cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical activity for preventing and treating obesity-related dyslipoproteinemias

STEFANICK, M. L. Physical activity for preventing and treating obesity-related dyslipoproteinemias. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 31, No. 11, Suppl., pp. S609-S618, 1999. Purpose: The clinical trial data were reviewed on effects of physical activity on obesity-related dyslipoproteinemias (specifically low HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), elevated triglycerides (TG), and high total and LDL-cholesterol (TC and LDL-C)) in adult men and women. Methods: Effort was made to identify all randomized clinical trials (RCT), with exercise intervention programs of at least 4 months' duration, which had lipoprotein outcomes. Those that had both an exercise only intervention and control groups or both a diet plus exercise and identical diet only intervention groups were reviewed. Tables were developed of baseline characteristics and weight and lipoprotein changes for aerobic exercise trials by body mass index: 1) < 25.0 kg.m -2 , 2) 25.0-29.9 kg.m -2 , and 3) ≥ 30.0 kg.m -2 and for studies involving resistance exercise or increased energy expenditure from daily activities versus structured exercise programs. Results: Very few RCT were found that specifically addressed the role of physical activity in preventing or treating obesity-related adverse lipoprotein levels. There was essentially no evidence found in lean or overweight men or women to support a specific role for exercise in improving undesirable lipoprotein levels; however, trial data strongly suggest that the addition of exercise to a hypocaloric, reduced-fat diet improves HDL-C and TG in men and women with generally desirable initial levels and reduces LDL-C in men and women with initially elevated LDL-C levels. The evidence is also reasonably strong that weight loss, including that achieved solely by exercise, improves HDL-C and TG in obese men, without reducing LDL-C, whereas it remains weak for women. There are also virtually no trial data to support a role for resistance exercise or an increase in daily living activities for improving obesity-related lipoproteins. Conclusions: Current evidence from RCT is too limited to determine whether physical activity can raise low HDL-C or lower high TG or LDL-C levels in overweight and obese individuals.
development and validation of a radioligand receptor assay for measurement of luteinizing hormone in human serum

Studies of circulating LH physiology and pathophysiology are dependent upon measurements of immuno-and bioactivity, both of which have methodologic limitations. We have developed and validated a RRA which allows direct measurement of receptor-bindable LH in human serum. Using a cultured Leydig tumor cell line (MA-10) known to express the CG/LH receptor as the receptor source and polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis purified hCG as the radioligand, we have established an assay system with the requisite sensitivity (0.04 ng/tube) to measure circulating LH, without significant alteration in total specific binding upon addition of up to 150 μL gonadotropin-free serum when compared to no serum. Standard curves of hLH diluted in gonadotropin-free serum were not statistically different in slope or ED50 from buffer curves. Dilutions of human serum from postmenopausal women and men with Klinefelter's syndrome containing LH measured in the assay were parallel to the standard curve. Further validation of the RRA inclu...
Mapping behaviorally relevant neural circuits with immediate-early gene expression

Immediate-early genes have gained widespread popularity as activity markers for mapping neuronal circuits involved in specific behaviors in many different species. In situ immediate early gene detection methods provide cellular level resolution, a major benefit for mapping neuronal networks. Recent advances using fluorescence in situ hybridization also afford temporal resolution, enabling within-animal activity maps for two distinct behaviors. Moreover, use of transgenic mice with fluorescent reporter proteins driven by immediate early gene promoters is enabling repeated measurements, over long time scales, of cortical activity within the same animal. These methodological innovations, coupled with recent advances in fluorescence imaging and probe development, will enable large scale mapping of behaviorally relevant circuits with temporal and three-dimensional spatial resolution in experimental animals.
Ratcheting-based microstructure-sensitive modeling of the cyclic hardening response of case-hardened bearing steels subject to Rolling Contact Fatigue

Abstract Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF) is a commonly observed phenomenon in bearings that imposes a highly localized subsurface volume to a complex triaxial and non-proportional fatigue loading. Case-hardened M50-NiL steel, a widely used aerospace bearing material, when subjected to RCF loading shows a definite increase in hardness within the localized RCF-affected zone as a function of cycles. To simulate such cyclic hardening material response during RCF using finite element (FE) modeling, knowledge of localized cyclic hardening properties of bearing steels is required. However, these properties are not available for through-hardened and case hardened steels nor are they readily measurable from the conventional bulk specimen testing methods used in high cycle fatigue. To overcome this challenge, an alternative method to evaluate the material-specific localized cyclic hardening properties as a function of case-layer depth is presented. This method uses the experimentally measured increase in micro-hardness within the RCF-affected zone, in conjunction with elastic–plastic FE simulation of RCF cyclic hardening, to extract localized cyclic constitutive properties, and investigate the underlying physics associated with the local hardness increase. Case hardened bearing steels are complex composites having a heterogeneous graded microstructure with carbide precipitates ranging from nanometer to micrometer length scales that are largely responsible for the material hardening. Micro-plastic strain accumulation via ratcheting at the scale of the carbide microstructure is proposed to be the underlying mechanism for cyclic hardening. This manuscript presents for the first time a procedure to estimate microstructure-sensitive isotropic and kinematic cyclic hardening parameters, from a judicious combination of numerical and experimental methods. Methods presented are applicable to both through-hardened and case hardened bearing steels.
Posterior interosseous syndrome revisited

