cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Matrix isolation and computational study of the thermal and photochemical reactions of CrCl2O2 with GeH4, AsH3 and SeH2

Abstract Matrix isolation has been combined with infrared spectroscopy and theoretical calculations to study intermediates formed in the thermal and photochemical reactions of CrCl 2 O 2 with GeH 4 , AsH 3 and H 2 Se in argon matrices. Photochemical reactions occurred for all 3 systems with light of λ > 300 nm, leading to multiple products with GeH 4 and AsH 3 . For GeH 4 , O atom insertion into a Ge–H bond to form H 3 GeOH complexed to CrCl 2 O was observed, along with a novel product arising from H 2 elimination, H 2 ClGe–O–CrCl 2 O. With AsH 3 , insertion to form the H 2 AsOH–CrCl 2 O complex was observed, along with valence expansion and O atom addition to form the H 3 AsO–CrCl 2 O complex. Product identification came through comparison to theoretical calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++g(d,2p) level, and through isotopic labeling for the arsenic system. Band intensities and product yields were sufficiently low with H 2 Se that only HSeOH–CrCl 2 O could be tentatively identified. Trends for O atom insertion versus O atom addition via valence expansion were explored.
Substituted 2-[(4-Aminomethyl)phenoxy]-2-methylpropionic Acid PPARα Agonists. 1. Discovery of a Novel Series of Potent HDLc Raising Agents

The peroxisome proliferator activated receptors PPARα, PPARγ, and PPARδ are ligand-activated transcription factors that play a key role in lipid homeostasis. The fibrates raise circulating levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lower levels of triglycerides in part through their activity as PPARα agonists; however, the low potency and restricted selectivity of the fibrates may limit their efficacy, and it would be desirable to develop more potent and selective PPARα agonists. Modification of the selective PPARδ agonist 1 (GW501516) so as to incorporate the 2-aryl-2-methylpropionic acid group of the fibrates led to a marked shift in potency and selectivity toward PPARα agonism. Optimization of the series gave 25a, which shows EC50 = 4 nM on PPARα and at least 500-fold selectivity versus PPARδ and PPARγ. Compound 25a (GW590735) has been progressed to clinical trials for the treatment of diseases of lipid imbalance.
Discovery of the Pendulum and Spring Dynamics in the Early Stages of Walking

The authors investigated the self-selected, overground walking patterns of 7 children (aged 11 months to 1 year, 5 months) at the initiation of walking (brand-new walkers [BNWs]) and for the next 6 months at 1-month intervals. Walking speed, stride length, and stride frequency increased significantly between the first 2 visits without significant changes in height and weight. The authors calculated sagittal plane angular accelerations of the center of mass over the foot for each step as an indicator of the escapement pulse. Results for the acceleration profiles changed after the 1st visit to positive, single-peaked accelerations that occurred < 0.20 s after initial foot contact. Increases in sagittal plane hip angular displacement and decreases in frontal plane pelvic angular displacement were observed. The pattern changes suggest that children quickly discover appropriately timed and directed escapements that initiate and support the conservative sagittal plane pendulum and spring dynamics observed in older children.
Fuzzy sets and the modelling of physician decision processes, part II: fuzzy diagnosis decision models

Abstract Our concern is with the development of a more accurate mathematical model of physician diagnosis decision processes. Using the complete information net of matrices outputed from Part I, the various diagnoses processes—medical hypothesis, initial preliminary diagnoses, other preliminary diagnosis and final diagnoses, are modelled as fuzzy matrices. A general fuzzy decision model which could be particularized to each of the foregoing cases is then developed. Our general technique is based on fuzzy clustering theory with the criterion function being a modified form of the minimum Minkowski metric.
Battery energy consumption footprint of embedded multimedia systems

The rapid demand of mobile multimedia causes a grant challenge on energy and environment. However, little research has been done on the carbon footprint of embedded multimedia system. To fill this gap, this paper presents a comprehensive architecture to measure the carbon footprint of H.264 codec, which has been widely used in mobile multimedia systems. The measurement results of H.264 under various system operation modes provide an insightful guideline to design and optimize system parameters to minimize the carbon footprint of various embedded multimedia systems.
Symmetry as a Criterion for Comprehension Motivating Quine’s ‘New Foundations’

A common objection to Quine’s set theory “New Foundations” is that it is inadequately motivated because the restriction on comprehension which appears to avert paradox is a syntactical trick. We present a semantic criterion for determining whether a class is a set (a kind of symmetry) which motivates NF.
A markov random field model of contamination source identification in porous media flow

