cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
INTERFACE SEPARATION IN THE TRANSONIC RANGE CAUSED BY A PLANE STRESS PULSE

This is a continuation of the authors’ investigation [l] of the localized separation between two contacting solids that is caused by an incident plane elastic wave of arbitrary form. The interface is taken as frictionless and incapable of transmitting tensile tractions. It is further assumed that the two solids have identical mechanical properties, and that the angle of incidence of the incoming wave is such that the disturbance propagates along the interface with a transonic speed. Moving dislocations are employed in the formulation and the problem is reduced to a singular integral equation with a Cauchy kernel. Specific results are worked out for an incident tensile stress pulse of a parabolic shape. An intriguing aspect of the results is that, in spite of the incident wave being continuous, the elastic fields are singular at the trailing edge of the separation zone. We continue in this article our study of the separation between two solids that is caused by an incident plane elastic wave of arbitrary form Cl]. The interface is still taken as frictionless, but the angle of incidence of the incoming wave is allowed to be such that the disturbance propagates along the interface with a speed that is no longer supersonic, and the process involves total reflection. As with harmonic incident waves [Z, 31, a large number of cases must be considered individually when the materials are different. Our present investigation is for this reason restricted to identical materials. Nonetheless, some salient features of the interaction between a unilateral interface and an incident wave will emerge. Suppose that the phase velocity of the incident wave is c0 and the angle of incidence 8,. The disturbance then propagates along the interface with the velocity v = c&in BO.
Occurrence of Danaus plexippus L. (Lepidoptera : Danaidae) on milkweeds (Asclepias syriaca) in transgenic Bt corn agroecosystems

Abstract The potential negative effects of transgenic Bt corn on the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, requires quantification of the presence of D. plexippus in the field and of the effect of Bt corn tissues on oviposition and larval survival. During a 2-year field study, D. plexippus females laid similar number of eggs on Asclepias syriaca in corn fields and on A. syriaca growing in roadside habitats parallel to corn fields. In 1999 and 2000 similar number of D. plexippus larvae were observed on A. syriaca in corn fields and roadside habitats, whereas a greater proportion of A. syriaca in corn fields were infested by at least one D. plexippus larva in 2000. Similar number of eggs were laid in transgenic Bt and non-Bt corn fields, indicating that females did not avoid leaves dusted with anthers and 6–72 Bt pollen grains/cm2. Similar number of D. plexippus larvae were found in and near Bt corn fields compared to non-Bt corn fields following corn anthesis. In 2000, transgenic Event MON810 Bt corn pollen and anthers had no measurable effects on D. plexippus oviposition or larval survival.
Crossover of a high-spin ( S =7/2, 3/2) to a low-spin ( S =1/2) iron-selenium cluster in F A and F B of photosystem I on rebinding of PsaC onto P700-F X cores

PsaC is a tightly bound ferredoxin in the Photosystem I (PS I) reaction center which contains two [4Fe-4S] clusters named FA and FB. We recently proposed that the mixed-ligand FB cluster in C14DPsaC and the mixed-ligand FA cluster in C51DPsaC exist in a spin state of S=3/2, and that a spin state crossover to S=1/2 occurs when the PsaC mutants are rebound onto P700-FX cores. Since EPR signals from a highly rhombic S=3/2 spin state can be difficult to study, wild-type PsaC was reconstituted with iron and selenium to introduce an easily detected S=7/2 spin state similar to that shown for Clostridial ferredoxin. When the unbound [4Fe-4Se] PsaC was chemically reduced, a sharp derivative resonance was found at g=5.171 attributed to the excited ±3/2 doublet from an S=7/2 spin multiplet. An additional peak was found at g=5.616 attributed to the superimposed ±1/2 and ±3/2 doublets from a highly rhombic S=3/2 spin multiplet, and an axial set of resonances found around g=2.0 attributed, in part, to a classical S=1/2 spin state. When the [4Fe-4Se] PsaC was rebound onto P700-FX cores, the spin population derived from the S=7/2 and 3/2 spin states was negligible. Illumination of the rebuilt PS I complex at 15 K resulted in two rhombic sets of resonances, one with g values of 2.043, 1.941 and 1.854, diagnostic of FA, and the other with g values of 2.067, 1.941 and 1.878, diagnostic of FB. Chemical reduction with sodium dithionite at pH 10.5 or photoaccumulation by freezing during illumination resulted in a set of resonances with g values of 2.046, 1.938, 1.920 and 1.883, characteristic of a spin-coupled FA–/FB– pair. The spin state crossover in this iron chalcogenide cluster is the first known to be induced by protein-protein association and reinforces the hypothesis that an S=3/2 to 1/2 crossover occurs in the PS I-rebound mutants C14DPsaC and C51DPsaC.
Abundance patterns of lily pollen cDNAs: characterization of three pollen-preferential cDNA clones

