cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermal injury of the skin induces G-CSF-dependent attenuation of EPO-mediated STAT signaling and erythroid differentiation arrest in mice

Inflammation-mediated impairment of erythropoiesis plays a central role in the development of the anemia of critical illness (ACI). ACI develops despite elevation of endogenous erythropoietin (EPO), does not respond to exogenous erythropoietin (EPO) supplementation, and contributes significantly to transfusion requirements in burned patients. We have reported previously that the reduction of red blood cell mass in the bone marrow of a burn-injured ACI mouse model is granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) dependent. Given that elevated G-CSF levels also have been associated with lower hemoglobin levels and increased transfusion requirements in trauma victims, we postulated that G-CSF mediates postburn EPO resistance. In ACI mice, we found that bone marrow erythroid differentiation, viability, and proliferation are impaired after thermal injury of the skin. These changes in the marrow were associated with attenuated phosphorylation of known EPO-responsive signaling nodes, signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) Y694 and STAT3 S727, in bone marrow erythroid cells and developed despite highly elevated levels of endogenous EPO. Severely blunted STAT5 Y694 phosphorylation in bone marrow erythroid cells after exogenous EPO supplementation confirmed that EPO signaling was impaired in ACI mice. Importantly, parenteral administration of anti-G-CSF largely rescued postburn bone marrow erythroid differentiation arrest and EPO signaling in erythroid cells. Together, these data provide strong evidence for a role for G-CSF in the development of ACI after burn injury through suppression of EPO signaling in bone marrow erythroid cells.
Abstract 15730: Failure-to-Prevent Drives Variation in Mortality After Pediatric Cardiac Arrest More So Than Failure-to-Rescue

Introduction: For most complications, previous literature suggests that failure-to-rescue (FTR) may be a more important driver of mortality than strategies for prevention in hospitalized patients. ...
Maximally Confined High-Speed Second-Order Silicon Microdisk Switches

We demonstrate the first high-speed second-order silicon microdisk bandpass switch. The switch, constructed of a pair of 3?m radii active microdisks possesses ~40GHz flat-top passbands, a 4.2THz free-spectral-range, and a 2.4ns switching time.
Generalized Gradient Approximations for Exchange and Correlation: Numerical Tests and Prospects

In the widely-used local spin density (LSD) approximation, the exchange-correlation energy of a many-electron system is approximated as ∫d3r e(n↑,n↓). Recently, generalized gradient approximations of the form ∫d3r f(n↑,n↓,▽n↑,▽n↓)have been proposed by Langreth, Mehl and Hu (LM) and by Perdew and Wang (GGA). Results of numerical tests of LSD, LM and GGA for atoms, molecules and jellium surfaces are presented here. Apparently LM is best for atomic ionization energies and jellium surface energies, while GGA is best for atomic total energies, dimer dissociation energies, and total and spin-magnetization densities deep inside atoms. Prospects are assessed for further refinements of the density functionals, leading to higher numerical accuracy.
A Different Way of Looking at Consumption Behavior

Usually, when we consider the information that is given in a household budget survey, we do so in terms of expenditures for different goods and services and how these relate to income, prices, and sociodemographic factors such as age, family size, and education. Allocation of expenditures amongst different categories of consumption is seen as being determined by tastes and preferences acting in conjunction with a constraint imposed by prices and income. The parameters thus obtained are obviously useful in analyzing the impact on consumption resulting from changes in income and prices (should the latter be available), but income and price elasticities, in themselves, say little about the internal structure of consumption spending. How expenditures for housing, transportation, and personal care—to pick three standard categories of consumption spending—are related to expenditures for food, for example, has, to the best of my knowledge, never been a direct focus of empirical study. Might there be information lurking in these relationships that provide insight into consumer behavior that complements (or even goes beyond) that given by conventional price and income elasticities? Such is the question that motivates the present study.
Policy Challenges in Light of the Emerging Phenomenon of Social Businesses

The paper focuses on the new phenomenon of social businesses and analyzes their unique attributes and their variegated contributions to those working in them and to society. Organizationally and conceptually, these hybrid entities can be placed between the non-profit and the business organization form as they are allowed to distribute profits but not to the owner/investor of the firm. The paper places such entities within the larger context of social enterprise and presents findings of a study conducted in Israel in 2009 on that phenomenon. The paper ends by analyzing the policy implications of these new developments and suggests that in order to promote social businesses and social enterprise in society, simultaneous intervention is needed on three aspects: the legal, the funding and the organizational support.
A multi-agent system integrating reinforcement learning, bidding and genetic algorithms

This paper presents a multi-agent reinforcement learning bidding approach (MARLBS) for performing multi-agent reinforcement learning. MARLBS integrates reinforcement learning, bidding and genetic algorithms. The general idea of our multi-agent systems is as follows: There are a number of individual agents in a team, each agent of the team has two modules: Q module and CQ module. Each agent can select actions to be performed at each step, which are done by the Q module. While the CQ module determines at each step whether the agent should continue or relinquish control. Once an agent relinquishes its control, a new agent is selected by bidding algorithms. We applied GA-based MARLBS to the Backgammon game. The experimental results show MARLBS can achieve a superior level of performance in game-playing, outperforming PubEval, while the system uses zero built-in knowledge.
Comparison of Bridge Live Loads in US and Europe

The US and European bridge design codes were developed based on a limited amount of traffic data. The design live load for AASHTO LRFD code used in the US is based on traffic data collected by Onta...
Psychological pathway from racial discrimination to the physical consequences of alcohol consumption: Religious coping as a protective factor.

