cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Design of Reconfigurable Antennas Using Graph Models

This lecture discusses the use of graph models to represent reconfigurable antennas. The rise of antennas that adapt to their environment and change their operation based on the user's request hasn't been met with clear design guidelines. There is a need to propose some rules for the optimization of any reconfigurable antenna design and performance. Since reconfigurable antennas are seen as a collection of self-organizing parts, graph models can be introduced to relate each possible topology to a corresponding electromagnetic performance in terms of achieving a characteristic frequency of operation, impedance, and polarization. These models help designers understand reconfigurable antenna structures and enhance their functionality since they transform antennas from bulky devices into mathematical and software accessible models. The use of graphs facilitates the software control and cognition ability of reconfigurable antennas while optimizing their performance. This lecture also discusses the reduction of redundancy, complexity and reliability of reconfigurable antennas and reconfigurable antenna arrays. The full analysis of these parameters allows a better reconfigurable antenna implementation in wireless and space communications platforms. The use of graph models to reduce the complexity while preserving the reliability of reconfigurable antennas allow a better incorporation in applications such as cognitive radio, MIMO, satellite communications, and personal communication systems. A swifter response time is achieved with less cost and losses. This lecture is written for individuals who wish to venture into the field of reconfigurable antennas, with a little prior experience in this area, and learn how graph rules and theory, mainly used in the field of computer science, networking, and control systems can be applied to electromagnetic structures. This lecture will walk the reader through a design and analysis process of reconfigurable antennas using graph models with a practical and theoretical outlook. Table of Contents: Introduction to Reconfigurable Antennas / Graph Modeling Reconfigurable Antennas / Reconfigurable Antenna Design Using Graph Models / Redundancy Reduction in Reconfigurable Antenna Structures / Analyzing the Complexity and Reliability of Switch-Frequency Reconfigurable Antennas Using Graph Models / Complexity Versus Reliability in Arrays of Reconfigurable Antennas / Detection and Correction of Switch Failures in Switch Reconfigurable Antenna Arrays / Conclusion / Bibliography / Authors' Biographies
Is it safe to walk in the Sunbelt? Geographic variation among pedestrian fatalities in the United States, 1999-2003.

Abstract Introduction Previous work using data from the 1980s showed higher rates of pedestrian mortality in the southern United States. Methods This study was a descriptive analysis of state-specific mortality information from the National Center for Health Statistics for 1999–2002 and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for 2003. Results Highest rates were in the southern rim (“Sunbelt”) states for the U.S. population and for the non-Hispanic white population. Rural rates in the highest quartile were 2.1 (95% CI 1.8 to 2.6) times those in the lowest quartile. Urban rates in the highest quartile were 2.2 (95% CI 1.9 to 2.5) times those in the lowest quartile. Posted speed limits at crash sites were 2.6 (95% CI 2.0 to 3.4) times more likely to be ≥ 35 mph (48.3 km/h) in the highest quartile than in the lowest quartile. Pedestrians killed in the highest quartile were 1.9 (95% CI 1.2 to 3.1) times more likely to have blood alcohol concentrations ≥ 0.25 g/dL than pedestrians in the lowest quartile. Conclusions The highest pedestrian fatality rates concentrate in Sunbelt states experiencing rapid population growth in the past 50 years. This pattern may result from at least three features of these states: (a) a high percentage of urban vehicle miles traveled; (b) urban sprawl; and (c) a high prevalence of alcohol use — especially heavy use — among Sunbelt pedestrians.
System Identification and Stability Analysis of Steady Human Walking and the Swing Leg Dynamics

In steady human walking and running, every step is similar to every other, but they are not all identical. That is, the motion is nearly but not exactly periodic. In this paper, we construct models of the dynamics near the periodic motion of human locomotion from the near-periodic steady data. We use a sequence of Poincare sections (transverse to the periodic orbit) in the neighborhood of the periodic orbit and linearized dynamics of the state from one Poincare section to the next, essentially resulting in a piecewise linear dynamical system around the periodic orbit. Using human locomotion data obtained from a high-accuracy motion capture system, a piecewise linear dynamical model is constructed to represent human running/walking. The piecewise linear model can predict human transient dynamics under various circumstances. We show responses to perturbations to the swing leg.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Impact of land-use change and hard structures on the evolution of fringing marsh shorelines

