cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stochastic power controls for distributed pulse-coupled synchronization

This paper is primarily intended to focus on some fundamental and challenging questions pertaining to physical-layer synchronization among clock pulse signals received from a large-scale wireless network with delayed clock information and delayed disagreement information in the neighborhood. The technical approach, which is based on time-varying graph and systems-theoretic foundations as well as the Minimal-Cost-Variance control theory, will investigate distributed power control at each clock for not only achieving efficient global synchronization but also reducing total energy consumption. In essence, the distributed pulse-coupled synchronization considered will enable individual clocks to select local views by the Bernoulli distributions while minimizing the number of attempts to read remote clocks. As the result, stochastic power weight laws as supported by the minimal-cost-variance control paradigm, require communications between neighboring clocks only at certain sampling points rather than at all times for assured quality and energy efficiency of timing synchronization. If successful, the proposed technique is expected to pave new ways for new theoretical studies on time and frequency synchronization in cooperative wireless networks and even for asynchronous network communications.
Energy Sustainability and Pope Francis’ Encyclical on Care for our Common Home: National Policies and Corporations as Change Agents

It has been widely accepted by policy makers, corporate executives, and citizens alike that economic growth is the measure of a nation’s prosperity and well-being. The almost single-minded focus on growth, however, is achieved at high ecological and social cost, which has become a source of great concern. One of the driving forces behind unbridled growth has been the unquenchable thirst for energy worldwide. This paper investigates the challenges posed by the growth-energy nexus. While renewables are making giant strides, they account for a mere fraction of the world’s energy demand. The Papal Encyclical Laudato Si’ offers a detailed analysis of the harm humanity has inflicted on its common home, and the arguments developed in this paper are evaluated through the prism of the Encyclical. The underlying mindset preventing more sustainable ways of generating and using energy is explored, and the need to articulate human spirituality while accepting scientific consensus is emphasized. The recent international accord addressing climate change, already facing the threat of withdrawal by the United States after the recent election, can only work if the “technocratic” paradigm is radically modified. The paper provides evidence that national and local policies mirror public attitudes to tackle deteriorating environmental and social conditions. It concludes that corporations, mentioned in passing in the Encyclical, are beginning to play a central role in finding sustainable solutions, regardless of whether the international consensus holds.
Vegetation change alters soil profile δ15N values at the landscape scale

Abstract The assessment of spatial variation in soil δ15N could provide integrative insights on soil N cycling processes across multiple spatial scales. However, little is known about spatial patterns of δ15N within soil profiles in arid and semiarid ecosystems, especially those undergoing vegetation change with a distinct shift in dominance and/or functional type. We quantified how changes from grass to woody plant dominance altered spatial patterns of δ15N throughout a 1.2 m soil profile by collecting 320 spatially-specific soil cores in a 160 m × 100 m subtropical savanna landscape that has undergone encroachment by Prosopis glandulosa (an N2-fixer) during the past century. Leaf δ15N was comparable among different plant life-forms, while fine roots from woody species had significantly lower δ15N than herbaceous species across this landscape. Woody encroachment significantly decreased soil δ15N throughout the entire soil profile, and created horizontal spatial patterns of soil δ15N that strongly resembled the spatial distribution of woody patches and were evident within each depth increment. The lower soil δ15N values that characterized areas beneath woody canopies were mostly due to the encroaching woody species, especially the N2-fixer P. glandulosa, which delivered 15N-depleted organic matter via root turnover throughout the soil profile. Soil δ15N increased with depth, reached maximum values at intermediate depths, and slightly decreased at greater depths. This vertical pattern may be related to the decrease of 15N-depleted organic matter inputs with depth, and to the presence of a subsurface clay-rich argillic horizon at intermediate depths across this landscape, which may favor the accumulation of 15N-enriched residues. These results indicate that succession from grassland to woodland has altered the spatial variation in soil δ15N across the landscape and to considerable depth, suggesting significant changes in the relative rates of N-inputs vs. N-losses in this subtropical system after vegetation change.
Intuitive Probabilities and the Limitation of Moral Imagination.

There is a vast literature that seeks to uncover features underlying moral judgment by eliciting reactions to hypothetical scenarios such as trolley problems. These thought experiments assume that participants accept the outcomes stipulated in the scenarios. Across seven studies (N = 968), we demonstrate that intuition overrides stipulated outcomes even when participants are explicitly told that an action will result in a particular outcome. Participants instead substitute their own estimates of the probability of outcomes for stipulated outcomes, and these probability estimates in turn influence moral judgments. Our findings demonstrate that intuitive likelihoods are one critical factor in moral judgment, one that is not suspended even in moral dilemmas that explicitly stipulate outcomes. Features thought to underlie moral reasoning, such as intention, may operate, in part, by affecting the intuitive likelihood of outcomes, and, problematically, moral differences between scenarios may be confounded with non-moral intuitive probabilities.
Uncertainty in Refurbishment Investment