While racial discrimination (RD) is associated with increased alcohol-related problems among African Americans (AAs), researchers have not examined how RD contributes to the physical consequences o...
Philosophy, Society and the Cunning of History in Eastern Europe

1. Introduction: Philosophy, Geography, Fragility Costica Bradatan Part I: UNCOMFORTABLE IDENTITIES 2. Interwar Southeastern Europe Confronts the West. The New Generation: Cioran, Yanev, Popovic Keith Hitchins 3. Poststructuralism in Georgia: The Phenomenology of the "Objects-Centaurs" of Merab Mamardashvili Slobodanka Vladiv-Glover 4. What is Eastern Europe? A Philosophical Approach Julia Sushytska Part II: GEOGRAPHIES OF PAIN 5. On the Meaning of Life in the Age of the Most Meaningless Death Costica Bradatan 6. Apocalyptic Writing, Trauma and Community in Imre Kertesz's Fateless Magdalena Zolkos 7. On Happiness in Unusual Places: N. Steinhardt's Uplifting Lesson Aurelian Craiutu Part III: SERVING THE MUSES UNDER STRESS 8. The Fragility of It All Krzysztof Michalski 9. Familiar affairs: Tracing Croatian Theoretical Normality Aleksandar Mijatovic and Aljosa Puzar 10. Latin as a sign of life? The reception of the ancient tradition as a marker in the analysis of the Sovietization process in Poland Jerzy Axer Part IV: 1989 11. The Revolutions of 1989: Twenty Years Later Michael Bernhard 12. Marx on 1989 G. M. Tamas 13. Jamming the Critical Barrels: The Legacies of Totalitarian Thinking Aviezer Tucker Part V: THE NEW EUROPE 14. Voices from Central Europe: Bauman, Kertesz and Zizek in Search of Europe Mare van den Eeden 15. Europe in the Mode of As If: Jozef Tischner's Goral Philosophy Anita Starosta 16. Europe Speaks: Linguistic Diversity and Politics Jan Sokol
The Management of a Pediatric Condylar Fracture With Dynamic Elastic Therapy.

Dynamic elastic therapy is suitable for the management of condylar fractures with any degree of displacement or dislocation in pediatric patients and offers superior or similar results compared with rigid maxillomandibular fixation while minimizing patient discomfort.
Matrix of Humanistic Lifelong Learning for Public Libraries

There is much controversy within education about the purpose of lifelong learning and how to encourage it within educational institutions, including public libraries. Therefore, this article distin...
The Impact of Geomagnetically Produced Negative-Sequence Harmonics on Power Transformers

Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs), although small in magnitude, can inflict detrimental effects on power systems. GICs damage transformers, generate unusual harmonics, trip reactive power support equipment, cause protective relays to malfunction, and may even collapse the entire power system if not mitigated. This paper studies the adverse effects of the negative-sequence harmonics produced by GICs flowing in power transformers. Our simulations show that a transformer’s susceptibility to GIC depends on core type, voltage level, associated harmonics order, and GIC magnitude. High-voltage and extra-high-voltage tests were carried out in SIMULINK. GIC was also emulated experimentally to validate the simulated excitation current and harmonics produced by the GIC. The simulation and experimental results show that the 2nd and the 5th harmonics are the most prominent harmonics associated with GIC and dc saturation. Even if a transformer is ungrounded, the negative-sequence harmonics produced by the GIC can still propagate through a transformer and cause harmful effects on the isolated side.
Only one way to be a world-class university? Comparative analysis on the texts and visual images on websites of universities in China and South Korea

With the ubiquity of the internet in every domain of life, university websites are considered an effective tool to create institutional image and communicate with internal and external constituents...
A mesoscopic model of nanoclusters self-assembly on a graphene Moiré

A continuum, post-deposition mesoscopic model of a Moire-regulated self-assembly of metal nanoclusters on a twisted bilayer graphene is presented. Quasi-two-dimensional nanocluster-like steady-states at a low adsorbate coverage are analytically determined for Pt, Ni, and Pb adsorbates, pointing that nanoclusters self-assemble at the Moire cell centers. This is followed by the computations of nanoclusters self-assembly dynamics. Differences in the self-assembly efficiency for three chosen metals are highlighted across three typical values of an initial submonolayer coverage and for three temperature regimes. Accounting for the adsorption potential of metal atoms onto graphene leads to a significantly faster nanoclusters self-assembly and has a transient impact on the nanocluster morphologies. A model extensions to the cases of nanoclusters self-assembly on a Moire formed by a monolayer graphene over a metal substrate, and the electromigration-guided self-assembly on such Moire are proposed.
Cross-species evidence that nicotine widens the attentional window.

