cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optical oscillator strengths for the phosphorus isoelectronic sequence.

An analytic atomic independent-particle model potential, adjusted to experimental single-particle energy levels, is used to generate wave functions for the valence and excited states of P, S+1, Cl+2, Ar+3, K+4, and Ca+5. Using these wave functions in conjunction with the Born approximation and the LS-coupling scheme, we calculate optical oscillator strengths for excitations from the ls22s22p63s23p3(4S3/2) ground state. Reasonable agreement is obtained with available experimental and theoretical data.
Noise in the ac Josephson Effect

A Langevin treatment of noise in the ac Josephson effect is given at finite temperatures, including the quasiparticle tunneling currents. Using quasilinear methods, the stability and small oscillations of the system are investigated. It is found that the system is unstable for phase fluctuations and that these phase fluctuations lead to a Lorentzian line for the radiation emitted from a Josephson junction. The power spectrum of voltage fluctuations of the junction and the statistics of the emitted radiation are investigated.
The effects of natural water level fluctuations on N and P cycling in A great lakes marsh

The water depth in marshes occurring along Lake Michigan is largely controlled by fluctuations of the Lake Michigan water level. The role of water level in controlling the distribution and cycling of N and P in emergent (Sparganium eurycarpum,Scirpus validus, andTypha latifolia) and wet meadow (Calamagrostis canadensis,Carex stricta, andCarex aquatilis) communities of a Lake Michigan river mouth marsh was studied. Nutrient uptake was determined from biomass sampling and tissue analysis. Community distribution at various lake stages was determined from aerial photographs.
Peroneal tendon injuries: An evaluation of 49 tears in 41 patients

Abstract Forty-one patients sustaining 49 tears of the peroneal tendons were evaluated prospectively a minimum of 1 year after surgical treatment. Preoperative and postoperative function and activity were assessed by using the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle (AOFAS) score. Mean age at the time of surgery was 44.0 ± 11.7 years. Mean follow-up after the index surgery was 35.5 ± 22.2 months. There were 17 women and 24 men. One woman had bilateral surgery 1 year apart. There were a total of 18 tears of the peroneus longus tendon; 11 of these were isolated, whereas 7 had a combined tear with peroneus brevis. There 31 peroneus brevis tears; 24 of these were isolated and 7 were combined. Using 3-way analysis of variance, there were no significant differences in return to activity or postoperative AOFAS scores among those with a longus, brevis, or combined tear. The mean return to activity for peroneus longus, peroneus brevis, and combined tears were 3.2, 3.6, and 3.7 months, respectively. The mean postoperative AOFAS scores were 90.6, 90.8, and 84.3 respectively. The mean preoperative AOFAS score was 52.0 ± 16.8. The mean postoperative score was 89.7 ± 10.3 ( P (The Journal of Foot & Ankle Surgery 42(4):215-220, 2003)
In vivo tomographic imaging based on bioluminescence

The most important task for bioluminescence imaging is to identify the emission source from the captured bioluminescent signal on the surface of a small tested animal. Quantitative information on the source location, geometry and intensity serves for in-vivo monitoring of infectious diseases, tumor growth, metastases in the small animal. In this paper, we present a point-spread function-based method for reconstructing the internal bioluminescent source from the surface light output flux signal. The method is evaluated for sensing the internal emission sources in nylon phantoms and within a live mouse. The surface bioluminescent signal is taken with a highly sensitive CCD camera. The results show the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed point-spread function-based method.
Codeposition on hot CVD surfaces: Particle dynamics and deposit roughness interactions

To capture in a tractable manner essential coupling effects in CVD systems when particles generated in thermal boundary layers also deposit, a film theory was developed that predicts simultaneous vapor and particle deposition rates at a hot deposition surface. The codeposition rate prediction method also calculates for the first time the corresponding solid deposit roughness using recently published results of particle-level simulations. For the numerical illustrations, the growth of TiO2(s) films by the codeposition of titanium tetra-isopropoxide vapor and film-nucleated/grown TiO2 particles (generated in the thermal boundary layer) was considered. Experimental rate data for this system are available. The continuum and particle-level simulation methods provide: the interplay of vapor precursor kinetics, particle nucleation, growth, coagulation and diffusion in determining the complex “structure” of such multiphase chemically reacting boundary layers; wall deposition rates of both surviving vapors and film-nucleated particles; and the “self-consistent” microstructure (surface roughness) of the resulting solid deposit. Timely and tractable generalizations are discussed in the light of recent results for the transport properties and stability of “fractal-like” aggregated particles.
A plant transformation system designed for high throughput genomics in Gossypium hirsutum to study root–organism interactions