Nearly zero-energy refurbishments provide many of the benefits of nearly zero-energy buildings to the aging building stock and offer an opportunity to make them more resource-efficient and environmentally friendly, with an increased social and financial value. However, high initial costs and uncertainties about the expected benefits characterize this type of investment and affect the building stakeholders’ decision on whether to go ahead with such a project or not. Given the special case of existing buildings and associated challenges to refurbish them to nearly zero energy, this chapter identifies and classifies uncertainties that characterize and make this type of investment a highly uncertain endeavor over the project life cycle. It also provides recommendations about managing these uncertainties during the project evaluation phase. Finally, a new approach to project evaluation based on the option pricing theory is presented along with a case study example.
Deep Brain Stimulation: Patient Selection in Parkinson's Disease, Other Movement Disorders, and Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Selecting the appropriate candidate for deep brain stimulation (DBS) may be the most important factor to determine the success of surgery (1, 2, 3, 4). The proc ess of patient selection appears to vary widely among DBS centers in different regions of the world. The majority of large centers prefer a multidisciplinary approach involving a neurologist, a neurosurgeon, a psychologist, a psychia trist, and a nurse specialist (5) This chapter focuses on reviewing the factors involved in selecting appropriate DBS candidates for Parkinson's disease (PD) as well as other movement and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Targeting NF-κB to Increase the Activity of Cisplatin in Solid Tumors

For nearly 50 yr, cisplatin has been a mainstay of treatment of multiple cancers, including ovarian, lung, and testicular cancer. However, the development of resistance impacts the utility of the drug in many patients, particularly in the setting of recurrent disease. Although the exact mechanism of cisplatin resistance needs to be delineated, it is widely accepted that multiple factors may contribute to cisplatin resistance.
Pollution Havens and Industrial Flight: Weighing the Evidence

There is increasing interest among environmentalists, academicians, and also the business community about the so-called “industrial flight” phenomenon. The concern boils down to whether strict regulations in the advanced industrialized countries compel industries to move their operations to countries with less-exacting environmental rules and regulations. By and large, the latter countries are poor. It is suggested that these poor countries are becoming “pollution havens” for dirty industries. Here, I attempt to draw a distinction between industrial flight and pollution havens. Briefly, one can exist without the other.
Preanalytical variables and their potential impact on biomarkers and precision medicine initiative

Abstract Errors in the preanalytical phase, spanning activities from ordering a test to presenting a sample for analysis, were reported to constitute the majority of clinical lab errors; however, the issue is still undermined, especially, in clinical trials. Patient preparation does not only include deprivation of food or, even, alcohol intake for a certain period of time, but noncaloric beverages, smoking, and exercise can make big differences in lab results. Type of blood collection tube, level of filling, way and magnitude of mixing, size of the needle, amount of pressure, and length of time for tourniquet application, capillary versus venous blood collected by a syringe or from intravenous line, plasma versus serum all can be significant preanalytical variables. Tumor acquisition with the length of warm and cold ischemia, preservation and embedding into paraffin can alter tissue quality and biomarker results remarkably. Unless properly controlled, specimen processing, handling, storage, and transportation can induce a lot of errors. Unfortunately, these variables can be exaggerated in clinical trials where samples are, mostly, dealt with busy staff with limited or no lab experience.
Explaining crash modification factors: Why it's needed and how it might be done

Abstract Although the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) now provides empirical tools for predicting the safety consequences of highway engineering decisions, these tools represent the driver and vehicle conditions prevailing in the United States during the last few decades. As automated vehicles improve in capability and increase in market share these conditions will change, possibly reducing the accuracy of HSM predictions. Assessing the transferability of a crash modification factor to new situations almost certainly requires an explanation of how the modification achieves its effect, but at present there is little guidance on how such explanations might be posed and tested. This paper describes the use of micro-simulation to develop an explanation of how pedestrian hybrid beacons (PHB) modify pedestrian crash likelihood. Since the literature indicated that PHBs can affect both pedestrian and driver behavior it was necessary to include both possibilities in the model. To simulate injury severity distributions similar to those recorded in a crash database it was necessary to propose that almost all simulated drivers attempt to brake in pedestrian/vehicle encounters. Then changing the simulated fraction of careful pedestrians from between 0% and 30% to between 80% and 90% gave simulated crash modification factors similar to estimates reported in the literature. The resulting working hypothesis then is that PHBs achieve their crash reduction effect in large part by modifying pedestrian behavior. This is not so much a direct observation as it is an inference to the best explanation. That is, the support for the hypothesis comes from its ability to explain the data at hand. This hypothesis should be tested further, and additional tests are proposed.
Adapting the IT2017 Curricula for Two Year Transfer Programs: Determining Appropriate Competencies for the First Two Years of a Baccalaureate IT Program

