cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cosmic ray studies with the MINOS detectors

The MINOS experiment uses two layered scintillator and steel detectors along with a muon neutrino beam to search for νμ disappearance, and thus neutrino oscillations. The Far Detector ('FD') is situated in a former iron mine in the Soudan Underground Mine State Park in Northeastern MN, 700 m (2070 mwe) below the surface. This 5.4 kt steel/scintillator calorimeter measures the neutrino flux after they have traveled the 735 km baseline. It also detects atmospheric neutrinos at a rate of several per week, and is the first magnetized atmospheric neutrino detector, able to discriminate between νμ and νμ on an event-by-event basis. The similar 1 kt Near Detector ('ND') is 100 m (220 mwe) underground at Fermilab. This poster discusses the science being done with the high energy cosmic ray muons which penetrate the rock overburden and are seen by the detectors. The typical surface energy of those seen at the FD are ~1 TeV (coming from ~8 TeV primary cosmic rays) and ~110 GeV at the ND (~900 GeV primaries).
Quasi-Lagrangian Acceleration of Eulerian Methods

We present a simple and efficient strategy for the acceleration of explicit Eulerian methods for multidimensional hyperbolic systems of conservation laws. The strategy is based on the Galilean invariance of dynamic equations and optimization of the reference frame, in which the equations are numerically solved. The optimal reference frame moves (locally in time) with the average characteristic speed of the system, and, in this sense, the resulting method is quasi-Lagrangian. This leads to the acceleration of the numerical computations thanks to the optimal CFL condition and automatic adjustment of the computational domain to the evolving part of the solution. We show that our quasi-Lagrangian acceleration procedure may also reduce the numerical dissipation of the underlying Eulerian method. This leads to a significantly enhanced resolution, especially in the supersonic case. We demonstrate a great potential of the proposed method on a number of numerical examples. AMS subject classifications: 76M12, 65B99, 35L65
Flight Performance of Monochamus carolinensis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) with Respect to Nematode Phoresis and Beetle Characteristics

The pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus ([Steiner & Buhrer 1934][1]) [Nickle 1970][2], and its cerambycid beetle vector, Monochamus carolinensis (Olivier) have a commensal relationship. The nematode is transported from infested to uninfested host trees by beetle vectors. The influence of nematode load, the number of 4th-stage dispersal juveniles (JIV) carried per beetle, and the mated status of female beetles on the flight performance of M. carolinensis were investigated using a flight mill. Beetles that carried >10,000 JIV had a significantly shorter flight distance and duration than beetles carrying <10,000 JIV. Unmated females outperformed their mated counterparts on all measures of flight. In North America, pine wilt is primarily associated with exotic, ornamental pines. The limited and widely separated distribution of these trees may require a long flight by M. carolinensis to locate feeding and oviposition sites. Thus, nematode load or mated status may negatively influence the ability of a beetle to locate food and oviposition sites. [1]: #ref-23 [2]: #ref-18
Displacements—Beyond the Coloniality of Images

Dynamic mental images are co-constitutive of the determinations of reality and possibility under which our senses of life open and unfold. Ultimately, this dynamic sense of images introduces the difficulty of thinking in light of their role in the configuration of human knowledge and their power over interpretations and determinations of the many senses of beings. This relationship between images and philosophical knowledge is further complicated when one looks at it from the perspective of a colonized consciousness. In such cases self-knowledge and the very possibility of philosophical knowledge depend on images that are not one’s own. This makes the articulation of the senses of distinct existences an impossible project. By looking at the work of Fanon, Anibal Quijano, and Alfredo Jaar, this article discusses how such pernicious images occur in spite of one’s distinct sense of existence, and how the distorted displacement of existence may be challenged and overcome.
Bioprospecting in plants for engineered proteins

For more than two decades, bioengineered plants have produced protein therapeutics for human and animal use. Almost all proteins produced by other existing systems, including antibodies, vaccines and plasma proteins, have now been manufactured in plants. Considering the limitations of microbial and mammalian reactor-based protein-production technologies and the impending bottleneck in manufacturing capacity, plants are now emerging as an attractive alternative system with which to supply the growing need for protein-based therapeutics. However, full realization of the promise of plant-derived engineered proteins requires that we confront the dual challenges of bioequivalence and product consistency, challenges that are largely related to post-translational protein modifications (PTMs) that are crucial to the structure and function of most eukaryotic proteins. Among the protein PTMs, the foremost challenge for bioactivity and acceptance by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and regulatory agencies is glycosylation. Advances made in recent years that 'humanize' plant glycosylation pathways combined with the discovery of terminal sialic acids (SAs) in plants now make feasible the bioengineering in plants of glycoproteins that have mammalian-like glycosylation.
Surfactant cytotoxicity assay based on a silicon transducer.