The study of biological processes has been aided greatly by the development of procedures to identify the large numbers of associated genes. However, the ability to study the identified genes experimentally is often impeded by the absence of technologies to perform such functional analyses. Here, a nonaxenic plant transformation system has been developed in Gossypium hirsutum (cotton) for the study of genes associated with root functions and root–organism interactions. The plant transformation system is compatible with modern high throughput plant transformation goals and the processing of large numbers of genes intended for the study of root function in G. hirsutum.
Measurement of the hyperfine structure of Pr 3: :YAG by quantum-beat free-induction decay, hole burning, and optically detected nuclear quadrupole resonance

The hyperfine splitting of the ground state and the lowest electronic component of the 1D2 excited state have been measured for Pr3+ in YAG. We show that a particularly simple and powerful technique is the production of sublevel coherence by short-pulse (impact) excitation, which is detected by coherent forward scattering of a weak probe beam and Fourier transformation of the resulting quantum-beat signal. This yielded excited-state splittings of 6.49 and 8.29 MHz. The ground state shows large pseudoquadrupole splittings of 33.4 and 41.6 MHz, which were obtained by optically detected nuclear quadrupole resonance.
Comparison of mid-infrared laser diode active regions

The development of mid-infrared interband diode lasers has been hindered by factors such as Auger recombination and intervalence band absorption, which become increasingly important at longer wavelengths. A number of structures have been proposed in which the effects of these processes are reduced. The maximum gain per unit volumetric current density can be used as a figure of merit for comparing different active region materials. Using this figure of merit, we compare a series of structures with band gaps near 0.3 eV (i.e., wavelengths near 4 microns). The figure of merit is obtained from gain spectra calculated using superlattice K(DOT)p theory and a combination of calculated and measured recombination rates. We show that devices based on active regions incorporating type-I InAsSb/AlInAsSb or InAsSb/InAsP quantum wells should have room temperature threshold currents 7 - 13 times smaller than those of devices based on bulk InAs. However, devices using type-II superlattice active regions should have room temperature threshold currents that are a factor of 3 - 4 times smaller than those of the type-I quantum wells. The figure of merit can also be used to determine the optimal thickness of the active region as a function of waveguide loss and optical mode width.
Liquid Crystal Polymers. V. Thermotropic Polyesters with Either Dyad or Triad Aromatic Ester Mesogenic Units and Flexible Polymethylene Spacers in the Main Chain

The thermal properties of two new series of thermotropic, liquid crystalline polyesters were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and on a hot-stage of a polarizing microscope. The first series contained an aromatic ester triad with a central terephthaloyl and two terminal oxybenzoyl units connected by a flexible polymethylene spacer containing from two to ten methylene units. The second series contained a head-to-head tail-to-tail aromatic ester dyad with one terephthaloyl and one oxybenzoyl unit and either a dimethylene or hexamethylene spacer. The melting temperatures and the transition temperatures for conversion from the mesophase to the isotropic phase (the clearing temperature) of the polyesters in the first series initially decreased in a zig-zag manner for polymers with up to nine methylene units but increased for the decamethylene polymer. The temperature ranges over which the mesophase formation occurred were generally broader for polymers containing an odd number of methylene units than for those with an even number of units. Most, if not all, of the polymers in both series formed nematic states on melting. The enthalpy and entropy changes for the clearing transition both increased with the length of the polymethylene spacer. Polymers of the second series possessed lower transition temperatures and narrower temperature ranges for mesophase formation, as would be expected for the shorter mesogenic unit.
Copper accumulation and metabolism in primary monolayer cultures of rat liver parenchymal cells

Abstract The characteristics of hepatic copper accumulation and metabolism were studied using primary monolayer cultures of adult rat liver parenchymal cells. Accumulation of copper from serum-free medium was temperature dependent and strongly inhibited by cyanide and N -ethylmaleimide. Addition of various concentrations of zinc to the medium did not alter copper accumulation by the cells. Furthermore, it was found that supplementation of the cell cultures with dexamethasone significantly stimulated zinc accumulation without affecting the accumulation of copper. Cycloheximide substantially stimulated accumulation of copper from the culture medium, whereas actinomycin D had no effect. Efflux experiments showed that copper is rapidly sequestered by intracellular components and becomes unavailable for exchange soon after it is transported into the cells. Gel chromatography of liver cytosol demonstrated that most of the cooper that is initially accumulated is bound to the low molecular weight cytoplasmic protein metallothionein.
The GroceryMate: eliciting community empathy and transforming it into purposeful action

People who are homeless in the United States lack adequate amounts of nutritious food which is detrimental to their health. We are designing a grocery shopping assistance device that strategically requests affordable and nutritious food donations that charitable organizations need to feed the homeless. We target grocery shoppers, since doing so allows us to leverage mass participation, as well as frequent and balanced community participation. This device employs persuasive technology to elicit emotions of empathy and alter the behavior of grocery shoppers to encourage them to donate. The device provides the shopper with an enhanced, personalized shopping experience making it appealing to use.
The photoelectron spectra of methyl-substituted allenes and of tetramethyl-bisallenyl

