cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improved Film Cooling Effectiveness by Placing a Vortex Generator Downstream of Each Hole

Calculations are presented demonstrating the effect of placing a delta vortex generator downstream of a film cooling hole. The effects of blowing ratio, density ratio, and spanwise pitch are included in the study. Flow over a flat plate with film cooling holes oriented at a 30 degree angle was investigated. The Reynolds numbers based on the freestream velocity and the hole diameter was 11,300. The simulation was performed using the Glenn-HT code, a full three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver using the Wilcox k-ω turbulence model. A structured multi-block grid was used with approximately one million cells, and average y+ values on the order of unity. Local and span averaged effectiveness are presented. Analysis and visualization of the flow are presented as well as a discussion on the mechanisms which contribute to the dramatic improvement in effectiveness. The results demonstrate that the delta vortex generator was able to annihilate the up-wash vortex pair produced by the film hole and produce a down-wash pair downstream.
Pistachio-Rich Diets Affect Gene Expression of Lipid and Inflammatory Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease

Author(s): S. K. Gebauer, J. Zhang, J. Vanden Heuvel, P. M. Kris-Etherton; Integrative Biosciences, Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, Nutritional Sciences, Center of Excellence in Nutrigenomics, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, Nutritional Sciences, Integrative Biosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Determination of volume of vortices in poststenotic pulsatile flow by ultrasonic Doppler power ratio and spectrum analysis.

Abstract Based on the principle of ultrasonic Doppler flowmetry, a power ratio was derived from independent forward and reverse flow Doppler shift signals to measure a ratio of the volume of vortices to the total vessel volume in poststenotic separated flow. The ratio was also proportional to the ratio of the cross-sectional areas of vortices to the vessel lumen. In vitro pulsatile flow experiments were performed to test the methodology and to study flow separation and vortex shedding downstream from model stenoses. The averaged flow cross-sectional area ratio linearly correlated ( r =0.91) with the actual area reduction of the stenosis.
Post-growth thermal annealing of GaAs on Si(001) grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy

Abstract GaAs epitaxial layers, 0.375 to 3.75 μm in thickness, were grown on vicinal Si(001), with and without post-growth thermal annealing. These layers were studied by double crystal X-ray diffraction; it was shown that for these samples the (004) rocking curve widths were dominated by the threading dislocation densities. The observed (004) rocking curve widths were then used to determine the threading dislocation densities. It was found that post-growth annealing is effective in reducing the threading dislocation density of epitaxial GaAs on vicinal Si(001). There is a minimum achievable dislocation density which is independent of the annealing temperature. This density is inversely proportional to the film thickness, as is predicted by a half-loop theory for the annihilation of dislocations by annealing. The rate at which dislocations are removed from 1.5 μm thick GaAs on Si by annealing is thermally activated ( E a =1.91 eV) and is not affected by the presence of thermal strain.
Immunohistochemical analysis of α1-integrins in cervical cancer

Abstract OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the expression of the α 2 -, α 3 -, α 4 - and α 5 -subunits of the β 1 -family of integrins in both the normal and the carcinomatous cervix. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 22 solid tissue specimens (18 cancer and 4 normal) were analyzed immunohistochemically. The double-stain technique used an avidin-biotin complex kit to identify the various integrins and alkaline phosphatase-anti-alkaline phosphatase kit to identify the epithelial cells. Staining intensity, the main outcome measured, was graded as absent, weak, moderate, or strong. Statistical analysis was performed with the Wilcoxon rank sum test for no nonparametric data. RESULTS: The α 2 - and α 3 -integrins stained the normal cervix epithelilum more intensely than the stroma ( p = 0.03). The α 4 - and α 5 -integrins stained both the stroma and the normal epithelium similarly. The α 2 -integrin was absent in the stroma of all 18 cancer specimens despite being present in the epithelial regions of 14 to 18 cancers. The α 3 -integrin had a greater staining intensity in the stroma of the cancers than in the epithelial regions ( p = 0.002). Both α 4 - and α 5 -integrins were absent in the epithelial regions of the cancers but present in the stroma. CONCLUSIONS: The distribution and intensity of integrin expression in cervical cancer differ from their expression in the normal cervix. In particular, the fibronectin receptors, α 4 and α 5 , were absent in the epithelial regions of the cervical cancers, and α 3 also had diminished expression in the malignant epithelium. These changes correlate well with the changes expected in malignant transformation.
An EST database of the Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Invasive tephritid fruit flies are a great threat to agriculture worldwide and warrant serious pest control measures. Molecular strategies that promote embryonic lethality in these agricultural pests are limited by the small amount of nucleotide sequence data available for tephritids. To increase the dataset for sequence mining, we generated an EST database by 454 sequencing of the caribfly, Anastrepha suspensa, a model tephritid pest. This database yielded 95,803 assembled sequences with 24% identified as independent transcripts. The percentage of caribfly sequences with hits to the closely related tephritid, Rhagoletis pomonella, transcriptome was higher (28%) than to Drosophila proteins/genes (18%) in NCBI. The database contained genes specifically expressed in embryos, genes involved in the cell death, sex-determination, and RNAi pathways, and transposable elements and microsatellites. This study significantly expands the nucleotide data available for caribflies and will be a valuable resource for gene isolation and genomic studies in tephritid insects.
Bailout forward contracts for edge-to-edge internet services