Twenty-five clones were randomly selected from a mature pollen cDNA library of Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.) in order to study the abundance of pollen-expressed mRNAs and the functional roles of the proteins encoded by these mRNAs. Plaque hybridization experiments were conducted to estimate indirectly the expression level of the mRNAs. Based on the hybridization frequency in the mature pollen library, the cDNA clones were divided into three abundance groups. Eight clones belonged to a high abundance class in which each cDNA clone was present in the mature lily pollen library at a frequency between 0.3 and 3%. Six of these clones were not found in cDNA libraries made from carpel, leaf, or root, suggesting that they are preferentially expressed in pollen. Fourteen clones belonged to a medium abundance class and were present in the mature pollen library at a frequency between 0.01 and 0.08%. The remaining three clones, which were present at a frequency below 0.01%, were grouped as a low abundance class. Almost all of the cDNA clones which belong to either the medium or low abundance class were also detected in the leaf library. Northern blot hybridization with three of the highly abundant cDNA clones confirmed their preferential expression in anther. In situ hybridization experiment with one of the clones showed the pollen-specific expression of the clone in mature anther. DNA sequence analysis revealed that the clone LMP131 encodes a peptide which is highly homologous to the tomato pollen-preferential gene, LAT59, which encodes a putative pectate lyase. The clone LMP134 encodes a peptide that shows an extensive similarity to a variety of thioredoxins. The third clone LMP132 encodes a 182-residue protein that has no significant homology to known sequences.
Characteristics of turbulence observed at the NASA 150-m meteorological tower.

Abstract Recent observations of turbulence obtained at the NASA 150-m meteorological tower located at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., are presented. The wind data were obtained at the 18-, 30-, 60-, 90-, 120- and 150-m levels, while temperature data were obtained at the 3-, 18-, 60-, 120- and 150-m levels. Most of the tests were made during the daylight hours, and the duration time of each test ranged between 30–60 min. A survey of the surface roughness length associated with the tower site is presented. Estimates of the roughness length were calculated with wind profile laws consistent with the Monin-Obukhov similarity hypothesis. In the case of those wind directions θ in the ranges 0° ≦ θ < 150°, 180° ≦ θ < 240°, and 300° ≦ θ < 360°, the roughness length is 0.23 m, while for those wind directions in the ranges 150° ≦ θ < 180° and 240° ≦ θ < 300°, the roughness length has the values 0.51 m and 0.65 m, respectively. Longitudinal turbulence spectra calculated from recent observations are also presented. It is ...
Mixed-Signal Approximate Computation: A Neural Predictor Case Study

As transistors shrink and processors trend toward low power, maintaining precise digital behavior grows more expensive. Replacing digital units with analog equivalents sometimes allows similar computation to be performed at higher speed using less power. As a case study in mixed-signal approximate computation, the authors describe an enhanced neural prediction algorithm and its efficient analog implementation.
Intermolecular radical addition to N-acylhydrazones as a stereocontrol strategy for alkaloid synthesis: formal synthesis of quinine.

Stereocontrolled Mn-mediated radical addition of alkyl iodides to chiral N-acylhydrazones enables strategic C–C bond disconnection of chiral amines. This strategy was examined in the context of a total synthesis of quinine, generating new findings of functional group compatibility leading to a revised strategy. Completion of a formal synthesis of quinine is presented, validating the application of Mn-mediated radical addition as a useful new C–C bond construction method for alkaloid synthesis. The Mn-mediated addition generates the chiral amine substructure of quinine with complete stereocontrol. Subsequent elaboration includes two successive ring closures to forge the azabicyclo[2.2.2]octane ring system of quincorine, linked to quinine through two known reactions.
Three-Dimensional Investigation of Petrocalcic Materials: Insight into Pedogenic Processes and Future Applications

Computed tomography (CT) imaging was applied to Mormon Mesa petrocalcic and related materials to observe the location, arrangement, and interconnectedness of void spaces and to visualize density differences that may define pedogenic mineral relationships. Density variations visualized by these scans reveal features that may result from long developed pedogenic processes within these unique soil materials. Voids are present as cracks (shown to interconnect three-dimensionally), elongated spaces filled with unconsolidated materials, and oblate-spheroidal shapes that appear to be associated with detrital carbonate clasts. Density variations viewed through CT imaging may show the products of mineral neoformation, mineral packing differences during crystal growth, and/or older, denser petrocalcic materials eroded and incorporated via subsequent recementation (pisoliths). Computed tomography scanning can be used to understand unique forms and processes that are vital to our understanding of dissolution/precipitation and other pedogenic processes at work in these mature petrocalcic soils. We encourage the application of CT imaging to similar soil materials.
A co‐ordinate system independent streamwise upwind method for fluid flow computation