A cytotoxicity assay for surfactants was developed using a potentiometric silicon transducer and Lactobacillus plantarum (NBRC3070), and the results are reported here. L. plantarum was used as the test microorganism for assaying the cytotoxicity of the surfactants. The extracellular pH change resulting from the metabolic pathway was measured by a light-addressable potentiometric sensor. This potentiometric sensor system measured the acidification of the L. plantarum medium; acidification resulting from metabolic activity was inhibited by the toxic activity of the surfactant. Results indicated that the anionic surfactant did not exhibit inhibitory activity in either cell growth or extracellular acidification until 0.2 mM. By contrast, the inhibition activity of cationic surfactants toward cellular growth and metabolic activity was greater than that of anionic surfactants. These results are consistent with those from the growth inhibition assay.
A message: a message from your division director

The IEEE is one of the largest professional societies in the world. Its 180,000 members from all over the world have a great variety of interests. The Board of Directors is charged with the responsibility of discerning the needs of the members and setting policies and priorities that result in activities that meet these needs. Because of the heterogeneous nature of the membership, the Board of Directors has been structured to give significant respresentation to specific interest groups. Ten of the members, called Regional Directors, represent geographical areas - six in the United States and four from the rest of the world. Seven members, called Division Directors, represent the Groups and Societies (G/Ss). The representation for the G/Ss is obtained by assigning each G/S to an entity called a Division. Each Division has approximately the same number of members, and the G/Ss within the Division generally have some commonality in technical interest. The ten Regional Directors and seven Division Directors constitute a majority of the 29-member Board. As Director of Division I, my assignment is to represent the following four Groups and Societies: Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing; Circuits and Systems; Control Systems; and Information Theory. The total membership of these G/Ss is nearly 25,000. I urge all members of the G/Ss in Division I to express their opinion whenever possible, and I strongly encourage the individual G/Ss to conduct their own opinion polls on issues that particularly concern them.
On the Hygroscopic Behavior of Atmospheric Organic Aerosols

The vapor−liquid equilibrium of organic species and water determines the partitioning of volatile organic species between the gas and aerosol phases in the atmosphere. Essential properties that govern this partitioning are the compounds' vapor pressures and the liquid-phase activity coefficients of the organic species. Key issues include (1) the amount of water absorbed by organic particles, both single-component and multicomponent, as a function of relative humidity and (2) how organic and water partitioning is altered as the relative humidity changes, for a fixed total (gas plus particle) quantity of each organic component. We present here calculations relating to each of these issues for organic molecules that are characteristic of those that have been identified in ambient aerosols. Uncertainties exist in knowledge of vapor pressures of atmospheric organics and in activity coefficients, which are calculated by the UNIFAC method. These uncertainties, the level of which is difficult to estimate because of a lack of appropriate thermodynamic data, can lead to significant uncertainty in predicted gas−aerosol partitioning. Current theories for estimating both vapor pressures and activity coefficients are likely to be improved eventually, but the methods discussed here will probably remain the procedures of choice for the immediate future.
Mortality of young male mice infected with 6,400 normal or irradiated Trichinella spiralis larvae

Abstract Each of a total of 106 five-week-old male Swiss albino mice divided into four groups, was inoculated with 6,400 Trichinella spiralis larvae subjected to various doses of roentgen radiation and their survival times recorded. One hundred per cent of the mice died if the larvae received no irradiation. None died if the larvae received 12,000 r. Approximately 85% of the mice died if the larvae were irradiated with 8,000 or 10,000 r.
Does HOME add to the prediction of child intelligence over and above SES

Abstract The most frequently used measure of the educational stimulation provided by the child's home environment is socioeconomic status (SES). Because SES is a global measure, researchers have developed measures that provide more detailed information. One of these is the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME), (Caldwell & Bradley, 1984). Our research examined whether HOME adds to the predictability of child intelligence beyond that provided by SES. Subjects were 121 3-year-olds, Black and White, who were administered the fourth edition of the Stanford-Binet and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Revised. HOME and Hollingshead SES scores were obtained at age 2. HOME added to the predictability of intelligence over and above that provided by SES for the total group of children and for White children but not for Black children. The predictive utility of HOME also depended on the type of intelligence test being used.
Distance education research and continuing professional education: Reframing questions for the emerging information infrastructure

This article reviews the evolution of the theoretical influences upon the study of distance education and explores the influence of the emerging telecommunications technologies upon questions important to the continuing professional education of health professionals. The article offers multiple frameworks for posing research questions designed to help us understand professional learning in the new telecommunications environment.
Time-resolved laser-induced incandescence from multiwalled carbon nanotubes in air

