cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Failure behavior of SiC/SiC composite tubes under strain rates similar to the pellet-cladding mechanical interaction phase of reactivity-initiated accidents

Abstract The mechanical response of a nuclear-grade silicon carbide fiber-reinforced silicon carbide matrix (SiC/SiC) composite was investigated under mechanical loading conditions mimicking the pellet-cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI) phase of a reactivity-initiated accident (RIA). In a RIA, cladding deformation and failure can be induced by the rapid thermal expansion of the nuclear fuel. A pulse-controlled modified-burst test was used to investigate RIA-like PCMI scenarios on SiC/SiC composite samples at pulse widths from 12 to 100 ms. The strain-driven nature of the cladding sample deformation was due to the rapid internal pressurization and subsequent expansion of a secondary tube. A digital-image correlation technique was used to measure strains from the speckle-painted outer surface of the tubes. The failure strains of samples tested at slower rates, such as RIA event durations of 52 and 100 ms, showed good agreement with the literature-reported values for similar composites tested at slow strain rates. Additionally, the failure strain showed good agreement with reference expansion-due-to-compression tests at slow strain rate. However, a decrease in the failure strain was determined for the fast-rate (12 ms) tests. This indicated that the failure strain of these composites might be influenced by the strain rate during RIA-like events. The failure strains observed in the tests corresponded to local energy depositions of approximately 50 cal/g UO2 from hot zero power, with an initial condition of pellet–cladding gap closure prior to the event. In-pile transient testing of these concepts that would result in hoop strain due to PCMI in the range of 0.5–1.0% is recommended.
Pilot study on the impact of green roofs on ozone levels near building ventilation air supply

Abstract Outdoor air is often introduced into commercial buildings from ventilation intakes sited on rooftops where vegetation (a green roof) is increasingly present. Little is known about the impact of green roofs on the quality of building outdoor ventilation air supply. In this study, we investigated the potential for green roofs to impact ozone (O3) levels in ventilation air by parameterizing O3 dry deposition to vegetation and substrate typical of extensive green roofs in field and laboratory studies. Values obtained constrain a 2-D advection-diffusion model of O3 transport and reaction at the rooftop scale. The 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles for O3 surface resistances measured using flux-gradient methods in field studies were 46 s/m, 155 s/m, and 1700 s/m. Surface resistances measured in laboratory chambers for substrate and green roof samples ranged from 360 s/m to 435 s/m, in the 60th-70th percentile of field measurements. The modeled impact of a green roof on O3 levels in building outdoor ventilation air intake was a reduction ranging from 0.25 to 1.8 μg/m3 for short fetch lengths (1 m) and low vertical mixing to larger fetch lengths (5 m) and stronger vertical mixing, respectively, from ambient O3 levels of 144 μg/m3. Vegetation fetch and vegetation height had the largest impact on modeled O3 reductions, suggesting large, continuous, intensive green roof designs may enhance O3 reductions in building ventilation air.
CH 4 and CH 2 in comets

MANY of the simple radicals observed in cometary spectra, for example OH and NH, probably originate as dissociation products of more stable parent molecules such as H2O and NH3. Ip and Mendis1 have recently discussed the possibilities of observing H2O in Comet Kohoutek (1973f). If CH4 exists in significant abundance in comets, it could be a parent of observed CH and CH+. It is difficult to observe CH4 directly but a rather specific though indirect means of detecting its presence is suggested.
Siberian Yupik Names for Birds: What Can Bird Names Tell Us about Language and Knowledge Transitions?

This article analyzes the list of Siberian Yupik names for birds from Chukotka, Russia, from the unpublished “Dictionary of Traditional Subsistence Terminology of the Asiatic Yupik Eskimo” (n.d., [2010]), produced by the late Russian biologist Lyudmila Bogoslovskaya and Yupik language expert Lyudmila Ainana. It compares Bogoslovskaya and Ainana’s list against other lists of Indigenous bird names compiled in Chukotka and among the nearby Native Alaskan groups in the Bering Strait area, and biological (Linnaean) bird nomenclatures for the same region. The sequence of collected Yupik bird name lists from the 1930s to the early 2000s reveals a strong correlation to the advancing language and knowledge shift, as the Chukotka Yupik were increasingly driven to bilingualism by the Russian-dominated speech environment, media, and school system. By the time ornithologists and linguists compiled the first Native lists of bird names, the Yupik in Chukotka had already lost certain layers of their traditional bird taxonomy, but some of its elements may be construed. As the loss of traditional names for birds continues, the Yupik actively borrow Russian terms (or English, in Alaska) to describe many bird species they encounter in their environment.
On uncertainty quantification of lithium-ion batteries: Application to an LiC6/LiCoO2 cell