Abstract The split Δ = 0.6 eV of the first band at 10.5 eV in the photoelectron spectrum of allene ( 1 ) has been ascribed to a Jahn—Teller distortion by Baker and Turner. The influence of alkyl substitution on Δ and on the band position has been investigated by recording the photoelectron spectra of all methyl-substituted allenes 2 to 6 , of 1,1-di-tert. butyl-allene ( 7 ) and of 1,2-cyclononadiene ( 8 ). It is shown that the dependence of Δ on substitution can be rationalized by assuming that it is due to a (pseudo) Jahn—Teller effect in 1 and in the symmetrically substituted derivatives and to the combined influence of this effect and a differential, inductive destabilization in the other cases. The photoelectron spectrum of tetramethyl-bisallenyl 9 can be explained on the basis of known parameters for semi-localized π-orbitals and for their through-space and through-bond coupling.
Maximum Likelihood Inference for Seed and Pollen Dispersal Distributions

Seed and pollen dispersal are both important factors in the demography and population genetic structure of plant populations. How does one model and infer dispersal patterns? One approach is to map the locations of individuals in a population and use genetic information to suggest which parents generated which offspring. This article develops models and a maximum likelihood inference framework for data of this type. The procedure will be illustrated on data from a population of Chamaelirium luteum, an herbacious plant of the forest floor. This article shows how the proposed method avoids some of the problems found in the original analysis of these data. The approach also allows us to uncover some additional patterns in the data: differencesin the seed dispersal distributions between years.
Hydrotherapy in labor.

Purpose: To review the literature on hydrotherapy in labor to direct prescription of the intervention and design studies to test its effectiveness. Methods: Studies of hydrotherapy were identified via searching literature and electronic databases. Findings: A primary effect of immersion is a central blood volume bolus, which occurs almost immediately after bathing begins. Subjective maternal responses to bathing in labor have been favorable. No maternal or infant infections have been attributed to bathing by parturients with either intact or ruptured membranes. Maternal bathing in labor does not appear to affect infant Apgar scores or stress hormones at birth. No clear evidence exists to indicate that hydrotherapy increases cervical dilation, increases fetal descent, reduces uterine dyskinesia, shortens labor, decreases use of epidurals or analgesia, or decreases rates of operative delivery or hemorrhage. Conclusions: Study findings indicate support for using hydrotherapy for relief of rapid pain and anxiety in labor. A methodical approach must be taken to determine for whom and under what circumstances intervention with hydrotherapy in labor is efficacious. Studies of the maternal and fetal effects of hydrotherapy in labor, including mechanisms of action, as well as large, prospective, randomized clinical outcome trials with control for intervening variables, are needed to help practitioners decide whether to prescribe hydrotherapy.
The Impact of Global Warming on Floral Traits That Affect the Selfing Rate in a High-Altitude Plant

Premise of research. Changes in the abiotic environment can influence plant mating systems through phenotypic changes in floral traits that affect selfing. Herkogamy (spatial separation of male and female functions within a flower), dichogamy (temporal separation), and total flower number affect within- (autogamy) and/or among- (geitonogamy) flower selfing. We examined the potential effects of environmental changes associated with global warming on herkogamy, dichogamy, and number of flowers per plant and discussed the impacts on the mating system in a high-altitude species, Aquilegia coerulea.Methodology. In the high-altitude habitats in which this species grows, global warming is expected to increase both temperature and spring precipitation in the form of rain. We grew plants from 17 families from each of three natural populations of A. coerulea at two temperature and two water treatments, leading to 692 experimental plants (2 temperature × 2 water × 3 populations × 17 families × 3–4 individuals per fa...
Energy savings through formation flight? A re-examination of the vee formation

Locomotion efficiency for a variety of animals may be improved by group movement in specific formations. A theory of formation flight developed by Lissaman & Shollenberger (1970) predicts birds may obtain energy savings through the use of a vee formation. Measurements of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) (Gould < Heppner, 1974) suggested an aerodynamic advantage was unlikely. However, further analysis of this data to obtain the critical formation parameter (wing tip spacing) suggests the theory may apply. The theory is modified to better account for the characteristics of a vee formation and adapted to the specific case of the Canada goose. The relationships between observed and optimal formations suggest that energy savings could be an important function of vee formations.
Who's Afraid of Gay Theology? Men's Studies, Gay Scholars, and Heterosexual Silence

Despite the growing body of gay scholarship in religious studies, there is a dearth of responses by heterosexual scholars in the field of men's studies in religion. Gay theology can still count more predictably on the ire of a conservative public than on a nuanced, non-homophobic critique by their heterosexual colleagues. What contributes to disregarding gay scholarly voices? Paradoxically, their voices are marginalized to the point of invisibility and yet are also in the center of public discourse. This article sifts through some reasons of why heterosexual men shy away from a public debate of the merits of gay scholarship. Besides methodological reservations, heterosexual male anxieties cause such weariness. Autobiographical insertions by gay scholars combined with discipline-transgressions may lead to ‘homosexual panic’ even among non-homophobic scholars. The article argues that heterosexual men's studies in religion need to overcome their silence and engage the scholarship of gay theology.
A Simplified Procedure for Determining Normal Boiling Points by the Comparative Method