Estuarine fringe marshes provide essential ecosystem services to coastal regions, including carbon sequestration and provision of shelter and nursery grounds for aquatic and terrestrial animals. The ability of a marsh to sustain itself by vertical accretion in response to sea-level rise is, in part, limited by inorganic sediment supply. Models attempting to forecast salt-marsh response to future sea-level rise commonly ignore land-use changes, despite the recent coastal population boom and the potential of land-use changes to alter sediment sources and modify established sediment-transport pathways. This study investigates the impacts of landscape modifications, which are typical of coastal areas, on the nearshore sedimentation and edge evolution of two fringing marshes. The sites examined include a marsh fringing the upper bay and a marsh fringing a beach ridge on the estuarine shoreline of a barrier island. Both sites are located in the same estuarine system, have similar hydrologic settings and comparable vegetation densities. Previous work, marsh cores, and a historical record from aerial photos indicate that although the fringe marshes are in different geomorphic locations, prior to anthropogenic modifications they were similar in terms of nearshore-sediment composition, scarp-shoreline morphology, and shoreline trajectory. The upper-bay marsh was impacted by the introduction of tree farming in the watershed of a tributary creek to the upper bay, which increased upland erosion and caused higher sedimentation rates in the estuary. The back-barrier marsh, which received no contribution from the tree farm because it is distal with respect to river input, was modified by the installation of a pier and rock sill. Terrestrial LIDAR, surface elevation tables, and accretion rates obtained from radioisotope analyses show that the deforestation induced high rates of nearshore and marsh accretion at the upper-bay site, which is promoting marsh colonization and expansion. These same types of data, in addition to aerial photos, were obtained at the back-barrier site and show increased rates of marsh-shoreline erosion adjacent to the structures. The fringing marshes were once similar, but started to evolve differently over a short time period as a result of human-induced changes to the landscape. Coastal development can significantly influence marsh-shoreline behavior, which must be taken into account when developing models of coastal response to sea-level rise.
Mechanisms of Poly(Ethylene Oxide) Interactions with Dolomite and Apatite

Abstract Adsorption and flocculation of polyethylene oxide on dolomite and apatite were studied. It was determined that dolomite with isolated hydroxyl groups exhibited flocculation whereas apatite and some dolomite samples which do not have isolated -OH groups did not flocculate. It was hypothesized that adsorption of polyethylene oxide on apatite and dolomite surface takes place because of hydrogen bonding. Isolated -OH groups and physically adsorbed water were the main adsorption sites on apatite and dolomite.
Creation, validation, and quantitative analysis of protein expression in vascular tissue microarrays.

Abstract Background Tissue microarrays (TMAs) are collections of multiple tissue cores placed in parallel in a single acceptor block and traditionally used to investigate protein expression in neoplastic tissues. We validated the use of TMAs to investigate protein expression in vascular segments. Methods Vascular tissues were collected from 100 adult subjects undergoing autopsy. A diverse set of vessels were harvested and arrayed over 17 TMAs. A total of 1377 unique tissues, each with a 1.5-mm feature size, were analyzed using histochemical and immunohistochemical (IHC) diaminobenzidine (DAB) methods. Results Histomorphometric analysis of vascular disease demonstrated the TMA features captured the majority of the vascular alterations (intimal hyperplasia and atherosclerosis) seen in the original blood vessel section. Measurements of IHC staining intensity based on color deconvolution were used to quantify antigen abundance in defined regions of interest (ROI). Validation was performed using antibodies to connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), receptor for advanced glycation end products (AGER/RAGE), and matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3). IHC staining was highly correlated between duplicate features from the same vascular site over these three proteins. Conclusion This study validates the use of TMA technology to investigate the vascular wall utilizing staining intensity data.
Janine eber maps London: Individual dimensions of cognitive imagery

Abstract In 1971 we accompanied a group of American teenagers on their first trip to Europe, collecting from them more than 300 maps of London, Paris and Rome sketched according to the protocols established in Environmental A , an experimental mapping language. Heretofore, with the exception of an exploratory comparison of individual and aggregate imagery ( Beck and Wood, 1976b ), we have described the results of group analyses of these sketch maps ( Wood, 1973 ; Beck and Wood, 1976a ; Wood and Beck, 1976 ). These, however, obscure not only the real behaviors of actual individuals (as called for by, inter alia , Canter, 1977 , p.67; Gale, 1983 , p.71 and Walmsley, 1988 , p. 50), but also the full power of Environmental A to illuminate the development of individual map surfaces , with the attendant improvement this engenders in the understanding of cognitive development in the individual. Here, then, we take an essentially empirical look at a single teenager's maps of a single novel environment, as sketched over the period of a week, augmented by both predicted and remembered images. At the same time we take this opportunity to probe the relationship of the formal properties of the mapped image to its evaluative, affective, ultimately meaningful dimensions, aspects of the image Environmental A has proven peculiarly useful in elucidating ( Spencer and Dixon, 1983 , and Walmsley, 1988 , p. 51; but also see Buttenfield, 1986 and Canter and Donald, 1987 , p. 1286).
Molecular cloning of the cDNA for tissue factor, the cellular receptor for the initiation of the coagulation protease cascade

We have isolated cDNA clones encoding the complete sequence of the heavy chain of tissue factor (TF), the high-affinity receptor responsible for cellular initiation of the coagulation protease cascade. An 885 bp open reading frame encodes a 295 amino acid polypeptide including a leader sequence with alternative cleavage sites. A single 2.3 kb mRNA is identified, and Southern blotting is consistent with a single gene. The coding sequence defines a protein with features characteristic of an integral membrane protein. This receptor appears novel, lacking significant homology with other proteins; however, TF contains the uncommon tryptophan-lysine-serine (WKS) sequence repeated three times, a sequence we find in some serine protease-binding proteins and suggest may represent a functional sequence motif.
Quantum disentanglement and phase measurements