We observed temporal laser-induced incandescence (LII) signals from multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) suspended in ambient air. Unlike previous LII experiments with soot particles, which showed that primary particles with larger diameters cool at slower timescales relative to smaller particles, we observed that thicker MWCNTs with larger outer diameters (ODs) cool at faster timescales relative to thinner MWCNTs with smaller ODs. We suggested a simple explanation of this effect, based on the solution of one-dimensional nonstationary heat conduction equation for the initial non-uniform heating of MWCNTs with ODs greater than the skin depth.
Lattice constant, bandgap, thickness, and surface morphology of InGaAsP-InP layers grown by step-cooling, equilibrium-cooling, supercooling and two-phase-solution growth techniques

Constant composition InGaAsP epitaxial layers can be grown on (100) InP substrates at a constant temperature using the diffusion-limited step-cooling growth technique, and in general, compositionally graded layers result when the diffusion-limited equilibrium-cooling, supercooling, and two-phase-solution growth techniques are used. The lattice constant and energy gap of the epitaxial layers grown using the step-cooling technique are nearly independent of small variations of X p l and the amount of step cooling, but are dependent on growth temperature. The dependence of lattice constant and energy gap of the epitaxial layers on X Ga l and X As l has been determined for the step-cooling and supercool ing techniques.
Closely supervised control of a target-steered UAV

Orientation of a camera onboard an uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for reconnaissance is performed manually by an operator using a two degree-of-freedom joystick that commands camera azimuth and elevation. The flight path of the UAV is accomplished autonomously by an autopilot that transforms camera orientation into guidance commands that cause the UAV to fly to a destination, loiter or track a target as instructed by the operator. This control mode permits single-person operation of the UAV mission. In a manual mode, the aircraft circles the target at a fixed standoff distance from the UAV that is determined by instantaneous camera orientation and if available, ranging information to the target. The operator must continually track the target in this mode. In a shared control mode, the target location in an earth-fixed frame is determined from the camera orientation at a single point in time, in conjunction with the concurrent UAV position, the latter assumed to be available from GPS or an onboard inertial guidance system. This leaves the operator free to pan for other targets or perform other tasks. He can update target location or switch between the manual and shared modes at any time. This method also provides the added benefit that if the feed from the remote operator is lost, the aircraft will continue on its current heading or loiter smaller to current UAV operation. This teleoperation concept is being validated in Wright State University's CAVE automated virtual environment located at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
The anisotropy of carbon steels due to compression and the charpy impact value

Abstract Materials, which accumulate a deformation history from the fabrication process to which they have been subjected, are deformed to produce the component through many processing operations. It is important therefore, to establish the correlation between predeformation and workability. In this work, the Charpy impact test is carried out on steels which have been pre-strained in simple compression: it is hoped to be able to assess ductility using this method. For annealed steels, a linear relationship has been found between the logarithm of the ratio of crack initiion energy ( EI ) to yeild stress ( σ y ) and impact tensile fracture strain ( ϵ f ). In pure iron, the EI in the axial and radial directions decreased remarkably with increasing pre-strain and axial specimens fractured in a brittle manner for pre-strains greater than 0.6. In S55C steel, the EI and crack propagation energy ( EP ) in the axial direction increased with increase in the pre-strain up to about 0.2, then decreased abruptly at a pre-strain of about 0.3, whilst in S25C steel, the EI and the EP in both directions decreased considerably with increasing pre-strain, but their anisotropy in S25C steel was a little more than that in pure iron. These trends in carbon steels may be chiefly due to compressive deformation in the pearlite. The raio EI / σ y or maximum displacement δ m are found to be a measure of ductility in the Charpy impact test and are considered to be sensitive to the change in, and damage of, the micro-structure in the ferrite and pearlite, etc.
The R46Q, R131Q and R154H Polymorphs of Human DNA Glycosylase/β-Lyase hOgg1 Severely Distort the Active Site and DNA Recognition Site but do not Cause Unfolding

Reactive oxygen species can cause widespread cellular damage, including base alterations and strand breaks in DNA. An array of DNA-repair enzymes constitutes an essential part of the line of defense that cells use against oxidative damage to the genome. A DNA glycosylase/β-lyase enzyme, Ogg1, scavenges the genome for 8-oxoguanine, a major mutagenic DNA adduct induced by reactive oxygen species, and catalyzes its excision and subsequent cleavage of the DNA phosphate backbone. Several polymorphisms of Ogg1, including the single amino-acid substitutions R46Q, R131Q and R154H, are associated with a variety of human cancers. These three mutations have previously been characterized experimentally but no structural data have been published. We have performed multiple molecular dynamics simulations of R46Q, R131Q and R154H human Ogg1 to predict the structural and dynamical effects of the substitutions throughout the protein and specifically within the active site and substrate recognition site. None of the substitutions induced unfolding or global structural changes, instead their effects were confined principally to the active and recognition sites. Although the enzyme active site is located 18-21 A from the three investigated mutation sites, these mutations' structural effects propagate through space and cause a major change in the orientation and chemical environment of the active site side chains. This change appears likely to compromise the ability of the Lys 249 side chain to undergo a necessary deprotonation step prior to its nucleophilic attack of the DNA. The mutations also cause an expansion of the active site cavity, which may explain the experimentally observed decreases in substrate specificity.
A quantitative measure of medium-range order in amorphous materials from transmission electron micrographs