Despite the huge success of the Internet in providing basic communication services, its economic architecture needs to be upgraded so as to provide end-to-end guaranteed or more reliable services to its customers. Currently, a user or an enterprise that needs end-to-end bandwidth guarantees between two arbitrary points in the Internet for a short period of time has no way of expressing its needs. To allow these much needed basic services, we propose a single-domain edge-to-edge (g2g) dynamic capacity contracting mechanism, where a network customer can enter into a bandwidth contract on a g2g path at a future time, at a predetermined price. For practical and economic viability, such forward contracts must involve a bailout option to account for bandwidth becoming unavailable at service delivery time, and must be priced appropriately to enable Internet Service Providers (ISPs) manage risks in their contracting and investments. Our design allows ISPs to advertise point-to-point different prices for each of their g2g paths instead of the current point-to-anywhere prices, allowing discovery of better end-to-end paths, temporal flexibility and efficiency of bandwidth usage. We compute the risk-neutral prices for these g2g bailout forward contracts (BFCs), taking into account correlations between different contracts due to correlated demand patterns and overlapping paths. We apply this multiple g2g BFC framework on network models with Rocketfuel topologies. We evaluate our contracting mechanism in terms of key network performance metrics like fraction of bailouts, revenue earned by the provider, and adaptability to link failures. We also explore the tradeoffs between complexity of pricing and performance benefits of our BFC mechanism.
Semi-active suspensions - a comparison between theory and experiments

SUMMARY A full-scale half car suspension test rig is used to evaluate the performance of switchable dampers in semi-active control. A theoretical model is developed for the test rig and its parameters are identified. Two types of switchable shocks are used. A low bandwidth tri-state damper originally designed for manual setting changes is shown to be too slow for real-time ride quality improvement Semi-active control is successfully demonstrated with a high bandwidth multi-state damper. Conventional ON-OFF, optimal ON-OFF, optimal multi-state control and a robust form of multi-state control are implemented and compared. Semi-active control is shown to give a performance as good as the best of all available passive states at every frequency. Trends in the experimental results are accurately predicted by the theoretical model
Evidence for thyroid hormone receptors in uterine nuclei

Abstract Nuclear preparations from the rat uterus contain specific, high affinity binding sites for T3, with the properties expected of a thyroid hormone receptor. The Kd value for the binding of T3 to these sites is 9.3 ± 0.1 × 10−10 M and the maximum number of binding sites is 0.11 ± 0.02 pmoles T3 bound per mg of DNA. Competition experiments with Triac, D-T3, T4, and rT3 compared to L-T3 revealed relative affinities of 87%, 22%, 15%, and 1.6% respectively. T3 binding sites solubilized from uterine nuclear preparations by high salt extraction sediment at 3.6 S and are destroyed largely by trypsin treatment. Estradiol treatment of ovariectomized rats for 3 days did not alter the quantity of T3 binding sites expressed on the basis of DNA content. These results suggest that uterine nuclei contain a specific T3 receptor and raise the possibility that this hormone may have direct effects on the uterus.
Theory of the fundamental laser linewidth