A 50∶50 beam splitter disentangles a two-mode squeezed vacuum state into two single-mode squeezed vacuum states. With the proper choice of parameters these two single-mode states will be identical. If one is passed through a device which shifts its phase, then the phases of the shifted and reference (unshifted) modes can be determined by the Vogel-Schleich technique [Phys. Rev. A44 (1991) 7642]. In this way the phase difference, i.e. the phase shift, can be measured to an accuracy of 1/N, whereN is the total number of photons coming into the beam splitter. We also propose an improved scheme involving the disentanglement of a shifted two-mode squeezed vacuum state. This leads to two shifted squeezed vacaum states at the output of the beam splitter. If one of these is passed through the phase shifter, then by performing homodyne measurements on the shifted and unshifted modes the phase shift can again be determined to an accuracy of 1/N.
Quantification of surgical margin shrinkage in the oral cavity.

Background. Obtaining adequate surgical margins, tree of tumor, is crucial for success in oncologic surgery. The head and neck surgeon often finds that the tumor-free margin reported from histopathologic measurement is significantly smaller than the margin measured in-situ. It was the purpose of this study to quantify the change in size of mucosal and muscle surgical margins following excision, formalin fixation, and slide preparation of tongue and labiobuccal tissue in a canine model. Methods. Ten mongrel dogs under general anesthesia for a concurrent project were used in this study. Changes in mucosal and muscle dimensions around custom-made brass disks, one with a needle depth gauge, were measured immediately following excision after formalin fixation and after slide preparation. Results. The mean shrinkage from initial resection to final microscopic assessment of the lingual surface mucosal margins was 30.7% (p < 0.0001). The deep tongue margin shrank 34.5% (p < 0.0001). The mean shrinkage of the labiobuccal mucosal margin was 47.3% (p < 0.0001). In all cases, the greatest proportion of shrinkage occurred immediately upon resection. Conclusions. From the in-situ measurement by the surgeon to final pathologic evaluation on the microscope slide, the measured dimensions of oral cavity mucosal and tongue muscle margins shrink significantly. To obtain 5 mm of pathologically clear margin an in-situ margin of resection of at least 8 to 10 mm needs to be taken. Studies reporting clinical correlation of recurrence and survival information with surgical margin status should include a detailed description of the technique used to determine the reported surgical margin status.
Differences Between Adolescents Who Complete and Fail to Complete Residential Substance Abuse Treatment

This study examined the admission characteristics associated with failure to complete residential substance abuse treatment among male adolescents. Of 160 admissions, 48 (30%) completed treatment. Having commercial health insurance (P= .005), having a family history of a substance use disorder (P= .05), and living with only one biological parent (P= .015) were admission characteristics associated with non-completion. Those reporting a history of physical or sexual abuse also appeared to be at risk for non-completion (P= .014); none of these participants completed the treatment. Interventions that improve residential substance abuse treatment retention for adolescents are needed.
Reaching the 'aha!' moment: web development as a motivator for recursion

One of the topics within programming that has remained a challenge for both educators and students is recursion. We present an approach to teaching recursion that has the potential to increase the motivation of students to master recursion. The approach is novel in its focus on file system and web search, problems that are directly relevant to all computing students and particularly of interest for those in the area of information technology. Participants in the workshop should bring a laptop with the latest version of Python installed to follow along with the examples discussed.
Midwives' practices and beliefs about discharging clients from their practice.

Discharging a client from a practice is a choice clinicians may need to make when conflicts arise that cannot be resolved. The legal and ethical considerations before discharging a client are presented. This preliminary survey of 111 certified nurse-midwives was conducted to determine their practices and beliefs about discharging clients. Most (83.7%) participants had discharged five or fewer clients from their practice throughout their careers, including 36.9% who had never discharged a client from their practice. In contrast, 77.5% of participants said that midwives should definitely discharge clients from their practice under some circumstances. Antepartum care was the most frequent period during which clients were discharged, and 59% of those discharged were for noncompliance with the therapeutic regimen, obnoxious or abusive behavior as subjectively identified by the midwife and her colleagues, or failure to keep appointments. When asked why they might not discharge a client from their practice, 60% identified empathy or sympathy for the client as the reason. When asked why they did not discharge clients in the past, 23 (21%) respondents selected “colleagues disagreed” as the reason.
Laboratory Studies on the Reactions between Chlorine, Sulfur Dioxide, and Oxygen: Implications for the Venus Stratosphere