A new co-ordinate invariant streamwise upwind formulation for convection dominated flows is developed. The eddy diffusivity/viscosity is added directly to the equations in order to remove the oscillations in the solution. The equations then can be solved by any high-order scheme and the solution retains the accuracy of the high-order scheme. The accuracy and reduced lateral thickness growth rate are demonstrated with several numerical examples, including pure convective flows and lid-driven cavity flow. The lateral spreading due to the numerical diffusion is controlled by the anisotropic tensor. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Don't forget the memory: Contribution of the T wave vector in localizing the site of origin of a monomorphic idiopathic ventricular tachycardia

We report a case of cardiac memory following recurrent episodes of monomorphic idiopathic ventricular tachycardia and explain how it could be helpful in localizing the site of origin of the arrhythmia.
Retinogeniculate projections in the rabbit: An autoradiographic study

As shown by autoradiographic techniques, the pattern of retinogeniculate projections in the pigmented rabbit is generally similar to that described in previous studies. Each retina projects bilaterally to the alpha segment of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGd) and to the external segment of the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (LGv). The beta segment of the LGd and internal layer of the LGv receive contralateral inputs only. The alpha segment of the LGd contains an irregularly shaped region which receives overlapping bilateral projections. Within this region the ipsilateral input is continuous and predominant. This pattern of ipsilateral projection can account for both the laminar arrangement perpendicular to the lines of projection and the "hidden lamination" which have been described previously for the rabbit LGd. A separate bilateral projection is identified for a group of cells lying between the LGd and LGv rostrally. Caudally this intergeniculate leaflet extends medial and ventral to the LGv and appears to merge with the zona incerta.
Studies of splat morphology and rapid solidification during thermal spraying

The splat morphology and substrate melting and re-solidification have been studied numerically and experimentally for molybdenum droplets impacting on molybdenum, mild steel, and glass substrates. The effects of the droplet size, velocity, temperature, and substrate material and temperature on the splat morphology and the rate of solidification have been investigated. The correlation between the splat flattening ratio and the Reynolds and Jakob numbers has been developed. The substrate melting and re-solidification strongly depends on the impinging temperature of the droplet, substrate temperature and its thermophysical properties. A two-dimensional model considering free surface deformation and rapid solidification has been developed and used to predict the splat morphology.
Acoustic and Physiologic Factors in Duet Singing: A Pilot Study

Ensemble singing has recently received increased attention by voice scientists. From the literature, it appears that singing in groups requires techniques that are different from those used in solo singing. This experiment studied the characteristics of a pair of male vocalists who were recorded as they sang two duet scores. Analysis of the results showed that timing, pitch, loudness, and long-term average spectra characteristic of both solo and ensemble singing were employed. The use of solo versus ensemble techniques may be more a function of musical style rather than the number of individuals who sing in a group.
Machining and surface finishing of brittle solids

Ceramic materials are finished primarily by abrasive machining processes such as grinding, lapping, and polishing. In grinding, the abrasives typically are bonded in a grinding wheel and brought into contact with the ceramic surface at relatively high sliding speeds. In lapping and polishing, the ceramic is pressed against a polishing block with the abrasives suspended in between them in the form of a slurry. The material removal process here resembles three-body wear. In all these processes, the mechanical action of the abrasive can be thought of as the repeated application of relatively sharp sliding indenters to the ceramic surface. Under these conditions, a small number of mechanisms dominate the material removal process. These are brittle fracture due to crack systems oriented both parallel (lateral) and perpendicular (radial/median) to the free surface, ductile cutting with the formation of thin ribbon-like chips, and chemically assisted wear in the presence of a reactant that is enhanced by the mechanical action (tribochemical reaction). The relative role of each of these mechanisms in a particular finishing process can be related to the load applied to an abrasive particle, the sliding speed of the particle, and the presence of a chemical reactant. These wear mechanisms also cause damage to the near ceramic surface in the form of microcracking, residual stress, plastic deformation, and surface roughness which together determine the strength and performance of the finished component. A complete understanding of the wear mechanisms leading to material removal would allow for the design of efficient machining processes for producing ceramic surfaces of high quality.
Seasonality of monthly runoff over the continental United States: Causality and relations to mean annual and mean monthly distributions of moisture and energy

Summary Observed monthly climatology of streamflow over the continental United States showed significant differences from the monthly precipitation climatology. The objective of this study is to provide an overview of the seasonality of streamflow over the continental US and also to understand the processes that control the streamflow seasonality. For this purpose, we employ principal component regression on five predictors – both climatic and land-surface characteristics – that explain the spatial variability in the streamflow seasonality. While the distribution of mean monthly precipitation is uniform throughout the year over most of the eastern United States (except peninsular Florida), mean monthly streamflow exhibits pronounced seasonality with peak runoff occurring during the winter (early spring) over the Southeast (Mid-Atlantic and Northeast) regions. The spatial variability in the seasonality index – the ratio of peak mean monthly value to the annual total – of runoff over the eastern US primarily depends on the covariability between monthly moisture and energy cycles. As the coherence between these two cycles change from negative to positive over the eastern US, increased moisture availability during the summer results in decreased seasonality index. In contrast, over the western US, both precipitation and streamflow exhibit strong seasonality with respective monthly peaks occurring in early and late winter months. Given that the moisture and energy cycles over the west exhibit significant negative correlation, limited energy availability during peak months of precipitation results in peak monthly runoff occurring in the same season as that of precipitation. Thus, the spatial variability in runoff seasonality over the western United States is strongly dependent on the basin aridity and the seasonality index in precipitation. For catchments over the Midwest and peninsular Florida, given the significant positive correlations in moisture and energy cycles, mean monthly runoff peaks occur in the spring and early summer season with the magnitude of streamflow seasonality being dependent on the aridity index and soil moisture holding capacity of the basin.
Specification, analysis and implementation of architectural patterns for dependable software systems