We propose an extension to the technique of fluctuation electron microscopy that quantitatively measures a medium-range order correlation length in amorphous materials. In both simulated images from computer-generated paracrystalline amorphous silicon models and experimental images of amorphous silicon, we find that the spatial autocorrelation function of dark-field transmission electron micrographs of amorphous materials exhibits a simple exponential decay. The decay length measures a nanometre-scale structural correlation length in the sample, although it also depends on the microscope resolution. We also propose a new interpretation of the fluctuation microscopy image variance in terms of fluctuations in local atomic pair distribution functions.
Computer-aided prognosis: predicting patient and disease outcome via quantitative fusion of multi-scale, multi-modal data.

Abstract Computer-aided prognosis (CAP) is a new and exciting complement to the field of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) and involves developing and applying computerized image analysis and multi-modal data fusion algorithms to digitized patient data (e.g. imaging, tissue, genomic) for helping physicians predict disease outcome and patient survival. While a number of data channels, ranging from the macro (e.g. MRI) to the nano-scales (proteins, genes) are now being routinely acquired for disease characterization, one of the challenges in predicting patient outcome and treatment response has been in our inability to quantitatively fuse these disparate, heterogeneous data sources. At the Laboratory for Computational Imaging and Bioinformatics (LCIB) 1 1http://lcib.rutgers.edu. at Rutgers University, our team has been developing computerized algorithms for high dimensional data and image analysis for predicting disease outcome from multiple modalities including MRI, digital pathology, and protein expression. Additionally, we have been developing novel data fusion algorithms based on non-linear dimensionality reduction methods (such as Graph Embedding) to quantitatively integrate information from multiple data sources and modalities with the overarching goal of optimizing meta-classifiers for making prognostic predictions. In this paper, we briefly describe 4 representative and ongoing CAP projects at LCIB. These projects include (1) an Image-based Risk Score (IbRiS) algorithm for predicting outcome of Estrogen receptor positive breast cancer patients based on quantitative image analysis of digitized breast cancer biopsy specimens alone, (2) segmenting and determining extent of lymphocytic infiltration (identified as a possible prognostic marker for outcome in human epidermal growth factor amplified breast cancers) from digitized histopathology, (3) distinguishing patients with different Gleason grades of prostate cancer (grade being known to be correlated to outcome) from digitized needle biopsy specimens, and (4) integrating protein expression measurements obtained from mass spectrometry with quantitative image features derived from digitized histopathology for distinguishing between prostate cancer patients at low and high risk of disease recurrence following radical prostatectomy.
DATA BASED MODELS FOR AUTOMOBILE SIDE IMPACT ANALYSIS AND DESIGN EVALUATION

Occupant protection during side impacts is a very important consideration in automobile design. To ensure occupant protection, physical tests as well as simulation using analytical models are extensively used in the early phases of design. Analytical models for side impact simulation can be developed directly from the crash measurement data and the physical insight of the crash event. In this paper, uncoupled lumped parameter models for the automobile structure and the test dummy are developed based on the study of distribution of crash energy. The model parameters are estimated using a Kalman filter estimator in a constrained environment. The estimation approach is verified using simulated data as well as test data. The modeling and application of the data based model is demonstrated in the actual design environment with an example. The data based model is shown to be very useful in understanding the contribution of various components in the overall crash performance, evaluating design trade-offs and developing component level performance targets.
Using the IBM-compatible microcomputer’s serial port as an input-output interface

A general purpose input-output interface is an essential tool in many common research situations. This article describes a simple way to set up the IBM-compatible microcomputer’s RS-232 serial port as an interface with up to four inputs and two outputs. First, aspects of the serial port relevant to its use as an input-output interface are discussed. Next, port access commands needed to control output lines and monitor input lines in the appropriate way are described, and examples in the Turbo Pascal 5.0 language are provided. Finally, a schematic diagram and a discussion of a simple circuit to implement the interface are provided.
Comparison of 3 Techniques for Ureteroneocystostomy in Cats

