cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
U.S., Japan and EU auto industries' closed loop supply chains: A system dynamics study

The system dynamics SD modeling approach is used to study the U.S., Japan and EU auto industries' closed loop supply chains. The objectives of this study are to examine the impact on these three supply chains of: government regulations; financial incentives for recycling, remanufacturing, and salvage; the export of used cars; market pricing for remanufactured, salvage and recycle materials on cash flows; and use of such materials for car manufacturers and routine car maintenance and repair considering similarities and differences. Disposal of cars that have reached end of life phase in the U.S., Japan and EU, as well as, the export of used cars by Japan to emerging economies are examined. Base scenario analysis using car consumption data and forecasts are explored. The SD model was also subjected to boundary conditions tests for structural validity. Dynamic analyses of different market scenarios for the U.S., Japan and EU auto industries' value chains are also conducted. The study shows the impact of government regulations, financial incentives and market pricing for remanufactured, salvage and recycle materials have a positive, but differing impact on cash flows and use of such raw materials for car manufacturers in these three market segments.
STUDIES ON STREPTOCOCCUS BACTERIOPHAGE : I. A POWERFUL LYTIC PRINCIPLE AGAINST HEMOLYTIC STREPTOCOCCI OF ERYSIPELAS ORIGIN.

1. The "sludge" phage obtained by Clark and Clark answers all requirements for pronouncing it identical with the classical bacteriophage. 2. The "sludge" phage failed to produce lysis in any of the 102 human pathogenic streptococci tested. 3. Numerous attempts to induce regeneration of various lytic principles by human streptococci resulted in failure. 4. It was possible, however, to "train" erysipelas streptococci to regenerate a lytic principle active against 76 per cent of strains of this group. 5. The erysipelas phage showed remarkable specificity.
Boundary evaluation algorithms for Minkowski combinations of complex sets using topological analysis of implicit curves

Minkowski geometric algebra is concerned with sets in the complex plane that are generated by algebraic combinations of complex values varying independently over given sets in ℂ. This algebra provides an extension of real interval arithmetic to sets of complex numbers, and has applications in computer graphics and image analysis, geometrical optics, and dynamical stability analysis. Algorithms to compute the boundaries of Minkowski sets usually invoke redundant segmentations of the operand-set boundaries, guided by a “matching” criterion. This generates a superset of the true Minkowski set boundary, which must be extracted by the laborious process of identifying and culling interior edges, and properly organizing the remaining edges. We propose a new approach, whereby the matching condition is regarded as an implicit curve in the space ℝn whose coordinates are boundary parameters for the n given sets. Analysis of the topological configuration of this curve facilitates the identification of sets of segments on the operand boundaries that generate boundary segments of the Minkowski set, and rejection of certain sets that satisfy the matching criterion but yield only interior edges. Geometrical relations between the operand set boundaries and the implicit curve in ℝn are derived, and the use of the method in the context of Minkowski sums, products, planar swept volumes, and Horner terms is described.
Yield Measurements for the 11B(p,n)11C and the 10B(d,n)11C Nuclear Reactions

The yields from the 11B(p,n)11C nuclear reactions have been measured over the energy range of 0-28.6 MeV. The yields from the 10B(d,n)11C nuclear reactions have been measured over the energy range of 0-21.5 MeV. Cross-section values were derived from the yield data. The yield measurements were carried out on sealed samples of boron powder isotopically enriched to greater than 93%. The target holders were constructed of aluminum and each contained 50 mg of boron powder to achieve high energy resolution, but with sufficient material to ensure accurate cross-section measurements. 11C yields were determined by decay-curve analysis. Our data show that at energies below 5 MeV, the 11B(p,n)11C nuclear reaction can be expected to produce 250 mCi of 11C (based on a 30 min irradiation at a beam current of 100 microA).
Penicillin-derived diazoketones: Copper(II) catalyzed decomposition in aprotic media

Abstract Copper(II) catalyzed decomposition of penicillin-derived diazoketones 1 in aprotic solvents resulted in the formation of tricyclic ketones 5. Chemical transformations used for structure elucidation are described and a possible mechanism for the formation of 5 is discussed.
Control of interface shape of cadmium zinc telluride grown via an electrodynamic gradient freeze furnace

We consider the feasibility of closed-loop control to control the interface shape of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) grown via an electrodynamic gradient freeze (EDG) furnace. A simple proportional control algorithm is applied to a quasi-steady-state model to control the interface shape by adjusting the thermal gradient of the furnace temperatures. Three scenarios are enacted: actuation along the entire external boundary, along the solid portion only, and along the melt portion only. Actuation along the solid only proved to be the most successful of the three scenarios, and produced the unexpected benefit of a favorable convex interface shape.
CHRISTIAN HUMILITY, COURTLY CIVILITY, AND THE CODE OF THE STREETS

Within both contemporary inner-city street life and early modern courtly civility, persons acquire value through being acknowledged by others. Though dependent on others for a sense of self-worth constructed by external tokens of respect, they are unable to experience dependency as gift. Humility thus appears as an admission of lack of worth, rather than as a confession of the dependent character of one's worth. What might contemporary Christians retrieve from the Augustinian critique of an ethic of glory in attempting to diagnose and respond to contemporary social dislocations, and how might churches contribute productively to disrupting the zero-sum competition for respect?
Characteristic absorption bands and frequency shifts in the infrared spectra of naturally-occurring long-chain ethers, esters and ether esters of glycerol and various diols.

