cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Numerical Study of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuation

There has been an increasing interest in dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuation for flow control in the past decade. Compared to other means of active flow controls, the DBD plasma actuations have several advantages, including absence of moving parts, a fast time response for unsteady applications, a very low mass of the device, no cavities or holes on control surfaces, and possibly low energy consumption. These features are especially important for applications with high g-loads, such as turbomachinery blades rotating at high speed.A computational method has been developed to couple a DBD electro-hydrodynamic (EHD) body force model with the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model for incompressible flows. The EHD body force model is based on solving the electrostatic equations for the electric potential due to applied voltage and the net charge density due to ionized air. The boundary condition for charge density on the dielectric surface is obtained from a Space-Time Lumped-Element (STLE) circuit model that accounts for time and space dependence of the air ionization on the input voltage amplitude, frequency, electrode geometry, and dielectric properties. Alternatively, an empirical formulation representing a Gaussian distribution of charge density on the dielectric surface can also be used. The EHD body force is calculated using the solutions obtained from solving the electric potential and the net charge density equations. As a comparison, a much simpler Linearized Electric Body Force (LEBF) model is also used to directly specify the spatial distribution of the averaged EHD body force. The coupled computational models have been implemented using a multiple-domain approach. The electric potential equation, the net charge density equation, and the flow equations are solved in separate computational domains. All equations are discretized in space using a cell-centered finite volume method. Parallel computation is implemented using domain-decomposition and message passing interface (MPI). Due to a large disparity in time scales between the electric discharge and the flow, a multiple sub-cycle technique is used in coupling the plasma solver and the flow solver.The DBD plasma induced flow in quiescent air is used as a test case and the computational results are validated against experimental measurement. A comparison between different EHD body force models is also presented. Then, the effect of driving duty-cycles with different waveforms and input voltage amplitudes is investigated in terms of electrical power, EHD thrust, and kinetic energy of induced flow.© 2014 ASME
A New Method toward Microengineered Surfaces Based on Reactive Coating

By using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) a range of substrates can be coated with a highly reactive polymer containing pentafluorophenol ester groups. A biotin-modified pattern is generated on the substrate by microcontact printing; such a pattern interacts specifically with fluorescein-conjugated streptavidin and thereby the pattern becomes observable with fluorescence microscopy.
Friction Stir Welding of Metal Matrix Composites for use in aerospace structures

Abstract Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a relatively nascent solid state joining technique developed at The Welding Institute (TWI) in 1991. The process was first used at NASA to weld the super lightweight external tank for the Space Shuttle. Today FSW is used to join structural components of the Delta IV, Atlas V, and Falcon IX rockets as well as the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. A current focus of FSW research is to extend the process to new materials which are difficult to weld using conventional fusion techniques. Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) consist of a metal alloy reinforced with ceramics and have a very high strength to weight ratio, a property which makes them attractive for use in aerospace and defense applications. MMCs have found use in the space shuttle orbiter's structural tubing, the Hubble Space Telescope's antenna mast, control surfaces and propulsion systems for aircraft, and tank armors. The size of MMC components is severely limited by difficulties encountered in joining these materials using fusion welding. Melting of the material results in formation of an undesirable phase (formed when molten Aluminum reacts with the reinforcement) which leaves a strength depleted region along the joint line. Since FSW occurs below the melting point of the workpiece material, this deleterious phase is absent in FSW-ed MMC joints. FSW of MMCs is, however, plagued by rapid wear of the welding tool, a consequence of the large discrepancy in hardness between the steel tool and the reinforcement material. This work characterizes the effect of process parameters (spindle speed, traverse rate, and length of joint) on the wear process. Based on the results of these experiments, a phenomenological model of the wear process was constructed based on the rotating plug model for FSW. The effectiveness of harder tool materials (such as Tungsten Carbide, high speed steel, and tools with diamond coatings) to combat abrasive wear is explored. In-process force, torque, and vibration signals are analyzed to assess the feasibility of on-line monitoring of tool shape changes as a result of wear (an advancement which would eliminate the need for off-line evaluation of tool condition during joining). Monitoring, controlling, and reducing tool wear in FSW of MMCs is essential to the implementation of these materials in structures (such as launch vehicles) where they would be of maximum benefit.
Intermediate Pond Sizes Contain the Highest Density, Richness, and Diversity of Pond-Breeding Amphibians

