cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Validation of Flare Combustion Efficiency Predictions From Large Eddy Simulations

Societal concerns about the wide-spread use of flaring of waste gases have motivated methods for predicting combustion efficiency from industrial flare systems under high crosswind conditions. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate, with a quantified degree of accuracy, a prediction procedure for the combustion efficiency of industrial flares in crosswind by using large eddy simulations (LES). LES is shown to resolve the important mixing between fuel and entrained air governing the extent of reaction to within less than a percent of combustion efficiency. The experimental data from the 4-inch flare tests performed at the CanmetENERGY wind tunnel flare facility was used as experimentally measured metrics to validate the simulation with quantified uncertainty. The approach used prior information about the models and experimental data and the associated likelihood functions to determine informative posterior distributions. The model values were subjected to a consistency constraint, which requires that all experiments and simulations be bounded by their individual experimental uncertainty. The final result was a predictive capability (in the nearby regime) for flare combustion efficiency where no/sparse experimental data is available but where the validation process produces error bars for the predicted combustion efficiency.
Response to Comments by Timpson et al. and Yu et al.

The lack of association of the abnormal spindle-like microcephaly associated ( ASPM ) and Microcephalin ( MCPH1 ) genes with brain size or intelligence described by Timpson et al . has been reported previously, including by our own group. Moreover, as in most studies of selection, our analyses were entirely independent of phenotypic association. We also respond to the previously published comment by Yu et al ., which argued that ASPM has not undergone positive selection.
Primary vitrectomy without scleral buckling for pseudophakic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

Purpose To report the anatomic and functional results of primary vitrectomy without scleral buckling for the treatment of pseudophakic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (PsRD). Design Prospective, nonrandomized surgical technique study. Methods One hundred eyes of 98 patients with PsRD were operated by vitrectomy alone. Internal subretinal fluid drainage, cryocoagulation and/or endolaser and fluid–air exchange with sulfur hexafluoride 20% was applied in all cases. The preoperative and postoperative characteristics were analyzed. Main outcome measures were anatomic success rates after initial surgical intervention and after reoperation for primary failures, visual outcome at the last follow-up visit, and complications. Results Mean follow-up ± standard deviation (SD) was 12 ± 6.3 months (range, seven to 36 months). Mean final visual acuity ± SD was 0.42 ± 0.45 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) compared with 0.95 ± 0.73 logMAR before surgery ( P Conclusions Primary vitrectomy without scleral buckling provides a high anatomic success rate in eyes with PsRD and is associated with few complications.
The controversial carbon solid–liquid–vapour triple point

THE controversy over the solid-liquid-vapour (S–L–V) triple point of carbon began in 1849 (ref. 1). Since then, investigators have developed widely differing points of view which are discussed here. Some believe the triple-point pressure is ∼105 Pa (∼1 atm), whereas others believe it is ∼107 Pa (∼100 atm). Over the past 40 yr, the 107 Pa view has dominated but the evidence is not entirely convincing. In the past few years, new evidence has been obtained that apparently ends the controversy at least from the standpoint of the proper order of magnitude of the pressure.
Helix–coil transition in nucleoprotein. Effect of ionic strength on thermal denaturation of polylysine–DNA complexes

Thermal denaturation of direct-mixed and reconstituted polylysine–DNA complexes in 2.5 × 10−4M EDTA, pH 8.0 and various concentrations of NaCl has been studied. For both complexes, increasing ionic strength of the solution raises Tm, the melting temperature of free base pairs. The linear dependence of Tm on log Na+ indicates that the concept of electrostatic shielding on phosphate lattice of an infinitely long pure DNA by Na+ can be applied to short free DNA segments in a nucleoprotein. For a direct-mixed polylysine–DNA complex, the melting temperature of bound base pairs Tm′ remains constant at various ionic strengths. On the other hand, the Tm′ in a reconstituted polylysine–DNA complex is shifted to lower temperature at higher ionic strength. This phenomenon occurs for reconstituted complex with long polylysine of one thousand residues or short polylysine of one hundred residues. It is shown that such a decrease of Tm′ is not due to a reduction of coupling melting between free and bound regions in a complex when the ionic strength is raised. It is also not due to intermolecular or intramolecular change from a reconstituted to a direct-mixed complex. It is suggested that this phenomenon is due to structural change on polylysine-bound regions by ionic strength. It is suggested further that Na+ may replace water molecules and bind polylysine-bound regions in a reconstituted complex. Such a dehydration effect destabilizes these regions and lowers Tm′. This explanation is supported by circular dichroism (CD) results.
Patient Mechanisms of Injury in Whiplash-Associated Disorders

