cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Asymmetric distribution of dynamin-2 and β-catenin relative to tight junction spikes in alveolar epithelial cells

Tight junctions between lung alveolar epithelial cells maintain an air-liquid barrier necessary for healthy lung function. Previously, we found that rearrangement of tight junctions from a linear, cortical orientation into perpendicular protrusions (tight junction spikes) is associated with a decrease in alveolar barrier function, especially in alcoholic lung syndrome. Using quantitative super-resolution microscopy, we found that spikes in control cells were enriched for claudin-18 as compared with alcohol-exposed cells. Moreover, using an in situ method to measure barrier function, tight junction spikes were not associated with localized increases in permeability. This suggests that tight junction spikes have a regulatory role as opposed to causing a physical weakening of the epithelial barrier. We found that tight junction spikes form at cell-cell junctions oriented away from pools of β-catenin associated with actin filaments, suggesting that adherens junctions determine the directionality of tight junction spikes. Dynamin-2 was associated with junctional claudin-18 and ZO-1, but showed little localization with β-catenin and tight junction spikes. Treatment with Dynasore decreased the number of tight junction spikes/cell, increased tight junction spike length, and stimulated actin to redistribute to cortical tight junctions. By contrast, Dynole 34-2 and MiTMAB altered β-catenin localization, and reduced tight junction spike length. These data suggest a novel role for dynamin-2 in tight junction spike formation by reorienting junction-associated actin. Moreover, the greater spatial separation of adherens and tight junctions in squamous alveolar epithelial cells as compared with columnar epithelial cells facilitates analysis of molecular regulation of the apical junctional complex.
Characterizing Carbon Fiber Conductivity for Structural Antenna Applications

This study explores the potential applications of carbon fiber composite material for structural antennas. Carbon fiber composite materials provide excellent specific strength and stiffness, however, their electrical properties such as conductivity are not well established, especially in the very high frequency range. Knowledge of a material’s conductivity is required for electrical performance estimation through simulations. Through combined experimental and simulated analysis of multiple carbon fiber antennas, the effective conductivity for a biaxial weave carbon fiber composite was determined to be between 7,000-13,000 S/m in the very high frequency spectrum. Carbon fiber antenna performance is found to be particularly sensitive to the contact between the carbon fibers and the copper feed; however, radiation efficiencies of carbon fiber composite antennas are found to be within 2-10% of a geometrically identical copper antenna, and their bandwidths are nearly identical. The electrical performance of carbon fiber composite antennas demonstrates significant promise for structural antenna applications in the very high frequency range.
La acción masiva. Escala y repertorios en el estallido social chileno

In sociology, reflection on the social effects of mass phenomena is early. The works of Le Blanc, Tarde and Park, among others, helped to sketch the figure of a particular type of actor which, however, did not become consolidated as an object of observation and analysis within the discipline, given the rapid advance of the processes of organizational rationalization and the consolidation of units of analysis that explained them better, such as actors linked to individual action and associated or collective action. The present text addresses the analysis of mass actors in the Chilean case, particularly in the events triggered by the events of protests that began in October 2019, using a hermeneutic approach that helps to identify and situate practices and mass effects associated with this type of actor, and suggests considering it for the analysis of socio-material action in cities.
Energy-impact analysis in water-project planning

Energy analysis of water development and use projects should be an integral part of the planning process to avoid the construction of projects with unnecessarily high energy requirements. However, energy analyses must be carried out with great care, taking into account the different boundaries that can be drawn around the problem, the need to use consistent energy units, and the need to make a variety of assumptions where energy data are inadequate. This paper illustrates many of the problems and shows how very different conclusions can be reached depending on the elements included in an energy analysis. Examples are presented of energy analyses of water storage and diversion projects, the effects of water quality, and wastewater treatment and reuse.
Epigenetic dysregulation of the dopamine system in diet-induced obesity

Chronic intake of high-fat (HF) diet is known to alter brain neurotransmitter systems that participate in the central regulation of food intake. Dopamine (DA) system changes in response to HF diet have been observed in the hypothalamus, important in the homeostatic control of food intake, as well as within the central reward circuitry [ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens (NAc), and pre-frontal cortex (PFC)], critical for coding the rewarding properties of palatable food and important in hedonically driven feeding behavior. Using a mouse model of diet-induced obesity (DIO), significant alterations in the expression of DA-related genes were documented in adult animals, and the general pattern of gene expression changes was opposite within the hypothalamus versus the reward circuitry (increased vs. decreased, respectively). Differential DNA methylation was identified within the promoter regions of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine transporter (DAT), and the pattern of this response was consistent with the pattern of gene expression. Behaviors consistent with increased hypothalamic DA and decreased reward circuitry DA were observed. These data identify differential DNA methylation as an epigenetic mechanism linking the chronic intake of HF diet with altered DA-related gene expression, and this response varies by brain region and DNA sequence.
Spatial variation in extreme winds predicts large wildfire locations in chaparral ecosystems