The question of how the supinator syndrome and the posterior interosseous syndrome are (or are not) related has not been well discussed in the literature. The anatomy of the radial nerve and its innervations is quite variable, as are the etiology, presentation, and clinical findings in the lesions of the posterior interosseous nerve. The present study was based on a retrospective review of the electrodiagnostic records of 12 patients with involvement of the deep radial nerve (posterior interosseous nerve) diagnosed at the EMG lab of New York University Medical Center from 1975 to 1983. Two-thirds of these patients had electrophys iologic abnormalities of the supinator muscle, and in the remainder, the supinator was not involved. All superficial radial nerves had normal evoked mode action potential amplitudes and latencies. We propose that the supinator syndrome is a special case of the posterior interosseous syndrome.
High-impedance electromagnetic surfaces with forbidden bands at radio and microwave frequencies

A new type of metallic electromagnetic structure has been developed that is characterized by having high surface impedance. The geometry is analogous to a corrugated metal surface in which the corrugations have been folded up into lumped circuit elements, and distributed in a 2D lattice. Although it is made of continuous metal, and conducts DC currents, it does not conduct AC currents within a forbidden frequency band. Unlike normal conductors, this new surface does not support propagating surface waves. Furthermore, image currents induced in the surface are not phase reversed as they are on a flat metal surface.
Innovative and comprehensive online testing in quantitative courses

Quantitative courses, such as operations management, business statistics, management science, marketing research, etc., are perceived as being among the most challenging by business students. Most of the traditional in-class exams used in these courses are inadequate as they tend to focus only on a specific part of a given decision-making process/model/methodology. Relevant literature suggests that testing students on course material has a direct impact on students’ understanding and retention of the material. Given the inadequacy of traditional in-class exams, quantitative business courses miss this valuable opportunity to aid student understanding and retention of the decision-making processes of these courses. Therefore, the main ambition of this manuscript is to present an innovative approach to comprehensively test students on the course material within an online environment. Apart from highlighting its added ability over in-class exams, we also present some evidence to suggest that this approach may indeed facilitate students to gain a comprehensive understanding of these decision-making methodologies and retain this knowledge over an extended period of time.
Optimal control of a deterministic epidemic

Abstract Optimal control by immunization of a general deterministic model of an epidemic is examined when cost is measured by the maximum number of infectives plus a measure of the control effort expended. Results guaranteeing that the optimal control has one switch are presented, as are conditions under which the optimal control is to allow the epidemic to run its course unchecked. Optimal control by more efficient removal of infectives is also considered.
Inhibition of Early Steps in the Gibberellin-Activated Synthesis of α-Amylase

Subsequent production of amylase is severely inhibited if barban [4-chloro-2-butynyl N-(3-chlorophenyl) carbamate] is added to embryo-free half seeds of barley within 4 to 5 hours after gibberellic acid treatment of these seeds. Thirty to 50 mg/L concentrations of barban are effective. Barban inhibition is non-competitive with respect to gibberellic acid. Addition of barban 7 hours or more after gibberellic acid treatment is almost without effect. The delay between gibberellic acid treatment and amylase formation tends to become shorter with more prolonged imbibition periods. Regardless of imbibition period, susceptibility to barban is lost within 7 hours after gibberellic acid treatment. Other herbicidally active phenylurethanes are also inhibitors, but none are as effective as barban. Phenethyl alcohol and 2 arylcarbamates can act as inhibitors.
United States health professionals in international health work

This article reports results of a survey of 1,257 potential employers of US health professionals overseas, interviews with informants in international health, an analysis of career patterns of a small group of international health workers, and a review of numbers of health professionals trained in schools of public health for international health work. There are approximately 9,000 US health professionals in the international health field. Doctors (1,400), nurses (1,500) and administrators (900) are the largest groups. Church-related agencies (2,200 people), private voluntary agencies (1,700 people), and universities (1,000 people) are the largest employers.
Melilitite-carbonatite tuffs in the Laetolil Beds of Tanzania

The upper unit of the Laetolil Beds, 45 to 60 m thick, is about 80% wind worked or eolian tuff and 20% air-fall tuff. The air-fall tuffs comprise a phonolitic tuff and numerous thin tuffs of original melilitite-carbonatite composition. Most of the melilitite-carbonatite tuffs consist largely of sand-sized lava globules and crystals cemented by calcite. Evidence of former carbonatite ash is provided by calcite globules, fenestral textures, and high contents of Ba and Sr in early-deposited calcite. These air-fall tuffs were produced by volatile-rich eruptions of highly fluid magma. In a typical eruptive cycle, lava droplets were followed by crystals which increased in size during the eruption. Commonly the final event was an eruption of fine ash and carbonatite globules. Particularly violent explosions ejected blocks of lava and plutonic rock 10 to 15 cm in diameter for distances of 20 km.
Accumulation of microstructural damage due to fatigue of high-strength aluminum alloys