Abstract In this work, a stochastic, physics-based model for Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is presented in order to study the effects of parametric model uncertainties on the cell capacity, voltage, and concentrations. To this end, the proposed uncertainty quantification (UQ) approach, based on sparse polynomial chaos expansions, relies on a small number of battery simulations. Within this UQ framework, the identification of most important uncertainty sources is achieved by performing a global sensitivity analysis via computing the so-called Sobol' indices. Such information aids in designing more efficient and targeted quality control procedures, which consequently may result in reducing the LIB production cost. An LiC 6 /LiCoO 2 cell with 19 uncertain parameters discharged at 0.25C, 1C and 4C rates is considered to study the performance and accuracy of the proposed UQ approach. The results suggest that, for the considered cell, the battery discharge rate is a key factor affecting not only the performance variability of the cell, but also the determination of most important random inputs.
Rationalizing accurate structure prediction in the meta-GGA SCAN functional

Author(s): Yang, JH; Kitchaev, DA; Ceder, G | Abstract: The ability of first-principles computational methods to reproduce ground-state crystal structure selection is key to their application in the discovery of new materials, and yet presents a formidable challenge due to the low-energy scale of the problem and lack of systematic error cancellation. The recently developed Strongly Constrained and Appropriately Normed (SCAN) functional is notable for accurately calculating physical properties such as formation energies and in particular, correctly predicting ground-state structures. Here, we attempt to rationalize the improved structure prediction accuracy in SCAN by investigating the relationship between preferred coordination environments, the description of attractive van der Waals (vdW) interactions, and the overall ground-state prediction in bulk main-group solids. We observe a systematic undercoordination error in the traditional Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof (PBE) functional which is not present in SCAN results and find that semiempirical dispersion corrections in the form of PBE+D3 fail to correct this error in a consistent or physical manner. We conclude that the medium-range vdW interaction is correctly parametrized in SCAN and yields meaningful relative energies between coordination environments.
Evaluation of Navigation Operations in Immersive Microscopic Visualization

In this study, we evaluated the quantitative effectiveness of navigation operation in a virtual reality (VR) volumetric viewer, in order to confirm the effectiveness of VR in life sciences. The analytical work for biological data is a promising application of VR because users can manipulate 3D data intuitively in VR. However, few studies have focused on the quantitative evaluations of such applications. Therefore, we conducted an experiment to evaluate the speedup of navigation operation (sequences of translation, rotation, and scaling) in VR applications for 3D microscopy. We compared the task completion time between a non-VR visualization tool and a VR visualization tool. The speedup by the VR immersive visualizer was found to be 203% in the most effective case. The result showed that the VR immersive visualizer enables more efficient navigation than the conventional volumetric viewer.
Latent Class Analysis of School-Age Children at Risk for Asthma Exacerbation

Background Factors responsible for asthma exacerbations in children are complex and may differ from those that drive asthma severity. Objective To identify latent classes of children at risk for asthma exacerbation and determine whether latent class assignment is useful in the prediction of future exacerbation. Methods Latent class analysis was performed on 513 children aged 6 to 17 years at risk for asthma exacerbation, with 31 variables encompassing demographics, medical history, treatment, symptoms, lung function, sensitization, and type 2 inflammation. Primary and secondary outcomes included exacerbation occurrence by 12 months and time to first exacerbation, respectively. Results Four latent classes were identified with differing demographic features, sensitization and type 2 inflammatory markers, prior exacerbation severity and health care utilization, and lung function. Exacerbations occurred in 22.4% of class 1 ("lesser sensitization with normal lung function"), 27.9% of class 2 ("lesser sensitization with prior severe exacerbation and normal lung function"), 45.3% of class 3 ("multiple sensitization with reversible airflow limitation"), and 64.3% of class 4 ("multiple sensitization with partially reversible airflow limitation") (P Conclusions Children at risk for asthma exacerbation are a heterogeneous group. Sensitization, prior exacerbation severity, and lung function variables may be particularly useful in identifying children at greatest risk for future exacerbation.
Reduced Neurogenic Activity in the Subventricular Zone after Cardiopulmonary Bypass in a Juvenile Porcine Model

Introduction: Impairments in higher-order cognitive and behavioral function are widely observed in children after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The subventricular zone (SVZ) in the postnatal/adult brain is the region where most neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPC) originate. Recent studies suggest that the SVZ plays an important role in neocortical growth of the gyrencephalic frontal lobe during postnatal life. However the effect of CPB-induced insults on postnatal SVZ neurogenesis is largely unexplored. The aim of our study was to determine neurogenic activity of the SVZ after CPB using a porcine …
Laser Sensor Guided Intravascular Catheter with Ring Type Stack Transducer for Sonothrombolysis