After the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the IEEE Computer Society endorsed the recently completed Information Technology Curricula 2017 Curriculum Guidelines (IT2017) for Baccalaureate Degree Programs in Information Technology (IT) [1], the ACM Committee for Computing Education in Community Colleges (CCECC) at the direction of the ACM Education Board joined with the chair of the IT2017 task group to create corresponding guidance for two-year colleges offering IT transfer programs. In some countries, students can complete the first two years of a Bachelor's degree at a two-year school (which may be known as a community college, technical college, or junior college), and then transfer to a university to complete the remaining two years of their course of study [3]. The CCECC formed the IT Transfer Task Force (ITTTF), consisting of educators from both two-year colleges and four-year universities, to provide guidance for IT programs in such two-year schools. The guidance includes the competencies students should achieve during the first two years of an IT Bachelor's degree. The ITTTF is currently seeking public feedback from educators and IT industry representatives on an initial set of competencies to guide how the ITTTF should proceed to build IT Transfer Curriculum Guidelines. This poster will outline the initial selection of competencies to solicit feedback and input on the guidelines, including best practices for communication between two year IT Transfer programs and their four year university partners.
A 15-year-old boy presented to Kijabe mission hospital with a cough and progressive dyspnea.

The case of a 15-year-old boy presenting with a large hydatid cyst causing cough and progressive dyspnea is reported. The patient underwent a diagnostic thorocentesis with subsequent respiratory arrest requiring emergent thoracotomy. A 15-year-old boy presented to Kijabe Mission Hospital, Kijabe, Kenya, with a chief complaint of progressively worsening cough for 6 months, chest pain, and difficulty in breathing. History of the presenting illness The patient was in good health until 6 months prior to presentation when he began to have a nonproductive cough. The cough came and went, becoming worse over the 4 weeks prior to seeking medical attention at a local dispensary. At that time he also complained of constant chest pain, upper abdominal distension, and subjective fever and sweats. He was referred to Kijabe Mission Hospital for further evaluation.
Development and Establishment of Initial Validity Evidence for a Novel Tool for Assessing Trainee Admission Notes

Documentation is a key component of practice, yet few curricula have been published to teach trainees proper note construction. Additionally, a gold standard for assessing note quality does not exist, and no documentation assessment tools integrate with established competency-based frameworks. To develop and establish initial validity evidence for a novel tool that assesses key components of trainee admission notes and maps to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) milestone framework. Using an iterative, consensus building process we developed the Admission Note Assessment Tool (ANAT). Pilot testing was performed with both the supervising attending and study team raters not involved in care of the patients. The finalized tool was piloted with attendings from other institutions. Local experts participated in tool development and pilot testing. Additional attending physicians participated in pilot testing. Content, response process, and internal structure validity evidence was gathered using Messick’s framework. Inter-rater reliability was assessed using percent agreement. The final tool consists of 16 checklist items and two global assessment items. Pilot testing demonstrated rater agreement of 72% to 100% for checklist items and 63% to 70% for global assessment items. Note assessment required an average of 12.3 min (SD 3.7). The study generated validity evidence in the domains of content, response process, and internal structure for use of the tool in rating admission notes. The ANAT assesses individual components of a note, incorporates billing criteria, targets note “bloat,” allows for narrative feedback, and provides global assessments mapped to the ACGME milestone framework. The ANAT can be used to assess admission notes by any attending and at any time after note completion with minimal rater training. The ANAT allows programs to implement routine note assessment for multiple functions with the use of a single tool.
How Hybrid Institutional Logics Matter: The Importance of Trust and Embeddedness in Neighborhood Revitalization Collaborations:

This study applied an institutional logics framework to examine issues that challenged revitalization efforts in three distressed neighborhoods in an urban Midwest U.S. city. Specifically, it exami...
The Intergenerational Transmission of Parental Factors that Influence Educational Attainment among Latinxs in the U.S

Parental involvement in education is critical to academic achievement. Mainstream forms of parental involvement often dismiss Latinx parents’ subtle practices. We surveyed 252 Latinxs about their a...
Factors Contributing to Marital Dissatisfaction and Divorce in the Military

Military members are no different than civilians in terms of the desires to have a life partner and have a satisfied marital life after marriage. However, the challenges faced by many military members and their families are different than those facing the civilian families by the sheer nature of their service. This study conducts an in-depth academic literature analysis regarding the impacts of the unique trials and tribulations that face military personnel on their marital dissatisfaction or dissolution. While an empirical hypothetical model to test whether factors such as length of deployment, number of deployments, post-traumatic stress disorder impact the military marital dissatisfaction is provided in this paper, there is no quantitative analysis conducted due to lack of access to relevant data.
‘He looks like a monster’: kindergarten children, racial perceptions, and systems of socialization in dual language education

