cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Globalization and the modes of operation of major institutional actors

Abstract Most scholars writing about globalization define it in terms of a dramatic increase in international transactions: from economic exchanges such as trade, finance and investment to cultural ones such as information, ideas and technology. A more useful way to think about globalization is as a basic change in the way major institutional actors think and operate. This article illustrates changes in thinking and modes of operation in firms, in non‐governmental organizations, in international institutions and in the adaptive reactions of state policies. It also explores the potential implications of this conception of globalization, with particular reference to its contradictory consequences for different types of inequality: between states, within states, and between states and other institutional entities. The article concludes with an argument about why globalization is likely to continue and why it is so important to understand.
CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory (Pittsburgh, PA)

CUPS, a research lab at Carnegie Mellon University, is dedicated to addressing the broad array of challenges collectively called "usable privacy and security."
Job Satisfaction In The Public Sector: The Role of the Work Environment

This study examines the influence of the work environment on public employee feelings of job satisfaction, linking characteristics of the work context perceived to be more prevalent in public organ...
Thermal grain boundary grooving with anisotropic surface free energy in three dimensions

Abstract We study the effect of anisotropic surface free energy on thermal grain boundary grooving in three dimensions (3D) where the transport mechanism is surface diffusion. Based on Herring's physical model (The Physics of Powder Metallurgy, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1951, p. 143), we develop a computational model in 3D and simulate the grain boundary grooving of polycrystals consisting of identical grains with a rectangular base. When the anisotropy is mild, the grooving kinetics follow power laws with exponent 1 4 . The ratio of the depth of the groove pit to that of groove root is sensitive to the level of anisotropy and can deviate significantly from the isotropic case. When the anisotropy is severe, surface facets emerge and coarsen in the evolution. Severe anisotropy also induces a slight oscillation in the depth of the groove root along a grain boundary. The simulated grooving surface morphology is similar to the experimental observations of grooving with tungsten.
Ab initio calculations of the absorption spectrum of chalcone

Abstract The excitation energies and excited states of trans-chalcone (trans-(s-cis)-1,3-diphenylpropenone), and several related molecules (trans-(s-cis)-3-phenylpropenal, s-cis-1-phenylpropenone, propenal, trans-(s-cis)-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-phenylpropenone, trans-(s-cis)3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-phenylpropenone) have been calculated using single reference ab initio molecular orbital methods, and characterized by attachment–detachment density analysis. The results suggest assignments for the lowest three electronic transitions observed experimentally for trans-(s-cis)-chalcone in solution. The extent of localization of the electronic transitions is established by calculations on the excited states of trans-(s-cis)-3-phenylpropenal, s-cis-1-phenylpropenone and propenal, as well as analysis of the chalcone calculations. Contrary to some previous work, none of these excitations are strongly delocalized over the entire molecule. Calculated substituent shifts for the hydroxy chalcones are in qualitative agreement with experimental data, and support the localized interpretation of the main π→π* transition.
A comparison of levels of intrinsic single strand breaks/alkali labile sites associated with human melanoma cell invasion

Abstract Intrinsic levels of protein-free single strand breaks/alkali-labile sites in human melanoma cell populations of varying in vitro invasive capacity have been assayed with DNA filter elution methodology. DNA from two human melanoma cell lines, A375P and C8161, and from a subpopulation selected from A375P, A375P-5, were assayed to test the hypothesis that increased levels of DNA damage may be associated with the phenotype of increased invasive and metastatic capacities. The elution profiles obtained reveal statistically significant increases in the level of single strand breaks and/or alkali-labile sites ( SSB ALS ) which correlate with increasing invasive and metastatic capacities. The increased levels of SSB ALS in A375P-5 observed in freshly selected cells decline as these cells are maintained in culture. The stability of this A375P-5 phenotype correlates with previously reported levels of double minute chromosomes, an indicator of genomic instability. Alterations in average intrinsic levels of cellular lesions are therefore an additional factor to be considered in the phenotypic characterization of invasive and metastatic tumor cells and may reflect or contribute to the genomic instability characteristic of tumor cell populations.
Hypertrophy of the ACTH-Producing Cell Following Adrenalectomy: A Quantitative Electron Microscopic Study

For an electron microscopic analysis of the response of the ACTH-cell to adrenalectomy, pituitaries were taken from normal controls and from rats 24 hr after adrenalectomy and at additional intervals up to 3 weeks. Electron micrographs of ACTH-cells that had been sampled by an objective, blind procedure were measured by planimetry and the measurements submitted to statistical analysis. The ACTH-cell undergoes a significant increase of 30% in cell size by 24 hr after adrenalectomy; a 100% increase in cell size is reached as early as 5 days, and then cell size plateaus through 21 days. The size of the nucleus of the ACTH-cell shows a significant increase by the fifth postoperative day and then remains constant to 21 days. The nucleoli of ACTH-cells are significantly enlarged 24 hr postadrenalectomy, and heterochromatin also shows a transformation to euchromatin at this early interval. Secretory granulation of the ACTH-cells is strikingly reduced at 24 hr, then gradually increases at the later intervals. The...
Preoperative PSA and progression-free survival after radical prostatectomy for Stage T1c disease.