Abstract Whiplash-associated disorders constitute a large proportion of cervical injuries. The posteroanterior acceleration loading from rear-end motor vehicle crashes results in motions of the head–neck complex. This manuscript describes the various mechanisms of injury, including hyperextension kinematics, hydrodynamic forces (pressure gradient in the spinal canal), eccentric contraction (muscle focus), and combined axial and shear loading (local variations in the kinetics of different segments of the cervical spinal column). The anatomic components of the cervical spine that may be involved in functional alterations and that result in acute and chronic symptoms are discussed along with demographic and vehicular factors.
Molecular Identification of Diaspididae and Elucidation of Non-Native Species Using the Genes 28s and 16s

Armored scale insects pose a serious threat to habitat conservation across the globe because they include some of the most potent invasive species in the world. They are such a serious concern because their basic morphology, small size, and polyphagous feeding habits often allow them to exist undetected by growers and quarantine experts. In order to provide a potential solution to the problem, we have attempted to elucidate the effectiveness of molecular identification techniques using ribosomal 28s and endosymbiotic 16s rRNA. Sequence data was obtained from many field-collected insects to test the feasibility of identification techniques. A protocol for quick species determination based on sequence data is provided.
Ko¨lliker-Fuse nucleus: the principal source of pontine catecholaminergic cells projecting to the lumbar spinal cord of cat

Abstract Using retrograde transport of the fluorescent dye Evans Blue (EB), in combination with glyoxylic acid histofluorescence, the ponto-spinal catecholaminergic pathways were investigated. The cells which contain catecholamine and project to the lumbar spinal cord of the cat are most densely concentrated in the Ko¨lliker-Fuse nucleus. Locus coeruleus, the subcoeruleus area, and the parabrachial nuclei were found to have relatively few cells that both contain catecholamine and project to the lumbar spinal cord.
Increasing Access for Economically Disadvantaged Students: The NSF/CSEM & S-STEM Programs at Louisiana State University

Increasing college degree attainment for students from disadvantaged backgrounds is a prominent component of numerous state and federal legislation focused on higher education. In 1999, the National Science Foundation (NSF) instituted the “Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarships” (CSEMS) program; this initiative was designed to provide greater access and support to academically talented students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Originally intended to provide financial support to lower income students, this NSF program also advocated that additional professional development and advising would be strategies to increase undergraduate persistence to graduation. This innovative program for economically disadvantaged students was extended in 2004 to include students from other disciplines including the physical and life sciences as well as the technology fields, and the new name of the program was Scholarships for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM). The implementation of these two programs in Louisiana State University (LSU) has shown significant and measurable success since 2000, making LSU a Model University in providing support to economically disadvantaged students within the STEM disciplines. The achievement of these programs is evidenced by the graduation rates of its participants. This report provides details on the educational model employed through the CSEMS/S-STEM projects at LSU and provides a path to success for increasing student retention rates in STEM disciplines. While the LSU’s experience is presented as a case study, the potential relevance of this innovative mentoring program in conjunction with the financial support system is discussed in detail.
Vibronic coupling and its effect on intensities in aromatic aldehyde triplet spectra

Abstract An approach to the theory of intensification of forbidden spectra is formulated which does not require the Herzberg-Teller condition: energy gap > coupling mode energy. Application is made to aromatic aldehyde phosphorescence spectra correctly predicting an anomalous deuterium effect on the intensity of 26 1 0 (involving the CHO hydrogen wagging mode) for small 3 ππ * - 3 nπ * energy gaps. The theory also predicts strong attenuation of 26 1 0 in 3 nπ * phosphorescence but not for 3 ππ * , explaining the intensity reversal of 26 1 0 and 36 1 0 (involving the CHO torsional mode) in the two phosphorescences.
Effectiveness of Impression Management Tactics Across Human Resource Situations1

An experimental study was undertaken to explore the effectiveness of impression management tactics in various situations. To manipulate the variables of interest, 6 different scenarios were created by crossing 2 independent variables: impression management tactics (self-focused or other-focused) and situation (employment interview, performance appraisal, or training session). Respondents, 178 human resource professionals, were mailed a survey that contained 2 of the 6 scenarios. In each scenario, respondents rated the person described in the scenario on performance, provided their affective impressions, and determined the appropriateness of the impression management cues given the situation. Results indicated a significant interaction between the use of impression management and the situation. These findings are compared to past research, and suggestions for future directions for the study of impression management are outlined.
A cat cloned by nuclear transplantation

This kitten's coat-coloration pattern is not a carbon copy of its genome donor's. Sheep, mice, cattle, goats and pigs have all been cloned by transfer of a donor cell nucleus into an enucleated ovum1,2,3,4,5, and now we add the successful cloning of a cat (Felis domesticus) to this list. However, this cloning technology may not be readily extendable to other mammalian species if our understanding of their reproductive processes is limited or if there are species-specific obstacles.
Korea's war at 60: A survey of the literature

This article provides a summary of current literature addressing the Korean conflict, from World War II until July 1953. It describes not only the content of major books and articles, but also key areas of interpretive disagreement. Topics cover both political and military affairs.
Sources of information used in diagnosing childhood learning disabilities.