We present data on amphibian density, species richness, and diversity from a 7140-ha area consisting of 200 ponds in the Midwestern U.S. that represents most of the possible lentic aquatic breeding habitats common in this region. Our study includes all possible breeding sites with natural and anthropogenic disturbance processes that can be missing from studies where sampling intensity is low, sample area is small, or partial disturbance gradients are sampled. We tested whether pond area was a significant predictor of density, species richness, and diversity of amphibians and if values peaked at intermediate pond areas. We found that in all cases a quadratic model fit our data significantly better than a linear model. Because small ponds have a high probability of pond drying and large ponds have a high probability of fish colonization and accumulation of invertebrate predators, drying and predation may be two mechanisms driving the peak of density and diversity towards intermediate values of pond size. We also found that not all intermediate sized ponds produced many larvae; in fact, some had low amphibian density, richness, and diversity. Further analyses of the subset of ponds represented in the peak of the area distribution showed that fish, hydroperiod, invertebrate density, and canopy are additional factors that drive density, richness and diversity of ponds up or down, when extremely small or large ponds are eliminated. Our results indicate that fishless ponds at intermediate sizes are more diverse, produce more larvae, and have greater potential to recruit juveniles into adult populations of most species sampled. Further, hylid and chorus frogs are found predictably more often in ephemeral ponds whereas bullfrogs, green frogs, and cricket frogs are found most often in permanent ponds with fish. Our data increase understanding of what factors structure and maintain amphibian diversity across large landscapes.
It's About Time: Reading US-India Cold War Perceptions Through News Coverage of India

Recent attempts to recalibrate the US-India relationship require a clearer understanding of how this relationship began. To that end, this essay traces the themes characterizing early US-India relations through a rhetorical analysis of Time magazine cover portraits and articles from 1951 to 1962 featuring the first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru. Acting as an index of the US administration and partly conveying the attitudes of its editor-in-chief toward India, Time advanced a set of arguments about India's unreliability as a Cold War ally and the essential correctness of the US administration's stance against communist nations and those who eschewed open alignment with the US during the Cold War. Time's coverage formed a narrative arc that admonished India's attempts at friendship with China and Cold War neutrality while vindicating the US cause during this period. I conclude that Cold War themes linger in US news reporting on India, argue for more scholarship on non-Western nations...
Surgical denervation increases protein tyrosine phosphatase activity in skeletal muscle

Abstract Protein tyrosine phosphorylation, which plays an important role in synapse formation at the neuromuscular junction, appears to be regulated by presynaptic neurons. Innervation increases whereas denervation decreases the phosphotyrosine content at the neuromuscular junction. The innervation-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation may result from elevated activity of protein tyrosine kinases; alternatively innervation may down-regulate the protein tyrosine phosphatase activity in the skeletal muscle. To investigate the possible neuronal control of protein tyrosine phosphatase activity at the neuromuscular junction, we have characterized protein tyrosine phosphatase activity in rat skeletal muscle and studied the effects of surgical denervation on the phosphatase activity. Protein tyrosine phosphatase activity in the skeletal muscle, assayed using src [32P]-p hosphorylated myelin basic protein as a substrate, was both time- and protein concentration dependent and was inhibited by micromolar concentrations of vanadate and zinc ion, both of which are known to inhibit tyrosine phosphatases specifically. It was not affected, however, by chemicals known to inhibit acid and alkaline phosphatases or serine/threonine phosphatases. Surgical denervation caused an increase in protein tyrosine phosphatase activity in rat hindlimb muscles. The increase in phosphatase activity reached a maximum (2-fold above the normal) 4 days post-denervation and maintained a plateau for up to 24 days. The biochemical properties of the phosphatase activity in denervated muscle were similar to those of the phosphatase activity in the innervated muscles. These results demonstrate that protein tyrosine phosphatase activity in skeletal muscle is regulated by motoneurons.
Development of communication, self and emotions in childhood: contributions from the relational and dialogical perspectives

The present paper shares some reflections on the implication of conceptualizing the development of communication, self and emotions as a relational and dialogical process. It is our contention that the analysis of self, emotions and communication cannot be divorced from one another. We view emotions as relational and dialogical experiences lived in bodies that co-exist in relation to other bodies, thereby fostering the development of a differentiated, yet connected, sense of self, starting during infancy and unfolding throughout childhood.
Reactions of Amino Acids on the Si(100)-2×1 Surface

Reactions of amino acids on the Si(100)-2×1 surface have been investigated using the B3LYP hybrid density functional theory. Amino acids provide a diverse set of organic functional groups, several ...
Heterogeneity, immunological comparison and concentration profiles of alpha-fetoproteins derived from late-gestational and early postnatal mouse tissue

Abstract Four distinct alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) species were separated by ion-exchange chromatography of the approximately 70 000 dalton fraction of an extract of late-gestation fetal mice. Although chromatographically heterogeneous, antigenic differences among the AFP species resolved were not detected using classical agar double-diffusion methods. Analysis of the AFP contribution to total body saline-extractable protein of fetal and neonatal mice revealed an abrupt decrease in the fetal AFP contribution to total body saline-extractable protein commencing after the 18th day of gestation.
Dissertation abstract: Reputational benefits of altruism and altruistic punishment