Abstract The infrared absorption spectra of long-chain ethers, esters and ether esters of glycerol, 1,2-ethanediol and propanediols are recorded and interpreted. The influence of the environment of alkoxy, acyloxy and hydroxy groups on the absorption frequencies of these functional groups is discussed.
Selectivity of the ubiquitin pathway for oxidatively modified proteins: relevance to protein precipitation diseases.

SPECIFIC AIMSThere is now consensus that: 1) the accumulation of oxidatively modified proteins is cytotoxic and causally related to several age-related diseases including age-related cataracts and other amyloid diseases; and 2) that proteolytic pathways provide a quality control mechanism to limit accumulation of modified proteins. Although many researchers assume that the ubiquitin proteasome pathway (UPP) is involved in recognition and proteolytic removal of oxidatively modified proteins that are produced upon cellular stress, there has been no direct evidence to support this hypothesis. This research tested the hypothesis that the UPP is involved in the selective targeting of oxidatively damaged proteins as well as in maintenance of cellular viability upon oxidative challenge.PRINCIPAL FINDINGS1. Oxidatively modified proteins are preferred substrates for ubiquitinationUsing K6W-Ub, we directly tested the hypothesis that as compared with nonoxidatively modified proteins, oxidatively modified proteins ar...
Discrete event models: getting the semantics right

Discrete event models are systems where components interact via timed events. Although there are many languages and simulators with discrete-event semantics (VHDL, OpNet Modeler, ns2, etc.), there is not widespread agreement on the precise semantics. This talk examines a formal foundation for discrete-event systems that clarifies interesting corner cases, where events are simultaneous, ordered or unordered, and where Zeno conditions arise. It introduces analytical tools for studying such cases, lends insight into parallel and distributed execution of discrete-event models, and suggests a unified semantics that is efficient and clean.
Quantum dots find their stride in single molecule tracking

Thirteen years after the demonstration of quantum dots as biological imaging agents, and nine years after the initial commercial introduction of bioconjugated quantum dots, the brightness and photostability of the quantum dots has enabled a range of investigations using single molecule tracking. These materials are being routinely utilized by a number of groups to track the dynamics of single molecules in reconstituted biophysical systems and on living cells, and are especially powerful for investigations of single molecules over long timescales with short exposure times and high pointing accuracy. New approaches are emerging where the quantum dots are used as ‘hard-sphere’ probes for intracellular compartments. Innovations in quantum dot surface modification are poised to substantially expand the utility of these materials.
Correlation between spectroscopic and morphological properties of composite P3HT/PCBM nanoparticles studied by single particle spectroscopy

We report the fabrication and characterization of composite nanoparticles consisting of a conducting polymer, poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT), doped with varying amounts of [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), a material blend that is commonly applied in bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs). Single particle spectroscopy (SPS) studies, where nanoparticles are studied one particle at a time, reveal that these nanoparticles have spectroscopic characteristics consistent with the existence of two types of crystalline nanodomains, one with a higher energy emission at 660 nm and one with a lower energy emission at 720 nm. In addition, the occurrence of emission at lower peak energy increases with increasing PCBM doping levels, and the intensity of the lower energy peak emission increases with respect to the higher energy peak emission as well. These data reveal a PCBM concentration dependent formation of two types of P3HT crystalline nanodomains in P3HT/PCBM composite nanoparticles, where the lower energy crystal structure becomes more favored with higher PCBM concentration. This work provides a molecular scale insight in the correlation between changes in morphology of conjugated polymer materials with different weight percentages of fullerene dopants.
Overnight food deprivation in normal and diabetic mice markedly enhances thromboxane production by arachidonate stimulated platelet rich plasma and markedly increases platelet phospholipase A2 activity

These studies report the effect of overnight food deprivation on thromboxane production by mouse platelets stimulated with arachidonic acid. Phospholipase activity was also measured. We used radioimmunoassay to measure thromboxane B2 (TxB2) in platelet rich plasma (PRP) stimulated with 0.5 mM sodium arachidonate. TxB2 levels increased from 30 to 180 seconds after stimulation, and at 90 and 180 seconds were approximately twice as high in PRP from food deprived mice as compared with levels in PRP from fed animals (P<.01). The same period of food deprivation (17–21 hours) doubled the phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity of the mouse platelets. No significant differences were observed between the TxB2 levels in PRP from normal mice and the PRP from mice with streptozotocin diabetes, although the marked elevation of TxB2 levels produced by food deprivation was somewhat greater in the PRP from diabetics. No differences were observed in PLA2 activity in diabetic as compared with control platelets. The marked enhancement of PLA2 activity produced by food deprivation, was seen in both control and diabetic platelets.
Early detection of canine ceroid-lipofuscinosis (CCL): an ultrastructural study.