[1] Fire plays a crucial role in many ecosystems, and a better understanding of different controls on fire activity is needed. Here we analyze spatial variation in fire danger during episodic wind events in coastal southern California, a densely populated Mediterranean-climate region. By reconstructing almost a decade of fire weather patterns through detailed simulations of Santa Ana winds, we produced the first high-resolution map of where these hot, dry winds are consistently most severe and which areas are relatively sheltered. We also analyzed over half a century of mapped fire history in chaparral ecosystems of the region, finding that our models successfully predict where the largest wildfires are most likely to occur. There is a surprising lack of information about extreme wind patterns worldwide, and more quantitative analyses of their spatial variation will be important for effective fire management and sustainable long-term urban development on fire-prone landscapes.
Two Black Boxes: a Fable

Once upon a time, there were two large black boxes, A and B, connected by a long insulated copper wire. On box A there were two buttons, marked *a* and *b*, and on box B there were three lights, red, green, and amber. Scientists studying the behavior of the boxes had observed that whenever you pushed the *a* button on box A, the red light flashed briefly on box B, and whenever you pushed the *b* button on box A, the green light flashed briefly. The amber light never seemed to flash. They performed a few billion trials, under a very wide variety of conditions, and found no exceptions. There seemed to them to be a causal regularity.
General Temporal Knowledge for Planning and Data Mining

We consider the architecture of systems that combine temporal planning and plan execution and introduce a layer of temporal reasoning that potentially improves both the communication between humans and such systems, and the performance of the temporal planner itself. In particular, this additional layer simultaneously supports more flexibility in specifying and maintaining temporal constraints on plans within an uncertain and changing execution environment, and the ability to understand and trace the progress of plan execution. It is shown how a representation based on single set of abstractions of temporal information can be used to characterize the reasoning underlying plan generation and execution interpretation. The complexity of such reasoning is discussed.
Preservation of osteogenic capacity following shape memory triggering of foam and e-spun scaffolds

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) have received significant attention for their potential to be applied in the development of dynamic, functional scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Recent work has employed shape memory polymers in the development of topography-changing substrates, and these studies have shown that changes in topography can direct cell alignment, cell migration, and stem cell lineage commitment. Additional efforts have focused on expanding these strategies to 3D scaffolds that are capable of undergoing architecture changes under physiological conditions. Such shape changing scaffolds show promise for regenerative medicine applications, but it remains unknown whether shape memory actuated changes in 3D architecture have detrimental effect on the differentiation capacity of stem cells resident in the scaffold during the change. In this study, we investigated the effect of architectural changes in 3D foams and fiber mats on the osteogenic capacity of human adipose-derived stem cells. The results demonstrate osteogenic capacity to be preserved following shape memory triggering, with no reduction in osteogenesis compared to a static control.
Solar flare gamma-ray line profiles

Solar gamma-ray lines are produced through collisions of pairs of positive ions whose center of mass energies are above the relevant thresholds for excitation of gamma-ray emitting states. Because of the low density of the solar plasma, prompt gamma rays are emitted by recoiling ions before significant energy loss has occurred. Thus, the lines are expected to be Doppler-broadened to widths of the order of a hundred KeV. Gamma-ray lines resulting from proton and alpha-particle (He-4 ion) beams on carbon and oxygen targets in the laboratory exhibit complex profiles which change rapidly with the gamma-ray observation angle. Earlier work has been limited to modeling laboratory and solar flare gamma-ray profiles produced by proton excitation, but laboratory profiles of the carbon 4.44-MeV line and oxygen 6.13-MeV line from alpha excitation have now been successfully modeled. Solar flare gamma-ray line profiles of the carbon and oxygen lines from heavy ions in the ambient solar medium interacting with representative high-energy proton and alpha particle populations are presented.
FUNGIBILITY OF DONOR ASSISTANCE TO LIBERIA: Focusing on Aid to the Health Sector, a Case Study

The main purpose of this work is to develop a case study assessing the recent patterns and impacts of ODA (official development assistance) and DAH (development assistance for health) to Liberia on overall government spending and domestic revenue generation as well as domestic government health spending. Specifically, the study will examine the recent flows of ODA and DAH resources into the country and test whether it is possible to determine the degree of fungibility in domestic budgetary expenditures and revenues, overall, as well as in domestic health budgetary spending and receipts (from internal and external sources) as a result of (or due to) ODA and DAH. The study will distinguish between targeted/earmarked aid and general budget support, and will attempt to distinguish commitments from actual disbursements (both for DAH and for government).
The dc thermal plasma synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles for visible-light photocatalyst