The ability to spread attention over items or locations is as important for everyday functioning as the ability to focus narrowly. Little is known about neuronal processes involved in broad monitoring, but indirect evidence suggests a role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). The present study tested whether the prototypical nAChR agonist nicotine enhances the ability of humans and rodents to maintain a broad attentional window. Fifty-three never-smokers wearing a nicotine (7 mg/24 h) or placebo patch performed an attention task requiring detection of stimuli presented randomly in one of four peripheral locations, with a central cue predicting the target location or indicating the need to spread attention over all locations. Nineteen rats performed the 5-choice serial reaction time task requiring detection of stimuli presented randomly in a horizontal array of five locations. Performance after nicotine (0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg) or vehicle administration was analyzed as a function of target location eccentricity. In human subjects, nicotine caused greater reaction time reduction when all locations were monitored than when a single location was cued. In rats, nicotine attenuated the decline in stimulus detections and the increase in omission errors with greater target location eccentricity. The findings represent cross-species evidence that nAChR agonism facilitates the ability to spread attention broadly. This suggests that nAChR hypofunction may be central to broad monitoring deficits as seen, for example, in schizophrenia. The homology of findings between the rodent and the human paradigm contributes to validating a translational strategy for treatment development.
Modeling of the photocurrent induced by inverse spin Hall effect under local circularly polarized photoexcitation

The inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) has been recently demonstrated through the photoinduced inverse spin Hall effect (PISHE), where a focused laser normal to the device plane generates photocurrent that depends on the helicity of the photoexcitation. Here, we have employed a finite element method to rigorously simulate the helicity-dependent photocurrent (HDPC) under local helical photoexcitation, taking into account the complications of minority carriers, metal contact junctions, and spin relaxation. We found that the ISHE-induced electromotive force is inversely proportional to the doping level of the material, caused by the diffusion and drift current balance. Furthermore, the HDPC near the metal contact can either increase or decrease, because of the competing mechanisms of fast carrier recombination and spin relaxation at the contact. These simulation results provide insightful visualization of charge, spin, electric field, and current density distributions and deeper understanding of photoinduced ISHE.
Igneous experiments on melts and crystals

The first igneous experiments were done just to prove that lavas were once molten (this obviously would not have been necessary if the experimenter had lived on Hawaii or Iceland). Tuttle & Bowen (1958) had the same objective when they proved that granites could form from magmas containing significant amounts of H2O. The objectives of modern experimental igneous petrologists include the following: (a) To determine the processes occurring during magma evolution such as crystal fractionation, magma mixing, etc. This includes determining the P, T, and intensive variable conditions under which the processes occur, and the relationships of the processes to tectonic models. (b) To use magmas as windows to their source regions at depth. If one can “see through” the evolutionary events in the history of magmas, they can be used to estimate the P and T of their sources in the lower crust or upper mantle. Knowing the P — Tconditions at the source constrains its thermal history. (c) To use magma composition to constrain the chemical make-up of the source regions.
Effects of Fiber on Vitamin Bioavailability

The effects of fiber on vitamin bioavailability were previously reviewed (Kelsay, 1982). At that time it was concluded that available data indicated that fiber would not likely interfere with vitamin absorption and bioavailability except possibly in situations where the naturally occurring vitamin might be bound to fiber in plant cell walls.
CRIMES AND OFFENSES Hazing: Provide Definitions and Criminal Penalties

The Act makes the hazing of a student in connection with a school organization a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $500.
Titmouse calling and foraging are affected by head and body orientation of cat predator models and possible experience with real cats

Although anti-predator behavior systems have been studied in diverse taxa, less is known about how prey species detect and assess the immediate threat posed by a predator based on its behavior. In this study, we evaluated a potential cue that some species may utilize when assessing predation threat—the predator’s body and head orientation. We tested the effect of this orientation cue on signaling and predation-risk-sensitive foraging of a prey species, tufted titmice (Baeolophus bicolor). Earlier work revealed sensitivity of titmice and related species to the presence of predator stimuli. Here, we manipulated cat models to face either toward or away from a food source preferred by titmice and then measured titmouse calling and seed-taking behavior. Titmice showed greater feeder avoidance when the cat predator models faced the feeder, compared to when the models faced away from the feeder or when titmice were exposed to control stimuli. Titmouse calling was also sensitive to predator head/body orientation, depending upon whether titmice were from sites where real cats had been observed or not. This study experimentally demonstrated that both calling and foraging of prey species can be affected by the head and body orientation of an important terrestrial predator. Prey species may therefore signal in strategic ways to conspecifics not just about predator presence, but also urgency of threat related to the more subtle cue of the head and body orientation of the predator. These findings hold potential implications for understanding animal cognition and learning processes.
Trial-type ceremonies and defendant behavior

