cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inkjet-/3D-/4D-Printed Wireless Ultrabroadband Modules for IoT, Smartag and Smart City Applications

This publication provides an overview of additive manufacturing techniques including Inkjet, 3D and 4D printing methods. The strengths, opportunities and advantages of this array of manufacturing t...
Extensible High Force Manipulator For Complex Exploration

The development of compliant robotic manipulators which can show length change, compliance and dexterity could assist many challenging applications. Potential applications range from dexterous manipulation, robotic surgery or exploration of challenging environments. Despite significant developments in both fabrication and control approaches for continuum body manipulators, there have been few demonstrations of continuum body systems which display all these properties. We present a method for fabricating a continuum manipulation which shows extension, high force movements and a range of dexterous position. This approach uses 3D printing to create a flexible rack and pinion system. These high torque mechanisms are mounted at points along the 3D printed tracks to allow complex shape control of the continuum system. A controller has been also been developed based on a Piecewise Constant Curvature approximation to allow the position of the tip of the manipulator to be controlled, and motion paths to be followed. In this work, we show the force capabilities of this manipulator and demonstrate how multiple segments can be created for more complex movements.
Prospective phase 2 trial of ixazomib after nonmyeloablative haploidentical peripheral blood stem cell transplant

Proteasome inhibition results in extensive immunomodulatory effects that augment natural killer cell cytotoxicity and inhibit aspects of T-cell, B-cell, and dendritic cell function. We performed a phase 2 study that examined the effects of ixazomib for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis (up to 12 cycles) with posttransplant cyclophosphamide and tacrolimus after standard nonmyeloablative haploidentical donor transplantation (HIDT). Ixazomib was started on day +5 (4 mg on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle), with dose reductions allowed in future cycles for toxicity. All patients received peripheral blood stem cells. Twenty-five patients were enrolled with a median age of 62 years (range, 35-77 years) who had acute leukemia (4), myelodysplastic syndrome (7), non-Hodgkin lymphoma/Hodgkin lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukemia (8), and myeloma (6). The hematopoietic cell transplant comorbidity index was ≥3 in 68% of the patients. After a median follow-up of 33.5 months, the cumulative incidence of relapse/progression at 1 year was 24% and 44% at 3 years, which failed to meet the statistically predefined goal of decreasing 1-year risk of relapse. Engraftment occurred in all patients with no secondary graft failure, and 3-year nonrelapse mortality (NRM) was 12%. Cumulative incidence of grade 3 to 4 acute GVHD was 8%, whereas moderate-to-severe chronic GVHD occurred in 19%. Nineteen patients survive with an estimated 1-year overall survival (OS) of 84% and 3-year OS of 74%. Hematologic and cutaneous toxicities were common but manageable. The substitution of ixazomib for mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) post-HIDT results in reliable engraftment, comparable rates of clinically significant GVHD, relapse and NRM, and favorable OS. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as # NCT02169791.
Effective thermal conductivity of porous biomaterials: Numerical investigation

Abstract The present research paper aims to predict the effective thermal properties; effective thermal conductivity (ETC) and effective thermal diffusivity (ETD) of porous biocomposites materials (PBCs) used as thermal insulator in construction building. The composite matrix consists on porous material namely gypsum reinforced with Date Palm Fibers (DPF). The experimental results of the Effective thermal conductivity (ETC) are obtained using the Ct-meter apparatus. The numerical study is conducted using the finite element Comsol MultiPhysics software resolving the heat transfer equation in stationary state. To evaluate the pores effect on ETC of PBCs, several parameters related on the pores such as its shape, position and weight fraction are considering in the numerical model. The numerical results are fitted with theoretical models and experimental values. The results of this study indicate that the porosity content has an important effect on the ETC of biocompoites whose decreases increasing the pores quantity. It is noted that the numerical models developed in this study are in agree with experimental values for fibers weight content up to 5%. Others parameters are not taken into account such as the pores orientation, contact resistance within the composites may be introduced in the model to minimize the error with the experimental results. The variation effect of pores shapes and positions conserving the same volume on biocomposites ETC are negligible.
Optogenetic control of gut bacterial metabolism to promote longevity

Abstract Gut microbial metabolism is associated with host longevity. However, because it requires direct manipulation of microbial metabolism in situ, establishing a causal link between these two processes remains challenging. We demonstrate an optogenetic method to control gene expression and metabolite production from bacteria residing in the host gut. We genetically engineer an Escherichia coli strain that synthesizes and secretes colanic acid (CA) under the quantitative control of light. Using this optogenetically-controlled strain to induce CA production directly in the Caenorhabditis elegans gut, we reveal the local effect of CA in protecting intestinal mitochondria from stress-induced hyper-fragmentation. We also exploit different intensities of light to determine that the lifespan-extending effect of CA is positively correlated with its levels produced from bacteria. Our results show that optogenetic control offers a rapid, reversible and quantitative way to fine-tune gut bacterial metabolism and uncover its local and systemic effects on host health and aging.
Reading and (Re)Writing the Auctores: Poliziano and the Ancient Roman Miscellany