Recent studies in experimental economics have shown that many people have other-regarding preferences, potentially including preferences for altruism, reciprocity, and fairness. It is useful to investigate why people possess such preferences and what functional purpose they might serve outside the laboratory, because evolutionary and social learning perspectives both predict that cooperative sentiments should only exist if they bring benefits that outweigh the costs of other-regarding behavior. Theories of costly signaling suggest that altruistic acts may function (with or without intention) as signals of unobservable qualities such as resources or cooperative intent, and altruists may benefit (possibly unintentionally) from the advertisement of such qualities. After reviewing the theories that could potentially account for the evolution of altruism (Chapter 1), I test some predictions about cooperation derived from costly signaling theory. In Chapter 2, I show that participants in experimental public goods games were more cooperative when they had cues that they could benefit from having a good reputation, and that there was apparently some competition to be the most generous group member. Furthermore, in subsequent trust games, people tended to trust high public goods contributors more than low contributors. Chapter 3 failed to find evidence that granting high status to people makes them more likely to contribute to public goods or punish free-riders, but there was suggestive evidence that physical proximity to the experimenter affected contributions and punishment. In Chapter 4, I found that people tended to trust others who were willing to incur costs to punish those who free-ride on group cooperation provided that such punishment was justified, and men were more punitive than women. In Chapter 5, I show that women find altruistic men more desirable than neutral men for long-term relationships. Together, these results suggest that humans do treat altruism as a signal of willingness to be cooperative. These findings are discussed with respect to the adaptive design of cooperative sentiments as well as the current debate over group selection.
The ultraviolet spectrum of the eclipsing binary IM Aurigae

Low dispersion IUE spectra have been obtained at primary and secondary minima, together with a high dispersion spectrum near maximum, for the eclipsing Algol-type IM Aurigae system. The weak, sharp absorption features noted at two distinct velocities in the high dispersion data are attributed to circumbinary gaseous shells and/or gas streams between the stellar components. The implications of these results for the recently observed increase in O-C values of the primary minimum, which prompted this UV spectral search for evidence of a recent mass-loss event, are discussed.
Ethical Perspectives on Managed Care as It Relates to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Managed health care is providing an increasing influence in the way child and adolescent psychiatry is practiced. The goals of managed care have been to manage price, service, and quality. As external forces are brought to bear on child and adolescent psychiatry, ethical and legal dilemmas are faced. Underlying principles and the impact of society force physicians to reexamine their values and reeducate themselves about legal developments.
Wall Contact Forces on Helically Buckled Tubulars in Inclined Wells

Study of wall forces on helically buckled pipe. They can cause large frictional forces that may prevent movement of the pipe in steeply inclined holes. A method of analyzing the dependency of the wall contact force on axial force and hole inclination is presented. The concept of an apparent wall force in introduced to explain phenomena associated with helix pitch variations during axial force unloading in inclined wells. Results of this analysis can have applications in friction modeling of buckled pipe in inclined holes
Regular periodic “explosions” of electron—hole drops under steady-state illumination and microwave heating

Abstract DC conductivity measurements on (strained) Ge at 4 K under steady-state illumination show that even in the presence of fairly strong steady-state microwave heating electron—hole drops continue to form, but rather than assuming a steady-state they “explode” periodically. The results are readily explained by — and provide corroboration for — a model by Altukhov.
Desorption of carbon monoxide from nickel using mercaptans

An IR spectroscopic study on the displacement of carbon monoxide with 1-propyl, 2-propyl-, 1-butyl-, 2-butyl-, and tert.-butyl mercaptan from nickel foil and silica-supported nickel showed that at low carbon monoxide coverage on supported nickel, mercaptan adsorption initially converted bridged to linear carbon monoxide surface species. At higher mercaptan pressures, carbon monoxide desorbed into the gas phase. A small amount of carbon monoxide remained on the surface when the poisoned sample was evacuated, and additional carbon monoxide adsorbed when 5 mm Hg of carbon monoxide was added to the evacuated sample.
Non-separable pairing interaction kernels applied to superconducting cuprates

Abstract A pairing Hamiltonian H ( Γ ) with a non-separable interaction kernel Γ produces HTS for relatively weak interactions. The doping and temperature dependence of Γ ( x , T ) and the chemical potential μ ( x ) is determined by a probabilistic filling of the electronic states in the cuprate unit cell. A diverse set of HTS and normal state properties is examined, including the SC phase transition boundary T C ( x ) , SC gap Δ ( x , T ) , entropy S ( x , T ) , specific heat C ( x , T ) , and spin susceptibility χ s ( x , T ) . Detailed x , T agreement with cuprate experiment is obtained for all properties.
Fleshing out the text: The transcendent manuscript in the digital age

