cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Independence and dependence in human causal reasoning

Abstract Causal graphical models (CGMs) are a popular formalism used to model human causal reasoning and learning. The key property of CGMs is the causal Markov condition, which stipulates patterns of independence and dependence among causally related variables. Five experiments found that while adult’s causal inferences exhibited aspects of veridical causal reasoning, they also exhibited a small but tenacious tendency to violate the Markov condition. They also failed to exhibit robust discounting in which the presence of one cause as an explanation of an effect makes the presence of another less likely. Instead, subjects often reasoned “associatively,” that is, assumed that the presence of one variable implied the presence of other, causally related variables, even those that were (according to the Markov condition) conditionally independent. This tendency was unaffected by manipulations (e.g., response deadlines) known to influence fast and intuitive reasoning processes, suggesting that an associative response to a causal reasoning question is sometimes the product of careful and deliberate thinking. That about 60% of the erroneous associative inferences were made by about a quarter of the subjects suggests the presence of substantial individual differences in this tendency. There was also evidence that inferences were influenced by subjects’ assumptions about factors that disable causal relations and their use of a conjunctive reasoning strategy. Theories that strive to provide high fidelity accounts of human causal reasoning will need to relax the independence constraints imposed by CGMs.
Synthesis of quadratic stability control for similar composite systems

Abstract The similar composite systems, with subsystem matrices and interconnection matrices having similar structures, are more general than symmetrically interconnected systems. First the mathematical narrative for the similarity is presented, then the similar structural information is utilized to change the control design problem for similar composite systems to solving two low-order algebraic Riccati inequalities, so the control design is remarkably simplified.
Epitaxial nanotwinned Cu films with high strength and high conductivity

We report on the synthesis of epitaxial (single-crystal-like), nanotwinned Cu films via magnetron sputtering. Increasing the deposition rate from 1 to 4 nm/s decreased the average twin lamellae spacing from 16 to 7 nm. These epitaxial nanotwinned Cu films exhibit significantly higher ratio of hardness to room temperature electrical resistivity than columnar grain (nanocrystalline), textured, nanotwinned Cu films.
Application of combination of diffusion equation of stokes-einstein and smoluchowski equation for diffusion controlled reactions to the reactions of the solvated electron in 1-alkanols

Abstract Measured specific rates of diffusion controlled reactions of solvated electron, e, with phenanthrene in 1-alkanols at 25°C are analyzed for the Smoluchowski equation. The diffusion coefficients of es are calcu-lated from the Stokes-Einstein equation, where es is treated as a normal anion. Implications of these calculations are discussed.
Changing interpretive schemes and organizational restructuring: The example of a religious order.

Jean M. Bartunek This paper reports a case study of a religious order whose shared interpretive schemes (the schemata that map its experience of the world), especially its understanding of its mission, were being substantially changed. During thistime the order underwent a major revision in structure. On the basis of the case, the paper explores ways interpretive schemes undergo fundamental change and ways these changes are linked to restructuring. The paper proposes that major changes in interpretive schemes occur through dialectical processes in which old and new ways of understanding interact, resulting in a synthesis. The process of change in interpretive schemes is in a reciprocal relationship with changes in structure. This relationship is not direct, but rather is mediated by the actions of organizational members and their emotional reactions to change. Environmental forces are likely to initiate the change, but the way the environment is interpreted by organizational members affects the type of change that takes place. Similarly, the way the organization's leadership initiates or responds to alternate interpretive schemes limits the type of change in understanding that can occur.
Reconstruction with diffeomorphic motion compensation for undersampled dynamic MRI

We propose a compressed sensing type of reconstruction method that can handle large amounts of inter-frame motion by including diffeomorphic model-based registration steps within the iterative reconstruction. The method is useful for speeding up imaging of moving structures. It is also suitable for application to a newly proposed type of myocardial perfusion imaging that does not use ECG gating. Such an acquisition is a simpler alternative to conventional ECG gated acquisitions but requires severe undersampling of k-space data and more sophisticated reconstruction methods. The new methods and preliminary results are presented.
Long-term consequences of biochemical and biogeochemical changes in the Horseshoe Bend agroecosystem, Athens, GA

Understanding many soil processes, including the accumulation of organic matter and the formation and loss of soil aggregates, requires research that is conducted over decadal time periods. The dynamics of soil organic matter and soil fauna at the Horseshoe Bend (HSB) agroecosystem site in Georgia have been studied in replicated experimental plots since 1978. The experimental treatments (no-tillage (NT) and conventional-tillage (CT) regimes) are continuing to diverge in amounts and distribution of SOM in the soil profiles of HSB. Our current research focuses on two major areas: 1) long-term measurements of the gradually-increasing base of soil organic matter from C3-pathway plants, in crop rotations that have been in effect since 1997; 2) following the production, accumulation, fate and ecological effects of the Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) proteins from the summer planting of Bt (and non-Bt) cotton in subplots within our main plots. The variation in the size of soil aggregates may influence the sequestration of Bt toxins, and their breakdown products, within soils. NT management systems at HSB generate an increasing proportion of soil macroaggregates in comparison to the markedly reduced macroaggregates in our CT plots. We suggest that NT systems may sequester more Bt-related products than will CT plots.
Thermophysics of the lanthanide hydroxides I. Heat capacities of La(OH)3, Gd(OH)3, and Eu(OH)3 from near 5 to 350 K. Lattice and Schottky contributions☆