Thrombosis diseases have become a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Current treatment methods such as thrombolytic drugs or mechanical thrombectomy for effective removal or dissolution of large blood clots often suffer from a long treatment time and potential hemorrhage. Moreover, it is difficult to detect the clot position during the treatment. Here we report the development of a novel sonothrombolysis catheter device that incorporates a ring-type stack transducer and optical fiber-based laser sensor for clot detection and treatment. The developed transducer has a center frequency at 340 kHz and peak negative pressure (PNP) at 1.87 MPa with 120 Vpp input voltage, which is high enough for triggering cavitation of the agents. The measured beam profile indicates a natural beam focus at 2.8 mm from the transducer. The in vitro MBs and NDs-mediated sonothrombolysis tests showed about two-fold significantly improved lysis rate for both unretracted and retracted clot compare to the control group.
Protean Regulation of Leukocyte Function by Nuclear Lamins

The leukocyte nucleus must be sufficiently elastic to squeeze through tissue barriers during migration, but not so collapsible as to risk damaging chromatin. The proper balance is struck in part by the composition of the nuclear lamina, a flexible meshwork composed mainly of intermediate filaments woven from type A and type B lamin proteins, that is located subjacent to the inner nuclear membrane. There is now increasing evidence that, in addition to influencing nuclear shape and stiffness and cell migration, lamins and lamin-interacting proteins may also interact functionally with chromatin to influence leukocyte gene expression, differentiation, and effector function, including T cell differentiation, B cell somatic hypermutation, and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETosis).
Analyzing the differences in olfactory bulb mitral cell spiking with ortho- and retronasal stimulation

Abstract The majority of olfaction studies focus on orthonasal stimulation where odors enter via the front nasal cavity, while retronasal olfaction, where odors enter the rear of the nasal cavity during feeding, is understudied. The processing of retronasal odors via coordinated spiking of neurons in the olfactory bulb (OB) is largely unknown. To this end, we use multi-electrode array in vivo recordings of rat OB mitral cells (MC) in response to a food odor with both modes of stimulation, and find significant differences in evoked firing rates and spike count covariances (i.e., noise correlations). To better understand these differences, we develop a single-compartment biophysical OB model that is able to reproduce key properties of important OB cell types. Prior experiments in olfactory receptor neurons (ORN) showed retro stimulation yields slower and spatially smaller ORN inputs than with ortho, yet whether this is consequential for OB activity remains unknown. Indeed with these specifications for ORN inputs, our OB model captures the trends in our OB data. We also analyze how first and second order ORN input statistics dynamically transfer to MC spiking statistics with a phenomenological linear-nonlinear filter model, and find that retro inputs result in larger temporal filters than ortho inputs. Finally, our models show that the temporal profile of ORN is crucial for capturing our data and is thus a distinguishing feature between ortho and retro stimulation, even at the OB. Using data-driven modeling, we detail how ORN inputs result in differences in OB dynamics and MC spiking statistics. These differences may ultimately shape how ortho and retro odors are coded. Author summary Olfaction is a key sense for many cognitive and behavioral tasks, and is particularly unique because odors can naturally enter the nasal cavity from the front or rear, i.e., ortho- and retro-nasal, respectively. Yet little is known about the differences in coordinated spiking in the olfactory bulb with ortho versus retro stimulation, let alone how these different modes of olfaction may alter coding of odors. We simultaneously record many cells in rat olfactory bulb to assess the differences in spiking statistics, and develop a biophysical olfactory bulb network model to study the reasons for these differences. Using theoretical and computational methods, we find that the olfactory bulb transfers input statistics differently for retro stimulation relative to ortho stimulation. Furthermore, our models show that the temporal profile of inputs is crucial for capturing our data and is thus a distinguishing feature between ortho and retro stimulation, even at the olfactory bulb. Understanding the spiking dynamics of the olfactory bulb with both ortho and retro stimulation is a key step for ultimately understanding how the brain codes odors with different modes of olfaction.
Economic Aspects of Early Osteoarthritis

As the burden of osteoarthritis (OA) continues to grow worldwide, early osteoarthritis is a growing phenomenon that will have significant social and economic impacts in the future. The United States Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI), in their 2016 Burden of Musculoskeletal Diseases report, found that from 2013 to 2014, adults with osteoarthritis reported 180.9 million total lost work days, which represented 34% of total lost work days for any medical condition (Yelin et al., Semin Arthritis Rheum, 46(3):259–260, 2016). Several socioeconomic factors play a role in the development of early osteoarthritis, as well as trauma and structural deformity. While total joint arthroplasty remains a common surgical option, several other procedures offer similar utility with the potential to be more cost-effective on a populations level.
“The gasoline of the future:” points of continuity, energy materiality, and corporate marketing of electric vehicles among automakers and utilities