WITOSAWSKI'S method1 for determining the normal boiling point of a substance by comparing its boiling point with that of water at three or more pressures, and applying his equation involving the ratio of the dt/dp coefficients of the two liquids, can be simplified by working as nearly as possible at a pressure of one normal atmosphere. If the manostat, which equalizes the pressures in the two ebullio-meters, can be adjusted previously to one normal atmosphere (as determined by the temperature of boiling of water in the barometric ebulliometer) the normal boiling point of the substance in the second ebulliometer can be measured directly.
Soft Error Trends and New Physical Model for Ionizing Dose Effects in Double Gate Z-RAM Cell

We model the soft error trends and total ionizing dose (TID) effects in floating body capacitorless DRAM (Z-RAM) cell. We find that soft error rates (SER) in Z-RAM scales strongly with cell body thickness. We propose a new physical model for TID effects in thin (les 10 nm) oxides. This model is based on injection of hot carriers into the oxide which are generated by particle strikes and is relevant for thin oxides in any MOS device. We utilize hydrodynamic approach and Monte Carlo method to implement our model. The primary radiation interaction is simulated by using Geant4-a toolkit for the simulation of particle interaction and transport through matter. The preliminary results of our model match well with radiation-induced leakage current (RILC) vs. dose data.
Thyroxine induced metamorphosis in Aurelia

The functional activity of thyroxine in strobilation initiation in Aurelia is explored. Low temperature preconditioned jellyfish polyps are consistently induced to metamorphose by administration of triiodothyronine, diiodotyrosine, monoiodotyrosine, and thyroglobulin, as well as by previously reported iodide and thyroxine (Spangenberg, ′67). Jellyfish synthesize three protein-bound iodocompounds during strobilation and excrete one protein-bound compound into the medium. The culture medium containing the iodocompound induced strobilation in the absence of iodide. The protein-bound compound found in the culture medium and in the polyps is tentatively identified as thyroxine since it consistently was co-chromatographed with thyroxine in five different solvent systems. No localized site of intense concentration of 131NaI or of 125I-T4 was found in the polyps during initiation of strobilation. Both substances were present in greater amounts at the distal, differentiating end of the organisms than at the base, particularly during the early pre-segmentation strobilation period. Distribution of these two substances between the tissue layers during strobilation indicates that thyroxine may be ingested orally and iodide taken up across the epidermis. The strobilation system of Aurelia represents the simplest system in which thyroxine is functional and is probably synthesized. This system, therefore, offers new opportunities for the study of the action of thyroid hormone under less complicated developmental conditions than are found in higher organisms.
Micronutrient Status and Pregnancy Outcomes in HIV-Infected Women

Micronutrient deficiencies are widely prevalent in developing regions, especially in vulnerable groups such as HIV-infected pregnant women. Micronutrient supplementation is considered one of the most cost-effective strategies to reduce malnutrition and improve health outcomes.
Obesity-associated mouse adipose stem cell secretion of monocyte chemotactic protein-1.

Studies showed that monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) concentrations are increased in obesity. In our current study, we demonstrate that plasma MCP-1 level in leptin-deficient ob/ob mice is si...
Twenty years and still counting: including women as participants and studying sex and gender in biomedical research

This paper chronicles attempts in the United States over the past 20 years to fully represent women in clinical trials and ensure the study of sex and gender in biomedical research. We maintain that productive science with the aim of serving the public health requires examining the influence of sex and gender on health outcomes. This section provides a historical perspective on the changes in recommendations and requirements of both the National Institutes of Health — the world’s largest single funder of biomedical research — and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — the world’s most influential regulator of drugs and medical devices — for the acceptable conduct of research as it relates to sex and gender. We also cite all reports by the U.S. Institute of Medicine and the U.S. Congress’ General Accountability Office issued from 1990 to the present on the inclusion of sex and gender in research, and selected high-impact published studies that illustrate and document the paucity of, yet the need for, inclusion of females and consideration of sex and gender in research across an array of biomedical disciplines. The key message of this paper is that it has been 20 years since the first requirements to include women as well as men in clinical trials and analyze results by sex were mandated by a U.S. federal law, yet not nearly enough progress has been made. Recent signs of potential change in both policy and practice of scientific inquiry suggest much more progress may be within reach. However, awaiting a cultural shift to allow the study of sex and gender to be embraced is not seen as an effective strategy for change. Rather, specific instrumental recommendations are offered for how to include the study of sex and gender in research so as to increase our understanding and promotion of health for the benefit of all.
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN δ OPIOID RECEPTORS AND α2A‐ADRENOCEPTORS

