cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analytical Solutions to SSC Coil End Design

As part of the SSC magnet effort, Fermilab will build and test a series of one meter model SSC magnets. The coils in these magnets will be constructed with several different end configurations. These end designs must satisfy both mechanical and magnetic criteria. Only the mechanical problem will be addressed. Solutions will attempt to minimize stresses and provide internal support for the cable. Different end designs will be compared in an attempt to determine which is most appropriate for the SSC dipole. The mathematics required to create each end configuration will be described. The computer aided design, programming and machine technology needed to make the parts will be reviewed.
Engaging Multiple Teams to Design a Blended Learning Course

In the following design case, a blended learning program was designed and developed for parents interested in improving their parenting skills with their children. Numerous design teams developed the program, consisting of both synchronous live events and asynchronous web-based instruction. Teams were comprised of novice students, professors, and expert designers. This design case explores the design space and design decisions made in light of varied and unique stakeholder involvement. It also illustrates the products developed.
A Systematic Review of Technologies Designed to Improve and Assist Cognitive Decline for Both the Current and Future Aging Populations

This paper serves as a literature review focused on understanding the technologies available for all aging populations. It also presents some limitations involved in providing alternative health care and discusses some considerations to designing technologies for future aging populations.
Calculating the long term voltage stability margin using a linear index

Monitoring the long term voltage stability of the power grid is necessary to ensure its secure operation. In this paper, a voltage stability index that is linear with the power demand, called the M-index, based only on angles is proposed. The linearity of the M-index can be utilized to estimate the load margin directly. The linearity of the M-index is proved for the two-bus system and a method to apply this to a multi-nodal system by using the multi-port equivalent is described. The M-index can estimate voltage stability margin and identify weak buses in a system based on the SCADA and PMU data at the EMS. The M-index is tested on the IEEE-30 Bus system using the multi-port equivalent methodology under several scenarios - different load increase direction & a line outage. The results demonstrate that the M-index is indeed linear with the load increase for all these cases and successfully estimated the load margin.
Photoacoustic ultrasound: theory

Localizing optical absorption within biologic tissue is compromised by the ubiquitous scattering of light that takes place within such tissues. As an alternative to purely optical detection schemes, regional absorption of optical radiation can be detected and localized within highly scattering tissues by detecting the acoustic waves that are produced whenever differential absorption of radiation takes place within such tissues. When the source of optical radiation is delivered in pulses of <EQ 1 microsecond(s) ec duration, the acoustic waves that are produced lie in the medical ultrasonic frequency range, and can be localized using conventional ultrasonic transducers and reconstruction methodology. Localizing such acoustic waves is not adversely affected by optical scattering. This paper introduces a simplistic theory of acoustic wave production within turbid media. The relationships among the irradiating optical pulse power, regional absorption, and strength of acoustic wave production are developed. Estimates of contrast and spatial resolution are presented, assuming a conventional, focused ultrasound transducer and translational scanning are used. Initial theoretical work indicates that optical absorption can be localized with millimeter spatial resolution for 10% absorption or less in biologic tissues as thick as 6.0 cm using safe levels of optical radiation.
An Ecological-Transactional Model of Child Maltreatment

Although community efforts to protect America’s children have grown, the stark reality that confronts us as a nation is that 1 out of every 43 children in the United States has experienced some form of maltreatment at the hands of a parent or primary caregiver. More alarming, according to the National Incidence Study completed in 1993 (NIS-III; United States Department of Health and Human Services, 1996), since 1980, the American public has witnessed and/or contributed to a 149% increase in the number of children reported for alleged maltreatment, with estimates rising from 625,100 to more than 15 million children nationally. When the definition of maltreatment is expanded to include children at risk for maltreatment who may not yet have suffered harm, estimates rise to over 2.8 million cases nationwide. Out of these 1993 incident reports, 1,500 children died due to fatal wounds and over 36% of these children experienced serious injuries (i.e., loss of consciousness, stopping breathing, broken bones, and/or third-degree bums).
Informational Efficiency of Loans versus Bonds: Evidence from Secondary Market Prices

This paper examines the informational efficiency of loans relative to bonds surrounding loan default dates and bond default dates. We examine this issue using a unique dataset of daily secondary market prices of loans over the 11/1999-06/2002 period. We find evidence consistent with a monitoring role of loans. Specifically, consistent with a view that the monitoring role of loans should be reflected in more precise expectations embedded in loan prices, we find that the price decline of loans is less adverse than that of bonds of the same borrower around loan and bond default dates. Additionally, we find evidence that the difference in price decline of loans versus bonds is amplified around loan default dates that are not preceded by a bond default date of the same company. Our results are robust to several alternative explanations, and to controlling for security-specific characteristics, such as seniority, collateral, covenants, and for multiple measures of cumulative abnormal returns. Overall, we find that the loan market is informationally more efficient than the bond market around loan default dates and bond default dates.
Reticle OPC defect printability and detectability for 180-nm technology