The title reaction was studied by photolyzing mixtures of Cl_2 and SO_2 with and without O_2 present in an atmosphere of N_2, using Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry to monitor reactants and products. In the absence of oxygen, sulfur dioxide is quantitatively converted to sulfuryl chloride. With 10 to 150 Torr O_2 present H_2SO_4 is produced as well as SO_2Cl_2. When a number of speculative reactions inferred from these experiments are added to a published model for Venus stratospheric chemistry, it emerges that SO_2Cl_2 is a key reservoir species for chlorine and that the reaction between Cl and So_2 provides an important cycle for destroying O_2 and converting SO_2 to H_2SO_4. The modified model could provide a possible solution to the photochemistry of the Venus stratosphere if the mixing ratio of chlorine on Venus were as high as 8 ppm.
A Prospective Examination of the Path from Child Abuse and Neglect to Illicit Drug Use in Middle Adulthood : The Potential Mediating Role of Four Risk Factors

This study examines prostitution, homelessness, delinquency and crime, and school problems as potential mediators of the relationship between childhood abuse and neglect (CAN) and illicit drug use in middle adulthood. Children with documented cases of physical and sexual abuse and neglect (ages 0–11) during 1967–1971 were matched with non-maltreated children and followed into middle adulthood (approximate age 39). Mediators were assessed in young adulthood (approximate age 29) through in-person interviews between 1989 and 1995 and official arrest records through 1994 (N = 1,196). Drug use was assessed via self-reports of past year use of marijuana, psychedelics, cocaine, and/or heroin during 2000–2002 (N = 896). Latent variable structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test: (1) a four-factor model with separate pathways from CAN to illicit drug use through each of the mediating risk factors and (2) a second-order model with a single mediating risk factor comprised of prostitution, homelessness, delinquency and crime, and poor school performance. Analyses were performed separately for women and men, controlling for race/ethnicity and early drug use. In the four-factor model for both men and women, CAN was significantly related to each of the mediators, but no paths from the mediators to drug use were significant. For women, the second-order risk factor mediated the relationship between CAN and illicit drug use in middle adulthood. For men, neither child abuse and neglect nor the second-order risk factor predicted drug use in middle adulthood. These results suggest that for women, the path from CAN to middle adulthood drug use is part of a general “problem behavior syndrome” evident earlier in life.
X-ray structure of a water-soluble analog of the membrane protein phospholamban : Sequence determinants defining the topology of tetrameric and pentameric coiled coils

Phospholamban (PLB) is a pentameric transmembrane protein that regulates the Ca 2+ -dependent ATPase SERCA2a in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes. We previously described the computational design of a water-soluble variant of phospholamban, WSPLB, which reproduced many of the structural and functional properties of the native membrane-soluble protein. While the full-length WSPLB forms a pentamer in solution, a truncated variant forms very stable tetramers. To obtain insight into the tetramer–pentamer cytoplasmic switch, we solved the crystal structure of the truncated construct, WSPLB 21-52. This peptide has a heptad sequence repeat with Leu residues at a - and Ile at d -positions from residues 31–52. The crystal structure revealed that WSPLB 21-52 adopted an antiparallel tetrameric coiled coil. This topology contrasts with the parallel topology of an analogue of the coiled-coil of GCN4 with the same Leu a Ile d repeat. Analysis of these structures revealed how the nature of the partially exposed residues at e - and g -positions influence the topology formed by the bundle. We also constructed a model for the pentameric form of PLB using the coiled-coil parameters derived from a single monomer in the tetrameric structure. This model suggests that both buried and interfacial hydrogen bonds are important for stabilizing the parallel pentamer.
Atypical Neural Processing of Ironic and Sincere Remarks in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Individuals with ASD show consistent impairment in processing pragmatic language when attention to multiple social cues (e.g., facial expression, tone of voice) is often needed to navigate social interactions. Building upon prior fMRI work examining how facial affect and prosodic cues are used to infer a speaker's communicative intent, the authors examined whether children and adolescents with ASD differ from typically developing (TD) controls in their processing of sincere versus ironic remarks. At the behavioral level, children and adolescents with ASD and matched TD controls were able to determine whether a speaker's remark was sincere or ironic equally well, with both groups showing longer response times for ironic remarks. At the neural level, for both sincere and ironic scenarios, an extended cortical network-including canonical language areas in the left hemisphere and their right hemisphere counterparts-was activated in both groups, albeit to a lesser degree in the ASD sample. Despite overall similar patterns of activity observed for the two conditions in both groups, significant modulation of activity was detected when directly comparing sincere and ironic scenarios within and between groups. While both TD and ASD groups showed significantly greater activity in several nodes of this extended network when processing ironic versus sincere remarks, increased activity was largely confined to left language areas in TD controls, whereas the ASD sample showed a more bilateral activation profile which included both language and "theory of mind" areas (i.e., ventromedial prefrontal cortex). These findings suggest that, for high-functioning individuals with ASD, increased activity in right hemisphere homologues of language areas in the left hemisphere, as well as regions involved in social cognition, may reflect compensatory mechanisms supporting normative behavioral task performance.
Does the Decision to Retire Increase the Amount of Political Shirking