Ensuring dependability of distributed applications is a difficult problem since developers must carefully consider issues such as network and node failures, deadlocks, live-locks, starvation, distributed coordination, and synchronization. The creation of architectural patterns for dependable software systems can provide effective guidelines, similar to design patterns, to system architects. In this paper, we present an agent specification language, associated tools, and agent-based middleware for specifying, analyzing and implementing architectural patterns for dependable software systems. The language we present is an extension of the secure operations language (SOL), which supports the behavioral specification of agents in addition to specification of agent interfaces, agent composition, and inter-agent interactions. Extended SOL can be used in the design of architectural patterns that implement the security, real-time, and fault-tolerance requirements of a given application. SOL also supports early and automated analyses of an application's functional requirements with respect to performance critical properties. Further, the language has a precisely defined semantics for composition, which enables the automated analysis of architectural designs and the impact of design choices on dependability requirements. The agent-based middleware secure infrastructure for networked systems (SINS), being developed at the Naval Research Laboratory, enables the rapid development and deployment of dependable distributed applications. Architectural patterns specified in extended SOL can be used to automatically derive an implementation, and to assign SINS agents to processors that constitute the distributed execution environment.
Noninvasive Assessment of Pulmonary Artery Pressures Moving Beyond Tricuspid Regurgitation Velocities

Pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) has been classified according to the world health organization as (1) pulmonary arterial hypertension (including idiopathic, familial, and associated with collagen vascular disease or HIV), (2) PHTN with left heart disease, (3) PHTN associated with lung diseases and/or hypoxemia, (4) PHTN caused by chronic thrombotic and/or embolic disease, and (5) miscellaneous.1 PHTN commonly causes symptoms of breathlessness, fatigue, and eventually right heart failure. In addition to the functional limitations, elevated pulmonary artery pressures are associated with reduced long-term survival that is related to the severity of PHTN, the patient’s functional class, and the underlying etiology of the PHTN.2 The prognosis is worse in patients with HIV or collagen vascular disease, intermediate in those with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, and best in those with congenital heart disease.2 Some medical therapies have been shown to improve functional class and survival in patients with PHTN.3 Because of the morbidity and mortality associated with this condition, reliable methods for diagnosing PHTN are needed. Equally as important, given the substantial expense of current medical treatments, it is imperative that we have reproducible methods for serially assessing pulmonary artery pressure noninvasively. Article see p 157 Echocardiography with Doppler interrogation of the tricuspid and pulmonic valves has been recommended by the European Society of Cardiology as one of the first steps in evaluation of the patient with suspected PHTN.4 The velocity of the tricuspid regurgitation (TR) jet measured with continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography correlates …
Linearized N = 2 superfield supergravity

Abstract We present the formulation of linearized SU(2) supergravity and U(2) conformal supergravity in terms of unconstrained N = 2 superfields: the gauge superfield, compensating superfields, gauge transformations, supertensors, actions and covariant derivatives.
FEM analysis of predicting electrode-myocardium contact from RF cardiac catheter ablation system impedance

We used the finite-element method (FEM) to model and analyze the resistance between the catheter tip electrode and the dispersive electrode during radio-frequency cardiac catheter ablation for the prediction of myocardium-electrode contact. We included deformation of the myocardial surface to achieve accurate modeling. For perpendicular catheter contact, we measured the side view of myocardial deformation using X-ray projection imaging. We averaged the deformation contour from nine samples, and then incorporated the contour information into our FEM model. We measured the resistivity of the bovine myocardium using the four-electrode method, and then calculated the resistance change as the catheter penetrated into the myocardium. The FEM result of resistance versus catheter penetration depth matches well with our experimental data.
Telomerase activity in germline and embryonic cells of Xenopus

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein which synthesizes telomere repeats onto chromosome ends. Telomerase activity is involved in telomere length maintenance. We used Xenopus laevis as a model system to study the expression of telomerase activity in germline cells and during early development. We identified a non-processive telomerase activity in manually dissected nuclei of Xenopus stage VI oocytes. Telomerase activity was detected throughout oogenesis and embryogenesis. Telomerase was active in both S and M phase cell cycle extracts, suggesting that telomerase activity is not regulated with chromosomal DNA replication.
Beiträge zur Biographie Thomas Manns aus München