English setters from the Koppang line have been used as a model for the juvenile type of Batten disease in human patients. This disorder, canine ceroid-lipofuscinosis (CCL), has been shown by Koppang [1973: Mech Ageing Dev 2:421-445] to be an autosomal recessive disorder. Homozygous animals show the typical storage granules by autofluorescence; however, the autofluorescence material cannot easily be detected in affected dogs before age 3-6 months. At the present time the early stages of CCL can be studied only in litters from homozygous matings. Electron microscopy was used to study the reliability of diagnosing affected animals in heterozygous-heterozygous (HET-HET) and heterozygous-homozygous (HET-HOM) litters at age 2-3 weeks. The electron micrographs of brain biopsies were examined and the number of all dense bodies (d.b.), including linear and fingerprint patterns typical of CCL, were counted per neuron. The results indicated that affected animals have higher numbers of dense bodies than nonaffected carriers. Four-6 months later confirmatory diagnoses were made on a second contralateral biopsy taken and examined as a frozen section by autofluorescence. The diagnoses made by electron microscopy at age 2-3 weeks appeared identical to the results obtained by autofluorescence at 4-6 months of age.
Reaction of Octachlorodirhenate with a Redox-Active Tetrathiafulvalene Phosphine Ligand: Spectroscopic, Magnetic, and Structural Characterization of the Unusual Paramagnetic Salt [ReCl(2)(o-P2)(2)][Re(2)Cl(6)(o-P2)] (o-P2 = o-{P(C(6)H(5))(2)}(2)(CH(3))(2)TTF).

Reaction of [(n-Bu)4N]2[Re2Cl8] with the tetrathiafulvalene phosphine ligand o-{P(C6H5)2}2(CH3)2TTF (o-P2) in refluxing ethanol produces the mixed-nuclearity salt [ReCl2(o-P2)2][Re2Cl6(o-P2)] (1·2), composed of the mononuclear ReIII complex (1) and the mixed-valence ReII−ReIII dinuclear anion (2). The complex crystallizes as a CH2Cl2 solvate in the triclinic space group P1, a = 13.4559(1) A, b = 20.4015(3) A, c = 21.5538(1) A, α = 88.261(1)°, β = 72.987(1)°, γ = 84.933(1)°, and Z = 2. The molecular cation consists of two trans o-P2 ligands in the equatorial plane and axial chloride ligands. The dinuclear anion adopts an eclipsed geometry with an unsymmetrical coordination environment for the two metal atoms; one ReII center is coordinated to a chelating o-P2 ligand and two chlorides while the other Re atom is coordinated to four chloride ligands. The dinuclear portion of the salt is a monoanion which leads to a formal bond order assignment of 3.5, based on the fact that the molecule possesses an Re25+ co...
Relationship between kinematics, F2 slope and speech intelligibility in dysarthria due to cerebral palsy.

A multimodal approach combining acoustics, intelligibility ratings, articulography and surface electromyography was used to examine the characteristics of dysarthria due to cerebral palsy (CP). CV syllables were studied by obtaining the slope of F2 transition during the diphthong, tongue–jaw kinematics during the release of the onset consonant, and the related submental muscle activities and relating these measures to speech intelligibility. The results show that larger reductions of F2 slope are correlated with lower intelligibility in CP-related dysarthria. Among the three speakers with CP, the speaker with the lowest F2 slope and intelligibility showed smallest tongue release movement and largest jaw opening movement. The other two speakers with CP were comparable in the amplitude and velocity of tongue movements, but one speaker had abnormally prolonged jaw movement. The tongue–jaw coordination pattern found in the speakers with CP could be either compensatory or subject to an incompletely developed o...
Tonotopic and localized pathways from primary auditory cortex to the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus

Descending projections from the cortex to subcortical structures are critical for auditory plasticity, including the ability for central neurons to adjust their frequency tuning to relevant and meaningful stimuli. We show that focal electrical stimulation of primary auditory cortex in guinea pigs produces excitatory responses in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (CNIC) with two tonotopic patterns: a narrow tuned (NT) pattern that is consistent with previous findings showing direct frequency-aligned projections; and a broad tuned (BT) pattern in which the auditory cortex can influence multiple frequency regions. Moreover, excitatory responses could be elicited in the caudomedial portion along the isofrequency laminae of the CNIC but not in the rostrolateral portion. This descending organization may underlie or contribute to the ability of the auditory cortex to induce changes in frequency tuning of subcortical neurons as shown extensively in previous studies.
Adjuvant tamoxifen and chemotherapy in stage II breast cancer: interim findings from NSABP protocol B-09.