This essay examins the influence of Aulus Gellius' Noctes Atticae (2nd c. CE) on Angelo Poliziano's Miscellaneorum centuria prima (1489); in particular, it reconsiders that manner in which the aesthetics of varietas are deployed in each as part of the broader literary program. First, by exploring ideas of auctoritas, this essay suggests that Gellius' own preferred categories influenced Poliziano's sense of the canon and contributed to the development of his own authoritative persona throughouth Preface of the centuria prima. Second, in examining the ways in which both authors describe their use of literary diversity, it becomes increasingly evident that both see their prose works as operating within a broader aesthetic of variety. After illustrating how both authors articulate these values, the essay concludes by examining two sets of chapters in the Centuria prima in which variety is put to use for didactic purpose, in a manner similar to the Noctes Atticae. While the influence of Gellius has long been acknowledged, including by Poliziano himself, this essay offers a reading of each author that reveals additional literary purpose underlying their use of the aesthetics of variety.
Sexual Function of Men and Women With Spina Bifida: A Scoping Literature Review.

Abstract Introduction As most adults with spina bifida are either sexually active or interested in becoming sexually active, providers should understand how spina bifida impacts sexual function and options for treatment. Objectives The objective of this study is to summarize the current literature describing how features of spina bifida impact sexual function in men and women, effective available treatment options for sexual dysfunction, and to identify research gaps. Methods Searches were conducted in PubMed, CINAHL Complete, PsychInfo, Cochrane Central, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection databases using keywords related to spina bifida and sexual function. 34 primary research studies were included. Results Most men (56–96%) can achieve an erection, although it may be insufficient for penetration. Although 50–88% ejaculate, it is often dripping, retrograde, or insensate. Twenty percent to 67% achieve orgasm. Generally, men with lower lesions and intact sacral reflexes have better outcomes, although some men with all levels of lesion report good function. Sildenafil is efficacious at treating erectile dysfunction for most men. The “TO-MAXimize sensation, sexuality, and quality of life” procedure may improve sexual function in selected men with low-level lesions. Female sexual function and treatment is less well understood. Women may experience decreased arousal, difficulties with orgasm, and pain. No treatment has been studied in women. Bowel and bladder incontinence during intercourse appears to be bothersome to men and women. Although both men and women have diminished sexual satisfaction, their sexual desire appears to be least impacted. Present studies are limited by studies’ small, heterogeneous populations, the misuse of validated questionnaires in the sexually inactive population, and the lack of a validated questionnaire specific to people with spina bifida. Conclusions Spina bifida impacts the sexual function of both men and women. Future studies should seek a better understanding of female sexual function and treatment, use validated questionnaires appropriately, and ultimately create a validated sexual function questionnaire specific to this population. Streur CS, Corona L, Smith JE, et al. Sexual Function of Men and Women With Spina Bifida: A Scoping Literature Review. Sex Med Rev 2021;9:244–266.
An Interactive Video Educational Tool Does Not Improve the Quality of Bowel Preparation for Colonoscopy: A Randomized Controlled Study

Inadequate bowel preparation leads to poor outcomes in colonoscopy. Prior investigations have demonstrated improved bowel preparation with pre-procedural educational videos. We aimed to determine whether an interactive, online educational video could improve bowel preparation scores in an outpatient population. We performed a prospective, endoscopist-blinded, randomized controlled trial at our hospital-based outpatient endoscopy center. Eligible patients were randomized to two groups. Both groups received standard verbal and written instructions, while the intervention group also received access to an interactive, online video. The primary outcome was improvement in the bowel preparation scores graded using the Boston bowel prep score (BBPS). Secondary outcomes included adenoma detection rate, total number of polyps detected, patient satisfaction, pre-procedure anxiety, and complication rates. The difference in BBPS in the intervention group (8) compared to the control group (7.6) did not meet statistical significance in our primary outcome of improvement in BBPS (p = 0.076). However, on subgroup analysis, there was a statistically significant improvement in BBPS in the intervention group among African Americans (p = 0.007) and patients older than 65 (p = 0.026). Those in the intervention arm rated pre-procedural materials “very easy” to understand significantly more often than in the control arm (p = 0.018). Use of an interactive, online educational video for bowel preparation did not lead to improvement in overall BBPS. However, among patients at higher risk for inadequate bowel preparation, such as African Americans and elderly patients, there may be a benefit.
The impact of the national stay-at-home order on emergency department visits for suspected opioid overdose during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract Background Although national syndromic surveillance data reported declines in emergency department (ED) visits after the declaration of the national stay-at-home order for COVID-19, little is known whether these declines were observed for suspected opioid overdose. Methods This interrupted time series study used syndromic surveillance data from four states participating in the HEALing Communities Study: Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio. All ED encounters for suspected opioid overdose (n = 48,301) occurring during the first 31 weeks of 2020 were included. We examined the impact of the national public health emergency for COVID-19 (declared on March 14, 2020) on trends in ED encounters for suspected opioid overdose. Results Three of four states (Massachusetts, New York and Ohio) experienced a statistically significant immediate decline in the rate of ED encounters for suspected opioid overdose (per 100,000) after the nationwide public health emergency declaration (MA: -0.99; 95 % CI: -1.75, -0.24; NY: -0.10; 95 % CI, -0.20, 0.0; OH: -0.33, 95 % CI: -0.58, -0.07). After this date, Ohio and Kentucky experienced a sustained rate of increase for a 13-week period. New York experienced a decrease in the rate of ED encounters for a 10-week period, after which the rate began to increase. In Massachusetts after a significant immediate decline in the rate of ED encounters, there was no significant difference in the rate of change for a 6-week period, followed by an immediate increase in the ED rate to higher than pre-COVID levels. Conclusions The heterogeneity in the trends in ED encounters between the four sites show that the national stay-at-home order had a differential impact on opioid overdose ED presentation in each state.
Oligosaccharides Isolated from Pig Submaxillary Mucin