Objective— To compare 3 techniques for ureteroneocystostomy in cats. Study Design— Experimental surgical study. Animals— Fifteen adult cats. Methods— Cats (15) had ureteroneocystostomy with ureteronephrectomy of the contralateral kidney: 5 cats had an intravesical mucosal apposition technique (modified Leadbetter-Politano; intravesical-MA group), 5 cats had extravesical ureteroneocystostomy (modified Lich Gregoir) using a simple continuous suture pattern (extravesical-SC group) and 5 cats had an extravesical technique using a simple interrupted suture pattern (extravesical-SI group). Renal function was evaluated by measuring serum creatinine concentration. Ultrasonographic assessment of the kidney and ureteroneocystostomy site was performed the day after surgery, twice weekly for 3 weeks and once weekly for the remainder of the study. Cats were euthanatized 50 days after surgery. The kidney and ureter removed at surgery, the remaining kidney, ureter, ureteroneocystostomy site, and bladder were examined histologically. Results— Two extravesical-SC cats were euthanatized because of azotemia and uroabdomen, and 1 died acutely at day 4 for unknown reasons. In the intravesical-MA and extravesical-SI cats, the serum creatinine concentration increased after surgery, peaking at a mean (±SD) of 9.4±2.4 mg/dL and 4.9±3.3 mg/dL on day 3, and decreasing to 3.4±5.7 mg/dL and 1.5±0.4 mg/dL on day 7, respectively. The extravesical-SI technique was associated with consistently lower serum creatinine concentrations for the first week after surgery compared with the other techniques. The mean serum creatinine concentration was within the reference range in cats in the intravesical-MA and extravesical-SI groups by days 10 and 5, respectively. Renal pelvic dilatation occurred in all cats but resolved more rapidly in cats after extravesical techniques. There was no significant difference in serum creatinine concentrations or renal pelvic dilation between the intravesical-MA and extravesical-SI techniques. Bladder mass height at the anastomosis site was significantly larger and persisted for longer with intravesical-MA technique. Conclusion— An extravesical-SI technique is seemingly the choice for ureteroneocystostomy in cats with undilated ureters. Renal pelvic dilation on ultrasound examination should be expected after ureteroneocystostomy in cats. Clinical Relevance— An extravesical ureteroneocystostomy technique using a simple interrupted pattern for anastomosis should be considered in cats undergoing renal transplantation.
Thickness Effects on Pinned Joints for Composites

Mechanical joints are commonly used for joining composite laminates, especially thick section composites. In most studies of mechanical joints, the interactions between pin diameter (D) and composite dimensions such as width (W) and distance from hole center to composite end (e), resulting in W/D and e/D ratios, are the primary parameters for joint evaluation since composite laminates are usually very thin. However, as composite thickness increases, the contact interaction between pin and composite alters. Subsequently, the composite joint stiffness and joint strength are affected. Since the contact interaction is strongly affected by pin diameter (D) and composite thickness (H), this study investigated mechanical joints with combinations of various composite thicknesses and pin diameters. Composite material made of woven glass fabric and phenolic matrix was investigated. Sixteen joint configurations based on four composite thicknesses and four pin diameters were examined. Both experiments and finite element analysis were conducted in this study It was found that the ratio of H 2 /D 2 could be used to distinguish the two primary damage modes, i.e. pin bending and bearing failure. Results also showed that thick composites with small pins and thin composites with large pins had Iower efficiencies for joint stiffness and joint strength than those having similar dimensions between pin diameter and composite thickness.
A CMOS RISC CPU designed for sustained high performance on large applications

A 90-MHz CMOS CPU has been designed for sustained performance in workstation and commercial/technical multiuser applications. The CPU is part of a multichip system that achieves a 60-MHz operating frequency with 15-ns asynchronous SRAMs. Key performance features include a 3.5-ns 32-b adder, low skew on-chip clock buffers, and cycling large off-chip caches at the operating frequency. The chip has been fabricated using a 1.0- mu m CMOS process that utilizes three-level metal and 480000 transistors on a 14*14-mm die. >
Home Range and Habitat Selection of Spotted Owls in the Central Sierra Nevada

We studied home range and habitat selection of radio-marked adult California spotted owls (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) randomly selected from among the breeding population of owls in the central Sierra Nevada, California from June to October 2006. The most parsimonious home-range estimate for our data was 555 ha (SE = 100 ha). Home-range size was positively correlated with the number of vegetation patches in the home range (habitat heterogeneity). We used resource selection ratios to examine selection of vegetation types by owls within our study area. Owl home ranges contained a high proportion of mature conifer forest, relative to its availability, although the confidence interval for this estimate overlapped one. We also used resource selection functions (RSF) to examine owl foraging habitat selection. Relative probability of selection of foraging habitat was correlated with vegetation classes, patch size, and their interaction. Owls showed highest selection rates for large patches (>10 ha) of pole-sized coniferous forest. Our results suggested that spotted owls in the central Sierra Nevada used habitat that contained a high proportion of mature conifer forest at the home-range scale, but at a finer scale (foraging site selection) owls used other vegetation classes interspersed among mature forest patches, consistent with our hypothesis that spotted owls may use other forest types besides old growth and mature forests when foraging. Our study provides an unbiased estimate of habitat use by spotted owls in the central Sierra Nevada. Our results suggest that forest managers continue to protect remaining mature and old-growth forests in the central Sierra Nevada because owl home ranges contain high proportions of these habitats. However, our results also showed that owls used younger stands as foraging habitat so that landscape heterogeneity, with respect to cover types, may be an important consideration for management but we did not attempt to relate our findings to fitness of owls. Thus management for some level of landscape heterogeneity for the benefit of owls should proceed with caution or under an adaptive management framework.
The Influence of Loop Current Position on Winter Sea Surface Temperatures in the Florida Straits