Abstract Objectives To examine biochemical progression-free survival (PFS) rates as a function of preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in patients with clinical Stage T1c prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy. Controversy exists about whether performing prostate biopsies for PSA levels in the 2.6 to 4.0 ng/mL range provides a PFS advantage compared with detection at higher PSA ranges. Methods A total of 2804 men with clinical Stage T1c prostate cancer were treated with radical retropubic prostatectomy and monitored prospectively. The study parameters included preoperative PSA level, pathologic tumor stage, and Gleason grade. Patients were grouped into four clinically relevant strata according to their preoperative PSA level: 2.6 to 4.0, 4.1 to 7.0, 7.1 to 10.0, and greater than 10 ng/mL. The primary outcome was the 10-year actuarial biochemical PFS estimate generated using the Kaplan-Meier method. We compared the strata using the log-rank test. Cancer progression rates were compared using the Cochran Armitage test for trend. The chi-square test was used to compare the pathologic parameters among the PSA strata. Results Of the men with a preoperative PSA level of 2.6 to 4.0, 4.1 to 7.0, 7.1 to 10.0, and greater than 10.0 ng/mL, 81%, 74%, 72%, and 60%, respectively, had organ-confined disease ( P = 0.001) and 23%, 28%, 35%, and 47%, respectively, had a pathologic Gleason grade of 7 or greater ( P = 0.001). The corresponding 10-year PFS estimates were 88%, 80%, 76%, and 61% ( P = 0.0001, for trend). Conclusions Among men with clinical Stage T1c prostate cancer, those with a PSA level of 2.6 to 4.0 ng/mL had the greatest rate of organ-confined disease, lowest pathologic Gleason grade, and greatest 10-year PFS rate.
Technique for preparation of precise wafer cross sections and applications to electron beam lithography of poly(methylmethacrylate) resist

We have developed a method of cross-sectioning silicon wafers with high placement precision. It is implemented by using optical lithography and deep plasma high aspect ratio etching of a thin line, which is used as the breaking axis. This technique is then applied to cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies of sub-50 nm electron beam lithography in (poly)methylmethacrylate resist. We also report the development of a process for protecting the resist during SEM examination.
The square of paths and cycles

Abstract The square of a path (cycle) is the graph obtained by joining every pair of vertices of distance two in the path (cycle). Let G be a graph on n vertices with minimum degree δ( G ). Posa conjectured that if δ( G ) ≥ 2 3 n , then G contains the square of a hamiltonian cycle. This is also a special case-of a conjecture of Seymour. In this paper, we prove that for any ϵ > 0, there exists a number m , depending only on ϵ, such that if δ( G ) ≥ ( 2 3 + ϵ) n + m , then G contains the square of a hamitonian path between any two edges, which implies the squares of a hamiltonian cycle.
A steady-state melt layer model with absorption, conduction, and surface vaporization

Abstract An analytic solution is presented for the steady-state moving boundary melt layer problem with volumetric energy absorption. Energy balances across the melt layer and the liquid-solid interface show the relative contributions of absorption, conduction, and phase change energy transfer and allow the melt layer thickness to be determined. Due to the vaporization (ablation) of material from the melt layer surface, the temperature profiles exhibit a maximum value within the melt layer. The temperature profiles and melt layer thickness are shown to be functions of the spectral absorptivity, the thermal diffusivity, and the surface recession rate. These variables occur together in a dimensionless group.
Reduced Auditory Acuity in Rat Pups from Excess and Deficient Omega-3 Fatty Acid Consumption by the Mother

Consumption of the nutrients omega-3 fatty acids (ω-3 FA) during pregnancy and lactation is considered beneficial to fetal and infant development. It may also reduce the incidence and severity of preterm births by prolonging gestational length. However several recent human and animal studies have reported that over-supplementation with ω-3 FA, especially in the form of fish oil, can have adverse effects on fetal and infant development and the auditory brainstem response (ABR). Our goal was to assess further the effects of ω-3 FA excess and deficiency during pregnancy and lactation on the offspring’s auditory acuity as evidenced by their ABR thresholds. Female Wistar rats were given diets that were either deficient, adequate (control) or excess in ω-3 FA from day 1 of pregnancy through lactation. The offspring were ABR-tested at the postnatal age of 24 days. The rat pups in the Excess treatment condition had significantly elevated (worse) ABR thresholds, postnatal growth restriction, and a trend for increased postnatal mortality in comparison to the Control group. The Deficient group was intermediate. In conclusion, excess or deficient amounts of ω-3 FA during pregnancy and lactation in the laboratory rat adversely affected the offspring’s auditory acuity. Postnatal thriving was also adversely affected. Consuming or administering large or inadequate amounts of ω-3 FA during pregnancy and lactation seems inadvisable because of the potential for adverse effects on infant development.
Remarkably stable self-assembled monolayers of new crown-ether annelated tetrathiafulvalene derivatives and their cation recognition properties†