Abstract A contamination source identification problem in constant porous media flow is addressed by solving the advection–dispersion equation (ADE) with a hierarchical Bayesian computation method backward through time. The contaminant concentration is modeled as a pair-wise Markov random field (MRF) and the distribution is updated using current concentration measurements at finite locations. Hierarchical Bayesian analysis is used to derive the posterior distribution of the contaminant concentration at past time points. The posterior mean estimate is computed using a modified single-component Gibbs algorithm. The methodology is first tested via examples of contaminant identification in a homogeneous porous medium using both diffusion-dominated and convection-dominated conditions. A heterogeneous porous media flow case is also examined. In all the numerical studies reported, the anisotropic dispersion effect is considered. It is verified that the MRF model can effectively model the spatial correlation of the concentration field, and the presented approach can provide accurate solutions to the ill-posed inverse problem.
Preparative Electrophoresis of Human Lymphocytes I. Purification of Non-Immunoglobulin-Bearing Lymphocytes by Electrophoretic Levitation

Abstract When 10–30 × 106 human peripheral lymphocytes are electrophoresed in an upward direction in a vertical column for 1 to 1–1/2 hour at 12 V/cm at pH 7.1, the fastest migrating fraction of 3–10 × 10 lymphocytes consists of 98–100%. non-immunoglobulin-bearing lymphocytes, as determined by immunofluorescence with anti-human immunoglobulin conjugate. The method can be applied to fresh human lymphocytes as well as to lymphocytes that have been frozen and thawed and, if glycerol is added to the buffer as a cryoprotectant, the fast “T” cell fraction can be frozen immediately, to be stored for later use. Similar separations can be obtained with lymphocytes from human tonsils.
Understanding non-industrialized workers' approaches to safety: how do commercial fishermen "stay safe"?

Abstract Background Commercial fishing is carried out worldwide, often in non-industrialized forms, and is associated with high rates of fatal and non-fatal occupational injury. Problem Fishermen who work independently in non-industrialized settings do not have access to union or industry sponsored safety services and must make their own decisions about safety practices. Learning the meaning of safety for them and the safety measures they employ is important before developing interventions. Methods Two fieldworkers conducted in-depth ethnographic interviews with 31 commercial fishermen in North Carolina. Interviews and fieldnotes were analyzed using QSR N5. Results Fishermen primarily related staying safe to work practices and attitudes. They identified specific safety measures, appropriate gear and boat maintenance, weather decisions, and working cooperatively when ocean fishing. Discussion The ethnographic research process can produce information about a group's norms of preventive behavior and safety concerns. Knowledge of workers' concepts and practices will inform researchers' inquiries.
The synthesis, X-ray structure analysis, and photophysical characterization of 4-[(E)-2-(4-cyanophenyl)diazenyl]-morpholine

4-[(E)-2-(4-Carboxyphenyl)diazenyl]-morpholine (1) was prepared in 33% yield from a coupling reaction between morpholine and the diazonium ion formed from 4-aminobenzoic acid. X-ray structural analysis of 1 yielded two important insights into its structure: the geometry of the N―N double bond and the partial delocalization across the linear triazene moiety. The absorption spectra of 1 in dilute acetonitrile and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran solutions both featured an intense (e ≈ 20,000 M−1cm−1) band centered at 320–324 nm that was assigned as a mixture of π π* and n π* transitions. Emission was observed at 383 and 379 nm from dilute acetonitrile and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran solutions of 1, respectively, with the latter being red-shifted to 439 nm at 77 K. Emission lifetime data for compound 1 provided evidence that the emission was a mixture of two excited state transitions.
Cationic Liposome-Mediated Gene Delivery Via Systemic Administration

AbstractCationic liposomes have been studied as a potential carrier for delivering genes to cells for the purpose of gene therapy. This report summarizes our efforts to characterize the in vivo expression of transgene delivered by cationic liposomes via intravenous administrtion. Using a CMV driven gene expression system containing cDNA of luciferase or green fluorescence protein gene as a reporter and two commonly used cationic lipids, 2, 3-dioleoyloxypropyl-1-trimethyl ammonium chloride (DOTMA) and 2, 3-dioleoyloxyl-1-trimethylammonium propanyl chloride (DOTAP), we demonstrate that a significant level of gene expression can be obtained in different organs including the lung, heart, spleen, liver and kidneys following intravenous administration in the mouse. Our finding show that the transfection efficiency of cationic liposomes is determined by the structure of the cationic lipids, the lipid composition of liposomes and cationic lipid to DNA ratio. Furthermore, gene expression was short in duration, pea...
A two-dimensional spectrum analysis for sedimentation velocity experiments of mixtures with heterogeneity in molecular weight and shape

We report a model-independent analysis approach for fitting sedimentation velocity data which permits simultaneous determination of shape and molecular weight distributions for mono- and polydisperse solutions of macromolecules. Our approach allows for heterogeneity in the frictional domain, providing a more faithful description of the experimental data for cases where frictional ratios are not identical for all components. Because of increased accuracy in the frictional properties of each component, our method also provides more reliable molecular weight distributions in the general case. The method is based on a fine grained two-dimensional grid search over s and f/f 0, where the grid is a linear combination of whole boundary models represented by finite element solutions of the Lamm equation with sedimentation and diffusion parameters corresponding to the grid points. A Monte Carlo approach is used to characterize confidence limits for the determined solutes. Computational algorithms addressing the very large memory needs for a fine grained search are discussed. The method is suitable for globally fitting multi-speed experiments, and constraints based on prior knowledge about the experimental system can be imposed. Time- and radially invariant noise can be eliminated. Serial and parallel implementations of the method are presented. We demonstrate with simulated and experimental data of known composition that our method provides superior accuracy and lower variance fits to experimental data compared to other methods in use today, and show that it can be used to identify modes of aggregation and slow polymerization.
Sexual victimization: incidence, knowledge and resource use among a population of college women