Abstract One hundred nineteen questionnaires in which board certified/eligible child neurologists were asked to rank the diagnostic importance of 8 sources of information commonly used in the assessment of children with learning disabilities were analyzed by the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed ranks test. All pairwise comparisons of the 8 sources revealed significant differences ( P ≤ .033) except for psychologic reports (mean rank ± 1 S.D. = 2.09 ± 1.14) and medical histories (2.26 ± 1.45) which were rated equal ( P = .397) and, compared to the other sources, diagnostically most useful ( P P = .033) and questionnaires distributed to parents and teachers (5.05 ± 2.11) were more useful than findings on the remainder of the neurologic examination (5.81 ± 1.46; P = .012). Social service reports (6.45 ± 1.32) took precedence over soft signs (7.12 ± 1.05; P = .001) which were considered the least diagnostically helpful. Analysis of variance revealed that this rank order was relatively independent of the responders' age, type of practice, years elapsed since completion of training and percentage of professional time spent examining pediatric patients. Information derived from outside sources (collective mean rank ± 1 S.D. = 4.25 ± 0.9) contributed significantly more to the diagnosis of learning disabilities than to information elicited directly by the examining neurologists (4.77 ± .88; P = .002). We conclude that pediatric neurologists are remarkably consistent in their approach to the diagnosis of learning disabilities. Medical history and information obtained from outside sources, particularly reports of psychologists and teachers, contribute more significantly to the diagnosis of learning disabilities than do findings elicited on the neurologic examination.
The use of particle image velocimetry in the physical modeling of flow in electromagnetic or direct-chill casting of aluminum: Part I. Development of the physical model

This article describes the development of a physical (water) model for examining flows in the liquid metal pool, at the head of an electromagnetic (EM) or direct-chill (DC) caster for aluminum, that are driven by the inflow of liquid metal. Also described is a particle image velocimetry (PIV) system developed for measuring the flows; the system dispenses with the laser usually required for PIV. Flows in the model were found to be unsteady, but ensemble averaging yielded flow patterns that conformed to expectations and velocities that can be compared to the time-averaged velocities (TAVs) of mathematical models. Some representative results are presented (with more extensive results to be included in a subsequent Part II of this article) showing that the design of the metal delivery system has a great effect on the flows.
Getting Cancer Research Into the News: A Communication Case Study Centered on One U.S. Comprehensive Cancer Center

Public dissemination of research findings via the news media has become an important part of the scientific process. The dissemination of complex topics such as cancer has proven somewhat problematic in that news coverage is often judged as compounding, rather than alleviating, communication difficulties. This case study centers around one comprehensive cancer center (CCC) and examines communication stakeholders’ objectives in producing news coverage of cancer issues. The authors’ analysis adopts a constructionist perspective of news making, emphasizing actors’ power to shape news coverage rather than conceptualizing news as a public record of objectively newsworthy events. The authors’ data suggest widespread support for media communication of scientific findings but little articulation of definitive communication goals. It is concluded that without clear articulation of shared goals, communication efforts cannot effectively enhance public empowerment or effectively promote cancer prevention.
Virulence measurements of Pseudomonas aeruginosa based on plaque and toxin Z formation in cell culture.

SummaryAn in vitro system was devised to measure the virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa based on the organism's ability to form virus-like plaques and toxin Z in cell culture monolayers.Plaquing efficiency varied among clinical strains and also between the original isolates and their substrains after 10 and 20 subcultures. These variations were significant at the 99.9% confidence level.The data on the potency of toxin Z produced by these strains as measured by cytopathogenic effect in cell culture and by mouse lethality generally agreed with the data on their plaquing efficiency. Conversely no differences between the tested strains were detected in LD50 determinations in mice. This latter result is in agreement with the findings of other investigators and reemphasizes the need for a more reliable indicator system to assess the virulence of P. aeruginosa. Plaquing efficiency and toxin Z formation in cell culture appear to hold considerable promise as indicators that may satisfy this need.
Photomontage for the Masses: The Soviet Periodical Press of the 1930s