The microstructural features of aluminum alloy 7050-T7451 in the vicinity of fatigue cracks and on the crack path were studied to determine which of these features influence fatigue crack propagation. The studies included characterization of the full spectrum of microstructural and fracture surface features— from the largest (e.g., roughness and grain type) to the smallest (e.g., second-phase particles and dislocations). Of all the features studied, only the second-phase particles were shown to have a definite influence by causing crack deflection. The number of particles encountered by the fatigue cracks were significantly higher than the expected average. The fatigue crack path was predominately transgranular, and there was no change in the dislocation and precipitation structures in the crack-affected zone.
Distribution High Impedance Fault Detection Utilizing High Frequency Current Components

This paper describes work performed by Texas A&M University on the detection of high impedance faults on distribution primary conductors. Some grounded distribution primary conductors may exhibit a very low fault current such that they may not be cleared by over-current protection. These faults may persist indefinitely, possibly causing a fire hazard or a hazard to humans by contact with an energized line. The paper begins with an examination of the high impedance fault problem from the perspective of system protection. The fault detection theory is presented next. The system utilizes a fault-generated increase in the 2-10 kHz component of feeder current for fault detection. EPRI funding enabled the verification and demonstration of this fault detection concept. Measurements were made on several faulted and unfaulted feeders to develop a representative data base of signals to which a relay would be subject. Analysis of these data provided a time and frequency domain signature of these faults. A microcomputer-based prototype relay was constructed and installed on a typical utility feeder. It successfully detected most staged faults while not indicating a false trip during a three month demonstration.
Effects of age on citrate metabolism in bone and on the distribution of skeletal fluoride.

SummaryIn calvaria and long bones of the rat the concentration of citrate changed in a pattern characteristic for the bone site during active growth; it remained relatively constant after growth was essentially complete (epiphyses 60 days, calvaria 75 days, diaphyses 90-113 days). In metaphyses (the growing zone of long bones) there was still reduced activity after this time since growth in long bone continues even in old rats. This procedure may be useful in determining maturity in other bone areas where rate of growth is difficult to assess by other methods, and in selection of the proper age and bone site for evaluation of the effects of various treatments. Differences in the citrate response to vitamin D and in the deposition of fluoride at various bone sites in growing rats could be correlated with the age at which growth in a given site was complete. Fluoride deposition also appears to be related to deposition of calcium in the site during fluoride ingestion. Most of the differences in distribution ...
Small group learning with games in museums: effects of interactivity as mediated by cultural differences

Museums are rich and complex learning experiences, using a variety of interactive approaches to engage their audiences. However, the largely unstructured nature of free-choice learning calls for alternative approaches that can effectively engage groups of school age students with diverse cultural backgrounds. In this paper, we present our findings from a recent study in a museum in Greece, where triads of students had to learn about olive oil production using a game enabling different levels of interactivity and collaboration. We found that facilitation by an expert guide led to greater learning gains as compared to students playing alone, with one or three simultaneous game controllers. We also compared these results with a previous controlled experiment conducted in the US with middle school students, using the same game but without the ecologically valid facilitation. Drawing ideas from sociocultural and cognitive theories we interpret the contradictory findings, identifying the impact of culture on their (social) interactions, their subjective game experience, and eventually learning, in these spaces.
Beam profile generator for asymmetric fields.

A boundary factor technique for predicting beam profiles has been described by Chui and Mohan [Med. Phys. 1 3, 409 (1986)]. Boundary factors are calculated as the ratio of the intensity measured in the central plane of a collimated field to the intensity measured in the same location in a 40×40 cm field. However, significant discrepancies arise if these factors are applied to the 40×40 cm intensity function at off‐axis points to predict the beam profile for independently collimated fields. These discrepancies are primarily due to the assumption that the 40×40 cm profile approximates an unperturbed intensity function that would exist in the absence of the collimators or scattering media. Two techniques to reduce the residual perturbation are presented. The resulting refined boundary factors allow further factoring so as to permit the calculation of beam profiles for any field size and offset from three discrete functions.
Bone histomorphometric changes after cyclic therapy with phosphate and etidronate disodium in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