Der Thomas-Mann-Forderkreis Munchen veranstaltet Vortrage und gibt eine „Thomas-Mann-Schriftenreihe“ heraus, sowie eine besondere Reihe von „Fundstucken“ aus dem Umkreis von Thomas Manns Leben in Munchen und Umgebung. Der Forderkreis und seine Publikationen halten das Nachleben der Familie Thomas Manns, fruherer Mitburger Munchens, zusammen mit dem seines Werkes in Munchen und in der Welt lebendig. In Munchen hat Thomas Mann vierzig Jahre gelebt und einen grosen Teil seines Werkes geschaffen, aber diese vierzig Jahre Lebens in der Heimat seiner Frau hatten nicht gut geendet. Schon seit 1922 hatte die bedeutendste burgerliche Zeitung, Munchener Neueste Nachrichten, eine feindliche Haltung eingenommen. Die Feindlichkeit nationalistischer Bildungsburger Munchens gipfelte im Marz 1933 im „Protest der Richard-Wagner-Stadt Munchen“. Der Mangel an Solidaritat verletzte Thomas Mann tief, eine Verletzung, die nach 1945 nachwirkte. Der Forderkreis unter seinem Vorsitzenden Dirk Heiserer stellt sich den zwei Seiten der Beziehung Thomas Manns zu Munchen, den familiaren und freundschaftlichen Bindungen auf der einen Seite und der Feindlichkeit auf der anderen.
The Prolamins of Maize

Prolamins are the principal seed storage proteins of cereals. These proteins are soluble in alcohol and function in storage of nitrogen and amino acids for the germinating seedling (Osborne, 1908; Osborne and Mendel, 1914). Maize prolamins are called zeins, and they form accretions or protein bodies within the lumen of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) of endosperm cells. Zeins are structurally distinct from the prolamins of the more distantly related cereals, wheat, barley, oats and rice (see chapters 3, 4 and 5), but they are very similar to the prolamins of the other panacoid cereals, e.g. sorghum, millet and Coix (see chapter 7).
Identification of tandem genes involved in lipooligosaccharide expression by Haemophilus ducreyi

A transposon insertion mutant of Haemophilus ducreyi 35000 possessing a truncated lipooligosaccharide (LOS) failed to bind the LOS-specific monoclonal antibody 3E6 (M. K. Stevens, L. D. Cope, J. D. Radolf, and E. J. Hansen, Infect. Immun. 63:2976-2982, 1995). This transposon was found to have inserted into the first of two tandem genes and also caused a deletion of chromosomal DNA upstream of this gene. These two genes, designated lbgA and lbgB, encoded predicted proteins with molecular masses of 25,788 and 40,236 Da which showed homology with proteins which function in lipopolysaccharide biosynthetic in other gram-negative bacteria. The tandem arrangement of the lbgA and lbgB genes was found to be conserved among H. ducreyi strains. Isogenic LOS mutants, constructed by the insertion of a cat cartridge into either the lbgA or the lbgB gene, expressed an LOS phenotype indistinguishable from that of the original transposon-derived LOS mutant. The wild-type LOS phenotype could be restored by complementation with the appropriate wild-type allele. These two LOS mutants proved to be as virulent as the wild-type parent strain in an animal model. A double mutant with a deletion of the lbgA and lbgB genes yielded equivocal results when its virulence was tested in an animal model.
Most Earcons Do Not Interfere with Spoken Passage Comprehension

SUMMARY A cross-modal dual attention experiment was completed by 198 undergraduates in three blocks that each consisted of an orientation task and a concurrent listening task. For the orientation task, participants located regions on an LCD that were cued by speech or one of four types of symbolic auditorycues(i.e.earcons);theconcurrenttaskrequiredparticipantstolistentoandanswerquestions about GRE sample test passages. Results indicated the orientation task had no effect on comprehension of the passages compared to a passage-only control for four of the five auditory cue types. All auditory cues resulted in high performance for the orientation task, with speech and complex sounds exhibiting the highest performance. Implications for auditory display design and for assistive technologies for visually impaired persons are discussed. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Estimating divergence time for two evolutionarily significant units of a protected fish species

