cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An analysis of open-phase fault in power generation station

This paper attempts to investigate and analyze the electrical characteristics present on the power grid when an open-phase event occurs at an off-site transformer. In order to conduct such task, this paper uses transformer, load, and connection data obtained from a real power plant to simulate several different power system configurations and analyzes various model responses in EMTP-RV software. Several testing scenarios that encompass a variety of loading conditions that can be encountered at the power plant are also defined. At the end, open phase simulation for these scenarios is carried out and all results are presented and discussed in detail.
Results on the optimal memory-assisted universal compression performance for mixture sources

In this paper, we consider the compression of a sequence from a mixture of K parametric sources. Each parametric source is represented by a d-dimensional parameter vector that is drawn from Jeffreys' prior. The output of the mixture source is a sequence of length n whose parameter is chosen from one of the K source parameter vectors uniformly at random. We are interested in the scenario in which the encoder and the decoder have a common side information of T sequences generated independently by the mixture source (which we refer to as memory-assisted universal compression problem). We derive the minimum average redundancy of the memory-assisted universal compression of a new random sequence from the mixture source and prove that when K = O(nd/2(1-e)) for some e > 0, the side information provided by the previous sequences results in significant improvement over the universal compression without side information that is a function of n, T , and d. On the other hand, as K grows, the impact of the side information becomes negligible. Specifically, when K = Ω(nd/2(1+e)) for some e > 0, optimal memory-assisted universal compression almost surely offers negligible improvement over the universal compression without side information.
Time travel in transformation optics: Metamaterials with closed null geodesics

We apply the methods of transformation optics to theoretical descriptions of spacetimes that support closed null geodesic curves. The metric used is based on frame dragging spacetimes, such as the van Stockum dust or the Kerr black hole. Through transformation optics, this metric is analogous to a material that in theory should allow for communication between past and future. Presented herein is a derivation and description of the spacetime and the resulting permeability, permittivity, and magnetoelectric couplings that a material would need in order for light in the material to follow closed null geodesics. We also address the paradoxical implications of such a material and demonstrate why such a material would not actually result in a violation of causality. A full derivation of the Plebanski equations is also included.
Phantom Electrons in Mesoporous Nanocrystalline SnO2 Thin Films with Cation-Dependent Reduction Onsets

Mesoporous thin films comprised of ∼15 nm diameter SnO2 nanocrystallites were synthesized and characterized in acetonitrile electrolytes by electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques. Spectroelectrochemical reduction of the thin films resulted in broad, non-superimposable UV/vis absorption changes. Simultaneous analysis of potential-dependent spectra, by a process termed “potential associated spectra”, resulted in the identification of three unique absorption spectra for reduced SnO2, while only one spectrum was identified for TiO2. Reduction of SnO2 resulted in the appearance of (1) a broad absorption that spans across the visible and near-IR regions, (2) a blue-shifted fundamental absorption, and (3) an absorption band in the blue region. The absorption onsets were dependent on the electrolyte cation, present as the perchlorate salt of Li+, Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and TBA+, where TBA+ is tetrabutylammonium. Correlations between the charge within the thin film and the absorbance intensity revealed that signif...
Rad52, Maestro of Inverse Strand Exchange

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Mazina et al. (2017) describe how the Rad52 protein mediates RNA-dependent DNA double-strand break repair via inverse strand exchange. This finding sheds light on how eukaryotes utilize RNA to repair chromosome breaks.
CARMIL family proteins as multidomain regulators of actin-based motility

CARMILs are large multidomain proteins that regulate the actin-binding activity of capping protein (CP), a major capper of actin filament barbed ends in cells. CARMILs bind directly to CP and induce a conformational change that allosterically decreases but does not abolish its actin-capping activity. The CP-binding domain of CARMIL consists of the CP-interaction (CPI) and CARMIL-specific interaction (CSI) motifs, which are arranged in tandem. Many cellular functions of CARMILs require the interaction with CP; however, a more surprising result is that the cellular function of CP in cells appears to require binding to a CARMIL or another protein with a CPI motif, suggesting that CPI-motif proteins target CP and modulate its actin-capping activity. Vertebrates have three highly conserved genes and expressed isoforms of CARMIL with distinct and overlapping localizations and functions in cells. Various domains of these CARMIL isoforms interact with plasma membranes, vimentin intermediate filaments, SH3-containing class I myosins, the dual-GEF Trio, and other adaptors and signaling molecules. These biochemical properties suggest that CARMILs play a variety of membrane-associated functions related to actin assembly and signaling. CARMIL mutations and variants have been implicated in several human diseases. We focus on roles for CARMILs in signaling in addition to their function as regulators of CP and actin.
arXiv : Recent CMS results in top and Higgs physics