The purpose of this study was to examine bone histomorphometry before and after 2 yr of a double blind trial of etidronate to determine whether etidronate was associated with the development of osteomalacia and to clarify the mechanism of action. Sixty-eight postmenopausal women with vertebral compression fractures from 3 clinical centers received 1 g phosphate or placebo twice daily on days 1-3, 400 mg etidronate or placebo daily on days 4-17, and 0.5 g calcium daily on days 18-91. This cycle was given eight times. Iliac crest bone was biopsied after tetracycline labeling. None of the patients developed osteomalacia. The placebo/placebo group lost significantly more bone volume than the other groups. The change in mineralizing surface was significantly different among groups due to the decrease in the placebo/etidronate group. Within groups, placebo/placebo showed a decrease in bone volume without other changes. Phosphate/placebo showed no changes. Placebo/etidronate showed decreases in osteoid volume, o...
One-Photon Annihilation of Thermal Positrons with Bound Atomic Electrons

Direct one-photon annihilation rate of positrons with a bound atomic electron is evaluated in the nonrelativistic limit. The K- and L-shell contributions are estimated including the screening and effective Coulomb repulsion effects. The annihilation rate of thermal positrons is calculated for various temperatures. The total number of one-photon annihilation events in the interstellar medium is discussed. These results provide the directional and structural information for cosmic gamma-ray sources.
On the Influence of Ion Excluded Volume (Steric) Effects on the Double-Layer Polarization of a Nonconducting Spherical Particle in an AC Field

The dipole moment of a charged, dielectric, spherical particle under the influence of a uniform alternating electric field is computed by solving the modified Poisson−Nernst−Planck (PNP) equations (Bikerman’s mean-field model) (Philos. Mag. 1942, 33, 384−397) accounting for excluded volume effects of the finite ion size as a function of the double-layer thickness, the electric field frequency, the particle’s surface charge, and the volume fraction of the ions in the bulk characterizing the excluded volume repulsion. In the limit of thin electric double layers, we carry out an asymptotic analysis to develop simple models calculating dipole moments which are in favorable agreement with the modified PNP model. Our results reveal that excluded volume effects, imposing a maximum on the counterion concentration, reduce the dipole moment at high frequencies and possibly enhance the dipole moment at low frequencies, assuming that the particle bears the same zeta potential. Excluded volume effects often become sig...
Hardening response of carbonitrided rimmed and aluminum-killed SAE 1010 steels

The critical cooling rate to achieve fully martensitic structures was determined for rimmed and aluminum-killed SAE 1010 steel containing various amounts of carbon and nitrogen. Fine grained aluminum-killed steels required a cooling rate approximately two times higher that rimmed steel for all carbon andnitrogen contents evaluated. Alloying may be required to reduce the critical cooling rate to a rate achievable in oil-quenched carbonitrided components processed from aluminum-killed steel.
MRAC: A Memristor-based Reconfigurable Framework for Adaptive Cache Replacement

Memristor, a long postulated yet missing circuit element, has recently emerged as a promising device in non-volatile memory technologies. However, beyond its use as memory cell, it is challenging to integrate memristor in modern architectures for general purpose computation. In this paper we propose a non-conventional use of memristor and demonstrate its applicability to enhancing cache replacement policy. We design a memristor-based saturation counter which can track cache access history at low cost. Based on our counter design, we develop a cache replacement framework that is both reconfigurable and adaptive (MRAC). Our evaluation demonstrates MRAC's reconfigurability and adaptivity, which result in better performance and more robust performance improvement.
Potential role for imidazole in the rhythmic respiratory activity of the in vitro neonatal rat brainstem.

Abstract We used the imidazole-binding agent, diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC), to test the hypothesis that rhythmic respiratory activity of the in vitro neonatal rat brainstem-spinal cord preparation was functionally dependent on imidazole. Neural activity was recorded from spinal nerves (C1-C4) during superfusion with 95%O 2 /5%CO 2 buffer at pH 7.3 and T=26°C. Superfusate containing DEPC (40 mM) caused cessation of rhythmic activity within minutes. In eight of 33 preparations, microinjection of DEPC (32 nmol) onto the ventral medullary surface (VMS) reduced burst amplitude by at least 50% within 10 min, and in 12 of 33 preparations, microinjection of DEPC produced neural apnea. Therefore, we conclude that proteins containing imidazole near the VMS are critically important for the maintenance of rhythmic respiratory activity in vitro. Furthermore, alphastat regulation of respiration may be an essential trait of this preparation.
Work Area Traffic Control: Evaluation and Design

Comprehensive evaluations of traffic controls for three highway construction projects are conducted. These evaluations consist of reviews of the traffic control plans, field checks of the implemented traffic controls, and observation of actual motorist behavior in response to the work area traffic controls. The project sites include suburban interstate, urban arterial, and rural highway locations. Field data were collected to develop spot speed characteristics, traffic flow rates, overall and average running speeds, and acceleration noise and mean velocity gradient profiles. Based on these evaluations, guidelines are developed to assist in the design and operation of more effective work area traffic control.
Spatiotemporal transitions in temporal lobe epilepsy