Dual language immersion (DLI) programs were developed in the U.S. with the expressed goal of supporting intercultural connections, bilingualism, biliteracy, and respect for diversity. However, thes...
Sleep characteristics and cardiovascular risk in children and adolescents: an enumerative review

Cardiovascular risk factors develop in childhood and adolescence. This enumerative review addresses whether sleep characteristics, including sleep duration, continuity, quality, and daytime sleepiness, are associated with cardiovascular risk factors in young people. Thirty-nine studies were identified, which examined the following risk factors: metabolic syndrome, glucose and insulin, lipids, blood pressure, and cardiovascular responses to psychological stressors. Due to the availability of other reviews, 16 longitudinal studies of obesity published in 2011 and later were also included in this report. Excluded from the review were studies of participants with suspected or diagnosed sleep disorders and reports from sleep deprivation experiments. Combining studies, evidence was strongest for obesity, followed by glucose, insulin, blood pressure (especially ambulatory blood pressure), and parasympathetic responses to psychological stressors. There was little evidence for metabolic syndrome cluster, lipids, and blood pressure responses to psychological stressors. The more positive associations were obtained for studies that incorporated objective measures of sleep and that included adolescents. The foundational evidence is almost entirely cross-sectional, except for work on obesity. In summary, available evidence suggests that the associations between sleep characteristics and cardiovascular risk vary by risk factor. It is time to conduct studies to determine antecedent and consequent relationships, and to expand risk factors to include markers of inflammation.
The conversion of diagrams to knowledge bases

If future electronic documents are to be truly useful, one must devise ways to automatically turn them into knowledge bases. In particular, one must be able to do this for diagrams. This paper discusses biological diagrams. The author describes the three major aspects of diagrams: visual salience, domain conventions and pragmatics. He next describes the organization of diagrams into informational and substrate components. The latter are typically collections of objects related by generalized equivalence relations. To analyze diagrams, the author defines graphics constraint grammars (GCGs) that can be used for both syntactic and semantic analysis. Each grammar rule describes a rule object and consists of the production, describing the constituents of the object, constraints that must hold between the constituents and propagators that build properties of the rule object from the constituents. The author discusses how a mix of parsing and constraint satisfaction techniques are used to parse diagrams with GCGs. >
A general cloning system to selectively isolate any eukaryotic or prokaryotic genomic region in yeast

Transformation-associated recombination (TAR) cloning in yeast is a unique method for selective isolation of large chromosomal fragments or entire genes from complex genomes. The technique involves homologous recombination, during yeast spheroplast transformation, between genomic DNA and a TAR vector that has short (~ 60 bp) 5' and 3' gene targeting sequences (hooks). TAR cloning requires that the cloned DNA fragment carry at least one autonomously replicating sequence (ARS) that can function as the origin of replication in yeast, which prevents wide application of the method. In this paper, we describe a novel TAR cloning system that allows isolation of genomic regions lacking yeast ARS-like sequences. ARS is inserted into the TAR vector along with URA3 as a counter-selectable marker. The hooks are placed between the TATA box and the transcription initiation site of URA3. Insertion of any sequence between hooks results in inactivation of URA3 expression. That inactivation confers resistance to 5-fluoroorotic acid, allowing selection of TAR cloning events against background vector recircularization events. The new system greatly expands the area of application of TAR cloning by allowing isolation of any chromosomal region from eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes regardless of the presence of autonomously replicating sequences.
Reanalysis of plasma measurements at geosynchronous orbit

[1] Retrospective analyses of spacecraft anomalies, especially surface charging, require information about the local plasma environment. Such information is usually not available at geosynchronous orbit because most vehicles lack appropriate sensors. We have constructed a nearly continuous hourly database covering four plasma moments at geosynchronous orbit: density and temperature for hot (energies > 100 eV) protons and electrons. The four moments are provided for 24 hourly fiducial local time bins and cover the years 1990–2005. We apply an ensemble of simple models to “fill in” the local time gaps between plasma measurements at geosynchronous orbit made by Los Alamos sensors. Validation on artificial data gaps shows that the reconstruction has rank order correlations ranging from 0.65 to 0.97, depending on bulk moment and local time. As a demonstration, we include a comparison of our reanalysis electron temperature to on-orbit surface charging measurements at a vehicle that lacks a plasma sensor. In addition to anomaly analyses, the reanalysis database we have produced can be used to provide geosynchronous boundary conditions for numerical simulations of the inner magnetosphere and temporal variations at a single location for statistical studies.
Evaluation under the bank merger act of 1960 of the competitive factors involved in bank mergers

Abstract The decisions and the advisories on competitive factors involved in bank mergers for the years 1964, 1966, and 1968 are used to study the differing attitudes of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Attorney General toward bank mergers. The size of the resulting bank, the share of the relevant market, whether or not the agency is deciding or advising on the case, are considered as explanatory elements. The factors mentioned in their assessments by the agencies, categorized as structural, behavioral, and protectionist, are also examined. Structural considerations are least important to the Comptroller, most important to the Attorney General, while behavioral considerations are most important to the Comptroller. In general, the study reveals substantial variation in the attitudes of the four agencies.
Extracellular ATP in the regulation of renal microvascular function.