Abstract From values of the heat capacity of microcrystalline La(OH)3, Gd(OH)3, and Eu(OH)3 determined by precise adiabatic calorimetry from near 10 to 350 K, the Schottky contribution associated with the low-lying J-manifolds of Eu(OH)3 was resolved with the aid of a new lattice-heat-capacity approximation based upon volumetric interpolation between the lattice heat capacities of the La(OH)3 and Gd(OH)3 homologs. This calorimetrically deduced Schottky contribution to the heat capacity of Eu(OH)3 was compared with the same contribution calculated from spectral data. Excellent accord was observed over the entire temperature range investigated. The experimental heat capacities of this study together with previously published low-temperature (0.45 to 18 K) magnetic and heat-capacity data for Gd(OH)3 permit evaluation of thermophysical functions relative to T = 0 for each compound.
Anatomy of the failure rate: A mathematical dissection

The failure rate function is one of the most commonly used notion in reliability engineering and in survival analysis. The purpose of this expository paper is to point out some mathematical issues connected with this notion, a consequence of which is that under certain circumstances the famous exponentiation formula overestimates the probability of survival. To demonstrate this we point out a scenario that results in Volterra's product integrals, instead of the usual Lebesgue integral for which the exponentiation formula is exact. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Predicting Rainfall Erosivity in Honduras

Iso-erodent maps can be used in soil conservation planning to identify regions with high rainfall erosive potential. This study was conducted to determine the significance of elevation in predicting the rainfall erosivity index (R) in addition to the average annual precipitation and to develop an iso-erodent map for Honduras. With previously calculated R-factor values for eight climatic stations in Honduras, a regression relationship was established for estimating the rainfall erosivity index as function of average annual precipitation and elevation with R 2 of 0.972. This regression model was used to estimate the rainfall erosivity index for each of the 344 Honduran climatic stations without calculated rainfall erosivity indices. Due to the limited number of data points and their geographic clustering, the best estimates of mean rainfall erosivity indices were for stations with average annual precipitation in the range from 831 to 1313 mm and elevation between 360 and 1080 m. A provisional iso-erodent map of Honduras at a scale 1:1 000 000 was compiled in Arc/Info format, using a basemap obtained from the digital chart of the world. Iso-lines for the 95% prediction intervals for new rainfall erosivity indices are displayed on the map to show the accuracy of the new estimates. Elevation was found to be highly significant in predicting the rainfall erosivity in addition to the average annual precipitation. Data from Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, and the southeastern USA supported this finding.
Newtonian Development of the Dynamical Properties of Ionized Gases of Low Density

The macroscopic dynamical equations of a tenuous ionized gas in a magnetic field are developed by averaging over the individual ion and electron motions, which do not necessarily possess an isotropic distribution. It is shown that the principal motion of the gas is related to the magnetic field by the usual hydromagnetic equations, as developed for conducting liquids and dense gases; the anisotropy of the individual particle motions shows up primarily as a coefficient multiplying the pondermotive force exerted by the magnetic field on the plasma. The results reduce properly to the earlier work of Schl\"uter, Cowling, and Spitzer for isotropic pressure, and are in agreement with the recent developments from the Boltzmann equation. It is pointed out that the magnetic lines of force are permanently connected and move in the frame of reference of the electric drift. It is shown that near static equilibrium, when the principal motions vanish, there remain small macroscopic drift motions of the gas in the field inhomogeneities.It is also shown that the field equations, obtained by assuming that the radius of gyration of the thermal motions is small compared to the scale of the field, are valid even near neutral surfaces, on which the field density vanishes.
Multiplex IP-FCM (immunoprecipitation-flow cytometry): Principles and guidelines for assessing physiologic protein-protein interactions in multiprotein complexes.