An investigation was performed to determine the printability and defect detectability of reticle OPC defects for the 180 nm technology node. Two different OPC approaches were investigated, one based upon assist bar/serif features and the other based upon serif/jog features. Several critical defects were studied, including chrome extension defects on assist bars and pindots between assist bars and primary features. Wafers were printed using a 0.6 NA, DUV stepper and resulting wafer resist images measured by CD SEM. Edge defects as small as 200 nm cause greater than 10% change in local linewidth, 400 nm defects cause catastrophic wafer defects, and chrome spot with 260 nm diameter can shorten gap between two line ends by 10%. CD defects less than 75 nm on the reticle were found to have a significant impact on the process window. The programmed defect test reticles used to print the wafers were inspected on KLA-Tencor reticle inspection systems and the defect sensitivity capture curves plotted. Defect capture rates indicated that smaller than 200 nm edge defects and 125 nm CD defects are detected. Defect printability simulations were performed using database and aerial images gathered from an automated defect inspection system and compared to the experimental wafer results. The purpose of this test is to determine the feasibility of performing printability predictions in a mask production environment. A correlation between the simulations and the wafer results are shown.
Lipid-lowering drugs: Beyond lowering lipid levels to their influence on cardiac arrhythmias

r fi s In an editorial message in 1990, WC Roberts was preared to wage a bet with anyone that “lipid-lowering agents ventually would prove to be the best antiarrhythmic gents.” Since that time, our knowledge of the lipid-lowerng drugs and of arrhythmias has continued to grow. In this ssue of Heart Rhythm, Hanna et al report findings from the DVANCENT registry. They report that use of lipid-lowring drugs in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfuncion is associated with a significant reduction in the prevaence of atrial fibrillation (AF) independent of the lipid rofile and other known arrhythmia risk factors. Beyond and independent of improving lipid profile, the tatins in particular have demonstrated a number of diverse leiotropic properties, which include their influence on enothelial function, inflammation, plaque stability, thrombois, angiogenesis, apoptosis, and gene expression. These actors play important roles in myocardial ischemia and the enesis of arrhythmias. It is by modulating these factors that ipid-lowering drugs are considered to exhibit their antiarhythmic properties. In patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators ICDs), the use of statins or fibrates has been associated ith a lower incidence of ventricular tachycardia (VT)/ entricular fibrillation (VF). In fact, the absence of lipidowering drugs predicted “electrical storm” in patients with CDs. A trend toward a prolonged time to the first VT/VF as been observed with fish oils. With respect to AF, the utility of lipid-lowering drugs for reatment and prevention of AF has been proposed largely ecause of their effect on inflammation. Inflammatory hanges have been demonstrated in atrial biopsy samples rom patients with lone AF. Furthermore, an elevated level f C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflamation, has been shown to predict increased risk not only to F but also to AF burden. Observations of reduction in RP levels by statins and the association of such reducion with AF suppression and electrophysiologic atrial reodeling constitute a premise for statin therapy for AF. tatins have been shown to protect against AF in patients ith coronary artery disease and to prevent AF recurrence fter successful cardioversion. However, a shadow of
Separability and the Shadow Value of Leisure Time

Recreation choices are often viewed as short-run decisions conditioned on longer-run labor supply. Using weak separability to reflect this relationship, the wage rate is the shadow value of time for individuals who get no utility from work, whether or not they are observed to be trading time for money in the short run. This result widens the circumstances under which the wage rate (not some fraction thereof) is the theoretically correct shadow value of time. Modifications to such a conclusion are developed for cases in which work is a source of utility and in which the first-stage choice is not continuous.
Distributed storage operation in distribution network with stochastic renewable generation

The integration of distributed renewable energy generations and storages in the distribution system imposes new challenges on the paradigm of the operation. The resulting control problems are intrinsically hard because of nonlinearity in power flow equations, stochasticity in renewable generations, and inter-temporal coupling of decision problems due to energy storage. This paper provides an initial attempt to solve these nonlinear stochastic control problems numerically, within the framework of Markov decision processes (MDPs). Detailed MDPs are first designed for two-bus sub-networks of the distribution system. Optimal control policies for each sub-network are then combined to guide the design of a control policy to operate the entire storage system on a distribution network. The performance of this approach is demonstrated numerically by comparing with other typical operation policies.
Cultural, Attitudinal, Cognitive and Behavioral Correlates of Vegetarian Drift in Consumers