1. Several studies have reported functional interactions between different subtypes of opioid and alpha2A-adrenoceptors in the induction of spinal cord analgesia. The mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are not well characterized. We propose that direct receptor-receptor associations could account for some of the observed functional interactions. In the present study, we examined the presence of delta opioid receptors and alpha2A-adrenoceptors in interacting complexes and the functional implications of such interactions on receptor activity. 2. Using the proximity based bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) assay, we found that the delta opioid receptors and alpha2A-adrenoceptors are in close enough proximity (< 100 A) in live cells that can foster physical interactions. 3. Using coimmunoprecipitation of differentially epitope-tagged receptors, we found that delta opiate receptors exist in interacting complexes with alpha2A-adrenoceptors in heterologous cells. 4. Finally, using receptor activity mediated neurite outgrowth in Neuro 2A cells as a physiological readout, we found that interactions between delta opiate receptors and alpha2A-adrenoceptors have functional consequences. The expression of alpha2A-adrenoceptors is sufficient to promote delta opiate receptor-mediated neurite outgrowth, suggesting that the presence of inactive alpha2A-adrenoceptors can enhance delta opiate receptor-mediated signalling. 5. Taken together, these findings suggest that modulation of receptor function as a result of physical associations between delta opiate receptors and alpha2A-adrenoceptors may account for the observed synergy between opiate and adrenergic agonists in spinal analgesia.
Resting environments of some Costa Rican mosquitoes

The resting sites of tropical American mosquitoes are poorly documented, and the few reports that do exist are largely from opportunistic collections. Since blood-engorged females (used in determining host associations) are more efficiently collected from resting sites than attractive traps, information on resting site utilization has practical value. To investigate differences in the resting sites utilized by tropical mosquitoes, we collected and identified female mosquitoes from one man-made (resting shelter) and three natural (buttress tree roots, hollow trees, and understory vegetation) resting environments at a tropical dry forest location in western Costa Rica. All of the most common species collected demonstrated associations with one or more resting environments. Females of five species (blood-engorged Anopheles albimanus, Uranotaenia apicalis, Uranotaenia lowii, Uranotaenia orthodoxa, and blood-engorged Mansonia titillans) were collected in significantly greater numbers from understory vegetation than other resting environments. Culex erraticus and other members of the subgenus Melanoconion were encountered more often in resting shelters, hollow trees, and buttress roots, while Culex restrictor (blood-engorged) females were associated with hollow trees. Similarity indices indicate that buttress tree roots, hollow trees, and resting shelters are similar with respect to the mosquito communities that utilize them as resting sites, while understory vegetation has a resting fauna that is different than the other environments surveyed here. These results add to the body of information regarding resting sites utilized by tropical American mosquitoes.
Heuristically constrained estimation for intelligent signal processing

The solution of many estimation problems can be greatly enhanced by the incorporation of inexact knowledge or vague human reasoning. For such estimation problems, two distinct forms of problem knowledge can be identified: statistical (objective) knowledge and heuristic (subjective) knowledge. This paper discusses a systematic way of expressing and integrating these two forms of knowledge into the estimation process. This work can be interpreted as a fuzzification of standard constrained optimization. Fuzzy set theory is used to form a fuzzy constraint which represents the domain-specific knowledge of human expert. This work may also be interpreted as a systemization of the use of subjective priors by Bayesians. Although our work is of general applicability, we demonstrate the use of heuristically constrained estimation to the particular problem of seismic deconvolution. These results show that the incorporation of heuristic knowledge (albeit vague) yields better results than if such knowledge is ignored.
On the blow-up set of the Yang-Mills flow on Kähler surfaces

The Yang–Mills flow on a Kahler surface with holomorphic initial data converges smoothly away from a singular set determined by the Harder–Narasimhan– Seshadri filtration of the initial holomorphic bundle.
Assessment of circadian rhythms throughout the menstrual cycle of female rhesus monkeys

Reproductive cyclicity has a significant influence on the regulation of circadian rhythms in rodents. Studies have suggested that there are changes in body temperature rhythms between the follicular and luteal phases in human females. This study examined the effects of menstrual cyclicity on physiological and behavioral circadian rhythms in female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), an acknowledged biomedical model. Seven unrestrained subjects were implanted with a biotelemetry transmitter to measure body temperature and heart rate and an accelerometer was used to measure physical activity. Water was available ad libitum and drinking was measured via an electronic circuit attached to a water lixit. A video-based task system, the Psychomotor Test System, provided environmental enrichment and delivered a pelletized diet. Mean, phase, and amplitude of each rhythm were calculated. Estrogen and progesterone conjugates were assayed and quantified from daily urine samples to identify follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. Average circadian variables were then compared between these phases. Heart rate was significantly (P< or =0.05) delayed in the luteal phase. Albeit non-significant, analysis showed a trend toward decreased circadian amplitude of body temperature in the luteal phase.
Diet and asthma: vitamins and methyl donors