Abstract There is significant interest in the development of methods with the potential to increase access to ‘the interactome’ for both experimental and clinical applications. Immunoprecipitation detected by flow cytometry (IP-FCM) is a robust, biochemical method that can be used for measuring physiologic protein–protein interactions (PPI) in multiprotein complexes (MPC) with high sensitivity. Because it is based on antibody-mediated capture of protein complexes onto microspheres, IP-FCM is potentially compatible with a multiplex platform that could allow simultaneous assessment of many physiologic PPI. Here, we consider the principles of ambient analyte conditions (AAC) and inter-bead independence, and provide a template set of experiments showing how to convert singleplex IP-FCM to multiplex IP-FCM, including assays to confirm the validity of the experimental conditions for data acquisition. We conclude that singleplex IP-FCM can be successfully upgraded to multiplex format, and propose that the unique strengths of multiplex IP-FCM make it a method that is likely to facilitate the acquisition of new PPI data from primary cell sources.
Alterations in temporal patterns of heart rate variability after coronary artery bypass graft surgery

BACKGROUND Preliminary studies have indicated that autonomic nervous system dysfunction may be present in patients after cardiac surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate cardiac autonomic nervous system function, as assessed by analysis of heart rate variability (HRV), in adult patients undergoing uncomplicated coronary artery bypass graft surgery. METHODS Longitudinal changes in HRV were determined perioperatively by continuous electrocardiographic monitoring in 40 adult patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery and were compared with HRV in two groups of control subjects: 15 patients undergoing nonthoracic major vascular surgery and 19 healthy volunteers. Exclusion criteria were diabetes, renal failure, recent or perioperative myocardial infarction, or use of inotropic drugs. HRV data during electrocardiographically documented episodes of myocardial ischemia were omitted. RESULTS There were no differences in any measurement of preoperative HRV between groups during the day, but HRV was greater at night (12:00 AM to 5:00 AM) in volunteers than in patients in either surgical group. In the hour after induction of anesthesia (before cardiopulmonary bypass), the components of HRV were decreased compared with those in the preoperative daytime but were similar in the two surgical groups. After surgery, HRV in the group undergoing nonthoracic vascular surgery remained at about the same level as that observed after induction of anesthesia, whereas in the group undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery, HRV was further reduced and was approximately 40-50% less than that in the vascular surgery group (P < 0.05). In the coronary artery bypass group, the reduction in HRV compared with the preoperative daytime measurements persisted on postoperative day 5. CONCLUSIONS HRV is reduced after uncomplicated coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Although we cannot exclude the effects of uncontrolled variables in this reduction of postoperative HRV, the observed changes in HRV did not appear to result from general anesthesia, perioperative stress responses, and other factors associated with the early postoperative period. These data are consistent with the supposition that cardiac autonomic nervous system function is impaired after cardiac surgery.
The drug response of a normal and a multi-resistant strain of P. falciparum to sulphalene

Abstract The intermediate-acting sulphonamide, sulphalene, has been tested as an antimalarial agent in non-immune human volunteers. It is very effective against a chloroquine-pyrimethamine-resistant P. falciparum. It cured 7 of 7 cases when 1 gramme was given as a single dose. Against a strain of P. falciparum sensitive to all common antimalarial drugs, sulphalene was not as satisfactory; it cured only 2 of 5 patients receiving 1 gramme and 3 of 6 receiving 2·5 grammes. In both P. falciparum strains the speed of action was slow. The clearance of parasites was slower than with quinine. When sulphalene is combined with the new inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase trimethoprim, the combination is extremely effective and rapid against normal and resistant P. falciparum.
Phenotypic and functional heterogeneity of macrophages and dendritic cell subsets in the healthy and atherosclerosis-prone aorta.

Atherosclerosis continues to be the leading cause of cardiovascular disease. Development of atherosclerosis depends on chronic inflammation in the aorta and multiple immune cells are involved in this process. Importantly, resident macrophages and dendritic cells are present within the healthy aorta, but the functions of these cells remain poorly characterized. Local inflammation within the aortic wall promotes the recruitment of monocytes and dendritic cell precursors to the aorta and micro-environmental factors direct the differentiation of these emigrated cells into multiple subsets of macrophages and dendritic cells. Recent data suggest that several populations of macrophages and dendritic cells can co-exist within the aorta. Although the functions of M1, M2, Mox and M4 macrophages are well characterized in vitro, there is a limited set of data on the role of these populations in atherogenesis in vivo. Recent studies on the origin and the potential role of aortic dendritic cells provide novel insights into the biology of aortic dendritic cell subsets and prospective mechanisms of the immune response in atherosclerosis. This review integrates the results of experiments analyzing heterogeneity of dendritic cells and macrophage subsets in healthy and diseased vessels and briefly discusses the known and potential functions of these cells in atherogenesis.
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF LAMINAR CONVECTION IN THE CHANNEL BETWEEN PARALLEL PLATES WITH UNIFORM HEAT SOURCES IN THE FLUID

Abstract Heat-transfer results for the free convective flow of a heat-generating fluid in a vertical parallel-plate channel have been obtained through use of a Zehnder-Mach interferometer. The experiments were carried out with a parallel-plate channel, open at the top and bottom, suspended in a large tank of dilute electrolyte. The heat-transfer characteristics of the channel were studied starting from an initial state of uniform temperature in the whole system (no flow) to the onset of quasi-steady convection when a step change in heat generation is applied to the fluid initially between the walls of the channel. Experimental results are presented for channel spacings of 0.197 and 0.745 in and for an internal heat generation rate of approximately 13 000 Btu/h ft 3 . These results are compared with theoretical analyses for the early transient period and for the final quasi-steady state. The agreement between experiment and theory indicates that the heat transfer for the range of parameters studied can be predicted adequately for the whole transient period.
Teaching for adaptive expertise in biomedical engineering ethics.