Abstract It is known that ZnO is an n-typed semiconductor with band-gap energy of ∼3.2 eV and thus only absorbs UV light with the wavelength ≤385 nm. However, as far as photocatalytic efficiency and practical applications are concerned, it is desirable that ZnO absorbs not only UV but also visible light. In the present study, a novel dc thermal plasma reactor was used to synthesize ZnO nano-particles. We found that the kind of plasma affects the nanoparticle morphology and N 2 plasma favors formation of the spherical nanoparticles. Visible light absorption of the ZnO nano-particles was achieved by doping up to a few thousands ppm of nitrogen into the material. The effect of doping concentration and particle morphology on photocatalytic characteristics of the ZnO nanoparticles will be described.
Changes in the Hyperelastic Properties of Endothelial Cells Induced by Tumor Necrosis Factor-α

Mechanical properties of living cells can be determined using atomic force microscopy (AFM). In this study, a novel analysis was developed to determine the mechanical properties of adherent monolayers of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (ECs) using AFM and finite element modeling, which considers both the finite thickness of ECs and their nonlinear elastic properties, as well as the large strain induced by AFM. Comparison of this model with the more traditional Hertzian model, which assumes linear elastic behavior, small strains, and infinite cell thickness, suggests that the new analysis can predict the me- chanical response of ECs during AFM indentation better than Hertz's model, especially when using force-displacement data obtained from large indentations (.100 nm). The shear moduli and distensibility of ECs were greater when using small inden- tations (,100 nm) compared to large indentations (.100 nm). Tumor necrosis factor-a induced changes in the mechanical properties of ECs, which included a decrease in the average shear moduli that occurred in all regions of the ECs and an increase in distensibility in the central regions when measured using small indentations. These changes can be modeled as changes in a chain network structure within the ECs.
In vivo and in vitro effects of aluminum treatment on rat liver mitochondrial function.

This study examines the effect on mitochondrial respiration and permeability of in vivo and in vitro aluminium (Al) exposure. Rats were treated intraperitoneally with AlCl3 to achieve serum and liver Al concentrations comparable to those seen in Al-related disorders. Mitochondria isolated from Al-treated rats had higher (p<0.01) Al concentration, lower (p<0.05) state 3 respiration, respiratory control (RCR), and ADP/O ratio (succinate substrate), and greater passive swelling in 100 mM KCl or 200 mM NH4NO3 than controls. The in vitro addition of Al (0–180 μM) to mitochondria from normal rats also decreased (p<0.01) state 3 respiration, RCR, and ADP/O and stimulated passive swelling in KCl and NH4NO3 at 42–180 μM Al. These studies show that Al depresses mitochondrial energy metabolism and increases membrane permeability. The toxicity associated with Al may be related to its effect on mitochondria.
Evidence for alternating head catalysis by kinesin during microtubule-stimulated ATP hydrolysis.

Abstract The N-terminal 392 amino acids of the Drosophila kinesin alpha subunit (designated DKH392) form a dimer in solution that releases only one of its two tightly bound ADP molecules on association with a microtubule, whereas a shorter monomeric construct (designated DKH340) releases > or = 95% of its one bound ADP on association with a microtubule. This half-site reactivity of dimeric DKH392 is observed over a wide range of ratios of DKH392 to microtubules and steady-state ATPase rates, indicating that it is characteristic of the mechanism of microtubule-stimulated ATP hydrolysis and not the result of a fortuitous balance of rate constants. When [alpha-32P]ATP is included in the medium, incorporation of 32P label into the pool of ADP that is bound to the complex of DKH392 and microtubules occurs rapidly enough for the bound ADP to be an intermediate on the main pathway of ATP hydrolysis. These and other results are consistent with the half-site reactivity being a consequence of the tethering of dimeric DKH392 to the microtubule through one head domain, which is attached in a rigor-like manner without bound nucleotide, whereas the other head is not attached to the microtubule and still contains a tightly bound ADP. An intermediate of this nature and the tight binding of DKH392 to microtubules in the presence of ATP suggest a mechanism for directed motility in which the head domains of dimeric DKH392 alternate in a sequential manner.
Evaluating practical vs. theoretical inspection system capability with a new programmed defect test mask designed for 3X and 4X technology nodes

Programmed defect test masks serve the useful purpose of evaluating inspection system sensitivity and capability. It is widely recognized that when evaluating inspection system capability, it is important to understand the actual sensitivity of the inspection system in production; yet unfortunately we have observed that many test masks are a more accurate judge of theoretical sensitivity rather than real-world usable capability. Use of ineffective test masks leave the purchaser of inspection equipment open to the risks of over-estimating the capability of their inspection solution and overspecifying defect sensitivity to their customers. This can result in catastrophic yield loss for device makers. In this paper we examine some of the lithography-related technology advances which place an increasing burden on mask inspection complexity, such as MEEF, defect printability estimation, aggressive OPC, double patterning, and OPC jogs. We evaluate the key inspection system component contributors to successful mask inspection, including what can "go wrong" with these components. We designed and fabricated a test mask which both (a) more faithfully represents actual production use cases; and (b) stresses the key components of the inspection system. This mask's patterns represent 32nm, 36nm, and 45nm logic and memory technology including metal and poly like background patterns with programmed defects. This test mask takes into consideration requirements of advanced lithography, such as MEEF, defect printability, assist features, nearly-repetitive patterns, and data preparation. This mask uses patterns representative of 32nm, 36nm, and 45nm logic, flash, and DRAM technology. It is specifically designed to have metal and poly like background patterns with programmed defects. The mask is complex tritone and was designed for annular immersion lithography.
A 94 GHz OFDM Frequency Scanning Radar for Autonomous Landing Guidance