Abstract The isolation and partial characterization of the carbohydrate side chains of pig submaxillary mucin are described. The most complex oligosaccharide, a pentasaccharide, is assigned a tentative structure.
Conceptual personalization technology: promoting effective self-directed, online learning

This paper presents an empirical learning study using a prototype system designed to provide fully automatic, domain-independent conceptual personalization algorithms The prototype system, the Customized Learning Service for Concept Knowledge (CLICK), was implemented as an adaptive essay writing environment in a scientific domain Results demonstrate that conceptual personalization promotes deep metacognitive strategies during online learning, and these strategies correlate with deep domain understanding.
RoboCup in Higher Education: A Preliminary Report

Since team-based projects have been proven to be an effective pedagogical tool, we have been using RoboCup challenges as the basis for class projects in undergraduate courses. This paper unifies several independent efforts in this direction and presents early work in the development of shared resources and evaluation. We outline three courses and describe the related class projects in order to make the context of our investigation clear and to make it possible for others to replicate or extend our work, and contribute to the shared resource.
Manipulating the onset of cell cycle withdrawal in differentiated erythroid cells with cyclin-dependent kinases and inhibitors.

Terminal differentiation of erythroid cells results in terminal cell divisions followed by irreversible cell cycle withdrawal of hemoglobinized cells. The mechanisms leading to cell cycle withdrawal were assessed in stable transfectants of murine erythroleukemia cells, in which the activities of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and CDK inhibitors (CDKIs) could be tightly regulated during differentiation. Cell cycle withdrawal of differentiating cells is mediated by induction of several CDKIs, thereby leading to inhibition of CDK2 and CDK4. Manipulation of CDK activity in differentiating cells demonstrates that the onset of cell cycle withdrawal can be either greatly accelerated or greatly delayed without affecting hemoglobin levels. Extending the proliferation of differentiating cells requires the synergistic action of CDK2 and CDK4. Importantly, CDK6 cannot substitute for CDK4 in this role, which demonstrates that the 2 cyclin D–dependent kinases are functionally different. The results show that differentiating hemoglobinized cells can be made to proliferate far beyond their normal capacity to divide.
ON THE ROAD WITH RELIGION‐AND‐SCIENCE AND THE ROMANCE OF THE PAST

. This essay responds to the question “Where Are We Going?Zygon and the Future of Religion-and-Science” and was first presented on 9 May 2009 at a symposium honoring Philip Hefner's editorship of Zygon. It offers four suggestions for the future of religion-and-science: Ask big questions; encourage cultural literacy in the public sphere; bring a critical voice to other academic disciplines; and include the history of philosophy.
Presynaptic nicotinic receptors facilitate monoaminergic transmission

Nicotine is reported to increase arousal and attention and to elevate mood, effects that are most often associated with changes in the function of monoaminergic neuromodulatory systems (Feldman et al., 1997). Recent studies have shown a nicotinic receptor-mediated presynaptic enhancement of fast glutamatergic (McGehee et al., 1995; Gray et al., 1996) and GABAergic (Lena and Changeux, 1997) transmission. However, the mechanism of nicotinic effects on metabotropic-mediated transmission in general, and on monoaminergic transmission in particular, is less well understood. We have examined nicotinic effects on dorsal raphe neurons of rats using whole-cell current and voltage-clamp recording techniques in vitro. In the majority of these neurons, activation of presynaptic nicotinic receptors induced a depolarization mediated by norepinephrine acting on alpha1 receptors. Blockade of this response revealed a hyperpolarization mediated by serotonin acting on 5-HT1A receptors. Because the norepinephrine effect was sensitive to methyllycaconitine (100 nM), it is concluded that nicotinic receptors with an alpha7 subunit can facilitate release of norepinephrine to activate metabotropic receptors. In contrast, methyllycaconitine-insensitive nicotinic receptors can induce 5-HT release in the dorsal raphe nucleus.
Ultrafast Coherent Terahertz Spectroscopy in High Magnetic Fields and Directed Energy Flows in Quantum Dot Assemblies