Introduction Cultural transformations taking place today in post-Soviet society consistently (re)turn scholarly attention to the 1930s—the historical period marked by the Soviet government’s intention to bring “culture” closer to the barely literate majority of the Soviet population (mainly workers and peasants), with the goal of strengthening the political consciousness of the “masses.”1 However, the ways in which Soviet society interacted with the prescribed culture remain unclear. For a majority of the Soviet people, especially in the country’s provinces, the periodical press (namely, newspapers, and magazines) was the main and, in some cases, the only agent of cultural information. Although intended for the ordinary Soviet population, mass periodicals reflected the diversity of artistic and cultural trends, and functioned not only as sources of information but also as visual media that transmitted, as well as created, the cultural norms of society. The study of the periodical press remains a marginalized subject in art history, continually overlooked as aesthetically insubstantial to merit sustained attention.2 Researchers focus mostly on the productions of major artists—caricaturists (Kukriniksi,3 Konstantin Rotov, etc.); photographers (Maks Alpert, Alexander Rodchenko, Ivan Shagin, etc.), and poster designers (Gustav Klutsis)—and rarely address the sources through which their works and the works of other artists reached the population. Such disassociation misconstrues the contextual role of the images, since it implies an autonomous existence of the artwork. In reality, the majority of the images were consumed by the masses from the pages of the illustrated periodicals.4 At the same time, little attention has been given to the various practical issues involved in the production of the periodical press, namely the operation of the editorial office. Although the main feature of Soviet society was the single discourse defined by the government’s official line, the final product derived, to a large extent, from the editorial staff’s spontaneous interpretations of this line.5 As Jeffrey Brooks put it, the mass media was the work of people struggling to “make the world around them intelligible within the officially given limits.”6
On solving the irregularly-shaped plate buckling problem

This paper develops methods for finding critical buckling loads of isotropic plates. In particular, this paper is motivated by the lack of tabular data for non-rectangular plates such as general trapezoids. High order displacement functions are used, and boundary conditions are imposed by utilizing the Lagrange multiplier method, which allows for a variety of constraint conditions. The element is derived with the use of minimum potential energy and subparametric mappings. An example is given, and several test cases are presented to show the validity of the approach in the one element case.
Non-conventional trafficking of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator through the early secretory pathway.

Abstract The mechanism(s) of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) trafficking from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) through the Golgi apparatus, the step impaired in individuals afflicted with the prevalent CFTR-ΔF508 mutation leading to cystic fibrosis, is largely unknown. Recent morphological observations suggested that CFTR is largely absent from the Golgi in situ (Bannykh, S. I., Bannykh, G. I., Fish, K. N., Moyer, B. D., Riordan, J. R., and Balch, W. E. (2000)Traffic 1, 852–870), raising the possibility of a novel trafficking pathway through the early secretory pathway. We now report that export of CFTR from the ER is regulated by the conventional coat protein complex II (COPII) in all cell types tested. Remarkably, in a cell type-specific manner, processing of CFTR from the core-glycosylated (band B) ER form to the complex-glycosylated (band C) isoform followed a non-conventional pathway that was insensitive to dominant negative Arf1, Rab1a/Rab2 GTPases, or the SNApREceptor (SNARE) component syntaxin 5, all of which block the conventional trafficking pathway from the ER to the Golgi. Moreover, CFTR transport through the non-conventional pathway was potently blocked by overexpression of the late endosomal target-SNARE syntaxin 13, suggesting that recycling through a late Golgi/endosomal system was a prerequisite for CFTR maturation. We conclude that CFTR transport in the early secretory pathway can involve a novel pathway between the ER and late Golgi/endosomal compartments that may influence developmental expression of CFTR on the cell surface in polarized epithelial cells.
Success and Excess: The Contours and Character of American Higher Education Since 1960

Higher Education in the United States during the six decades from 1960 to 2010 has been a success story characterized by expansion, prosperity and prestige. These characteristics, however, were inseparable from problems of excess and lack of clear educational purposes. Furthermore, these problems remain unresolved early in the 21st century, creating a crisis of confidence for colleges and universities.
Search for the global signature of the Martian dynamo

[1] We analyze Mars’ global magnetic field observations to gain insight into the evolution of Mars and its paleodynamo. Statistical properties of the magnetic field above Noachian and Hesperian age crust are similar, suggesting that the dynamo persisted past the Noachian. We model crustal magnetization in order to match the large-scale features of the magnetic field. The model is based on a spherical shell of uniform thickness that was magnetized uniformly by an internal dipole. Crustal magnetization is removed from the northern lowlands, the Tharsis volcanic province, and the Hellas, Argyre, and Isidis impact basins. The magnetic field due to the remaining crustal magnetization is computed and compared with published models of the magnetic field data. The comparison is based on the spherical harmonic coefficients of the radial magnetic field component for the crustal magnetization models and the models of the observations. The correlation coefficients between the magnetization models and the models of the observations are calculated as a function of spherical harmonic degree. The correlations maximize for paleopole positions that are located near the equator in the southeast and northwest quadrants of Mars. The root-mean-square differences of the spherical harmonic coefficients are also calculated, and paleopole positions that minimize these differences generally agree with the paleopoles that maximize the correlations. The low-latitude to midlatitude paleopoles suggest that true polar wander occurred early in Mars’ history, and the polarity of the paleopole positions suggests that at least one reversal of the dynamo magnetic field occurred.
Connecting the university to inner-city secondary school mathematics