This paper considers an approach to teaching ethics in bioengineering based on the How People Learn (HPL) framework. Curricula based on this framework have been effective in mathematics and science instruction from the kindergarten to the college levels. This framework is well suited to teaching bioengineering ethics because it helps learners develop “adaptive expertise”. Adaptive expertise refers to the ability to use knowledge and experience in a domain to learn in unanticipated situations. It differs from routine expertise, which requires using knowledge appropriately to solve routine problems. Adaptive expertise is an important educational objective for bioengineers because the regulations and knowledge base in the discipline are likely to change significantly over the course of their careers. This study compares the performance of undergraduate bioengineering students who learned about ethics for stem cell research using the HPL method of instruction to the performance of students who learned following a standard lecture sequence. Both groups learned the factual material equally well, but the HPL group was more prepared to act adaptively when presented with a novel situation.
On the Geometry of Halley's Method

According to Traub [Tra64], Halley's iteration function (I.F.) "must share with the secant I.F. the distinction of being the most frequently rediscovered I.F. in the literature." Halley's method is a close relative of Newton's method, an iterative technique depicted as a sequence of tangent lines with zeros converging to a root of a function. The usual derivation of Halley's method, however, lacks any obvious geometric interpretation. We present a derivation of Halley's method having such an interpretation, and give a brief history of Halley's work and the method that bears his name.
Functional evaluation of magnet wire insulation

A procedure developed at the Naval Research Laboratory to evaluate the thermal aging properties of magnet wire is presented. The method adopts a coil specimen and subjects it to such stresses as are experienced by the insulation system of a motor. The various factors which influence the aging properties of magnet wire are investigated. Aging data collected by this procedure are presented for a number of standard magnet wires.
Rhizobium meliloti distribution in the soil following alfalfa inoculation

Alfalfa seeds, inoculated with an antibiotic-resistantRhizobium meliloti strain, were planted in three replicated field plots at Clayton, N.C. Core samples were taken three times in the next year at 0, 10, and 20 cm from the edge of each plot. Soil subsamples were taken from within each core sample at 0, 6, 12, and 18 cm depths. The numbers of the inoculum Rhizobium strain in each soil subsample were determined by inoculation of alfalfa plants with diluted soil samples. In general the distribution of rhizobia showed some movement outward and downward in the soil. Lower counts were obtained at the surface during summer. The Rhizobium persistence pattern in the soil differed in the three plots which is consistent with the variability in Rhizobium numbers often observed in established alfalfa stands.
Dosimetric properties of neutrons from 21-MeV deuteron bombardment of a deuterium gas target.

Spectra, yields, average energies, and kerma rates in tissue of neutrons from 21‐MeV deuteron bombardment of deuterium gas targets have been calculated for target thicknesses of 1, 3.5, and 5 MeV. A high pressure gas cell was constructed and was filled with 33 atm of D2 gas (equivalent to an energy loss of 3.5 MeV for 21‐MeV deuterons); dose rate, dose buildup, and depth‐dose properties of neutrons produced by the D(d,n) reaction were measured. Dosimetric properties of these neutrons are superior to those of neutrons from a thick Be target bombarded by a deuteron beam of the same energy.
Regional Policy Simulations with an Interregional Input-Output Model of the Philippines

NGO T. W., JAZAYERI A. and RICHARDSON H. W. (1987) Regional policy simulations with an interregional input-output model of the Philippines, Reg. Studies 21, 121–130. A two-region (core-periphery) interregional input-output model of the Philippines is developed. Analysis of impact multipliers showed that the interregional as opposed to the intraregional contribution to national multipliers was also small and that the location of many industries in peripheral regions was efficient in the sense of generating larger multipliers. The model was used, via incorporating the effects of relative price shifts in the technical coefficient matrix and elasticity effects on final demand, to examine three types of policy instrument: infrastructure subsidies; labour subsidies; and policies to change the internal terms of trade. The output stimulus from a targetted labour subsidy was generally greater than that from an infrastructure subsidy, but a very large subsidy would be needed to match the impact of a 20% increase in...
Feeding rate and attack specialization: the roles of predator experience and energetic tradeoffs

