensuremath{\omega}\ensuremath{\sim}{p}^{z}$, where the dynamic critical exponent $z$ depends on $N$. In the limit of large $N$, we find $z=1\ensuremath{-}4∕({\ensuremath{\pi}}^{2}N)+O({N}^{\ensuremath{-}2})$. We argue that due to the numerically large Coulomb coupling, graphene (freely suspended) in a vacuum stays near the scale-invariant regime in a large momentum window, before eventually flowing to the trivial fixed point at very low momentum scales.
Human cancellous bone from T12-L1 vertebrae has unique microstructural and trabecular shear stress properties

Increase of trabecular stress variability with loss of bone mass has been implicated as a mechanism for increased cancellous bone fragility with age and disease. In the current study, a previous observation that trabecular shear stress estimates vary along the human spine such that the cancellous tissue from the thoracic 12 (T12)-lumbar 1 (L1) junction experiences the highest trabecular stresses for a given load was tested as a formal hypothesis using multiple human spines. Thoracic 4, T5, T7, T9, T10, T12, L1, L2, L4 and L5 vertebrae from 10 human cadaver spines were examined. One specimen in the central anterior region was cored in the supero-inferior (SI) direction and another in the postero-lateral region was cored in the transverse (TR) direction from each vertebra. Micro-CT-based large-scale finite element models were constructed for each specimen and compression in the long axis of the cylindrical specimens was simulated. Cancellous bone modulus and the mean, the standard deviation, variability and amplification of trabecular von Mises stresses were computed. Bone volume fraction, trabecular number, trabecular thickness, trabecular separation, connectivity density and degree of anisotropy were calculated using 3D stereology. The results were analyzed using a mixed model in which spine level was modeled using a quadratic polynomial. The maximum of trabecular shear stress amplification and minimum of bone volume fraction were found in the cancellous tissue from the T12-L1 location when results from the samples of the same vertebra were averaged. When groups were separated, microstructure and trabecular stresses varied with spine level, extrema being at the T12-L1 levels, for the TR specimens only. SI/TR ratio of measured parameters also had quadratic relationships with spine level, the extrema being located at T12-L1 levels for most parameters. For microstructural parameters, these ratios approached to a value of one at the T12-L1 level, suggesting that T12-L1 vertebrae have more uniform cancellous tissue properties than other levels. The mean intercept length in the secondary principal direction of trabecular orientation could account for the variation of all mechanical parameters with spine level. Our results support that cancellous tissue from T12-L1 levels is unique and may explain, in part, the higher incidence of vertebral fractures at these levels.
Infant and Young Child Feeding in Developing Countries

Feeding practices are important determinants of growth and development of children. Using infant and young child feeding indicators and complementary feeding guidelines, 7 practices in 28 countries are described, showing substantial variation across countries. Only 25% of 0- to 5-month-olds were exclusively breastfed, and only half of 6- to 8-month-olds received complementary foods the previous day. Median duration of breastfeeding and increase of fluid intake during diarrhea were low among countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI). Living in high-HDI countries may not translate to positive feeding practices. Across countries, there is a need for promotion, protection, and support of optimal breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices as well as better adherence to recommendations for feeding during illness.
Comments on "Hyperfine optical pumping of cesium with a CW GaAs laser"

Reference to the authors work (see ibid., vol.QE-7, p.196 (1971)) in a paper by Picque (see ibid., vol.QE-10, p.892 (1974)) is clarified.
Long-path study of infrared absorption and emission.

The present status of a long-path absorption cell is described. The steel cell contains two mirrors of 91.4-cm aperture placed 30.5 m apart. End bells are utilized which permit operations at pressures ranging from 15 atm down to 10−3 mm Hg pressure. The optical configuration of the mirrors within the tube as well as the transfer optics are described. Samples of the spectra being obtained are also discussed.
Packet-switching network performance under real-time voice-call loading

Abstract The performance characteristics of packet-switching networks carrying real-time voice calls are of major interest in network design. This paper describes a real-time voice-call model in which voice packets are transmitted over virtual circuits on a variety of simulated packet-switching networks. These networks range from current mid-range packet-switching networks to those using frame relay with T1 links and cell relay with fiber-optic links. Performance characteristics under varying voice-call loads are presented. These characteristics include node utilization statistics, circuit utilization statistics, nodal buffer use, buffer use by circuits, packet queue time, packet-switch wait time, mean end-to-end packet delay, and voice delays.
Preventing Transboundary Crises: The Management and Regulation of Setbacks

Setbacks—unanticipated, unwanted, and often sudden checks on moving forward—are common in crisis prevention. Managing setbacks, however, is rarely discussed. Even less discussed is the central role that setback management can play in preventing transboundary crises across interdependent critical infrastructures for electricity, water, transportation, and financial services. With a focus on the ongoing financial crisis and on strategies for resilience and anticipation, the article draws out implications for crisis prevention as the first, rather than last, line of defense in managing future crises.
The analytic solution of Stokes for time-dependent creeping flow around a sphere: Application to linear viscoelasticity as an ingredient for the generalized Stokes–Einstein relation and microrheology analysis

Abstract Analytic expressions for the transient stream function, transient flow field, and transient pressure field for creeping flow around a sphere are derived. An analytic expression for the total force on the sphere is also found. The approach is essentially that of Stokes from 1856. Aside from the (essentially trivial) generalization to linear viscoelastic fluids, there is nothing novel in the derivation. Our purpose is to (1) point out that Stokes, not Basset or Boussinesq derived it first, (2) show how simple the derivation is, which may be compared to the more famous solution of Landau and Lifshitz, (3) show an application of the correspondence between creeping flow and linear viscoelastic flow solutions, and (4) provide sufficiently detailed notes so that the derivation might be given in a graduate fluid dynamics or transport phenomena lecture.