Abstract Study Objective To assess the incidence of sexual victimization among a convenience sample of college women and evaluate both victims and non-victims' knowledge and use of available on and off campus resources. Design Written questionnaire distributed to students in lobbies of two campus libraries and large computing center Setting A private northeastern university Participants Upper-class undergraduate women (sophomores, juniors and seniors) Main Outcome Measures Respondents (n = 234) were asked to complete demographic information, report instances of sexual victimization (including rape, sexual coercion and unwanted sexual contact) that occurred during the 1999–2000 academic year and indicate whether they would or did use either university and/or outside resources available to sexual assault victims. Results Of the women who participated, 38% (90/234) affirmed one or more episodes of sexual victimization, with 6% (14/234) reporting a completed rape and 4% (9/234) an attempted rape. Drug or alcohol-related impairment leading to unwanted sexual activity was reported by 15% (35/234) of women. Utilization of available on- and off-campus resources was uncommon among victims (22% and 6%, respectively); 12% contacted health services, while only 4% reported an event to university security. Victims cited fear, embarrassment and guilt, as well as lack of confidentiality, as the most common reasons for failure to use resources. Conclusions Increasing campus awareness of sexual victimization and removing barriers to access for victims should remain university goals.
Developing a Content Management System for SIGUCCS

In this paper, I will explore the development of an open source Plone content management system for the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Special Interest Group on University and College Computing Services (SIGUCCS) 2008 Fall Conference committee. I will recount the first year of development and look at where the site is headed. This includes challenges and limitations faced as well as looking at the improvements that will be made in order to alleviate problems.
Multiprocessing in Meteorological Models

This book is the record of two workshops on parallel processing. The first was held in December 1984; its papers are the first 236 pages of this volume. The second workshop convened 2 years later. It is unusual to combine two conferences that were held so far apart into a single volume. It is also surprising that these papers were published in hardcover rather than the usual paperback. Nevertheless, these publishing decisions were wise. The book is a good archive that will be useful to meteorologists for years to come.
Rational-Emotive Staff Development.

The application of Rational-Emotive Therapy principles and techniques in in-service education for school personnel is discussed. Teachers and counselors participated in a staff development program designed to: (a) help participants develop an understanding of how emotions work, (b) decrease irrational beliefs among participants, (c) provide participants with techniques to manage their emotions more effectively, and (d) provide participants with techniques useful in helping students to manage their emotions more effectively. All four program goals were met. Implications of these findings are discussed in light of previous research.
A Game Theory Approach to Detect Malicious Nodes in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks has grown a lot in recent years and offers excellent opportunities in defense related applications such as monitoring environment and collecting data related to antisocial activities. Currently, the needs of wireless sensors have become inevitable in daily life. With the continuous growth of Wireless sensor networks in daily life, business, and defense applications, the security of transferring data from sensors to their destination has become an important research area. Due to the limitations of power, storage, and processing capabilities, current security mechanisms of wireless networks or wired networks can not apply directly to wireless sensor networks. So there is a need to develop new techniques or modify the current security mechanisms to transfer data from source (from the field) to base station (destination). In this paper, we discuss currently available intrusion detection techniques, attack models using game theory, and then propose a new framework to detect malicious nodes using zero sum game approach for nodes in the forward data path. The first part of research provides the game model with probability of energy required for transferring the data packets. The second part derives the model to detect the malicious nodes using probability of acknowledgement at source.
Identification and analysis of a hyperactive mutant form of Drosophila P-element transposase.

Transposition in many organisms is regulated to control the frequency of DNA damage caused by the DNA breakage and joining reactions. However, genetic studies in prokaryotic systems have led to the isolation of mutant transposase proteins with higher or novel activities compared to those of the wild-type protein. In the course of our study of the effects of mutating potential ATM-family DNA damage checkpoint protein kinase sites in the Drosophila P -element transposase protein, we found one mutation, S129A, that resulted in an elevated level of transposase activity using in vivo recombination assays, including P -element-mediated germline transformation. In vitro assays for P -element transposase activity indicate that the S129A mutant exhibits elevated donor DNA cleavage activity when compared to the wild-type protein, whereas the strand-transfer activity is similar to that of wild type. This difference may reflect the nature of the in vitro assays and that normally in vivo the two reactions may proceed in concert. The P -element transposase protein contains 10 potential consensus phosphorylation sites for the ATM family of PI3-related protein kinases. Of these 10 sites, 8 affect transposase activity either positively or negatively when substituted individually with alanine and tested in vivo . A mutant transposase protein that contains all eight N-terminal serine and threonine residues substituted with alanine is inactive and can be restored to full activity by substitution of wild-type amino acids back at only 3 of the 8 positions. These data suggest that the activity of P -element transposase may be regulated by phosphorylation and demonstrate that one mutation, S129A, results in hyperactive transposition.
Thresholdless nanoscale coaxial lasers