After the Higgs boson discovery in 2012, the investigation of its properties and compatibility with the Standard Model predictions is central to the physics program of the LHC experiments. Likewise, the study of the top quark is still relevant at the LHC, more than two decades after its discovery at the Tevatron. Top quarks and Higgs bosons are produced at the LHC on a large scale and share a deep connection based on the large mass of the top quark. Both particles provide an excellent laboratory in which to search for new physics: the measurement of their properties tests the foundations of the Standard Model; and they feature prominently in a variety of exotic signals. The coupling of the Higgs boson to the top quark, a fundamental Standard Model parameter, can only be measured directly in processes where the two particles are produced together. The production of a Higgs boson together with one or two top quarks is also sensitive to several exciting new physics effects. A brief overview of the current experimental status of top quark and Higgs boson physics is presented using results from the CMS Collaboration.
Forty years on the fenceline: community, memory, and chronic contamination

Residents living next to polluting industries are particularly vulnerable to toxic exposures and environmental illness. Cases of industrial contamination are shrouded in ambiguity and etiological u...
Swimming Against the Tide: Implications for Cuba of Soviet and Eastern European Reforms in Foreign Economic Relations *

Since mid-1989, remarkable political and economic changes have occurred in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Although the countries differ with regard to the scope, speed, and sequence of these changes, in the economic arena the objective is, in all cases, to abandon traditional central planning and replace it with a market economy. An integral component of these efforts to establish markets is the reform of foreign economic relations and greater involvement in the world economy. While a tide of political and economic change has swept the East, Cuba has adamantly held on to a one-party political system and to orthodox central planning.
An Introduction to Classical Islamic Philosophy: Are the ethics of religion objective or subjective?

It is difficult to overemphasize the significance of legal discussions in the origination of controversies concerning the nature of ethics in Islam. The traditional view of the divine law held that legal judgments must be based upon nothing but the law, and if necessary derived indirectly from that law by some approved technique such as analogy, often interpreted in rather a restricted sense. The more innovatory position of those who adhered to opinion ( ra'y ) argued That in cases where the law provides no obvious guidance one must use one's own rational judgments alone in arriving at conclusions to disputes in law and ethics. This basic conflict was played out in many different contexts, with the ‘rationalists’ insisting that we can know much of what is right and obligatory by independent reasoning, while the ‘traditionalists’ acknowledged only revelation as an appropriate source for such knowledge. A great deal of the Muslim establishment – Shāfi'ī, ibn Ħanbal, al-Ash'arī and a large number of other theologians and jurists – lined up firmly on the side of tradition, believing basically that any other position would deny God's power, for, if we could judge independently of God what is right and wrong, could we not from an independent point of view judge God's actions and assess his moral pronouncements to us? Could we not do away with trying To follow God's instructions since all we need to do is to follow the instructions of our reason?
Psychological Aspects of Genetic Counseling: XIII. Empathy and Decency.

The issues confronting genetic counselees, the demands of the “new genetics” and other factors suggest strongly the need for greater attention to counseling procedures which convey understanding of clients and help them feel more hopeful and more capable of dealing with their life problems. This should include interventions to help them feel more effective in their coping efforts as well as such ego-bolstering techniques as the expression of kindness, the provision of appropriate rewards, and other attempts to raise the client's self-esteem. These attempts should be a standard part of all genetic counseling. The traditional arguments of potential harm and time limitations often used to avoid counseling efforts are viewed through the lens of countertransference.
Teaching Students to Document Their Empirical Research

This paper describes a protocol we have developed for teaching undergraduates to document the statistical analysis they do for empirical research projects in such a way that their results are completely reproducible and verifiable. The protocol is guided by the principle that the documentation prepared to accompany an empirical research project should be sufficient to allow an independent researcher to replicate easily and exactly every step of the data management and analysis that generated the results reported in the study. We hope that requiring students to follow this protocol will not only teach them how to document their research appropriately, but also instill in them the belief that it is an important professional responsibility to do so.
A MICROMECHANICAL MODEL FOR GRANULAR MATERIAL AND APPLICATION TO PENETRATION OF CERAMIC ARMOR

Ceramics and brittle geologic materials can deform nonelastically under compression and shear by sliding and ride-up of fragments, grains, or blocks, with accompanying competition between dilatancy and pore compaction. This paper describes a micromechanical model of such deformation based on an analogy to the dynamics of atomic dislocations and using the slipping processes in a multiple-plane plasticity model. In the analogy, atomic lattice slip planes are replaced by slip on interfaces between blocks, and atoms are replaced by fragments, grains, or blocks. The model treats intact material, a gradual transition to fragments, and then the behavior of the fragments. The coefficient of friction between the grains (tan Ψ = 0.11) was determined for aluminum nitride through simulations of a pressure-shear impact experiment. The calibrated model was then used with a finite-element computation of the penetration of a long tungsten rod into an aluminum nitride target The calculations successfully exhibited the key features observed experimentally, such as the rubblized zone just ahead of the penetrator and the dilatant rebound of the ceramic behind the penetrator. The most important microscopic material property governing depth of penetration was found to be the friction between granules in the rubble ahead of the penetrator.
Nuclear Astrophysics and High Energy Particles