Considerable attention has been focused on the purine nucleoside, adenosine, in the control of renal blood flow, epithelial transport, and renin secretion; however, surprisingly little attention has been directed toward the renal effects of purine nucleotides such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Recent studies utilizing in vivo micropuncture and in vitro techniques have demonstrated that renal vascular, epithelial, and mesangial cells respond to extracellular ATP via mechanisms distinct from those elicited by adenosine. ATP vasoconstricts afferent but not efferent arterioles whereas adenosine vasoconstricts both vascular segments. Adenosine-mediated afferent arteriolar vasoconstriction is abolished by adenosine receptor antagonists, whereas the response to ATP is enhanced. ATP-mediated vasoconstriction reaches a maximum within seconds of exposure while the vasoconstriction induced by adenosine develops more slowly. L-type calcium channel antagonists such as diltiazem or felodipine prevent the sustained a...
Salmonella Effectors: Important players modulating host cell function during infection

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is a Gram-negative facultative food-borne pathogen that causes gastroenteritis in humans. This bacterium has evolved a sophisticated machinery to alter host cell function critical to its virulence capabilities. Central to S. Typhimurium pathogenesis are two Type III secretion systems (T3SS) encoded within pathogenicity islands SPI-1 and SPI-2 that are responsible for the secretion and translocation of a set of bacterial proteins termed effectors into host cells with the intention of altering host cell physiology for bacterial entry and survival. Thus, once delivered by the T3SS, the secreted effectors play critical roles in manipulating the host cell to allow for bacteria invasion, induction of inflammatory responses, and the assembly of an intracellular protective niche created for bacterial survival and replication. Emerging evidence indicates that these effectors are modular proteins consisting of distinct functional domains/motifs that are utilized by the bacteria to activate intracellular signalling pathways modifying host cell function. Also, recently reported are the dual functionality of secreted effectors and the concept of 'terminal reassortment'. Herein, we highlight some of the nascent concepts regarding Salmonella effectors in the context of infection.
Antimicrobial effects of vapor phase thymol, modified atmosphere, and their combination against Salmonella spp. on raw shrimp.

Salmonella contamination on raw shrimp is a big food safety concern in the United States currently. This research evaluated the inhibition effects of vapor phase thymol, modified atmosphere (MA), and their combination against Salmonella spp. on raw shrimp. Growth profiles of a Salmonella spp. cocktail (6 strains), inoculated onto the surface of raw shrimp, treated with vapor phase thymol at 3 levels (0, 0.8, and 1.6 mg/L), or MA (59.5% CO2 + 39.5% N2 + 1% O2), both alone and in combination, at 3 temperatures (8, 12, and 16 oC), were determined. Lag time and maximum growth rate of Salmonella spp. under each treatment were obtained using Baranyi and Roberts models. Results indicated that both vapor phase thymol and MA treatments alone inhibited the growth potential of Salmonella spp. effectively, extending the lag time by 10% to 100% and reducing the maximum growth rate by 14% to 71% compared with controlled samples at experimental temperatures (8, 12, and 16 oC). Combination treatments of vapor phase thymol and MA exhibited greater inhibition effectiveness than each individual treatment and a synergistic antimicrobial effectiveness could be observed on the lag time extension. To the maximum, at 12 oC, lag time of Salmonella spp. was extended 59.6% more by the combination treatment of 0.8 mg/L thymol + MA (36.97 h) than those effects combined from 0.8 mg/L thymol treatment and MA treatment alone (23.16 h in total). This combination strategy could be potentially utilized for Salmonella inhibition during the long distance and temperature-abused raw shrimp import process. Practical Application The vapor phase thymol + MA combination strategy could be potentially applied in temperature-abused and long-distance raw shrimp import process to retard the Salmonella spp. growth, therefore reducing its import rejection rate as well as enhancing its food safety level to the consumers’ concerns.
Is risk-sharing resource taxation in society's best interests if prices are log-normally distributed?