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, most of which appear to occur spontaneously as a result of complex dynamical interactions among many regions of the brain. The most common type of epilepsy in adults is temporal lobe epilepsy. Employment of nonlinear dynamics techniques, based on the chaos theory, led us to the hypotheses that (1) seizures are a transition from spatiotemporal chaos to a more ordered ictal (symptomatic) state, (2) during the interictal (asymptomatic) state, the epileptogenic focus is dynamically isolated from other areas of the cerebral hemispheres, (3) the seizure discharge can occur only after a preictal transition state during which the focus starts to interact with other cortical areas (preictal state), and (4) the seizure serves to reset the brain, reversing the pathological interaction among critical cortical sites, thus dynamically isolating the seizure onset zone.Through the analysis of long-term intracranial EEG recordings obtained in patients with medically intractable seizures, we observed: (1) drop in values of a dynamical measure (STLmax) during the seizure, indicating increased temporal order of the EEG signal - hypothesis 1, (2) convergence of STLmax values among almost all electrode pairs, indicating increased spatial order - hypothesis 1, (3) generally higher values ofT-index (divergent values of STLmax) during the interictal state when the epileptogenic focus is compared to other sites - hypothesis 2, (4) the average differences in STLmax values between the epileptogenic hippocampus and most other sites is typically reduced (low T-index values, "dynamical entrainment") prior to each seizure - hypothesis 3, and (5) a divergence of STLmax (increase in the T-index) between the epileptogenic hippocampus and other cortical sites after each seizure-hypothesis 4. These observations support our hypotheses regarding the preictal transitions in temporal lobe epilepsy. We anticipate that these observations will lead to a better understanding of the physiological processes involved in temporal lobe epilepsy.
Cordilleran metamorphic core complexes: Cenozoic extensional relics of Mesozoic compression

Cordilleran metamorphic core complexes form a belt of uplifted metamorphic rock that extends from southern Canada to northwestern Mexico just west of, or astride, the foreland thrust belt of the North American Cordillera. During the past several years the age and tectonic significance of the core complexes have been a topic of considerable controversy. Some geologists view the complexes as an uplifted erogenic core zone that formed behind the thrust belts mainly during Mesozoic regional compression. An opposing view is that they are mainly Tertiary in age and of extensional origin. We support a model that unifies these seemingly inconsistent views by suggesting that Mesozoic crustal telescoping resulted in an overthickened plateaulike crustal welt along the Cordilleran hinterland. During Cenozoic time this gravitationally unstable mass spread laterally, resulting in deep-seated crustal extension. The extension was aided by a thermal pulse of Cenozoic magmatism that reduced crustal viscosity and by a lowering of intraplate convergent stress fields due to changing plate kinematics. The chief advantage of the model is that it reconciles opposing views as to the age and tectonic significance of the complexes and places them in a more comprehensible setting amid Mesozoic-Cenozoic Cordilleran thermotectonic history.
The effect of Coulomb friction on the existence and uniqueness of the forward dynamics problem

When Coulomb friction is added to rigid-body dynamics equations, the forward dynamic solution may not exist. and if it exists it is not necessarily unique. The author studies the existence and uniqueness properties of the forward solution of these equations. It is shown that existence and uniqueness problems arise even for a single degree-of-freedom system and conditions are derived under which such problems occur. A graphical method which clearly shows the number of solutions associated with each value of input torque is presented. A transmission element is used as an example of such a system. >
Legionella-induced acute lung injury in the setting of hyperoxia: Protective role of tumour necrosis factor-α

Among the main characteristics of Legionella pneumophila pneumonia are acute lung injury and severe hypoxemia. Although high oxygen supplementation is a valuable supportive therapy in these patients, oxygen itself is known to be a risk factor for acute lung injury. The effects of hyperoxia on lung injury of mice with Legionella pneumonia were examined. Hyperoxia treatment reduced survival of the infected mice in an oxygen concentration- and exposure time-dependent manner. The enhanced lethality was associated with an increase in total lung weight and apoptosis markers, but not with bacterial burden in the lungs. Hyperoxia decreased the levels of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) in infected lungs. Exogenous tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) improved the survival of infected mice kept under hyperoxia. TNF-α effects were associated with restoration of total lung weight and histone DNA and GSH levels on day 2, whereas the lung bacterial burden did not differ significantly. Moreover, upregulation of GSH by TNF-α was observed in the lungs of mice without infection. These results demonstrate that hyperoxia exacerbates L. pneumophila pneumonia. The data suggest that TNF-α may be a potential therapeutic candidate for these individuals, not only through modulating host antibacterial systems, but also by mediating induction of the antioxidant GSH.
The Empire Strikes Back: Ethnicity, Terrain, and Indiscriminate Violence in Counterinsurgencies*