Abstract Only about 5-7% of Americans limit animal protein to dairy and egg. Many more are drifting away from traditional patterns by using smaller portions of meat, emphasizing chicken and fish and restricting red meat. This study explored the cultural, cognitive, attitudinal and behavioral correlates of the drift. Shoppers, 16% Mexican American (MA) and 10% African American (AA), who were the primary fo;; J purcha:>civprcparer for 411 household members, granted guided interviews at blue collar, inner city and suburban sites. The % naming foods to be avoided to prevent disease were: 60%, fats and oils: 40%, red meats; 21%, sugars; 17%. additives preservatives; and 3%, alcohol. Roughly ‘/z of consumers, but proportionately fewer MA, reported that they had decreased red meat in the last year. About 1/3, with AA more likely than Anglo or MA, decreased skin-on chicken. More than l /2 increased fish and almost 3 /4. but relatively fewer MA, increased skinless chicken breast. Suburban shoppers were far more likely than MA to increase vegetarian alternates. Shoppers associated chicken skin with fat, but they did not correctly identify the highest calorie fast food meal. Over 3 /4 of shoppers said that 90%; taste is most important, 70%; healthier people do not eat red meat, 40%: eating red meat causes health problems, 63%; vegetarians are healthier, 25%; red meat takes longer to digest, 70%; beef is high in fat and cholesterol, 60%. The % agreeing with knowledge statements were: leanest cuts of beef are loin and round. 25%; meats are the best utilized source of iron, 30%; women and children need more iron, 90%; fat. not calories determines weight gain, 45%; chicken provides as much iron as beef, 25%. Data confirm the phenomenon of vegetarian drift but suggest that consumers lack substantive knowledge.
A comprehensive aerological reference data set (CARDS): Rough and systematic errors

The possibility of anthropogenic climate change and the possible problems associated with it are of great interest. However, one cannot study climate change without climate data. The Comprehensive Aerological Reference Data Set (CARDS) project will produce high-quality, daily upper-air data for the research community and for policy makers. CARDS intends to produce a dataset consisting of radiosonde and pibal data that is easy to use, as complete as possible, and as free of errors as possible. An attempt will be made to identify and correct biases in upper-air data whenever possible. This paper presents the progress made to date in achieving this goal. An advanced quality control procedure has been tested and implemented. It is capable of detecting and often correcting errors in geopotential height, temperature, humidity, and wind. This unique quality control method uses simultaneous vertical and horizontal checks of several meteorological variables. It can detect errors that other methods cannot. Research is being supported in the statistical detection of sudden changes in time series data. The resulting statistical technique has detected a known humidity bias in the U.S. data. The methods should detect unknown changes in instrumentation, station location, and data-reduction techniques. Software has been developed that correctsmore » radisonde temperatures, using a physical model of the temperature sensor and its changing environment. An algorithm for determining cloud cover for this physical model has been developed. A numerical check for station elevation based on the hydrostatic equations has been developed, which has identified documented and undocumented station moves. Considerable progress has been made toward the development of algorithms to eliminate a known bias in the U.S. humidity data. 38 refs., 12 figs., 7 tabs.« less
Structural Dependence of NH Stretch Mode Frequency Shifts in Amide and Peptide Systems

The NH stretch (s) frequency, v(NH), in peptides and proteins, as in many amide group hydrogen bond (HB) systems, is used as an indicator of the presence and strength of the bond. This is based on the concept that v(NH) is associated with an essentially localized mode whose frequency is influenced only by the HB interaction. We examine this assumption through ab initio studies of N-methylacetamide (NMA) and of 78 conformers of the alanine dipeptide (ADP). Based on our recent studies of nitrogen pyramidalization in NMA (J. Phys. Chem. A 2003, 107, 1825), we find that such nonplanarity, whether deriving from a nonplanar peptide group or only from a steric constraint, results in an increase in the NH bond length, r(NH), and thus in a decrease in v(NH). This is accompanied by changes in other internal coordinates that make small contributions to this mode, emphasizing that although NH s is a highly localized mode it is not completely so. It is not surprising, therefore, to find that changes in the environment of the NH group, such as exist in the ADP conformers, lead to variations in v(NH) even in the absence of traditional HB configurations. The ADP results permit an analysis of these effects and also illustrate the important role, as we recently emphasized (J. Phys. Chem. A 2002, 106, 11663), of electrical interactions in affecting r(NH) and thus v(NH). We show how the increased strength of this interaction in ADP conformers with "standard" HBs leads, through the much larger induced dipole derivative, to the large increase in infrared intensity of NH s bands in such structures.
Many roads, one destination for T cell progenitors

The thymus manufactures new T cells throughout life but contains no self-renewing potential. Instead, replenishment depends on recruitment of bone marrow-derived progenitors that circulate in the blood. Attempts to identify thymic-homing progenitors, and to assess the degree to which they are precommitted to the T cell lineage, have led to complex and sometimes conflicting results. As described here, this probably reflects the existence of multiple distinct types of T cell lineage progenitors as well as differences in individual experimental approaches.
Increasing Insulin Sensitivity Lowers Blood Pressure in the Fructose-Fed Rat

Abstract In the rat, simple carbohydrate feeding induces insulin resistance, and insulin resistance is associated with impaired endothelium dependent vasodilation. To determine if increasing insulin sensitivity corrects this defect of endothelial function, we evaluated the effects of an insulin-sensitizing agent, pioglitazone, on arterial pressure and in vitro vascular reactivity in three groups of Sprague Dawley rats: 1) control; 2) 60% fructose diet for 4 weeks; 3) 60% fructose diet plus pioglitazone (20 mg/kg daily, by oral gavage). Direct mean arterial pressure did not differ in Groups 1 (120 mm Hg ± 2) and 2 (121 ± 2) and was lower (P l -arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) completely blocked acetylcholine-induced vasodilation. Thus, pioglitazone increased insulin sensitivity, lowered blood pressure, and normalized acetylcholine-induced vasodilation in insulin resistant, fructose-fed rats. Increasing insulin sensitivity may lower arterial pressure by augmenting endothelium dependent vasodilation.
Mechanisms of biological control by phosphorylation