Individual mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, can adopt a broad range of attack selectivities. In part, this variation can be explained by the past experiences of a fish. Individuals selected the more profitable Ceriodaphnia dubia (Cladocera) over less profitable cyclopoid copepods to a greater degree after being exposed to both prey types than did individuals experienced with only one of the prey types. Feeding rate (biomass ingested per unit time) declined with increased attack specialization on the profitable prey (Ceriodaphnia) when such prey were scarce, a result in agreement with assumptions of optimal diet theory. When profitable prey were abundant feeding rate was a bimodal function of the intensity of specialization on profitable prey; fish that specialized on cyclopoid copepods (the less profitable prey type) fed at higher rates than did generalists. This may be the result of antagonistic learning that precluded feeding efficiently on more than one type of prey at a time. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that rejection of unsuitable prey involves a time cost. The two preceeding aspects of foraging behavior, which are absent from most optimal diet models, could lead to failure in predicting the attack specialization of some predators, An additional aspect of the results was the generally weak relationship between feeding efficiency and specialization behavior. This suggests that feeding rate may not have been as tightly linked to the specialization behavior a predator adopts as is assumed by current foraging theory.
Neutral and Charged Polymer Brushes: A Model Unifying Curvature Effects from Micelles to Flat Surfaces

Conformations of neutral and charged brushes on spheres have been explored for diblock and triblock copolymers adsorbed on colloidal particles and associated in micelles. The variation of layer thi...
Group communication and quality of task solution in a media production organization

This study was designed to identify “differences that make a difference” in the communication of small groups engaged in producing multimedia messages. Results indicate that the nature and frequency of the leader's communication, the relative openness of the group's communication system, and the proportionate number of members who actively participate in group activities affect the quality of the groups’ products as measured by audience evaluation. The study supports findings of previous research on group communication and theories of effective organizational communication.
Chlorobenzilate residues in citrus-worker urine.

A Rebuttable Presumption Against Registration (RPAR) was issued for chlorobenzilate (CB) in May, 1976 (BOYD 1978). In June, 1978 a Notice of Determination was published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency because the presumptive cancer r isk associated with exposure to the acaricide had not been adequately negated by assessment and research. By February, 1979 a Notice of Intent to cancel a l l non-citrus uses of CB was issued. Use of chlorobenzilate was thereby l imited to c i t rus crops grown in Texas, Cal i fornia and Florida. The conditions for reg is t ra t ion of CB were also made more str ingent : ( I ) i t was rec lass i f ied as a rest r ic ted use pest icide, (2) a new label indicat ing s t r i c t e r use conditions was required and (3) u t i l i za t i on of more effect ive protective clothing and equipment were recommended.
A world we have gained: house, common, and village in New England

Abstract The New England tradition of large colonial houses encircling town commons to form Puritan villages was invented in the nineteenth century. Colonial ministers had formed an image of hardbitten Puritans shaping garden out of wilderness, which nineteenth-century Romantic elites elaborated upon to form a myth of Puritan antecedence, democratic society, and patriotic fervor. The contemporary village ensemble, whose substantial houses and village greens a nineteenth-century elite had constructed, became the historical tableau upon which the Romantic myth was played out. Village-improvement, architectural-preservation, and local historical societies self-consciously carved out a landscape of relict features to stand for the whole. Colonial Revival architects reinterpreted colonial form to contrive a historical landscape. Scholars of town origins and of the roots of vernacular building traditions assumed the tradition and converted it to conventional scholarly wisdom. The landscape conceit was a counterpoise for modernity. It provided symbolic attachment to a landscape that justified the past and that legitimized the present.
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF MICRO/NANO HEAT PIPE WICK STRUCTURES

The performance of electronic devices is limited by the capability to remove heat from these devices. A heat pipe is a device to facilitate heat transport that has seen increased usage to address this challenge. A heat pipe is a two-phase heat transfer device capable of transporting heat with minimal temperature gradient. An important component of a heat pipe is the wick structure, which transports the condensate from the condenser to the evaporator. The requirements for high heat transport capability and high resilience to external accelerations leads to the necessity of a design trade off in the wick geometry. This makes the wick performance a critical parameter in the design of heat pipes. The present study investigates experimental methods of testing capillary performance of wick structures ranging from micro- to nano-scales. These techniques will facilitate a pathway to the development of nano-engineered wick structures for high performance heat pipes.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Acetate catabolism by Methanosarcina barkeri: Hydrogen-dependent methane production from acetate by a soluble cell protein fraction

Cell extracts prepared from Methanosarcina barkeri converted acetate into methane and carbon dioxide under a hydrogen atmosphere. Methanogenesis by cell extracts required acetate and ATP and, the in vitro rate was 5 to 10% of the rate of methanogenesis observed during exponential growth of cells on acetate. Methane and carbon dioxide produced by cell extracts originated predominantly from the methyl and carboxyl groups of acetate, respectively, in a manner consistent with that observed in whole cells. Acetate degradation activity was detected in the soluble (150000 × g supernatant) fraction and not in the membrane fraction. These results are discussed in relation to a proposed model for ATP generation from acetate that involves both membrane-bound and soluble enzymatic components such as CO dehydrogenase.
Cloning and optimization of a nitrilase for the synthesis of (3S)-3-cyano-5-methyl hexanoic acid

