cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lattice Distortion and Phase Stability of Pd-Doped NiCoFeCr Solid-Solution Alloys

In the present study, we have revealed that (NiCoFeCr)100-xPdx (x= 1, 3, 5, 20 atom%) high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have both local- and long-range lattice distortions by utilizing X-ray total scattering, X-ray diffraction, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure methods. The local lattice distortion determined by the lattice constant difference between the local and average structures was found to be proportional to the Pd content. A small amount of Pd-doping (1 atom%) yields long-range lattice distortion, which is demonstrated by a larger (200) lattice plane spacing than the expected value from an average structure, however, the degree of long-range lattice distortion is not sensitive to the Pd concentration. The structural stability of these distorted HEAs under high-pressure was also examined. The experimental results indicate that doping with a small amount of Pd significantly enhances the stability of the fcc phase by increasing the fcc-to-hcp transformation pressure from ~13.0 GPa in NiCoFeCr to 20-26 GPa in the Pd-doped HEAs and NiCoFeCrPd maintains its fcc lattice up to 74 GPa, the maximum pressure that the current experiments have reached.
Don't Forget About Synchronization!: A Case Study of K-Means on GPU

Heterogeneous devices are becoming necessary components of high performance computing infrastructures, and the graphics processing unit (GPU) plays an important role in this landscape. Given a problem, the established approach for exploiting the GPU is to design solutions that are parallel, without data or flow dependencies. These solutions are then offloaded to the GPU's massively parallel capability. This design principle (i.e., avoiding contention) often leads to developing applications that cannot maximize GPU hardware utilization. The goal of this paper is to challenge this common belief by empirically showing that allowing even simple forms of synchronization enables programmers to design parallel solutions that admit conflicts and achieve better utilization of hardware parallelism. Our experience shows that lock-based solutions to the k-means clustering problem outperform the well-engineered and parallel KMCUDA on both synthetic and real datasets; averaging 8.4x faster runtimes at high contention and 8.1x faster for low contention, with maximums of 25.4x and 74x, respectively. We summarize our findings by identifying two guidelines to help make concurrency effective when programming GPU applications.
Can Machine Learning Algorithms Predict Which Patients Will Achieve Minimally Clinically Important Differences From Total Joint Arthroplasty

AbstractBackgroundIdentifying patients at risk of not achieving meaningful gains in long-term postsurgical patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) is important for improving patient monitoring and facilitating presurgical decision support. Machine learning may help automatically select and weigh m
Planetary Lovers: On Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens’s Water Makes Us Wet

This chapter examines Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens’s “sexecology,” a multi-year art and activist project that presents the earth as lover, source, and receiver of polymorphous pleasures. Through the close reading of writings, performances, and the documentary Water Makes Us Wet—An Ecosexual Adventure (2017), the essay shows how Sprinkle and Stephens contribute to queering the ecological imagination. In addition to complicating the gendered trope of Mother Earth, they draw attention to social ecologies of dirt and sanitation that are connected to hierarchies of race and sex. However, while Sprinkle and Stephens complicate Mother Earth, they rely on the notion of partnership between humans and the planet. The chapter concludes with an exploration of a different notion of care that takes alterity, rather than reciprocity, as its point of departure.
Genetic Algorithms for Starshade Retargeting in Space-Based Telescopes.

Future space-based telescopes will leverage starshades as components that can be independently positioned. Starshades will adjust the light coming in from exoplanet host stars and enhance the direct imaging of exoplanets and other phenomena. In this context, scheduling of space-based telescope observations is subject to a large number of dynamic constraints, including target observability, fuel, and target priorities. We present an application of genetic algorithm (GA) scheduling on this problem that not only takes physical constraints into account, but also considers direct human suggestions on schedules. By allowing direct suggestions on schedules, this type of heuristic can capture the scheduling preferences and expertise of stakeholders without the need to always formally codify such objectives. Additionally, this approach allows schedules to be constructed from existing ones when scenarios change; for example, this capability allows for optimization without the need to recompute schedules from scratch after changes such as new discoveries or new targets of opportunity. We developed a specific graph-traversal-based framework upon which to apply GA for telescope scheduling, and use it to demonstrate the convergence behavior of a particular implementation of GA. From this work, difficulties with regards to assigning values to observational targets are also noted, and recommendations are made for different scenarios.
Estimating Excess Sensitivity and Habit Persistence in Consumption Using Greenbook Forecasts