This paper contributes to our understanding of the perceived benefits for society of risk-sharing resource taxation. In the particular context of log-normally distributed prices a model is developed which enables comparison of risk-sharing resource taxation with an alternative in determining the overall return to society from auctioning an extraction lease. The main finding of the paper is a potential exception to the general preference for risk-sharing resource taxation if the bidding firms are effectively risk neutral. This exception is illustrated numerically in the context of the impact of increased price uncertainty, but it is shown not to be robust with respect to divergences from risk neutrality in the risk attitudes of firms. Consequently, it is concluded that the choice of risk-sharing resource taxation is likely to be in society's best interests, regardless of the probability distribution of prices.
The Value of Pricing Control in Export Channels: A Governance Perspective

Abstract In this article, the authors expand traditional channel control models to investigate the value of absorbing pricing decisions within an exporter’s decision-making domain. From a governance perspective, pricing control is considered a structured continuum driven by factors both internal and external to the firm. More specifically, the authors investigate the organizational and environmental influences driving pricing control decisions and the impact of pricing control on both the economic and strategic performance of the firm. Using linear and moderated regression analysis, the authors find that both the strategic perspectives and the organizational characteristics of exporters significantly influence pricing control, yet in ways counterintuitive to traditional thinking. Similarly, the performance implications add new insight to the value of pricing control in dynamic overseas environments. The authors discuss managerial and research implications.
Numerical Study of Unsteady Viscous Flow past a Lifting Plate

Numerical predictions are made for the unsteady two-dimensional viscous flow past a finite flat plate at angle of attack. The flow is analyzed from the standpoint of vorticity production and transport using the complete vorticity transport equation. The entire fluid motion is ultimately calculated through application of the velocity induction law (Law of Biot-Savart). Fundamental to the approach is the specification of "bound" and "sheet" vortex distributions at the plate location. These are so constituted that the surface adherence condition appropriate to the viscous flow is satisfied. The analysis shows how the vortex distributions arise, their interrelationship, and their effect on the developing rotational flow about the plate. Results are first presented for a low Reynolds number flow (Re = 4) at zero angle of attack. These are followed by results for the plate at 30° angle of attack for Reynolds numbers of 4 and 400. The flow simulation is found to be very good, and to whatever extent possible, the results are compared with those from earlier works based on conventional approaches involving the stream function. The comparisons are quite satisfactory. Nomenclature Bp = series coefficients in expression for y, Eq. (5) K = time-function of integration in expression for y L = cord length of the plate m = summation index in Eq. (13) n = number of time increments Re = Reynolds number, UL/v
The Language of Visuals: Text + Graphics = Visual Rhetoric Tutorial

Technical communication textbooks tend to address visual rhetoric as two separate units, usually a chapter on document design and then a chapter on graphics. We advocate teaching a unified system of visual rhetoric that encompasses both text and graphics within a common visual-language system. Using C. S. Peirce's three-part theory of rhetoric and his ten categories of sign, we offer an integrated semiotic system, interpreting in one model the effectiveness of graphics, document design, and formatting, all considered as subtypes in this proposed visual rhetoric, organized around three primary communication goals: to decorate, to indicate, and to inform. Thus, any evaluation of visuals, either textual or graphic, must be made with reference to rhetorical contexts in which audience needs and graphic/textual media choices should align with authorial goals
Wavelet based algorithm for the estimation of frequency flow from electroencephalogram data during epileptic seizure.

Abstract Objective EEG data during temporal lobe seizures have been reported to show lateralized buildup of theta activity. However the exact dynamics of the theta activity and its clinical significance are not known. In this work we present an approach using wavelets to study the frequency flow dynamics of this buildup. Methods We employ continuous wavelet transform to obtain a time frequency representation of the EEG signal. Using a ridge extraction algorithm, the instantaneous frequency is estimated from the normalized scalogram. Result We found that prior to the seizure onset, frequency flow builds up to 5–12 Hz range and the duration for which the frequency remains in this range gradually increases soon after the seizure onset. We also observed buildup at the adjacent regions. Such buildup characteristics are not seen during baseline conditions of the same patients. Conclusions Simultaneous buildup of frequency at the temporal and the adjacent regions indicates that during seizure the neuronal interactions propagate over large regions of the brain. Significance Given that activity in the 5–12 Hz frequency range is seen often in the more alert state, our findings suggest that the brain might be in a transient alert state prior to the epileptic seizure.
EARLY DETECTION OF PREGNANCY-ASSOCIATED SERUM PROTEINS USING ANTISERUM TO PLACENTAL ANTIGENS

Antisera against human placental proteins were developed in goats and rabbits, using immunoadjuvants and a prolonged injection schedule. The antisera were absorbed with normal serum proteins and then tested in immunodiffusion against normal and pregnancy sera. Two bands of precipitation due to pregnancy antigens were observed in pregnancy sera as early as 18 days after conception. Detection of these antigens has possibilities for application as an early pregnancy test.
Drugs, sex, and the geographies of sexual health in Thailand, Southeast Asia

Sexual health has made its way into the larger agenda of the discipline of geography, as an increasing number of geographers tackle issues related to the transmission of HIV as well as other sexually transmitted infections. A recent initiative by the Association of American Geographers also emphasizes the study of drug use in the discipline. Despite the increased attention sex practices and drug use have recently received, social geographers need to do more to foreground the theoretical insights that can be gained from interrogating the intersections of power and human–nonhuman relations that are part and parcel of these everyday practices. In so doing, social geographers can pry open the debates on subjectivity and everyday practice that currently reside more prominently in the field of cultural geography. Drawing broadly on primary and secondary research from Southeast Asia, this paper examines how health geographers in particular, and social and cultural geographers more generally, might ground their c...
Postnatal differentiation of efferent ductule epithelium in goats: a light microscopic and ultrastructural study.