Abstract Electric vehicles (EVs) are key to U.S. plans to transition to a green economy that is powered by renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. There has been extensive research documenting the adverse socio-ecological impacts of resource extraction for EVs, including water shortages driven by lithium mining on Indigenous lands in South America and child labor in cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, little research has attended to the ways that automakers and utility companies shape the adoption of EVs through the use of corporate narratives and strategies. In this paper, we introduce the concept of points of continuity, whereby specific aspects of the gasoline vehicle user experience are mimicked by the EV industry to increase adoption of EVs. This desire to adopt behavioral similarities between gasoline and electric vehicles allows for existing patterns of automobile production and consumption to be maintained. However, in order to establish points of continuity, EV industry actors must navigate material constraints imposed by the physical properties of electric power. Through this case study, we demonstrate that the production of points of continuity is an exercise of political power that may maintain the environmental violence of green capitalism.
DART-HRMS as a Triage Approach for the Rapid Analysis of Cannabinoid-infused Edible Matrices, Personal-care Products and Cannabis sativa Hemp Plant Material

Abstract Forensic laboratories use traditional methods such LC-MS and GC–MS for determining if evidence is derived from Cannabis sativa or infused with cannabinoids. These approaches require sample pretreatment steps to render samples into a form suitable for analysis by these techniques, which can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, particularly for complex matrices such as edibles. Furthermore, there is no universal method for the analysis and quantification of cannabinoids in edibles, which is in part due to the ever-evolving range of products into which cannabinoids are infused. In this study, the ambient ionization technique direct analysis in real time – high-resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HRMS) was used for the rapid detection of cannabinoids in complex matrices. A variety of cannabinoid-infused samples were analyzed, including hemp (the non-psychoactive variety of C. sativa), commercial personal-care products, edible certified reference materials (CRMs), and edibles prepared in-house using cannabinoid analytical standards (i.e., THC and CBD). The absence or presence of cannabinoids within these samples, which are challenging to analyze by traditional methods, was determined within a matter of seconds by simply presenting bulk material to the DART gas stream for analysis. With no sample pretreatment or lengthy data processing, this approach provides a method that complements confirmatory testing for the rapid triage of complex plant materials, personal-care products, and edible matrices for cannabinoids prior to launching confirmatory tests, saving crime laboratories time and resources. This method accommodates a broad range of materials, and it is demonstrated that cannabinoids can be readily detected regardless of the matrix type.
From the Editor: Boundary Reflections : Holding In or Holding Back?

AALL Spectrum Editorial Director monthly column reflects on career assessment and evaluation of services in changing service environments.
Electronics in Oceanography

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the application of electronics in oceanography. Oceanography includes the study of physical, chemical, and biological activity of the oceans and their interactions with the atmosphere, the earth beneath, and the land masses—which the oceans surround. In common with scientific research, generally oceanographers are using more electronic instruments to make their observations and analyze their data and electronic computers to study their theoretical problems. Thus, electronics has been used mostly to extend the observations that have previously been made by other methods. In this chapter, concepts related to ocean currents and ocean wave measurements are discussed. The instruments for observing natural sounds are elaborated in the chapter. Concepts related to suspended echo-location equipment and echo location with explosives are also described in the chapter.
Drafting New York Civil-Litigation Documents: Part XLIV — Motions for Attorney Fees Continued

This article, the 44th part of a continuing series on drafting New York civil-litigation documents, continues the discussion on how to move for, and oppose motions for, attorney fees.
Application of Gene Expression Programming in the Reliability of Consecutive-k-out-of-n: F Systems with Identical Component Reliabilities

This paper presents a GEP-based simulation – data mining approach for obtaining closed-form reliability formulas of consecutive-k-out-of-n: F systems with identical component reliabilities. This work proves to be GEP’s first exploration into the reliability realm and also provides a new perspective for the reliability community to solve for complex reliability formulas. Experimentation has shown the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed framework, although further revisions and developments must be made to the model in order to solve larger scale problems.
A software engineering project course model based on studio presentations

We present a model for a software engineering project course that has proven successful as the capstone of our required sequence of software courses in our computer science major. It differs from many similar courses because all teams work on the same project, defined by the instructor (not projects for "real" customers). The course's project centers on weekly "studio presentations" during which student teams present preliminary results and receive immediate feedback. This model allows us to efficiently offer a project course for over a hundred students. The nature of the project itself supports other course goals. We believe that our project course model could be adopted and used effectively in computing and other disciplines.
Justice and law enforcement in Afghanistan under the Taliban

Presents an overview of the justice and law enforcement systems which prevailed in Afghanistan under the Taliban, incorporating personal views of some Afghan intellectuals and Pakistani intelligence officials who had close contact with Taliban personnel. Summarizes the historical background and notes the historic strong, informal social controls with retributive elements of tribal societies; the failed attempt to introduce a Soviet‐style criminal justice system after the Communist coup of 1978; the ensuing period of general chaos and anarchy, brought to an end by the emergence of the Taliban on Afghanistan’s political and military scene by the mid‐1990s, which established some sort of civil order, ruthlessly enforced according to the Taliban’s own interpretation of Islamic justice. Describes the hierarchies within the country’s administrative system and methods of solving civil and criminal disputes. Concludes that it is too early to predict whether a new viable legal order will emerge in the future, particularly when warlords control significant regions beyond the Karzai‐administered city of Kabul.
First Nations Cultural Heritage and Law: Case Studies, Voices, and Perspectives