The effects of cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED), caused by the interaction of matter and the electromagnetic field in subwavelength resonant structures, have been the subject of intense research in recent years. The generation of coherent radiation by subwavelength resonant structures has attracted considerable interest, not only as a means of exploring the QED effects that emerge at small volume, but also for its potential in applications ranging from on-chip optical communication to ultrahigh-resolution and high-throughput imaging, sensing and spectroscopy. One such strand of research is aimed at developing the 'ultimate' nanolaser: a scalable, low-threshold, efficient source of radiation that operates at room temperature and occupies a small volume on a chip. Different resonators have been proposed for the realization of such a nanolaser--microdisk and photonic bandgap resonators, and, more recently, metallic, metallo-dielectric and plasmonic resonators. But progress towards realizing the ultimate nanolaser has been hindered by the lack of a systematic approach to scaling down the size of the laser cavity without significantly increasing the threshold power required for lasing. Here we describe a family of coaxial nanostructured cavities that potentially solve the resonator scalability challenge by means of their geometry and metal composition. Using these coaxial nanocavities, we demonstrate the smallest room-temperature, continuous-wave telecommunications-frequency laser to date. In addition, by further modifying the design of these coaxial nanocavities, we achieve thresholdless lasing with a broadband gain medium. In addition to enabling laser applications, these nanoscale resonators should provide a powerful platform for the development of other QED devices and metamaterials in which atom-field interactions generate new functionalities.
Failure of Testosterone to Alter the Responsiveness to Insulin in Diabetes Mellitus.

SummaryThe administration of testosterone propionate in doses of 10, 25, or 50 mg daily for a period of 10 days to 13 patients with diabetes mellitus failed to alter significantly the responsiveness to insulin in all but one. It is suggested that the presence of the side-chain attached to carbon atom 17 in the steroid molecule may be essential for this activity.
Ideological Moderates Won’t Run: How Party Fit Matters for Partisan Polarization in Congress

Scholars have focused on elite-level and mass-level changes to explain partisan polarization in Congress. This article offers a candidate entry explanation for the persistence of polarization and the rise in asymmetric polarization. The central claim is that ideological conformity with the party—what I call party fit—influences the decision to run for office, and I suggest that partisan polarization in Congress has discouraged ideological moderates in the pipeline from pursuing a congressional career. I test this hypothesis with a survey of state legislators and with ideology estimates of state legislators who did and did not run for Congress from 2000 to 2010. I find that liberal Republican and conservative Democratic state legislators are less likely to run for Congress than those at the ideological poles, though this disparity is especially pronounced among Republicans. The findings provide an additional explanation for recent patterns of polarization in Congress.
Vibrational Analysis of the Emission Bands of Germanous Oxide

Twenty-one bands degraded to the red and associated with GeO have been observed in the region $\ensuremath{\lambda}2500$ to $\ensuremath{\lambda}2900$ The wave numbers of the band heads are expressed by the equation $\ensuremath{\nu}=37763.7+649.4 ({v}^{\ensuremath{'}}+\frac{1}{2})\ensuremath{-}3.81 {({v}^{\ensuremath{'}}+\frac{1}{2})}^{2}\ensuremath{-}985.0 ({v}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}+\frac{1}{2})+4.36 {({v}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}+\frac{1}{2})}^{2}.$ Attention is called to the regular variation of the dissociation energies for the normal states of the monoxides and monosulphides of the fourth periodic column. It is shown that the electronic transition $^{1}\ensuremath{\Pi}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}$ for the GeO system seems to agree best with the available evidence. It is found that the quantity ${{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{e}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}{{r}_{e}}^{2}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}16}$ cm is very nearly constant for the fourth column monoxides. From this it is concluded that 1.65\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.06A is a good value of ${r}_{e}$ for GeO. The dense structure due to overlapping bands and isotope effect makes rotational analysis extremely difficult.
Drop Detachment and Motion on Fuel Cell Electrode Materials

Liquid water is pushed through flow channels of fuel cells, where one surface is a porous carbon electrode made up of carbon fibers. Water drops grow on the fibrous carbon surface in the gas flow channel. The drops adhere to the superficial fiber surfaces but exhibit little penetration into the voids between the fibers. The fibrous surfaces are hydrophobic, but there is a substantial threshold force necessary to initiate water drop motion. Once the water drops begin to move, however, the adhesive force decreases and drops move with minimal friction, similar to motion on superhydrophobic materials. We report here studies of water wetting and water drop motion on typical porous carbon materials (carbon paper and carbon cloth) employed in fuel cells. The static coefficient of friction on these textured surfaces is comparable to that for smooth Teflon. But the dynamic coefficient of friction is several orders of magnitude smaller on the textured surfaces than on smooth Teflon. Carbon cloth displays a much sma...
Effect of HPA non-linearities on crosstalk and performance of digital radio systems