In this paper, we revisit the issue of excess sensitivity of consumption to income and address the weak instrument problem that is well documented in this literature. Using quarterly data for the US economy, we first highlight the weak instrument problem by showing that the use of conventional instruments tends to overestimate the share of rule‐of‐thumb consumers. To address this weak instrument problem, we propose a new instrument for endogenous disposable income growth in the consumption function, namely, the Greenbook forecast of real disposable income growth. We show that this instrument encompasses the information contained in the conventional set of instruments, and is a superior predictor of income growth. We find that using our proposed instrument ameliorates the weak instrument problem and provides a much smaller estimate for the rule‐of‐thumb consumers. We also extend our empirical framework to allow for habit persistence and provide an estimate for this important parameter of the consumption function. Finally, we use a time‐varying specification of consumption function that allows for endogenous regressors, and document a decline in the share of rule‐of‐thumb consumers and a rise in the habit‐persistence parameter in the US over our sample period.
Kosher labelling in restaurants: Examining the healthy halo effect

The demand for kosher food has increased remarkably as consumers perceive kosher foods to be healthier and safer options. To identify effective ways to promote consumers’ healthy eating at restaura...
Cancer and COVID-19 - potentially deleterious effects of delaying radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy can be safely delivered during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, often through use of hypofractionated regimens, which minimize the number of visits to treatment centres while also avoiding potentially detrimental delays in the delivery of cancer care.
A rapid laboratory test to demonstrate thermal inactivation of exotic Newcastle disease virus in turkey breast

32 INTRODUCTION 33 MATERIALS AND METHODS 34 FSIS acid phosphatase procedure 34 Interference by phenolics 34 RESULTS 36 CONCLUSIONS 37 REFERENCES 39 SECTION II. COMPARISON OF THERMAL INACTIVATION CHARACTERISTICS OF FIVE NEWCASTLE DISEASE VIRUS STRAINS IN SPIKED TURKEY BREAST 43 ABSTRACT 45 INTRODUCTION 46 MATERIALS AND METHODS 48
A 55-Year-Old Woman with Chronic Gluteal Pain

Chronic gluteal pain is a common yet varied complaint that persists especially among athletes and the aging population. Generating a broad differential diagnosis including vascular, neurogenic, and musculoskeletal etiologies is key to selecting the proper workup and successive treatment. The most common causes are neurogenic claudication from spinal stenosis, piriformis syndrome, and sacroiliac joint pain. Pain is often localized over the buttock area, but it can also radiate down the leg; its common for pain to radiate along the back of the leg upto the knee. Sometimes it can radiate all the way upto the foot as in the case of piriformis syndrome, where the piriformis muscle is irritating the sciatic nerve. This chapter explores the diversity of gluteal pain, how to evaluate it, and what therapies are available for the particular diagnoses discussed.
Global Inequality and Global Poverty

The world is very unequal. This applies both to inequalities within countries and between countries. Global inequalities of income and wealth are on the increase, in most respects, while global poverty has been significantly reduced in recent years. However, global income inequality between countries has recently lessened. Improvements are also evident in global health and some aspects of gender inequality. Yet the topic is complex and uncertain. This is partly because inequality and poverty are not easy to measure. Inequality and poverty are also multidimensional involving political participation and cultural acceptance as well as income, health, and literacy. Explanations of inequality and poverty are similarly complex. Globalization, through concentrations of global economic power, is responsible for some inequality. Unregulated markets, however dynamic, do not distribute their benefits equally between individuals and between countries. Yet it is too simplistic to see free trade causing global inequality since free trade can, in some circumstances, lift incomes. More significant is deregulation which undermines social protection and allows massive tax avoidance. New global policies of taxation and more systematic public intervention in health and literacy are more relevant to inequality-reduction than economic protectionism.
Wireless Charging for Smart Garment with Textile-based Receiver Coils

Wireless-charging hanger and drawer systems with conductive textile receiver coils are reported in this paper. Both systems can be used to conveniently charge Li-ion batteries in smart garments with embedded sensors. The receiver coils fabricated with conductive textile greatly enhance comfort, flexibility, and foldability of garments. The frequency used for wireless charging is 400 kHz. For the hanger system, the maximum charging power can reach 200 mW with 25.5% dc-dc efficiency. For the drawer system, maximum charging power for one garment is 307 mW with 10.5% dc-dc efficiency.
Materiality in the Context of Code of Ethics Disclosures

The SEC requires publicly held companies to disclose whether the company has a code of ethics. Neither the statute nor the SEC rules expressly mandate that a publicly held company have a code of ethics, but the disclosure requirements clearly provide a strong incentive to adopt a code. In disclosing the code of ethics and its requirements, companies need to address compliance with the code of ethics and applicable methods of assuring compliance with the code. This article discusses the extent to which code of ethics disclosures can raise the potential for liability resulting from material misstatements or omissions.
The Cognitive Interview method of conducting police interviews: Eliciting extensive information and promoting Therapeutic Jurisprudence

Police officers receive little or no training to conduct interviews with cooperative witnesses, and as a result they conduct interviews poorly, eliciting less information than is available and providing little support to assist victims overcome psychological problems that may have arisen from the crime. We analyze the components of a typical police interview that limits the amount of information witnesses communicate, and which militate against victims' overcoming psychological problems. We then describe an alternative interviewing protocol, the Cognitive Interview, which enhances witness recollection and also likely contributes to victims' well being. The component elements of the Cognitive Interview are described, with emphasis on those elements that likely promote better witness recollection and also help to assist victims' psychological health.
Professionalizing the Tax Accounting Profession: Fulfilling Public-Interest Reporting Responsibilities

