cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE CHLOROLYTIC ACTION OF SERUM.

In studying the effect of serum on euglenas, the writer had previously observed (Elmore, 4) that whenever euglenas killed in various ways were placed in contact with serum, the latter became tinged with green. It was shown that this diffusion of chlorophyll resulted from the action of serum alone on the euglenas, without the intervention of any third factor such as plant or animal complement. The phenomenon was referred to as chlorolysis, a term introduced by Sherwood (7) to describe a release of pigment from chloroplasts, which occurred only in the presence of both serum and a plant extract. The present paper reports a further study of the chlorolysis resulting from contact of chlorophyll-containing bodies with serum.
The role of endocavitary irradiation for limited lesions of the rectum

We feel that endocavitary irradiation makes a considerable contribution to patients with localised rectal cancer in that in many cases a colostomy and its associated morbidity can be avoided. It is very sad that the Philips' Company has ceased production of this equipment, thus depriving many patients with cancer of the rectum from receiving this highly successful treatment.
Adopting orphan drugs--two dozen years of treating rare diseases.

Dr. Marlene Haffner writes that when the Orphan Drug Act was passed in 1982, few suspected the extent to which this law would alleviate the plight of patients with rare diseases.
Auditory Brainstem Responses from Graduates of an Intensive Care Nursery: Normal Patterns of Response

Auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were obtained from graduates of an intensive care nursery (ICN) when those babies were in stable physiological states and ready for hospital discharge. Intensity ranged from ABR threshold to 80 dB nHL, and all recordings were made in a sound-isolated chamber. The data reviewed here are from 585 babies having presumably normal hearing, based upon bilateral ABR thresholds of 30 dB nHL or less. To insure that estimates of population statistics were not biased by high correlations between ears, only the data from the left ears were used in most analyses. Larger correlations were observed between conceptional age (CA) and ABR latencies than between either gestational age (GA) or chronological age (CHA) and the same latencies. Data were grouped into six CA groups for further analyses. Distributions of all response-component latencies were similar in shape and depended upon CA, showing orderly decreases in latency with increasing age. None of these distributions differed significantly from normal, and they were well fitted by normal ogives. Thus, accurate estimates of percentiles can be obtained from the means and standard deviations. The results indicate that it is important to take CA into account when evaluating ABR latencies.
Generation and analysis of FCG data using a single specimen and Kmax–ΔK testing matrix

Abstract A custom method to generate fatigue crack growth (FCG) data requires testing of multiple specimens at different load ratios, R, and the application of a load shedding procedure from pre-cracking level to threshold. In this paper, a novel method of testing has been investigated which utilizing a single specimen and a testing matrix in terms of Kmax and ΔK values corresponding to predetermined R-ratios for which FCG data are recorded. Automatic K-controlled tests on 2324-T39 Al alloy were conducted using both increasing and decreasing ΔK procedures while Kmax was kept constant. Results show that the increasing ΔK procedure gives less scatter than decreasing ΔK procedure. Also, fatigue crack growth curves near the threshold region obtained from increasing ΔK are above the curves obtained from decreasing ΔK procedure. These differences are explained by means of interaction between cyclic plastic zones and their effect on fatigue damage. The procedure with increasing ΔK demonstrated minimal interaction effects and hence it is recommended for efficient FCG data generation. The proposed procedure reduces testing time, the overall scatter associated with multiple samples and eliminates possible uncertainty linked to the load shedding procedure and its effects on threshold.
Intracellular preoptic and striatal monoamines in pregnant and lactating rats: possible role in maternal behavior

Abstract In many mammals, hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy and parturition produce neurochemical events that are necessary for the transition from a non-maternal state to a maternal state that occurs when infants are born. However, the nature of these events is mostly unknown. We investigated whether changes in dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) activity within the preoptic area (POA) and striatum, neural sites important for some maternal behaviors, could be part of this process. Female rats were sacrificed as either diestrus virgins, on pregnancy day 10 or 20, on the day of parturition, or on day 7 or 17 of lactation. Bilateral tissue punches from the POA, dorsolateral striatum (STdl), and nucleus accumbens (NA) were obtained and levels of intracellular DA and 5-HT analyzed with high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC–EC). In the POA, DA was high in virgins and during early pregnancy, lowest on the day of parturition, and very high during lactation. Although there were no changes in the DOPAC to DA ratio (i.e., turnover), DOPAC levels also followed this pattern. 5-HT turnover in the POA was lower in virgins compared to other groups. In the STdl, DA turnover was highest during late pregnancy and on the day of parturition, while no changes in 5-HT measures were found. No significant effects were found in the NA. Therefore, decreased DAergic activity in the POA and increased DAergic activity in the STdl occurs around parturition, the time when maternal behavior emerges, and may influence its onset.
Nonlinear evolution, travelling waves, and secondary instability of sheared-film flows with insoluble surfactants