The study of advanced mathematics in secondary school is an important threshold. Especially affected is the further academic success of inner-city students. These are minority and/or new immigrant students and those from low-income families. Many inner-city schools lack a strong curriculum, often including no opportunity to study calculus. This article reports on a long-term collaborative effort between Northeastern University and inner-city high schools in Boston. This resulted in a wide-spread introduction of reform calculus classes in schools previously lacking calculus.
Biochemical Characterization of Human Tyrosyl-DNA Phosphodiesterase 2 (TDP2/TTRAP) A Mg2+/Mn2+-DEPENDENT PHOSPHODIESTERASE SPECIFIC FOR THE REPAIR OF TOPOISOMERASE CLEAVAGE COMPLEXES

TDP2 is a multifunctional enzyme previously known for its role in signal transduction as TRAF and TNF receptor-associated protein (TTRAP) and ETS1-associated protein 2 (EAPII). The gene has recently been renamed TDP2 because it plays a critical role for the repair of topoisomerase II cleavage complexes (Top2cc) and encodes an enzyme that hydrolyzes 5′-tyrosine-DNA adducts that mimic abortive Top2cc. Here we further elucidate the DNA-processing activities of human recombinant TDP2 and its biochemical characteristics. The preferred substrate for TDP2 is single-stranded DNA or duplex DNA with a four-base pair overhang, which is consistent with the known structure of Top2cc or Top3cc. The kcat/Km of TDP1 and TDP2 was determined. It was found to be 4 × 105 s−1m−1 for TDP2 using single-stranded 5′-tyrosyl-DNA. The processing of substrates as short as five nucleotides long suggests that TDP2 can directly bind DNA ends. 5′-Phosphodiesterase activity requires a phosphotyrosyl linkage and tolerates an extended group attached to the tyrosine. TDP2 requires Mg2+ or Mn2+ for efficient catalysis but is weakly active with Ca2+ or Zn2+. Titration with Ca2+ demonstrates a two-metal binding site in TDP2. Sequence alignment suggests that TDP2 contains four conserved catalytic motifs shared by Mg2+-dependent endonucleases, such as APE1. Substitutions at each of the four catalytic motifs identified key residues Asn-120, Glu-152, Asp-262, and His-351, whose mutation to alanine significantly reduced or completely abolished enzymatic activity. Our study characterizes the substrate specificity and kinetic parameters of TDP2. In addition, a two-metal catalytic mechanism is proposed.
Picture archive and communication systems implementation in a community medicine practice

In order to gain experience with vendor-supplied picture archive and communication system (PACS) products, a Vantage PACS from Lockheed-Martin was installed in a Mayo community medicine practice in Rochester. This practice produces about 45,000 radiology examinations annually. The PACS includes central long- and short-term storage devices, 10 image display workstations, and a dedicated high-speed image distribution network. Digital images are produced using two Fuji computed radiography readers. Custom worklists were created to facilitate efficient system usage. Currently, all radiographic examinations for this practice are acquired digitally, and interpreted and distributed using the PACS. Remote softcopy interpretation via PACS has decreased the turnaround time for both routine and urgent examinations, and has allowed subspecialty interpretation or consultation for pediatric examinations. These results have significantly improved the radiology component of this community medicine practice.
Nitrogen-doped nickel oxide thin films for enhanced electrochromic applications

Abstract In this work, Ni oxide and nitrogen (N)-doped Ni oxide electrochromic films were fabricated with radio frequency magnetron sputtering from a ceramic Ni oxide target. Nitrogen gas was used as the precursor for N doping. The N dopant resulted in Ni oxide films with decreased lattice parameters, increased degree of crystallinity and enhanced surface roughness. The electrochromic performance of the resulting films was evaluated in a LiClO 4 electrolyte dissolved in propylene carbonate. The charge reversibility and coloration efficiency as well as the coloration and bleaching kinetics for the N-doped Ni oxide films were significantly improved relative to the undoped Ni oxide films.
The ‘other side’ of embedded ness: A case‐study of the interplay of economy and ethnicity

Abstract As interest in ethnics and their entrepreneurial activities has grown in recent years, sociologists have come to emphasize the importance of ethnic social structures as the source of actions propelling business growth. In a sign of convergence with the ‘new economic sociology’, recent literature suggests that embeddedness in ethnic networks and communities leads to cooperative, if not conformist, behaviour among ethnic economic actors. This article looks at the ‘other side’ of embeddedness, through a case‐study of African‐American, Caribbean, Korean and white construction contractors in New York City. I argue that, in construction, the embeddedness of economic behaviour in ongoing social relations among a myriad of social actors impedes access to outsiders. Embeddedness contributes to the liabilities of newness that all neophytes encounter, breeding a preference for established players with track records. However, the convergence of economic and ethnic ties has a further baneful effect, since out...
Arousal responses to emotional stimuli and laterality of lesion.