Data are presented from a prospective clinical trial in which 1,891 patients with histologically confirmed stage II breast cancer were randomized to receive adjuvant therapy consisting of 1-phenylalanine mustard and 5-fluorouracil (PF) with and without tamoxifen (T). The findings indicate that the benefit previously noted for the addition of tamoxifen at 2 and 3 years' mean follow-up is still apparent at 4 years. Although the tamoxifen-containing regimen prolongs disease-free survival and survival, this effect is not uniform and is dependent on patient age and tumor receptor content. Only those patients ⩾ 50 years of age demonstrated a benefit from the addition of tamoxifen to chemotherapy. The benefit was influenced by the degree of quantitative tumor receptor content. Patients ⩽ 49 years of age failed to demonstrate a prolongation in disease-free survival with tamoxifen even when the tumor estrogen receptor content was ⩾100 fmol. Not only was there no benefit attributable to tamoxifen in patients ⩽49 years, if the tumor progesterone receptors were <10 fmol there was a significant diminution in disease-free survival and survival. The results continue to indicate that the response to PFT therapy is heterogeneous in that only specific patient subsets demonstrate a salutary effect. Whether this phenomenon of heterogeneity is unique to the PFT combination or is an intrinsic biological property of stage II breast cancer remains to be ascertained.
Chloroquine, a novel inhibitor of amino acid transport by rat renal brush border membrane vesicles

Chloroquine is an antimalarial and antirheumatic lysosomotropic drug which inhibits taurine uptake into and increases efflux from cultured human lymphoblastoid cells. It inhibits taurine uptake by rat lung slices and affects the uptake and release of cystine from cystinotic fibroblasts. Speculations on its mode of action include a proton gradient effect, a non-specific alteration in membrane integrity, and membrane stabilization. In this study, the effect of chloroquine on the uptake of several amino acids by rat renal brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) was examined. Chloroquine significantly inhibited the secondary active, NaCl-dependent component of 10µM taurine uptake at all concentrations tested, but did not change equilibrium values. Analysis of these data indicated that the inhibition was non-competitive. Taurine uptake was reduced at all osmolarities tested, but inhibition was greatest at the lowest osmolarity. Taurine efflux was not affected by chloroquine, nor was the NaCl-independent diffusional component of taurine transport. Chloroquine (1 mM) inhibited uptake of the imino acids L-proline and glycine, and the dibasic amino acid L-lysine. It inhibited the uptake of D-glucose, but not the neutralα-amino acids L-alanine or L-methionine. Uptake of the dicarboxylic amino acids, L-glutamic acid and L-aspartic acid, was slightly enhanced. With regard to amino acid uptake by BBMV, these findings may support some of the currently proposed mechanisms of the action of chloroquine but further studies are indicated to determine why it affects the initial rate of active amino acid transport.
Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-like immunoreactivity in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the perinatal rat

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-like immunoreactivity was examined in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the perinatal rat using the unlabeled antibody enzyme method of Sternberger. Our results showed that VIP-like immunoreactivity was present in cells and fibers of the SCN prior to birth. Immunoreactive neurons at this time appeared morphologically immature, and their distribution differed somewhat from that seen in the adult SCN.
The world's most expensive survey

In their quest for research funds, social scientists emphasize the great contributions their work will make to science and public policy. They forget the slowness of past progress in their disciplines-prima facie evidence that future progress will be slow as well. They also eschew a cost-benefit analysis of their proposed inquiry, implying that any contribution to social science is worth the cost and effort.
Toward Isolated Molecular Wires: A pH-Responsive Canopied Polypyrrole

The design, synthesis, and electropolymerization of sterically hindered pyrrole derivatives are described. Endo and exo adducts of cyclopentadiene and N-phenylmaleimide were converted to give bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-fused pyrrole monomers, in which a phenyl group is rigidly placed proximate the pyrrole fragment. Oxidative polymerization of these monomers affords highly conductive polypyrroles. The rigid molecular scafffold of the pyrrole monomers limits cross-communication between adjacent conducting strands and produces a defined narrow potential window of high conductivity dominated by intrachain polaronic charge carriers. The resultant loosely packed polymer chains allow for superior sensory properties. Notably, the electrical conductivity of oxidatively doped poly(7) could be reversibly modulated in aqueous electrolytes at pH 3−9.
Resolution limits for imaging through turbid media with diffuse light.

We present analytic expressions for the achievable resolution for imaging through a turbid medium with multiply scattered light in the diffusion limit. We find that for detectable levels of light the spatial resolution ℛ (the half-width of the point-spread function) scales with thickness d of the sample as ℛ ≃ (0.2 ± 0.04)d over 10 orders of magnitude in input intensity and transport length. Experiments with a time-gated stimulated Raman amplifier are in good agreement with the calculations.
The temperature dependence of garnet liquid phase epitaxial growth kinetics

Thin EuYb 2 Fe 5 O 12 magnetic garnet films are grown by isothermal dipping with axial rotation, the undercooling and the amount of garnet in solution being varied. With increasing undercooling the growth rate first rises linearly and then reaches a temperature insensitive plateau. The data are analyzed according to a simple diffusion-reaction model of the deposition process. Data-fitting yields values 1.2×10 −5 cm 2 /sec, 74.5 μm, 1.085 eV, and 1.61 eV for the diffusion coefficient, solute boundary layer thickness, heat of solution, and activation energy of the reaction respectively.
Nucleocapsid protein function in early infection processes