The nonlinear development of the interfacial-surfactant instability is studied for the semi-infinite plane Couette film flow. Disturbances whose spatial period is close to the marginal wavelength of the long-wave instability are considered first. Appropriate weakly nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) which couple the disturbances of the film thickness and the surfactant concentration are obtained from the strongly nonlinear lubrication-approximation PDEs. In a rescaled form each of the two systems of PDEs is controlled by a single parameter C, the 'shear-Marangoni number'. From the weakly nonlinear PDEs, a single Stuart-Landau ordinary differential equation (ODE) for an amplitude describing the unstable fundamental mode is derived. By comparing the solutions of the Stuart-Landau equation with numerical simulations of the underlying weakly and strongly nonlinear PDEs, it is verified that the Stuart-Landau equation closely approximates the small-amplitude saturation to travelling waves, and that the error of the approximation converges to zero at the marginal stability curve. In contrast to all previous stability work on flows that combine interfacial shear and surfactant, some analytical nonlinear results are obtained. The Hopf bifurcation to travelling waves is supercritical for C C s , where C s is approximately 0.29. This is confirmed with a numerical continuation and bifurcation technique for ODEs. For the subcritical cases, there are two values of equilibrium amplitude for a range of C near C s , but the travelling wave with the smaller amplitude is unstable as a periodic orbit of the associated dynamical system (whose independent variable is the spatial coordinate). By using the Bloch ('Floquet') disturbance modes in the linearized PDEs, it transpires that all the small-amplitude travelling-wave equilibria are unstable to sufficiently long-wave disturbances. This theoretical result is confirmed by numerical simulations which invariably show the large-amplitude saturation of the disturbances. In view of this secondary instability, the existence of small-amplitude periodic solutions (on the real line) bifurcating from the uniform flow at the marginal values of the shear-Marangoni number does not contradict the earlier conclusions that the interfacial-surfactant instability has a strongly nonlinear character, in the sense that there are no small-amplitude attractors such that the entire evolution towards them is captured by weakly-nonlinear equations. This suggests that, in general, for flowing-film instabilities that have zero wavenumber at criticality, the saturated disturbance amplitudes do not always have to decrease to zero as the control parameter approaches its value at criticality.
ANOMALOUS LEFT CORONARY ARTERY ARISING FROM THE PULMONARY ARTERY WITH LARGE LEFT-TO-RIGHT SHUNT IN INFANCY.

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery has been separated into the “infantile” type with poor collateral circulation and early death due to myocardial infarction and the “adult” type in which there is well-developed collateral circulation and long survival. That this classification cannot be held too rigidly is demonstrated by the patient described, who developed a myocardial infarct in spite of the presence of a large collateral circulation.
Effect of water vapor absorption on integrating sphere output radiance and consequences for instrument calibration

Multiple photon scatterings inside an integrating sphere can result in significant path lengths compared with line-of- sight sources. In strong water vapor absorption channels, such as those on MODIS and the MODIS airborne simulator, these internal path lengths can result in a significant reduction in sphere output radiance. Path length probability distributions for photons exiting a sphere are determined using Monte Carlo calculations. Approximate analytic expressions are also derived. Results are used to determine the effect of water vapor absorption on integrating sphere sensor calibrations in several pertinent channels.
Metal−Organic Framework Diversity via Heterocoordination of a Multifunctional Ligand: SrAl2 and a Novel (3,4)-Connected Network

Two metal−organic frameworks (MOFs) having interesting topologies, one based on sra (SrAl2, also known as zeolite ABW) and another exhibiting an unprecedented (3,4)-connected topology, have been synthesized via the assembly of 3,4-pyridinedicarboxylic acid (3,4-H2PDC) and various metal ions. The proximal intramolecular distance of the ligand-carboxylates leads to their steric torsion out of the plane of the pyridine core, resulting in diverse three-dimensional MOFs. In each instance, the doubly deprotonated multifunctional ligands (3,4-PDC) coordinate with the divalent metal ions via MNxOy heterocoordination. The resulting MOFs possess magnetic or fluorescent properties.
Magnitude/Phase Quantization of Independent Gaussian Variates

The performance of two-dimensional polar quantization of independent Gaussian variates is evaluated as a possible improvement over one-dimensional quantizers. The distortion measure is assumed to be squared error. The quantizers are a generalization of more restrictive polar quantizers analyzed previously, admitting a differing number of phase positions in each magnitude sector. Results are provided for several bit rates up to 2.5 bits/sample. The optimal design always performs as well or better than the restricted polar quantizer, and, in the cases analyzed, slightly outperforms the Max (single-sample) quantizers for a fixed number of levels.
Radical Cystectomy With Extended Lymphadenectomy: Evaluating Separate Package Versus en Bloc Submission for Node Positive Bladder Cancer