Recent events in the tax accounting profession such as the marketing and use of aggressive tax shelters illustrate that the tax accounting profession has lost its focus on public interest responsibilities which anchors the profession. This chapter first establishes the importance of a professional public interest foundation by outlining how such a professional foundation ideally provides a necessary anchor for the tax accounting profession. We next move from the ideal to the actual and use the fraud triangle to examine how the current tax accounting profession has strayed from a professional foundation focused on public interest responsibilities. We use the Barley and Tolbert (Org Stud 18:93–117, 1997) sociology model to understand structural change and propose suggestions for facilitating professional, public-interest focused changes in the tax accounting profession.
Does geographic range affect the attractant-aggregation-attachment pheromone of the tropical bont tick, Amblyomma variegatum?

The tropical bont tick, Amblyomma variegatum, transmits heartwater in sub-Saharan Africa and in the Caribbean. This species has a broad geographic distribution, ranging from Madagascar and other islands in the Indian Ocean through most of sub-Saharan Africa, to several islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Blood fed male A. variegatum secrete an attraction–aggregation–attachment (AAA) pheromone which, combined with CO2, excites host finding and formation of feeding clusters of these ticks. However, it is not known whether the composition of the pheromone varies throughout A. variegatum’s geographic range. Extracts of fed male ticks were examined for phenols and volatile organic acids by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to determine whether differences occur in the pheromone components of populations of this species across the geographic range (Guadeloupe, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Rwanda). No significant difference in the chemical composition of the pheromone in relation to geographic range was found. No significant differences in rates of attachment in response to native versus foreign extracts were found in on-host attachment tests comparing ticks from two countries, Guadeloupe (Caribbean) and Zimbabwe (African). This finding was confirmed in more detailed studies with ticks from Guadeloupe and four African countries (Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe). On-host attachment assays from these countries did not detect consistent differences in response to extracts from different locations.
Modeling cyclic deformation of thick thermal barrier coatings

Abstract A cyclic deformation study of plasma-sprayed ceramic coatings for diesel engine applications was conducted. Coatings were tested independent of a substrate. Irreversible deformation was observed in all of the coating materials tested and under all conditions, including room temperature and tests conducted at very low cyclic strains. This behavior can lead to tensile fractures upon unloading from a compressive thermomechanical cycle. A model describing the irreversible strain behavior based on the combined sliding and closing of pre-existing microcracks is proposed and compared with experimental results. The model has been used to produce a failure map for combinations of strain, strain rate and temperature that will lead to coating fractures during a thermomechanical cycle in a diesel engine.
ULTRASTRUCTURAL STUDIES ON DEVELOPING OOCYTES OF THE SALAMANDER TRITURUS VIRIDESCENS. I. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOLLICLE CELLS AND DEVELOPING OOCYTES.

In young oocytes (100–200 μ in diameter) the plasma membrane is smooth and in contact with those of the enveloping follicle cells. As the oocytes develop they become separated from the follicle cells, and the plasma membrane develops microvilli that project into the space between the oocyte and the follicle cells. This space is the zona radiata. Processes from the follicle cells, fewer in number than the microvilli, are also formed and interdigitate with the microvilli. Intrecellular spaces which connect with the zona radiata and theca folliculi are found between the follicle cells. At the same time, an electron dense homogeneous material, in which the microvilli are embedded, is formed between the follicle cells and the oocyte. This material is destined to become the vitelline membrane. The microvilli reach a maximum length of 2.0–2.2 μ at an oocyte diameter of 650–750 μ . Subsequently the microvilli withdraw from the presumptive vitelline membrane and the oocyte plasma membrane is thrown into hillocks and valleys, thus forming a perivitelline space. These observations are discussed with respect to the nutrition of the oocyte and the role of the follicle cells and oocyte in the formation of the vitelline membrane.
Is the Vienna Convention Hostile to Drafting History