AbstractInfluences of the Gulf of Mexico's Loop Current (LC) position on the sea surface temperature (SST) in the Florida Straits (FS) during the winter season are investigated. Satellite-derived SST data are analyzed on the basis of the LC configuration (mature or immature) as determined by satellite altimetry analyses. Cumulative distributions of FS SSTs for both LC phases during the months of January and February show greater likelihood of cooler SSTs in the FS during a mature LC than during an immature LC. This work suggests that differing transit times of LC water parcels during mature and immature phases result in differences in heat loss of the LC near-surface water. This may contribute to the observed SST differences in FS during mature and immature LC phases via temperature advection.
Functional elements within the dynein microtubule-binding domain.

Dynein interacts with microtubules through an ATP-sensitive linkage mapped to a structurally complex region of the heavy chain following the fourth P-loop motif. Virtually nothing is known regarding how binding affinity is achieved and modulated during ATP hydrolysis. We have performed a detailed dissection of the microtubule contact site, using fragment expression, alanine substitution, and peptide competition. Our work identifies three clusters of amino acids important for the physical contact with microtubules; two of these fall within a region sharing sequence homology with MAP1B, the third in a region just downstream. Amino acid substitutions within any one of these regions can eliminate or weaken microtubule binding (KK3379,80, E3385, K3387, K3397, KK3410,11, W3414, RKK3418–20, F3426, R3464, S3466, and K3467), suggesting that their activities are highly coordinated. A peptide that actively displaces MAP1B from microtubules perturbs dynein binding, supporting previous evidence for similar sites of interaction. We have also identified four amino acids whose substitutions affect release of the motor from the microtubule (E3413, R3444, E3460, and C3469). These suggest that nucleotide-sensitive affinity may be locally controlled at the site of contact. Our work is the first detailed description of dynein–tubulin interactions and provides a framework for understanding how affinity is achieved and modulated.
Ion thermal decoupling and species separation in shock-driven implosions.

Anomalous reduction of the fusion yields by 50% and anomalous scaling of the burn-averaged ion temperatures with the ion-species fraction has been observed for the first time in D 3 He-filled shock-driven inertial confinement fusion implosions. Two ion kinetic mechanisms are used to explain the anomalous observations: thermal decoupling of the D and 3 He populations and diffusive species separation. The observed insensitivity of ion temperature to a varying deuterium fraction is shown to be a signature of ion thermal decoupling in shock-heated plasmas. The burn-averaged deuterium fraction calculated from the experimental data demonstrates a reduction in the average core deuterium density, as predicted by simulations that use a diffusion model. Accounting for each of these effects in simulations reproduces the observed yield trends. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.025001
CalcDeltaB: An efficient postprocessing tool to calculate ground‐level magnetic perturbations from global magnetosphere simulations

Ground magnetic field variations can induce electric currents on long conductor systems such as high-voltage power transmission systems. The extra electric currents can interfere with normal operation of these conductor systems; and thus, there is a great need for better specification and prediction of the field perturbations. In this publication we present CalcDeltaB, an efficient postprocessing tool to calculate magnetic perturbations ΔB at any position on the ground from snapshots of the current systems that are being produced by first-principle models of the global magnetosphere-ionosphere system. This tool was developed during the recent “dB/dt” modeling challenge at the Community Coordinated Modeling Center that compared magnetic perturbations and their derivative with observational results. The calculation tool is separate from each of the magnetosphere models and ensures that the ΔB computation method is uniformly applied, and that validation studies using ΔB compare the performance of the models rather than the combination of each model and a built-in ΔB computation tool that may exist. Using the tool, magnetic perturbations on the ground are calculated from currents in the magnetosphere, from field-aligned currents between magnetosphere and ionosphere, and the Hall and Pedersen currents in the ionosphere. The results of the new postprocessing tool are compared with ΔB calculations within the Space Weather Modeling Framework model and are in excellent agreement. We find that a radial resolution of 1/30RE is fine enough to represent the contribution to ΔB from the region of field-aligned currents.
Developing the ICT Infrastructure for Africa: Overview of Barriers to Harnessing the Full Power of the Internet