Caprine efferent ductule epithelium contains ciliated and nonciliated cells. The latter cells are divided into three types: type II cells contain PAS-positive granules, type III cells contain PAS-negative vacuoles, and type I cells lack both granules and vacuoles (Goyal and Williams, Anat. Rec. 220:58-67). The objectives of this study are i) to determine when the epithelium differentiates into ciliated and nonciliated cells, ii) to determine when nonciliated cells acquire characteristics typical for type II and type III cells, and iii) to relate developmental changes in the epithelium with those in the testis. Testes and efferent ductules were examined at the light and electron microscopic levels in goats from 1-25 weeks of age. Efferent ductule epithelium contained ciliated and nonciliated cells as early as week 1. While ciliated cells were differentiated at week 1, differentiation of nonciliated cells did not occur until week > or =15. Differential features in ciliated cells included the presence of cilia at the apical border and an aggregation of mitochondria in the apical cytoplasm. Those in nonciliated cells included the presence of i) an endocytotic apparatus at week > or =15, ii) PAS-positive granules at week > or =15, and iii) PAS-negative vacuoles at week > or =25. The seminiferous tubules developed lumens at 12-15 weeks. Hence, while differentiation of ciliated cells occurred much before lumen formation in the seminiferous tubules, that of nonciliated cells coincided with, or occurred soon after, lumen formation, suggesting a role for testicular fluid contents in their differentiation. The goat efferent ductules can be characterized morphologically mature by 25 weeks.
TRANSPORTATION EMISSIONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH: AN EVALUATORY PLANNING METHODOLOGY

A planning methodology which relates pollution emissions from transportation networks to potentially exposed human populations is described. The location of total population and hypersusceptible populations with respect to emission sources are used to compare planning alternatives. Hypersusceptible groups are defined as those with an increased health sensitivity to specific pollutants caused by transportation. High-risk zones are those defined as having both a high proportion of their population hypersusceptible to a particular pollutant and a high emission level of the pollutant. Enumeration of hypersusceptible populations in high-risk zones and the number of these zones, together with the total hypersusceptible populations contained within network corridors, the net emissions of individual pollutants, and the population-weighted mean emission levels for each pollutant for the complete study area, serve as rating indices for comparing a set of alternative transportation plans.(a) /TRRL/
Obtaining water quality permits for land application of biomass boiler ash

Abstract Land application of biomass fuelled boiler ash can save landfill space and return cations to the forest environment. However, environmental regulations throughout most of the U.S. do not specifically address application of biomass boiler ash to forest land. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) treated bark boiler ash from International Paper's Georgetown, SC, mill as an experimental permit with a requirement of monitoring experimental applications to show it would have “no detrimental impact to the environment or public health”. An initial catchment study showed no evidence of leaching into either the watertable aquifer or outlet streams when ash was applied to moderately well-drained portions of two watersheds at a rate of 11 Mg/ha. Concentrations of elements in groundwater samples were well within state drinking water standards, often more than an order of magnitude below the standards. The second study was a replicated block experiment of ash application rates of 11, 22 and 44 Mg/ha. Ash application increased leaching significantly for potassium, calcium and sulfate, although concentration increases were modest (0.12–0.17 Mg/l for potassium, 0.36–0.89 mg/l for calcium and 1.92–3.08 mg/l for sulfate). Groundwater heavy metal concentrations were well below drinking water standards, even at the 44 Mg/ha rate.
Clinical and morphologic observations after simultaneous replacement of the tricuspid, mitral and aortic valves

Clinical and morphologic observations are described in 12 patients who underwent simultaneous replacement of the tricuspid, mitral and aortic valves. All 12 patients had mitral stenosis, 10 aortic valve stenosis and 2 pure aortic valve regurgitation; 5 had tricuspid valve stenosis and 7 pure tricuspid valve regurgitation. Of the 10 patients who died within 60 days of triple valve replacement, 7 had the low cardiac output syndrome, which in 4, and possibly 5, of the 7 was attributed to prosthetic aortic valve stenosis. In none of the 12 patients was the ascending aorta dilated, and in the 4 (possibly 5) patients with low cardiac output, the space between the surface of the caged poppet (4 patients) or margins of the tilting disc (1 patient) in the aortic valve position and the aortic endothelium appeared inadequate to allow unobstructed flow despite small-sized prostheses in all but 1 patient. Thus, aortic valve replacement in the setting of triple valve dysfunction is hazardous or potentially so. The relative small sizes of the hearts in these patients also make valve replacement more difficult (and hazardous) compared to hearts with larger ventricles and aortas.
The Bhopal disaster: Advocacy and expertise

(1998). The Bhopal disaster: Advocacy and expertise. Science as Culture: Vol. 7, Strategizing counter-expertise, pp. 193-216.
Molecular and ultrastructural studies of non-crystalline calcium phosphates.