We describe the design, construction, and use of fiber-coupled terahertz antennas for performing ultrafast coherent THz spectroscopy directly in the cryogenic bore of high-field magnets. With an aim towards measuring the high-frequency (100 GHz to 2000 GHz) complex conductivity of correlated electron materials in the regime of low temperatures and high magnetic fields, these miniature THz emitters and receivers are demonstrated to work down to 1.5 K and up to 18 T, for eventual use in higher-field magnets. Results from a variety of semiconducting and superconducting samples are presented. This paper also describes a separate effort towards achieving coupling between colloidal semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots, wherein we realize and study inter-dot communication via resonant (Forster) energy transfer. We present studies of the dynamics of resonant energy transfer in monodisperse and energy gradient (layered) assemblies of CdSe nanocrystal quantum dots. Time- and spectrally-resolved photoluminescence data directly reveal the energy-dependent transfer rate of excitons from smaller to larger dots. Results from layered nanocrystal quantum dot assemblies demonstrate unidirectional energy flows, a first step towards artificial light-harvesting structures. Lastly, time-resolved studies at millikelvin temperatures elucidate the nature of ground-state "dark" excitons in these quantum dots.
Ac Losses in YBa2Cu3O7 and Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 Superconductors at Power Frequencies

ac losses of sintered and melt-textured YBa2Cu3O7 bars and powder-in-a-tube processed Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 tapes were measured at 4.2, 65, 70 and 77 K and at 15–180 Hz. In general, the results are well described by the critical state model for the ac losses. However, the losses for the Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 tapes at 4.2 K exhibited significant contributions from the eddy currents in the Ag sheath.
Maternal death from puerperal sepsis following vaginal delivery. A 17 year study in Michigan, 1950-1966.

Abstract Forty-four cases of fatal puerperal sepsis in women delivered vaginally in the second half of pregnancy are presented in this 17 year study in Michigan; its importance is underscored by the fact that in 5 of the last 6 years sepsis has been the number one cause of death in that state. Premature rupture of the membranes occurred in 75 per cent of the cases; sepsis became clinically evident before delivery in 66 per cent and following it in the remainder. There were equal numbers of ante- and postpartum infections in the first 10 years of the study, while there were 3 times as many antepartum as postpartum infections in the last 7 years. The reason for this is believed to be the advent of “new,” or more pathogenic strains of common vaginal bacteria in April, 1960, because starting in that month there was a doubling of the annual number of deaths from puerperal sepsis over previous figures.
Regulation of transcription attenuation and translation initiation by allosteric control of an RNA-binding protein: The Bacillus subtilis TRAP protein

Tryptophan allosterically controls the 11-subunit trp RNA-binding attenuation protein (TRAP) of Bacillus subtilis. When activated by tryptophan, TRAP binds to multiple trinucleotide repeats in target transcripts. TRAP is responsible for the decision to terminate transcription in the leader region of the trpEDCFBA operon or to allow transcription to proceed into the structural genes. TRAP also regulates translation of trpE by promoting formation of an RNA structure that prevents ribosome binding. In addition, bound TRAP regulates translation initiation of pabA, trpP and ycbK by directly blocking ribosome binding. The anti-TRAP protein inhibits TRAP activity by competing with RNA for the RNA binding surface of TRAP.
Impact of Fan Gap Flow to the Centrifugal Impeller Aerodynamics

The effect of a gap between an inlet duct and a rotating impeller in a centrifugal fan is often neglected in the impeller design calculations or design-related CFD analyses. This leads to an arbitrary determination of the gap size for the final fan configuration. Since the gap guides the volute flow back to the impeller flow field near the shroud high-curvature turning area, the low-momentum jet formed by the gap flow could prevent local flow from separation, reducing the local flow turning losses. However, this jet flow has enlarged flow separation in the blade passage producing shedding vorticity in the downstream passage flow. The passage-flow separation and the downstream volute flow, which is also affected by the passage-flow separation, have a higher impact on flow losses than the blade leading-edge separation. If the gap size is not selected carefully, the combined effect of the passage-flow separation and downstream volute-flow losses reduces the fan’s overall performance between 2% points and 5% points as demonstrated in the current study. In this paper, local impeller velocity distributions obtained from both design-CFD and analysis-CFD calculations are compared along the shroud from the gap to the blade trailing edge. The overall impeller flow fields with and without the gap and volute effects are also compared and discussed based on the CFD solutions. Finally, an example of controlling the gap effect is shown.
Effects of damage location and size on sparse representation of guided-waves for damage diagnosis of pipelines under varying temperature