Purpose: To provide future mapping analysis of lymph node positive disease we modified our lymphadenectomy at radical cystectomy for bladder cancer from an en bloc packet to 13 separate nodal packets. We evaluated the clinical and pathological findings resulting from this modification.Materials and Methods: A total of 1,359 patients underwent en bloc radical cystectomy and extended lymphadenectomy for bladder cancer. They were compared to 262 patients who underwent radical cystectomy and extended lymphadenectomy with lymph nodes submitted in 13 distinct nodal packets. Overall 317 patients (23%) of the en bloc group (group 1) and 66 of the 262 (25%) in the separately packaged group (group 2) had node positive disease. Clinical and pathological findings were analyzed to compare these 2 groups of patients.Results: Although the incidence of lymph node positivity was not different, the median number of total lymph nodes removed in group 2 was significantly higher than that in group 1 (68, range 14 to 132 vs 31...
Sustainability in supply chain management: suggestions for the auto industry

Purpose – The auto industry in the USA is facing tremendous challenges – plunging demands due to economic downturn, the gloomy trend in technology development, and fierce global competition. This article aims to examine the challenges of supply chain management and to propose a triple‐C (cease‐control‐combine) remedy for the North American auto industry's supply chain management.Design/methodology/approach – The authors applied management theories, collected information from managers at different levels of the auto industry's supply chain management, and developed a novel theoretical model of sustainability in supply chain management for the auto industry.Findings – It is argued that outsourcing to low cost countries – the current supply chain strategy – is not only unsustainable but also irresponsible for the auto industry and society. A triple‐C (cease‐control‐combine) remedy is proposed for the auto industry's supply chain management.Practical implications – The proposed triple‐C strategy will save the...
Contingency and Convergence

The Crucible of Creation. The Burgess Shale and the Rise of Animals. SIMON CONWAY MORRIS. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1998. xxxiv, 242 pp., illus. $30. ISBN 0-19-850256-7.
Observation of surface-state emission in the energy distribution of electrons field-emitted from (100) oriented Ge☆

Abstract Field-emission energy distributions from the (100) facet of Ge exhibit a double peak. Comparison of the measured distributions with theory shows that the lower energy peak arises from valence band emission while the higher energy peak represents emission from a band of surface states overlapping the valence band. The field-emission energy distribution from the surface states is a maximum at 0.18 eV above the valence band edge. The surface of the emitter is found to be 4 kT degenerate n-type with an applied field of 3 × 10 7 V cm . This implies 6.3 × 10 12 surface states/cm 2 at the center of the clean, annealed (100) facet. The effect of the applied field is to broaden the surface state distribution. The degree of broadening can be accounted for by the Stark effect. Adsorption of contamination from the vacuum system ambient or geometric alteration of the surface from the annealed end form reduces the number of surface states.
Computer aided system design of linked cooperative digital computers for control

For accurate and reliable automatic control the organisation of computer systems in aircraft and applications in other multi-task computer systems is more likely to be based on a number of ''cooperative'' computers in an integrated manner [1], than a main central computer. Such a cooperative design should provide for the normal work load of each computer plus checking the data processing of another computer and have the ability to continue operation in case of a malfunction in one processor. To ensure that these requirements are met in a data driven operating system the basic system design parameters need careful assessment for optimised system performance especially when deadlines must be met in some control functions and an order of priorities preserved. The present paper reports progress on a computer aided system design of such linked cooperative computers under the above conditions to determine basic system parameters such as the desirable character rates for the several central processors (C.P's) and optimum cycle length of C.P. to C.P. transfers. The methods also overcomes objections [2] to some systems design procedures by allowing the results of sampled data theory to be made use of in the systems design by incorporating the sampling rate-although calculated separately [3] in one of the prime design parameters of the system.
Data sharing: Make outbreak research open access

Establish principles for rapid and responsible data sharing in epidemics, urge Nathan L. Yozwiak, Stephen F. Schaffner and Pardis C. Sabeti.
The method of virtual quanta as a probe of the equivalence principle

We consider bremsstrahlung encounters between a test body of massm, chargee, and a large fixed massM with chargeQ. We use the method of virtual quanta, and calculate the total electromagnetic and gravitational energy radiated in such encounters. We consider both the case in which the deflection is principally electromagnetic in nature, and the case in which the deflection is principally gravitational. The results are interpreted by considering the predictions of the equivalence principle, for the behavior of the test particle,and for the behavior of the virtual quanta. As expected from the equivalence principle, the total radiation produced is larger for electromagnetic deflection than for a gravitational deflection through the same angle.
Specificity of ϵ-peptidase of Achromobacter pestifer EA☆

Abstract The enzyme ϵ-acylase/peptidase isolated from Achromobacter pestifer EA was stereospecific for the ϵ-amide or ϵ-peptide bonds of l -lysine. The configuration and nature of the amino acid coupled to the ϵ-amino group of lysine influenced the ϵ-peptidase activity. The enzymic activity was present if the α-NH 2 and α-COOH groups of ϵ-benzoyl- l -lysine and ϵ- l -phenylalanyl- l -lysine were coordinated with cobalt. The activity was greatly reduced when they were coordinated with copper and was reactivated by the addition of 2-mercaptoethanol or EDTA. The enzymic activity was reduced but not lost if the α-NH 2 group was acylated or involved in peptide bond formation. Upon esterification of the α-COOH group with methyl or benzyl groups, the activity was completely lost; there was not much loss of activity when the α-COOH group was combined as a peptide.
A single adeno-associated virus (AAV)-murine factor VIII vector partially corrects the hemophilia A phenotype