Diet changes can partly explain the high burden of asthma in industrialised nations. Findings from experimental studies have stimulated many observational studies of the association between vitamins (A, C, D, and E) or nutrients acting as methyl donors (folate, vitamin B12, and choline) and asthma. However, observational studies are susceptible to several sources of bias; well conducted randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard to establish whether diet has an effect on asthma. Evidence from observational studies and a few RCTs strongly justifies ongoing and future RCTs in three areas: vitamin D for the prevention or treatment of asthma, choline supplementation as adjuvant treatment for asthma, and vitamin E to prevent the detrimental effects of air pollution in patients with asthma. At present, insufficient evidence exists to recommend supplementation with any vitamin or nutrient acting as a methyl donor to prevent or treat asthma.
The Test of Solenoid Valve Seal Performance Based on Fuzzy Control

As an important indicator of the accuracy of solenoid valve - solenoid valve seal performance directly influences the quality and precision of valve. In this paper, software and hardware platform of the test of solenoid valve seal performance are introduced, seal performance test method is discussed. Fuzzy control algorithm is studied in controlling the VVVF, and fuzzy control is applied in hydraulic pressure control of test. So the problem of supplying constant pressure requested by the test can be resolved. Finally, feasibility and effectiveness of test method are verified by experiment.
BIOGEOGRAPHY AND SPECIATION IN THE PANDORINA/VOLVULINA (CHLOROPHYTA) SUPERCLADE

Mating affinity, nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence, and geographic distribution of more than 100 isolates of Pandorina, Volvulina, and Yamagishiella were determined. Comparative analysis of ITS sequences reaffirmed the unity of Pandorina morum and its separation from all other species of Volvocaceae except those of Volvulina. This latter genus, represented by four species, appears to represent only morphological variants of several P. morum subclades. The P. morum clade (including also additional species such as P. smithii and P. colemaniae) encompasses an evolutionary span, as determined by comparison of ITS, greater than either of the multispecies genera Gonium or Eudorina. There are at least 30 Pandorina/Volvulina syngens, sexually isolated groups, so far as can be determined, among the current collection of strains. In addition, as in other volvocacaean genera, two clones are homothallic, capable of forming zygotes within a genetic clone. The existence of so many syngens suggests that considerable evolutionary diversification of the genes controlling gamete compatibility and intercross survival has occurred, unaccompanied by significant morphological change. Within each syngen, genetic distance increases with geographic distance between collection sites. At least half of the isolates studied must have been introduced northward since the Pleistocene. Although we probably know more about characters in this group of algae than any other algal group, in part because they are so easy to culture, we are still largely ignorant of what circumscribes their niche in nature. The study of all these organisms, distributed throughout the world presumably by the activities of shorebirds, emphasizes the evolutionary role of mating genes in the inevitable formation of new genetically isolated subclades in these eukaryotes and provides initial data on their rate of appearance versus their rate of distribution over the earth.
Neuropsychologic function in children with brain tumors: III. Interval changes in the six months following treatment.

Twenty-six children with primary brain tumors were studied prospectively with regard to their sensorimotor, intellectual, academic, and emotional status. Serial evaluations were conducted after surgery (pre-irradiation) and six months after the completion of radiation therapy. The timing of the second evaluation was chosen so as to antedate the late effects of irradiation. Children over 6 years old displayed significant improvement of intellectual function over time, with only 11% exhibiting deterioration on one or more cognitive parameters. In contrast, 68% of younger children clinically deteriorated in one or more areas of intellectual functioning, with prominent difficulties in memory and selective attention for age. Children under 6 years old with supratentorial tumors were less likely than those with posterior fossa tumors to improve their cognitive performance. At the second evaluation, 23% of the patients were functioning below normal (IQ less than 80) intellectually, with 50% of the younger children and 11% of the older children receiving special educational assistance. Approximately 40-50% of the patients manifested emotional adjustment problems at each evaluation. The results are discussed in terms of the clinical need to follow similar patient populations with formal psychological assessments over time, and in terms of the difficulties involved in defining factorsmore » that determine the functional status of children surviving brain tumors.« less
Time-to-failure estimation for batteries in portable electronic systems

Nonlinearity of the energy source behavior in portable systems needs to be modeled in order for the system software to make energy-conscious decisions. We describe an analytical battery model for predicting the battery time-to-failure under variable discharge conditions. Our model can be used to estimate the impact of various system load profiles on the energy source lifetime. The quality of our model is evaluated based on the simulation of a lithium-ion battery.
Sedentary lifestyle as a risk factor for self-reported poor physical and mental health.