Abstract In this paper we describe the cloning and optimization of a nitrilase for a regio- and stereo-specific synthesis of (3S)-3-cyano-5-methyl hexanoic acid (2) from isobutylsuccinonitrile (IBSN, 1). Ten representative plant and bacterial nitrilases have been cloned and their substrate specificity was studied using a fluorescent assay. The desired nitrilase AtNit1 from Arabidopsis thaliana was identified with high enantioselectivity (E > 150). This enzyme was then purified and characterized to be an oligomer of 12 subunits by size exclusion chromatography. AtNit1 was subsequently optimized to increase expression and engineered to improve activity. Preliminary screening of a small percentage (1%) of the mutant library shows that the mutant C236S has a nearly 3-fold increase in reactivity in the hydrolysis of IBSN.
Research of Balanced-Alternative Spanning Tree for Wireless Sensor Networks

In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), lifetime and failure-tolerance seem to be a part of contradiction. The traditional spanning tree mostly focuses on network lifetime, and use data-aggregation to save network energy. In order to keep the whole network available during nodes failure, a routing protocol that is called balanced-alternative spanning tree (BAST) is proposed. This routing protocol has two different strategies in the normal case and nodes failure case. Since the routing protocol use directed construction and reconstruction methods, it can harmonize the energy efficiency and failure-tolerance on a desired balance. In this paper, the construction and working principles of balanced-alternative communication tree are discussed. For overcoming the frangibility of traditional spanning tree, reconstruction scenario of tree-based communication path is emphatically explored. Furthermore, the proposed protocol is evaluated from the effect of energy efficiency to the failure-tolerance. With the simulation, the performance of BAST is verified to be efficient and available.
Crystalline crosslinked microparticles from immiscible blends of polyethylene and polystyrene

Crystalline crosslinked polyethylene microparticles with size distribution averages ranging from 0.374 to 0.944 μm were prepared from immiscible PS and PE blends in the melt phase for microgel applications. The particles were crosslinked either concurrently while blending using dicumyl peroxide or post blending via electron-beam irradiation. The effects of varying the processing temperature, blend duration, and block copolymer compatibilizer content on the particle morphology were studied and it was found that only a decrease in processing temperatures (increase in continuous-to-dispersed phase viscosity ratio) resulted in finer particles for the range of variables tested. The chemical composition of the isolated particles was determined using infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy while the particle morphology was investigated using electron microscopy image analysis in conjunction with thermogravimetric analysis. It was determined that particles produced with and without the block copolymer contained a small amount of PS even after meticulous extraction with a PS solvent (THF). However, the exact location of PS on the PE particles remains obscure.
Abstract 1250: Inhibition of pancreatic carcinogenesis by t-CUPM, a dual inhibitor of c-Raf and soluble epoxide hydrolase

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Mutant Kras activated Raf-MAPK/ERK pathway and chronic pancreatitis are the most common pathogenic events involved in human pancreatic carcinogenesis. The soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), a pro-inflammatory enzyme, generally inactivates anti-inflammatory epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs). Herein, we have synthesized a novel compound of trans-4-{4-[3-(4-chloro-3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-ureido]-cyclohexyloxy}-pyridine-2-carboxylic acid methylamide (t-CUPM) via modifying the central phenyl ring of sorafenib and confirmed its dual inhibition of sEH and c-Raf by recombinant kinase activity assay. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that oral dosing of t-CUPM resulted in the higher blood levels than that of sorafenib throughout the complete time course (48 h). The effect of t-CUPM on the development of pancreatitis and pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (mPanIN) was determined in the LSL-KrasG12D/Pdx1-Cre mice. The results showed that t-CUPM significantly reduced the severity of chronic pancreatitis, as measured for the extents of acini loss, inflammatory cell infiltration and stromal fibrosis. The progression of low-grade mPanIN I to high grade mPanIN II/III was significantly suppressed by t-CUPM treatment. Inhibition of mutant Kras-transmitted phosphorylations of MEK/ERK was demonstrated in pancreatic tissues and in vitro pancreatic cancer cells by Western blot assay. qPCR analysis revealed that t-CUPM treatment resulted in significantly decreasing the levels of inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, MCP-1, as well as VCAM-1, and the levels of Shh and GLI1 (Hedgehog pathway). Analysis of eicosanoid profile revealed a significant increase of the EET/DHET ratio that further confirmed sEH inhibition by t-CUPM. These results indicate that simultaneous inhibition of sEH and c-Raf by t-CUPM is important in preventing chronic pancreatitis and carcinogenesis. (supported by NIH R01CA172431) Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Jie Liao, Wanying Zhang, Sung Hee Hwng, Haonan Li, Aaron T. Wecksler, Ke Ma, Bruce D. Hammock, Guang-Yu Yang. Inhibition of pancreatic carcinogenesis by t-CUPM, a dual inhibitor of c-Raf and soluble epoxide hydrolase. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1250. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1250
Public advocacy and the regulatory climate