This study uses hearing transcripts to examine judge-defendant interaction in a trial-type setting. The setting is a public housing eviction hearing; judges are eviction board members and defendants are tenants facing eviction for non-payment of rent. All tenants in the sample were formally evicted, but in each case the execution of the eviction order was stayed on the condition that the tenant pay his rent. Two forms of verbal interaction are identified. The first, “moralizing” is deemed present when one or more board members directs a degrading remark toward the tenant. The second, “cooling in” is deemed present when one or more board members directs a helping remark toward the tenant and the tenant in some way indicates his receptivity. When moralizing occurs the eviction hearing contains all of Garfinkel's (1956) requisites for successful status degradation ceremonies. Consequently it was hypothesized that tenants who had been moralized would be less successful in clearing their rent debts than tenants who had not been moralized, but if successful, more likely get into rent payment trouble again. It was also hypothesized that tenants who had been “cooled in” would be more likely to clear their rent debt than tenants who had not been cooled and that, having cleared their rent debt, they would be less likely to recidivate. All predictions except the hypothesized association between cooling in and recidivism are supported by the data. Although cell sizes grow uncomfortably small, the predicted relations persist after controlling for obvious sources of spuriousness. The conclusion discusses the analogy between the housing eviction hearing and the criminal trial.
Rapid solvent-free esterification of conjugated linoleic acid and glycerol in a packed bed reactor containing an immobilized lipase

The product distribution for the polyesterification reactions between glycerol and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is primarily determined by the molar ratio of these species in the feed stream. The presence of excess glycerol serves to drive the initial esterification reaction to the right by forming a second phase which dissolves the water produced by the esterification reaction, thereby removing if from the fatty acid/acylglycerol phase. By appropriate manipulation of the fluid residence time, the reaction temperature, and the initial ratio of reactants, one can control the relative proportions of the mono-, di- and tri-acylglycerols in the effluent stream. At the reactor outlet, one observes excellent spontaneous separation of the glycerol and fatty acid/acylglycerol phases.
Egg White Avidin: III. SEQUENCE OF THE 78-RESIDUE MIDDLE CYANOGEN BROMIDE PEPTIDE. COMPLETE AMINO ACID SEQUENCE OF THE PROTEIN SUBUNIT

The complete amino acid sequence of chicken egg white avidin has been elucidated from sequence studies on 4 cyanogen bromide peptides and 15 tryptic peptides obtained from the protein. Avidin consists of four essentially identical polypeptide chains, each containing 128 amino acid residues with a carbohydrate moiety attached at asparaginyl Residue 17. Each chain has NH2-terminal alanine, COOH-terminal glutamic acid, and an intrachain disulfide bond between Residues 4 and 83, but approximately half of the chains have isoleucine at Residue 34, and the other half have threonine at this position. No other evidence of heterogeneity in the sequence was found. The cyanogen bromide reaction with avidin represents another example of partial cleavage at Met-Ser or Met-Thr bonds, despite quantitative conversion of the methionyl residue to a homoseryl residue.
A new tool for analysis and design of robust fuzzy systems

The paper investigates the synthesis of nonlinear control systems with performance and stability robustness in the presence of parametric uncertainty. The proposed technique searches for a positive definite (p.d.) function that satisfies simultaneously design criteria stemming from the above requirements and recasts the general problem in the form of two NonLinear Matrix inequalities (NLMIs). Using nonconventional models, such as fuzzy approximates or global linearizations, the method provides constant-matrix or piecewise quadratic solutions.
The electrohydrostatics of a conductive liquid meniscus

Electric fields offer a convenient way to manipulate liquid surfaces. The electrical forces produced are perpendicular to the surface of a conducting liquid, but, unlike pressure, they act only on the surface itself. The opposing force is surface tension. Self-consistent solutions for the shapes of axisymmetric menisci in electric fields are derived for conductive liquids with constant surface tension. In a uniform field, the shapes which result are rounded cones. A dimensionless quantity that depends on the radius of the hole surrounding the meniscus and the surface tension is shown to be a key parameter in the models. >
Specifying the content of humble social-science models

This paper describes ways to specify important static content of social-science models for counterterrorism without dependence on a particular computer language or environment. The ambitions are modest because the actual knowledge to be represented is limited. The premium should be on simple, clear descriptions that can be communicated, debated, and "validated" across interdisciplinary lines, rather than on pretentious detail. The approach should also lay the groundwork for exploratory analysis because of inherent uncertainties. The paper is at least a start in that direction.
Time resolved spectra in the infrared absorption and emission from shock heated hydrocarbons