Summary. A major obstacle for delivery of factor (F)VIII using adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors is the large size of FVIII cDNA, which is well above the 5 kb packaging limit for AAV. Here we construct a < 5 kb FVIII-AAV vector using murine FVIII cDNA and a strong liver-specific albumin promoter. We assessed the efficacy of this vector using three different routes of administration, intraportal, intrasplenic and tail vein injection, in FVIII knockout (FVIII KO) mice. The peak level of FVIII observed was about 8% of normal mouse FVIII activity. Even at 9 months, post vector injection, 14 of 19 mice receiving FVIII-AAV demonstrated phenotypic correction and roughly 2% FVIII activity. The transgene copy number ranged from 0.001 to 0.1 copies per cell, depending upon the somatic tissue. The potential for germline transmission of AAV was assayed in 34 pups obtained from five pairs of treated, phenotypically corrected adult hemophilic mice. Although the parents harbored the transgene in liver, spleen, and gonads, none of the 34 offspring was positive for the transgene, suggesting that the risk of inadvertent germline transmission is low.
TIME-SERIES INVESTIGATION OF SUBSAMPLE MEAN CHARTS

Abstract Autocorrelation of quality-control measurements violates one of the basic assumptions underlying the use of statistical control charts for process mean. Several investigators have studied the impact of autocorrelation on charting procedures based on single observations, however, little work has been directed to charts with subsampling. This paper examines different properties of the subsample means in the presence of autocorrelation. Specifically, using aggregation and systematic sampling theory, we show the time-series behavior of the subsample means. We also investigate the Type I error rate for the X¯ chart and present recommendations for statistical process control in the presence of autocorrelation. Our investigation of the Type I error provides additional insights of the impact of autocorrelation on the subsample range statistic.
Renal Clearance and Serum Protein Binding of Acetaminophen and Its Major Conjugates in Humans

The renal clearances of acetaminophen, acetaminophen glucuronide, and acetaminophen sulfate were determined in eight healthy adults 2 h after administration of 1.5 g of acetaminophen. The renal clearance ratios (relative to creatinine) were 0.058 +/- 0.026, 0.890 +/- 0.153, and 1.43 +/- 0.250 (mean +/- SD), respectively. The renal clearance of acetaminophen increased with increasing urine flow rate, and that of acetaminophen sulfate decreased with increasing serum concentration of the conjugate. A strong positive correlation was found between the renal clearances of acetaminophen glucuronide and acetaminophen sulfate, possibly due to blood perfusion rate-dependent renal tubular secretion of the two conjugates. The serum protein binding of acetaminophen (congruent to 20%) and acetaminophen glucuronide (less than 10%) are minor. Acetaminophen sulfate is greater than 50% protein bound, as determined by equilibrium dialysis and ultrafiltration. The results of these studies are (a) consistent with previous reports of animal studies, indicating that renal excretion of acetaminophen involves glomerular filtration and passive reabsorption and that acetaminophen sulfate is subject to active renal tubular secretion, and (b) compatible with the reported occurrence of renal tubular secretion of acetaminophen glucuronide in animals.
Modeling the transport of fine-grained sediments in aquatic systems

Abstract Recent work on the understanding and numerical modeling of the transport of fine-grained sediments in near-shore areas of lakes, estuaries, and oceans is discussed. The presentation is concerned not only with the transport of sediments in the overlying water but also with the interactions between the bottom sediments and the overlying water. In particular, a quantitative model of the entrainment and deposition of fine-grained sediments is proposed.
Electromagnetic wave structures within subauroral polarization streams

[1] We report on oscillations in electric (δEY) and magnetic (δBZ) fields and plasma density (δNi) observed by Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites within fast subauroral convection streams in the evening sector during the magnetic storm of 6 November 2001. There are two types of wave phenomena. The first and more common is characterized by electromagnetic and plasma density variations that have the same frequency range of ∼0.15 Hz in the spacecraft frame of reference. The second is characterized by large-amplitude plasma and field oscillations over a broader range of frequencies ∼0.1 to 0.3 Hz. In this case the perturbation densities and fields appear to have different frequency responses. In this and other magnetic storms, strong waves are associated with the precipitation of ∼30 keV ions. Ratios of δEY/δBZ indicate encounters with mixtures of electromagnetic (in part Alfvenic) and electrostatic modes. Poynting vectors associated with the oscillations can be directed either into or out of the ionosphere. The density perturbations appear to be extended east-west corrugations in the plasma flow streams with north-south wavelengths of ∼50 km. The δEY and δNi variations were anticorrelated, as required for current conservation. Our analysis shows that Alfvenic perturbations are consistent with expected effects of irregular potential distribution around ionospheric density irregularities mapped to the magnetosphere. Inertial currents act to generate mesoscale field-aligned currents carried by Alfven waves, as was previously discussed with regards to auroral arcs formation. We suggest that δNi irregularities observed by DMSP satellites in the evening sector began as striated plasma patches in the polar cap that convected to subauroral latitudes.
Clostridium difficile glutamate dehydrogenase is a secreted enzyme that confers resistance to H2O2