At about the same time that Thomson (1897) discovered that all atoms emit electrons, photons with energy in the range 1–500 keV, called X-rays, were observed by RONTGEN (1896). Photons with energy greater than 500 keV, called gamma (γ) rays, were subsequently observed by Villard (1900). Einstein (1905) then suggested that a photon particle of energy, h v, and zero mass is an electromagnetic wave of frequency, v, and vice versa. The nuclear theory of matter was then introduced by Rutherford (1911, 1914) who proposed that an atom, which has a radius of approximately 10-8 cm, actually consists of a swarm of electrons surrounding a positively charged nucleus whose radius is less than 10-12 cm. The subsequent discovery of the proton by Rutherford and Chadwick (1921) further confirmed the speculation that the nucleus contains positively charged particles. The neutron was then discovered (Chadwick, 1932; Curie and Joliot, 1932) and Heisenberg (1932) proposed that the atomic nucleus contains the neutral neutrons as well as the protons, At about this time, studies of cosmic rays resulted in the discovery of the positron (Anderson, 1932), which differs from the electron only in that its charge is positive. Although similar antiparticles for the proton and neutron were expected on theoretical grounds they were not observed until the advent of large accelerators (Chamberlain et al., 1955) The properties of these early fundamental particles are given in Table 37.
Palliative care referrals and related outcomes among advanced cancer patients: A study revealing our institutional shortcomings.

e21506Background: Palliative care (PC) has an important role in the care of cancer patients at the end of life. Unfortunately, referral occurs very late in the illness trajectory, often within days...
Influences of energy data on Bayesian calibration of building energy model

Abstract Every building has different (and fuzzy) characteristics and contains complex sub-systems that affect each other. Therefore, significant uncertainties exist when modeling an entire building as a system. Calibration is necessary and able to reduce many sources of these uncertainties. Bayesian calibration is one of the automatic calibration methods that has been utilized in various applications. However, few researches were found that investigated the influences of quality and quantity of measured data used for the calibration. Moreover, Bayesian calibration requires considerable computing cost due to the inherent iteration attribute. This paper proposes the use of informative data to produce more accurate Bayesian calibration with reduced computing time. The measured energy data are classified by statistical classification methods. Using different energy measurement data, the study compares and analyzes the calibration outcomes with three criteria: input parameter estimation accuracy, energy use prediction accuracy, and overall computing time. The results show that the calculation time and the accuracy of the calibration are distinct for different selections of the data for calibration. Proper data should be used in comprehensive consideration of purpose, computing time and accuracy of calibration. Using informative data for calibration is able to keep similar accuracy but with 44% reduction in computing time compared to the use of all data.
Flash boiling hollow cone spray from a GDI injector under different conditions

Abstract Good spray atomization facilitates fuel evaporation in a gasoline engine, thus contributing to higher fuel efficiency and lower emissions. During certain operations of a gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine, the combination of increased fuel temperature and sub-atmospheric cylinder pressure during injection can lead to flash boiling condition, which promotes droplet breakup and evaporation. In this study, experiments were carried out to study the flash boiling and non-flash boiling spray of a hollow cone GDI piezoelectric injector. By the combination of different temperature and ambient pressure, different superheat degrees (Tf-Tb) and different ambient-to-saturation pressure ratios (Pa/Ps) can be achieved. For a hollow cone injector, the flash boiling spray can cause the cone shape spray to expand, both inwards and outwards. The axisymmetric inward expansion would converge together and form a fast developing plume shape, and the transition point for plume front to appear is around 0.5 for Pa/Ps ratio. When Pa/Ps is larger than 0.5, the spray development is dominated by the injection momentum and the effect of boiling is minor. When Pa/Ps is reduced to below 0.5, the flash boiling effect takes place and changed the spray dynamics. The peak penetration velocity starts increasing rapidly with the superheated degree only, and a good linear relationship exists between plume ratio and the log(Pa/Ps). The spray axial penetration result at a certain time frame shows three regimes: Pa/Ps > 0.5, 0.1
Volume and intramuscular fat content of upper extremity muscles in individuals with chronic hemiparetic stroke