Objective The literature on indiscriminate violence has emphasized how information shapes state capacity and determines whether and where the government employs collective targeting. This article investigates the conditions that influence the government's ability to obtain intelligence in counterinsurgencies. Specifically, it suggests that the government is more likely to use indiscriminate violence in areas characterized by indigenous ethnic homogeneity and forested terrain. These features increase the cost of acquiring information about the insurgents, and reduce state capacity, thereby increasing the likelihood of indiscriminate violence. Method We examine district-level data on the Russian government's use of indiscriminate violence and disaggregated data on ethnicity and terrain across the North Caucasus from 2000 to 2011. Results The results indicate that ethnically homogeneous and forested areas are significantly more likely targets of indiscriminate violence, and that the effect of ethnicity is markedly stronger when the district is densely forested. Conclusion This finding expands on previous studies by testing the observable implications of theories linking information to indiscriminate violence, and by providing new micro-level evidence for important human and physical constraints on counterinsurgencies.
DEVELOPMENT OF HARD GLASSES

This paper covers a phase of the work which was carried out for the Office of Production Research and Development of the War Production Board on the development of glasses of increased hardness for use as instrument bearings. A literature survey was made and a study started on the development of hard glasses for use in the manufacture of glass bearings. The data are of interest since information on the effects of a number of these oxides on the hardness of glass either have not been published previously or, in former studies, the amounts of oxides were not so large as those used in this work. Practically all of the work reported here was done either in the alumina-silica-boric oxide-calcium oxide system or on glasses derived from this system by substitution of various oxides, chiefly for silica. The Knoop hardness numbers of the glasses are reported. Data were not obtained on the working properties of the glasses described herein. In addition to the footnote references, a comprehensive bibliography is given at the end of the paper.
The 1.7- to 1.8-b.y.-old trondhjemites of southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico: Geochemistry and depths of genesis

Four trondhjemitic bodies — three of intrusive and one of extrusive origin — 1.7 to 1.8 b.y. in age occur in the Precambrian rocks of northern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado. These are the metamorphosed plutonic or hypabyssal trondhjemite of Rio Brazos, New Mexico, the interlayered quartzofeldspathic and metabasaltic metavolcanic Twilight Gneiss of the West Needle Mountains, Colorado, the syntectonic Pitts Meadow Granodiorite of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River, Colorado, and the late syntectonic to posttectonic Kroenke Granodiorite of the Central Sawatch Range, Colorado. From south to north, over a distance of 235 km, the four rock units show systematic increases in average Al2O3 from 13.7 to 16.1 percent, in K2O from 1.5 to 2.6 percent, in Rb from 28 to 76 ppm, and in Sr from 101 to 547 ppm. Initial Sr87/Sr86 ratios are low — 0.7015 to 0.7027 — and suggest a mafic or ultramafic source. All four trondhjemite bodies have similar light rare-earth element (REE) contents. The trondhjemites of Rio Brazos and the Twilight Gneiss have relatively flat patterns (Ce/Yb 10) with low heavy rare earth content and small or no Eu anomalies. Whole-rock δO18 values for siliceous rocks of three of the bodies range from 5.8 to 8.0 per mil, although the Pitts Meadow Granodiorite gives values of 8.5 to 9.4 per mil. The parent magmas for these bodies were probably generated from a parental basaltic source, either by partial melting or fractional crystallization. Fractional crystallization mechanisms would operate at crustal levels where crystallization of plagioclase and clinopyroxene or hornblende would produce the Rio Brazos and Twilight magmas, and crystallization of hornblende, plagioclase, and biotite would produce the Kroenke and Pitts Meadows magmas. The preferred partial melting mechanism would produce the Rio Brazos and Twilight magmas at shallow depth (< 50 km), leaving a residue of plagioclase and clinopyroxene or amphibole; the Pitts Meadow magma at 50 to 60 km, where hornblende, garnet, clinopyroxene, and plagioclase would be residual; and the Kroenke magma at greater than 60 km leaving a residue of garnet and clinopyroxene. The magmas probably formed in a ridge-and-basin complex that lay between the early Precambrian craton to the north and the contemporaneous quartzite-rhyolite-tholeiite terrane to the south. A northward-dipping subduction zone can be postulated from the variation in compositions and inferred depths of melting, but complete modern analogues of similar setting are not known. A better tectonic analogue might be the Archean regimes, in which vertical motion is dominant and trondhjemitic magmas may have formed by melting at the base of foundering thick volcanic piles.
Simulations of electroporation dynamics and shape deformations in biological cells subjected to high voltage pulses

The temporal dynamics of electroporation of cells subjected to ultrashort voltage pulses are studied based on a coupled scheme involving the Laplace, Nernst-Planck, and Smoluchowski equations. It is shown that a finite time delay exists in pore formation, and leads to a transient overshoot of the transmembrane potential V/sub mem/ beyond 1.0 V. Pore resealing is shown to consist of an initial fast process, a 10/sup -4/ second delay, followed by a much slower closing at a time constant of about 10/sup -1/ s. This establishes a time window for effective killing by a second pulse. The results are amply supported by our experimental data for E.-coli cells, and the time constant also matches experiments. An electromechanical analysis for analyzing cell shape changes is also presented. Our calculations show that at large fields, the spherical cell geometry can be significantly modified, and even ellipsoidal forms would be inappropriate to describe the deformation. Values of surface forces obtained are in very good agreement with the 1-10-nN/m range reported for membrane rupture. It is also demonstrated that, at least for the smaller electric fields, both the cellular surface area and volume change roughly in a quadratic manner with electric field. Finally, it is shown that the bending moments are generally quite small and can be neglected for a simpler analysis.
Effect of a single growth hormone (rbST) treatment at breeding on conception rates and pregnancy retention in dairy and beef cattle