Clostridium difficile produces an NAD-specific glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), which converts l-glutamate into α-ketoglutarate through an irreversible reaction. The enzyme GDH is detected in the stool samples of patients with C. difficile-associated disease and serves as one of the diagnostic tools to detect C. difficile infection (CDI). We demonstrate here that supernatant fluids of C. difficile cultures contain GDH. To understand the role of GDH in the physiology of C. difficile, an isogenic insertional mutant of gluD was created in strain JIR8094. The mutant failed to produce and secrete GDH as shown by Western blot analysis. Various phenotypic assays were performed to understand the importance of GDH in C. difficile physiology. In TY (tryptose yeast extract) medium, the gluD mutant grew slower than the parent strain. Complementation of the gluD mutant with the functional gluD gene reversed the growth defect in TY medium. The presence of extracellular GDH may have a functional role in the pathogenesis of CDI. In support of this assumption we found higher sensitivity to H2O2 in the gluD mutant as compared to the parent strain. Complementation of the gluD mutant with the functional gluD gene reversed the H2O2 sensitivity.
Total Ionizing Dose Effects on Commercial Electronics for Cube Sats in Low Earth Orbits

Modest total dose in low earth orbit and short cube sat missions provide an opportunity for using commercial electronics. We present the results of high and low dose rate testing of candidate commercial microcircuits.
Critical features of microcomputer‐based exercises for effective teaching and learning of law

(1987). Critical features of microcomputer‐based exercises for effective teaching and learning of law. International Review of Law, Computers & Technology: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 36-51.
Proposal for an UNCOL

This discussion contains a proposal for a universal computer-oriented language (UNCOL) to be used as a common path between the problem-oriented language (POL) and the machine language (ML) in compatible automatic programming systems. (See Ref. 1.)
Desolvation Energy: A Rationale for Changes in Binding Affinity as Measured by ITC

This study tests a new thermodynamic framework for aqueous binding equilibria that features an explicit consideration for the change in hydration that occurs when two solvated surfaces come into contact. As an outcome of this approach, the standard state free energy of binding is defined by the summation of two terms, the traditional term (-RTlnK) plus a desolvation free energy term that is weighted by the number of complexes formed at equilibrium. The governing equation suggests that the equilibrium ratio (K) is not a constant; this equation is supported firmly by results from isothermal titration calorimetry using the chelation of calcium(II) by EDTA as a model binding reaction. In addition, we demonstrate that secondary solutes can shift the equilibrium by altering the average free energy of bulk water; molar solutions of urea, sucrose, and trehalose result in significant changes in the equilibrium ratio without altering the standard state free energy, as defined by our working equation. This investigation provides a fresh approach for characterizing concentrated, nonideal solutions, as relevant for understanding the driving forces behind molecular interactions in a cell or tissue. If the desolvation equation is demonstrated to be correct for other binding reactions in general, this project could ignite a renaissance in the application of aqueous solution thermodynamics.
Model Order Selection for Complex Sinusoids in the Presence of Unknown Correlated Gaussian Noise

We consider the problem of detecting and estimating the amplitudes and frequencies of an unknown number of complex sinusoids based on noisy observations from an unstructured array. In parametric detection problems like this, information theoretic criteria such as minimum description length (MDL) and Akaike information criterion (AIC) have previously been used for joint detection and estimation. In our paper, model selection based on extreme value theory (EVT), which has previously been used for enumerating real sinusoidal components from one-dimensional observations, is generalized to the case of multidimensional complex observations in the presence of noise with an unknown spatial correlation matrix. Unlike the previous work, the likelihood ratios considered in the mutlidimensional case cannot be addressed using Gaussian random fields. Instead, chi-square random fields associated with the generalized likelihood ratio test are encountered and EVT is used to analyze the model order overestimation probability for a general class of likelihood penalty terms including MDL and AIC, and a novel likelihood penalty term derived based on EVT. Since the exact EVT penalty term involves a Lambert-W function, an approximate penalty term is also derived that is more tractable. We provide threshold signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and show that the model order underestimation probability is asymptotically vanishing for EVT and MDL. We also show that MDL and EVT are asymptotically consistent while AIC is not, and that with finite samples, the detection performance of EVT outperforms MDL and AIC. Finally, the accuracy of the derived threshold SNRs is also demonstrated.
Apparent soil electrical conductivity mapping as an agricultural management tool in arid zone soils