Abstract Two mechanisms of phosphoregulation have so far been recognized. These are allosteric regulation, as seen in phosphorylase, and control by direct action at the active site, as exemplified by isocitrate dehydrogenase. The structures of these proteins and the first structure of a protein kinase suggest ways in which the many pathways of phosphoregulation may be encoded.
The Evolution of Unemployment Relief in Great Britain

The history of unemployment relief in Britain from 1834 to 1911 was not a “unilinear progression in collective benevolence,” culminating in unemployment insurance. The combination of poor relief an...
Chronic effect of copper on the bluntnose minnow, Pimephales notatus (Rafinesque)

A laboratory chronic toxicity test in which bluntnose minnows were exposed to copper in laboratory dilution water with a hardness of 200 mg/L as CaCO3 indicated that copper adversely affected fry survival, fry growth, and reproduction. The maximum acceptable toxicant concentration (MATC) for total copper based on reproductive impairment at 18.0 μg/L was between 4.3 (control concentration) and 18.0 μg/L. The 96-hr LC50 values from three acute toxicity tests ranged from 0.22 to 0.27 mg/L total copper with a mean value of 0.23 mg/L. The application factor (MATC/96-hr LC50) for bluntnose minnows and total copper was estimated to lie between 0.02 and 0.08. Bluntnose minnows held in control water for nine months ceased to spawn when they were exposed to 119.4 μg/L total copper. Fish exposed to 119.4 μg/L total copper for the same nine-month period began to spawn 60 days after being transferred to control water.
Trying But Failing: Implicit Attitude Transfer Is Not Eliminated by Overt or Subtle Objectivity Manipulations

Attitude transfer is the phenomenon whereby attitudes toward group members generalize automatically to new individuals in the same group. Although robust at the implicit level, people consciously adjust this guilt-by-association thinking when reporting explicit attitudes (Ranganath & Nosek, 2008). We tested whether people could control implicit attitude transfer if given proper motivation and instruction. We attempted to induce intentional control over attitude transfer using a variety of established methods, but in 8 studies, implicit attitudes formed and transferred to new group members. We conclude that implicit attitude transfer is a robust automatic phenomenon that is not disrupted by intentional control.
Composition of coal relative to its functionality and processability

Abstract Oxygen functional groups of coal are of paramount importance not only for surface-dependent processes involving beneficiation of coal particles, but also in many techniques employed in liquifaction processes. The objective of this work is to determine the functionalities of a wide range of coals and to correlate them to the elemental composition of coal and to froth-floatability. Mathematical models have been produced that can predict the floatability of coal from its structural components. The relationship between the functionality of coal, its constituents and the combustible recovery in the surface dependent process of froth-flotation have been established.
VoroGraph: Visualization Tools for Epidemic Analysis

Epidemiologists struggle to integrate complex information about the incidence and spread of disease, in relation to population density and other demographic conditions, at geographical scales ranging from global air travel down to local commuting. A partial solution overlays air travel as arcs above color-coded maps. However, commuting is not shown and it is often challenging to understand changing relationships due to the visual complexity arcs introduce. Moreover, when region sizes and shapes vary their color-codings become difficult to perceive. We introduce three visualizations which combine representations of population, movement, and disease spread at a local scale that is consistent with a zoomable global scale: (1) a map with commuting border encodings, (2) a centroidal Voronoi tessellation morphing technique, and (3) a meta-layout showing commuting alongside air travel. Our work provides mid-level abstractions that expert epidemiologists can use for insights into contagion.
Failure of Inhaled Corticosteroids To Decrease Lung Inflammation and Pulmonary Microvascular Permeability in Preterm Infants At Risk for Bpd

Objective: To compare the effect of inhaled beclomethasone(BECLO), started at day 3 of life, and that of systemic dexamethasone (DEX), started between day 11- 13, on clinical variables and lung inflammation in preterm infants at risk for BPD.
Bleeding and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in childhood and adolescence.