A medieval manuscript or document was crafted from the scraped and prepared skin of an animal, written upon with inks made from oak gall or crushed insects by the hand of a scribe who sometimes found the task spiritually inspiring, though physically arduous. The manuscripts were bound together with linen threads, often meticulously constructed and executed, but are now metaphorically dismembered for critical editions and academic studies, or literally broken up for digitization by expert scholarly teams, or for resale by unscrupulous booksellers. The textual object, though – the codex, document or remnants of codices – represents in its actual, real-world embodiment one of the most corporeal, fleshy and intimate links to peoples and cultures from centuries past. This article will seek to consider the bodies of books, their fleshy wholeness (even as fragments or single-leaf documents), and the ways in which their heft, their voluminousness and their textual potential are elided by modern scholarly techniques and representations.
Minimizing the Negative Effect of Employee Layoffs through Effective Announcements

A prescriptive model for announcing layoffs is presented. The model is based on a thorough literature review and indepth case analysis of eight companies which announced layoffs. Based on the model, ten recommendations for effective layoff announcements are presented and discussed. Because the cases′ analysis revealed that most strategies relating to the announcements were superficial, the major recommendation is to develop a thorough strategy. This model should help to develop an appropriate strategy. The nature of the layoff and organizational dynamics are first considered in this model. Other variables considered are the source of the announcement, the channel used to present the message, the timing of the announcement and the message itself.
Corrosivity of domestic and foreign motor oils

1. The corrosivity of motor oils intended for use in high-performance diesel engines has been investigated in the DK-NAMI instrument over a wide range of temperatures and test times. 2. New criteria have been proposed for rating the corrosivity of oils on the basis of the induction period and the stabilized corrosion rate. 3. Ratings of oil corrosivity toward lead in the DK-NAMI instrument on the basis of these new criteria have been compared with the results of leaded-bronze corrosivity ratings in a Petter W-1 unit (IP 176/74 procedure). 4. A comparison of the results obtained by the two methods provides a basis for the widespread introduction of these criteria for rating oil corrosivity in the DK-NAMI instrument.
Personality traits and affective states: Relationships with and without affect induction

Abstract Substantial evidence shows that extraversion is related to positive affect (PA) and neuroticism is related to negative affect (NA), and there are several possible explanations for these relationships. The current paper replicates these findings and examines relationships between the other Big Five traits with general positive and negative states (N = 257). Agreeableness was negatively related to NA, while conscientiousness and openness were positively related to PA. Next, affect was induced and extraversion and conscientiousness predicted changes in affect following an affect-induction (N = 262). The current findings support some theoretical understandings of broad personality traits and their relationships to general affect, and also suggests some refinements.
The effect of long-term alteration of in situ currents on the growth of Mercenaria mercenaria in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Water currents were experimentally manipulated for 3 months in a shallow subtidal sandflat through a series of nine channels with diverging, parallel, or converging walls (7 m long, 1.2 m high). Three treatments were chosen to bracket the ambient flow rates; vertically averaged velocities were reduced by 40%, reduced by 2%, or increased by 65%. Within the center of each channel, six Mercenaria mercenaria [shell length, 36.9k2.2 mm (mean f1 SD)] were placed haphazardly in 0.25-m2 plots. Although water-col-
Combining numerical analysis and engineering judgment to design deployable structures

Abstract Deployable structures are prefabricated space frames that can be stored and transported in a compact folded configuration and then deployed rapidly into a load bearing configuration. The structures are stable and stress-free in the folded and the deployed configuration, but exhibit a highly nonlinear behavior during deployment. Therefore, their design process should include simulation of their response in two phases: in the deployed configuration under service loads, and during deployment. The first phase involves linear analysis while the second one requires a geometrically nonlinear finite element formulation. Both simulations can be very demanding in terms of computer storage requirements as the number of degrees of freedom increases. In addition, the nonlinear analysis is quite expensive because of the large number of load steps that are necessary in order to trace the complete load-displacement path. This paper first describes a set of numerical models that were used to simulate the exact structural behavior using the finite element program ADINA. Then, some simplified analytical and numerical models are proposed that can be applied in the preliminary design stage, or even for final design, in order to obtain approximate but satisfactory results at a much lower cost.
Morphological characteristics and leaf pigment contents of isogenic-diploid and tetraploid pearl millet inbred lines

Inbreds with different ploidy level allow for the study of ploidy-genotype effects on various agronomic, morphological and physiological characteristics. Isogenic diploid (2n=14)-tetraploid (2n=28) pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) inbred lines Tift 23BE, Tift 239DB and Tift 23R (red plant) grown at two planting dates were evaluated in replicated tests for polyploidy effects on several morphological characteristics and leaf pigment contents. Tetraploid inbred lines 23BE and 239DB flowered later, were shorter and produced smaller panicles with less seed, but showed small or non-significant differences in length and width, and one hundred seed weight. However, tetraploid inbred 23R averaged significantly higher than the diploid in all characteristics except number of days to flowering and seed weight per panicle. Chlorophyll a and b were in similar concentrations among diploid and tetraploid inbreds, except for tetraploid inbred 238E which had higher chlorophyll a concentration. Carotene and anthocyanin concentrations increased by 300% and 100%, respectively, from the diploid to the tetraploid level in inbred 23R. The data indicated that changes in morphological characteristics were due to ploidy, plant genotype, and/or environmental conditions. A 26 May planting date with increasing day lengths was more effective for distinguishing ploidy effects than a 30 June planting date with decreasing day lengths.
The functional activity of thyroid isografts within diffusion chambers in mice.