Abstract Galvanic skin responses (GSR) and respiration were monitored during random presentation of neutral and emotionally loaded visual stimuli to normal controls, dominant hemisphere damaged (DH) and nondominant hemisphere damaged (NDH) subjects. GSR was significantly smaller in the DH and NDH than in controls, and it was significantly smaller in NDH than in DH. In the control and DH group GSR for the emotional slides was significantly larger than for the neutral ones, while there was virtually no GSR to either stimuli in the NDH group. Respiratory changes were not significant. Dominant hemisphere damage appears to decrease arousal responses to emotional stimuli, while NDH damage suppresses arousal together.
Relating species abundance distributions to species-area curves in two Mediterranean-type shrublands

Based on both theoretical and empirical studies there is evidence that different species abundance distributions underlie different species-area relationships. Here I show that Australian and Californian shrubland communities (at the scale from 1 to 1000 m 2 ) exhibit different species-area relationships and different species abundance patterns. The species-area relationship in Australian heathlands best fits an exponential model and species abundance (based on both density and cover) follows a narrow log normal distribution. In contrast, the species-area relationship in Californian shrublands is best fit with the power model and, although species abundance appears to fit a log normal distribution, the distribution is much broader than in Australian heathlands. I hypothesize that the primary driver of these differences is the abundance of small-stature annual species in California and the lack of annuals in Australian heathlands. Species-area is best fit by an exponential model in Australian heathlands because the bulk of the species are common and thus the species-area curves initially rise rapidly between 1 and 100 m 2 . Annuals in Californian shrublands generate very broad species abundance distributions with many uncommon or rare species. The power function is a better model in these communities because richness increases slowly from 1 to 100 m 2 but more rapidly between 100 and 1000 m 2 due to the abundance of rare or uncommon species that are more likely to be encountered at coarser spatial scales. The implications of this study are that both the exponential and power function models are legitimate representations of species-area relationships in different plant communities. Also, structural differences in community organization, arising from different species abundance distributions, may lead to different species-area curves, and this may be tied to patterns of life form distribution.
The determination of heating rate changes in thermal analysis equipment

Abstract By recording the first derivative of the sample temperature, d T s /d t , as a function of time or temperature, small changes or fluctuations in the furnace heating rate can be easily detected. This method is far more sensitive to heating rate changes than is the usual temperature-time plots. First derivative temperature curves are also given for the dehydration of BaCl 2 ·2H 2 O and CuSO 4 ·5H 2 O.
Intercity Commute Patterns in Central Texas

There are highly populated regional corridors that connect multiple cities in different parts of the world. Public transportation is believed to be a good solution to ease traffic congestions in these corridors. To make informed decisions about public transportation planning, we must have a clear picture about commuting patterns in a corridor. Although the study of commute patterns has a long tradition in urban planning, urban geography, and transportation analysis, the examination of intercity commute patterns in urban corridors consisting of multiple cities has received limited attention. This study aims to achieve a better understanding of intercity commute patterns and flows in a five-county study area in Central Texas. We used GIS methods and network analysis procedures to analyze the U.S. 2000 Census Transportation Planning Package (CTPP) Part 3 Journey-to-Work data. Results from the analyses suggest that: (1) most (greater than 97%) of the workers with their homes in the five-county area also worked in the area; (2) the number of people who worked in the five-county area exceeded the number of people who had their homes in the area; and (3) most of the intercity commuting trips were between cities located within the same metropolitan area.
Quantum dot-based resonance energy transfer and its growing application in biology.

We provide an overview of the progress made in the past few years in investigating fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) using semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) and the application of QD-based FRET to probe specific biological processes. We start by providing some of the pertinent conceptual elements involved in resonance energy transfer, and then discuss why the Forster dipole-dipole mechanism applies to QD fluorophores. We then describe the unique QD photophysical properties of direct relevance to FRET and summarize the main advantages offered, along with some of the limitations encountered by QDs as exciton donors and/or acceptors. Next we describe the overall progress made and discuss a few representative examples where QD-based FRET sensing of specific biological processes has been demonstrated. We also detail some of the advances of single molecule FRET using QD-conjugates and highlight the unique information that can be extracted. We conclude by providing an assessment of where QD-based FRET investigations may be evolving in the near future.
CyberSeer: 3D audio-visual immersion for network security and management

Large complex networks have become an inseparable part of modern society. However, very little has been done to develop tools to manage and ensure the security of such networks. Network operators continue to slave over endless daily logs and alerts in a struggle to keep networks operational. Perhaps the most formidable enemy of network operations today is the volume of management data that must be perused. Expensive commercial products attempt to visualize data but with limited utility, as witnessed by the prevailing use of command-line interfaces and homegrown scripts. In addition to data collection tools, operators need to immediately observe and debug the effects of their actions; yet that information is buried deep in the data that pours daily from monitoring equipment. Thus, they need better ways to abstract network events and better, more informative ways to render them.In this work we first propose a new approach for abstracting network information, namely spectral representation. Second, we introduce immersive spatial audio representations of network events. Third, we introduce 3D interactive auto-stereoscopic (AS) displays for visual representations. We integrate the three techniques as follows. We use spectral techniques to extract complex events buried inside voluminous network traces and logs. Then, we create a desktop interactive immersive auto-stereoscopic 3D environment that is seamlessly integrated with multi-channel spatially rendered audio to render such events in a far more human-friendly fashion.
Goid-Doped Silicon Detectors for the Control of Bubble Chamber Photography