The evolutionarily significant unit concept provides a powerful tool for conserving biodiversity below the species level, but temporal criteria are often used explicitly or implicitly in the operational definitions of evolutionarily significant units (ESUs). Such temporal considerations have important implications for recently diverged taxa, as is the case with the White sands pupfish (Cyprinodon tularosa). This species consists of two native populations previously designated as the Malpais Spring and Salt Creek ESUs based on allele frequency differences at nuclear markers and their ecologically divergent habitats; despite a lack of reciprocal monophyly. Isolation of these two ESUs presumably occurred during the mid-Holocene, but an alternative hypothesis is that the populations were isolated due to changes in surface hydrology associated with overgrazing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We assayed 13 microsatellite loci and applied an Approximate Bayesian Computation analysis to estimate time of divergence between the two populations. Our reference table consisted of 1,000,000 simulated data sets, and we used three different models, each having different combinations of summary statistics. Estimates of median divergence time varied from approximately 6,500–11,000 generations (3,250–11,000 years). These findings support the hypothesis that Malpais Spring and Salt Creek having been isolated for a least a few millennia, and together with previously documented adaptive divergence, argues for continued management as separate conservation units. We consider the temporal constraints for defining evolutionary significance as it relates to recently diverged populations occupying ecologically divergent habitats.
Stress and morphology evolution during the heteroepitaxial growth of group III-nitrides

In this study, in-situ wafer curvature measurements were used to monitor the evolution of film stress during MOCVD growth of GaN and AlGaN. These studies were carried out using a multi- beam optical stress sensor (MOSS) incorporated onto a custom-designed vertical cold-wall MOCVD reactor. The MOSS system provides real-time information on growth rate and changes in substrate curvature which are related to film stress via a modified version of Stoney's equation. Post-growth structural characterization including atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy was used to correlate measured changes in film stress to film morphology evolution.
US Manufacturing: Understanding Its Past and Its Potential Future

Abstract The development of the US manufacturing sector over the last half-century displays two striking and somewhat contradictory features: 1) the growth of real output in the US manufacturing se...
Feeding Ecology of the Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum, Colubridae) in the Western United States

Abstract We examined the diet of the Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum) in the western United States and evaluated predictions about ontogenetic shifts, sexual divergence, and geographic variation in diet. Identifiable prey items were found in 139 specimens, and 41 additional prey items were recorded from the literature, for 180 prey items in total from 175 individual snakes. Lampropeltis triangulum is a generalist predator and feeds primarily on lizards and mammals. Skinks made up a large portion of the total diet. Other lizard taxa were also important prey, whereas reptile eggs, snakes, and birds were consumed infrequently. Ontogenetic shifts in diet were documented. The upper size limit of prey increased with increasing snake size, and adult snakes continued to feed on small prey. Prey type also was related to snake size. Juveniles fed more frequently on lizards, but adults fed mainly on mammals. Although males were longer than females, there was no sexual size dimorphism in mass, and there were no di...
Porous titanium endosseous dental implants in rhesus monkeys: Microradiography and histological evaluation

Artificial tooth roots with porous surface coatings were fabricated by sintering spherical powder of titanium alloy to solid cylindrical cores. The tooth roots were implanted subgingivally in healed mandibular premolar extraction sites of fifteen Rhesus monkeys. Supracrestal abutments were screwed into pretapped holes in the superior aspect of the primary subgingival stage four to eight weeks after implantation of the root. Clinical evaluations were performed monthly. Ten animals were sacrificed for histological evaluation of the functioning free standing implants. Of twenty-nine implants placed, three were lost and four were rated failures on the basis of histological evaluation. Postmortem evaluations revealed bone growth into the porous surface coating of the primary stage of all the implants. The most characteristic features which could be used to describe differences in the implant histology were the buccal and lingual crestal bone heights measured in relation to the root porosity. Twelve of sixteen implants had crestal bone heights within one millimeter of the superior aspect of the root. Four other implants displayed excessive bone recession, revealing as much as one half of the root porosity supracrestally. The four implant failures could be related to unfavorable features of recipient bone sites. The results demonstrate that the bone growth into the porous surface coatings of artificial tooth roots is an efficacious method of dental implant fixation.
Three-Dimensional Structure of Neocarzinostatin

Neocarzinostatin (NCS) is a member of a class of natural antitumor antibiotics each composed of a labile chromophore component with DNA-cleaving activity and a protein component that binds and stabilizes the chromophore. Crystal structures of the protein–chromophore complex (holo-NCS) and the apoprotein form (apo-NCS) have been determined at 1.8-A resolution. The protein fold of holo-NCS and apo-NCS consists of two domains composed of antiparallel β-sheets; the chromophore is bound noncovalently in a pocket between the two domains, primarily through van der Waals contacts with nonpolar residues. The chromophore displays marked nonlinearity in the C—C≡C bonds, and the two π-faces of the enediyne ring interact with the benzene ring edges of Phe78 and Phe52. Phe78 additionally contacts the amino group of the amino sugar (presumed protonated) through its π-face. Within the chromophore, the amino sugar and carbonate residues are solvent exposed; however, the epoxide, acetylene groups, and carbon C-12, the site of nucleophilic thiol addition during chromophore activation, are sequestered from solution. The latter features likely contribute to the stability of the chromophore when bound to apo-NCS. The position of the amino group of the amino sugar relative to C-12 supports the idea that the amino group plays a role in thiol activation. The most significant difference between the holo-NCS and apo-NCS is the positioning of Phe78, which rotates to a more solvent-exposed position in apo-NCS. Although the basic protein structure is conserved among at least four chromoprotein antibiotics, Phe78 is unique to NCS, perhaps accounting for the binding specificity of NCS for its chromophore.
Cellular Growth in Experimental Intrauterine Growth Retardation in Rats