In spite of their many advantages, real-world application of guided-waves for structural health monitoring (SHM) of pipelines is still quite limited. The challenges can be discussed under three headings: (1) Multiple modes, (2) Multipath reflections, and (3) Sensitivity to environmental and operational conditions (EOCs). These challenges are reviewed in the authors’ previous work. This paper is part of a study whose objective is to overcome these challenges for damage diagnosis of pipes, while addressing the limitations of the current approaches. That is, develop methods that simplify signal while retaining damage information, perform well as EOCs vary, and minimize the use of transducers. In this paper, a supervised method is proposed to extract a sparse subset of the ultrasonic guided-wave signals that contain optimal damage information for detection purposes. That is, a discriminant vector is calculated so that the projections of undamaged and damaged pipes on this vector is separated. In the training stage, data is recorded from intact pipe, and from a pipe with an artificial structural abnormality (to simulate any variation from intact condition). During the monitoring stage, test signals are projected on the discriminant vector, and these projections are used as damage-sensitive features for detection purposes. Being a supervised method, factors such as EOC variations, and difference in the characteristics of the structural abnormality in training and test data, may affect the detection performance. This paper reports the experiments investigating the extent to which the differences in damage size and damage location, as well as temperatures, can influence the discriminatory power of the extracted damage-sensitive features. The results suggest that, for practical ranges of monitoring and damage sizes of interest, the proposed method has low sensitivity to such training factors. High detection performances are obtained for temperature differences up to 14°C. The findings reported in this paper suggest that although the proposed method is a supervised approach, labeling of the training data does not require prior knowledge about the damage characteristics (e.g., size, location). Moreover, the potential of the proposed method for online monitoring is illustrated, for wide range of temperature variations and different damage scenarios.
Scalable matrix decompositions with multiple cores on FPGAs

Hardware accelerators are getting increasingly important in heterogeneous systems for many applications, including those that employ matrix decompositions. In recent years, a class of tiled matrix decomposition algorithms has been proposed for out-of-memory computations and multi-core architectures including GPU-based heterogeneous systems. However, on FPGAs these scalable solutions for large matrices are rarely found. In this paper we use the latest tiled decomposition algorithms from high performance linear algebra for off-chip memory access and loop mapping on multiple processing cores for on-chip computation to perform scalable and high performance QR and LU matrix decompositions on FPGAs.
Kondo insulator to antiferromagnet transition in heavy-fermion compounds

Abstract We study the symmetric Kondo lattice model by a variational Monte-Carlo approach in one and two dimensions. While in one dimension a Kondo insulator is always stable, by tuning the Kondo coupling we find a continuous phase transition between a Kondo insulator and an antiferromagnetic state in two dimensions. We compare this result with the recent experimental observations of the Kondo insulator and antiferromagnetic phases in ternary compounds CeNi1−x(Pd,Pt)xSn.
Bob was right

During his career Bob Brent has been instrumental in developing the methodology to use in determining whether an exposure in pregnancy has a harmful effect on the fetus. Experience has also shown the importance of using this approach to determine when an exposure is not teratogenic. Unfortunately, the attendant debate, as illustrated in two examples reviewed, exogenous sex hormones and Bendectin, requires persistence and a thick skin. Bob has recorded in several publications how he carried out these systematic analyses. This literature will be a very valuable legacy.
Development of severe left ventricular outflow tract obstruction over the course of 14 years: an unusual natural history of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.

A patient with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy who when first seen had a normal physial examination, chest x-ray, and electrocardiogram, and no provokable gradient with isoproterenol at cardiac catheterization, was re-evaluated after 14 years. At the time of re-evaluation, she was found to have a typical systolic ejection murmur, cardiomegaly, left ventricular hypertrophy, a pseudoinfarction pattern on electrocar-diography, and a significant subaortic gradient both by catheterization and by doppler. This case demonstrates that hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy can be a progressive disease and that patients with this condition warrant careful follow-up. Echocardiography with doppler may provide an excellent noninvasive method of following these patients.
Enzymatic Oxidation and Reduction of C19-Δ5-3β-Hydroxysteroids by Hepatic Microsomes. IV. Induction of DHA Hydroxylases and Aminopyrine N-Demethylase in Immature Male Rats by Androgens

The capacities of various C19 steroids for prematurely inducing the normal metabolic patterns of rat liver in adulthood (70 days old) have been studied with hepatic microsomes of 42-day-old males castrated on day 24, 30, 32, or 34 of life. Dehydroepiandrosterone 16α-hydroxylase activity was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) by castration during this 10-day interval but the 7α- and 7β- hydroxylases, the N-demethylation of aminopyrine, and cytochrome P-450 concentration were unaffected. Daily administration of testosterone stimulated the DHA 16α- and 7β-hydroxylases, aminopyrine N-demethylation, and increased the P-450 content, but suppressed the 7α-hydroxylase. These effects only appeared with more than 1 week of the continuous treatment. Testosterone was the most active of the androgens studied; dihydrotestosterone (DHT) increased the DHA 16α-hydroxylase to a lesser extent, but this steroid and etiocholanolone stimulated DHA 7α-hydroxylation; androsterone was totally ineffective. These data suggest that te...
A new technique to solve models for the reaction of solid particles and for parallel catalyst deactivation