Abstract The role of nucleocapsid protein (NC) in the early steps of retroviral replication appears largely that of a facilitator for reverse transcription and integration. Using a wide variety of cell-free assay systems, the properties of mature NC proteins (e.g. HIV-1 p7 NC or MLV p10 NC ) as nucleic acid chaperones have been extensively investigated. The effect of NC on tRNA annealing, reverse transcription initiation, minus-strand-transfer, processivity of reverse transcription, plus-strand-transfer, strand-displacement synthesis, 3′ processing of viral DNA by integrase, and integrase-mediated strand-transfer has been determined by a large number of laboratories. Interestingly, these reactions can all be accomplished to varying degrees in the absence of NC; some are facilitated by both viral and non-viral proteins and peptides that may or may not be involved in vivo . What is one to conclude from the observation that NC is not strictly required for these necessary reactions to occur? NC likely enhances the efficiency of each of these steps, thereby vastly improving the productivity of infection. In other words, one of the major roles of NC is to enhance the effectiveness of early infection, thereby increasing the probability of productive replication and ultimately of retrovirus survival.
Environmental impact of the NICU on developmental outcomes

The neonate, especially the premature one, is both dependent on and vulnerable to the intensive care environment to support physiologic and neurobehavioral organization. Concerns about this environment have led to suggestions that it may be a major contributing factor in the persistent incidence of behavioral and learning problems among preterm infants. By modifying the neonatal intensive care environment to provide a more developmentally supportive milieu, we can better meet the infant's physiologic and neurobehavioral needs, support the infant's emerging organization, and foster growth and development.
Differential effects of cuts through the posterior hypothalamus on food intake and body weight in male and female rats

Abstract Large knife cuts in the coronal plane through the posterior hypothalamus which transected the caudal connections of the medial hypothalamus without producing significant direct damage to cellular components of the region resulted in a very marked increase in food intake and rate of weight gain in female rats, but had little or no effect in male rats of the same strain. Water intake was equally elevated in both sexes. A detailed analysis of the effects of smaller cuts in the same region indicated that the pathways that are responsible for the effectiveness of the larger cuts do not course through the region immediately behind the ventromedial nuclei (VMN) but, instead, through the perifornical region lateral and posterior to the VMN. In the female, hyperphagia is not seen after cuts behind the VMH or lateral to the fornix but all cuts that invade the perifornical region to a significant extent result in overeating and obesity. In the male, a very mild hyperphagia (but no obesity) is seen after cuts that are restricted to this perifornical region but larger cuts that involve even minor aspects of the lateral hypothaalmus (LH) are entirely ineffective. Analysis of the effects of cuts that involve the medial, perifornical, and lateral hypothalamus to varying extent suggested that the disinhibitory effects of perifornical transections may be counteracted by relatively strong inhibitory effects due to damage to fibers in the lateral hypothalamus in the male, where the influence of the perifornical system appears to be weak, but not in the female, where the influence of the perifornical system appears to be very strong. The marked sex differences which characterize the effects of all cuts on body weight indicate that the perifornical system may be concerned specifically with metabolic functions that contribute to the development and/or maintenance of the organism's setpoint for body weight.
Modelocked Picosecond Pulses From 490 nm To 2 µm With Optically Pumped Semiconductor Lasers

We describe tunable cw modelocked laser action from synchronously pumped CdS, CdSSe, CdSe, InGaAsP and HgCdTe lasers. The 2-50 pm thick semiconductor platelets are longitudinally pumped and have produced 40 mW at 495 nm unmodelocked and a peak power of 50 Watts modelocked at 1.2μm. Pulsewidths of 4-6 ps with time-bandwidth products of 0.6-1.7 are obtained using intracavity etalons and Lyot filters. Intracavity tuning achieves a single crystal range of 7 nm in CdS at 495 nm, 29 nm in InGaAsP at 1.2 μm and a range of 60 nm in HgCdTe at 1.8 μm. As many as two dozen crystals have been mounted together on a micrometer stage within the dewar to all an immediate and wide tuning range. Also tuning from 1.82 to 2.0 μm via the Burstein-Moss shift in a single HgCdTe epilayer has been accomplished by varying the loss in the external cavity. A modelocked threshold as law as 0.3 mW in CdS, a 20% conversion efficiency into the TEMoo mode, and lasing in InGaAsP with optical pumping a full 1.5 eV above a 1 eV bandaap shows that an efficient and convenient picosecond source tunable through the visible and near infrared is feasible.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
INVESTIGATION OF A NOVEL MICROREACTOR FOR ENHANCING MIXING AND CONVERSION

A novel microreactor with a network of omega-shaped microchannels has been designed, fabricated, and tested for enhanced chemical species mixing and reaction conversion. Fluidic and mixing properties of the omega channel reactor have been investigated by means of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation. Also, a stochastic model describing particle transport in the axial direction was applied to characterize the residence time distribution or the cumulative probability of a particle exiting the microreactor over time. Both fluidic simulation and stochastic model approaches revealed the advantage of the omega-shaped microchannels as compared to straight or zigzag-shaped microchannels. Fischer-Tropsch reactions were carried out using sol-gel encapsulated iron and cobalt catalysts in the omega-shaped microchannels. The experimental results showed that the conversion rate for the omega-shaped microchannels was considerably higher than that for the conventional straight microchannel or for the zigzag-shape...
Taste aversion learning in autoimmune Mrl-lpr/lpr and Mrl +/+ mice.