Abstract Stroke survivors often experience upper extremity deficits that make activities of daily living (ADLs) like dressing, cooking and bathing difficult or impossible. Survivors experience paresis, the inability to efficiently and fully activate muscles, which combined with decreased use of the upper extremity, will lead to muscle atrophy and potentially an increase in intramuscular fat. Muscle atrophy has been linked to weakness post stroke and is an important contributor to upper extremity deficits. However, the extent of upper extremity atrophy post hemiparetic stroke is unknown and a better understanding of these changes is needed to inform the direction of intervention-based research. In this study, the volume of contractile tissue and intramuscular fat in the elbow and wrist flexors and extensors were quantified in the paretic and non-paretic upper limb using MRI and the Dixon technique for the first time. Total muscle volume (p≤0.0005) and contractile element volume (p≤0.0005) were significantly smaller in the paretic upper extremity, for all muscle groups studied. The average percent difference between limbs and across participants was 21.3% for muscle volume and 22.9% for contractile element volume. We also found that while the percent intramuscular fat was greater in the paretic limb compared to the non-paretic (p≤0.0005), however, the volume of intramuscular fat was not significantly different between upper limbs (p=0.231). The average volumes of intramuscular fat for the elbow flexors/extensors and wrist flexors/extensors were 28.1, 28.8 and 19.9, 8.8 cm3 in the paretic limb and 29.6, 27.7 and 19.7, 8.8 cm3 in the non-paretic limb. In short, these findings indicate a decrease in muscle volume and not an increase in intramuscular fat, which will contribute to the reduction in strength in the paretic upper limb.
Stability and Electronic Features of Calcium Hexa-, Hepta-, and Octa-Coordinated Ammonia Complexes: A First-Principles Study

Neutral and positively charged calcium ammonia complexes are investigated by means of high-level quantum chemical calculations. We report optimal structures, binding energies, and vibrational spectra for Ca(NH3)1-80,+. The bigger Ca(NH3)6-80,+ complexes can be classified as solvated electron precursors (SEPs) and are best described as a Ca(NH3)6-82+ core with two or one peripheral electrons. In their ground state, only ∼10% of the outer electron density is estimated to be within the calcium van der Waals radius. For these systems, we calculated several low-lying electronic states, where electrons populate diffuse outer orbitals. The Aufbau principle for the outer electrons is found to be identical to previously studied SEPs: 1s, 1p, 1d, 1f, 2s, and 2p. We show that going from Ca(NH3)5, which has an incomplete first coordination shell and the two valence electrons that are mainly in the valence sphere of calcium, to Ca(NH3)6, both the vibrational and electronic features change abruptly. Infrared, visible, and ultraviolet spectroscopy can be used to identify and characterize calcium SEPs.
Building an Effective Advisory Board for Grant Submissions

This Special Session will engage engineering and computing education professionals in an interactive discussion of how to find and use the expertise of an advisory board when writing and executing funded projects. Our recent research of effective practices for supporting early career faculty in engineering education has shown that grant administration is an area that many faculty feel unprepared to manage. Beyond writing an excellent grant proposal, the skills required to carry out the planned grant activities are different from those addressed in existing professional development opportunities and are essential the success of a grant. This session will provide an interactive discussion and development of tools on one specific aspect of grant proposal writing and management—advisory boards. Advisory boards are an essential part of leveraging the expertise in the wider engineering education community, but there are various ways of strategically building and engaging advisory boards in grant work. The outcomes of this session will be a set of tools for faculty to use in building and leveraging the expertise of an advisory board in grant submissions.
Decision-making approaches to contracting out:

This article compares and contrasts two classical decision-making approaches used in outsourcing specific public services. We perform content analysis of semi-structured interviews with public mana...
Index Symptoms and Prognosis Awareness of Patients With Pancreatic Cancer: A Multi-Site Palliative Care Collaborative:

Background:Pancreatic cancer has a poor 5-year survival and carries significant morbidity. Pain is a commonly studied symptom in pancreatic cancer; however, few studies examine the frequency of mul...
The neurobiology of auditory and visual perceptual abnormalities in a clinical high-risk for psychosis cohort: A pilot morphometric magnetic resonance imaging study.