The properties of a gold-doped silicon detector have been studied with s-ray sorces. The observed peak of 0.6 Mev from a Sr90-Y90 source agrees well with the most probable energy loss in the detector, calculated for minimum ionizing electrons. Our ultimate aim is to use a matrix of 20 × 34 of such detectors to control our bubble chamber photography.
The Potential for LNG as a Railroad Fuel in the U.S.

Freight railroad operations in the US represent a substantial opportunity for liquefied natural gas (LNG) to displace diesel fuel. With the promise of achieving an overwhelming economic advantage over diesel fuel, this paper presents some discussion to the question, ``Why is the application of LNG for railroad use in the US moving so slowly?'' A brief overview of the freight railroad operations in the US is given, along with a summary of several railroad LNG demonstration projects. US Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board exhaust emission regulations may cause the railroad industry to move from small-scale LNG demonstration projects to using LNG as a primary freight railroad transportation fuel in selected regions or route-specific applications.
The effect of material properties on growth rates of folding and boudinage: Experiments with wax models

Abstract The growth of unstable structures was studied experimentally in layered wax models. The rheological properties of the two wax types were determined independently by a series of cylinder compression tests. Both waxes enhibited (1) a non-Newtonian stress vs strain-rate relationship (2) strain softening and (3) temperature-dependent viscosity. The stress-strain-rate relationships approximated a power-law, with stress exponents of 5 for the microcrystalline wax and 1.8 for paraffin wax. Blocks of paraffin with a single embedded layer of microcrystalline wax were deformed in two-dimensional pure shear with the layer oriented either parallel to the compressive strain axis so that it shortened and folded, or perpendicular to that axis so that it would stretch and boundinage would form. The growth rates of tiny initial disturbances were measured. The growth rates for folding and boudinage were much higher than could be accounted for by theories assuming Newtonian material properties. Theories taking non-Newtonian behaviour into account (Smith, R. B. 1975. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 86, 1601–1609; Fletcher, R. C. 1974. Am. J. Sci. 274, 1029–1043) better describe the folding growth rates. Boudinage, however, grew almost three times faster than would be predicted even by existing non-Newtonian theory. A possible reason for this discrepancy is that the waxes do not exhibit steady-state creep as assumed in the theory. We, therefore, extend the theory to include strain-softening. The crucial step in this theory is the use of a scalar measure of the deformation as a state variable in the constitutive law. In this way the isotropic manifestation of strain-softening can be taken into account. The analysis shows that strain-softening can lead to greatly increased boudinage growth rates while having little influence on the growth rates of folds, which is in agreement with the experiments.
Individualism, Externalism and Idiolectical Meaning

Semantic externalism in contemporary philosophy of language typically – and often tacitly – combines two supervenience claims about idiolectical meaning (i.e., meaning in the language system of an individual speaker). The first claim is that the meaning of a word in a speaker’s idiolect may vary without any variation in her intrinsic, physical properties. The second is that the meaning of a word in a speaker’s idiolect may vary without any variation in her understanding of it. I here show that a conception of idiolectical meaning is possible that accepts the “anti-internalism” of the first claim while rejecting (what I shall refer to as) the “anti-individualism” of the second. According to this conception, externally constituted idiolectical meaning supervenes on idiolectical understanding. I begin by trying to show that it is possible to disentangle anti-internalist and anti-individualist strands of argument in Hilary Putnam’s well-known and widely influential “The Meaning of ‘Meaning’.” Having once argued that the latter strand of argument is not cogent, I then try to show that individualism (in the sense above) can be reconciled with perhaps the most plausible reconstruction of Putnam’s well-known and widely accepted “indexical” theory of natural kind terms. Integral to my defense of the possibility of an individualist externalism about idiolectical meaning are my efforts to demonstrate that, pace Putnam, there is no “division of linguistic labor” when it comes to the fixing the meanings of such terms in a speaker’s idiolect. The fact that average speakers sometimes need defer to experts shows that not reference, but only reliable recognition of what belongs in the extension of a natural kind term is a “social phenomenon.” A rule, so far as it interests us, does not act at a distance. Wittgenstein (1958, 14).
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GRAVITATIONAL AND YANG–MILLS FIELDS, AND THE TREATMENT OF ACCELERATED FRAMES