Abstract Conditioned taste aversion to a neutral stimulus paired with an immunosuppressive drug (cyclophosphamide) was assessed in lupus-prone MRL-lpr/lpr and congenic control (MRL +/+) mice. The presence of lymphoproliferation in MRL-lpr/lpr mice was associated with poorer taste aversion learning and varied as a function of the does of cyclophosphamide. There were no differences in learning performance between MRL-lpr/lpr and MRL +/+ mice when the animals were tested at an age prior to the development of lymphadenopathy, or when lithium chloride or electric shock were used as unconditioned stimuli. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the immune status of an organism has an impact on behavior and the possibility that behavior can serve an in vivo immunoregulatory function.
Small Vessel Vasculitis of the Skin

Small vessel vasculitis of the skin typically manifests with palpable purpura on the lower extremities. This clinical presentation should prompt confirmatory biopsies for standard processing, as well as direct immunofluorescence. A thorough history, review of systems, and physical examination, as well as targeted laboratory workup, are essential to identifying patients with potentially severe systemic vasculitis or underlying medical conditions. For those patients with small vessel vasculitis confined to the skin, the prognosis is excellent. Most cases resolve in about 1 month. However, an important subset of patients can develop chronic, recurrent disease, for which effective management is often difficult.
Step-wise migration: toward a clarification of the mechanism.

There exists a state of confusion in the migration literature over the concept of step-wise migration. Inconsistencies occur in the specification of the scale at which the process operates and there are a host of alternative definitions of what constitutes a step-wise progression. This article presents an operational definition of step-wise migration that appears consistent from both conceptual and methodological points of view. (authors)
Mesoscale Flow over Complex Terrain during the Eastern Tennessee Trajectory Experiment (ETTEX)

Abstract Time-averaged, mesoscale flow fields over complex terrain measured during the Eastern Tennessee Trajectory Experiment (ETTEX) are analyzed in terms of the horizontal means, standard deviations from the horizontal means, and the kinetic energies of the uniform and nonuniform flow components. The vertical profiles of horizontally averaged wind speed and direction shear over flat and complex terrain during different stability conditions are compared. It is shown that the horizontally averaged flow over the ETTEX region was similar to that over a rough but otherwise flat urban area, and that a surface layer of a few hundred meters thickness existed in which the influence of the large-scale topographic features was not felt. Horizontal variability of the wind field is measured by forming 1) the standard deviations of the wind speed σs and direction σ0 and 2) the ratios of horizontal eddy to mean kinetic energy, EKE/MKE. It is shown that while both methods represent the variability well, the analysis u...
On the influence of the ambient environment on the fatigue crack growth process in steels

Abstract A comparison of the crack opening and fatigue crack growth characteristics of three tempered martensitic steels; a modified 4135, 2 1/4Cr-1Mo and a modified 9Cr-1Mo; in ambient air and in vacuum (3 × 10 −5 torr) has been carried out. In vacuum, roughness-induced closure is responsible for closure in the near-threshold region and the level of closure is independent of ΔK . The presence of oxygen in the ambient environment (50% relative humidity) can increase the overall closure level by as much as 50% in the case of 4135 and 2 1/4Cr-1Mo steels, but does not contribute significantly to closure in the case of the 9Cr-1Mo steel. Roughness-induced closure increases with increase in tempering temperature, but the extent of the environmental effect on closure in a given alloy is much less dependent on the tempering temperature. Rewelding is not responsible for the high threshold levels found in vacuum. Oxide film rupture as well as hydrogen embrittlement increase the rate of crack growth in air over that observed in vacuum.
Second-sound propagation in rigid, nonlinear conductors

Abstract The main part of this work is devoted to investigating second-sound in metals. The analysis is carried out in the context of shock and traveling wave phenomena. First, it is shown that the thermal transport equation exactly linearizes under a simple, algebraic transformation. This feature is then used, following energy and traveling wave analyses, to obtain both singular surface-based shock results and the exact solution to a signaling-type problem involving the Heaviside boundary condition (BC). Finally, the question of second-sound in dielectric solids is briefly considered and it is shown how the approach used for metals can be applied to the former.
Pivotal methods in the propagation of distributions

We propose a method for assigning a probability distribution to an input quantity. The distribution is used in a Monte Carlo method described in Supplement 1 to the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement for uncertainty evaluation. The proposed method provides an alternative to other methods, such as the principle of maximum entropy and Bayesian procedure that were used in Supplement 1 for the same purpose. The method is based on an exact or approximate pivotal quantity and is easily applied. We use several examples from commonly known models to illustrate the implementation of the proposed approach.
Mitral valve early diastolic closing velocity in the echocardiogram: Relation to sequential diastolic flow and ventricular compliance