Abstract Our goal was to examine the neurobiology of auditory and visual perceptual abnormalities in individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR) using morphometric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We enrolled 72 CHR subjects as delineated by the Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS). Greater severity of visual perceptual abnormalities was associated with larger volumes in all regions tested (amygdala, hippocampus, and occipital cortex), while no relationships were observed between auditory perceptual abnormalities and brain volumes. These data support findings that while perceptual abnormalities may share a central set of neurobiological mechanisms, each type may also have distinct pathogeneses.
Digestive Enzyme Activity and Protein Degradation in Plasma of Heart Failure Patients

Heart failure is associated with degradation of cell functions and extracellular matrix proteins, but the trigger mechanisms are uncertain. Our recent evidence shows that active digestive enzymes can leak out of the small intestine into the systemic circulation and cause cell dysfunctions and organ failure. Accordingly, we investigated in morning fasting plasma of heart failure (HF) patients the presence of pancreatic trypsin, a major enzyme responsible for digestion. Western analysis shows that trypsin in plasma is significantly elevated in HF compared to matched controls and their concentrations correlate with the cardiac dysfunction biomarker BNP and inflammatory biomarkers CRP and TNF-α. The plasma trypsin levels in HF are accompanied by elevated pancreatic lipase concentrations. The trypsin has a significantly elevated activity as determined by substrate cleavage. Mass spectrometry shows that the number of plasma proteins in the HF patients is similar to controls while the number of peptides was increased about 20% in HF patients. The peptides are derived from extracellular and intracellular protein sources and exhibit cleavage sites by trypsin as well as other degrading proteases (data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD026332). Connclusions These results provide the first evidence that active digestive enzymes leak into the systemic circulation and may participate in myocardial cell dysfunctions and tissue destruction in HF patients. These results provide the first evidence that active digestive enzymes leak into the systemic circulation and may participate in myocardial cell dysfunctions and tissue destruction in HF patients.
Abstract P170: Similarities And Differences In The Vascular Impact Of Estrogen Loss Versus G Protein-coupled Estrogen Receptor Deletion

Women in their postmenopausal years have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and recent research suggests that increased vascular stiffness can be detected within a year of the onset of me...
Large-Eddy Simulation of Supersonic Jet Noise with Discontinuous Galerkin Methods

We conduct large-eddy simulations to investigate the role of thermal nonuniformity on the development of instability modes in the shear layer of supersonic M=1.5 jets. We develop an arbitrary high-...
The effect of residents as teaching assistants on operative time in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Abstract Background We examined the effect of primary surgeon (PS) and teaching assistant (TA) seniority on operative time and outcomes for residents performing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Methods This was a retrospective analysis of urgent LC at a county teaching hospital. Relevant data included postgraduate year (PGY) of the PS and TA and markers of disease severity. Primary outcome was operative time. Secondary outcomes were conversion to open cholecystectomy and complications. Results There were 1,202 LCs; 415 included an intraoperative cholangiogram. On multivariable analysis, every PGY increase of PS decreased operative time by 3.2 minutes ( P = .02). For every PGY increase of TA, operative time decreased 10.8 minutes ( P P Conclusions Residents' operative time improves as experience with LC increases. These improvements become more profound after adjusting for the seniority of the TA.
Mobile Elements in Animal and Plant Genomes

This chapter discusses the different classes of mobile elements seen in some of the best-characterized animal genome and plant genome. It talks about the some of the general concepts behind the colonization of genomes by mobile elements. There are basically three classes of autonomous mobile elements, all three of which can be found to various extents in different genomes of all animals and plants. These are the DNA transposons, the long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons, and the non-LTR retrotransposons. DNA transposons are very common in the Caenorhabditis elegans genome, as well as several relatively high-copy-number families of their nonautonomous relatives, miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs). Other site-specific mobile elements are the HetA and TART elements that make up the telomeres in Drosophila. Only sporadic data are available on mobile elements in reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Almost all the classes of mobile elements are present to some degree in almost all animal and plant genomes. The density of mobile elements has also been shown to extend into the centromeric region in Arabidopsis. Not only is the impact of mobile elements on their genome a direct result of insertional mutagenesis, but there are also a series of secondary impacts on the genome including recombination and many more subtle changes that may alter the stability or evolution of an organism’s genome. Retrotransposition has also given rise to gene duplications or other useful gene modifications that allowed evolution to new function.
Gene-mimetic substances: drugs designed to intervene in gene expression.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes drugs that are designed to intervene in gene expression. It considers the range of possible DNA and RNA analogs that have been developed and that can be envisaged as potential drugs. The chapter illustrates that some molecules are intended to act as drugs with two (or more) functional groups in which one is an oligomer analog and the other confers some specific property on the oligomer, such as improved cellular uptake or increased RNase activity as RNA is the target for the antisense approach. There is a great need of second-generation analogs that involve other substitutions and additions to the basic oligonucleotide structure but do not alter its conformation significantly, but also for third-generation analogs that are envisaged to involve wholesale alteration or replacement of the sugar-phosphate backbone. As penicillin analogs resulted in the maturing of antibiotic therapy in the 20th century, so oligomeric gene-mimetic analogs may be their 2lst-century equivalents.
S-methylmethionine-29 ribonuclease A. I. Preparation and proof of structure.