This article tests the hypothesis that removing the reelection constraint on congres-sional representatives will alter their voting behavior. This article uses 1977 and 1978 congressional voting records to determine residuals that are taken as a proxy for shirking. The contribution of this article is to test the hypothesis by implementing timing variables to indicate when the decision to retire occurs. Despite many different tests of the hypothesis, there is no evidence that removing the reelection constraint actually causes a change in representatives' voting behavior when they do vote.
Labored Language: Anxiety and Sadomasochism in Steel-industry Tales of Masculinity

This article discusses the construction and representation of worker masculinities within one of the West's premier industries: steel. It argues that concerns over sadomasochism in masculinity, which are vigorously denied within the dominant oedipal myth of masculinity, are revealed and interrogated by working-class tales about the steel industry—although these narratives cannot finally overturn the dominant. The result of that controlling mythic process is a continual rewarding and repetition of masculine behavior that is sadomasochistic at base. The cost of that system of rewards and punishments is enormous for all classes and races. But as workers' tales make clear, although the cost is ultimately paid by all, it is not equally shared among all.
Conformational restraint is a critical determinant of unnatural nucleotide recognition by protein kinases

Abstract This report describes the synthesis of N 4 -(benzyl) AICAR triphosphate, a conformationally restrained analogue of N 4 -(benzyl) ribavirin triphosphate. Both of these nucleotides were evaluated as phosphodonors for wild-type p38 MAP kinase and T106G p38 MAP kinase, a designed mutant with expanded nucleotide specificity. The conformationally restrained nucleotide, N 4 -(benzyl) AICAR triphosphate, is orthogonal to (not accepted as a substrate by) wild-type p38 MAP kinase, in contrast to N 4 -(benzyl) ribavirin triphosphate. Furthermore, N 4 -(benzyl) AICAR triphosphate, is accepted as a substrate by T106G p38 MAP kinase, in contrast to N 4 -(benzyl) ribavirin triphosphate. We hypothesize that the presence of an internal hydrogen bond in N 4 -(benzyl) AICAR and its absence in N 4 -(benzyl) ribavirin triphosphate is the main determinant for their differing structure–activity relationships.
Chemical and Spectroscopic Definition of the Peroxide-Level Intermediate in the Multicopper Oxidases: Relevance to the Catalytic Mechanism of Dioxygen Reduction to Water

Laccase is a multicopper oxidase which contains four coppers, one type 1, one type 2, and a coupled binuclear type 3 pair, the type 2 and type 3 copper centers together forming a trinuclear copper ...
Analysis of nonlinear coupled circuits ¿ Part II

IN A paper presented in 1954,1 the analysis of nonlinear coupled circuits was made by the method of high order phase planes or phase space. The simultaneous differential equations are first combined into one higher order differential equation and then solved by a method outlined in the previous paper and illustrated by two examples. However, when there are nonlinearities existing in both loops of, say, a 2-loop coupled circuit, it would be difficult to apply the procedure given previously. An alternative is here presented by working with the set of differential equations as originally given and solving several phase plane equations simultaneously. The new method may be called the method of solving simultaneous phase plane equations, in contrast with the method of solving one higher order phase space equation. This method has the advantage that nonlinearities may exist in two or more original differential equations. In a 2-loop circuit for example, there may be a nonlinear resistor in the primary loop and a nonlinear inductor in the secondary loop. Using examples I and II in the previous paper, the relations between the primary and secondary currents and between their first derivatives are shown. Example III gives the results of phase plane trajectories for a circuit with nonlinearities in both the primary and the secondary loops. Example IV shows that for a coupled circuit with a nonlinear capacitor in the secondary loop (the nonlinear capacitance being a function of voltage) the primary and secondary currents can be correlated by one equation in the phase space and solved simultaneously.
Low molecular weight antigen arrays delete high affinity memory B cells without affecting specific T-cell help

Abstract An ongoing, T-cell dependent, secondary antibody response to an epitope can be suppressed in vivo by low molecular weight, soluble polymers, bearing multiple copies of the same epitope. This study illustrates that such suppressive T-cell independent antigen arrays target the epitope-specific, high affinity, memory B cells for long-term functional elimination. Splenocytes from hyperimmune unsuppressed donors, when adoptively transferred into irradiated recipients will readily reconstitute a secondary anti-hapten response after antigenic challenge. No such response was observed with splenocytes transferred from hyperimmune donors suppressed with antigen arrays. The extent of suppression depended on antigen array dose and duration of exposure in the donor animals. The suppressive antigen array carryover from the donors into the recipients was negligible and insufficient to account for the observed suppression. B cells from hyperimmune mice producing high affinity anti-fluorescein antibodies, generated by multiple fluoresceinated ovalbumin (FL-OVA) injections, were helped efficiently by T cells from hyperimmune donors, which were either unsuppressed or suppressed with antigen arrays. Accordingly, help from T cells, specific for the carrier protein remains intact after such suppression. Neither lipopolysaccharide (LPS), nor additional transferred carrier-primed T cells could reverse the unresponsiveness of adoptively transferred splenocytes from suppressed animals. Flow cytometry showed that the number of hapten-specific B cells was markedly reduced after suppression. Collectively, these data show that the long term elimination of an ongoing T-cell dependent antibody response by suppressive exogenous antigen arrays is due to the functional deletion of high affinity, antigen-specific B cells, even in the presence of adequate T-cell help. The long-term nature of such functional deletion strongly suggests physical deletion of the antigen-specific B cell population.
Simulation of Low-Earth-Orbit Radiation Environments with a 5 to 120 MeV Proton Cyclotron Beam Using a Proton Beam Modulator