The performance of 64-QAM and 256-QAM systems amplified by nonlinear power amplifiers (HPAs) is investigated. Two types of HPAs are considered in the analysis. The quadrature crosstalk between the I and Q channels due to AM/AM and AM/PM conversion of the nonlinearities of the HPAs is studied by computer simulation and experimentally. The results reveal that the quadrature crosstalk is mainly caused by AM/PM conversion and that crosstalk is reduced when the output power backoff (OBO) is increased. However, for some HPAs, the crosstalk has the minimum in a certain range of OBO. The power spectra of intermodulation products caused by the nonlinearities of HPAs are shown. In addition, the probability of error performance, P(e), is computed for two types of HPAs and different OBO. A comparison of eye and constellation diagrams for TWTA operating at the different OBO is also given. >
Subproblem-Tree Calibration: A Unified Approach to Max-Product Message Passing

Max-product (max-sum) message passing algorithms are widely used for MAP inference in MRFs. It has many variants sharing a common flavor of passing "messages" over some graph-object. Recent advances revealed that its convergent versions (such as MPLP, MSD, TRW-S) can be viewed as performing block coordinate descent (BCD) in a dual objective. That is, each BCD step achieves dual-optimal w.r.t. a block of dual variables (messages), thereby decreases the dual objective monotonically. However, most existing algorithms are limited to updating blocks selected in rather restricted ways. In this paper, we show a "unified" message passing algorithm that: (a) subsumes MPLP, MSD, and TRW-S as special cases when applied to their respective choices of dual objective and blocks, and (b) is able to perform BCD under much more flexible choices of blocks (including very large blocks) as well as the dual objective itself (that arise from an arbitrary dual decomposition).
The Elastic Symmetry of Arterial Segments in Dogs

Elastic symmetry was studied in the middle descending thoracic aorta, abdominal aorta, and left common carotid artery under physiologic ranges of loading in ten dogs. A segment of the blood vessel was isolated and hung vertically. As the segment was pressurized, the radius, length, and the rotation of the lower end of the vessel were measured with respect to the fixed upper end. In addition, the angular displacement of a glass whisker initially placed perpendicularly through the wall was measured. From these data it was possible to calculate the values of shearing strains and elongating strains associated with pressurization and various imposed longitudinal stresses. The values of shearing strain varied from 0.003 to 0.115 over pressure ranges of 3 to 270 cm H2O. In all instances the values of shearing strain were much smaller than the corresponding elongating strains. It was concluded that the vessel has elastic properties that are nearly symmetrical about the planes perpendicular to principal stresses under physiologic loading, i.e., the vessel may be treated as a cylindrically orthotropic tube.
Elevated International Normalized Ratio values in a patient receiving warfarin and ceftaroline

Purpose The case of a patient whose International Normalized Ratio (INR) became elevated due to a probable interaction between ceftaroline and warfarin is reported. Summary A 65-year-old African-American man developed an INR of >18.0 after completing 12 days of ceftaroline therapy for the treatment of cellulitis while taking warfarin therapy. The patient was on warfarin due to his history of deep vein thrombosis of a lower extremity and pulmonary embolism, and his INR was consistently therapeutic for approximately 2 years before ceftaroline therapy. The patient reported no known drug allergies, had no history of adverse drug reactions, and had no recent changes in medications or diet. Phytonadione was administered, and the patient’s INR began to decrease, returning to a therapeutic range of 2.30 after approximately 48 hours, at which time warfarin was restarted. After six days of hospitalization, the patient was discharged on his previous regimen of warfarin 7.5 mg orally once daily, with a therapeutic INR of 2.11. His cellulitis had resolved, so no further antibiotic therapy was warranted. To determine the likelihood of the drug interaction between warfarin and ceftaroline in this patient, the Drug Interaction Probability Scale of Horn and colleagues was applied and yielded a score of 6, indicating a probable likelihood of an interaction. Rechallenge was not attempted, as the patient’s cellulitis had resolved and there were no evident signs or symptoms of infection. Conclusion A 65-year-old man experienced an increase in INR values after the addition of ceftaroline to his medication regimen.
The Specialized Heat-Sensitive Areas of the Moroccan Locust, Dociostaurus Maroccanus (Thunberg), and of Several Closely-Related Species