Reviewed Medium: book Year: 2009 Pages: 544 Publisher: University of British Columbia Press ISBN: 9780774814614 (hard cover).
Effect of surface material properties and surface characteristics in evaporative spray cooling

In the spray cooling of a heated surface, Variations in the surface contact angle cause a change in nucleation characteristics and, thereby, influence the heat transfer process; a higher contact angle shows an enhanced heat transfer due to the ease in nucleation caused by the lowered free energy associated with bubble formation. Results are presented for different surface coatings and spray configurations. The surface roughness variation influences the flowfield, altering the maximum liquid film thickness, the bubble diameter, vapor entrapment, bubble departure characteristics, and, thereby, the ability of the surface to transfer heat. The effect of surface roughness on spray cooling is also studied.
Posttraumatic Stress Symptomatology in Mothers of Pediatric Cancer Survivors

Forty-nine mothers of pediatric cancer survivors were administered structured interviews to assess the presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and self-report questionnaires to measure degree of PTSD symptomatology. Twenty percent of the mothers met diagnostic criteria for current PTSD and 27% met criteria for lifetime PTSD. The number of low magnitude stressors experienced in the past year, current perceptions of cancer threat, and family income were shown to contribute to the prediction of PTSD symptomatology.
A new algorithm for global forest fire detection using multispectral images

Fire detection has been an active research field for many years and a number of algorithms have been proposed. These algorithms, however, are often inflexible in dealing with the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the environment. Different biomes, seasons, and temperatures usually cause the performance of these algorithms to vary dramatically. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm for fire detection based on the Mahalanobis distance that exploits the statistical properties of multi-spectral images. The distinguishing feature of our algorithm is its robustness. It can effectively differentiate fire from background in various environments, using a single, fixed threshold. We evaluate our algorithm by comparing it to three state-of-the-art existing algorithms: the MODVOLC normalized fire index algorithm, the Arino's threshold algorithm, and the contextual MODIS algorithm. All algorithms are tested using MODIS images taken in different parts of the world as well as at different times. Experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm consistently achieves the best performance, showing a low and constant false alarm rate.
Analytical solutions for solute transport in saturated porous media with semi-infinite or finite thickness

Three-dimensional analytical solutions for solute transport in saturated, homogeneous porous media are developed. The models account for three-dimensional dispersion in a uniform flow field, first-order decay of aqueous phase and sorbed solutes with different decay rates, and nonequilibrium solute sorption onto the solid matrix of the porous formation. The governing solute transport equations are solved analytically by employing Laplace, Fourier and finite Fourier cosine transform techniques. Porous media with either semi-infinite or finite thickness are considered. Furthermore, continuous as well as periodic source loadings from either a point or an elliptic source geometry are examined. The effect of aquifer boundary conditions as well as the source geometry on solute transport in subsurface porous formations is investigated.
Laparoscopic pyeloplasty for secondary ureteropelvic junction obstruction: Preliminary experience

Abstract Objectives To identify whether laparoscopic pyeloplasty is a reasonable treatment option for secondary ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction. Methods Since March 1994, we have performed laparoscopic pyeloplasties for secondary UPJ obstruction on 4 symptomatic patients ranging in age from 26 to 39 years. Prior failed procedures included antegrade endopyelotomies (3) and Acucise endopyelotomies (3). Two patients underwent two prior endopyelotomies. Techniques of laparoscopic reconstruction included Anderson-Hines dismembered (3) and Culp-DeWeerd flap (1) procedures. Repairs were performed with interrupted and running 3.0 and 4.0 Vicryl sutures using intracorporeal knots and Lapra-Ty absorbable suture clips. Results Average operating time was 530 minutes (range, 465 to 645), which included preoperative cystoscopic placement of an external 7 F occlusion balloon catheter into the renal pelvis and placement of an internal double pigtail ureteral stent at the conclusion of the procedure. Average blood loss was 111 cc (range, 75 to 150). All 4 patients were found to have anterior crossing vessels intraoperatively. Average postoperative hospital stay was 4 days (range, 3 to 7). All 4 patients have a patent, nonobstructed UPJ by either Whitaker test or diuretic renography at an average of 3.3 months postoperatively (range, 1 to 5). Average return to normal activity was 4.5 weeks (range, 3 to 8). Utilizing an analogue pain scale, 2 of the patients are pain-free, and the other 2 are improved (45% and 85%) at an average of 8 months (range, 2 to 12) postoperatively. One patient developed stones in the renal pelvis and required percutaneous nephrolithotomy 10 weeks postoperatively. Conclusions Laparoscopic pyeloplasty appears to be feasible and effective, although a technically challenging operative procedure for treating secondary (postendopyelotomy) UPJ obstruction. Further clinical experience and long-term follow-up are needed.
Dimensional crossover in quasi-one-dimensional and high- T c superconductors