Persons who exercise regularly have lower incidence rates of heart disease, hypertension, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, cancer, anxiety, and depression than those who are sedentary? Physical activity is associated with measures of functional status (such as the number of days that elderly people are sick in bed2 and the number of days that employees are absent from their jobs 3) and with the ability to perform activities of daily living and live independently. 4
Instability waves in high-speed jets: near- and far-field DNS/LES data analysis

Solutions from inviscid linear stability theory (LST) and linear parabolized stability equations (PSE) were used to quantify the extent to which instability waves represent actual near-field dynamics in high-speed forced turbulent jets. The mean and unsteady flow data were taken from a well-validated large-eddy simulation (LES) database (Bodony and Lele, 2005). The jets and their operating conditions were heated high subsonic (Mj = 0.97, Tj/T∞ = 2.3, ReD = 84,000) and unheated supersonic (Mj = 1.95, Tj/T∞ = 0.56, ReD = 336,000) jets with the same jet exit velocities. The coherent components of the turbulent jet flow fields were extracted using a filter based on proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). To examine the effects of nonlinear interactions and to test the decomposition method, forced laminar jets were also considered; the flow data were obtained from a direct numerical simulation (DNS) database for an unheated Mj = 0.90 and ReD = 4,100 jet (Ryu, 2010). Two methods were used to extract instability ...
The Disposal of Bad Loans in Japan: The Case of the CCPC

A theme of Japan’s banking problems in the 1990s was the consistently inadequate disclosure of the scale of bad loans outstanding. The major banks began publishing outstanding loans to bankrupt and 60-day-overdue borrowers in 1993. By March 1995, this amount stood at ¥12.5 trillion, or 3.3% of all loans (Figure 6.1).
Do Youth Development Programs Matter? An Examination of Transitions and Well-Being Among Military Youth

The current correlational study examines the association between internal and external military family contextual factors (e.g., parental rank, having multiple military parents, school changes, living more than 30 min from a military installation, parental deployment, relationship provisions) and military youth well-being outcomes (i.e., depressive symptoms, anxiety, self-efficacy) in a sample of children of active duty military members (i.e., military youth). Data from 749 military youth, ages 11–14, were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The model explained a reasonable amount of the variation in the outcomes of interest (r-square statistics for depressive symptoms, anxiety, and self-efficacy were .151, .018, and .086, respectively). Results indicated that military youth who reported more social provisions experienced fewer depressive symptoms and more self-efficacy. Youth who reported certain military risk factors (i.e., parental rank; living farther from the military installation; multiple school changes) were associated with decreased well-being (i.e., more depressive symptoms and anxiety and less self-efficacy). However, findings suggest that participation in military programs may serve a moderating or buffering factor for these youth.
PEOPLE WITH COMMON PRIORS CAN AGREE TO DISAGREE

Robert Aumann presents his Agreement Theorem as the key conditional: “if two people have the same priors and their posteriors for an event A are common knowledge, then these posteriors are equal” (Aumann, 1976, p. 1236). This paper focuses on four assumptions which are used in Aumann’s proof but are not explicit in the key conditional: (1) that agents commonly know, of some prior μ, that it is the common prior; (2) that agents commonly know that each of them updates on the prior by conditionalization; (3) that agents commonly know that if an agent knows a proposition, she knows that she knows that proposition (the “KK” principle); (4) that agents commonly know that they each update only on true propositions. It is shown that natural weakenings of any one of these strong assumptions can lead to countermodels to Aumann’s key conditional. Examples are given in which agents who have a common prior and commonly know what probability they each assign to a proposition nevertheless assign that proposition unequal probabilities. To alter Aumann’s famous slogan: people can “agree to disagree”, even if they share a common prior. The epistemological significance of these examples is presented in terms of their role in a defense of the Uniqueness Thesis: If an agent whose total evidence is E is fully rational in taking doxastic attitude D to P, then necessarily, any subject with total evidence E who takes a different attitude to P is less than fully rational.
Linking Negative Work Experience and Family Issues: Spillover and Crossover Models (WITHDRAWN)

This study examines the spillover and crossover effects of a type of negative workplace event known as a psychological contract breach, on employees' work-family conflict and their partners' family...
Pemberton's pericapsular osteotomy of the ilium in the treatment of developmental dislocation of the hip in children

Objective: To explore the indication and experiences of Pemberton's pericapsular osteotomy of the ilium in the treatment of developmental dislocation of the hip in children. Methods: From June 1999, 192 hips in 165 patients(31 male, 134 female) with developmental dislocation of the hip underwent Pemberton's pericapsular osteotomy of the ilium, and 79 cases underwent the operation on left hip, 67 cases on right hip, 23 cases on both hips. According to T?觟nnis classification, 12 hips were graded as Ⅰ°, 46 hips as Ⅱ°, 95 hips as Ⅲ°, 39 hips as Ⅳ°. Results:All patients were followed up for a period from 4 months to 7 years (mean, 3 years and 2 months), and were assessed clinically and radiologically. Clinical assessment was performed according to Mckay's classification. The results showed that the overall excellent or good rate was 92.71%. Radiological assessment was performed according to Severin's classification, and the results showed that the overall excellent or good rate was 91.66%. Conclusion: Pemberton's pericapsular osteotomy of the ilium is an effective method to treat developmental dislocation of the hip in children.
Native tubular fluid attenuates ANF-induced inhibition of tubuloglomerular feedback.