We discuss ideas and problems regarding classical and quantum gravity, gauge theory of gravity, and space–time transformations between accelerated frames. Both Einstein's theory of gravity and Yang–Mills theory are gauge invariant. The invariance principles are at the very heart of our understanding of the physical world. This paper attempts to survey the development and to reveal problems and limitations of various formulations to gravitational and Yang–Mills fields, and to space–time transformations of accelerated frames. Gravitational force and accelerated frames are two ingredients in Einstein's thought in the period around 1907. Accelerated frames are difficult to define and are not well developed. However, one cannot claim to have a complete understanding of the physical world, if one understands flat space–time physics only from the viewpoint of the special class of inertial frames and ignores the vast class of noninertial frames. The paper highlights three aspects: (1) ideas of gravity as a Yang–Mills field, first discussed by Utiyama; (2) problems of quantum gravity, discussed by Feynman, Dyson and others; (3) space–time properties and the physics of fields and particles in accelerated frames of reference. These unfulfilled aspects of Einstein and Yang–Mills' profound thoughts present a challenge to physicists and mathematicians in the 21st century.
Mechanisms of sodium/calcium selectivity in sodium channels probed by cysteine mutagenesis and sulfhydryl modification.

A conserved lysine residue in the "P loop" of domain III renders sodium channels highly selective. Conversion of this residue to glutamate, to mimic the homologous position in calcium channels, enables Ca2+ to permeate sodium channels. Because the lysine-to-glutamate mutation converts a positively charged side chain to a negative one, it has been proposed that a positive charge at this position suffices for Na+ selectivity. We tested this idea by converting the critical lysine to cysteine (K1237C) in mu 1 rat skeletal sodium channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Selectivity of the mutant channels was then characterized before and after chemical modification to alter side-chain charge. Wild-type channels are highly selective for Na+ over Ca2+ (PCa/PNa
Ovarian cancer in the octogenarian: Does the paradigm of aggressive cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy still apply?

Abstract Objective The cornerstone of therapy for advanced ovarian cancer is cytoreductive surgery (CRS) followed by platinum based chemotherapy. Optimal management for very elderly women (>80) is unclear. This study sought to review the experience with treating ovarian cancer in this population. Materials and methods This is a retrospective analysis of patients treated between 1991 and 2006. Outcomes included post-operative complications, chemotherapy received and overall survival. Statistical analysis was performed with SAS v.9.1. Results 85 patients were identified with a mean age of 84 years. 86% of patients presented with advanced disease. Primary CRS was performed on 80%. Among patients with advanced disease who underwent either primary (68) or interval debulking (2), 74% were left with Among patients who underwent CRS, 13% were unable to receive indicated adjuvant therapy. Among those who were treated, 25% were treated with single agent platinum and 43% completed Conclusions Our data suggests that patients >80 may not tolerate combination surgery and chemotherapy. The extremely high proportion of post-operative complications and relatively high proportion of post-operative deaths argues for a more prudent approach to this group of patients.
Rapid preparation and magnetodielectric properties of trirutile Cr2WO6

Dense pellets of > 99% purity trirutile Cr2WO6 were prepared in one step from starting oxides using spark plasma sintering, leading to simultaneous reaction and consolidation in 3 min at 1473 K. The reducing environment during processing may be partly responsible for the rapid reaction time in these oxides, with partial reduction of Cr3+ and the associated oxygen vacancies allowing rapid diffusion of cations. The low-temperature physical properties of Cr2WO6 were examined, and a new transition at T = 5.9 K was observed as an anomaly in the temperature-dependent dielectric permittivity and a corresponding anomaly in the specific heat. A strong enhancement of the magnetocapacitance is observed below this transition temperature at T = 5.9 K and may be associated with a change from collinear spin order to more complex spin order.
Assembly of a Chromosomal Replication Machine: Two DNA Polymerases, a Clamp Loader, and Sliding Clamps in One Holoenzyme Particle. I. ORGANIZATION OF THE CLAMP LOADER

The gamma complex of DNA polymerase III holoenzyme, the replicase of Escherichia coli, couples ATP hydrolysis to the loading of beta sliding clamps onto primed DNA. The beta sliding clamp tethers the holoenzyme replicase to DNA for rapid and processive synthesis. In this report, the gamma complex has been constituted from its five different subunits. Size measurements and subunit stoichiometry studies show a composition of gamma 2 delta 1 delta' 1 1 chi 1 psi 1. Strong intersubunit contacts have been identified by gel filtration, and weaker contacts were identified by surface plasmon resonance measurements. An analogous tau complex has also been constituted and characterized; it is nearly as active as the gamma complex in clamp loading activity, but as shown in the fourth report of this series, it is at a disadvantage in binding the delta, delta', chi, and psi subunits when core is present (Xiao, H., Naktinis, V., and O'Donnell, M. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 13378-13383). The single copy subunits within the gamma complex provide the basis for the structural asymmetry inherent within DNA polymerase III holoenzyme.
Using Threatening Sounds as a Conservation Tool: Evolutionary Bases for Managing Human–Elephant Conflict in India

Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are one of three species of elephants in the world, the others being the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cycl...