One of the 4 methionine residues in ribonuclease A, the one at position 29, is exposed to the solvent when the protein is in its native conformation. Under such conditions, this residue can be alkylated by CH3I to yield a fully active monomethyl derivative. The rate of alkylation, measured chromatographically by the disappearance of ribonuclease A, is constant between pH 2.5 and pH 5.0. At pH 2.5, ribonuclease A is converted quantitatively into S-methylmethionine-29 ribonuclease, which can be separated by chromatography on IRC-50. The structure of the methylated protein was established by isolating and characterizing peptides derived from the 14C-labeled methyl derivative after enzymatic and chemical cleavage. Key techniques were chemical cleavage with cyanogen bromide, followed by isolation of the labeled peptides on Sephadex rather than by ion exchange chromatography. Since minor components are not overlooked in a separation based only on size, the confidence with which it can be said that S-methylmethionine-29 ribonuclease is a homogeneous derivative rests primarily on the specific radioactivity of the peptide containing methionine-29, irrespective of yield. At least 92% of the molecules of ribonuclease in the chromatographic peak are alkylated on methionine-29.
Formaldehyde Fluorescence as a Marker for Scalar Dissipation Through Local Extinction

A co-annular, counterflow diffusion burner was used to stabilize a local extinction point off centerline. Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) measurements of hydroxyl (OH) and formaldehyde (CH2O) were performed. The PLIF measurements were compared to results from a two-dimensional numerical simulation with a comprehensive chemical kinetics model, and good qualitative agreement is shown. Previous work has suggested that the formaldehyde fluorescence may be a useful marker for local scalar dissipation rate, which is difficult to measure directly. This relationship is further examined in this work for conditions including local extinction. Formaldehyde width is still a useful marker for local scalar dissipation within a vigorously burning flame. However, the formaldehyde fluorescence signal increases significantly following local extinction, so it cannot be used as a direct marker. A combination of formaldehyde fluorescence width and intensity can still help identify local extinction points and scalar d...
Gender Disparities in Prosthodontics: Authorship and Leadership, 13 Years of Observation

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine gender disparities in prosthodontics by reviewing the trend of female authorship in prosthodontic journals and exploring the role of female leadership in prosthodontic organizations and Advanced Education in Prosthodontic (AEP) programs. Materials and Methods: Three journals representing the prosthodontic specialty were selected to analyze the percentage of female dentist first and last (senior) authors for the years 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2008. Article inclusion criteria were restricted to the first or last authors who held at least a DMD/DDS/BDS degree and were from U.S. institutions. Data on female leadership in prosthodontic organizations and advanced education programs were collected, and the trends were studied. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. A linear regression analysis was performed to investigate the proportion of female authorship compared to male in the dental literature. A Fisher's Exact Test was performed to contrast differences of female first and last authorship in the selected journals between years 1995 and 2008. Results: Overall, there was no statistically significant linear increase in the proportion of either first or last female authorship compared to male authorship over time. With respect to each journal, the linear regression analysis showed that the increase of first female authorship was statistically significant (p= 0.016) compared to male authorship only in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. The percentage of female presidents of prosthodontic organizations has been very limited. A similar trend was also observed in AEP program director positions. Conclusions: Over the past 13 years, female dentists’ participation in prosthodontics literature authorship has not increased significantly in the United States. Furthermore, female involvement in prosthodontics leadership has been limited over the past decades.
Black Hole Horizons

Black Holes and Relativistic Stars . Robert M. Wald, Ed. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1998. 290 pp. $50, £39.95. ISBN 0-226-87034-0. Based on a symposium honoring Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, this volume provides a comprehensive overview of the current theory of black holes and relativistic stars. Black holes are considered as astrophysical objects that can be understood within the framework of classical general relativity and as fundamental objects in quantum gravitational physics (with a focus on thermodynamic properties and the possibility of information loss during black hole formation and evaporation).
An approximation technique for computing optimal fixed-order controllers for infinite-dimensional systems

The authors consider the finite-dimensional approximation of the infinite-dimensional optimal projection theory of Bernstein and Hyland (1984, 1986), the purpose being model and controller order reduction. The approach yields fixed-finite-order controllers which are optimal with respect to high-order, approximating, finite-dimensional plant models. The authors illustrate the technique by computing a sequence of first-order controllers, for a one-dimensional, single-input/single-output, parabolic (heat/diffusion) system using a spline-based, Ritz-Galerkin, finite-element approximation. The numerical studies indicate convergence of the feedback gains with less than 2% performance degradation over full-order LQG controllers. >
Microbial leakage evaluation of the continuous wave of condensation.