Bis-thioctic ester derivatives of crown-ether annelated tetrathiafulvalenes (TTFs) form extremely stable self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold electrodes and can recognize alkali metal ions by cyclic voltammetry.
Three-Wavelength Method of Measuring Path-Averaged Turbulent Heat Fluxes

Abstract Conceptually, electro-optical measurements of the path-averaged refractive index structure parameter Cn2 at three wavelengths should yield measurements of the vertical fluxes of sensible (Hs) and latent (HL) heat. With three independent Cn2 measurements we can compute—at least formally—the meteorologically relevant temperature, humidity, and temperature–humidity structure parameters Ct2, Cq2, and Ctq, respectively. The heat fluxes Hs and HL derive from these and a simultaneous electro-optical measurement of the path-averaged turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate ϵ through inertial–dissipation calculations. A sensitivity analysis shows that, with the best current technology (wavelengths of 0.94 µm, 10.6 µm, and 3.33 mm), the three-wavelength method would yield measurements of Ct2 accurate to ±20% when the Rowen ratio, Bo=Hs/HL, is in the range 0.1<|Bo|≤10. The measurement of Cq2 is potentially accurate to ±10%—but only when 0.01≤|Bo|<0.5; outside this range, the accuracy is much worse. And the...
Synthesis/degradation ratio mass spectrometry for measuring relative dynamic protein turnover.

One of the major unanswered questions in quantitative proteomics is that of dynamic protein turnover in the cell. Here we present a new approach to quantitative proteomics that measures the relative dynamic turnover of proteins in cellular systems. In this approach, termed synthesis/degradation ratio mass spectrometry, stable isotope labeling is employed to calculate a relative synthesis/degradation ratio that reflects the relative rate at which 13C is incorporated into individual proteins in the cell. This synthesis/degradation ratio calculation is based on a Poisson distribution model that is designed to support high-throughput analysis. Protein separation and analysis is accomplished by utilizing one-dimensional SDS−PAGE gel electrophoresis followed by cutting the gel into a series of bands for in-gel digestion. The resulting peptide mixtures are analyzed via solid-phase MALDI LC−MS and LC−MS/MS using a tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometer. A portion of the soluble protein fraction from an E. coli K...
Comparison of a distance-based likelihood ratio test and k-nearest neighbor classification methods

Several studies of the k-nearest neighbor (KNN) classifier have proposed the use of non-uniform weighting on the k neighbors. It has been suggested that the distance to each neighbor can be used to calculate the individual weights in a weighted KNN approach; however, a consensus has not yet been reached on the best method or framework for calculating weights using the distances. In this paper, a distance likelihood ratio test was discussed and evaluated using simulated data. The distance likelihood ratio test (DLRT) shares several characteristics with the distance-weighted k-nearest neighbor methods but approaches the use of distance from a different perspective. Results illustrate the ability of the distance likelihood ratio test to approximate the likelihood ratio and compare the DLRT to two other k-neighborhood classification rules that utilize distance-weighting. The DLRT performs favorably in comparisons of the classification performance using the simulated data and provides an alternative non-parametric classification method for consideration when designing a distance-weighted KNN classification rule.
Induction of tissue transglutaminase and apoptosis by retinoic acid in the limb bud.

Mesenchymal cells in the limb buds of midgestation mouse embryos suffer prominent cell death upon exposure to retinoic acid (RA), an event likely associated with the micromelic and phocomelic anomalies of the resultant fetuses. It has been suggested, but not yet shown, that cells die by an active process termed apoptosis rather than by necrotic cytolysis. In certain cell types, investigators have previously observed a specific and early effect of RA on transcriptional activation of the gene for tissue transglutaminase (tTG), an enzyme suspected to play a role in apoptosis. We report here a distinct but transient increase in tTG activity which accompanied the initiation of cell death in the mesenchymal cells located in the central core of RA-treated limb buds. We also ascertained microscopically that the cytological appearance of the affected cells was consistent with a characterization of the process of cell death as apoptosis. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
High performance computing: delivering valuable and valued services at colleges and universities