The wavelength range of a previously constructed multichannel fast recording spectrometer was extended to the mid-infrared. With the initial configuration, light intensities were recorded simultaneously with a silicon-diode array simultaneously at 20 adjacent wavelengths, each with a 20-micron time resolution. For studies in the infrared, the silicon diodes were replaced by a 20-element PbSe array of similar dimensions, cooled by a three-stage thermoelectric device. It is proposed that infrared emissions could be due to shock-heated low molecular-weight hydrocarbons. The full Swan band system appeared in time-integrated emission spectra from shock-heated C2H2; no soot was generated. At low resolution, the profiles on the high-frequency side of the black body maximum show no distinctive features. These could be fitted to Planck curves, with temperatures that declined with time from an initial high that was intermediate between T5 (no conversion) and T5(eq).
Progress in Modeling of Zircaloy Nonelastic Deformation Using a Unified Phenomenological Model

Substantial progress has been made towards developing a constitutive equation for Zircaloy which is both accurate and applicable to a wide variety of situations and a broad range in temperature. Starting with a previouslypresented phenomenological model (MATMOD) for nonelastic deformation under complex stress and temperature histories, the equations have been improved so that they now can include important solute effects such as negative strain-rate sensitivity and a plateau in the curve of yield strength versus temperature. Material constants for Zircaloy-2 have been calculated from standard test data (creep and tension tests). Using these constants, simulations of a number of complex situations (all out of pile) have been generated and are compared with the experimental observations. These comparisons include transient-temperature tube-burst results, strain-rate sensitivity versus temperature, effect of cold work on creep rate, unusual drops in creep rate under constant stress but increasing temperature, and peaks in the apparent activation energy. The results indicate that this relatively simple set of equations is capable of a fairly realistic representation of Zircaloy deformation over a wide range of temperature.
Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) recorded in the northern margin of Africa as possible oil and gas shale potential in Tunisia: An overview

AbstractSignificant attention has been given, during the last decade, to Palaeozoic unconventional oil and gas shale in northern Africa where the productive Palaeozoic basins are located. New tentative strategies shed light on Mesozoic unconventional plays represented by Cretaceous shale reservoirs. In most petroleum systems the proven Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events (OAEs), represented mainly by the Fahdene and Bahloul Formations, played the main role in hydrocarbon generation with good distribution. Their deposition was restricted to the early Aptian (Bedoulian), the early/late Albian, and the Cenomanian–Turonian transition. Additional black shales have been detailed for the first time in Tunisia which relate to the Valanginian Weissert and late Hauterivian Faraoni events. Biostratigraphic and complete geochemical reviews have been undertaken from published papers and unpublished internal reports to better assess these important source intervals. These black shale levels, pertaining to OAEs, were depos...
Diagnostic Accuracy of Tissue Impedance Measurement Interpretation for Correct Veress Needle Placement in Canine Cadavers

Objective To determine the diagnostic accuracy of tissue impedance measurement interpretation (TIMI) for determining correct versus incorrect Veress needle placement in feline cadavers. Study Design Prospective, randomized, blinded trial. Study Population Cat cadavers (n = 24). Methods Two laparoscopists (1 experienced, 1 novice), blinded to TIMI, placed reusable Veress needles in study subjects in a randomized order. A third individual interpreted impedance measurements as consistent with correct versus incorrect placement. Veress needle tip locations were marked by injecting contrasting colors of India ink. Tissue dissection was performed to localize ink. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, precision, and kappa statistics for TIMI for placements by the experienced and novice laparoscopist were determined. P < .05 was considered significant. Results TIMI identified 36/38 correct and 2/10 incorrect placements. TIMI identified 2/2 bowel perforations but was unable to identify 8 inappropriate placements in the retroperitoneal fat pad. Impedance measurement interpretation had 94.7% sensitivity, 20% specificity, 79.2% accuracy, and 81% precision overall. Agreement between TIMI and Veress needle location was absent (kappa = −0.15, P = .01) for placements by the experienced laparoscopist and substantial (kappa = 0.78, P < .01) for the novice laparoscopist. Conclusions Failure of TIMI to identify placement in the retroperitoneal fat pad resulted in poor accuracy. Small cat size limited the number of appropriate placement sites, perhaps resulting in excessively dorsal placements. Use of TIMI may increase detection of clinically significant inappropriate Veress needle placements, like bowel perforations, and decrease installment phase complications. Further evaluation of Veress needle placement with and without TIMI is warranted.
Fault tolerance issues in multidisk video-on-demand storage servers