Initiation of long-term treatment with rbST (Posilac, Monsanto, St. Louis, MO) coincident with first insemination increased pregnancy rates in dairy cattle, but neither the efficacy of using only the initial injection, nor its effects on retention of pregnancy are known. Lactating dairy cows, dairy heifers, and lactating beef cows were assigned at random to treatment (rbST) or control. Dairy cows, dairy heifers, and beef cows received 500 mg rbST (n = 48, 35, 137 inseminations, respectively) at artificial insemination or were left untreated (n = 62, 33, 130 inseminations, respectively). Pregnancy was diagnosed by ultrasonography at 28-36 days. Treatment with rbST at insemination improved conception rates in dairy cows (60.4% versus 40.3%; P or =5 mm, and crown-rump lengths of embryos were not affected by treatment. The second objective was to examine the effects of rbST at insemination on birth weight and post-natal calf growth in beef cows. However, birth and weaning weights of beef calves were not affected by treatment. In conclusion, a single treatment with rbST at insemination increased conception rates in dairy cows, specifically in those >100 DIM.
Optical trapping and cooling of glass microspheres

We report on experiments studying the Brownian motion of an optically trapped bead in air, and observe for the first time the short-time regime of ballistic motion. Einstein predicted this effect in 1907, but said the experiment would be impossible in practice. Our measurements were enabled by our development of a new detection system that is capable of real-time tracking of the motion of a trapped bead on unprecedented short time scales and correspondingly small length scales. We used the data to measure the average kinetic energy of a Brownian particle, and find good agreement with the energy equipartition theorem of statistical mechanics. Measurement of the instantaneous velocity also allows us to stably trap beads in vacuum, using active feedback to control and cool the center of mass motion to mK temperatures in three dimensions. The system of an optically trapped bead in vacuum can serve as a testing ground for macroscopic quantum superpositions and the role of decoherence. In the opposite extreme, a trapped bead in a fluid can be used to test basic questions in statistical mechanics, and fluid dynamics on the smallest scales.
Integrated Wideband Self-Interference Cancellation in the RF Domain for FDD and Full-Duplex Wireless

A fully integrated technique for wideband cancellation of transmitter (TX) self-interference (SI) in the RF domain is proposed for multiband frequency-division duplexing (FDD) and full-duplex (FD) wireless applications. Integrated wideband SI cancellation (SIC) in the RF domain is accomplished through: 1) a bank of tunable, reconfigurable second-order high-Q RF bandpass filters in the canceller that emulate the antenna interface’s isolation (essentially frequency-domain equalization in the RF domain) and 2) a linear $N$ -path $G_m$ - $C$ filter implementation with embedded variable attenuation and phase shifting. A 0.8–1.4 GHz receiver (RX) with the proposed wideband SIC circuits is implemented in a 65 nm CMOS process. In measurement, $>20\;\text{MHz}\;20\;\text{dB}$ cancellation bandwidth (BW) is achieved across frequency-selective antenna interfaces: 1) a custom-designed LTE-like 0.780/0.895 GHz duplexer with TX/RX isolation peak magnitude of 30 dB, peak group delay of 11 ns, and 7 dB magnitude variation across the TX band for FDD and 2) a 1.4 GHz antenna pair for FD wireless with TX/RX isolation peak magnitude of 32 dB, peak group delay of 9 ns, and 3 dB magnitude variation over 1.36–1.38 GHz. For FDD, SIC enhances the effective out-of-band (OOB) IIP3 and IIP2 to $+\text{25}\text{-}27\;\text{dBm}$ and $+90\;\text{dBm}$ , respectively (enhancements of 8–10 and 29 dB, respectively). For FD, SIC eliminates RX gain compression for as high as $-8\;\text{dBm}$ of peak in-band (IB) SI, and enhances effective IB IIP3 and IIP2 by 22 and 58 dB.
Quantitative assessment of flow velocity estimation algorithms for optical Doppler tomography imaging

We present quantitative comparisons of three categories of velocity estimation algorithms including centroid techniques (adaptive centroid technique and weighted centroid technique), sliding-window filtering technique, and correlation techniques (autocorrelation and cross-correlation). We introduce, among these five algorithms, two new algorithms: weighted centroid and sliding- window filtering. Simulations and in vivo blood flow data are used to assess the velocity estimation accuracies of these algorithms. The comparison demonstrates that the sliding-window filtering technique is superior to the other techniques in terms of velocity estimation accuracy and robustness to noise.
Character tables of n-dimensional hyperoctahedral groups and their applications*