A State's regulatory climate is an important determinant of utility capital costs and construction expenditures. This paper demonstrates the relationship of public (both proxy and qrassroots) advocacy movements with state regulatory climate and the cost of electricity. The perceived indifference of the utility industry and the regulatory process to public advocacy movements may be exploited by politicians seeking public office on an anti-utility platform. The result can be the weakening of the industry's long-run ability to produce a reliable power supply.
Whole Exome Sequencing Identifies a Causal RBM20 Mutation in a Large Pedigree with Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Background— Whole exome sequencing is a powerful technique for Mendelian disease gene discovery. However, variant prioritization remains a challenge. We applied whole exome sequencing to identify the causal variant in a large family with familial dilated cardiomyopathy of unknown pathogenesis. Methods and Results— A large family with autosomal dominant, familial dilated cardiomyopathy was identified. Exome capture and sequencing were performed in 3 remotely related, affected subjects predicted to share A) in RBM20 , segregated with disease status and was absent in unaffected internal reference exomes. Bioinformatic prioritization with Variant Annotation Analysis and Search Tool supported this result. Conclusions— Whole exome sequencing of remotely related dilated cardiomyopathy subjects from a large, multiplex family, followed by systematic filtering, identified a causal RBM20 mutation without the need for linkage analysis.
On the Deterministic Observation Impact Guidance: A Geometrical Perspective

Abstract An optimal use of the atmospheric data in numerical weather prediction requires an objective assessment of the value added by observations to improve the analyses and forecasts of a specific data assimilation system (DAS). This research brings forward the issue of uncertainties in the assessment of observation values based on deterministic observation impact (OBSI) estimations using observing system experiments (OSEs) and the adjoint-DAS framework. The state-to-observation space uncertainty propagation as a result of the errors in the verification state is investigated. For a quadratic forecast error measure, a geometrical perspective is used to provide insight and to convey some of the key aspects of this research. The study is specialized to a DAS implementing a linear analysis scheme and numerical experiments are presented using the Lorenz 40-variable model.
Renormalization-group approach to the Anderson model of dilute magnetic alloys. I. Static properties for the symmetric case

The temperature-dependent impurity susceptibility for the symmetric Anderson model is calculated for all physically relevant values of its parameters $U$ (the Coulomb correlation energy) and $\ensuremath{\Gamma}$ (the impurity-level width). It is shown that, when $Ug\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\Gamma}$, for temperatures $Tl\frac{U}{(10{k}_{B})}$ the symmetric Anderson model exhibits a local moment and that its susceptibility maps neatly onto that of the spin-\textonehalf{} Kondo model with an effective coupling given by $\ensuremath{\rho}{J}_{\mathrm{eff}}=\ensuremath{-}\frac{8\ensuremath{\Gamma}}{\ensuremath{\pi}U}$. Furthermore, this mapping is shown for remarkably large values of $|\ensuremath{\rho}{J}_{\mathrm{eff}}|$. At very low temperatures (much smaller than the Kondo temperature) the local moment is frozen out, just as for the Kondo model, leading to a strong-coupling regime of constant susceptibility at zero termperature. The results also depict the formation of a local moment from the free orbital as $T$ drops below $U$, a feature not present in the Kondo model. Finally, when $U\ensuremath{\ll}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\Gamma}$ there is a direct transition from free-orbital regime for $T\ensuremath{\gg}\ensuremath{\Gamma}$ to the strong-coupling regime for $T\ensuremath{\ll}\ensuremath{\Gamma}$. The calculations were performed using the numerical renormalization group originally developed by Wilson for the Kondo problem. In addition to the actual numerical calculations, analytic results are presented. In particular, the effective Hamiltonians, i.e., fixed-point Hamiltonian plus relevant and marginal operators, are constructed for the free-orbital, local-moment, and strong-coupling regimes. Analytic formulas for the impurity susceptibility and free energy in all three regimes are developed. The impurity specfic heat in the strong-coupling regime is calculated.
Electron transfer rates in DNA films as a function of tether length.

A homologous series of DNA-modified electrodes has been investigated in which the molecular tether length varies. Using intercalated, covalently bound daunomycin as a redox probe, an exponential dependence of electron transfer rates on the number of intervening methylene groups in the σ-bonded tether is observed. In contrast, variation in DM position within DNA yields no detectable change in rate. These data confirm that overall electron transfer rates in DNA films are limited by the tether, not the DNA.
Selection of abnormal neural oscillation patterns associated with sentence-level language disorder in Schizophrenia

Language disorder is one of the core symptoms in schizophrenia. We propose a new framework based on machine intelligence techniques to investigate abnormal neural oscillations related to this impairment. Schizophrenia patients and healthy control subjects were instructed to discriminate semantically and syntactically correct sentences from syntactically correct but semantically incorrect sentences presented visually, and 248-channel MEG signals were recorded with a whole head machine during the task performance. Oscillation patterns were extracted from the MEG recordings in 8 frequency sub-bands throughout sentence processing, which form a large feature set. A two-step feature selection algorithm combining F-score filtering and Support Vector Machine recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) was designed to pick out a small subset of features which could discriminate patients and controls with high accuracy. We achieved a 90.48% prediction accuracy based on the selected top features, following the leave-one-out cross validation procedure. These top features provide interpretable spectral, spatial, and temporal information about the electrophysiological basis of sentence processing abnormality in schizophrenia which may help understand the underlying mechanism of this disease.
Removal of formyl-methionine residue from nascent bacteriophage f2 protein