Abstract Radioiodine was injected into mice each of which had carried 3 types of grafts for 7 to 28 days. Each carried a vascularized graft of thyroid tissue, an unvascularized graft and a graft in a diffusion chamber. All the grafts showed apparently normal biosynthesis of the various iodinated amino acids. The grafts in the diffusion chambers, however, contained much less radioiodine at 5 hours after injection than the host thyroid tissues. Grafts that had been in the diffusion chambers for 7 days resembled the unvascularized grafts in 131 I content but at 28 days some resembled the vascularized grafts. The 131 I content of the grafts in the diffusion chambers is probably most dependent on the nearness and richness of the host vascular supply.
768-2 Non-culprit Lesions in Acute Myocardial Infarction: Implications for Multiple Plaque Rupture in Acute Coronary Syndromes

Rupture of atherosclerotic plaques is the most important mechanism underlying acute coronary syndromes. Previous post-mortem studies have shown multiple plaque rupture sites during fatal coronary events. We tested the hypothesis that non-culprit lesions (NCL) decrease in severity after thrombolysis in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Ouantitative coronary angiography was performed before and 9 ± 3 days after rTPA infusion for AMI in 61 consecutive patients (52 males, 9 females, mean age: 53 ± 9 yrs) with 118 NCL mean 1.9 ± 0.9 per patient. RD * % Dst % Area st MLD * P Area ** Length * Pre 3.2 ± 0.9 52 ± 21 72 ± 17 1.58 ± 0.8 7.4 ± 61 83 ± 4.4 Post 3.2 ± 0.9 49 ± 22 69 ± 20 1.66 ± 09 7.0 ± 5.4 82 ± 4.4 p NS 0.01 0.03 0.005 0.016 NS R: reference; D: diameter; L: luminal; M: minimal; P: plaque; %: percent; st: stenosis * mm ** mm 2 Conclusion Non-culprit lesions decrease in severity after thrombolysis in acute myocardial infarction suggesting a reversible thrombotic phenomenon probably related to multiple coronary plaque rupture.
Requirements Researchers: Do We Practice What We Preach?

This chapter argues that many requirements engineering researchers fail to understand current practices. In most fields, the purpose of performing research is to synthesize new knowledge that can be either put into practice, or used by other researchers to help them perform research. Every responsible requirements engineering researcher must at least identify how their research compares and contrasts with existing research, and how it can be used practically in the real world. The challenge to researchers in requirements engineering is to either acknowledge that their research is purely theoretical (and stop lamenting its lack of use), or to study current practice carefully. This discussion would not be complete without acknowledging the presence of systemic issues that interfere with authors' ability to produce research results ready for common practice.
Allelic mRNA expression of X-linked monoamine oxidase a (MAOA) in human brain: dissection of epigenetic and genetic factors

A pVNTR repeat polymorphism located in the promoter region of the X-linked MAOA gene has been associated with mental disorders. To explore the effect of polymorphisms and epigenetic factors on mRNA expression, we have measured allelic expression imbalance (AEI) in female human brain tissue, employing two frequent marker single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exon 8 (T890G) and exon 14 (C1409T) of MAOA. This approach compares one allele against the other in the same subject. AEI ratios ranged from 0.3 to 4 in prefrontal cortex, demonstrating the presence of strong cis-acting factors in mRNA expression. Analysis of CpG methylation in the MAOA promoter region revealed substantial methylation in females but not in males. MAOA methylation ratios for the three- and four-repeat pVNTR alleles of MAOA did not correlate with X-chromosome inactivation ratios, determined at the X-linked androgen receptor locus, suggesting an alternative process of dosage compensation in females. The extent of allelic MAOA methylation was highly variable and correlated with AEI (R2=0.5 and 0.7 at two CpG loci), indicating that CpG methylation regulates gene expression. Genetic factors appeared also to contribute to the AEI ratios. Genotyping of 13 MAOA polymorphisms in female subjects showed strong association with a haplotype block spanning from the pVNTR to the marker SNP. Therefore, allelic mRNA expression is affected by genetic and epigenetic events, both with the potential to modulate biogenic amine tone in the CNS.
Using parallel distributed reasoning for monitoring computing networks