Supercomputers were once regarded as being of very limited use - of interest to a very few national centers and used by a small fraction of researchers at any given university. As scientific research becomes more and more dependent upon management and analysis of massive amounts of data, advances in human knowledge will become increasingly dependent upon use of high performance computers and parallel programming techniques. Indiana University has undergone a transformation over the past four years, during which the capacity, use, and number of users of High Performance Computing (HPC) systems has dramatically increased. HPC systems are widely viewed as valuable to the scholarly community of Indiana University - even by those researchers who do not use parallel programming techniques. Economies of scale and vendor partnerships have enabled Indiana University to amass significant HPC systems. Carefully implemented strategies in delivery of consulting support have expanded the use of parallel programming techniques. Such techniques are of critical value to advancement of human knowledge in many disciplines, and it is now possible for any institution of higher education to provide some sort of parallel computing resource for education and research.
Current distribution and the azimuthal clumping instabilities in a Z-pinch wire array

Summary form only given. We have recently developed an analytic theory on the linear and nonlinear evolution of the most unstable azimuthal clumping mode (the pi mode, in which neighboring wires pair up) in a discrete wire array. This azimuthal instability is violent and dominates over the radial motion of the wire array, both in the linear and nonlinear regimes. Thus, the lack of wire-pairing provides a sensitive test on the maximum current that the discrete wires may carry. An experiment on this clumping instability was performed at Cornell, in which the pi mode was initially seeded in an 8-wire array in such a way that it was deeply in the nonlinear regime of the pi-mode. The analytic theory, the Sandia ALEGRA code (assuming no coronal plasmas), and the discrete wire circuit code (REIN), all indicate the wires carry at most a few percent of the total current to explain the lack of azimuthal clumping according to X-ray images. The remaining current necessarily resides with the plasma corona which has been neglected in the theory. A rudimentary model suggests that a radially spread-out current distribution is less susceptible to the azimuthal clumping instability.
US neonatal databases: Methods and uses

Since the introduction of neonatal intensive care in the late 1960s, there has been a dramatic increase in the survival of very low birthweight (VLBW) infants. Creation of neonatal-perinatal medicine as a board-certified subspecialty in 1975 and the regionalization of neonatal intensive care in the late 1970s were accompanied by rapid changes in the clinical management of very low birthweight neonates. The subsequent introduction of computer technology facilitated the development of individual hospital data systems designed to monitor patient care, costs and outcomes. More comprehensive neonatal databases were created in the late 1980s, in response to the need for detailed clinical data to monitor the practice, effectiveness and cost of intensive care. The purpose of this report is to describe four large US neonatal databases maintained by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIHCD) Neonatal Research Network, the Vermont-Oxford Network, the National Perinatal Information Center and the Northern California Kaiser Medical Group, as examples of different types of neonatal databases. The NICHD Neonatal Research Network and its registry will be described in detail. The parent organizations of the other three databases will be described briefly and the purposes, membership and types of data collected will be compared. Finally, we will give examples of the uses made of these large databases and suggest potential projects which may further enhance their usefulness.
Sensor validation for power plants using adaptive backpropagation neural network

Signal validation and process monitoring problems in many cases require the prediction of one or more process variables in a system. The feasibility of using neural networks to characterize one variable as a function of other related variables is studied. The backpropagation network (BPN) is used to develop models of signals from both a commercial power plant and the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II). Several innovations are made in the algorithm, the most significant of which is the progressive adjustment of the sigmoidal threshold function and weight updating terms. >
On geographic routing without location information

One of the most interesting problems in wireless adhoc networks is finding scalable routing algorithms for message passing from source nodes to destination nodes in. Several routing algorithms exist in the literature. In particular, the ones that use geographic location information as the address seem to be more scalable to large networks. These methods however, require that all nodes in the network know the geographic location of all the others. While this is the case in certain sensor net applications, there are plenty of scenarios where geographic location information is not obtainable for all nodes. Recently, a new routing algorithm was proposed by Rao et al. which does not require geographic information for all of the nodes in the network, but assumes that peripheral nodes located at the boundary of the region of interest have location information. The algorithm is based on the use of a set of virtual coordinates which are calculated by averaging the x - y coordinates of each node in the network with its nearest neighbors, while keeping the coordinates of the peripheral nodes on the boundary fixed. Simulations indicate that the virtual coordinates converge to fixed values when the graph is connected. It has been shown that such a routing scheme has a surprisingly high success rate, close to that of location aware routing algorithms, and performs even better when there are obstacles in the network. In this paper, we will explicitly calculate a closed form solution for the virtual coordinates, explore the connections to distributed coordination algorithms and provide a possible explanation for the high success rate of the algorithm. We further explore connections to several other areas such as distributed coordination algorithms as well as distance geometry, as well as the notion of resistance distance in graphs.
Imagining the Middle East: The Building of an American Foreign Policy, 1918–1967. By Matthew F. Jacobs. (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2011. Pp. xiii, 318. $39.95.)