At the conclusion of a study of the specialized heat-sensitive areas on the surface of the body of more than 120 species of grasshoppers and locusts (Slifer, 1953b) it was stated that: “Those species of locusts and grasshoppers which occur in such large numbers as to be grave agricultural pests are all well provided with heat-sensitive areas.” The investigation had included such important plague species as Locusta migratoria migratorioides (Reiche and Fairmaire), Locustana pardalina (Walker), Nomadacris septemfasciata Serville, Schistocerca gregaria (Forskal), Camnula pellucida (Scudder), Melanoplus bivittatus (Say), Melanoplus differ entialis differentialis (Thomas), Melanoplus differentialis nigricans Cockerell, Melanoplus femur-rubrum femur-rubrum (DeGeer) and Melanoplus keeleri luridus (Dodge). Several other species which are of major economic importance had to be omitted because preserved material in Reiche suitable condition for study could not be obtained at the time. Dociostaurus maroccanus (Thunberg), the Moroccan locust, was one of these. Later, through the kindness of Mr. J. P. Dempster of the Department of Agriculture in Nicosia, Cyprus and Dr. S. Okay of the Department of Zoology at the University of Ankara in Ankara, Turkey, well-preserved specimens of the Moroccan locust were obtained and the results of an examination of this material are recorded here. In addition, a study has been made of four species which are closely related to the Moroccan locust. These were furnished by Dr. B. P. Uvarov of the Anti-Locust Research Centre in London.
Decreases in Migrating Sharp-Shinned Hawks (Accipiter Striatus) at Traditional Raptor-Migration Watch Sites in Eastern North America

ABSTRACr.-Each fall, migrating Sharp-shinned Hawks (Accipiter striatus) are counted at traditional raptor-migration watch sites in eastern North America. During the 1980s and early 1990s, declines in the numbers of Sharp-shinned Hawks sighted at many of these sites raised concerns about the population status of the species. Using count data from Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Pennsylvania, and Cape May Point, New Jersey, we offer additional evidence that the reported decline is greater at raptor-migration watch sites along the Atlantic coast than at sites farther inland. Band-recovery data for fall migrants indicate that Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and Cape May Point count birds that essentially are from the same eastern population. An analysis of Christmas-bird-count data for easternmost North America during the 1980s indicates significant increases in the numbers of Sharp-shinned Hawks observed north of the two sites. We suggest that at least part of the decline in numbers of Sharp-shinned Hawks sighted at traditional watch sites in eastern North America may result from migratory short stopping. Received 29 September 1994, accepted 18 March 1995. EARLIER THIS CENTURY, declines in the numbers of birds of prey at traditional raptor-migration watch sites were correctly interpreted
Teaching an Undergraduate Introductory Finite Element Analysis Course: Successful Implementation for Students Learning

In our institution, we offer a one-quarter long finite element analysis (FEA) class for Mechanical Engineering curriculum. This course teaches computational methods to solve engineering problems using the state of art FEA software ANSYS. The coursework involves teaching fundamental mathematical theories to build the concept, analyzing simple structural problems using matrix algebra, and then solving a wide variety of engineering problems dealing with statics, dynamics, heat transfer and others. Students enrolled in this class solve varieties of problem by analytical approach, finite element approach using matrix algebra, using APDL (ANSYS Parametric Design Language) and ANSYS Workbench. As we are in quarter system, it is challenging to solve additional multidisciplinary complex engineering problems in regular class lectures. Therefore, students enrolled in this class are required to conduct a project solvable by student version of ANSYS within very short time. The project must have adequate engineering complexity conveying interesting knowledge or technical concepts to the entire class. Students have to prepare a brief written report, and share what they have learned with the entire class giving an oral presentation. While a course in FEA could be a common offering in many universities, the author of this paper presents the pedagogical approaches undertaken to successfully implement the course objectives to the undergraduate engineering students. The topics and techniques applied to teach different concepts of FEA to enhance students learning outcomes are addressed in this paper.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Detection of CNGA1 mutation in Chinese families with autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa

Objective To detect α-cGMP-gated cation channel (CNGA1) mutation in Chinese families with autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (ARRP).Design Comparative experimental study.Participants 35 ARRP probands and 55 sporadic RP patients were analyzed,100 non-related normal subjects were collected as controls.Methods Genetic DNA was prepared from peripheral blood leukocytes using DNA Isolation Kits for Mammalian Blood.The complete coding region and exon-intron splice sites of CNGA1 gene were amplified with polymerase chain reaction (PCR).DNA single-strand conformation polymorphism(SSCP) technique was used to screen CNGA1 gene mutation.PCR products were loaded on a 10% polyacryamide gel.After electrophoresis the polyacryamid gel was silver stained.When a variant band was discovered with SSCP electrophoresis,the variant band were analyzed with sequencing PCR-amplified DNA.Main Outcome Measures Identifying mutations in the CNGA1 gene using PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing techniques.Results No mutation was found in these patients.Conclusions Further study should be required for knowing CNGA1 gene mutation in Chinese patients with RP.
5 ASSOCIATION OF UGT1A1 POLYMORPHISM AND BILIRUBIN LEVELS IN FEMALE MULTI-RACIAL/ETHNIC COHORT