In this paper we will describe the experimental results of a novel method for simulating the proton radiation of a low earth orbit with a cyclotron using a specially designed proton beam modulator. We will present details on the design of the proton beam modulator wheel and the experimental results of the irradiation of actual spaceflight electronic components with the modulated beam. Electronic devices on board spacecraft are generally susceptible to penetrating radiation encountered in the space environment. Since the proton radiation spectrum of a low earth orbit covers a rather wide range from 1 to 500 MeV, a proton beam range modulator was designed that simulates a proton spectrum from 5 to 120 MeV. This proton radiation energy range simulates the most damaging part of the spectrum. The spectrum from the cyclotron was mapped by means of a sodium iodide scintillator; those measurements confirmed our initial calculations of the proton spectral density and showed that the mean energy of the protons is centered at about 40 MeV. In this paper, we will present an analysis of the simulation of the low-earth-orbit proton energy spectrum and details concerning the design of the proton beam modulator. In order to verify the operation of the modulator used for simulating low-earth-orbit radiation, power conditioners using MOSFET power switches were subjected to the proton radiation. They were allowed to accumulate a total of 30 krads (Si) of proton radiation over the specified energy range.
Response of Daphnia magna to pulsed exposures of chlorpyrifos

Because aquatic organisms can be exposed to contaminants in an episodic manner, it is necessary to determine whether standard toxicity tests adequately simulate the toxicity of short-lived compounds, such as the organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF). We conducted experiments to evaluate the effect of binary combinations of concentration, duration, and interval of CPF exposures to Daphnia magna. Organisms were monitored for changes in survival and/or reproduction after pulsed exposure to CPF at 0.12, 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0 μg/L. The exposure duration resulting in a 50% response in survival was 6.5 h at 1.0 μg/L, 12.2 h at 0.5 μg/L, and 48 h at 0.25 μg/L. Daphnids exposed to two 12-h pulses of CPF at 0.5 μg/L responded similarly (≥85% mortality) regardless of the pulse interval (0, 3, 7, 14 d). However, daphnids were able to survive a 12-h exposure of CPF at 0.5 μg/L if the exposure regime was separated into two 6-h pulses with a minimum interval of 3 d. Further experiments suggested that the interval studies may have been potentially confounded, because organisms exposed on day 3, 7, or 14 seemed more sensitive than those exposed as neonates. Additionally, no latent effects were measured for daphnids that survived the initial exposure.
Simulating the impacts of closing a state mental hospital

The state of Missouri, suffering from lack of state and federal funds, is seeking to better manage available resources in order to continue to provide an acceptable level of service to the citizens of the state. The state Department of Mental Health (DMH), having experienced an overall shift in services during the last thirty years, wished to investigate the possible impacts of closing one of its five in patient mental hospitals. This impact is partially measured by a simulation model which models each of the five hospitals and details the expected impact on the patients within the hospital, the employees of the hospital, the community in which the hospital resides, the DMH, and the state of Missouri. The decision rules within the model may be varied to simulate different scenarios depending upon the economics and state policies occurring at the time of the shutdown of a hospital.The purpose of the model is to provide information and input to the overall project team studying the total impact which in turn will provide information and input to the actual decision makers in state government.
Influence of modified atmosphere and varying time in storage on the irradiation sensitivity of Salmonella on sliced roma tomatoes

Abstract Salmonella contamination of tomatoes is a recurrent food safety concern. Irradiation inactivates pathogens on fresh and fresh cut produce. However, the interaction of time in refrigerated storage and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) may influence the response of pathogens to irradiation. Roma tomatoes were sliced and inoculated with a cocktail of outbreak strains of Salmonella. The inoculated tomatoes were packaged under one of four atmospheres: air, 10/90 O2/N2, 5/95 O2/N2 or 100% N2. The packages were kept in refrigerated storage (10 °C) for various times after inoculation, to simulate the potential time delay between packaging and irradiation treatment. Tomatoes were irradiated immediately (0 h), or after 24 or 48 h in storage. The surviving populations were recovered and enumerated. Irradiation effectively reduced Salmonella at all times. Estimated D10 value (the dose necessary for 1 log reduction) varied significantly among the combinations of time and MAP, ranging from 0.165–0.335 kGy. Tomatoes packaged in air, irradiated at 0 h, had a D10 of 0.165 kGy; all other combinations showed significantly higher D10. Reduced oxygen generally resulted in higher D10 values, with the highest D10 of 0.335 kGy obtained for 100% N2, 0 h. Time in storage pre-irradiation tended to increase D10 for air and 5/95 O2/N2, but not for 10/90 O2/N2 or 100% N2. These results suggest that time required for refrigerated holding of processed Roma tomatoes or shipment to an off-site irradiation service provider may alter the efficacy of irradiation if reduced oxygen MAP is used.
X-ray absorption near edge structure in solid Kr and KrF2