Coronal leakage has been recognized as a cause of pulpal and periradicular disease. Although cleaning and shaping of the root canal system is considered paramount, obturation of the system is an important step in endodontic success. The purpose of this study was to evaluate coronal bacterial leakage in teeth obturated with the System B continuous wave of condensation technique, followed by an Obtura II backfill, versus teeth obturated using the lateral condensation technique. Sixty single-rooted bilaterally matched teeth were evaluated in this study. An anaerobic bacterial leakage model was used. Results indicate that microbial coronal leakage occurs more quickly using lateral condensation than with the System B continuous wave of condensation and Obtura II backfill. This difference was statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05). However, there was no statistical difference between groups 1 and 2 in the numbers of teeth that demonstrated bacterial leakage at the end of the study.
Tobit, fixed effects, and cohort analyses of the relationship between severity and duration of rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract Three methodological problems are commonly faced by researchers investigating relationships between severity and duration of illness among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). (1) Linear regression techniques yield biased estimates when measures of severity are continous but range between and include limiting values such as 0 and 3. (2) Data from the same patient over time are typically pooled together with data from different patients at the same time and over time. Models are then used that do not account for the statistical problems that can result from pooling. (3) Persons with varying years of duration of disease are typically combined and analyzed without any special attention to cohort effects. Changes in severity over time for cohorts of patients with fewer than 10 years of duration may be different from changes in severity of patients with more than 20 years of duration from the onset of the disease. In this study, severity is measured by the 0–3 disability scale in the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). Duration is measured by self-report of the onset of symptoms by subjects. Popular techniques are borrowed from econometrics—Tobit, Fixed Effects, and dummy variables for Cohort Models—that were developed to address three analogous problems in economic data. The three economic techniques are applied separately and together using data collected by Arthritis, Rheumatism, and Aging Medical Information System (ARAMIS) on 330 RA patients in 1981 who were followed until 1989. Although the Tobit technique does not appear to be especially useful with these data, Fixed Effects and Cohort Models do appear to be useful. This study illustrates how methods used in economics to address three problems of censoring, panel data, and cohort effects can be applied to medical data. These three problems are often ignored in medical studies.
Hyperuricemia and gout: a reign of complacency.

We physicians have become complacent about gouty arthritis, developing a false sense of confidence that we actually know how to manage it.
Children's speech as a source of data toward the measurement of psychological states.

A measurement of psychological states, based on the objective content analysis of small samples of speech, has undergone thorough reliability and constructvalidation studies for individuals in the age range 17–70. The present report is a first step in the extension of this method to children ages 6–16. It has involved a descriptive analysis of the frequency of use of various verbal content categories of 109 schoolchildren, roughly stratified for grade. Percentile scores have been obtained for such content analysis scales as anxiety, hostility outward, hostility inward, ambivalent hostility, social alienation-personal disorganization, cognitive impairment, human relations, hope, and achievement strivings. Comparisons are made between these children's scores on such measures and similar scores obtained from adults. Sex differences and developmental trends are examined.
Antagonists of glutaminergic neurotransmission block retinotectal transmission in goldfish

Abstract The hypothesis that excitatory retinotectal transmission is mediated primarily by a glutamate or glutamate-related transmitter-receptor system was examined by recording extracellular field potentials in isolated sections of goldfish tectum while stimulating the optic tract and applying antagonists of excitatory amino acid (EAA) neurotransmission via the tissue bath. Three antagonists of EAA receptors produced greater than 90% reduction in the postsynaptic components of these evoked potentials. In order of potency, these were (with the concentrations that produced 50% block): kyurenic acid (0.15 mM), γ- d -glutamyglycine (0.33 mM), and cis-2,3-piperidine dicarboxylic acid (0.47 mM). All 3 log concentration-effect curves were parallel, symmetrically sigmoidal, and somewhat steeper than non-cooperative single-site binding isotherms. All antagonist actions stabilized within 15 min and were completely reversible. An EAA antagonist potent and selective for the N-methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) subtype of receptor, 2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate, had little or no effect in either normal, low [Ca2+]/high [Mg2+], or Mg2+-free media. These data indicate that an excitatory amino acid receptor not of the NMDA subtype plays an essential role in fast excitatory retinotectal transmission, and would be most consistent with the mediation of most or all excitatory retinotectal transmission by a single class and subtype of glutamate receptor.
Identification of a factor in conventional muscle actin preparations which inhibits actin filament self-association.