Recent technological advances have made multimedia on-demand servers feasible. Two challenging tasks in such systems are: (1) satisfying the real-time requirement for continuous delivery of objects at specified bandwidths and (2) efficiently servicing multiple clients simultaneously. To accomplish these tasks and realize economies of scale associated with servicing a large user population, the multimedia server can require a large disk subsystem. Although a single disk is fairly reliable, a large disk farm can have an unacceptably high probability of disk failure. Further, due to the real-time constraint, the reliability and availability requirements of multimedia systems are very stringent. In this paper we present techniques for providing reliability in multidisk video-on-demand storage systems.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
ESTIMATING EVAPOTRANSPIRATION IN NATURAL AND CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS

Difficulties in accurately calculating evapotranspiration (ET) in wetlands can lead to inaccurate water balances—information important for many compensatory mitigation projects. Simple meteorological methods or off-site ET data often are used to estimate ET, but these approaches do not include potentially important site-specific factors such as plant community, root-zone water levels, and soil properties. The objective of this study was to compare a commonly used meterological estimate of potential evapotranspiration (PET) with direct measurements of ET (lysimeters and water-table fluctuations) and small-scale root-zone geochemistry in a natural and constructed wetland system. Unlike what has been commonly noted, the results of the study demonstrated that the commonly used Penman combination method of estimating PET underestimated the ET that was measured directly in the natural wetland over most of the growing season. This result is likely due to surface heterogeneity and related roughness efffects not included in the simple PET estimate. The meterological method more closely approximated season-long measured ET rates in the constructed wetland but may overestimate the ET rate late in the growing season. ET rates also were temporally variable in wetlands over a range of time scales because they can be influenced by the relation of the water table to the root zone and the timing of plant senescence. Small-scale geochemical sampling of the shallow root zone was able to provide an independent evaluation of ET rates, supporting the identification of higher ET rates in the natural wetlands and differences in temporal ET rates due to the timing of senescence. These discrepancies illustrate potential problems with extrapolating off-site estimates of ET or single measurements of ET from a site over space or time.
Mobile robotics: A paradigm for complex system engineering

Abstract Mobile robotics is being used as an educational vehicle for teaching the principles of complex system engineering. A mobile robot is a complex system involving mechanical hardware, a suite of transducers, computer control of actuators and sensors, and a hierarchical control system. The operation of an autonomous mobile robot incorporates attributes of artificial intelligence with interfaces via radio links from base computers to on-board computers. A general plan supported by hardware, software shells, senior/graduate courses and graduate research is in place that facilitates the evolution of autonomous mobile robots capable of navigating and performing prototypic tasks in semi-structured environments. A series of projects is designed to enhance the repertoire of skills of the robots to robustly accomplish a range of tasks from simple to complex. The skills are built within a structure that is designed to be cumulative. The result is forecast to be systematic improvement in a generalized knowledge base that is identified as the key to implementation of semi-autonomous mobile robots in semi-structured environments. A university is an educational institution. This means that students are temporary. Students are always on a learning curve and they complete courses and degrees and leave the institution. One important component for achieving the goal of a continually evolving mobile robotic vehicle in the university environment is to document incremental student progress and package this information so that future students can rapidly assimilate previous progress and make a contribution to the continuing evolution of the mobile robotics program. This is accomplished through a set of modules called “robo-tutors”. Robo-tutors are tutorials for students that are written in an expert system shell and provide automated instruction concerning various aspects of the mobile robots program.
CORRELATION OF GLUCOSE (DEXTROSE) DEGRADATION AT 90 TO 190°C IN 0.4 TO 20% ACID

Decomposition of glucose is described over a wide range of acid concentrations and temperatures by a correlation based on an Arrhenius type model combined with a modified Debye-Huckel equation. Degradation depends on temperature and acid concentration, represented by hydrogen ion activity. Kinetic data from our laboratory for 4 and 12 wt% glucose were combined with literature data to establish this model. Alternative non-linear mechanisms were compared by regression analysis of the published data as well as data developed in this study. Values of the degradation constant vary from 0.109 hr−1 (at 20 wt% acid and 190°C) to 4.18 × 10−7 (at 0.4 wt% acid and 100°C). This result will be useful to model glucose degradation in acid hydrolysis of celluloses, sterilization of fermentor feeds, and stripping of fermentation ethanol.
Vibration-Based NDE Technique for Identifying Non-Uniformities in Manufactured Parts With Degeneracies

A novel method for characterizing non-uniformities in homogeneous precision symmetric parts using pseudo-repeated modal frequencies is discussed in this paper. It is demonstrated that the spacing between pseudo-repeated roots (modal frequencies) in dominantly symmetric manufactured parts is a direct indicator of non-uniformities (i.e. asymmetries) in the stiffness or mass distributions. Smaller differences between split-peaks indicate less non-uniformity, and hence, higher quality-greater precision parts. By establishing a tolerance for precision manufactured parts based on a collection of vibration modal parameter data from acceptable parts for a given process, this work shows that poorly manufactured parts with density discontinuities (e.g. inclusions, voids) can be identified based on the degree to which their pseudo-repeated roots are separated. A simple low-order lumped parameter model is used to develop this technique analytically and acceleration response data from impact vibration tests on deep drawn hemispherical shells is used to verify the validity of the approach experimentally.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Maximum Forage for Dairy Cows: Review,