Abstract X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra of gaseous Kr, solid Kr and solid KrF2 have been obtained and compared to differentiate between continuum resonances near the edge and bound state transitions. By comparing experimental and ab initio (MSW-Xα) calculated spectra the influence of environment as well as molecular bonding on XANES is demonstrated.
A low-cost “bug-in-the-ear” sound system for modification of therapist, parent, and patient behavior

A two-dollar “bug-in-the-ear” sound system is described for use in training and modification of therapist, parent, and patient behavior. Apparatus, other than a standard tape recorder, consists of a microphone with an on-off switch and a minature earphone with a long extension cord.
Fatal animal attacks in North Carolina over an 18-year period.

Injuries from animals are very common, but fortunately deaths are rare. Few studies, however, have evaluated human deaths due to both venomous and nonvenomous animals. Utilizing the Medical Examiner's Data Base, this study examines deaths due to venomous and nonvenomous wild and domestic animals in North Carolina. During 1972-1989, there were 92 deaths reported. Seven categories of "type of animal" involved in the attack were developed. Deaths were most likely to occur from June through November. Victims ranged in age from 1 to 93 (average, 46.1) years and 75% were male. Injuries occurred at the worksite in 18 cases, and 10 victims had detectable alcohol levels. Most deaths were due to insect stings, and several victims had a previous history of insect allergy. The majority of victims were injured at their residence. Although rare, many deaths were potentially preventable. Methods to decrease the number of injuries resulting from animals are discussed. Language: en
How Lives Measure Up

The quality of a life is typically understood as a function of the actual goods and bads in it, that is, its actual value. Likewise, the value of a population is typically taken to be a function of the actual value of the lives in it. We introduce an alternative understanding of life quality: adjusted value. A life’s adjusted value is a function of its actual value and its ideal value (the best value it could have had). The concept of adjusted value is useful for at least three reasons. First, it fits our judgments about how well lives are going. Second, it allows us to avoid what we call False Equivalence, an error related to the non-identity problem. Third, when we use adjusted value as an input for calculating the value of a population, we can avoid two puzzles that Derek Parfit calls the “Repugnant Conclusion” and the “Mere Addition Paradox.”
Development of low-coherence light sheet illumination microscope for fluorescence-free bioimaging

Light Sheet Illumination Microscopy (LSIM) is an imaging modality featuring the novel arrangement with the illumination axis perpendicular to the detection axis. In this technology a well defined light sheet is generated and aligned precisely to the focal plane of the microscope objective and thus only the thin in-focus layer of the sample is illuminated and imaged, thereby avoiding out-of-focus light. Besides the inherent optical sectioning function, other advantages include fast imaging speed, high longitudinal resolution and decreased light-induced damage. Though promising, this microscopy is currently restricted to imaging fluorescently labeled tissue; in inspection of intact tissue using scattered light, the acquired images suffer from intense speckles because of the severe coherence in the illumination. This work aims to build a microscope capable of achieving intrinsic images of the fluorescence-free sample with reduced or eliminated speckles, by developing a low coherence light sheet illumination. To diminish the spatial coherence, the sample is illuminated with tens of independent sub-beams (without inter-coherence) illuminating the FOV (Field Of View) of the microscope with diverse incident angles. The temporal coherence is dramatically reduced by employing a supercontinuum laser with a broad spectrum as the light source. The new microscopy significantly extends the functionality of Light Sheet Illumination Microscopy and will enable many new bioimaging applications.
Protein-embedding Technique: A Potential Approach to Standardization of Immunohistochemistry for Formalin-fixed, Paraffin-embedded Tissue Sections:

A serial study was performed to develop a protein-embedding technique for standardization of immunohistochemistry (IHC) on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections. A protein carrier matrix must have two phases, a liquid phase to allow uniform mixing of a protein and a solid phase forming a 'block' that can be fixed and processed in the same manner as human tissue. This standardized protein block would serve as a source of thin sections for control of IHC and therefore must also withstand the boiling conditions of antigen retrieval (AR). After multiple experiments, a method was developed utilizing polymer microsphere (beads) as a support medium for protein. The method showed particular promise for quantitative IHC.
Residual Autocorrelation in Probabilistic Model-Based Diagnostics