The theory of the laser linewidth is formulated to account for arbitrarily large output couplings and spatial hole burning. We show explicitly that the linewidth can be interpreted in terms of either spontaneous-emission noise or the amplification of vacuum field modes leaking into the cavity, depending on the ordering of operators in the correlation function determining the laser spectrum. This allows us to derive the Petermann K factor associated with ``excess spontaneous-emission noise'' in a physically transparent and mathematically simple way, without the need to introduce adjoint modes of the resonator. It also allows us to straightforwardly include spatial-hole-burning effects, which are found to increase the K factor and the linewidth in high-gain systems appreciably.
10.4.1 Goals for a New Paradigm of Behavior Modeling

The goal of this approach is to develop a new paradigm integrating the practices of business process modeling and use case modeling. These two modeling approaches describe the behavior of organizations and systems, and their interactions, but rest on different paradigms and serve different needs. An integrated approach would have advantages in efficiency, consistency and completeness of the overall behavioral model. In many cases, business process modeling is employed as a precursor to the development of a system to be used in a business organization. Developing a new paradigm and modeling approach that achieves the objectives of both business process modeling and use case modeling in an integrated form, in one analysis pass, should result in time savings, increased accuracy and improved communication. This paper presents a set of goals for the new paradigm and modeling approach.
Mercury content of small pan fish from New York State waters.

Abstract Yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) and pumpkin seed ( Lepomis gibbosus ) were sampled from 16 waters in New York State and analyzed for total mercury concentration. The levels of mercury in the fish were all well below the safe guideline for human consumption (1 ppm of mercury, fresh weight) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Factors affecting the mobility, methylation and absorption of mercury by fish are discussed.
Sapindaceae, cyanolipids, and bugs

Scentless plant bugs (Heteroptera: Rhopalidae) are so named because adults of the Serinethinae have vestigial metathoracic scent glands. Serinethines are seed predators of Sapindales, especially Sapindaceae that produce toxic cyanolipids. In two serinethine species whose ranges extend into the southern United States,Jadera haematoloma andJ. sanguinolenta, sequestration of host cyanolipids as glucosides renders these gregarious, aposematic insects unpalatable to a variety of predators. The blood glucoside profile and cyanogenesis ofJadera varies depending on the cyanolipid chemistry of hosts, and adults and larvae fed golden rain tree seeds (Koelreuteria paniculata) excrete the volatile lactone, 4-methyl-2(5H)-furanone, to which they are attracted.Jadera fed balloon vine seeds (Cardiospermum spp.) do not excrete the attractive lactone. Loss of the usual heteropteran defensive glands in serinethines may have coevolved with host specificity on toxic plants, and the orientation ofJadera to a volatile excretory product could be an adaptive response to save time.
The evolution and discharge of electric fields within a thunderstorm

An analysis of the present three-dimensional thunderstorm electrical model and its finite-difference approximations indicates unconditional stability for the discretization that results from the approximation of the spatial derivatives by a box-schemelike method and of the temporal derivative by either a backward-difference or Crank-Nicholson scheme. Lightning propagation is treated through numerical techniques based on the inverse-matrix modification formula and Cholesky updates. The model is applied to a storm observed at the Kennedy Space Center in 1978, and numerical comparisons are conducted between the model and the theoretical results obtained by Wilson (1920) and Holzer and Saxon (1952).
N- and O-linked glycosylation of total plasma glycoproteins in galactosemia

Classic galactosemia is a potentially lethal metabolic disorder that results from profound impairment of the enzyme galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase (GALT); despite decades of research, the underlying mechanism of pathophysiology remains unclear. Previous studies of plasma and tissue samples from patients with classic galactosemia have revealed defects of protein and lipid glycosylation, however, the underlying bases for these defects and their clinical significance, if any, has remained unclear. As a step toward addressing these questions we characterized both the N- and O-linked glycomes of plasma proteins from neonates, infants, children, and adults with galactosemia using mass spectrometry and asked (1) whether similar or disparate defects exist for N-linked and O-linked modifications, (2) what factors correlate with the severity of these defects in different patients, and perhaps most important, (3) whether there is any apparent relationship between chronic glycosylation defects and long-term outcome in patients. We found that some but not all of the galactosemic neonates tested exhibited abnormal N- and O-linked glycosylation of plasma proteins. The types of abnormalities seen were similar between N- and O-linked moieties, but the extent of the defects varied between patients. Age, gender, GALT genotype, and predicted residual GALT activity all failed to explain the extent of the glycosylation defect in the samples studied. Dietary galactose restriction markedly normalized both the N- and O-linked glycosylation patterns for all infants tested; however, any remaining glycosylation defects evident in the plasma of older children or adults on galactose-restricted diets showed no correlation with clinical outcome. These data cannot rule out the possibility that subtle or localized glycosylation defects, not detectable by our methods or not reflected in plasma, may contribute to acute or long-term outcome severity.
Peer Assistance in a Secondary School for Job Placement.