Abstract Synthesis of coat protein of bacteriophage f2 in infected cells, as well as in the cell-free system, is initiated with an amino-terminal formyl-methionine. The formyl-methionine is removed when the nascent chain is 40 to 60 amino acids long.
Radio emission in the directions of cD and related galaxies in poor clusters. III - VLA observations at 20 cm

VLA radio maps and optical identifications of a sample of sources in the directions of 21 Yerkes poor cluster fields are presented. The majority of the cluster radio sources are associated with the dominant D or cD galaxies (approximately 70 percent). Our analysis of dominant galaxies in rich and poor clusters indicates that these giant galaxies are much more often radio emitters (approximately 25 percent of cD's are radio active in the poor clusters), have steeper radio spectra, and have simpler radio morphologies (i.e., double or other linear structure) than other less bright ellipticals. A strong continuum of radio properties in cD galaxies is seen from rich to poor clusters. It is speculated that the location of these dominant galaxies at the cluster centers (i.e., at the bottom of a deep, isolated gravitational potential well) is the crucial factor in explaining their multifrequency activity. Galaxy cannibalism and gas infall models as fueling mechanisms for the observed radio and X-ray emission are discussed
Pitman estimation on ℝk

Abstract Equivariant estimation is studied for certain multivariate location families of the type {F(x1−θ..., xn−θ); θ∈ℝk}. At issue are minimum-risk equivariant estimators (MRE's) and questions of admissibility for ordered spaces of generalized risks. MRE's are given explicitly for loss functions including matrix-valued functions LM(θ,T)=M(T−θ)(T−θ)′M′, quadratic functions QA(θ,T)=(T−θ)′A(T−θ), and generalized Laplace functions L w ( θ , T ) = ∑ i = 1 k w i | T i − θ i | with positive weights {w1,...,wk}. These estimators depend on none of M, A and {w1,...,wk}. For LM(θ,T) it is shown that if {X1,...,Xn} are i.i.d. in ℝk and if n≥3, then X¯=(X1+⋯+Xn)/n is MRE and unbiasedly admissible for θ∈ℝkif and only if {X1,...,Xn} are Gaussian.
Beyond Race: Examining the Facets of Multiracial Identity Through a Life-span Developmental Lens

Using a social work developmental lens, this qualitative study explored some of the numerous social and environmental factors that shape a multiracial individual's cultural identity. Results from transcript analysis portray the cultural identity of multiracial persons as significantly influenced by (1) personal experiences of racism and discrimination; (2) social interactions and relationships with peers and family; and (3) the racial climate of the school and community. The findings from this study support more fluid, ecological models of multiracial identity development that are more effective at explicating some of the highly complex and influential contextual factors that impact a multiracial person's cultural identity development.
Hardware-software co-design of 3D data compression for real-time ultrasonic imaging applications

Many of the ultrasonic NDE and imaging applications require processing of huge amount of data in real-time. Compression of acquired data helps to reduce the storage and to rapidly transmit information to remote locations for further analysis. Signal fidelity, computational speed and resource utilization are the major parameters to be considered while designing the architecture for the compression algorithm. The objective of this study is to implement discrete wavelet transform (DWT) based ultrasonic 3D data compression algorithm on a reconfigurable ultrasonic system-on-chip hardware platform targeted for real-time ultrasonic imaging applications. The reconfigurable platform allows analysis of multiple architectures to suit various applications. The algorithm is implemented as a hardware-only design and hardware-software co-design. Both implementations provide a high signal compression ratio of about 98% with good quality signal reconstruction. This study demonstrates that, compressing 33 MBytes of experimental ultrasonic 3D data into 0.4 MBytes requires only one-fourth of a second for hardware-only design, and one minute for hardware-software co-design, making both designs highly suitable for real-time ultrasonic imaging applications.
Autonomous development of relationships among web servers for facilitating information utilization

A Web server can play a role as an agent for people who create information, and Web servers with related information can be searched by the agent in order to facilitate efficient information utilization on the Web. Web servers exchange information with other servers and select which ones to keep or abandon, resulting in an increase in the links with servers with greater relevance. As a result, a community, a group of Web servers that are mutually linked, is created. A Web server community can be used as a place for various forms of information utilization and exchange, such as meta-searches and contents syndication. In this paper, the authors propose an algorithm for creating communities after evaluating the meaning of facilitating information utilization via a community. They then verify the validity of their idea through simulations. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 35(10): 40–49, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (). DOI 10.1002sscj.10659