Electromagnetic induction (EM) is a commonly used tool for non-invasive mapping of apparent soil electrical conductivity (EC"a). In this paper, we examine three applications of EM surveying used in arid southwestern US agriculture: repetitive salinity mapping, soil texture mapping, and locating buried tile lines. The basic statistical modeling techniques associated with each application are described and then demonstrated using data from three different field survey projects. In the first study, pre- and post-EM surveys are used to quantify the degree of salt removal from a field leaching event. These survey results demonstrate that the degree of salt removal was spatially variable and that the leaching process was not successful in sub-areas of the field that exhibited high pre-survey salinity concentration levels. The second study demonstrates the use of EM survey data for precision soil texture mapping under non-saline conditions, and illustrates how texture prediction maps can be generated from EM survey data. The final study represents an example of how EM survey data can be used to precisely locate the positions of buried tile lines. In this latter study, two different EM survey data sets that were collected 1 year apart produced estimates of tile line positions within 1m of each other, validating the reliability and repeatability of the proposed tile line identification strategy. These projects demonstrate three applications of EC"a surveying techniques used to derive spatial information that aids in the effective management of agricultural fields.
Distribution of atrazine into three chemical fractions: impact of sediment depth and organic carbon content.

The fate and transport of organic contaminants in aquatic sediments are impacted largely by microbial degradation and sorption to organic matter. Atrazine, a pre-emergent herbicide, has the potential to contaminate groundwater because of its slight water solubility, long half-life, and sorption to organic matter. Mineralization and distribution of 14C-atrazine into three chemical fractions were monitored over time in surface and subsurface coastal aquatic sediments of different land use. Sediments were extracted with an organic solvent followed by an alkali hydrolysis, and 14C activity was measured in the aqueous, solvent, and basic fractions (representing nonsorbed compounds, loosely sorbed compounds, and humic or fulvic acid bound compounds, respectively). Limited mineralization of atrazine occurred (<4%). The 14C activity in the aqueous and basic fractions increased over time, was greater in surface versus subsurface sediments, and was positively correlated with sediment organic carbon (SOC) content, indicating greater biological and chemical activity. Total 14C recovered ranged from 50 to 90%, was less in surface versus subsurface sediments, and was not correlated with SOC after 80 d. These results suggest that in native aquatic surface sediments, atrazine sorption plays a major role, whereas in subsurface sediments atrazine may be available for degradation and transport to shallow groundwater.
A comparison study of the Shannon channel capacity of various nonlinear optical fibers

A comparative study of the Shannon channel capacity is presented for a dispersion-free fiber, a fiber with constant dispersion, and a fiber with variable dispersion. Improvement of the capacity by optical phase conjugation (OPC) is also investigated. Simple scaling laws are prescribed for the dependence of the optimal capacity on various system settings such as number of spans, number of channels, noise power, channel width, strength of chromatic dispersion, bandwidth of an OPC device, etc.
Resilience of civil infrastructure systems: literature review for improved asset management

Infrastructure resilience has drawn significant attention in recent years, partly because the occurrence of low-probability and high-consequence disruptive events like Hurricane Katrina, the Indonesian tsunami, terrorism attack in New York, and others. Since civil infrastructure systems support society welfare and viability, continuous infrastructural operation is critical. Along protection approaches, resilience concepts support achievement of near-continuous infrastructure operation. A variety of frameworks, models, and tools exist for advancing infrastructure resilience research. Nevertheless, translation of resilience concepts into practical methodologies for informing civil infrastructure operation and management remains challenging. This paper presents a state-of-the-art literature review on civil infrastructure resilience, particularly water distribution systems, enabling practical applications of infrastructure resilience towards improved system management. The literature review has two stages, qu...
Contemporary trait change in a classic ecological experiment: rapid decrease in alewife gill‐raker spacing following introduction to an inland lake

SUMMARY 1. Ecological experiments showing large effects are predicted to drive contemporary trait changes resulting from evolution and phenotypic plasticity. However, few classic ecological experiments conducted in the wild have been investigated for evidence of contemporary trait change. 2. We examined a classic experiment in trophic ecology, the introduction of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) to Crystal Lake, Connecticut, U.S.A. (Brooks & Dodson, 1965), for the presence of contemporary trait change. 3. Alewife were introduced to Crystal Lake, an inland lake isolated from the coastal ocean, from an anadromous (migratory sea-run) source population. We utilised museum specimens collected soon after introduction and modern samples to measure changes in gill-raker morphology for the Crystal Lake alewife population since its introduction. We compared the gill-rakers of the Crystal Lake population to those of other nearby anadromous and landlocked (freshwater resident) alewife populations. 4. At introduction, the Crystal Lake population showed gill-raker spacing (GRS) similar to that of anadromous populations. Following introduction, we found evidence for a rapid decrease in GRS, an important trait for size-selective prey capture in fishes. This decrease occurred alongside a dramatic decline in zooplankton size, shown by Brooks and Dodson (1965) to be caused by the onset of alewife predation. After 45 years of isolation in freshwater, the Crystal Lake population showed GRS typical of landlocked populations. 5. Brooks and Dodson’s study is a classic example of the strong effects predators can have on prey communities. Our study shows that such community effects of predators may feed back to shape predator trophic morphology. The rate of trait change observed for the Crystal Lake alewife population is comparable to rates observed from evolutionary experiments conducted explicitly to examine trait changes over contemporary time scales. 6. We conclude that strong ecological effects of introduced populations may be important drivers of contemporary trait change. We propose that classic ecological experiments represent underutilised resources for examining interactions between contemporary trait change and ecological effects in the wild.
Direct Fluorescent Labeling of Microorganisms as a Possible Life-Detection Technique