Autonomous landing guidance (ALG) is an airborne navigation radar developed by BAE Systems North America in collaboration with MBDA UK. The 94 GHz ALG radar reduces dependence on ground-based instrument landing system (ILS) and space-borne GPS in landing the aircraft by allowing pilots to map the runway even under adverse weather conditions. In this paper, a novel 94 GHz orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) frequency scanning radar (FSR) concept is presented, which offers potential cost and size reductions over the legacy design.
Lower Health Related Quality of Life and Psychosocial Difficulties in Children with Monosymptomatic Nocturnal Enuresis—Is Snoring a Marker of Severity?

Purpose: Sleep disordered breathing in children is linked to numerous negative psychosocial consequences, including lower health related quality of life, increased behavioral problems and impaired neuropsychological functioning. We examined whether snoring, which is the least severe form of sleep disordered breathing, or health related quality of life could account for the increased rate of psychosocial difficulty in children with monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis.Materials and Methods: Patients diagnosed with monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis seen at an outpatient pediatric urology clinic completed measures of health related quality of life (Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome–18-Item Questionnaire), sleep disordered breathing (Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire) and psychosocial difficulty (Pediatric Symptom Checklist). Patients were categorized into 2 groups (snoring vs no snoring) based on the Pediatric Symptom Checklist snoring subscale score.Results: Included in the study were 62 males and 45 females with...
Partnering: Tool for construction claims reduction

Alternative dispute resolution ~ADR! is a common term in the twenty-first century and especially for those involved in construction projects. Commercial construction projects are also on the rise nationwide as developers acquire more property and transform once barren land into large arenas, skyscrapers, and office buildings. Due to the increase in the demand for general contractors to compete and ‘‘win’’ the best job for the lowest price, dispute resolution is gaining importance in maintaining success for the general contractor by reducing the chance of claims for the contractor and the owner. A form of dispute resolution for construction, which is quite prevalent today, is partnering. Partnering is a process that brings the parties of the construction project together to resolve potential issues. The hypothesis of this paper is that partnering will reduce the overall number and size of claims on a construction project. By providing a framework for resolving the issues early in the construction process, it becomes more likely that conflict will not arise within the parties. The objective of this paper was to determine whether the relationship between partnering in construction projects influences the number and magnitude of claims that are filed or paid by the contractor and owner. Before one can develop an effective partnering methodology, one must understand the major reasons relating to employee dissatisfaction with current partnering methods. This study will provide an insight into partnering and its effects on the number and magnitude of claims as well as suggestions for more effective partnering methodology.
Accommodating a nonconservative internal mutation by water-mediated hydrogen bonding between β-sheet strands: a comparison of human and rat type B (mitochondrial) cytochrome b5.

Mammalian type B (mitochondrial) b5 cytochromes exhibit greater amino acid sequence diversity than their type A (microsomal) counterparts, as exemplified by the type B proteins from human (hCYB5B) and rat (rCYB5B). The comparison of X-ray crystal structures of hCYB5B and rCYB5B reported herein reveals a striking difference in packing involving the five-strand β-sheet, which can be attributed to fully buried residue 21 in strand β4. The greater bulk of Leu21 in hCYB5B in comparison to that of Thr21 in rCYB5B results in a substantial displacement of the first two residues in β5, and consequent loss of two of the three hydrogen bonds between β5 and β4. Hydrogen bonding between the residues is instead mediated by two well-ordered, fully buried water molecules. In a 10 ns molecular dynamics simulation, one of the buried water molecules in the hCYB5B structure exchanged readily with solvent via intermediates having three water molecules sandwiched between β4 and β5. When the buried water molecules were removed ...
Effects of triazolam on drinking in baboons with and without an oral self-administration history : a reinstatement phenomenon