ABSTRACT The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are becoming widely used in children and adolescents, with possible unexpected side effects being observed over time. SSRIs have been associated with bleeding in adults who have unremarkable routine hematologic laboratory results except abnormal bleeding time or platelet counts in few cases. Given the increase of pediatric SSRI prescriptions, in this article we describe five children, ages 8 through 15, who developed bruising or epistaxis 1 week to 3 months after starting SSRI treatment. It is possible that the effects SSRI on platelet functioning are causing the bleeding observed in some patients and/or that a separate coagulopathy is present and contributing to bleeding. The subject matter deserves future investigation.
Sea nettle (Chrysaora quinquecirrha) toxin on electrogenic and chemosensitive properties of nerve and muscle

Abstract Rat and frog nerves and skeletal muscles and identified neurons of Aplysia californica were exposed in vitro to the toxin of Chrysaora quinquecirrha (sea nettle). All tissues examined were depolarized by the toxin. In skeletal muscle the postsynaptic depolarization had a delayed onset. The effect of the toxin was not accompanied by any alteration of the action potential generating mechanism, delayed rectification, or quantal release of transmitter. The postsynaptic depolarization was followed by a transient increase in miniature endplate potential frequency. Action potential amplitude, overshoot and rate of rise in both rat skeletal muscle and the amplitude and conduction velocity of frog sciatic nerve were reduced by the toxin-induced depolarization but spike generation in rat skeletal muscle was restored by hyperpolarizing the fibers. The depolarizing effects of the toxin were not altered by tetrodotoxin, d-tubocurarine or by changing the external Ca2+ level, although lowering the Ca2+ level delayed the toxin effect on transmitter release. Heating the toxin to 100°C destroyed its action. In Aplysia central neurons, the depolarization was immediate, accompanied by an increase in spontaneous synaptic activity, and an alteration of resting membrane conductance; the toxin effects were reversible. Neither hyperpolarizations induced by histamine or by acetylcholine nor synaptic cholinergic inhibitory potentials were affected by the toxin. The toxin appears to induce a non-specific membrane depolarization although an increase in sodium conductance resistant to tetrodotoxin cannot be ruled out.
Controlled-cortical impact reduces volitional forelimb strength in rats

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the largest health problems in the United States and affects both cognitive and motor function. Although weakness is common in TBI patients, few studies have demonstrated a reduction in strength in models of brain injury. We have developed a behavioral method to measure volitional forelimb strength and quantify forelimb weakness following traumatic brain injury. In this paper, we report the ability of the isometric pull task to measure both acute and chronic impairments in forelimb motor function following a controlled cortical impact (CCI) in rodents. Following CCI, volitional forelimb strength is reduced by 36% and remains significantly reduced after 6 weeks of post-lesion training. We also show that CCI results in impairment of multiple additional measures of forelimb function for several weeks post-injury.
Ashraf into middle classes, by Margrit Pernau, translated by Joy Titheridge, New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2013, 544 pp., US$55 (hardcover), ISBN 9780198092285

Ashraf into Middle Classes is the English translation of Margrit Pernau’s German study Burger mit Turban: Muslime in Delhi im 19. Jahrhundert (2008). It offers a fresh and fascinating look on the e...
The relationship between the sick role and functional ability: one center's experience.

Objective—To determine the impact of the sick role on posttransplant functional ability.Methods—A convenience sample of 97 kidney transplant recipients (mean age, 45.8 years; SD, 12.8 years; 47% female; 68% African American) participated in this exploratory cross-sectional study. Self-report data were collected during a posttransplant clinic visit via the Response to Illness Questionnaire used to measure sick-role perceptions, the Functional Status Questionnaire used to measure functional ability, and an investigator-developed Demographic Data Sheet used to measure sociodemographic data and comorbidities.Results—Factor analysis of the Response to Illness Questionnaire yielded 7 distinct factors that accounted for 62.2% of total score variance. Multiple regression analysis indicated a significant relationship between those 7 factors and the 5 factors revealed by the Functional Status Questionnaire. Demographic factors that also correlated with the functional status factors included type of work, gender, ag...
Lithium Insertion in Disordered Carbon−Hydrogen Alloys: Intercalation vs Covalent Binding

Disordered carbons obtained by pyrolyzing organic solids at T ≤ 700 °C retain substantial residual hydrogen and exhibit surprisingly large capacities for Li uptake in electrochemical cells. Using s...
Bound—bound ArNO AX vibronic transitions. New mass-resolved 1+1 REMPI observations

Abstract The mass-resolved 1+1 REMPI spectra associated with bound—bound ArNO AX vibronic transitions has been reinvestigated. The current results provide a basis for assigning the vibrationless ArNO AX band origin, and establishing a refined upper limit for the A state dissociation energy ( D 0 ⩽43cm −1 ). Assignments for bands associated with vibrationally excited A state levels are also proposed.
Lubrication of Strip Rolling in the Low-Speed Mixed Regime

An analytical model for strip rolling in the low-speed mixed lubrication regime is developed. An average Reynolds equation for longitudinal saw-tooth surfaces under conditions of high fractional contact area, is combined with an analysis for asperity flattening under conditions of bulk plastic flow, to treat lubrication in the mixed regime. Analyses for the inlet zone and work zone and the influence of pressure on viscosity are included in the model. The model indicates that hydrodynamic lubrication effects are important at much lower speeds than previously considered possible. The film thickness predicted by the model is somewhat smaller than that measured using the oil drop method in rolling aluminum alloy with a mineral oil. Presented at the 50th Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois May 14–19, 1995
RF2: A 1GHz FIR Filter with Distributed Resonant Clock Generator