It is often asserted that the landmark 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties relegates drafting history to a rigidly subsidiary role in treaty interpretation. Many commentators go so far as to suggest that the VCLT entrenches a well-founded prejudice against travaux preparatoires — the paper trail left by negotiations over an evolving text that produces a final treaty. Because of this alleged hostility to history as a source of meaning, the conventional wisdom is that when an interpreter thinks a text is reasonably clear and produces results that are not manifestly unreasonable or absurd, she is supposed to give that prima facie reading preclusive effect over anything the travaux might suggest to the contrary. This conventional wisdom cannot be reconciled with the agreement that was actually reached in 1969. This Article’s detailed review of the multi-decade process that led to the VCLT reveals that, far from adopting a restrictive view of drafting history, the Vienna Conference sought to secure its role as a regular, central, and indeed crucial component of treaty interpretation. The principal source of modern confusion on this score is that the Vienna delegates rejected a United States proposal to formulate the rules of treaty interpretation as a totality-of-the-circumstances balancing test. But that had nothing to do with hostility to travaux as such, much less with any desire to impose strict threshold requirements on their use. Rather, the delegates were rejecting only what they understood to be Myres McDougal’s view of treaty interpretation as an ab initio reconstruction of whatever wise interpreters might view as good public policy. In the end, delegates embraced a view of interpretation as a recursive and inelegant process that would spiral in toward the meaning of a treaty, rather than a rigidly linear algorithm tied to a particular hierarchical sequence. Interpreters were thus expected automatically, in any seriously contested case, to assess the historical evidence about the course of discussions, negotiations, and compromises that resulted in the treaty text — in short, to the travaux. The modern view that the VCLT rendered travaux an inferior tool of interpretation is simply wrong.
Legislative Capacity and Executive Unilateralism

This article develops a theory of presidential unilateralism in which both ideological divergence with Congress and legislative capacity influence the president's use of executive orders. We argue that when Congress is less capable of constraining the executive, the president will issue more executive orders during periods of divided government. Conversely, in periods of high legislative capacity, the president is less likely to issue executive orders when faced with an opposed Congress. Based on an examination of institutional changes, we identify years prior to the mid-1940s as characterized by low congressional capacity and the subsequent period as characterized by high capacity. Testing the theory between 1905 and 2013, we find strong support for these predictions and demonstrate that legislative capacity conditions the role of ideological disagreement in shaping presidential action. Overall, this article deepens our current understanding of the dynamics of separation-of-powers politics and the limits of executive power.
Bean seed globulin mRNA: translation, characterization, and its use as a probe towards genetic engineering of crop plants.

Single-celled organisms exhibit regulation of genome expression through temporal control, some information being processed to yield enzymes, RNA, and other substances used in the earliest stages of growth while other regions of the DNA are utilized to provide the late functions in cell maturation. Many other, more sophisticated types of control over the expression of information that is encoded in the nuclear DNA have evolved, making possible the development of cells having specialized function and consequently the existence of complex multicellular organisms. The beginning of scientific inquiry into genome expression can be seen in the morphological studies on the growth and differentiation of plants and animals that fascinated the early biologists. Subsequently, the discovery and application of genetic laws led to rapid improvements in the quality and productivity of crops and livestock. These improvements, which have supported major changes in human populations and achievements, may well prove to be as significant an evolutionary event as was the discovery of agricultural principles that led to the dawn of civilization by permitting early man to cease his nomadic habits. It is a happy coincidence that plant seeds, which provided this basis for civilization, also provide excellent material for investigating the molecular mechanisms of genome expression.
Abstract 143: Macropinocytosis Mediates Enzymatically Modified LDL (ELDL)-Induced Murine Smooth Muscle Cell Formation: A Role for RAGE In ELDL Endocytosis and Upregulation of Scavenger Receptor LOX1

Background: ELDL is present in human atherosclerotic lesions and promotes foam cell formation in cultured macrophages and vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC). Here we study mechanism of ELDL uptake and its effects on SMCs. Methods and Results: Incubation of wild type murine aortic SMCs with 10 μg/ml ELDL (trypsin, cholesterol esterase modified) results in enhanced foam cell formation (analyzed by Oil Red O, lipid measurement) compared to SMCs incubated with acetylated LDL (500 μg/ml; -50%, p Conclusions: ELDL is highly potent in inducing foam cells in aortic SMCs. ELDL endocytosis is mediated by RAGE-regulated, Ca2+ dependent macropinocytosis.
Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics: Use and Assessment of Clinical Laboratory Results. Lothar Thomas. Frankfurt/Main, Germany: TH-Books Verlagsgeselschaft, 1998, 1727 pp., $149.00. ISBN 3-9805215-4-0.

This is the first English edition of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics , which has had five previous German editions dating from 1978. Unlike laboratory medicine in the US, laboratory medicine in Germany is considered a stand-alone medical discipline that is separate from pathology. Review of the table of contents of this book reveals some of these differences, which include decreased emphasis on hematopathology and greater emphasis on special fluid analysis as well as neurological and autoimmune diseases. In great detail, the authors describe the analysis of special fluids, the characteristics of cerebrospinal fluid in neurological diseases, and the serology …
Regional Differences in Responsiveness of Adult CNS Axons to Grafts of Cells Expressing Human Neurotrophin 3