Uncertainty exists regarding the determinants of mitral valve early diastolic closing velocity (E-F slope) in the echocardiogram. Accordingly, the mitral E-F slope, sequential atrioventricular flow in each third of diastole in the cineangiogram and an index of ventricular compliance (delta volume/delta pressure normalized by end-diastolic volume) were obtained in 10 normal subjects, 10 patients with coronary artery disease and marked dyssynergy and 9 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The E-F slope of 103 +/- 20 mm/sec (mean +/- standard deviation) in normal subjects was greatly reduced in patients with coronary artery disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (54 +/- 22 and 27 +/- 16 mm/sec, respectively, P less than 0.001). Transmitral flow of 52 +/- 25 cc during the initial third of diastole in normal subjects represented 48 +/- 10 percent of total flow and was diminished in patients with coronary artery disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: 23 +/- 16 cc (25 +/- 24 percent) and 24 +/- 20 cc (20 +/- 11 percent), respectively (both P less than 0.001). The ventricular compliance index in normal subjects of 0.064 +/- 0.02 was also decreased identically in patients with coronary artery disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: 0.029 (both P less than 0.001). The E-F slope was correlated with transmitral flow during the first third of diastole (r = 0.87) but was decreased to a slightly greater extent for any given reduction in flow in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy than in patients with coronary artery disease. Although the E-F slope could not be related to compliance in individual patients, patients with an E-F slope of less than 75 mm/sec nearly always had diminished compliance. Thus, mitral E-F slope is primarily related to transmitral flow in the initial third of diastole. Reduced ventricular diastolic compliance usually results in diminished flow, and thus a decreased E-F slope, in patients with coronary artery disease or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The greater reduction in E-F slope for any decrement of flow in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy than in coronary disease may be due either to interference with vortex streaming or to alterations in the relation of the papillary muscles to the mitral valve induced by altered ventricular geometry; the finding indicates that factors in addition to flow may influence the E-F slope.
Bias and the intended use of student evaluations of university faculty

This study examines whether the intended use of data obtained from student evaluations of university faculty biases the ratings. The paper reviews and critiques previous research done in the area. Previous studies produced contradictory results, but the results were confounded by several methodological problems. The research reported here remedied some of the problems in previous studies. The findings indicated that, while students are aware of the intended use of ratings as stipulated in written directions, different uses do not result in statistically significant differences in the ratings. Implications for the use of student ratings in the evaluation of faculty are discussed.
Grünbaum's questionable interpretation of inanimate systems: History and context in physics.

In his critiques of psychoanalysis, the philosopher Adolf Grunbaum maintains that psychoanalysis is, or should be, a science cast in the mold of physics. As part of that argument, Grunbaum contends that contrary to the claims of some psychoanalysts and philosophers, certain inanimate systems can and do exhibit historical and contextual features. He supports this contention by analyses of examples of electrodynamic systems and hysteresis effects. In this article, I investigate these examples more closely and show the sense in which Grunbaum's claims are illusory and spurious, correct but not true. Consequently, his contention that psychoanalysis should be like physics loses force. This systems investigation introduces the concept of state or phase spaces (science's basic representational systems). Reference is made to previous work that identified the impoverishing effects that necessarily follow their (usually unwitting) use in psychoanalysis. The problems encountered when one attempts to develop radically alternative representational frameworks are briefly considered.
Kinetics of the Complexation of Ferric Iron with 8-Hydroxyquinoline and Kelex-100

Abstract The complexation reactions of ferric iron with 8-Hydroxyquinoline and KELEX-100 in both aqueous and methanol solutions were studied by using a stopped-flow spectropho to meter. In the aqueous solutions, the observed rate law was found to be first-order with respect to both iron(III) and oxine and inverse-first-order with respect to the hydrogen ion. While in the methanol-solution, the rate law was first-order with respect to iron(III) and KELEX-1002+ Reaction pathes .with the formation of the first complex, FeA2+, from either Fe3+ or Fe(OH)2+ were proposed to explain the observed rate law. The activation energies were found to be 5.5 kcal/g-mole and 15 kcal/g-mole for the aqueous and methanol solutions, respectively.
Use of a programmable filter for inverse filtering

A real-time deconvolution or inverse filter, operating at signal frequencies up to 5 MHz, is reported. The programmable digital filter is controlled by a computer which calculates the Wiener-filter solution using f.f.t. techniques. Deconvolved signals can be clearly discriminated after passing through a distorting medium.
A practical guideline for the release of patients treated by I-131 based on Monte Carlo dose calculations for family members