In the aftermath of September 11, the quest to understand the Middle East has become an American “national obsession,” in which experts and pundits alike are trying to make sense of a region and it...
The economics of decision making in the new manufacturing firm

Decision making in a modern manufacturing firm producing a variety of products while meeting order deadlines appears at first to have little basis in the economic Theory of the Firm. It is shown that optimal budget allocations, the fractions of revenue expended on inputs, are likely to remain constant for a succession of orders for each of a family of products, thus simplifying the decision process. Well-known heuristic decision rules may not only have a sound basis in economic theory but are evidently the best way to incorporate economic logic into a stream of fast-moving decisions. The discussion is extended to an explanation of the economic value of decision making to the firm, and why this value is usually assumed to be zero in theory.
Apoptosis and steroid hormones.

Apoptosis is a term invented to describe the scattered, apparently random deaths of cells in healthy tissues (l3). Its original and primary definition is morphological: cells undergo shrinkage and separation from their neighbors, membrane blebbing, a characteristic form of nuclear chromatin condensation, nuclear membrane breakdown, and cytolysis into condensed apoptotic bodies. The process evokes little gross inflammation, though the shrivelled cells and apoptotic bodies are phagocytosed by surrounding cells and macrophages. Similar changes had been observed in rodent thymocytes after exposure to glucocorticoids in vivo or in vitro (4, 5) and soon after the concept of apoptosis was introduced, lymphocytolysis evoked by glucocorticoids was proposed as a clear-cut example. Glucocorticoid/lymphoid systems remain particularly useful in studying ligand-induced cell death. Other steroid hormones also are important regulators of cell viability. In this review I will discuss the concept of apoptosis and its biochemical correlates in relation to the loss of cell viability dependent on steroid hormone action. Apoptosis is an important concept because it focuses attention on the natural turnover of cells necessary for proper maintenance of a healthy organism. It distinguishes this quiet and controlled cell death from necrosis, in which certain toxic assaults on cells cause swelling, membranolysis, release of lysosomal contents, and marked inflammation. Cell death predestined in time and space is also a classic event in normal ontogeny, and this programmed cell death in many cases also appears to be under the control of extracellular ligands, including steroids and molecules acting through related mechanisms. Whether all instances of developmental programmed cell death are apoptotic is doubtful (6-g) and some confusion exists as to how one classifies a given case of cell death apoptotic or not. In part, this is because certain biochemical events, originally thought to be invariant correlates of apoptosis, have proven dissociable in some instances. Too often, the dangerous practice of employing only one or a few criteria, without first establishing the bona fides of the system being studied as authentic apoptosis, is employed. The biochemical pathway(s) that cause apoptosis are not known, but the obvious importance of understand-
Promoting Environmental Stewardship in Transportation: Maintenance and Operations at the New York State Department of Transportation:

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is firmly committed to a proactive environmental ethic in providing a safe, efficient, balanced, and environmentally sound transportation system in the state of New York. This includes conducting maintenance, equipment management, and construction activities appropriately to prevent and minimize adverse impacts on the environment and to enhance the environment whenever possible. The maintenance and operations at NYSDOT show how the operational capabilities of a department of transportation can be brought to bear on the environmental stewardship responsibilities shared by all governmental organizations.
Linking nitrogen in estuarine producers to land-derived sources

It is clear that anthropogenic nitrogen inputs from watersheds to estuaries stimulate eutrophication. It has been difficult, however, to explicitly link anthropogenic N entering estuaries to N found in estuarine producers. To explore this link, we compared stable isotope ratios of N in groundwater and producers from the Waquoit Bay watershedestuary system, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The 615N values of groundwater nitrate within the Waquoit Bay watershed increase from -0.9%0 to + 14.9%0 as wastewater contributions increase from 4 to 86% of the total N pool. As a result, the average S’“N of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN, nitrate + ammonium) received by different estuaries around Waquoit Bay increases from +0.5%0 to +9.5%0. This increase is strongly correlated to increases in S”N of eelgrass, macroalgae, cordgrass, and suspended particulate organic matter. The increase of all producers examined in Waquoit Bay with increasing S15N of DIN in groundwater demonstrates a tight coupling between N contributed to coastal watersheds and N used by primary producers in estuaries. The ability to identify effects of increasing wastewater N loads on 615N of estuarine producers may provide a means to reliably identify incipient eutrophication in coastal waters.
End group effect on the thermo‐sensitive properties of well‐defined water‐soluble polystyrenics with short pendant oligo(ethylene glycol) groups synthesized by nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization

The effects of hydrophobic chain end groups on the cloud points of thermo-sensitive water-soluble polystyrenics were investigated. Well-defined poly(4-vinylbenzyl methoxytris(oxyethylene) ether) (PTEGSt) and poly(α-hydro-ω-(4-vinyl-benzyl)tetrakis(oxyethylene)) (PHTrEGSt) were prepared by nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization using α-hydrido alkoxyamine initiators including two monomer-based initiators. The polymers were reduced with (n-Bu) 3 SnH to replace the alkoxyamine end group with hydrogen. In the studied molecular weight range (M n,GPC = 3000 to 28,000 g/mol), we found that the hydrophobic end groups decreased the cloud point by 1-20 °C depending on the molecular weight and the largest depression was observed at the lowest molar mass. The cloud points of PTEGSt and PHTrEGSt with two hydrophobic end groups, phenylethyl and alkoxyamine, exhibited a monotonic increase with the increase of molecular weight. For polymers with only one hydrophobic end group, either phenylethyl or alkoxyamine, the cloud point initially increased with the increase of molecular weight but leveled off/decreased slightly with further increasing molar mass. For polymers with essentially no end groups, the cloud point decreased with the increase of chain length, which represents the "true" molecular weight dependence of the cloud point. The observed molecular weight dependences of the cloud points of polystyrenics with hydrophobic end group(s) are believed to result from the combined end group effect and "true" molecular weight effect.
Efficient trajectory joins using symbolic representations

Efficiently and accurately discovering similarities among moving object trajectories is a difficult problem that appears in many spatiotemporal applications. In this paper we consider how to efficiently evaluate trajectory joins, i.e., how to identify all pairs of similar trajectories between two datasets. Our approach represents an object trajectory as a sequence of symbols (i.e., a string). Based on special lower-bounding distances between two strings, we propose a pruning heuristic for reducing the number of trajectory pairs that need to be examined. Furthermore, we present an indexing scheme designed to support efficient evaluation of string similarities in secondary storage. Through a comprehensive experimental evaluation we present the advantages of the proposed techniques.
A simple generative model applied to motor-imagery brain-computer interfacing

In this study, a generative model is developed in order to translate neural activity into predictable device commands for brain-computer interface (BCI) applications. Generative approaches to BCI translation differ from widely-used discriminative approaches because they develop a model of brain activity dependent on the mental state of the user. Preliminary results indicate that two of three subjects were able to control the system at a level (>;70% accurate) that makes it a viable option for practical use. The accuracy rate of the generative model is compared to the accuracy rate calculated offline using a linear discriminant approach. The advantages of such a system are discussed, and the ongoing opportunities for paradigm improvement are outlined.
The use of different natural fibres in the compression moulding process a highly competitive approach

The paper deals with the use of different natural fibres in the compression moulding technology for the automotive industry. The technology used is the Long Fibre reinforced Thermoplastics – In Line Compounding (LFT?ILC) process, where the natural fibres are fed into the extrusion process. The development project was successfully transferred into a serial process including within 18 months. Details will be given about the topic of compression moulding, natural fibres and the challenges. The advantages like the flexibility of the process using different fibres like, Abaca, Hemp, Jute or Flax, are discussed. Finally the latest development will be described, using chopped fibres to improve the process and the mechanical performance.
A STATISTICAL TEST TO SHOW NEGLIGIBLE TREND

The usual statistical tests of trend are inappropriate for demonstrating the absence of trend. This is because failure to reject the null hypothesis of no trend does not prove that null hypothesis. The appropriate statistical method is based on an equivalence test. The null hypothesis is that the trend is not zero, i.e., outside an a priori specified equivalence region defining trends that are considered to be negligible. This null hypothesis can be tested with two one-sided tests. A proposed equivalence region for trends in population size is a log-linear regression slope of (−0.0346, 0.0346). This corresponds to a half-life or doubling time of 20 years for population size. A less conservative region is (−0.0693, 0.0693), which corresponds to a halving or doubling time of 10 years. The approach is illustrated with data on four amphibian populations; one provides significant evidence of no trend.
Does Mesozoic mantle convection still persist

Abstract Complex patterns of spreading centers were formed in Mesozoic time during the breakup of Gondwanaland and the Pacific tectonic plate. The approximate locus of each breakup can be identified by paleomagnetism, paleogeography, and plate tectonics. Each coincides with the present location of similarly complex patterns of intense positive gravity anomalies produced by rising and divergent mantle convection. Apparently the convection caused the breakups and the location and intensity of the convective pattern have not changed since Mesozoic time.
A University-Based Ground Station: The 21 m Antenna at Morehead State University