To determine the effect of experimentally induced intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) on cellular growth in the liver brain and carcass of the fetus RNA DNA and protein contents were measured in 22 rat fetuses with IUGR and in 28 normal control fetuses all obtained from 8 pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats. IUGR was induced by ligation of the uterine artery in 1 uterine horn at Day 17 of gestation. The birth weight of the IUGR fetuses was significantly lower (p less than .001) than the control weights. Carcass and liver weights were significantly lower in the IUGR fetuses than in the controls but brain weights were comparable. Total live DNA and protein as well as total carcass DNA RNA and protein contents were significantly lower in the IUGR fetuses than in the controls but no differences were found between the 2 groups in brain DNA RNA or protein contents. It is concluded that uterine vascular insufficiency can cause fetal growth failure and that retardation of fetal growth affects the carcass and liver development. However brain growth is preferentially spared in vascular insufficiency conditions.
Toxicity of fumonisin from Fusarium verticillioides culture material and moniliformin from Fusarium fujikuroi culture material when fed singly and in combination to growing barrows.

The effects of fumonisin B 1 (FB 1 ) from Fusarium verticillioides culture material and moniliformin from Fusarum fujikuroi culture material on growing barrows were evaluated. Four groups of six barrows (three replicates of two each; mean body weight, 11.1 kg) were fed diets containing 0 mg of FB 1 and 0 mg of moniliformin per kg of feed (control), 100 mg of FB 1 per kg of feed, 100 mg of moniliformin per kg of feed, and 100 mg of FB 1 plus 100 mg of moniliformin per kg of feed. Barrows were fed these diets for 28 days. Body weight gain, feed efficiency, serum biochemical analytes, and hematological values were adversely affected by the FB 1 and the FB 1 -plus-moniliformin diets. The moniliformin diet decreased body weight gain. Two barrows in the moniliformin diet group died, and two barrows in the FB 1 -plus-moniliformin diet group died. All deaths occurred during the first 6 days of the study. Mild to moderate lesions were observed microscopically in heart and lung tissues of the groups fed moniliformin and FB 1 plus moniliformin and in liver tissues of the groups fed FB 1 and FB 1 plus moniliformin. Except for the acute mortality associated with the two diets containing moniliformin, clinical disease induced by the combined feeding of these two mycotoxins appears to be additive or less than additive and due primarily to the toxic expression of FB 1 . Le mais est souvent contamine par des especes de Fusarium, et la plupart de ces moisissures produisent des mycotoxines comme la fumonisine B1 et la monoliformine. L'objectif de cette etude est d'examiner les effets toxiques de la fumonisine B1 de Fusarium verticillioides et de la monoliformine de Fusarium fujikuroi lorsqu'ils contaminent la nourriture des jeunes porcs, seuls ou combines. Le gain de poids corporel, l'efficacite alimentaire, la composition biochimique du serum et les valeurs hematologiques sont controles. Des lesions cardiaques et pulmonaires sont constatees, dans certains cas la mort de l'animal survient.
Plasmonic Metal Nitrides for Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells

We numerically investigate electromagnetic interactions with metal nitride nanoparticles and discuss potential applications for thin-film silicon solar cells. The results indicate strong local-field enhancement, particularly in the near infrared.
The physiological and clinical importance of sodium potassium ATPase in cardiovascular diseases

The Na/K-ATPase has been extensively studied, but it is only recently that its role as a scaffolding and signaling protein has been identified. It has been identified that cardiotonic steroids (CTS) such as digitalis mediate signal transduction through the Na/K-ATPase in a process found to result in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). As these ROS also appear capable of initiating this signal cascade, a feed forward amplification process has been postulated and subsequently implicated in some disease pathways including uremic cardiomyopathy.
Defining Autonomy in the Context of Tort Liability: Is Machine Learning Indicative of Robotic Responsibility?

Traditional tort law benefits consumers by holding accountable parties responsible for injury, encouraging greater care in manufacture, and, ultimately, making injured victims whole. Whether traditional notions of legal responsibility comport with the advent of Artificial Intelligence is the sweetheart of academic research. However, less attention is given to the increasingly limited role traditional notions of learning patterns and brain functionality play in the changing landscape of robotic service products. Neuroimaging, organizational psychology, and systemic risk show decision making does not occur as traditionally portrayed. But rather, the human brain is not the ideal analogue to “machine learning.” Robots “learn” by amassing recognition for relevant data and “decide” by calculating the probability of a desired outcome based on the input received, as applied in numerous permutations of a given function. Bypassing whether robots can be liable, this Paper focuses on the extent to which machine learning heightens robotic accountability, and asks, at what point ought the law hold robots liable because the decision creating the harm was not a function of software programming on the front end, but a function of robotic choice? This Paper recommends a variation of Ugo Pagallo’s “digital peculium” liability scheme for “hard cases” – where fully autonomous robots make decisions absent appropriate linkage to the original programmer and, thus, fall outside the scope of pre-programmed uncertainty. Situating Pagallo’s “hard cases” in the larger abstraction laid out by H.L.A. Hart and Ronald Dworkin, this Paper concludes by considering whether determination of a right answer, or conclusive indetermination of any, exists for application of legal accountability to ever-increasing robotic autonomy.
Residential Racial Diversity: Are Transracial Adoptive Families More Like Multiracial or White Families?