Neurotrophin 3 (NT3) belongs to the neurotrophin family, which also includes nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and neurotrophin 4/5. NT3 mRNA is widely expressed in the rodent nervous system, but the physiological function of the native protein is still unclear. Genetically modified cell lines that produce physiological amounts of NT3 can provide a useful tool in the elucidation of the NT3 effects in the adult central nervous system (CNS). Genetically modified rat primary skin fibroblasts expressing and secreting human NT3 (hNT3) were prepared and characterized. In vitro, cell lines derived from different retroviral constructs expressed hNT3 mRNA, as determined by PCR and RNA blot analysis. Secretion of biologically active hNT3 was confirmed by specific elicitation of neurite outgrowth from cultured chick primary sympathetic and sensory neurons and from rat fetal locus coeruleus neurons in the presence of hNT3-producing cell conditioned media. In vivo, implanted fibroblasts survived well up to the maximal experimental time points of 6 weeks (brain) and 4 weeks (spinal cord) and continued to express hNT3 mRNA in vivo. As early as 2 weeks postgrafting, specific sprouting of host sensory neurites in response to hNT3-producing grafts was observed in the spinal cord. In contrast, hNT3-producing cerebral grafts did not induce a sprouting response different from that observed with control grafts. These findings establish the existence of a regionally different responsiveness of the CNS axons to local hNT3 overexpression.
Synthesis and characterization of Eu(III) complexes with chiral Schiff base ligands derived from salicylaldehydes and amino alcohols

Abstract Optically active Schiff base ligands have been formed by the condensation of various salicylaldehydes with a series of chiral amino alcohols. The Eu(III) derivatives of these ligands were obtained as oligomeric materials, exhibiting an empirical 1:1 metal:ligand stoichiometry. The complexes were found to be somewhat soluble in chloroform, where they existed primarily as trimeric species. The optical activity experienced by the Eu(III) ion was observed to be dominated by the presence of configurational effects, corresponding to a dissymmetric arrangement of Schiff base ligands about the Eu(III) ion.
The balance of power: The law of Yin and Yang in smooth muscle cell fate : Is YY1 a vascular protector?

See related article, pages 146–155 Once upon a time in China, the Han philosophers introduced a syncretic intellectual framework to unite various thoughts using a new theory: the law of Yin and Yang. The basic concept of the theory is that the balance of two opposite principles regulates the universe and thus all phenomena, including human health. Yin represents the moon, cold, darkness, night, black, and quiescence, whereas Yang is sun, heat, brightness, day, white, and activity. Notably, the concept underscores the interplay of two opposite forces, but not conflicts between the two. In other words, they are not simply black and white, rather, two principles interrelating, complementing and harmonizing each other. Ancient philosophers already knew that health is life in balance, but underlying mechanisms are complex. More than a millennium later, we are still attempting to answer the same questions. An exciting and provocative study by Santiago et al, published in this issue of Circulation Research , used comprehensive in vitro and in vivo approaches to demonstrate that Yin Yang 1 (YY1), a ubiquitous and dual-functional GLI-Kruppel zinc finger transcription factor, suppresses smooth muscle cell (SMC) growth.1 The authors suggest YY1 may serve as a therapeutic tool, combating neointima formation following vascular injury. Despite a relatively new face in vascular biology, investigators in other fields of medical sciences, particularly cancer biology, have extensively studied this mysterious molecule since its initial characterizations in the late 1980s to early 1990s.2 YY1 was originally discovered as a transcriptional regulator that interacts with E1A gene products, oncoproteins that activate the adeno-associated virus (AAV) P5 promoter. When E1A is present, YY1 induces transcription; its absence converts YY1 into a repressor. The YY1 gene encodes a 414 amino-acid protein with an estimated weight …
Effect of EDTA and pH on Properties of Freeze‐dried Pork Muscle I. Effect of pH and Magnesium and Calcium Ions on Freeze‐dried Myofibrils

SUMMARY To study the effect of pH and divalent cations such as Mg and Ca on rehydration of freeze-dried meat, a model system of freeze-dried myofibrils was designed. The fibrils were dried at pH 5.4, 6.0, and 7.0, with and without addition of Mg and Ca, in the concentrations found in meat. The freeze-dried fibrils were rehydrated after homogenization in the rehydrating solution; and by diffusion of the solution into the dried fibril mass. When the fibrils were homogenized the cations increased the water-holding capacity of the sedimented fibrils. An increase in the water-holding capacity with higher pH was apparent only after the cations were added. When the fibrils were rehydrated through diffusion, the cations decreased the hydration. Increased hydration capacity with higher pH was found with and without the cations.
A prototype of a feature-based multiple-alternative process planning system with scheduling verification

The primary objective of this research was to develop a prototype feature-based multiple-alternative process planning system in which the process plan would be generated directly from design and available factory facility information. An overall removable volume is generated by graphically comparing the 3D part and 3D workpiece blank. The manufacturing features are decomposed into a series of general manufacturing features by using a mixed graph-based and rule-based algorithm. The multiple-alternative process plan generation is based on recognized manufacturing features and various production rules. After generating multiple process plans, each process plan is allocated the possible manufacturing scheduling time and the candidate process plans are retrieved based on the required due day. An example problem is presented to illustrate the functionality of the prototype system. This research presents an alternative method that provides useful information to the factory planner and controller to facilitate production.
Spatial and temporal effects in drying biomass for energy