Abstract Gas—solid non-catalytic reactions and/or parallel catalyst deactivation can often be described locally by a rate expression proportional to both solid reactant concentration (or catalyst activity) and gas reactant concentration. The reaction (deactivation) of a whole solid pellet is then represented by a coupled system of non-linear partial differential equations with prescribed boundary and initial conditions. Computations of solid conversion or the catalyst effectiveness factor by finite difference methods are often very lengthy and time consuming. In this paper the above system of partial differential equations is reduced by an integral transformation to a two-point non-linear boundary value problem in space for an ordinary differential equation. It is shown further that for a slab geometry an equivalent initial value problem in time can be formulated which allows rapid computations and solutions not only for the solid conversion and catalyst effectiveness factor but also for point gas and solid concentrations. This technique improves the computational procedure for these problems considerably. Extensions to other general rate forms and pellet geometries are presented.
Simple relations for the stability of heated-water laminar boundary layers

Dunn-Lin theory (1955) is shown to be applicable in the estimation of minimum critical Reynolds number for heated boundary layers. A parameter is defined to reflect the curvature of the velocity profile between wall and critical layer, and includes the variable kinematic viscosity. The value of the parameter is determined by assuming a linear viscosity profile, a parabolic velocity profile, and by calculating a dominant viscous term in the asymptotic solution of the Orr-Sommerfeld equation. The inclusion of the curvature permits accurate results for the laminar velocity profiles in the wall region. Comparisons are made between the obtained values and those derived from a numerical computation using the Orr-Sommerfeld equation for exact boundary layer profiles. Agreement is noted in predicting the location of the maximum attainable critical Reynolds number in certain cases, and the method is considered reliable within experimentally available pressure gradients and surface overheats.
Hijacking the web

Cookies revisited: Continuing the dialogue on personal security and underlying privacy issues.
X-ray standing wave study of Si/Ge/Si(001) heterostructures grown with Bi as a surfactant

X-ray standing wave (XSW) analysis was used for an atomic-scale structural study of ultra-thin Si/Ge heterostructures grown on Si(0 0 1) by surfactant mediated epitaxy with Bi as the surfactant. XSW measurements were performed for the Si(0 0 4) and Si(0 2 2) Bragg reflections for Ge coverages from 1 to 10 monolayers. The measured Ge coherent positions agree with the calculated Ge positions for a tetragonally distorted Ge lattice formed on Si(0 0 1) using continuum elasticity theory. However, the measured Ge coherent fractions are smaller than expected. The quality of the Si cap layer and its registry with the underlying Si(0 0 1) substrate lattice was also determined by combining the XSW technique with evanescent-wave emission.
HUMAN PERFORMANCE AND TRANSMISSIBILITY UNDER SINUSOIDAL AND MIXED VERTICAL VIBRATION

Abstract Six subjects performed a four-limb coordination task on a shaker table driven by both single sinusoidal frequencies of 2.5 Hz and 5.0 Hz, as well as by an electronic mixture of 2.5 Hz and 5.0 Hz. Vibration acceleration was held constant at 0.09 ms-2 (0,07 gz) rms, i.e., a level below the international standard ‘ fatigue-decresed proficiency ’ boundary for 2½ h vertical vibration exposures. Although vibration transmission through the body was equally as strong for the mixture comprised of only a 50% 5.0 Hz component as for the pure 5.0 Hz sinusoid, performance data indicated greatest overall impairment of response speed and greatest ‘ fatigue-decreased proficiency ’ under exposure to the vibration mixture. The vibration ‘ crest factor ’ is offered as a possible explanation of the results which question a basic assumption of ISO 2631–1974 that sinusoidal vibration data are directly generalisable to more realistic environmental exposures.
A uniform temperature test rig for thermoelectric generator characterization and testing

This paper proposes a test rig design to test thermoelectric generators. It outlines the design process and the selection of utilized materials. Selection of the heat source, design of the heater platform, and temperature control and monitoring are all outlined. A LabVIEW interface is developed for this purpose and a TEG is tested. Results show that the desired temperature is reached though at a slow thermal time constant. Characterization of the TEG is also presented where TEG I-V and P-V curves are generated.
Quantum oscillatory phenomena in graphite intercalated with AsF5

Abstract Both Shubnikov-de Haas and de Haas-van Alphen oscillations are reported for C 8n AsF 5 (n=1,2, is the stage number). The observed oscillations are interpreted in terms of a tight-binding model for the band structure, and good agreement with both band parameters and effective carrier masses is found. In addition, the effective charge transfer per AsF 5 molecule (f=.37 for stage 1, =.41 for stage 2) is in basic agreement with previous determinations.
Amateur stripping and gaming encounters: Fun in games or gaming as fun?