Abstract The following are important considerations in efforts to increase forage and to decrease grain in diets fed to dairy cows. 1) Forage quality — of foremost concern. 2) Forage type vs state of lactation — higher energy density diets may be useful postcalving. 3) Improved ways to conserve or harvest forages — the use of preservatives such as formic acid offer potential for hay-crop silage. 4) Physical form of forage — chopping fineness must be adequate but still provide adequate roughage (scratch) to prevent the problems discussed. 5) Feed additives — such additivies as buffers, including sodium bicarbonate, limestone, and magnesium oxide offer potential. 6) Use of complete diets — can be beneficial along with increased feeding frequency which will enhance intake and efficiency of utilization of the diet. In the final analysis, however, there must be a combination or balance of all these factors if progress is to be toward the goal of increasing forge and decreasing grain for lactating dairy cows while maximizing profit.
A Cognitive-Social Learning Approach to Social Skill Training With Low-Status Preschool Children

Changes in the behavior and peer acceptance of low-status preschool children as a result of a social skill training were axamined.
OPTICAL OBSERVATION OF EXCHANGE SPLITTING IN YTTERBIUM IRON GARNET

Both ytterbium iron garnet and ytterbium aluminum garnet exhibit complex absorption spectra between 8100 and 10,500A which are associated with electronic and vibronic transitions from the sup 2/F/sub 7/2/, to the /sup 2/F/sub 5/2/ levels of the Yb/sup 3+/ ion. A sharp, intense line near 9700A was observed under medium resolution for the spectrum of Yb/sup 3+/ in the aluminum garnet indicating an electronic transition from the ground state to the lowest of the J = 5/2 levels when observed at low temperatures. The corresponding transition in ytterbium iron garnet exhibited structure under medium resolution which results from the splitting of Kramer's doublets for Yb/sup 3+/ ions by the exchange interaction with the ferrimagnetically aligned Fe/sup 3+/ions. (C.J.G.)
Genome-wide analysis of miRNA and mRNA transcriptomes during amelogenesis.

In the rodent incisor during amelogenesis, as ameloblast cells transition from secretory stage to maturation stage, their morphology and transcriptome profiles change dramatically. Prior whole genome transcriptome analysis has given a broad picture of the molecular activities dominating both stages of amelogenesis, but this type of analysis has not included miRNA transcript profiling. In this study, we set out to document which miRNAs and corresponding target genes change significantly as ameloblasts transition from secretory- to maturation-stage amelogenesis. Total RNA samples from both secretory- and maturation-stage rat enamel organs were subjected to genome-wide miRNA and mRNA transcript profiling. We identified 59 miRNAs that were differentially expressed at the maturation stage relative to the secretory stage of enamel development (False Discovery Rate (FDR) < 0.05, fold change (FC) ≥ 1.8). In parallel, transcriptome profiling experiments identified 1,729 mRNA transcripts that were differentially expressed in the maturation stage compared to the secretory stage (FDR < 0.05, FC ≥1.8). Based on bioinformatics analyses, 5.8% (629 total) of these differentially expressed genes (DEGS) were highlighted as being the potential targets of 59 miRNAs that were differentially expressed in the opposite direction, in the same tissue samples. Although the number of predicted target DEGs was not higher than baseline expectations generated by examination of stably expressed miRNAs, Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that these 629 DEGS were enriched for ion transport, pH regulation, calcium handling, endocytotic, and apoptotic activities. Seven differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-21, miR-31, miR-488, miR-153, miR-135b, miR-135a and miR298) in secretory- and/or maturation-stage enamel organs were confirmed by in situ hybridization. Further, we used luciferase reporter assays to provide evidence that two of these differentially expressed miRNAs, miR-153 and miR-31, are potential regulators for their predicated target mRNAs, Lamp1 (miR-153) and Tfrc (miR-31). In conclusion, these data indicate that miRNAs exhibit a dynamic expression pattern during the transition from secretory-stage to maturation-stage tooth enamel formation. Although they represent only one of numerous mechanisms influencing gene activities, miRNAs specific to the maturation stage could be involved in regulating several key processes of enamel maturation by influencing mRNA stability and translation.
Laminar natural convection in isosceles triangular enclosures heated from below and symmetrically cooled from above