Abstract Microorganisms and selected proteinaceous substances were directly tagged with fluorescein isothiocyanate. This approach suggested a possible application for detection of extraterrestrial life. A stable and apparently specific linkage was formed with protein, and nonprotein substances were readily destained. Soil and atmospheric debris did not exhibit any significant affinity for the dye.
Investigating Dried Distiller's Grains with Solubles vulnerability to Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) infestation by using choice and no-choice experiments

Demand for Dried Distiller's Grains with Solubles (DDGS) in international markets and the United States has increased during the past few years. Knowledge of DDGS supplemented animal feed vulnerability to insect infestation is critical for safe feed storage. To assess this vulnerability, it is necessary to know how DDGS is susceptible to insect infestation, while stored as raw ingredient. This research focused on the susceptibility of different types of DDGS (raw and ground) to red flour beetle, T. castaneum, infestation under 30% and 50% relative humidity (r.h.) regimes. Larval period at 30% r.h. increased 2–3 fold on raw DDGS diets with larger particle sizes (PSs) compared with their normal laboratory diet, a mixture of flour and yeast (9:1) (F/Y). However, grinding DDGS samples and increasing the r.h. to 50% decreased the amount of time required for insect development thus increasing DDGS vulnerability to T. castaneum infestation compared with raw DDGS at r.h. of 30%. As was expected, T. castaneum egg and pupal development were not affected by diet or humidity. The results suggested that DDGS as a raw ingredient at 30% r.h. was not a suitable food source for T. castaneum and given a choice, the majority of T. castaneum adults prefer laboratory diet over DDGS. Additionally, fecundity was significantly lower on DDGS compared with the control diets (F/Y and ground corn (GCORN)). These results indicated that these types of DDGS were not suitable developmental diets compared with the F/Y diet if stored at 30% r.h. with larger PSs.
The Neuropsychological Significance of Lateral Preference for Complex Visual Activities in Children with Learning Disabilities

In the present study the relationship between neuropsychological functioning and lateral preference for visual activities was examined with learning disordered children. Specifically, the relationship between measures of the Lateral Dominance Exam (LDE), scores on the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery (HRNB), and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) were explored. A canonical analysis suggested that composites of neuropsychological functioning and lateral preference shared 22% of variance. Learning disabled children with strong right or left preference for visually guided motor activities showed lower performance in spatial tasks on the ipsilateral side and in simple motor skills on the contralateral side. Children in the present study with strong right preference patterns for visually assisted motor activities also showed low performance on visual tracking tasks. These data offer some support for assessing lateral preference in learning disabled children.
Fluorescence amplification using photonic crystal slabs

Detection of biomolecules and cells through the use of fluorescent tags is the most widely used method in gene expression analysis, biomarker-based disease diagnosis, and cell imaging. We demonstrate the ability to amplify fluorescent output using a photonic crystal (PC) surface, thereby boosting detection sensitivity by orders of magnitude, and apply the approach to several life science applications. We achieve fluorescence amplification by two distinct mechanisms: First, intense optical near fields that develop on a the surfaces of a PC slab can be designed to coincide with the absorption wavelength of a fluorophore, resulting in enhanced excitation compared to the same fluorophore excited on an optically inactive surface. Second, PC resonances can be designed to coincide with the fluorophore emission wavelength, enabling enhanced extraction of light. The all-dielectric PC structure offers several important advantages with respect to metal-enhanced fluorescence using surface plasmons.
Depth to pedogenic carbonate horizon as a paleoprecipitation indicator

An analysis of 1168 modern soil profiles from the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service yields no correlation between mean annual precipitation and depth to the top of the carbonate horizon ( r 2 = 0.03; p < 0.001). Parent material and soil texture both play negligible roles in this regression. When combined with similar published studies (n = 1481), r 2 improves slightly ( r 2 = 0.31; p < 0.001). Caution is therefore advised in using this or any previously published regression for inferring paleoprecipitation from paleosols. However, in the combined data set, carbonate horizon‐bearing soils correlate with a mean annual precipitation of < 760 mm ( p < 0.05). Thus the presence vs. absence of pedogenic calcium carbonate is a good indicator of paleoprecipitation above or below this value.
Constraint consensus methods for finding interior feasible points in second-order cones