In a test of the reinforcing efficacy of triazolam under an oral drug self-administration procedure, three baboons consumed higher volumes of triazolam than of vehicle. Although these results suggested that triazolam was serving as a reinforcer, the unconditioned effect of triazolam itself on drinking remained unclear. Therefore, the effect of pretreatment with triazolam on consumption of a nondrug fluid was assessed in sessions that were otherwise identical to oral drug self-administration sessions. Following oral pretreatment with triazolam (0.6-19.2 mg total dose), there was a dose-dependent increase in drinking, suggesting that triazolam increased fluid consumption per se. However, subsequent manipulations showed that following pretreatment with triazolam, there was no systematic change in tap water consumption from the regular drinking spout and that the dipsogenic effect of pretreatment with triazolam was not specific to a particular fluid; however, the effect was specific to prior experience with the oral self-administration procedure. Thus, the dose-related increase in consumption from the drinkometer spout following triazolam pretreatment most likely is explained as the "priming" or "reinstatement" of an operant that previously had produced drug reinforcement, even though extinction (i.e., substitution of the drug vehicle) was in effect.
Development of a Silicon Carbide Micro Four-Point Probe

The process development and fabrication of a cantilever-based micro four-point probe (MFPP) is presented. This device will allow for characterization of film resistance with micrometer-scaled resolution. The proble is designed for deployment on a commercial AFM. The cantilevers are made of amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) and the probe body using SU8. The probe consists of two sets of cantilevers, with integrated tips, on parallel planes 8.68 μm apart. This allows the probe to contact the surface in a square array and perform a van der Pauw type measurement. Studies to characterize, pattern and dope the a-SiC have been performed to utilize silicon carbide as both the cantilever structural material as well the conductive element in the sensor. The MFPP has been fabricated and some preliminary tests have been performed.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Cartesian control of redundant robots

A Cartesian-space position/force controller is presented for redundant robots. The proposed control structure partitions the control problem into a nonredundant position/force trajectory tracking problem and a redundant mapping problem between Cartesian control input F is a set member of the set R(sup m) and robot actuator torque T is a set member of the set R(sup n) (for redundant robots, m is less than n). The underdetermined nature of the F yields T map is exploited so that the robot redundancy is utilized to improve the dynamic response of the robot. This dynamically optimal F yields T map is implemented locally (in time) so that it is computationally efficient for on-line control; however, it is shown that the map possesses globally optimal characteristics. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the dynamically optimal F yields T map can be modified so that the robot redundancy is used to simultaneously improve the dynamic response and realize any specified kinematic performance objective (e.g., manipulability maximization or obstacle avoidance). Computer simulation results are given for a four degree of freedom planar redundant robot under Cartesian control, and demonstrate that position/force trajectory tracking and effective redundancy utilization can be achieved simultaneously with the proposed controller.
A Particle Population Control Method for Dynamic Monte Carlo

A general particle population control method has been derived from splitting and Russian Roulette for dynamic Monte Carlo particle transport. A well-known particle population control method, known as the particle population comb, has been shown to be a special case of this general method. This general method has been incorporated in Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Monte Carlo Application Toolkit (MCATK) and examples of it’s use are shown for both super-critical and sub-critical systems.
The activation of purified human plasminogen in solutions of ethylene glycols.

Ethylene glycols have been found to allow activation of purified preparations of human plasminogen. The activity of the enzyme formed, plasmin, was measured using TAMe (p-toluene-sulphonyl-L-arginine methyl ester) as a substrate. In 50% (v/v) solutions of these compounds at pH 7.6 and 30 °C, plasmin accumulated faster in diethylene and triethylene glycols than in glycerol, but in ethylene glycol no plasmin was found. When lower concentrations of ethylene glycol (from zero to 50%) and shorter times of incubation were used, plasmin was found. With equimolar solutions (4.3 M) of glycerol and the three glycols, only diethylene glycol showed a fast rate of accumulation of plasmin. A 50% triethylene glycol solution partially inhibited the rate of spontaneous activation but stabilized the plasmin formed and therefore enzyme accumulated. At room temperature more plasmin accumulated than at higher temperatures when plasminogen was incubated in 50% triethylene glycol solution, and no plasmin was found when plasmino...
Fear of loss of vigilance: development and preliminary validation of a self-report instrument.

We describe the development and initial validation of the Fear of Loss of Vigilance Questionnaire (FLOVQ). Recent investigations indicate that individuals with nocturnal panic (NP) demonstrate increased anxiety and panic in response to meditative relaxation and imagined hypnosis, compared to those with daytime panic (DP) only, suggesting that NP individuals fear situations that involve a loss of vigilance (e.g., relaxation, fatigue and altered states of consciousness). The FLOVQ was designed to assess this construct and was tested in five non-clinical samples and one clinical sample. The 14-item instrument demonstrated good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Non-clinical respondents who experienced NP endorsed greater fear of loss of vigilance than non-panickers; those who only experienced DP did not differ from the other groups. By contrast, on measures of trait and state anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity, both panic groups scored higher than non-panickers, suggesting that these latter measures were related to broader factors pertaining to a general tendency to panic versus a specific factor associated with NP. No group differences were found between NPs and DPs in either the non-clinical or the clinical sample, suggesting that fear of loss of vigilance may be a vulnerability factor for the development of NP and that the FLOVQ has more utility as a research rather than as a clinical instrument.
The importance of microscopic characterization of membrane biofilms in an unconfined environment