A numerical study of natural convection in an isosceles triangular enclosure with a heated horizontal base and cooled upper walls is presented. Nearly every previous study conducted on this subject to date has assumed that the geometric plane of symmetry is also a plane of symmetry for the flow. This problem is re-examined over aspect ratios ranging from 0.2 to 1.0 and Grashof numbers from 10 3 to 10 5 . A pitchfork bifurcation occurs at a critical Grashof number for each of the aspect ratios considered, above which the symmetric solutions are unstable to finite perturbations and asymmetric solutions are instead obtained. Results are presented detailing the occurrence of the pitchfork bifurcation in each of the aspect ratios considered, and the resulting flow patterns are described. A flow visualization study is used to validate the numerical observations. Computed local and mean heat transfer coefficients are also presented and compared with results obtained when flow symmetry is assumed. Differences in local values of the Nusselt number between asymmetric and symmetric solutions are found to be more than 500 percent due to the shifting of the buoyancy-driven cells
A first course in C++ and object oriented programming

Almost 70% of industrial job openings list knowledge of C/C++ as a desirable qualification of potential job applicants. This large and increasing demand for programmers with C/C++ experience is leading many colleges and universities to switch to C/C++ as their primary teaching language. This paper presents a detailed outline for an introductory class in C++ offered to community college students who have completed a single semester of Pascal. The class was first taught in the fall semester of 1994. The paper pinpoints problem areas encountered and discusses refinements made in class content during succeeding semesters.
Light dependent oxygen metabolism of chloroplast preparations. III. Photooxidation of ascorbic acid.

Ascorbic acid is a normal constituent not only of the chloroplasts but also of the other protoplasmic components of the cells of green leaves. In spite of its known widespread occurrence in plants, few functions of ascorbic acid in plant metabolism have been established (see review by Mapson, 15). The participation of ascorbic acid as an intermediate hydrogen carrier in photosynthesis has been suggested (16, 17) and certainly the experiments of Krasnovsky on the photochemical reduction of chlorophyll in vitro by ascorbic acid (13, 14) have added new interest to these suggestions.. Ascorbic acid was at one time considered to be ,a necessary component of the photosyntheticf phosphorylation system but more recently it has been regarded as having a protective role in preventing inactivation of essential components of the chloroplasts (Arnon, 1). Soon after he discovered that chloroplasts could use oxygen as a Hill reagent, Mehler (18, 19) reported that rates of net oxygen uptake in the light by reaction mixtures containing chloroplasts, ethanol, and catalase were stimulated several fold if the chloroplasts had first reduced quinone. To determine if it was necessary for chloroplasts to reduce quinone in the light, Mehler added ascorbic acid to the reaction mixture to reduce quinone in the dark. When an excess of ascorbic acid was addeJ, an extremely rapid oxygen consumption occurred on illumnination. The nature of this rapid uptake in the presence of ascorbic acid was of particular interest because of the apparent increase in the efficiency of utilization of light energy. Later, Vernon and Kamen compared the photooxidations of various redox couples by spinach leaf homogenates and sonic extracts of Rhodospirillum rubrum (21). The most active couple which they found was the combination of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DPIP, acting as an electron carrier) and ascorbic acid (acting as the ultimate electron donor). In both plant and bacterial extracts, oxygen uptake in the light continued until oxygen equivalent to the excess ascorbic acid in the system had been consumed. The nature of this rapid DPIP-mediated photooxidation of ascorbic acid has since been investigated using tracer oxygen techniques (Habermann & Vernon, 10). The results of these studies support the hypothesis that ascorbic acid can be oxidized by the oxidized product of photolysis. This paper describes investigations of the mechanism of the photooxidation of ascorbic acid mediated by chloroplast reaction systems.4 Addition of ascorbic acid during either a Mehler or exchange reaction results in an immediate acceleration of the rate of net oxygen uptake. Just as the rates of the Mehler and exchange reactions are accelerated after a chloroplast preparation has reduced quinone (19, 8), previous reduction of quinone has a stimulating effect on rates Hill reaction (production only):
Termite (Isoptera) fauna of jarrah forest in the Wagerup-Willowdale region, Western Australia: Relevance to the rehabilitation of Bauxite minesites

Abstract Fourteen species of termites are recorded from the Wagerup-Willowdale region, Western Australia. Nine species known to occur in the northern jarrah forest, which were rare or absent in this study, occur more commonly on the coastal sand plain or further inland. Of those species of termites which are widespread in this region, two are considered to be of particular importance to the rehabilitation of bauxite mined areas. These are Amitermes obeuntis Silvestri and Coptotermes acinaciformis raffrayi Wasmann. Both of these species have been found in rehabilitated areas. No obvious associations of termite species with either upland or lowland jarrah forest were found.
ClC chloride channels viewed through a transporter lens

Since its discovery, the ClC family of chloride channels has presented biophysicists with unexpected behaviours and unusual surprises. The latest of these is the realization that not only does the family feature genuine chloride channels, it also includes proton-coupled chloride transporters, which move chloride ions and protons across the membrane in opposite directions. The crystal structure of such a transporter serves as a useful platform for understanding ClC channels, and features of chloride/proton exchange-transport may provide a key for comprehending voltage-dependent gating of the channels.