This study evaluates the impact of the moisture content of biomass on thermal efficiency and relative boiler size which directly represent the economic merits of biomass drying. A model for predicting the moisture content of bundled Leucaena (Leucocephala) trees under open environment was validated for tropical Hawaii. Cumulative precipitation and evapotranspiration (ET) are the major factors affecting the biomass moisture content change. ET was computed using Hargreave's model, which requires only temperature and solar radiation data. Integration of these models made it possible to calculate the thermal efficiency and relative boiler size when using bundled trees as a fuel under a given drying regime and for a specific geographical location. A geographic information system provided the temperature and precipitation data required for evaluating the spatial variation in boilder efficiency and size for the 1440 km2 island of Kauai. Depending on the time of harvest, the Leucaena moisture content varied from 35 to 69% (on wet basis) following a period of 6 months of in-field drying. Boiler efficiency using fuelwood with this range of moisture content varied from 49 to 73%. Boiler relative size varied from 1.2 to 2.2 times the size required when Leucaena with 0% moisture content is used as a fuel. The spatial and temporal effects on the value of biomass were thus found to be important factors for various sites in the study area. The methods for quantifying the merit of biomass moisture management proposed in this paper demonstrate how GIS modeling can lead to appropriate decision-making capability in bioenergy.
Building better foundations: Security in postconflict reconstruction

Security is the foundation on which progress in postconflict reconstruction rests. Who or what must be protected, and from whom? Five key areas offer opportunities to develop, access, organize, and focus capabilities better to meet security needs.
Odd nitrogen production by meteoroids

The process by which odd nitrogen species (atomic nitrogen and nitric oxide) are formed during atmospheric entry of meteoroids is analyzed theoretically. An ablating meteoroid is assumed to be a point source of mass with a continuum regime evolving in its wake. The amounts of odd nitrogen species, produced by high-temperature reactions of air in the continuum wake, are calculated by numerical integration of chemical rate equations. Flow properties are assumed to be uniform across the wake, and 29 reactions involving five neutral species and five singly ionized species are considered, as well as vibrational and electron temperature nonequilibrium phenomena. The results, when they are summed over the observed mass, velocity, and entry-angle distribution of meteoroids, provide odd-nitrogen-species annual global production rates as functions of altitude. The peak production of nitric oxide is found to occur at an altitude of about 85 km; atomic nitrogen production peaks at about 95 km. The total annual rate for nitric oxide is 40 million kg; for atomic nitrogen it is 170 million kg.
Energy and Absorption of the Gamma-Radiation from Li 7 + H 1

It is shown that a study of the pairs ejected from foils in a Wilson cloud chamber gives more reliable and useful information regarding gamma-radiation of very high energy than can be obtained from the recoil electrons. By this method the gamma-radiation from Li7 + H1 is found to consist of a line at 17.1±0.5 Mev of relative intensity 0.75 and probably one or more lines at about 14 Mev of relative intensity 0.25. No radiation is found between 2 and 10 Mev. The spectrum below 2 Mev has not been investigated. The distribution of recoil electrons is consistent with this and with the Klein-Nishina formula. The division of energy between members of pairs is in agreement with the predictions of Bethe and Heitler. It is shown that the usual method of measuring absorption coefficients leads to erroneous results for radiation much above 3 Mev and a method is described which depends on counting the number of high energy pairs observed in cloud chamber pictures taken alternately with and without 1 cm of lead in the beam. The results agree with theory within the experimental errors. The origin of the radiation is discussed and it is shown that the data can be accounted for if we assume that the proton is captured by the Li7 nucleus producing a Be8 nucleus in an odd state. According to Breit this should be a P state and the nucleus may drop to the ground state (1S) with emission of 17 Mev radiation or to an even state at 3 Mev (1D) and subsequently break up into two alpha-particles.
Numerical modeling of three-dimensional flow and pollutant dispersion around structures

Abstract This paper describes a numerical modeling approach that can be used to provide estimates of emissions at industrial sites. In particular the models presented are capable of simulating the wind flow and dispersion of airborne pollutants around surface-mounted structures such as buildings or building complexes. The calculational procedure in this approach consists of two sequential steps, namely: (i) prediction of the mean flow via a turbulent flow model; and (ii) employment of the calculated flow field to drive a particle-in-cell transport and diffusion model. A benchmark simulation is performed in which numerical results from the flow model are compared with other numerical models and with experimental data for flow over a backward-facing step. Results from three-dimensional simulations of flow and dispersion over a two-building complex are also presented.
Dynamic and extensional properties of starch in aqueous dimethylsulfoxide