The effect of atrial natriuretic factor [ANF-(1–28); 0.25 microgram.kg-1.min-1] on tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) and the efficiency of renal blood flow (RBF) autoregulation was determined in anes...
Polymorphism and electronic structure of polyimine and its potential significance for prebiotic chemistry on Titan

The chemistry of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is believed to be central to the origin of life question. Contradictions between Cassini–Huygens mission measurements of the atmosphere and the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan suggest that HCN-based polymers may have formed on the surface from products of atmospheric chemistry. This makes Titan a valuable “natural laboratory” for exploring potential nonterrestrial forms of prebiotic chemistry. We have used theoretical calculations to investigate the chain conformations of polyimine (pI), a polymer identified as one major component of polymerized HCN in laboratory experiments. Thanks to its flexible backbone, the polymer can exist in several different polymorphs, which are relatively close in energy. The electronic and structural variability among them is extraordinary. The band gap changes over a 3-eV range when moving from a planar sheet-like structure to increasingly coiled conformations. The primary photon absorption is predicted to occur in a window of relative transparency in Titan’s atmosphere, indicating that pI could be photochemically active and drive chemistry on the surface. The thermodynamics for adding and removing HCN from pI under Titan conditions suggests that such dynamics is plausible, provided that catalysis or photochemistry is available to sufficiently lower reaction barriers. We speculate that the directionality of pI’s intermolecular and intramolecular =N–H…N hydrogen bonds may drive the formation of partially ordered structures, some of which may synergize with photon absorption and act catalytically. Future detailed studies on proposed mechanisms and the solubility and density of the polymers will aid in the design of future missions to Titan.
Soil-structure interaction at CDMG and USGS accelerograph stations

Abstract Forced harmonic and impulse-response vibration tests were conducted at several California accelerograph stations operated by the California Division of Mines and Geology (CDMG) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to determine the extent to which soil-structure interaction may be affecting the recorded ground motions. The results of the tests on the foundations comprising USGS Station 6 in the Imperial Valley and CDMG Cholame 1E and Fault Zone 3 stations in the Cholame Valley indicated the presence of highly damped fundamental frequencies between 20 and 40 Hz. However, at the much larger Differential Array station, a masonry-block structure approximately 6 km southwest of Station 6, a moderately damped fundamental frequency of 12 Hz was observed. Approximate transfer functions between earthquake motions recorded at the stations and the free-field motions were computed from the response data obtained from the forced harmonic vibration tests. For the three smaller stations, these functions showed peak amplification factors ranging from 1.25 to 1.4 at frequencies between 20 and 40 Hz. The amplification at smaller frequencies was insignificant. For the Differential Array station, the amplification factor was 1.5 at 12 Hz and was roughly 0.6 for frequencies between 14 and 25 Hz. These results suggest that soil-structure interaction will have little effect on ground motions recorded at the smaller stations provided that most of the energy in these motions is confined to frequencies less than approximately 20 Hz. However, at the Differential Array station, soil-structure interaction probably has had, and will continue to have, a significant influence on the motions recorded at this station.
Saints, Pagans, and the Wonders of the East: The Medieval Imaginary and Its Manuscript Contexts

Studies about Christian perceptions of Islam and other non-Christian cultures in the Middle Ages in recent years have tended to focus on individual authors and their works. New research in the field of manuscript philology, particularly its focus on the idea of the “whole book,” however, suggests some new interpretive vistas that can sharpen our understanding of how medieval readers engaged with, and responded to, texts about the non-Christian Other. This article takes as its subject a twelfth-century miscellany manuscript from the Westfalian monastery of Grafschaft that constitutes a remarkable dossier of hagiographical and exegetical texts relating to Muslims, pagans, and holy war. This codex, Darmstadt Universitats- und Landesbibliothek, Cod. 749, offers a window onto how works dealing with these subjects were read not only on their own terms, but in dynamic relationship to one another. Focusing on the associative resonances between the different works in a single manuscript allows us to understand how one monastic community in northern Germany sought to place the twelfth-century Crusades in a broader historical and theological context. The results of such an approach complicate the traditional Christian-Muslim binary we usually encounter in studies of Crusading or medieval views of non-Christians, underscoring how one community of medieval readers thought about the problem of religious conflict in several temporal, geographic, and conceptual dimensions.
The Origins of the Arts Council Movement: Philanthropy and Policy

Why allocate public funds for the arts through arm's-length arts councils? There are alternatives: government-subsidized foundation and philanthropic giving, for example, or grants to independent a...
Continuing Medical Education Questions: January 2018: Prophylactic Therapy of Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome in Children: Comparison of Amitriptyline and Cyproheptadine: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Continuing Medical Education Questions: January 2018: Prophylactic Therapy of Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome in Children: Comparison of Amitriptyline and Cyproheptadine: A Randomized Clinical Trial