We describe a distributed reasoning system called Otto-Mate that is used to detect, reason about, and respond to incidents on a computing network. Events for monitoring computing networks occur at different system levels. Some information might relate to data, some might be operating system specific, some application or service related, some could be network related, and from each there will be compound events that describe incident effects and information about the situation context. All together there can be thousands of events per second. Today's approaches to monitoring networks are typically centralized, sending events over the network to a single engine for analysis. Centralized monitoring ultimately cannot scale to address the volume of events that one would ideally like to be able to monitor, so techniques of today often make severe compromises relating to the events that they ingest. Centralized monitoring creates a single point of failure and also generates significant network load. To overcome these deficiencies we have developed a more distributed, approach: our reasoner agents can (in theory) be installed on every monitored resources and the reasoner language (used for programming the reasoners) enables knowledge in a reasoner's working memory to be synchronized over multiple reasoners enabling them to implement parallel distributed reasoning algorithms that are able detect event patterns irrespective of whether the events are local or remote. Distributing the reasoning makes the system extremely resilient. Additionally, since the knowledge shared between the reasoning agents represents summary information, and because many on-line event correlation algorithms often suppress reporting once an incident has been reported, the amount of network load needed to support the distributed monitoring can actually be reduced. To demonstrate our approach we describe its application to the monitoring of a computing network that has been instrumented to protect it against 0-day email virus attacks.
Relationships between annual plant productivity, nitrogen deposition and fire size in low-elevation California desert scrub

Although precipitation is correlated with fire size in desert ecosystems and is typically used as an indirect surrogate for fine fuel load, a direct link between fine fuel biomass and fire size has not been established. In addition, nitrogen (N) deposition can affect fire risk through its fertilisation effect on fine fuel production. In this study, we examine the relationships between fire size and precipitation, N deposition and biomass with emphasis on identifying biomass and N deposition thresholds associated with fire spreading across the landscape. We used a 28-year fire record of 582 burns from low-elevation desert scrub to evaluate the relationship of precipitation, N deposition and biomass with the distribution of fire sizes using quantile regression. We found that models using annual biomass have similar predictive ability to those using precipitation and N deposition at the lower to intermediate portions of the fire size distribution. No distinct biomass threshold was found, although within the 99th percentile of the distribution fire size increased with greater than 125 g m–2 of winter fine fuel production. The study did not produce an N deposition threshold, but did validate the value of 125 g m–2 of fine fuel for spread of fires.
Reduction in Abdominal Fat Content of Broiler Chickens by the Addition of Feather Meal to Finisher Diets

Abstract Two trials were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of feather meal (FM) as a protein source for reducing abdominal fat in broilers during the finishing period (35 to 49 days of age). Birds were grown to 35 days of age on diets that met the National Research Council (NRC, 1984) nutrient recommendations and then assigned to one of the test diets. In the first trial, FM was added to the diets at 0, 2, 4, or 6%, assuming 100, 50, or 0% amino acid availability (based on the NRC amino acid values for FM). Addition of FM resulted in an increase in dietary protein content. Sample birds were processed at 49 days of age to determine abdominal fat content and dressing percentage. Addition of FM resulted in a significant (P In Trial 2, test diets were fed either from 35 to 49 days of age with 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8% FM or from 42 to 49 days of age with 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10% FM. All diets were formulated assuming 50% amino acid availability. A significant (P
Ceramide causes pulmonary cell apoptosis and emphysema: a role for sphingolipid homeostasis in the maintenance of alveolar cells.

Alveolar cell apoptosis is a critical element of experimental and human emphysema, in that it accounts for alveolar destruction and interacts with oxidative stress, inflammation, and protease activation, all contributing to the unique nature of the disease. Prompted by our finding of up-regulated ceramide levels in lungs of patients with smoking-induced emphysema (1), we demonstrate that ceramide, a second messenger lipid, is a critical mediator and amplifier of alveolar cell apoptosis in experimental emphysema. Inhibition of enzymes of the de novo ceramide synthesis prevented lung ceramide increases, alveolar cell apoptosis, oxidative stress, and emphysema caused by blockade of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) with SU5416 in both rats and mice. The lung alterations seen with VEGFR blockade were reproduced with intratracheal instillation of ceramide in naive mice. Furthermore, reduction of lung levels of very long ceramides after administration of a neutralizing ceramide antibody in vivo and the inability of acid sphingomyelinase–deficient fibroblasts to augment endogenous ceramide synthesis in response to exogenous ceramide indicated a feed-forward mechanism of ceramide regulation mediated via the secretory acid sphingomyelinase. Finally, the finding that supplementation of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1-P) prevented lung cell apoptosis due to VEGFR blockade suggests that ceramide–S1-P balance might be critical in the maintenance of alveolar septal integrity. We have therefore identified ceramide as a critical pathogenetic element in emphysema and a promising target for pharmacologic intervention in a disease with no available therapies. Conflict of Interest Statement: None of the authors has a financial relationship with a commercial entity that has an interest in the subject of this manuscript.
Discrete Self-Similarity between RR Lyrae Stars and Singly-Excited Helium Atoms