Abstract The effect of starch composition and concentration on the rheological properties of starch in a mixed solvent, water–DMSO, was investigated in dynamic shear and extensional mode. High amylose corn starch containing 70% amylose and 30% amylopectin, common corn starch containing 25% amylose and 75% amylopectin, and waxy corn starch containing about 99% amylopectin were used in this study. Concentrations of 2, 4, 6, and 8% (w/v) in 10% water-90% DMSO (v/v) were used for each starch type. An increase in the amylopectin content of starch from 30 to 99% caused a change in behavior from semidilute solution to viscoelastic solid at a concentration of 8% (w/v). At a concentration of 2%, an increase in the amylopectin content of starch from 30 to 99% caused a change from Newtonian to incipient gel-like behavior. Behavior at intermediate concentrations of 4 and 6% (w/v) varied from semidilute to critical gel-like with increasing amylopectin content. A power-law relaxation was observed for all concentrations of common and waxy corn starches with the slope decreasing with increase in concentrations. A 2% waxy corn starch solution displayed extension thinning behavior, while a 2% high amylose corn starch solution displayed Newtonian behavior.
Some comments on Nussbaum's heterojunction lineup theory

Theoretical basis given in support of the Adams-Nussbaum (AN) heterojunction lineup theory has been built on some fundamentally incorrect mathematical concepts and equations. Therefore, AN arguments are not even a circular chain but a conceptually wrong theory.
Plasma-based adiabatic focuser

Theoretical analysis is made of an intense relativistic electron beam moving through a plasma of increasing density, but density always less than that of the beam (underdense). Analysis is made of the beam radiation energy loss and it is noted that the focuser is insensitive to the beam energy spread due to radiation loss. Furthermore, because of the scaling behavior in the nonclassical regimes, the radiation limit on lenses (the Oide limit) can be exceeded.
Electronic structures and magic numbers of small silver clusters: A many-body perturbation-theoretic study

The formalism of second-order many-body perturbation theory has been applied to investigate the electronic and geometric structures of neutral, cationic, and anionic ${\mathrm{Ag}}_{n}$ $(n=5--9)$ clusters. Hay-Wadt relativistic effective core potentials replacing the 28 core electrons and a Gaussian basis set have been used. Full geometry optimizations of topologically different clusters and clusters belonging to different symmetry groups have been carried out. The neutral silver clusters prefer planar geometry up to $n=6$ and the charged clusters prefer three-dimensional geometry from $n=6.$ Binding energies, ionization potentials, electron affinities, and fragmentation energies of the optimized clusters have been compared with other experimental and theoretical results available in the literature. Based on different criteria, we predict the eight-atom silver cluster to be a magic-number cluster.
Expansionary Dynamics of Some Early Pristine States

Immediately following on endogenous processes of state formation, many pristine civilizations expanded further by placing a variety of isolated core outposts at key junctions of their surrounding periphery. This cross-cultural phenomenon is documented here in reference to early Mesopotamian (Sumerian), Classic Mesoamerican (Teotihuacan), Mature Harappan, and Predynastic Egyptian civilizations. The commonality in the use of outposts in these otherwise very different civilizations is explained by three interconnected factors shared by many early states. First, the expanding economies of increasingly urbanized early state polities required regularized access to nonlocal resources. Second, for their own political ends elites in less-advanced surrounding communities would have been amenable to granting such access to early core societies. And, third, transportational constraints common to all premodern societies meant that the most efficient way to channel regular exchanges between distant geographic areas and differentially structured societies was by means of strategically positioned core outposts serving as collection points for peripheral resources and as distribution nodes for core-manufactured prestige goods.
Estrogen receptor-mediated transcription involves the activation of multiple kinase pathways in neuroblastoma cells

While many physiological effects of estrogens (E) are due to regulation of gene transcription by liganded estrogen receptors (ERs), several effects are also mediated, at least in part, by rapid non-genomic actions of E. Though the relative importance of rapid versus genomic effects in the central nervous system is controversial, we showed previously that membrane-limited effects of E, initiated by an estradiol bovine serum albumin conjugate (E2-BSA), could potentiate transcriptional effects of 17β-estradiol from an estrogen response element (ERE)-reporter in neuroblastoma cells. Here, using specific inhibitors and activators in a pharmacological approach, we show that activation of phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate kinase (PI3K) and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, dependent on a Gαq coupled receptor signaling are important in this transcriptional potentiation. We further demonstrate, using ERα phospho-deficient mutants, that E2-BSA mediated phosphorylation of ERα is one mechanism to potentiate transcription from an ERE reporter construct. This study provides a possible mechanism by which signaling from the membrane is coupled to transcription in the nucleus, providing an integrated view of hormone signaling in the brain.
Adenylate cyclase activity in human parathyroid tissues: Reduced sensitivity to suppression by calcium in parathyroid adenomas as compared with normal glands form normocalcemic subjects or noninvolved glands from hyperparathyroid subjects