In this paper we present the design and experimental validation of RF2, a 1 GHz, two-phase resonant-clocked FIR filter test-chip with a distributed resonant clock generator and an on-chip inductor. RF2 is fabricated in a 0.13 mum CMOS process and dissipates 124mW at resonance, with clock power accounting for only 16% of overall power. Implemented using a fully ASIC design flow, RF2 achieves 84% clock-power efficiency over CV2f, the highest for any fully-integrated resonant-clocked chip. Resonating at 1.01 GHz, RF2 reports the highest operating frequency for a resonant-clocked datapath to date.
Effects of concurrent engineering on make-to-order products

An increasing number of manufacturing organizations are using concurrent engineering product development processes, which rely on parallel scheduling of activities throughout the product development cycle. This study examines the impact of such practices on product development time, product quality, and delivery leadtime. Using data obtained from structured interviews with product managers and engineers, six hypotheses are tested using a sample of 31 make-to-order (MTO) products from several industries. The results suggest that concurrent engineering may he appropriate for incremental innovation, but may have some "hidden costs" in the form of increased defects when applied to new "breakthrough" innovations. However, this strategy may be entirely suited to a specific customer segment that is willing to work with the manufacturer on debugging the product in the field. The study points out the importance of considering the hidden costs of concurrent engineering, and discusses the strategic implications of such decisions for technology managers. >
In vitro parameters of donor-antigen-specific tolerance

Donor-antigen-specific tolerance to the allograft is increasingly considered a reachable goal in the field of transplantation. As our understanding of the processes that govern donor-specific tolerance increases, so must our understanding of ways to detect this state of affairs. Unfortunately, this is not a straightforward procedure, as the mechanisms which govern tolerance are multiple and varied. Previously, the mixed lymphocyte reaction was used as standard to detect unresponsiveness. This approach is not valid for detecting tolerance because it only measures both direct pathway, naive and memory responses, whereas the indirect pathway and 'pure' memory responses are more informative parameters for detecting tolerance. Techniques, such as the trans vivo delayed-type hypersensitivity assay, ELISPOT and antigen-specific HLA tetramer analysis address this problem, and the numbers of cell subsets, such as dendritic cells and NKT cells, can also aid us in detecting donor-antigen-specific tolerance.
Conscious awareness: processing in the synaptodendritic web

Abstract Evidence is presented which indicates that, at the level of conscious experience, information processing in the brain is basically Gabor-like rather than binary (as in Shannon's information measurement theory). The process takes place in a phase space created by a multiply interconnected web of teledendrons, synapses and dendrites. The axons of neurons sample the phase space to create cell assemblies. Assemblies are kaleidoscopic in that the same neuron can partake in a variety of patterns of neuron ensembles. This is much like the variety of patterns created by the features red sweaters, blond hair, or eyeglass wearing in a classroom. A particular student (or neuron) may participate in one or more (or none) of the patterns. The flexibility of conscious experience is attributed to sensory and cognitive challenges that drive the formation of processes in the teledendron-synapse dendritic web. When the formation of axonal patterns takes time (a temporal hold) because of the novelty of the input, they become experienced consciously.
An improved procedure for enzymatic digestion of polyvinylidene difluoride-bound proteins for internal sequence analysis.

Abstract An improved and simplified procedure for enzymatic digestion of proteins bound to polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes for obtaining internal protein sequence data is presented. This improved procedure is compatible with various enzymes (trypsin, endoproteinase Lys-C, endoproteinase Glu-C, and clostripain) and is performed in the presence of 1% hydrogenated Triton X-100 (RTX-100)/10% acetonitrile/100 mM Tris, pH 8.0, followed by microbore HPLC purification of the recovered peptides. Previously published techniques required treatment of the PVDF-bound protein with polyvinylpyrrolidine M r 40,000 (PVP-40) prior to digestion, in order to prevent adsorption of the enzyme to the membrane. Unfortunately, contaminants produced from residual PVP-40 interfere with subsequent peptide mapping. We have found that when RTX-100 is used in the digestion buffer, no pretreatment of the PVDF-bound protein with PVP-40 is necessary. Advantages of this improved (one-step) procedure over the two-step PVP-40 procedure are (a) the elimination of undesirable contaminants associated with PVP-40, (b) a decrease in the time required for the technique, and (c) a reduction in sample manipulation. Peptide maps and recoveries from PVDF-bound standard proteins (4 μg each) enzymatically digested with this one-step method are compared with those obtained from the standard PVP-40 method. In addition, peptide maps and internal sequence data from low-level quantities of unknown proteins enzymatically digested with the improved procedure are presented. To date, this improved, one-step procedure has been successfully applied to 52 PVDF-bound unknown proteins (0.7-10 μg) of varying molecular weight (19-300 kDa) for which internal sequence data were obtained.
Non-equilibrium thermodynamics of groundwater flow systems: Symmetry properties of phenomenological coefficients and considerations of hydrodynamic dispersion