Classical variable stars called RR Lyrae stars have pulsating outer envelopes constituted of excited atoms. Here we demonstrate that the qualitative and quantitative properties of RR Lyrae variables and one subclass of their atomic scale constituents: singly- excited helium atoms undergoing transitions between Rydberg states, share a remarkable degree of self-similarity. In terms of masses, radii, oscillation periods, morphologies and kinematics the stellar and atomic analogues obey a simple set of discrete self-similar scaling equations. The concept of stellar/atomic self-similarity may prove useful in the search for a deeper understanding of both stellar and atomic systems.
Capillary Filtration Coefficient in the Extremities of Man in High Environmental Temperatures

The capillary filtration coefficient was measured in human extremities by a simplified technique using the capacitance plethysmograph. The method was validated in terms of consistency of values obtained on the same individual at various times, the correspondence between values obtained on a group of normal persons, and the agreement between values reported here and those of earlier workers made under corresponding environmental conditions and duration of measurement after venous occlusion. The technique was used to evaluate the change in capillary filtration coefficient in the calves of subjects when ambient temperature was increased from 20° to 35°C. Corresponding measurements of total blood flow in this segment and determinations of the clearance of iodide ion from pretibial intradermal depots were made in both environments. Cutaneous blood flow increased by almost 170% and the capillary filtration coefficient by about 40%, whereas the clearance did not change. It is concluded that neither the capillary filtration coefficient nor the clearance of isotopes from tissue depots has been established as a valid measure of capillary surface area. The possibility that during venous occlusion, fluid accumulated primarily in the subcutaneous tissues of the extremity is suggested and discussed.
Outward currents in isolated ventral cochlear nucleus neurons

Neurons of the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) perform diverse information processing tasks on incoming activity from the auditory nerve. We have investigated the cellular basis for functional diversity in VCN cells by characterizing the outward membrane conductances of acutely isolated cells using whole-cell, tight-seal, current- and voltage-clamp techniques. The electrical responses of isolated cells fall into two broad categories. Type 1 cells respond to small depolarizations with a regular train of action potentials. Under voltage clamp, these cells exhibit a noninactivating outward current for voltage steps positive to -35 mV. Analysis of tail currents reveals two exponentially decaying components with slightly different voltage dependence. These currents reverse at -73 mV, near the potassium equilibrium potential of -84 mV, and are blocked by tetraethylammonium (TEA). The major outward current in Type I cells thus appears to be mediated by potassium channels. In contrast to Type I cells, Type II cells respond to small depolarizations with only one to three short- latency action potentials and exhibit strong rectification around -70 mV. Under voltage clamp, these cells exhibit a noninactivating outward current with a threshold near -70 mV. Analysis of tail currents reveals two components with different voltage sensitivity and kinetics. A low- threshold current with slow kinetics is partly activated at rest. This current reverses at -77 mV and is blocked by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) but is only partly affected by TEA. The other component is a high-threshold current activated by steps positive to -35 mV. This current is blocked by TEA, but not by 4-AP. A simple model based on the voltage dependence and kinetics of the slow low-threshold outward current in Type II cells was developed. The model produces current- and voltage-clamp responses that resemble those recorded experimentally. Our results indicate that the two major classes of acoustic response properties of VCN neurons are in part attributable to the types of outward (potassium) conductances present in these cells. The low-threshold conductance in the Type II (bushy) cells probably plays a role in the preservation of information about the acoustic stimulus phase from the auditory nerve to central auditory nuclei involved in low-frequency sound localization.
Variability in ratios of phytoplankton carbon and RNA to ATP and chlorophyll A in batch and continuous cultures

The feasibility of estimating phytoplankton carbon and RNA concentrations from measurements of ATP and chlorophyll a (chl a) concentrations was studied using chemostat populations of the marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii (Grunow) Fryxell & Hasle (= T. fluviatilis Hustedt). C:ATP and RNA:ATP ratios were studied for six additional marine species in batch culture representing five classes of phytoplankton. Statistical analyses revealed that both the growth rate and the factor limiting growth (NO3-, NH4+, PO43- or light) could alter C:ATP, RNA: ATP, C:chl a and RNA:chl a ratios by amounts which were large compared to measurement error. An analysis of variance of the batch culture results indicated that both species and the source of inorganic nitrogen (NO3-, or NH4+) had a significant effect on C:ATP and RNA:ATP ratios. Light had less of an influence on C:ATP and RNA:ATP ratios than on C:chl a and RNA:chl a ratios, and for this reason we feel that phytoplankton C and RNA concentrations can be estimated with greater reliability from ATP than from chl a measurements. The range of C:ATP and RNA:ATP values found for T. weissflogii under a variety of growth conditions was similar to that for the six additional species grown in batch culture, suggesting that this range of values is indicative of the extremes likely to occur in living cells. Our results and additional data in the literature indicate that phytoplankton C and RNA concentrations can be estimated to within a factor of two by multiplying ATP concentrations by 311 and 35, respectively, in N limited systems, and by 341 and 36, respectively in PO43- limited systems.
Continuous preservation of situational awareness through incremental/stochastic graphical methods