The one-dimensional electron gas exhibits spin-charge separation and power-law spectral responses to many experimentally relevant probes. Ordering in a quasi-one-dimensional system is necessarily associated with a dimensional crossover, at which sharp quasiparticle peaks, with small spectral weight, emerge from the incoherent background. Using methods of Abelian bosonization, we derive asymptotically correct expressions for the spectral changes induced by this crossover. Comparison is made with experiments on the high-temperature superconductors, which are electronically quasi-one-dimensional on a local scale.
EPR spectral observations on the binding of ATP and F-actin to spin-labeled myosin

Abstract Myosin, sulfhydryl groups of which were spin-labeled with N-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine nitroxide iodoacetamide (2 moles / mole of myosin), was used to examine the interaction of myosin, actin and ATP. F-actin decreased the mobility of spin labels bound to myosin, whereas ATP increased it. The maximum change in the electronparamagnetic resonance spectrum produced by F-actin was obtained when the solution contained 2 moles of actin monomer per mole of myosin. When F-actin was added to the myosin labeled with spin label, then with an analog of ATP, 6-mercapto-9β-ribofranosyl purine 5′-triphosphate, significant changes in the spectrum were not observed, suggesting that the myosin labeled with this analog does not interact with F-actin.
Governance and rural development in Mexico: State intervention and public accountability

Pro‐market economic reforms are usually associated with the regulatory withdrawal of the state. In some policy areas, however, successful implementation of pro‐market reforms poses powerful challenges to the institutional capacity of the state. In the case of Mexico's ambitious rural development reforms, the withdrawal of past patterns of heavy‐handed state economic intervention has been accompanied by the construction of new regulatory institutions that maintain significant central state involvement in rural life. This article analyses the restructuring of state intervention in four policy areas: rural economic development, decentralisation to rural municipalities, efforts to improve the administration of justice, and the electoral process in rural areas. The first two sets of reforms are influenced by the second two: economic development and decentralisation are influenced by the administration of justice and democratisation. The governance challenges posed by the complexity of the rural economic policy...
The morphology and rheology of polymer blends containing a liquid crystalline copolyester

The morphology of blends of polycarbonate and nylon 6,6 with a copolyester of 60 mole percent p-hydroxybenzoic acid/40 mole percent poly(ethylene terephthalate) was characterized under different processing conditions. In particular, single-screw extrusion, steady simple shear flow, and flow through a capillary were studied to determine what conditions were necessary for the development of a fibrillar morphology of the liquid crystalline polymer (LCP). Results indicate that some extensional flow is required for the coalescence and extension of the particulate LCP phase. The viscosity of the blends was determined both in a cone-and-plate geometry of a Rheometrics Mechanical Spectrometer at low shear rates and in the Instron Capillary Rheometer at higher rates. In general, only a small (10 or 30 percent) weight fraction of LCP was required to reduce the viscosity of the thermoplastics to that of the polymeric liquid crystal. An attempt was made to correlate the structure of the blends seen under the scanning electron microscope with the observed rheology. Not all aspects of the morphology were possible to explain in terms of the viscous properties of the blends.
Thoughts on non-perturbative thermalization and jet quenching in heavy ion collisions

Abstract We start by presenting physical arguments for the impossibility of perturbative thermalization leading to (non-viscous) Bjorken hydrodynamic description of heavy ion collisions. These arguments are complimentary to our more formal argument presented in [Yu.V. Kovchegov, hep-ph/0503038 ]. We argue that the success of hydrodynamic models in describing the quark–gluon system produced in heavy ion collisions could only be due to non-perturbative strong coupling effects. We continue by studying non-perturbative effects in heavy ion collisions at high energies. We model non-perturbative phenomena by an instanton ensemble. We show that non-perturbative instanton vacuum fields may significantly contribute to jet quenching in nuclear collisions. At the same time, the instanton ensemble contribution to thermalization is likely to be rather weak, leading to non-perturbative thermalization time comparable to the time of hadronization. This example illustrates that jet quenching is not necessarily a signal of a thermalized medium. Indeed, since the instanton models do not capture all the effects of QCD vacuum (e.g., they do not account for confinement), there may be other non-perturbative effects facilitating thermalization of the system.
Genome-Wide Analysis of leafbladeless1-Regulated and Phased Small RNAs Underscores the Importance of the TAS3 ta-siRNA Pathway to Maize Development