Abstract Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) is often used to evaluate biofilm development or biofouling mitigation in membrane systems. However, several methods of CLSM sample preparation exist. In this paper, we evaluate the effects of three preparation techniques — dry, confined (wet), and unconfined (immersed) mounting — on CLSM-derived biofilm architecture and dimensions. Although placing a wet or dry biofilm between a slide and a coverslip before viewing is relatively common, our results show that this confinement significantly alters the biofilm observed. Therefore, biofilms should be viewed in an unconfined and hydrated state that allows for full extension of the biofilm structure in a media-filled viewing well of fixed depth (~ 250 μm). Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms were grown on thin-film composite reverse osmosis membranes and glass coupons. Dry and confined mounting of 24 and 48 h biofilms resulted in biofilms with low 3-D complexity and thickness (14 and 18 μm, respectively). Measured biofilm thickness was significantly higher on samples prepared using unconfined mounting (55 μm). Additionally, the reduction in biofilm thickness and biovolume observed after treatment with biocidal compounds was significantly less on the dry and confined biofilms than the unconfined samples. Our results strongly suggest that biofilms on membranes be prepared for microscopy using unconfined mounting to accurately assess biofilm structure and dimensions. Unconfined mounting will allow for accurate CLSM assessment of membrane biofilm structure, dimensions, and biofouling mitigation measures in membrane systems.
Natural frequencies of a smart plate with segmented piezoelectric patches

Classical Plate Theory (CPT) has been applied successfully in the past to the plates with distributed piezoelectric patch bonded to the surface or embedded within the layers. In all earlier models the mass and stiffness' contributions from sensor and actuator patches were neglected for estimating the natural frequencies of the smart plate. Also the thickness direction electric fields and strain fields inside the patches are assumed to be constant over the entire area of the patch. The validity of these assumptions depends on the size and relative stiffnesses of the patches and is not investigated before. In this paper the CPT is used to estimate the natural frequencies of a plate structure with surface bonded piezoelectric patches without the above-mentioned assumptions. A detailed modeling of the patches is developed by expressing the electric potential inside the patch as a quadratic function of thickness coordinate. The equations of motion are derived for a generally isotropic plate with surface bonded segmented patches. Solution to the dynamic equation of motion are obtained using Fourier series method for a plate with collocated piezoelectric actuator/sensor patches. The effect of the passive and active stiffness' of the surface bonded actuator and sensor patches on the dynamic characteristics of host plate structure is investigated.
The Story of Disproportionality as Told by a Collaborative Culturally Responsive Coalition

Across the United States, disproportionate numbers of students of color are found to be eligible for special education services and receive services under subjective eligibility categories such as emotional/behavioral disorders. Disproportionality in subjective categories of special education indicates that students of color may be found eligible for services based on a cultural mismatch between the teachers and the students rather than possessing an actual disability. This study presents a review of literature related to disproportionality and the formula used to determine disproportionality (over- or underrepresentation), describes a teacher quality enhancement program designed to eliminate disproportionality in one local education agency (LEA), and presents the results from a mixed methods study investigating the effectiveness of this program. The quantitative and qualitative data reveal increased cultural awareness and sensitivity toward working with culturally and linguistically diverse students and ...
Analysis of Vibrio cholerae Genome Sequences Reveals Unique rtxA Variants in Environmental Strains and an rtxA-Null Mutation in Recent Altered El Tor Isolates