Intelligence analysis in a counter-insurgency (COIN) environment requires the consideration of many sources of information which are continuously reporting on the current state of the world. Methods to incorporate the uncertainties present in these sources of information have been identified and implemented within a graph matching algorithm, which provides a situation assessment. Thus far, the methods developed have been concerned only with a static view of the world. While these methods are able to obtain situational awareness for a discrete point in time, it is clearly desirable to have continuous, or real time situational awareness. This paper describes the extensions which will enable the continuous preservation of situational awareness through the use of incremental methods and intelligent increment batching. Streaming sensor reports are implemented via a service-oriented architecture.
Soils of Mount Erebus, Antarctica

Abstract Soil distribution on Mt Erebus is restricted by the extensive ice and snow cover and by the rugged topography. Soil occurrence is limited to rock exposures, to areas kept free of ice by the hot vapours and heat of fumaroles, and to areas near the active crater. The soils of Mt Erebus are lithosols, and because of their acid reaction are unique among the soils of South Victoria Land, the Commonwealth Range, and the Bunger Oasis. Also, the mineral assemblage of these lithosols includes minerals not yet reported among the little-studied Antarctic soils. These outstanding characteristics are related to the hydrothermal processes associated with the volcanic activity of the region. A sample obtained near an active fumarole showed considerable microbiological activity and minerals such as allophane, gibbsite, illite, and feldspar. Allophane, an alteration product of volcanic ash, is forming at present in New Zealand and Japan. A sample from the summit was found to be sterile and to contain considerable...
A 2 bit/s-Hz non-coherent transmission

We present new insights into partial response amplitude modulation and direct detection. An 80% spectral tightening of the transmitted signal is demonstrated, while suffering only 3dB of penalty with respect to the regular non-coherent systems, as well as 2 bit/s-Hz long-haul transmission.
AQuA: an adaptive architecture that provides dependable distributed objects

Dependable distributed systems are difficult to build. This is particularly true if they have dependability requirements that change during the execution of an application, and are built with commercial off-the-shelf hardware. In that case, fault tolerance must be achieved using middleware software, and mechanisms must be provided to communicate the dependability requirements of a distributed application to the system and to adapt the system's configuration to try to achieve the desired dependability. The AQuA architecture allows distributed applications to request a desired level of availability using the Quality Objects (QuO) framework and includes a dependability manager that attempts to meet requested availability levels by configuring the system in response to outside requests and changes in system resources due to faults. The AQuA architecture uses the QuO runtime to process and invoke availability requests, the Proteus dependability manager to configure the system in response to faults and availability requests, and the Ensemble protocol stack to provide group communication services. Furthermore, a CORBA interface is provided to application objects using the AQuA gateway. The gateway provides a mechanism to translate between process-level communication, as supported by Ensemble, and IIOP messages, understood by Object Request Brokers. Both active and passive replication are supported, and the replication type to use is chosen based on the performance and dependability requirements of particular distributed applications.
Mechanisms of Psychostimulant-Induced Structural Plasticity

Psychostimulants robustly induce alterations in neuronal structural plasticity throughout brain reward circuits. However, despite our extensive understanding of how these circuits modulate motivated behavior, it is still unclear whether structural plasticity within these regions drives pathological behavioral responses in addiction. Although these structural changes have been subjected to an exhaustive phenomenological characterization, we still have a limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating their induction and the functional relevance of such changes in mediating addiction-like behavior. Here we have highlighted the known molecular pathways and intracellular signaling cascades that regulate psychostimulant-induced changes in neuronal morphology and synaptic restructuring, and we discuss them in the larger context of addiction behavior.
TASTE DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS: CONCEPT FORMATION, ALIGNMENT AND APPROPRIATENESS

. The commonly used approach to psychophysical taste descriptive analysis called ‘taste profiling’was assessed to determine whether it produced concept alignment with an agreed set of labels; it did not. After judges had been trained using a concept alignment procedure involving fifty-nine standards, the procedure was assessed to see whether broadly defined concepts of ‘sweet’, ‘sour’, ‘salty’and ‘bitter’generalized to various stimuli; they did not. It was concluded that the technique is inferior to currently used methods of descriptive analysis.