This observational study examined the utility of Goffman's (1961) concepts games and gaming encounters as they relate to the study of amateur stripping. The findings suggest that the concept of gaming encounters is particularly useful in studying the amateur stripping competition. As Goffman suggests, many games can be considered gaming encounters in that many of the explicit rules do not capture the subtleties and nuances of the interaction ritual. Rather, it is the implicit rules that dictate interaction strategies and styles. Unlike professional stripping literature, this study highlights the importance of incorporating the meanings that both the audience and the staff members contribute to this encounter.
The general theory of space-like congruences with an application to vorticity in relativistic hydrodynamics

Abstract In this paper the general theory of space-like congruences is developed. Expressions for the expansion, the rotation, and the shear of the space-like curves are derived and appropriate transport laws are introduced. As an application, we consider a congruence of vortex-lines and derive, in a simple way, the relativistic analogue of the Kelvin-Helmholtz theorem.
PAR8: A COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS COMPARING LEVALBUTEROL AND ALBUTEROL IN THE TREATMENT OF MODERATE TO SEVERE ASTHMA

OBJECTIVES: Adult patients with moderate to severe asthma could potentially avoid utilizing excessive health care resources by reducing the need for management of severe adverse effects associated with albuterol. This modeled analysis was performed from a managed care payer perspective to determine if nebulized levalbuterol is associated with a lower cost per decreased use of rescue inhaler, as compared with nebulized racemic albuterol over a four week period. METHODS: Cost data was obtained from a public hospital, an HMO, and the Red Book. Costs were measured in 2000 US dollars. Probabilities were derived from a clinical controlled trial and the National Center for Health Statistics. The primary outcome of interest was cost per decreased puff of rescue medication per twenty eight days. RESULTS: Levalbuterol (1.25 mg) decreased puffs by 7.5 over twenty eight days. However, the average expected costs for treatment with racemic albuterol (2.5 mg) is $116.94/month, $171.46/month for levalbuterol (0.63 mg) and $182.33/month for levalbuterol (1.25 mg). Cost-effectiveness ratios were $8.35, $24.50, and $8.80 for albuterol (2.5 mg), levalbuterol (0.63 mg) and levalbuterol (1.25 mg), respectively. Results were unchanged after sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Levalbuterol (1.25 mg) was beneficial over racemic albuterol (2.5 mg) in decreasing puffs of rescue medication over twenty eight days, but at an additional cost. An incremental cost-effectiveness analysis demonstrated it costs $9.73 for each additional decreased puff per day. The decision-maker needs to evaluate whether the additional effect is worth the added cost.
Policy Dilemmas of Post‐Soviet Countries

I wonder what the West would think of us if Russia were to urge it to undertake reforms that would cost it half its gross domestic product, lake 10 years off its average life expectancy, and reduce its standard of living by two-thirds while throwing millions of people out of work, causing social anarchy, and displacing millions of specialists from positions in their fields to the very lowest rungs of society….1
THE ENDO-EXOGENOUS METHOD OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHYTRIDIUM LAGENARIA

IN THE past decade and a half interest in the lower, relatively simple fungi like the chytrids has been increasing very rapidly, as is attested by the large number of papers which have recently appeared in mycological literature, and during this time almost a score of new genera has been added to this group. Many of these contributions, however, have been primarily systematic and have dealt largely with the occurrence and distribution of old and new species in different parts of the world. While such studies are of fundamental significance in relation to the problems of phylogeny and evolution of the fungi, they have, none the less, very often subordinated intensive study of individual species to general surveys and theoretical speculation. Frequently they have been based on isolated stages of development and thus have left wide gaps in our knowledge of the life cycles of the species presented as well as their degree of pathogenicity, host range, and host-parasite relationship. Furthermore, the accompanying drawings which are intended to illustrate the developmental stages are often highly schematized and diagrammatic, and fail to show adequately the critical, distinguishing structural characteristics. As a consequence many of the genera and species are poorly defined and often based on characters which with more intensive study may prove untenable. Thus in our present state of knowledge the genera Rhizophidittm, Phlyctochytrium, and Phlyctidium, for example, are distinguished only by slight differences in the character of the intramatrical vegetative portion of the thallus, and in the instance of a large number of fragmentarily known species it is impossible to assign them to any of these genera with certainty. Characters such as size and shape of zoosporangia, resting spores, and apophyses; number, length and diameter of exit tubes; size and shape of the apophyses, and extent and distribution of rhizoids, etc., are within certain limits often greatly modified by food supply and other environmental factors. In a culture of Diplophlyctis intestina, for instance, which the author isolated by zoospore infection from a single zoosporangium and has now been growing in cooked Nitella internodes for nearly ten years in the laboratory, the zoosporangia may vary tremendously in size, and in exceptional cases show almost any conceivable variation in shape. Elongated cylindrical, flat, dome-shaped, reticulated, and branched zoosporangia with from 1 to 8 exit tubes have often been found (Karling, 1930), and were it not for the presence of the apophysis and rhizoidal system as well as the more or less constancy in range of size and behavior of the zoospores one might readily mistake the thallus for that of another genus. Furthermore, the apophysis also may vary greatly in size and shape,
Mental practice enhances recruit police officers’ acquisition of critical psychomotor skills

Mental practice is a method for acquiring, rehearsing or enhancing a physical skill without using fine or gross motor movements. Experiments were made on 72 student police volunteers at the University of Illinois. Participants were allowed to evaluate their own mental images of firearm skills. Shows that treatment and control groups have practical and statistically significant differences in gain scores. Demonstrates that belief in the efficacy of mental practice is a key to high scoring.
Properties of transparent conducting oxides deposited at room temperature