Objective The purpose of this article is to examine whether and how the residential racial diversity of transracially adopted children (i.e., nonwhite children adopted by white parents) varies from those of biological children in white monoracial families and biological children in mixed-race families. Method Using the restricted access 2009 American Community Survey, we take advantage of the large number of adoptive families not only to investigate differences among these families, but also to explore whether racial socialization within transracial adoptive families varies by the race and nativity of the child. Results We show that the context of racial socialization for transracially adopted children is more similar to that of white children in monoracial families than that of children in mixed race families. Conclusion This article adds a quantitative, nationally representative picture of the context of racial socialization for specific groups of transracially adopted children, complementing existing research published in this area.
VARIATION IN THE CODING OF SPECIES IDENTITY IN THE ADVERTISEMENT CALLS OF LITORIA VERREAUXI (ANURA: HYLIDAE).

Variation within and among males was documented in two properties of the advertisement call of Litoria verreauxi; comparisons were also made between populations of L. verreauxi that were allopatric and sympatric with L. ewingi. Pulse rate, a property of known importance in mate recognition, was stereotyped. However, a character upon which the full expression of pulse rate depends, the depth of amplitude modulation (AM) or pulsing, was significantly lower and more variable in populations of L. verreauxi that coexisted with L. ewingi than in allopatric populations of L. verreauxi. Furthermore, there were significant changes in the depth of AM in the calls of sympatric males recorded from one night to another within the breeding season. The within-male variation (between recordings) in this character within sympatric populations was so great that statistically significant differences between males could not be detected. Thus, even if gravid females in sympatry choose a male on the basis of the degree to which his calls are pulsed, the evolutionary response to such selection would probably be very limited. The change that appears to be occurring in the temporal code for species identity vis-a-vis L. ewingi in sympatry (a change from a quantitative difference [pulse rate] to a qualitative one [pulsed versus unpulsed calls]) is probably a passive consequence of the shift to higher pulse rates.
How Jury Service Makes Us into Better Citizens

Studies on juries have often relied entirely on self-reported data (surveys) or a handful of in-depth interviews. In either case, the skeptic can doubt the truth claims about the jury based on this evidence. After all, many addicted smokers assert that they can “quit tomorrow.” Are they any less reliable than others who self-report? To be fair, surveys and interviews have their place as legitimate research tools, but we did not feel they were definitive enough to decide our real money wager. The test we proposed to resolve our wager about the civic impact of jury deliberation avoids common measurement problems by linking official jury records with the actual democratic act of voting as recorded by the county’s registrar of voters. This is not the best way to understand the robust and varied nature of civic engagement, but it can demonstrate whether an effect exists under the most rigorous of testing conditions. Although subject to human error, the public records we gather do not depend on fragile human memory or anyone’s desire to impress an interviewer. Given that the researchers and recording clerks only meet long after the court and voting documents have been produced, bias in the recording of the data is implausible. In addition, this approach can yield as close to a perfect response rate as the archives will allow, with little chance that jurors’ experience at the courtroom could influence the odds of their appearing in our final dataset. Because jury service is mandatory, it also brings into our study many people who embark on their public service journey at the county courthouse only reluctantly. Finally, our approach allows us to collect data spanning a period of years, such that we can measure the impact of jury service on voting in elections held months or even years after the study participants completed their service.
Perceptual and affective responses to sampled capsaicin differ by reported intake

The present study was conducted to a) generate suprathresold dose-response functions for multiple qualities evoked by capsaicin across a wide range of concentrations, and b) revisit how intensity ratings and liking may differ as a function of self reported intake. Individuals rated eight samples of capsaicin for perceived burn and bitterness, as well as disliking/liking. Measures of reported preference for chili peppers, chili intake frequency, prior experience and personality measures were also assessed. Here, we confirm prior findings showing that burn in the laboratory differs with reported chili intake, with infrequent consumers reporting more burn. We extend these findings by exploring how capsaicin perception varies by reported liking, and measures of variety seeking. We also address the question of whether differences in burn ratings may potentially be an artifact of differential scale usage across groups due to prior experience, and not chronic desensitization, as is typically assumed. By using generalized scaling methods and recalled sensations, we conclude the differences observed here and elsewhere are not likely due to differences in how participants use rating scales.