Abstract Gel filtration of depolymerized conventionally purified muscle actin separates from the actin monomers a fraction of minor contaminants with a Stokes' radius of 4.7 nm which has the ability to block actin filament network formation. On the basis of heat and trypsin sensitivity, this inhibitory activity appears to be a protein. The inhibitory activity binds to actin filaments and reduces their low shear viscosity by up to 99% in a concentration dependent fashion while reducing polymerization to only a minor extent.
The critical current density and microstructural state of an internal tin multifilamentary superconducting wire

The critical current density (J c ) of internal tin wires is increased when low-temperature diffusion heat treatments are performed prior to a high temperature reaction. To determine the variation of J c with pre-reaction heat treatments a copper-stabilized IGC internal tin wire with an outside diameter of 0.267mm was studied. The wire has 2 to 2.5 μm diameter filaments, and within the Ta barrier, the area ratio of the copper matrix and Sn core to Nb is about 2.2. Due to the character of the Cu-Sn phase diagram, heat treatments at a series of temperatures below the Nb 3 Sn reaction temperature affect the local Sn concentration in the matrix about the Nb filaments. The variation in J c resulting from these heat treatments is a consequence of the microstructural state of the conductor and the morphology of the Nb 3 Sn layer produced. The results of this work show that the internal tin and bronze-processed wires have different J c (H) characteristics. The two processes have comparable critical currents at high fields, suggesting the same H c2 , while at low fields the internal tin wire is superior, suggesting a better grain morphology.
Regulation of glomerular filtration rate in chronic congestive heart failure patients

Regulation of glomerular filtration rate in chronic congestive heart failure patients. The purpose of this study was to identify the factor(s) that characterize impaired glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. We studied 34 patients, measuring systemic hemodynamics, vasoactive hormones, and sodium and volume status. Renal plasma flow (para-aminohippurate) and GFR (inulin) were assessed by steady-state clearance techniques. Both linear and multiple regression analyses were performed. Impaired GFR was characterized by reduction of renal blood flow and renal fraction of cardiac output, and by an increase of renal vascular resistance. The correlation between GFR and filtration fraction (r = 0.492, P
Polynomials, power series and interpolation☆

In this paper we study the relationship between formal power series, sequences of polynomials and polynomial interpolation. We do this by extending and applying the techniques of the umbra1 calculus. Since our approach is a completely fresh one, no previous knowledge of the umbra1 calculus is required. Our main goals are threefold. Let us begin from the point of view of interpolation. Let P be the algebra of polynomials in a single variable and let P* be the dual vector space of all linear functionals on P. If L E P* and P(X) E P, we denote the application of L on p(x) by
Implicitly Priming the Social Brain: Failure to Find Neural Effects

Humans have a fundamental need for social relationships. Rejection from social groups is especially detrimental, rendering the ability to detect threats to social relationships and respond in adaptive ways critical. Indeed, previous research has shown that experiencing social rejection alters the processing of subsequent social cues in a variety of socially affiliative and avoidant ways. Because social perception and cognition occurs spontaneously and automatically, detecting threats to social relationships may occur without conscious awareness or control. Here, we investigated the automaticity of social threat detection by examining how implicit primes affect neural responses to social stimuli. However, despite using a well-established implicit priming paradigm and large sample size, we failed to find any evidence that implicit primes induced changes at the neural level. That implicit primes influence behavior has been demonstrated repeatedly and across a variety of domains, and our goal is not to question these effects. Rather, we offer the present study as cautionary evidence that such a paradigm may not be amenable to scanning in an fMRI environment.
Experience With an Integrated Centrifugal Compressor Design Procedure

An integrated centrifugal compressor design procedure is described consisting of several phases, each using progressively more complex models. After initially sizing the compressor overall geometry, the detailed geometry is first determined from a one-dimensional mean streamline model. This geometry is subsequently analyzed by more complex two-dimensional hub-to-shroud and blade-to-blade internal flow models. The one-dimensional mean streamline model is a key element in this integrated design procedure, since it links the results of the preliminary sizing model with the more sophisticated two-dimensional internal flow models. It quickly determines a complete (hub and shroud contour and blade angle distributions) compressor geometry from a desired blade loading distribution and the overall performance requirements of the compressor. After a presentation of this mean streamline design model and its assumptions, an impeller design case study is given using the integrated centrifugal compressor design procedure. From a comparison between the actual flow predictions of the various models it can be concluded that the major aerodynamic trends are properly described by the mean streamline model.Copyright © 1984 by ASME
Green supply chain management practices: impact on performance

Purpose – The aim is to contribute significantly to the first wave of empirical investigations related to the impact of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices on performance. The paper also aims to theorize and empirically assess a comprehensive GSCM practices and performance model. The model incorporates green supply chain practices that link manufacturers with supply chain partners (both suppliers and customers) to support environmental sustainability throughout the supply chain.Design/methodology/approach – Data collected from 159 manufacturing managers were analyzed using a structural equation modeling methodology. Manufacturing managers provide data reflecting the degree to which their organizations work with suppliers and customers to improve environmental sustainability of the supply chain.Findings – Generally, the adoption of GSCM practices by manufacturing organizations leads to improved environmental performance and economic performance, which, in turn, positively impact operational perf...