ABSTRACT Vibrio cholerae genome sequences were analyzed for variation in the rtxA gene that encodes the multifunctional autoprocessing RTX (MARTX) toxin. To accommodate genomic analysis, a discrepancy in the annotated rtxA start site was resolved experimentally. The correct start site is an ATG downstream from rtxC resulting in a gene of 13,638 bp and deduced protein of 4,545 amino acids. Among the El Tor O1 and closely related O139 and O37 genomes, rtxA was highly conserved, with nine alleles differing by only 1 to 6 nucleotides in 100 years. In contrast, 12 alleles from environment-associated isolates are highly variable, at 1 to 3% by nucleotide and 3 to 7% by amino acid. The difference in variation rates did not represent a bias for conservation of the El Tor rtxA compared to that of other strains but rather reflected the lack of gene variation in overall genomes. Three alleles were identified that would affect the function of the MARTX toxin. Two environmental isolates carry novel arrangements of effector domains. These include a variant from RC385 that would suggest an adenylate cyclase toxin and from HE-09 that may have actin ADP-ribosylating activity. Within the recently emerged altered El Tor strains that have a classical ctxB gene, a mutation arose in rtxA that introduces a premature stop codon that disabled toxin function. This null mutant is the genetic background for subsequent emergence of the ctxB7 allele resulting in the strain that spread into Haiti in 2010. Thus, similar to classical strains, the altered El Tor pandemic strains eliminated rtxA after acquiring a classical ctxB. IMPORTANCE Pathogen evolution involves both gain and loss of factors that influence disease. In the environment, bacteria evolve rapidly, with nucleotide diversity arising by genetic modification. Such is occurring with Vibrio cholerae, exemplified by extensive diversity and unique variants of the rtxA-encoded multifunctional autoprocessing RTX (MARTX) toxin among environment-associated strains that cause localized diarrheal outbreaks and food-borne disease. In contrast, seventh pandemic El Tor V. cholerae strains associated with severe diarrhea have changed minimally until the altered El Tor emerged as the most frequent cause of cholera, including in the 2010 Haiti epidemic. These strains have increased virulence attributed to a new variant of the major virulence factor, cholera toxin. It is revealed that these strains also have an inactivated MARTX toxin gene. A similar inactivation occurred during classical cholera pandemics, highlighting that evolution of El Tor cholera is following a similar path of increased dependence on cholera toxin, while eliminating other secreted factors.
Diffusion of adsorbed Si dimers on Si(001)

Abstract The diffusion of adsorbed Si dimers on the Si(001)-2×1 surface is studied with hot scanning tunneling microscopy and a tracking technique in which each diffusive event is resolved. The activation energy for diffusion of a dimer along the top of a substrate dimer row is found to be 1.09±0.05 eV, with an attempt frequency of 10 13.2±0.6 Hz. A lower bound of 1.40 eV is placed on the activation energy for dimer dissociation. The free energy of a dimer is observed to decrease by 32±2 meV at a site adjacent to a type-A step.
On wave groups in a Gaussian sea

Abstract In the context of Gaussian waves, if two successive wave crests of amplitude h 1 and h 2 , respectively, are recorded in time at a fixed point x 0 then in the limit of h 1 → ∞ and h 2 → ∞ , with probability approaching 1, a wave group has passed closed by the point x 0 at the apex of its development stage, giving rise to an isolated extreme crest. The two large successive wave crests occur at x 0 during the initial phase of decay of the wave group and they are lagged in time by T 2 * + O ( h 1 - 1 , h 2 - 1 ) , T 2 * being the abscissa of the second absolute maximum of the time covariance function ψ ( T ) of the surface displacement. Thus, either an isolated extreme crest event or two consecutive extreme crest events are particular realizations of the space–time evolution of a wave group, in agreement with the theory of quasi determinism of Boccotti [2000. Wave Mechanics for Ocean Engineering. Elsevier, Oxford]. This result is of relevant interest for offshore engineering. Firstly, the design of offshore structures resisting to a double wave impact can be based on the wave forces generated by the mechanics of a single wave group. On the other hand, in the context of nonlinear water waves, extreme events and their probability of occurrence can be investigated by studying the nonlinear evolution of a wave group.
Examining the intersections of music making and teaching for four string teachers

The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to examine the intersections of music making and teaching for four string teachers. Data included background surveys, three interviews per partic...
Distraction Effects on the Perceived Extremity of a Communication and on Cognitive Responses

Participants listened to either a proattitudinal or counterattitudinal communication under varying levels of distraction. A distraction x message position interaction indicated that distraction decreased the perceived extremity of the counterattitudinal communication while increasing the perceived extremity of the proattitudinal message. Distraction decreased the number of counterarguments generated by counterattitudinal speech recipients, but unexpectedly did not significantly affect proargumentation. Proargumentation notwithstanding, the results were consistent with the dominant thought disruption hypothesis.
Effect of Kinetic, Design, and Operating Parameters on Reactor Gain

Many industrial reactions are carried out in adiabatic tubular reactors. The desired inlet feed temperature is usually achieved by using the hot reactor effluent to preheat the cold feed in a feed−effluent heat exchanger (FEHE). This positive feedback of energy introduces the potential for open loop instability. Previous papers have explored the control of this type of process. The key parameter in FEHE/reactor systems is the reactor gain, i.e. the change in the reactor exit temperature Tout for a given change in the reactor inlet temperature Tin: KR = ΔTout/ΔTin. The larger the reactor gain, the more likely open loop instability will occur and the more difficult the control problem will be. This paper explores the impact of various kinetic, design, and operating parameters on reactor gain. Three reaction systems are studied. The first is the hypothetical reaction A + B → C, where kinetic parameters (activation energy and heat of reaction) can be varied. Then two real industrial reactions are studied: th...
Optimized satellite image compression and reconstruction via evolution strategies