Abstract A range of indium tin oxide (ITO) films were deposited on glass substrates at room temperature using reactive dc sputtering. The coatings were deposited in an Ar/O2 plasma, and their appearance immediately after deposition ranged from mirror-like to brown to clear. The chemical and physical properties of each of these films were benchmarked with a battery of analytical tools including XPS, Auger, XRD, resistance and thickness measurements. The impact of annealing on the films was also studied. Annealing the films tends to convert all coatings to transparent conductive layers due to oxidation reactions. Film resistance was also found to decrease with annealing. The chemical phenomena responsible for these characteristics are discussed.
Composition variations in pulsed-laser-deposited Y-Ba-Cu-O thin films as a function of deposition parameters

The composition of pulsed-ultraviolet-laser-deposited Y-Ba-Cu-O films was examined as a function of position across the substrate, laser fluence, laser spot size, substrate temperature, target conditioning, oxygen pressure and target-substrate distance. Laser fluence, laser spot size, and substrate temperature were found to have little effect on composition within the range investigated. Ablation from a fresh target surface results in films enriched in copper and barium, both of which decrease in concentration until a steady state condition is achieved. Oxygen pressure and target-substrate distance have a significant effect on film composition. In vacuum, copper and barium are slightly concentrated at the center of deposition. With the introduction of an oxygen background pressure, scattering results in copper and barium depletion in the deposition center, an effect which increases with increasing target-substrate distance. A balancing of these two effects results in stoichiometric deposition.
Pancreatic cancer: future outlook, promising trials, newer systemic agents, and strategies from the Gastrointestinal intergroup pancreatic cancer task force

This article summarizes the results of recent studies using newer agents, including farnesyl transferase inhibitors, matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors, inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor pathway, antiangiogenic therapeutics by inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor, and some forms of immunotherapy. Although some results have been disappointing, others seem to be promising, serving as a basis for planned larger trials.
Low-light NV-CMOS image sensors for day/night imaging

Traditionally, daylight and night vision imaging systems have required image intensifiers plus daytime cameras. But SRI’s new NV-CMOS™ image sensor technology is designed to capture images over the full range of illumination from bright sunlight to starlight. SRI’s NV-CMOS image sensors provide the low light sensitivity approaching that of an analog image intensifier tube with the cost, power, ruggedness, flexibility and convenience of a digital CMOS imager chip. NV-CMOS provides multi-megapixels at video frame rates with low noise ( Unlike conventional image intensifiers, the NV-CMOS image sensor outputs a digital signal, ideal for recording or sharing video as well as fusion with thermal imagery. The result is a substantial reduction in size and weight, ideal for SWaP-constrained missions such as UAVs and mobile operations. SRI’s motion adaptive noise reduction processing further increases the sensitivity and reduces image smear. Enhancement of moving targets in imagery captured under extreme low light conditions imposes difficult challenges. SRI has demonstrated that image registration provides a robust solution for enhancing global scene contrast under very low SNR conditions.
Text Mining, Names and Security

A Process Query System, a new approach to representing and querying multiple hypotheses, is proposed for cross-document co-reference and linking based on existing entity extraction, co-reference and database name-matching technologies. A crucial component of linking entities across documents is the ability to recognize when different name strings are potential references to the same entity. Given the extraordinary range of variation international names can take when rendered in the Roman alphabet, this is a daunting task. The extension of name variant matching to free text will add important text mining functionality for intelligence and security informaticsâ€™ toolkits.
Assessing faulty knowledge management systems in project-based organisations

This investigation contributes an action science approach to evaluate faulty Knowledge Management Systems (KMSs). It also contributes a model of a faulty KMS. We developed and implemented a seven-step action science approach to evaluate an underperforming KMS in a Research and Development (R&D) organisation. We used literature and our experience as applied researchers to develop the approach. To develop the model, we additionally used the data we collected from the R&D organisation. The model represents the systemic relationships hampering knowledge creation, transfer and application in the R&D organisation in a one-way, open-loop system model. This investigation addresses the gaps in the literature about a general model and an approach that can guide organisations to evaluate underperforming KMSs. Organisations can use the results of this investigation as a guide to enhance and design KMSs. Investigators can also use the results as a foundation for further R&D in Knowledge Management (KM).
Modular Leonard triples

Abstract Let K denote a field, and let V denote a vector space over K of finite positive dimension. An ordered triple A , A * , A ♢ of linear operators on V is said to be a Leonard triple whenever for each B ∈ { A , A * , A ♢ } , there exists a basis of V with respect to which the matrix representing B is diagonal and the matrices representing the other two operators are irreducible tridiagonal. A Leonard triple A , A * , A ♢ is said to be modular whenever for each B ∈ { A , A * , A ♢ } , there exists an antiautomorphism of End( V ) which fixes B and swaps the other two operators. We classify the modular Leonard triples up to isomorphism.