Abstract To examine whether alterations in parathyroid adenylate cyclase might be associated with glandular hyperfunction, we compared enzyme activity in membranes from 7 normal glands with activity from 18 abnormal and 5 noninvolved glands from patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. Compared with the normal glands, the specific enzyme activity after full stimulation with guanyl-5′yl imidodiphosphate was significantly decreased in both hyperplastic and noninvolved glands from the hyperparathyroid subjects. While the enzyme activity of all tissues could be suppressed by calcium, a twofold higher calcium concentration was required for comparable suppression of the enzyme from adenomas as compared with normal or noninvolved glands. Alterations in the adenylate cyclase complex of hyperplastic parathyroid glands may explain, in part, the elevated “set point” for calcium homeostasis in primary hyperparathyroidism.
Classical Guitar Music in Printed Collections: A New Index and a Model for Indexing Instrumental Music in Score Collections

Classical Guitar Music in Printed Collections is a new, open-access, online index to the contents of published score collections for classical guitar. Its interlinked, alphabetized lists allow one to find a composition by title or composer, to discover what score collections include that piece, to see what other works are included in each collection identified, and to locate a copy in a library collection. Accuracy of identification is guaranteed by incipit images of each work. The article discusses how this index differs from existing bibliographies of the classical guitar literature, its structure and design, and technical details of its publication.
Determination of the losses of moisture by evaporation from soils in a watershed-area

Studies on losses of soil-moisture by transpiration of orchard trees have been carried on at the University of California for many years. The results obtained have emphasized the importance of two soil-moisture constants—the moisture-equivalent and the permanent wilting-percentage. The moisture-equivalent is the amount of water retained by the soil against a centrifugal force of 1,000 times gravity, or about 1,000,000 dynes per gram, and is expressed as a percentage of the oven-dried weight of the soil. This determination is an arbitrary one and is affected to a large extent by the way in which it is made. The moisture-equivalent determination, as made in our laboratory, agrees closely with the field-capacity, or the amount of moisture retained by soil after the rate of downward movement has materially decreased, which usually takes place within two or three days, in most of the fine-textured soils, but not always of the sands. The permanent wilting-percentage is the moisture-content below which the plants cannot readily obtain water. It follows that the moisture above the permanent wilting-percentage is readily available to, trees and other plants. Moisture above the moisture-equivalent is also readily available, but the moisture-equivalent may be taken as the upper limit of the readily available moisture, because in well-drained soils, the moisture-content remains above the moisture-equivalent for only a few days, following a rain or an irrigation. Movement of water after the soil has drained to the field-capacity is extremely slow.
Protein secretion in the absence of ATP: the autotransporter, two-partner secretion and chaperone/usher pathways of gram-negative bacteria (review).

Bacteria secrete a wide variety of proteins, many of which play important roles in virulence. In Gram-negative bacteria, these proteins must cross the cytoplasmic or inner membrane, periplasm, and outer membrane to reach the cell surface. Gram-negative bacteria have evolved multiple pathways to allow protein secretion across their complex envelope. ATP is not available in the periplasm and many of these secretion pathways encode components that harness energy available at the inner membrane to drive secretion across the outer membrane. In contrast, the autotransporter, two-partner secretion and chaperone/usher pathways are comparatively simple systems that allow secretion across the outer membrane without the need for input of energy from the inner membrane. This review will present overviews of these ‘self-sufficient’ pathways, focusing on recent advances and secretion mechanisms. Similarities among the pathways and with other protein translocation mechanisms will be highlighted.
A technique for the precise measurement of acoustic velocity in, and between, boreholes with a sparker source

Abstract We describe a source, receiver, and measuring system for the determination of sound velocities in, or between, boreholes. A sparker source, dissipating 100–400 J per shot, is used to generate acoustic pulses which are detected with barium titanate transducers at ranges to 80 m in the same or an adjacent borehole. The dominant frequency of the source is about 5 kHz and the precision of timing is better than 10 μs. For measurement of mean P-wave velocity of about 50 m of crystalline rock between holes, an accuracy of ± 0.02 km/s is possible with precise range measurement; the principal source of error is the uncertainty of hole-related delays.
Sensitivity Approach for Modeling Stochastic Field of Keulegan–Carpenter and Reynolds Numbers Through a Matrix Response Surface

The actual challenge for requalification of existing offshore structures through a rational process of reassessment indicates the importance of employing a response surface methodology. At different steps in the quantitative analysis, quite a lot of approximations are performed as a surrogate for the original model in subsequent uncertainty and sensitivity studies. This paper proposes to employ a geometrical description of the nth order Stokes model in the form of a random linear combination of deterministic vectors. These vectors are obtained by rotation transformations of the wave directional vector. This facilitates introduction of an appropriate level of complexity in stochastic modeling of the wave velocity and of the Reynolds and Keulegan-Carpenter numbers for probabilistic mechanics analysis of offshore structures. In situ measurements are used to assess suitable ranges and distributions of basic variables.