The Space Science Center (Department of Earth and Space Sciences) at Morehead State University (MSU), Morehead, KY (USA) operates a 21 meter diameter, full motion, research quality, parabolic dish antenna system, built under contract for MSU by Vertex-RSI, one of the premier fabrication corporations for high gain antennas. This system, referred to as the MSU 21 m Space Tracking Antenna, is engaged in ongoing research programs in radio astronomy and is also capable of operation in a satellite ground station mode, providing telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C) services for a wide variety of satellite systems. The 21 m is used as a test bed for advanced RF systems developed by the faculty, students, and collaborators. This system has the capability of tracking fast moving, low transmitting power small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), as well as satellites at geostationary, lunar, and potentially Earth-Sun Lagrangian orbits. Currently configured for operation at L-,band and Ku-band, with feeds being implemented at S-band and near term plans for the development of a C-band system, with others planned. The instrument also serves as an active laboratory for students engaged in research and training in space science, electrical and mechanical engineering, telecommunications electronics, astrophysics, and space systems operation. The instrument is largely operated by undergraduate students who work in the associated laboratories to achieve hands-on training in RF systems and techniques. The instrument serves as the primary Earth station facility for the Kentucky Space Program which develops and operates small satellites (cubesats and other picosats) for education and workforce development. Cubesat (1 kg pico-class satellites) programs offer outstanding education and training experience at low cost. They have evolved into a highly flexible and useful platform, having been flown by numerous universities, NASA, and a number of aerospace companies. The 21 m supports the small satellite community and in particular cubesat programs. In addition to providing ground operations support for small satellite programs, the 21 m is currently engaged in a rigorous scientific program in fundamental research (radio observations of micro-variability in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and observations of transient events, (i.e. radio afterglow of Gamma Ray Bursts) and applied research (RF systems development). Current ongoing missions supported by the 21 m include the Kentucky Space program orbiting satellite (KySat-1), scheduled for launch in November 2010 as secondary payload on NASA’s Glory mission, and suborbital missions typically flown on sounding rockets from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (Wallops Island, VA). Additional missions include supporting ongoing testing and calibration of the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Mini-RF instrument, a multi-function payload that includes capabilities as a spacebased synthetic aperture radar and communication system, among others.
Flow instabilities in transonic small disturbance theory

The dynamics of unsteady transonic small disturbance flows about two-dimensional airfoils is examined, with emphasis on the behavior in the region where the steady state flow is nonunique. It is shown that nonuniqueness results from an extremely long time scale instability which occurs in a finite Mach number and angle of attack range. The similarity scaling rules for the instability are presented and the possibility of similar behavior in the Euler equations is discussed.
The History of Economic Thought on the Minimum Wage

I was in the audience at the State of the Union address in February 2013 when President Obama announced, “Tonight, let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour.” The thought that ran through my head at that time was, “Wow, it’s remarkable that economic thinking has come full circle on the minimum wage.” Let me take you on a quick tour of 75 years of the history of economic thought on the minimum wage. This history demonstrates that periodically raising the minimum wage to help low-wage workers is not only the right thing to do, it is also the smart thing to do. Economists were largely supportive of the minimum wage when it was enacted as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1938. Economists in the 1930s and 1940s understood the logic that said demand curves sloped downward, but they also were aware that labor markets were imperfect, and that workers lacked bargaining power. The fact that wages and working conditions varied for workers of equal skill and training in a locality suggested that employers had some discretion to set pay. Companies were more than passive wage takers, as the simple theory of labor demand requires. Economists from Princeton’s Richard Lester to the University of Chicago’s Paul Douglas—who became a distinguished Senator from Illinois—supported minimum-wage hikes. They recognized that there was nothing optimal in the way that employers set wages, and that the economy would function better if the minimum wage set a floor below which wages could not fall. An adequate wage floor would also improve employee morale and bring more workers into the job market. When employers have monopsony power over workers because of frictions in the job market, a skillfully set minimum wage could provide a standard that clears the market, and raises the purchasing power of households to buy, as
A novel laboratory system for determining fate of volatile organic compounds in planted systems.

Contradictory observations regarding the uptake and translocation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by plants have been reported, most notably for trichloroethylene (TCE). Experimental artifacts resulting from the use of semistatic or low-flow laboratory systems may account for part of the discrepancy. Innovative plant growth chambers are required to rigorously quantify the movement of VOCs through higher plants while maintaining a natural plant environment. The plant must be sealed in a chamber that allows rapid exchange of air to remove the water vapor lost in transpiration, to resupply the CO{sub 2} consumed in photosynthesis, and to resupply the O{sub 2} consumed in root-zone respiration. Inadequate airflow through the foliar region results in high humidity, which dramatically reduces transpiration and may reduce contaminant flux. Oxygen depletion in static root zones induces root stress, which can increase root membrane permeability. The root zone must be separated from the shoots to differentiate between plant uptake and foliar deposition. Here the authors describe the design, construction, and testing of a dual-vacuum, continuous high-flow chamber systems for accurately determining the fate of VOCs plants. The system provides a natural plant environment, complete root/shoot separation, the ability to quantify phytovolatilization and mineralization in both root and shootmore » compartments, continuous root-zone aeration, and high mass recovery.« less
Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1 Regulates Pulmonary Host Defense via Neutrophil Recruitment during Escherichia coli Infection