Abstract The theory of non-equilibrium thermodynamics is applied to transport processes in groundwater flow systems. The theory is postulated to be applicable to a continuum model of porous medium in which fluxes and forces at points in the fluid phase are averaged over a representative elementary volume. Group-theoretic principles are applied to the phenomenological coefficients, and it is shown that these considerations can simplify the phenomenological equations both by removing unallowed coupled effects and by reducing the apparent number of independent, numerical components contained in a given phenomenological coefficient. It is found, for example, that in porous media having certain symmetry properties, chemical reaction rates cannot be coupled to vector flows of heat and matter. Examination of the current theory of hydrodynamic dispersion in the light of non-equilibrium thermodynamics leads to a proposed modification of the former. It is proposed that phenomenological coefficients for coupled and direct dispersive processes be formed of the product of a fourth-rank tensor, dispersivity of the medium, with the dyadic product of solute velocities, rather than with fluid flow velocities. Group theory is applied to the resulting coefficients, and new results are obtained for the forms assumed by the coefficients in certain anisotropic media.
CpG Methylation of a Plasmid Vector Results in Extended Transgene Product Expression by Circumventing Induction of Immune Responses

Gene therapy has the potential to cure inherited diseases if the delivered genes achieve long-term expression at therapeutic levels in the targeted tissues. Expression is commonly short-lived due to induction of cell-mediated immune responses to the gene therapy vehicle and/or the transgene product, which can be perceived as "foreign" by the host's immune system. Plasmid expression vectors have been used to deliver genes. Bacterial DNA carries immunostimulatory sequences in the form of unmethylated CpG motifs, which induce an inflammatory reaction that in turn promotes activation of transgene product-specific B and T cells. Elimination or methylation of immunostimulatory CpG sequences in plasmid expression vectors prevents the stimulation of transgene product-specific immune responses without necessarily reducing transgene expression. In this study, we tested if a CpG-methylated plasmid expression vector expressing the highly immunogenic glycoprotein of rabies virus can achieve prolonged transgene product expression by circumventing immune recognition. Our data show that mice inoculated with a CpG-methylated plasmid expression vector show delayed clearance of transfected cells and fail to mount a strong immune response to the transgene product. Gene transfer with a CpG-methylated plasmid results in a state of immunological low responsiveness to the transgene product, which may facilitate readministration of the transgene. Nevertheless, mice remain responsive to the transgene product delivered by a viral vector.
Optical detection and spectroscopy of single molecules in a solid

Using two different double-modulation techniques, we have observed the optical-absorption spectrum of single dopant molecules of pentacene in a p-terphenyl host crystal at liquid-helium temperatures. To achieve this, frequency-modulation spectroscopy was combined either with Stark or ultrasonic modulation to remove interfering background signals from residual amplitude modulation, and the number of molecules in resonance was reduced to one by operating in the wings of the inhomogeneous line. Triplet bottleneck saturation appears to be suppressed in the single-molecule regime.
Magnesium Sulfate Interactions in Seawater from Solubility Measurements

The extent of association between magnesium and sulfate ions was determined in artificial seawater by a solubility technique. About 10 percent of the magnesium ions were found to be associated. This result supersedes the earlier value found in this laboratory and agrees with the results of Garrels and Thompson, Thompson, and Fisher.
A(nother) RAF mutation in LCH

In this issue of Blood, Nelson et al[1][1] describe a novel somatic ARAF mutation in a child with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) and demonstrate that the encoded protein has strong gain-of-function properties. Importantly, this mutant A-Raf molecule is sensitive to inhibition by vemurafenib, a
Green Rust Reduction of Chromium Part 2: Comparison of Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Chromate Reduction

White and green rusts are the active chemical reagents of buried scrap iron pollutant remediation. In this work, a comparison of the initial electron-transfer step for the reduction of CrO4−2 by Fe...
Characterization of a GDP-sensitive phosphorylation in plasma membranes of D. discoideum.

In a previous study, we reported the GDP-dependent phosphorylation of a 36 kD membrane protein, p36, inD. discoideum membranes prepared from starved (aggregation competent) cells (Anschutzet al., 1989). Here we show that p36 can be phosphorylated when membranes are supplied either ATP or GTP as the phosphate donor, but that a greater level of p36 phosphorylation is achieved with GTP. The rate of phosphorylation of p36, using either nucleotide triphosphate, is enhanced by GDP. This reflects a decrease in the apparentKm of the enzyme for the particular nucleotide triphosphate. p36 can also be phosphorylated in membranes prepared from vegetative cells. However, the ability of GDP to stimulate p36 phosphorylation is not observed in vegetative cell membranes. Competition experiments indicate that there are also developmental differences in the nucleotide triphosphate site(s) available to phosphorylate p36.
Computing the independence number of intersection graphs