Maize leafbladeless1 (lbl1) encodes a key component in the trans-acting short-interfering RNA (ta-siRNA) biogenesis pathway. Correlated with a great diversity in ta-siRNAs and the targets they regulate, the phenotypes conditioned by mutants perturbing this small RNA pathway vary extensively across species. Mutations in lbl1 result in severe developmental defects, giving rise to plants with radial, abaxialized leaves. To investigate the basis for this phenotype, we compared the small RNA content between wild-type and lbl1 seedling apices. We show that LBL1 affects the accumulation of small RNAs in all major classes, and reveal unexpected crosstalk between ta-siRNA biogenesis and other small RNA pathways regulating transposons. Interestingly, in contrast to data from other plant species, we found no evidence for the existence of phased siRNAs generated via the one-hit model. Our analysis identified nine TAS loci, all belonging to the conserved TAS3 family. Information from RNA deep sequencing and PARE analyses identified the tasiR-ARFs as the major functional ta-siRNAs in the maize vegetative apex where they regulate expression of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR3 (ARF3) homologs. Plants expressing a tasiR-ARF insensitive arf3a transgene recapitulate the phenotype of lbl1, providing direct evidence that deregulation of ARF3 transcription factors underlies the developmental defects of maize ta-siRNA biogenesis mutants. The phenotypes of Arabidopsis and Medicago ta-siRNA mutants, while strikingly different, likewise result from misexpression of the tasiR-ARF target ARF3. Our data indicate that diversity in TAS pathways and their targets cannot fully account for the phenotypic differences conditioned by ta-siRNA biogenesis mutants across plant species. Instead, we propose that divergence in the gene networks downstream of the ARF3 transcription factors or the spatiotemporal pattern during leaf development in which these proteins act constitute key factors underlying the distinct contributions of the ta-siRNA pathway to development in maize, Arabidopsis, and possibly other plant species as well.
Kinetics and Mechanisms of Drug Action on Microorganisms XVII: Bactericidal Effects of Penicillin, Kanamycin, and Rifampin with and without Organism Pretreatment with Bacteriostatic Chloramphenicol, Tetracycline, and Novobiocin

Escherichia coli (ATCC 12407), generating in the logarithmic growth phase, was killed by penicillin, kanamycin, and rifampin. The logarithm of number of viables of the drug-treated culture decreased linearly with time after a certain lag period and above a minimum drug concentration. The slopes of these plots were characteristic of kill rate constants and were linearly dependent on drug concentrations. The microorganisms developed resistance against the cidal action of the antibiotics. The lower the penicillin concentration and the rate of kill, the greater is the number of resistant organisms, most probably formed by generation in the presence of penicillin. Penicillin was inactivated with time in the culture of organisms, and the resistant individuals eventually grew and were shown to be insensitive to penicillin. When organisms were exposed to the cidal action of kanamycin or rifampin, the appearance of resistant individuals was ascertained. Penicillin yielded debris and ghost cells of E. coli. No such apparent lysis was observed with kanamycin or rifampin. The activity of kanamycin increased with the pH of the medium, so activity can be assigned to the uncharged or lesser charged fraction of the drug concentration. The addition of penicillin or kanamycin to the organisms treated with tetracycline, chloramphenicol, or novobiocin did not show any significant difference in killing rate from organisms not previously treated with such bacteriostatic agents. However, the combination of a bactericidal and a bacteriostatic antibiotic depressed the resistant mutant formation of resistant individuals over that of the bactericidal drug alone. When rifampin was added to organisms pretreated with tetracycline or chloramphenicol, the cidal action of rifampin was significantly reduced.
Allergic and Nonallergic Rhinitis: Classification and Pathogenesis Part I. Allergic Rhinitis:

Chronic rhinitis, although not life-threatening, substantially interferes with one's quality of life. Associated symptoms of nasal obstruction, sneezing, rhinorrhea, and anosmia afflict an estimated 40 million Americans. Directed clinical history and physical examination combined with noninvasive and routine procedures permit physicians to diagnose the myriad conditions causing rhinitis. Although the precise etiology of many of these conditions is only partially known, a practical diagnostic classification can be formulated based on clinical and laboratory findings. An understanding of the pathophysiology of allergic rhinitis as well as the other less understood entities provides the clinician with a integral foundation to implement preventative and therapeutic measures. This comprehensive review should provide the reader an opportunity to better understand and appreciate the causes and pathophysiology of chronic rhinitis. Part I of this article concentrates on IgE-mediated reactions, mediators, and drugs...
Single exposure to radiation produces early anti-angiogenic effects in mouse aorta

Radiation exposure can increase the risk for many non-malignant physiological complications, including cardiovascular disease. We have previously demonstrated that ionizing radiation can induce endothelial dysfunction, which contributes to increased vascular stiffness. In this study, we demonstrate that gamma radiation exposure reduced endothelial cell viability or proliferative capacity using an in vitro aortic angiogenesis assay. Segments of mouse aorta were embedded in a Matrigel-media matrix 1 day after mice received whole-body gamma irradiation between 0 and 20 Gy. Using three-dimensional phase contrast microscopy, we quantified cellular outgrowth from the aorta. Through fluorescent imaging of embedded aortas from Tie2GFP transgenic mice, we determined that the cellular outgrowth is primarily of endothelial cell origin. Significantly less endothelial cell outgrowth was observed in aortas of mice receiving radiation of 5, 10, and 20 Gy radiation, suggesting radiation-induced endothelial injury. Following 0.5 and 1 Gy doses of whole-body irradiation, reduced outgrowth was still detected. Furthermore, outgrowth was not affected by the location of the aortic segments excised along the descending aorta. In conclusion, a single exposure to gamma radiation significantly reduces endothelial cell outgrowth in a dose-dependent manner. Consequently, radiation exposure may inhibit re-endothelialization or angiogenesis after a vascular injury, which would impede vascular recovery.
Exercise and heart disease.