The synergies of numerous emerging trends are shaping creation, access, use and preservation of information resources. The digital library environment provides scholars with access to more diverse and previously unavailable contents that span myriad technologies across institutions and nations. Although the uses of Internet technologies provide new directions for scholarship, there are discrepancies among nations and regions. These technologies have not been fully exploited in Africa in particular. As research and scientific inquiry depend on both the availability of heterogeneous resources from multiple sources and their openness to easy and continued access, addressing the universal access issue is paramount. This article discusses and provides an overview of some of the barriers or principal factors most likely to influence Africa's efforts in harnessing the full power of the Internet.
An Edge Constrained Localized Delaunay Graph for Geographic Routing in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

In this paper, we propose an edge constrained localized Delaunay graph, ECLDel, as the underlying graph for geographic routing in mobile ad hoc networks. We prove that the ECLDel is a planar t-spanner of the original unit-disk graph. We give an algorithm to construct the ECLDel, which can be run by each node distributively with 1-hop neighborhood information. We define two new kinds of edges, the intersecting Gabriel (IG) edges and the unaware intersection (UI) edges, which are constrained in the ECLDel. This makes the construction of ECLDel more efficient and converges faster with less communication cost, compared to the previous work of constructing a planarized localized Delaunay graph, PLDel. The simulation results show that the average number of messages and the average size of messages (the number of neighbor nodes in the messages) broadcast by each node in construction of ECLDel is 65% and 42% less than that in construction of PLDel, respectively.
The history of the Smart Grid evolution at Southern California Edison

The intent of this paper is to inspire the utility industry's forward thinking by revisiting past accomplishments and examining today's technologies to definitively define a smart grid. The author proposes that a substantial foundation for the future Smart Grid has been established throughout his utility's long history and visionary efforts, which have forged its smart grid strategy based on five key smart grid themes. Southern California Edison's five keys to a successful Smart Grid - renewable, distributed energy resources and storage integration, grid control and asset optimization, workforce effectiveness, smart metering, and energy smart customer solutions - have been evolving for decades and will guide smart grid advancements efforts well into the future.
Electron-Impact Spectroscopy Investigation of Diketene

The electronic spectrum of diketene was investigated by the technique of variable-angle, electron energy loss spectroscopy, using the impact energies of 25 and 50 eV, and varying the scattering angle from 10° to 90°. Transitions have been observed at 4.36, 5.89, 6.88, and 7.84 eV. On the basis of the intensity variation of these transitions with impact energy and scattering angle, and through analogy with simpler molecules, the first three are tentatively assigned to an n → π* transition, a π → σ*(3s) Rydberg transition, and a π → π* transition.
Regulation of STAT1 Nuclear Export by Jak1

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) mediates gene expression in response to cytokines and growth factors. Activation of STAT1 is achieved through its tyrosine phosphorylation, a process that involves Jak tyrosine kinases. Here we show that STAT1, although phosphorylated on Y701, is unable to localize in the nucleus in the absence of Jak1 or Jak1 kinase activity. In contrast, the nuclear accumulation of STAT1 in Tyk2-deficient cells remains intact. Nuclear presence of tyrosine-phosphorylated STAT1 could be restored in Jak1-deficient cells by leptomycin B, an inhibitor of nuclear export. Amino acids 197 to 205 of STAT1 were found to encode a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES). An L→A mutation within the NES restored nuclear retention of STAT1 in Jak1-deficient cells. Impaired binding of the transcriptional coactivator CBP to tyrosine-phosphorylated STAT1 derived from Jak1-deficient cells offers a model for the intermolecular regulation of the nuclear export sequence.
EXIT and Density Evolution Analysis for Homogeneous Expectation Propagation

We extend Gaussian approximation density evolution (DE) techniques from the soft iterative decoding of turbo and low density parity check (LDPC) codes to the performance and convergence analysis of belief propagation (BP) and expectation propagation (EP) in randomly connected very large sparse homogeneous factor graphs. A strict form of the Gaussian approximation allows the use of extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) charts to study the performance and convergence of the algorithms. The result is a graphical tool that design engineers can use to quickly predict the performance and convergence speed of BP or EP applied to these inference problems. We demonstrate the utility of the new tool, and a motivation for the generalization of the results, by showing how it may surprisingly be applied to determine the performance of a scheme for distributed data fusion in a sensor network.
Channel-aware throughput fairness in multi-cell wireless LANs

Channel characteristics in multi-cell IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs are different front those in single-cell environments due to cross-channel interference. The IEEE 802.11 protocol does not have any provisions for rate guarantees in the presence of contention, fading and interference effects. We monitor these location-dependent effects distributedly at each wireless host and use a centralized bandwidth manager to allocate bandwidth to all flows in a co-ordinated manner. Using the mobile hosts' location, the bandwidth manager can also take advantage of spatial reuse to increase channel capacity. Our results show that we are able to detect and adapt to changing channel conditions well, and thus ensure a high level of throughput fairness among the flows.
Intestinal tissue engineering: from regenerative medicine to model systems