Computing the maximum number of disjoint elements in a collection C of geometric objects is a classical problem in computational geometry with applications ranging from frequency assignment in cellular networks to map labeling in computational cartography. The problem is equivalent to finding the independence number, α(GC), of the intersection graph GC of C, obtained by connecting two elements of C with an edge if and only if their intersection is nonempty. This is known to be an NP-hard task even for systems of segments in the plane with at most two different slopes. The best known polynomial time approximation algorithm for systems of arbitrary segments is due to Agarwal and Mustafa, and returns in the worst case an n1/2+o(1)-approximation for α. Using extensions of the Lipton-Tarjan separator theorem, we improve this result and present, for every e > 0, a polynomial time algorithm for computing α(GC) with approximation ratio at most ne. In contrast, for general graphs, for any e > 0 it is NP-hard to approximate the independence number within a factor of n1−e. We also give a subexponential time exact algorithm for computing the independence number of intersection graphs of arcwise connected sets in the plane.
An Application of the Theory of Foreign Direct Investment to Multinational Banking in LDCs

For assessing the determinants of MNBs' expansion into LDCs, a model that incorporates both supply and demand factors is constructed. A reduced form of the model is tested by using pooled data over the period 1975–1982 for a sample of twenty-three LDCs. The results of the study indicate that market size, the presence of multinational corporations from the home country, the extent of economic development, and the balance of payments are all significant determinants of the growth of MNBs in LDCs.
A Two-Color Fluorescent Thermometry Technique for Microfluidic Devices

The feasibility of implementing a two-color laser-induced ∞uorescence (LIF) technique to study thermal transport at the microscale is investigated. A temperature-sensitive ∞uorescent dye (Rhodamine B) and a temperature-insensitive ∞uorescent dye (Sulforhodamine101) are used in tandem to determine ∞uid temperature with high accuracy and low noise using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser as an illumination source. While the ∞uorescence intensity of the temperature-sensitive dye is proportional to temperature, it is also biased by variations in the illuminating intensity. Therefore, a second temperature-insensitive dye is required to compensate for such biases. Calibration of the two-color LIF system reveals that the two-dye mixture in ethanol yields a temperature sensitivity of 1.5%/K with volumetric illumination from a Nd:YAG laser. The feasibility of this methodology for conducting temperature measurements is explored by measuring a steady-state temperature gradient generated across a micro∞uidic channel array by two large hot and cold reservoirs. Preliminary measurements reveal that the mean steady-state temperatures in the microchannels are within §0.4 ‐ C of the predicted temperatures. The experimental uncertainties in the measurements are found to range from §0:5 ‐ C to §0:63 ‐ C.
Origin of the genetic code: a physical-chemical model of primitive codon assignments.

Selective compartmentalization of amino acids and nucleotides according to their polarities is proposed as a physical-chemical model for the origin of the genetic code. Assumptions made in this hypothesis are: (1) an oil-slick covered the surface of the primitive ocean, constituents of which formed association colloids or micelles at the water-oil-air interfaces; (2) depending on the polarity of the media, these aggregates possessed hydrophilic and hydrophobic interiors where selective uptake of amino acids and nucleic acid constituents could take place; and (3) condensation and polymerization in the micellar phase were enhanced. According to the chromatographically observed polarities, for example, lysine and uridylate fall into the hydrophilic compartment, and phenylalanine and adenylate are enriched in the hydrophobic environment. These components could eventually be condensed to form a charged adaptor loop with an anticodon which is complementary to the presently valid codon. Only two groups of amino acids, hydrophilic and hydrophobic, were recognized by the primitive translation mechanism. Implications of this hypothesis for the further development of the genetic code is discussed. The catalytic power of micelles have been substantiated by successful synthesis of nucleotides under relatively mild conditions using thiophosphates as high energy phosphates.
The role of unofficial intermediaries in interpersonal conflicts in the Chinese culture

Previous studies suggest that a major difference between Chinese and North American cultures is the “indirect” versus “direct” mode of communication. Based on interviews conducted in informal settings, this study discovered that in China, unofficial mediation is common in situations involving interpersonal conflicts. The mediator was usually a friend of the two parties in conflict or an elderly person respected by both. He or she intervened on his or her own initiative or in response to a request by a person other than the two in conflict. In addition, impartiality and face maintenance were perceived as two key factors in successful mediation.
Specific Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Drive TRPV-Dependent Sensory Signaling In Vivo

A variety of lipid and lipid-derived molecules can modulate TRP cation channel activity, but the identity of the lipids that affect TRP channel function in vivo is unknown. Here, we use genetic and behavioral analysis in the nematode C. elegans to implicate a subset of 20-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in TRPV channel-dependent olfactory and nociceptive behaviors. Olfactory and nociceptive TRPV signaling are sustained by overlapping but nonidentical sets of 20-carbon PUFAs including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and arachidonic acid (AA). PUFAs act upstream of TRPV family channels in sensory transduction. Short-term dietary supplementation with PUFAs can rescue PUFA biosynthetic mutants, and exogenous PUFAs elicit rapid TRPV-dependent calcium transients in sensory neurons, bypassing the normal requirement for PUFA synthesis. These results suggest that a subset of PUFAs with omega-3 and omega-6 acyl groups act as endogenous modulators of TRPV signal transduction.