Abstract Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of death in the United States. It accounts for myocardial infarction in ∼1.5 million Americans annually and results in ∼500,000 deaths yearly. Half of these deaths occur prior to patients being admitted to a hospital. A dramatic reduction in mortality related to atherosclerotic CAD has occurred in the last decade. This reduction has resulted from significant advances in both the medical and surgical management of this disease as well as from increased efforts to modify risk factors known to increase the likelihood of developing CAD. Modifiable risk factors include cigarette smoking, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension. More recently, physical inactivity has been found to be a significant modifiable risk factor that can influence the development of CAD. This article reviews some of the observational data that support these conclusions, discusses the role of exercise in the prevention of CAD in select groups, and reviews some of the mechanisms by which exercise may modify the development of CAD.
Improving performance per watt of asymmetric multi-core processors via online program phase classification and adaptive core morphing

Asymmetric multi-core processors (AMPs) have been shown to outperform symmetric ones in terms of performance and performance/watt. Improved performance and power efficiency are achieved when the program threads are matched to their most suitable cores. Since the computational needs of a program may change during its execution, the best thread to core assignment will likely change with time. We have, therefore, developed an online program phase classification scheme that allows the swapping of threads when the current needs of the threads justify a change in the assignment.The architectural differences among the cores in an AMP can never match the diversity that exists among different programs and even between different phases of the same program. Consider, for example, a program (or a program phase) that has a high instruction-level parallelism (ILP) and will exhibit high power efficiency if executed on a powerful core. We can not, however, include such powerful cores in the designed AMP, since they will remain underutilized most of the time, and they are not power efficient when the programs do not exhibit a high degree of ILP. Thus, we must expect to see program phases where the designed cores will be unable to support the ILP that the program can exhibit. We, therefore, propose in this article a dynamic morphing scheme. This scheme will allow a core to gain control of a functional unit that is ordinarily under the control of a neighboring core during periods of intense computation with high ILP. This way, we dynamically adjust the hardware resources to the current needs of the application.Our results show that combining online phase classification and dynamic core morphing can significantly improve the performance/watt of most multithreaded workloads.
Amounts of coronary arterial narrowing by atherosclerotic plaques in clinically isolated, chronic, pure aortic regurgitation: Analysis of 37 necropsy patients older than 30 years

Abstract The degree of cross-sectional area (XSA) narrowing by atherosclerotic plaque in each of the 4 major epicardial coronary arteries (right, left main, left anterior descending and left circumflex) was determined at necropsy in 37 patients (30 men and 7 women) aged 34 to 77 years (mean 54) with severe, isolated, chronic, pure aortic regurgitation (AR). In 7 patients (19%), ≥ 1 major coronary artery was narrowed 76 to 100% in XSA at some point. Of the 148 major coronary arteries examined in the 37 patients, 12 arteries (8% ) were narrowed at some point 76 to 100% in XSA. Each of the 148 major coronary arteries were divided into 5-mm-long segments (average 53 per patient) and a histologic section from each segment was examined. Of the 1,977 segments, 1,087 were narrowed 0 to 25%, 669 (34%) 26 to 50%, 170 (9%) 51 to 75%, 48 (2%) 76 to 95% and 3 (0.001%) 96 to 100%. The average amount of XSA narrowing by atherosclerotic plaque per segment was about 28%. Of the 37 patients, 9 had had angina pectoris, 2 of whom had significant (> 75% XSA reduction) coronary narrowing; 2 other patients had had acute myocardial infarction clinically, 1 of whom had significant coronary narrowing at necropsy. Thus, in general, the amount of coronary narrowing in our 37 adults with severe, pure, isolated, chronic AR was relatively mild.
Electrophoretic Transport of Biomolecules through Carbon Nanotube Membranes

Electrophoretic transport of proteins across electrochemically oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) membranes has been investigated. A small charged protein, lysozyme, was successfully pumped across MWCNT membranes by an electric field while rejecting larger bovine serum albumin (BSA). Transport of lysozome was reduced by a factor of about 30 in comparison to bulk mobility and consistent with the prediction for hindered transport. Mobilities between 0.33 and 1.4 × 10−9 m2 V−1 s−1 were observed and are approximately 10-fold faster than comparable ordered nanoporous membranes and consistent with continuum models. For mixtures of BSA and lysozyme, complete rejection of BSA is seen with electrophoretic separations.