Background UGT1A1 is key in bilirubin catabolism as well as estradiol, xenobiotic, and drug metabolism. Low expression of UGT1A1 due to increased TA repeats has been associated with bilirubin levels, increased drug toxicity, and cancer risk in select populations (Bosma et al., 1995; Iyer et. al. 1997; Ando et al., 2000; Adegoke et al, 2004; Duguay et al, 2004). We have recently identified novel functional variants (SNPs) within the evolutionarily conserved regions of UGT1A1, including ethnic specific SNPs. To test the hypothesis that mean serum bilirubin level (MSBL) is higher in cancer cases compared to controls, varies by gender, race, and ethnicity, and is correlated to UGT1AI genotypes, we performed a preliminary analysis of bilirubin levels in an ethnically diverse cohort of women seen in a cancer risk clinic under IRB approved protocols. Methods UGT1A1 SNPs, including ethnic specific SNPs, and TA repeat number will be typed in each individual and genotypes as well as specific haplotypes will be correlated to bilirubin levels. Results Of 787 patients evaluated in the clinic, 158 individuals had DNA samples and bilirubin levels available. Of these, 124 were female. There were 36 African Americans (AA) and 88 Caucasians (CA); 97 were affected with cancer and 27 were unaffected members of high-risk families. Total sample had a MSBL of 0.45 ml/dL ± 0.19. Consistent with previous reports, we observed significant variability in bilirubin levels across racial/ethnic groups. AA had a MSBL of 0.39 ± 0.17 while CA had a MSBL of 0.47 ± 0.19 with a p-value of 0.004 from a t-test after log transformation. Conclusions We have established in our population that MSBL is lower in AA compared to CA, differences that could potentially explain disparities in health outcomes among AA and CA populations. Future work will correlate bilirubin levels to UGT1A1 genotypes to determine if serum bilirubin levels can be used as surrogate for specific genotypes that correlate with cancer risk in a larger study of cancer cases and controls.
A trifunctional multi-walled carbon nanotubes/polyethylene glycol (MWCNT/PEG)-coated separator through a layer-by-layer coating strategy for high-energy Li–S batteries

A trifunctional separator fabricated by using a light-weight layer-by-layer multi-walled carbon nanotubes/polyethylene glycol (MWCNT/PEG) coating has been explored in lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries. The conductive MWCNT/PEG coating serves as (i) an upper current collector for accelerating the electron transport and benefiting the electrochemical reaction kinetics of the cell, (ii) a net-like filter for blocking and intercepting the migrating polysulfides through a synergistic effect including physical and chemical interactions, and (iii) a layered barrier for inhibiting the continuous diffusion and alleviating the volume change of the trapped active material by introducing a “buffer zone” in between the coated layers. The multi-layered MWCNT/PEG coating allows the use of the conventional pure sulfur cathode with a high sulfur content (78 wt%) and high sulfur loading (up to 6.5 mg cm−2) to achieve a high initial discharge capacity of 1206 mA h g−1 at C/5 rate, retaining a superior capacity of 630 mA h g−1 after 300 cycles. The MWCNT/PEG-coated separator optimized by the facile layer-by-layer coating method provides a promising and feasible option for advanced Li–S batteries with high energy density.
Secure distributed detection in the presence of eavesdroppers

We investigate the structure of quantizer rules at the local sensors in distributed detection networks, in the presence of eavesdroppers (Eve), under asymptotic regime (number of sensors tending to infinity) for binary hypotheses. These local quantizers are designed in such a way that the confidentiality of sensor data is preserved while achieving optimal detection performance at the fusion center (FC). In the case of Eve with noisier channels, for a general channel model, we show that these optimal quantizer rules at the local sensors are always on the boundaries of the achievable region of sensor's ROC. If there is a constraint on the Eve's performance, based on our numerical results, we conjecture that the structure of an optimal quantizer is LRT-based. The above argument is corroborated with a numerical example using BSC channels for the Eve and ideal channels for the FC. In the case of Eve with better channels, we prove that the quantizer rules that can provide confidentiality along with optimal detection performance, cannot send any useful information to the fusion center (FC). We propose a jamming scheme for the FC against Eve and evaluate the optimal distribution for the Gaussian jamming signal that requires minimum energy to make both FC and Eve's channel similar in distributed detection performance.
SEMComm: Sharing Electronic Medical Records using Device to Device Communication

This demonstration showcases SEMComm, an Android application that allows an individual patient's personal device (e.g., smartphone) to collect health data from nearby medical IoT devices and to share pieces of medical records with the devices of nearby medical personnel (e.g., doctors and nurses) using direct device-to-device (D2D) links. SEMComm uses XD, a middleware that enables device discovery, context sharing, and data transmission using heterogeneous D2D communication technologies. Current approaches for sharing electronic medical records use onerous HIPAA-compliant cloud-based solutions that are costly for hospitals and require patients to release sensitive medical records to an external server. SEMComm allows patients to maintain fine-grained control over who has access to their electronic medical data, while simultaneously allowing the patient's record to collect data from multiple medical devices all without the need for an external network or cloud storage. Our demonstration shows how XD enables SEMComm to collect data from a blood pressure cuff and a heart-rate monitor and then to share medical data with neighboring devices using a mixed set of D2D communication links.
Comparing Upper Arm and Back Postural Exposures between Apple Harvesting with Ladders and Mobile Platform