ABSTRACTWe have shown that powerful matrix-type-based multinomial generators together with combinatorial techniques can be applied to derive the conjugacy classes, irreducible representations and the character tables of n-dimensional hyperoctahedral or hypercube groups of order n! × 2n, which are generalisations of non-rigid molecular theory formulated by Longuet-Higgins. The hyperoctahedral groups appear in the symmetry groups of non-rigid molecules, non-rigid water clusters, and other weakly bound van der Waals complexes that exhibit rapid tunnelling motion among various low-lying surmountable potential energy minima. These groups also have applications in quantum chromodynamics in the classification of states of quarks. The associated combinatorics has applications in enumerations, nuclear spin statistics and NMR spectroscopy. Finally, the groups enhance understanding of chirality in biosystems, that is, the functionality of intrinsically disordered proteins. We have derived the character tables of hyp...
Path planning and energy management of solar-powered unmanned ground vehicles

Many of the applications pertinent to unmanned vehicles, such as environmental research and analysis, communications, and information-surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), benefit from prolonged vehicle operation time. Conventional efforts to increase the operational time of electric-powered unmanned vehicles have traditionally focused on the design of energy-efficient components and the identification of energy efficient search patterns, while little attention has been paid to the vehicle’s mission-level path plan and power management. This manuscript explores the formulation and generation of integrated motion-plans and power-schedules for solar-panel equipped mobile robots operating under strict energy constraints, which cannot be effectively addressed through conventional obstacle avoidance motion planning algorithms. Problem formulations are provided for transit problems conducted under both Balkcom-Mason and Pseudo-Dubins curves, as well as the generation of mission plans for vehicles which must persistently travel between certain locations. A comparison between one of the common motionplanning algorithms and experimental results of the prescribed algorithms, made possible by use of a test environment and mobile robot designed and developed specifically for this research, are presented and discussed.
Attacking Wasps, Polistes and Therion , Penetrate Silk Nests of Fall Webworm

Polistes fuscatus ssp. fuscatus and Therion sassacus burrow into the silken masses of active colonies of Hyphantria cunea in search of larvae, a mechanism to overcome any protective barrier function which the silk affords the caterpillar colony.
Local structure of NaNbO 3 : A neutron scattering study

We report the results of a neutron diffraction study of structural evolution in sodium niobate, NaNbO${}_{3}$, which is the parent compound for lead-free ferroelectric materials, as a function of temperature from 15 to 930 K over six phases. The Rietveld analysis of the high-resolution powder neutron diffraction data shows the variation in the structure from cubic to rhombohedral ferroelectric structures. However, the refinements on local structure by the pair distribution function (PDF) method indicates that there are only three basic patterns of the local structure, and the ground states of NaNbO${}_{3}$ in the low-temperature antiferroelectric and ferroelectric phases have the R3c symmetry, even though in the long range the system shows the Pbcm symmetry or the coexistence of two phases. The origin of the complex phase behavior and its implications on the performance as lead-free ferroelectrics are discussed.
Designing Automated Telephone Messages for Older Adults

Automated telephone messaging is used to remind patients about appointments, monitor health status, and to provide other health services. Previous research has documented that these systems improve health services delivery to patients, but little attention has been paid to the messages. Well designed messages increase the potential of these systems to provide environmental support for older adults' performance of daily health activities such as appointment attendance. Our research builds on theories that point to the importance of tailoring health information to patients' needs and abilities, and theories that predict improved comprehension when messages are compatible with listeners' knowledge. Our goal is to design the content, organization, and presentation of automated health appointment messages so that they provide environmental support for older adults. We review several studies that have implications for both improving automated health communication and refining the construct of environmental support.
Insights from All-Atom Molecular Dynamics Simulations of 40 Nucleosome Chromatin Fiber

Gene expression is regulated, in part, by the organization of chromatin fiber, which is the next hierarchical level of chromatin compaction beyond the nucleosome. Due to the large size of the fiber - millions of atoms - computational studies investigating its organization have typically used coarse-grain simulations. Such simulations use customized, relatively unproven, force fields, and fail to elicit the finer details of the atom level structure. We use multiscale all-atom simulations of 40 nucleosome (over 1 million atom) chromatin fiber to study its structure and response to modifications such as post-translational modifications implicated in chromatin remodeling. The multiscale method used, Hierarchical Charge Partitioning (HCP), exploits the natural organization of biomolecules (atoms, groups, chains, and complexes), to speedup implicit solvent simulations of the fiber by over 2 orders of magnitude. The method uses the proven Amber force field to compute interactions between nearby atoms, while approximating interactions with distant components by a smaller number of charges that optimally reproduce the low order multipole moments of these components. We use the novel technique to gain insight into the organization of the more flexible regions of the fiber, such as linker DNA and histone tails.