Five non-crystalline calcium phosphate precipitates prepared from solutions varying in pH, degree of supersaturation and carbonate content were examined by physicochemical and morphological methods. X-ray diffraction, infrared spectrophotometry and electron diffraction measurements confirmed the amorphous nature of each precipitate. Both transmission and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that the native elemental particles of all 5 synthetic products were spherical in shape and independent of the preparative procedures employed. Four of the precipitates contained spherules of similar sizes (200–1200 A in diameter) while the one relatively rich in carbonate exhibited much larger particles (700–2000 A in diameter). The spherules were uniformly dense to the electron beam when viewed with the current density at its lowest useful level. Exposure to higher electron currents immediately resulted in the development of numerous electron-lucent centers in each particle. Heating in vacuum to temperatures up to 600° did not change the amorphous nature of the precipitates or the morphology and size of their elemental particles even though almost all of the water contained in the original precipitates was removed by this process. Heat treatment did not induce formation of electron-lucent centers. On the contrary it, made the spherules increasingly resistant to beam damage. These findings suggest that the beam electrons interact with the oxygen or hydrogen atoms of the aqueous constituent of the amorphous calcium phosphate and that this initial reaction is followed by displacement and/or loss of other atoms.
Ubiquitination of Cdc20 by the APC Occurs through an Intramolecular Mechanism

Summary Background Cells control progression through late mitosis by regulating Cdc20 and Cdh1, the two mitotic activators of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC). The control of Cdc20 protein levels during the cell cycle is not well understood. Results Here, we demonstrate that Cdc20 is degraded in budding yeast by multiple APC-dependent mechanisms. We find that the majority of Cdc20 turnover does not involve a second activator molecule but instead depends on in cis Cdc20 autoubiquitination while it is bound to its activator-binding site on the APC core. Unlike in trans ubiquitination of Cdc20 substrates, the APC ubiquitinates Cdc20 independent of APC activation by Cdc20's C box. Cdc20 turnover by this intramolecular mechanism is cell cycle regulated, contributing to the decline in Cdc20 levels that occurs after anaphase. Interestingly, high substrate levels in vitro significantly reduce Cdc20 autoubiquitination. Conclusion We show here that Cdc20 fluctuates through the cell cycle via a distinct form of APC-mediated ubiquitination. This in cis autoubiquitination may preferentially occur in early anaphase, following depletion of Cdc20 substrates. This suggests that distinct mechanisms are able to target Cdc20 for ubiquitination at different points during the cell cycle.
High Power Intermodulation Measurements up to 30 W of High Temperature Superconducting Filters

We have demonstrated a high power intermodulation measurement set-up capable of delivering 30 W in each of two fundamental tones. For closely spaced frequencies ( 104, and its bandwidth is small, < 1 MHz, it can be used to attenuate the two fundamental tones relative to one of the harmonic tones, which greatly enhances the dynamic range of the measurement. This set-up can be used to measure the two-tone intermodulation distortion of any passive microwave device, e.g. a HTS filter, a connector, a cable, etc., over a frequency range of 5.9 to 6.4 GHz and a power range of 0.1 to 30 W. The third order intercept (TOI) of a prototype HTS filter measured at powers up to 30 W was +81.3 dBm.
Vortex shedding flowmeters for high velocity liquids

Abstract The applicability of vortex shedding flowmeters to measurement in the space shuttle main engine (SSME) ducts is reported here. The liquid oxygen (LOX) flows in the engine ducts exceed by as much as a factor of 10 the maximum flow velocities flow which commercially available meters are designed. The largest Reynolds number is about 3 × 10 7 . Tests results show that the vortex shedding flowmeters can measure flow in the SSME ducts and do so without any upstream flow conditioning. The meter measuring element for meter bores up to 59 mm can be introduced through an opposed pair of standard SSME duct instrument ports.
Coding Achieves the Optimal Delay-Throughput Trade-off in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks: Two-Dimensional I.I.D. Mobility Model with Fast Mobiles

In this paper, we investigate the delay-throughput trade-off in mobile ad-hoc networks under two-dimensional i.i.d. mobility model with fast mobiles, and show that the optimal trade-off can be achieved using rate-less codes. Given a delay constraint D, we first prove that the maximum throughput per source-destination (S-D) pair is O(radic(D/n)) , and then propose a joint coding-scheduling algorithm to achieve the maximum throughput. The result can be extended to two-dimensional i.i.d. mobility model with slow mobiles, one-dimensional mobility models, and hybrid random walk mobility models.