The performance of model-based diagnostic techniques depends not only on the quality of the residuals generated using the models, but also on the method used to interpret the residuals. Robust residuals can often be interpreted deterministically, but noisy residuals can benefit from being interpreted probabilistically. A probabilistic framework enables the modeling of uncertainty and the relationship between multiple faults and multiple residuals. However, it is not well-suited for representing residual dynamics, and as a result, residuals must be assumed to not be autocorrelated. Since this condition is rarely met, this paper analyzes it to determine how residuals can be made to be fit the assumption, and the consequences when the assumption is violated. The paper demonstrates that fault probabilities determined using autocorrelated residuals are useful, but lack calibration. Two methods for removing autocorrelation are discussed and both are shown to result in probability estimates that trade refinement for calibration.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Dsc+Mock: a test case + mock class generator in support of coding against interfaces

Coding against interfaces is a powerful technique in object-oriented programming. It decouples code and enables independent development. However, code decoupled via interfaces poses additional challenges for testing and dynamic execution, as not all pieces of code that are necessary to execute a piece of code may be available. For example, a client class may be coded against several interfaces. For testing, however, no classes may be available that implement the interfaces. This means that, to support testing, we need to generate mock classes along with test cases. Current test case generators do not fully support this kind of independent development and testing.In this paper, we describe a novel technique for generating test cases and mock classes for object-oriented programs that are coded against interfaces. We report on our initial experience with an implementation of our technique for Java. Our prototype implementation achieved higher code coverage than related tools that do not generate mock classes, such as Pex.
Nitroso Compounds Serve as Precursors to Late-Metal η2(N,O)-Hydroxylamido Complexes

The metallacyclobutene complex (η5-C5H5)(PPh3)Co{κ2(C1,C3)-C(SO2Ph)═C(SiMe3)CH(CO2Et) undergoes a regio- and stereoselective reaction with both nitrosobenzene and 2-methyl-2-nitrosopropane to give ...
An outer-sphere hydrogen-bond network constrains copper coordination in blue proteins.

In azurins and other blue copper proteins with relatively low reduction potentials (E^0 [Cu^(II)/Cu^I]<400 mV vs. normal hydrogen electrode), the folded polypeptide framework constrains both copper(II) and copper(I) in such a way as to tune the reduction potentials to values that differ greatly from those for most copper complexes. Largely conserved networks of hydrogen bonds organize and lock the rest of the folded protein structure to a loop that contains three of the ligands to copper. Changes in hydrogen bonds that allow copper(I) to revert more closely to its preferred geometry [relative to the copper(II) geometry] accordingly lead to an increase in E^0. This paper reports mutations in the ligand loop of amicyanin from P. denitrificans that relax the constraints on ligation for copper(I) and significantly raise E^0 for these mutants (for example 415±4 mV) relative to that of the native amicyanin (265±4 mV). These mutations also shift the pK_a of a ligand histidine to below 5 relative to 7.0 in the wild type.
Structure and dynamics of a dense dipolar system in an electric field and their relevance to electrorheological fluids

Results of computer simulations of a dense system of dipolar spheres in an electric field are summarized. Dissipative and Hamiltonian dynamics algorithms have been used to find energy minima of the system for varying particle densities. The structures obtained by these simulations are in reasonable agreement with experimentally observed structures in electrorheological (ER) fluids. Qualitative agreement is also obtained with the limited available experimental observations on the dynamics of ER fluids.
Atomic layer deposition of TiO2 on mesoporous silica

Ultra-thin layers of titanium dioxide are conformally grown within the pores of an ordered mesoporous silica, SBA-15, using atomic layer deposition, reducing the pore size from the original value of 67 A to a final value of 32 A. Analysis of the nitrogen isotherms indicated a conformal growth process in which both the internal surface area of the mesoporous material and the external surface was coated.
Peptides, Amino Acids and Amines Liberated from β-Casein by Micrococcal Cell-Free Preparations

Abstract Decomposition products derived from the action of cell-free preparations of Micrococcus freudenreichii, Micrococcus caseolyticus, and Micrococcus candidus on β-casein were studied for their contribution to the mechanism of β-casein degradation and to flavor development in cheese. Peptide patterns were similar in each of the three micrococcal cell-free preparations reacting with β-casein. Variations induced by length of incubation, temperature, and sodium chloride were observed. Peptides from β-casein degradation by micrococcal cell-free preparations neither stimulated nor inhibited growth of six bacterial species. Amino acids freed by M. freudenreichii preparations were mostly lysine, glutamic acid, proline, valine and leucine; similarly, by M. caseolyticus preparations, glutamic acid, proline, leucine and phenylalanine; and by M. candidus preparations, lysine, valine, leucine and phenylalanine. Lysine, methionine, alanine, proline and leucine in the M. freudenreichii mixture; methionine and phenylalanine in the M. caseolyticus reaction mixture; and phenylalanine in the M. candidus mixture were removed preferentially from β-casein. The freed amino acids contributed significantly to the complex flavor of the reaction mixtures, imparting sweet, brothy and bitter flavors whereas some peptides produced bitter flavors.