Neutrophil accumulation is a critical event to clear bacteria. Since uncontrolled neutrophil recruitment can cause severe lung damage, understanding neutrophil trafficking mechanisms is important to attenuate neutrophil-mediated damage. While monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) is known to be a monocyte chemoattractant, its role in pulmonary neutrophil-mediated host defense against Gram-negative bacterial infection is not understood. We hypothesized that MCP-1/chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 is important for neutrophil-mediated host defense. Reduced bacterial clearance in the lungs was observed in MCP-1(-/-) mice following Escherichia coli infection. Neutrophil influx, along with cytokines/chemokines, leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)), and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 levels in the lungs, was reduced in MCP-1(-/-) mice after infection. E. coli-induced activation of NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinases in the lung was also reduced in MCP-1(-/-) mice. Administration of intratracheal recombinant MCP-1 (rMCP-1) to MCP-1(-/-) mice induced pulmonary neutrophil influx and cytokine/chemokine responses in the presence or absence of E. coli infection. Our in vitro migration experiment demonstrates MCP-1-mediated neutrophil chemotaxis. Notably, chemokine receptor 2 is expressed on lung and blood neutrophils, which are increased upon E. coli infection. Furthermore, our findings show that neutrophil depletion impairs E. coli clearance and that exogenous rMCP-1 after infection improves bacterial clearance in the lungs. Overall, these new findings demonstrate that E. coli-induced MCP-1 causes neutrophil recruitment directly via chemotaxis as well as indirectly via modulation of keratinocyte cell-derived chemokine, macrophage inflammatory protein 2, and LTB(4).
EPR Spectroscopic Distance Measurements of the KCNE1 Membrane Protein in Micelles and Lipid Bilayers

Distance measurements between two strategically placed nitroxide spin labels can provide pertinent structural information on complicated biological systems such as membrane proteins. Distances of approximately 8 A - 25 A can be determined by measuring line broadening due to dipolar coupling using continuous wave (CW)-EPR spectroscopy. The short range distances can be measured between isotopically coupled nuclear spins and nitroxide electronic spin labels up to a distance of about 8 A using Electron Spin Echo Envelope Modulation (ESEEM) and long range distances of 20 A - 70A between two nitroxide electronic spin labels using Double Electron Electron Resonance (DEER). The transmembrane domain (TMD) of KCNE1 binds to the pore domain of the KCNQ1 channel modulating the channel's gating. In order to characterize the structural properties of the TMD of KCNE1, double cysteine mutants were prepared for TMD of KCNE1 and further modified by the addition of a MTSL nitroxide spin label. The purified proteins were reconstituted into LMPG detergent micelles and POPC/POPG bilayer vesicles. Dipolar broadening CW-EPR experiments were performed on the double mutants F53C-L63C, F56C-S64C, L59C-Y65C, and L59C-S64C at 225K; and DEER experiments on double mutants V50C-S68C, V47C-I66C at 80K. Molecular Dynamics Modeling study was performed on these mutants using nanoscale molecular dynamics (NAMD) with the molecular graphics software VMD. A 1 ns molecular dynamics simulation was ran for each double mutants and distance distribution was obtained by analyzing the trajectory data file using VMD. The distance distributions obtained from dipolar broadening CW EPR and DEER are in good agreement with NAMD/VMD and MMM modeling results.
Story validation and approximate path inference with a sparse network of heterogeneous sensors

Given a story from an agent (sensor outputs from a robot or a tale told by a human) and recordings from a spare network of heterogeneous sensors, this paper provides efficient algorithms that validate whether it is possible to reconstruct a path compatible with the sensor recordings that is also “close” to the agent's story. In solving the proposed problems, we show that effective exploitation of a unique finite automaton structure yields time complexity linear in both the length of the story and the length of the sensor observation history. Besides immediate applicability towards security and forensics problems, the idea of behavior validation using external sensors also appears promising in complementing design time model verification.
Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Presenting as a Large Pelvic Mass Mimicking Primary Osteogenic Sarcoma: A Series of Two Patient Cases

Osteogenic sarcoma (ie, osteosarcoma) classically presents as a painful destructive lesion in bone with a large associated soft tissue mass. It has a range of appearances on plain radiographs based on the volume of boney destruction and degree of mineralization within the lesion.1 It is pathologically defined by the production of osteoid matrix by malignant cells. This predilection for bone formation is often apparent on imaging. Although periosteal reactive bone formation in response to a number of aggressive neoplasms and infections can vary in appearance, consistent mineralized bone formation throughout the substance of a mass is considered nearly pathognomonic for osteosarcoma. To our knowledge, there is no case report of a patient presenting initially with a metastasis from pancreatic adenocarcinoma to bone resulting in a large osteogenic mass mimicking osteosarcoma. Although the pelvic girdle has been shown to be a location of skeletal metastases after treatment with surgery and systemic therapy in adenocarcinoma, it is rare for pain resulting from a large osteogenic mass to be the initial presenting symptom.2