We recently published effective doses per time-integrated activity (mSv?MBq?1?s?1) for paediatric and adult family members exposed to an adult patient released from hospital following I-131 therapy. In the present study, we intend to provide medical physicists with a methodology to estimate family member effective dose in daily clinical practice because the duration of post-radiation precautions for the patient?family member exposure scenario has not been explicitly delineated based on the effective dose. Four different exposure scenarios are considered in this study including (1) a patient and a family member standing face to face, (2) a patient and a family member lying side by side, (3) an adult female patient holding a newborn child to her chest and (4) a one-year-old child standing on the lap of an adult female patient following her I-131 therapy. The results of this study suggest that an adult female hyperthyroidism (HT) patient who was administered with 740?MBq should keep a distance of 100?cm from a 15-year-old child for six days and the same distance from other adults for seven days. The HT female patient should avoid holding a newborn against her chest for at least 16 days following hospital discharge, and a female patient treated with 5550?MBq for differentiated thyroid cancer should not hold her newborn child for at least 15 days following hospital discharge. This study also gives dose coefficients allowing one to predict age-specific effective doses to family members given the measured dose rate (mSv?h?1) of the patient. In conclusion, effective dose-based patient release criteria with a modified NRC two-component model provide a site medical physicist with less restrictive and age-specific radiation precaution guidance as they fully consider a patient?s iodine biokinetics and photon attenuation within both the patient and the exposed family members.
The implications of credit risk transfer for the credit channel

Growth in new instruments designed to trade credit risk has significant implications for the conduct of monetary policy through banks. This paper considers the effects of three credit risk transfer instruments - securitised assets, secondary market syndicated loans, and credit derivatives - on the credit channel of the transmission mechanism. With alternative funding opportunities, a new theoretical framework focuses on the ability of monetary policy to impact the financial condition of banks as borrowers in credit markets. Evidence of the credit channel is tested for in a factor–augmented vector autoregression (FAVAR) model. The results show no support for the existence of a traditional bank lending channel that functions through deposits and the supply of bank credit but demonstrate credit channel effects in higher bank funding costs, which are passed on to bank business loan and nonbank commercial mortgage borrowers. The results suggest that credit risk transfer has transformed some credit markets so that monetary policy remains effective through the cost of credit.
Orientation of Liquid Crystalline Epoxides under ac Electric Fields

The curing of liquid crystalline (LC) epoxides containing phenyl benzoate mesogens was studied under applied ac electric fields. When curing reactions began under a low-frequency electric field (∼1 V/μm), parallel molecular orientation slowly changed to perpendicular to the field, because a crossover (cutoff) frequency of molecular orientation shifted to much lower frequencies as the curing reaction took place. As a result, the cured networks possessed orientation perpendicular to the applied ac electric fields regardless of the initial frequency. Due to electrohydrodynamic effects, curing reactions under a low-frequency electric field proceeded faster than those at high frequency. Electric fields also affected formation of the LC structure, in particular, in smectic networks. Curing of LC epoxides with twin mesogen architecture under an ac electric field produced a smectic-A like structure with a fan shape-like texture, whereas curing without an external field formed a disclination rich texture. The orie...
Mechanistic Studies of Nickel(II) Alkyl Agostic Cations and Alkyl Ethylene Complexes: Investigations of Chain Propagation and Isomerization in (α-diimine)Ni(II)-Catalyzed Ethylene Polymerization

The synthesis of a series of (α-diimine)NiR2 (R = Et, nPr) complexes via Grignard alkylation of the corresponding (α-diimine)NiBr2 precursors is presented. Protonation of these species by the oxonium acid [H(OEt2)2]+[BAr‘4]- at low temperatures yields cationic Ni(II) β-agostic alkyl complexes which model relevant intermediates present in nickel-catalyzed olefin polymerization reactions. The highly dynamic nature of these agostic alkyl cations is quantitatively addressed using NMR line broadening techniques. Trapping of these complexes with ethylene provides cationic Ni alkyl ethylene species, which are used to determine rates of ethylene insertion into primary and secondary carbon centers. The Ni agostic alkyl cations are also trapped by CH3CN and Me2S to yield Ni(R)(L)+ (L = CH3CN, Me2S) complexes, and the dynamic behavior of these species in the presence of varied [L] is discussed. The kinetic data obtained from these experiments are used to present an overall picture of the ethylene polymerization mech...
Synthesis and Properties of Piemontite

THE simplest member of the epidote group, the calcium, aluminium end-member, has the structural formula Ca2Al.AlOH.AlO.Si2O7.SiO4 (ref. 1); common epidote forms through the replacement of part of the aluminium by ferric iron, and in the piemontites manganese is also present. The aluminium, iron and manganese end-members will be written Cz, Ps and Pm respectively. Common epidote is approximately Cz70Ps30, and piemontitos range from Cz76Ps22Pm2 to Cz40Ps13Pm47.
Exploring stolen data markets online: products and market forces

The threat of hackers and data thieves has increased, though few have considered the ways they dispose of the information obtained through computer attacks. This exploratory study examines the nature of the market for stolen data using a qualitative analysis of 300 threads from six web forums run by and for data thieves. The results suggest that all manner of personal and financial data can be obtained through these markets at a fraction of their true value. In addition, there are distinct relationships between buyers and sellers that shape the relationships and structure of these markets. Policy implications for law enforcement intervention are also discussed.