In the US tree fruit industry, in attempt to improve the efficiency of orchard workers; harvest-assisting mobile platforms have been introduced. However, the effect these mobile platforms have on physical exposures, i.e. non-neutral work postures, has not been evaluated. The purposes of this study were to compare ergonomic risk factors between a new apple harvesting method using mobile platforms and the traditional method using ladders. Twenty-four workers participated in this study and were equally divided into three groups, harvesting apples from ladders (n = 8), mobile platforms (n = 8) and the ground (n = 8). Upper arm and back inclinations were continuously monitored and calculated over the whole work period, excluding breaks. Upper arm posture was characterized in terms of the percent of time when upper arm flexion and abduction exceeded 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 80 and 90 degrees. Back inclination was characterized as the percent time forward bending exceeded 10, 20 and 30 degrees. The results showed that...
RNA Polymerase Reaction in Bacteria

Gene expression requires synthesis of a variety of RNAs including protein-coding messenger RNAs (mRNAs), ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), and transfer RNAs (tRNAs). RNA synthesis is carried out by a protein enzyme called RNA polymerase (RNAP) that proceeds with a unique enzymatic reaction making various products (RNAs) based on DNA template sequences. Bacterial RNAP binds to a specific site of genomic DNA, which is called the promoter DNA, unwinds double-stranded DNA to form the transcription competent open complex (DNA opening), initiates RNA synthesis by nucleotide substrates ( de novo or primer-independent transcript initiation), and extends RNA synthesis (transcript elongation) until reaching a termination signal (transcript termination). Transcriptional accuracy of bacterial RNAP is relatively high with an estimated error rate of less than 10 −5 , which is achieved by high-fidelity transcription and removing misincorporated nucleotides from RNA (proofreading) by using complex motions of mobile domains around the active site. Transcription is an essential process in bacteria, thereby making RNAP an excellent target for antimicrobial drugs (antibiotics) and some RNAP inhibitors have been used for therapeutic applications.
Simultaneous buffer and service rate allocation in open finite queueing networks

ABSTRACTSimultaneous buffer and service rate allocation in open finite queueing networks is a nonlinear mixed-integer programming problem that is -Hard. A queueing network decomposition methodology is coupled with a nonlinear sequential quadratic programming algorithm to compute the simultaneous optimal buffer allocations and service rates via a branch-and-bound scheme for various network topologies. It is shown that the optimization problem is a nonlinear convex programming problem, which assists in the search for local optimal solutions. The material handling or transportation system for transferring the finite customer population between the nodes in the network is also included. Extensive numerical results demonstrate the efficacy of the methodology for series, split, and merge topology networks. Examination of the persistence or absence of the allocation patterns of the service rates and buffers is one of the focal points of this work.
MEMS and 3D-printing microthrusters technology integrated with hydroxide-based nanoenergetic propellants

This paper provides fundamental and engineering design principals of integrated microthrusters and microthruster arrays. The microsystems fabrication, synthesis of nanoenergetic propellants, system integration and other problems are addressed and solved. The motion and solid-state sensors can be integrated to measure physical quantities. Sensor data fusion, data acquisition, logics, control and other functions can be performed by integrated modular paradigm. For aerial vehicles and propulsion platforms, applying micro- and nanotechnologies, high thrust to weight ratio, energy density and specific impulse are ensured by high-energy nanostructured composites. The solid propellants are encapsulated in the etched voids. We developed nanostructured energetic composites based of bismuth hydroxide and aluminum nanoparticles that generate high temperature, heat, pressure and adequate gas flow. The experimental confirmation, validation and characterization of fabricated proof of concept MEMS and 3D-printing microthruster and microthrusters arrays with hydroxide nanoenergeticss propellants are reported. The sensing solutions are examined and the experimental results are described.
Electronic Transitions in Highly Symmetric Au130 Nanoclusters by Spectroelectrochemistry and Ultrafast Spectroscopy

Rich and discrete energy states in gold nanoclusters enable different combinations of electronic transitions and correspondingly electrochemical and optical properties for a variety of applications. The impacts on those electronic transitions by the emergence and magnitude/alignment of a band gap and by the contributions from different atomic/molecular orbitals require further study. Au nanoclusters with 130 core Au atoms are of the interest in this report because they are at the transition size regime where a small yet well-defined band gap can be resolved along with continuous quantized frontier core orbitals. Here, electrochemical analysis is combined with UV-visible-near Infrared optical measurements to unveil previously unresolved electronic transitions. Finite changes in steady-state optical absorption spectrum are captured by spectroelectrochemistry when the Au nanoclusters are charged to different states via electrolysis. Multiple previously unresolved peaks and valleys as well as isosbestic ‘poin...