This paper describes the automatic discovery, via an Evolution Strategy with Covariance Matrix Adaptation (CMA-ES), of vectors of real-valued coefficients representing matched forward and inverse transforms that outperform the 9/7 Cohen-Daubechies-Feauveau (CDF) discrete wavelet transform (DWT) for satellite image compression and reconstruction under conditions subject to quantization error. The best transform evolved during this study reduces the mean squared error (MSE) present in reconstructed satellite images by an average of 33.78% (1.79 dB), while maintaining the average information entropy (IE) of compressed images at 99.57% in comparison to the wavelet. In addition, this evolved transform achieves 49.88% (3.00 dB) average MSE reduction when tested on 80 images from the FBI fingerprint test set, and 42.35% (2.39 dB) average MSE reduction when tested on a set of 18 digital photographs, while achieving average IE of 104.36% and 100.08%, respectively. These results indicate that our evolved transform greatly improves the quality of reconstructed images without substantial loss of compression capability over a broad range of image classes.
Mitral flow velocity curves as a function of different loading conditions: evaluation by intraoperative transesophageal Doppler echocardiography.

Transesophageal pulsed wave Doppler echocardiography was performed intraoperatively on 10 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass operation. Mural flow velocity curves and hemodynamic values were recorded during control conditions and intravenous infusion of (1) nitroglycerin, (2) phenylephrine, and (3) fluids. During nitroglycerin infusion blood pressure and wedge pressure decreased, peak filling velocity decreased, and deceleration time increased compared with control values. During infusion of phenylephrine blood pressure increased, there was a trend toward a decrease in peak filling velocity, and deceleration time increased. During infusion of fluids wedge pressure increased, deceleration time decreased, and peak filling velocity increased. lVitral flow velocity curves are therefore altered by changes in hemodynamic loading conditions.
Effective index perturbation: correlations between the photonic bandgap and the donor-like defect mode in photonic crystal slabs

We proposed an effective index perturbation method to investigate the intrinsic characteristics of three-dimensional photonic-crystal-slab based microcavity with two-dimensional numerical simulation tools such as two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (2D-FDTD) and plane-wave expansion (2D-PWE) techniques, for reduced computational requirements and fast design feedback. Less than 2% computational error in predicting cavity spectral locations was obtained for two widely used single defect and line defect air hole photonic crystal cavities, by adjusting the effective index to match the dielectric band edge for donor-like defect mode. The correlation between the modified effective index and the cavity (lasing) mode with the highest quality factor Q offers an efficient tool in the design of defect mode based photonic crystal microcavities.
The effect of monsoonal atmospheric moisture on lightning fire ignitions in southwestern North America

The seasonal arrival of increased atmospheric moisture associated with the North American monsoon in southwestern North America greatly affects the lightning fire regime. Dramatically increased lightning strikes from monsoon-related thunderstorm activity in July and August are counterbalanced by decreased ignition probability and fire spread due to increased atmospheric moisture and precipitation. Using 16 years of lightning flash, relative humidity, and precipitation data from a 34,800 km2 study area with high lightning fire activity in Arizona and New Mexico, we quantified the effect of a single measure of atmospheric moisture, daily minimum relative humidity (DMRH), on observed lightning fire data. The probability that a lightning flash would ignite an observed fire was highly correlated with DMRH in the form of a power law, ranging from 0.023 on days with lowest humidity to <0.0001 on high humidity days. The number of observed lightning fires/day was highly correlated with DMRH in the form of a log–normal distribution peaking at 4.09 fires/day at 22.1% DMRH. Area burned/day was also correlated with DMRH with a log–normal distribution peaking at 53.7 ha/day at 16.5% DMRH. Despite strong relationships based on long-term aggregated data, large uncertainties at shorter time scales prevented using DMRH alone for daily or yearly fire prediction. Estimates of observed fire ignitions derived from existing models of ignition probability and survival based on fuel moisture closely approximated our real world data. Our results suggest that a model based on relative humidity provides a useful framework for understanding the lightning fire regime in this region.
Dynamic coupling of SGEMP cavity fields to particulate magnetic media

An idealized dynamic model for magnetization reversal of a magnetic recording particle is solved numerically for damped oscillating fields over a range of frequencies. The adjustable parameters in the model are set by matching the model response to measurements obtained from published data. For the particular media studied, the results indicate that the dynamic switching threshold is not significantly lower than the quasi-static threshold and that dynamic upset by box IEMP (interior electromagnetic pulse) fields is unlikely. >
Landau's equation for the alpha decay intensities

Abstract Landau's equation for the alpha decay intensities has been discussed. The ratio of the intensities of transitions to the 2+ level and the ground state W 2 W 0 has been found to show a systematic variation with the neutron number N. The reciprocal of the “reduced hindrance factor” also shows a similar behaviour. The available evidence for a “subshell” at N = 136 has been summarized and discussed. The calculated results, by Landau's equation, for transitions to 4+ levels are reasonable, but for 6+ and 8+ levels the calculated results differ from the observed ones by very large factors.