Abstract Background Tissue engineering is a rapidly emerging field that combines the established disciplines of engineering, biology, and medicine with the goal of fabricating viable tissues and organs. Although initially targeted for applications in regenerative medicine, a novel application of this technology has been to generate experimental model systems for studying biological mechanisms and testing the efficacy of potential therapies. Methods Review and analysis of the literature. Results and conclusion We present the limitations of existing models and provide examples of how tissue engineering has allowed for the generation of new models that may overcome these limitations.
Incidence of hypercortisolism and dexamethasone resistance increases with age among wild baboons

While many features of the adrenocortical axis are unchanged with age in humans, there is a pattern of senescent hypercortisolism.This occurs basally, following threshold doses of dexamethasone, and in synergy with depression or Alzheimer's disease. An understanding of neuroenMocrine aging is important, for both its gerontological implications, and determination of normative values for comparison with neuropsychiatric states. We have investigated whether aging is associated with hypercortisolism in a population of wild primates. The subjects were 108 yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus) that have been under long-term study of Amboseli National Park in Kenya. Animals were anesthetized by blowgun under similar circumstances that allow for determination of basal cortisol concentrations. Sixty minutes later, 5.0 mg dexamethasone was administered to each animal, and cortisol determinations were made on serum collected immediately before administration and 6 hr later. Basal cortisol concentrations rose with age (p < 0.028; r = 0.23). This occurred in a nonprogressive manner, in that there were no differences in concentrations among the youngest three quartiles of animals, whereas animals in the oldest quartile (older than approximately 16 years) had significantly higher values. In addition, there was a significant increase in postdexamethasone cortisol concentrations with age (p < 0.01, r = 0.31). This feature emerged progressively with age in both sexes. A number of possible artifactual causes of this senescent pattern couM be eliminated, including medication confound, coincident disease, and body weight. These findings suggest that hypercortisolism and glucocorticoid feedback resistance might be general features of primate aging.
High temperature amperometric total NOx sensors with platinum-loaded zeolite Y electrodes

An amperometic total-NOx sensor that integrates a Pt-loaded zeolite Y (PtY) catalyst for NOx equilibration with electrochemical oxidation of NO on an yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte is described in this paper. PtY is found to be an effective catalyst for equilibrating mixtures of NO, O2 and NO2 at temperatures in excess of 400 ◦ C. By applying a low anodic potential of 80 mV, the NO in the NOx equilibrated mixture can be oxidized at a Pt working electrode on the YSZ electrolyte at 500 ◦ C. The current thus generated provides a measure of the total NOx in the gas stream and is the basis of the sensing measurements in this study. The PtY can be held separate from the YSZ or coated onto the YSZ as a film, the latter being more appropriate for the practical embodiment of this design. We demonstrate that this sensor exhibits total-NOx detection capability, al ow NO x detection limit (<1 ppm), high NOx selectivity relative to CO and oxygen, and linear dependence on NOx concentration. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Comparison of parametric and non-parametric statistical features for Z-Wave fingerprinting

The number of internet connected devices by all accounts is set to increase dramatically in coming years as Internet of Things technologies become cheaper and more convenient. Z-Wave devices have found application in building control, smart energy, health care and equipment monitoring. Its closed standard ensures interoperability of devices and this stability has led to its popularity among consumers. As use of these devices becomes more widespread, the need to protect them becomes more important. In this research, the RF-DNA fingerprinting method is examined to protect these devices using their physical layer attributes. In particular, the traditional method of using parametric features such as variance, skewness, and kurtosis is challenged with the use of non-parametric features mean, median, mode and linear regression coefficient estimates. With careful analysis of variables, a 71% reduction in features is achieved while attaining >94% correct classification rate at an 8 dB lower SNR than using traditional parametric features. 1
Effects of X-rays on nerve-dependent (limb) and nerve-independent (jaw) regeneration in the adult newt, Notophthalmus viridescens

The newt limb requires nerves for successful regeneration, but the jaw appears to be nerve independent. Among the current hypotheses for the regeneration-inhibitory action of X-rays is one proposing inactivation of nerves as the main cause. We decided to test this hypothesis by comparing the irradiation levels necessary for inhibition of limb and jaw regeneration. Jaws and left front limbs were exposed locally to doses of ionizing X-irradiation ranging from 250 to 2000 R at least 6 weeks prior to amputation of the jaw and both front limbs. After 90 days post-amputation all surviving animals were examined grossly for signs of regeneration. In addition, some of the controls and most of those receiving 250, 500 and 1000 R were processed for histological examination. All unirradiated limbs and jaws supported regeneration. Those exposed to 250 R also regenerated, but a third of the jaws were hypomorphic. At 500 R and above, neither jaws nor limbs regenerated. Since both systems were affected by similar doses of X-rays, it appears that nerves are not the primary X-ray target in adult newts.