Optimization problems with second-order cone constraints (SOCs) can be solved efficiently by interior point methods. In order for some of these methods to get started or to converge faster, it is important to have an initial feasible point or near-feasible point. In this paper, we study and apply Chinneck's Original constraint consensus method and DBmax constraint consensus method to find near-feasible points for systems of SOCs. We also develop and implement a new backtracking-like line search technique on these methods that attempts to increase the length of the consensus vector, at each iteration, with the goal of finding interior feasible points. Our numerical results indicate that the new methods are effective in finding interior feasible points for SOCs.
Evidence from simultaneous intracellular- and surface-pH transients that carbonic anhydrase IV enhances CO2 fluxes across Xenopus oocyte plasma membranes.

The α-carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are zinc-containing enzymes that catalyze the interconversion of CO2 and HCO3−. Here, we focus on human CA II (CA II), a ubiquitous cytoplasmic enzyme. In the second...
Analysis and simulations of interconnects in high-speed integrated circuits

The authors deal with transmission line analysis of high speed interconnects connected in a general graph topology. The method proposed allows monitoring voltage/current at discrete time intervals at user-designated points on an interconnect system of any topology. The discrete-time signals on transmission lines are related by simultaneous equations in time and space (points on a net). However, delay property of the transmission lines can be used to obtain the signal value at a node at a given time from the signal values at adjacent nodes at some previous times. Computing time is linear with respect to the number of nodes and also linear with respect to the number of time points for which simulation is desired. Accuracy and storage requirements of the proposed method, in general, depends on the time step to be used. Included are preliminary results on stability analysis which may lead to design rules for reliable design of interconnect structures. >
Power system transient stability: The critical clearing time

Energy and Lyapunov methods, termed direct methods, have been developed for the study of transient stability of power systems. Although they reduce the amount of computations involved, they have been found to be conservative, i.e. the critical clearing time predicted by these methods is found in most cases to be too small compared to the critical clearing time obtained via the conventional integration routines. Here we address the conservativeness problem and seek to remedy the direct methods approach to remove this obstacle. First we restate and prove a theorem upon which the analysis of the Lyapunov methods in the power system context have been based. The theorem originally is due to Willems but for which there has been no proof in the literature. We discuss the existing methods such as the controlling UEP and the PEBS (Potential Energy Boundary Surface), identify the sources of conservativeness in these methods and carefully illustrate these issues using a one machine-? bus example. A new view that aims at resolving the pessimistic (sometimes over optimistic) results of direct methods is presented, then a new approach which is based on parameterizing a "piece" of the boundary associated with the "Controlling" UEP is introduced. The concept of Controlling UEP appears to offer a feasible approach that can be made analytically sound. Finally, the new approach is applied to the one machine-? bus for the purpose of an illustration.
Social Works: Performing Art, Supporting Publics

Shannon Jackson's Social Works: Performing Art, Supporting Publics is an exhilaratingly dense and wide-ranging interrogation of a complex of bodies, mediums, texts, and agendas that fall under the ...
An ontology-based software agent system case study

This case study demonstrates a flexible and dynamic approach for fusing data across combinations of participating heterogeneous sources to maximize knowledge sharing. Software agents are used to generate the largest intersection of shared data across any selected data source subset. This ontology-based agent approach maximizes knowledge sharing by dynamically generating common ontologies for the data sources of interest. We validated our approach using (disparate) data sets provided by five national laboratories. A local ontology was defined for each laboratory data source. The ontologies specify how to format the data using XML to make it suitable for query. Consequently, software agents are empowered to provide the ability to dynamically form local ontologies from the data sources. In this way, the cost of developing these ontologies is reduced while providing the broadest possible access to available data sources.
Meeting Shannon: Information-theoretic thinking in engineering and science

Figure 1 of Shannonpsilas 1948 paper, a schematic diagram of a general communication system, captures the entire essence of communication. Such a block diagram defines a closed universe for deducing fundamental limits, influences the cognitive processes of information theorists, and shapes the design of technology. The power and fundamental nature of the diagram and the theory within it are the prime reasons I have been drawn to information theory. Taking a personal and anthropological approach rather than a strictly historical one, I argue that block diagrams are metonyms for theorems in information theory and moreover that these powerful abstractions are applicable beyond the classical communication problem. I will briefly describe a few of my projects that use diagrammatic thinking for studies in neuroscience, energy transmission, and decoding.
Optimal sequential disassembly in the plane

We map the boundary representation of an assembly to a tree structure called Disassembly Tree (DT). An assembly is first classified by the logical complexity of its DT and by the geometric complexity of the nodes in a DT. Whether a component can be removed in one motion is next described as a predicate. The predicate is then used in an algorithm for constructing a DT in O(N) time, where N is the total number of edges in the plane.