n 1968, the Vocational Education Amendments described job placement as an important part of vocational guidance (4). According to the Third Report of the National Advisory Council on Vocational Education, "Every secondary school should serve as an employment agency" (3). The growing impetus of accountability and tangible results indicate that job placement is a necessary accountability measurement of the productivity of the guidance office (2). State department evaluations of guidance services in secondary schools often reflect these influences. On the local level, school administrators and counselors also realize the importance of assistance in finding employment in this economic period of decreasing financial aid and fewer job opportunities. They also realize that in this economic period of cuts in federal, state, and local budgets, additional staffing is difficult to finance, and cuts in guidance staffs are sometimes inevitable. Counselors find themselves with large caseloads to schedule, test, and counsel for career education, personal problems, and college decisions. Having little time for active job placement, many counselors must resort to posting infrequent job openings on three-by-five cards in an obscure corner of a bulletin board. They know what needs to be done: a service to the students that includes site visits, publicity, telephone calls, recruitment, referrals, and skills teaching. They also know that their evaluations by state departments as well as by the community will show deficiencies. Despite what they know, what they are able to do is often an inadequate substitute. Using a new "peer assistance" approach to job placement, guidance departments can establish employment services in their schools with minimal expense and staff
Optical and Electrical Properties of Silver Chloride

Simultaneous measurements of absorption, fluorescence, and photoconductivity have been investigated for AgCl as functions of exciting radiation and temperature. Excitation in the range of 250 to 400 millimicrons with temperatures from -180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C to room temperature were employed. Frequency-sensitive apparatus was used throughout the measurements with the light beam chopped at 37.5 cps. An ac electrometer circuit was employed to measure currents in the range ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}16}$ to ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}11}$ ampere.The temperature dependence of the absorption edge has been extended to lower temperatures and the coefficient of absorption observed to be an exponential function of wavelength. It was also observed to be an exponential function of $\frac{1}{T}\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$K in the range 387 to 400 millimicrons. The fluorescence of AgCl at -175\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C was 482 millimicrons for an exciting wavelength in the region of 270 millimicrons. A second weaker fluorescence peak of undetermined wavelength was observed at temperatures in the neighborhood of -150\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C for an exciting radiation of 390 millimicrons. Photocurrents proportional to the intensity of the exciting radiation were observed in the saturation current region for low applied voltages. Photoconductivity was observed in each of two different regions of the temperature range and wavelength range of exciting radiation employed. There were large photocurrents for wavelengths of exciting radiation less than 270 millimicrons in the temperature region of -175\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C and smaller photocurrents at temperatures of -55\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C for exciting radiation of 398 millimicrons. The spectral distribution of photoconductivity was also investigated.
Interstellar Neutral Hydrogen Emission Profile Structure

A Gaussian decomposition of faint (<10 K peak brightness temperature) interstellar neutral hydrogen emission profiles in the Leiden-Dwingeloo, sidelobe-corrected, all-sky survey between |b| = 40° and |b| = 80° has been performed. Profiles every 10° in longitude and 1° in latitude were considered. The results confirm the existence of three primary families of line widths with values centered around 34, 13, and 6 km s-1.
An association of NAG levels and a mutation of the CCK gene in panic disorder patients

Levels of the enzyme N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG) and a mutation of cholecystokinin (CCK) gene appear to be independently associated with panic disorder. We explored whether there was an association of NAG levels and a CCK mutation identified in a group of panic disorder patients. NAG was measured in 12 panic disorder patients who had a mutation of the CCK gene and 17 who did not. Urine for NAG was collected at baseline and after 3 and 6 weeks of treatment. NAG levels were lower at all three times in the patients that did not have the CCK mutation. The difference between the two groups was significant at week 6 (P < 0.02), and showed a trend toward a difference at baseline (P < 0.15).
Detection of regulatory variation in mouse genes

Functional polymorphism in genes can be classified as coding variation, altering the amino-acid sequence of the encoded protein, or regulatory variation, affecting the level or pattern of expression of the gene. Coding variation can be recognized directly from DNA sequence, and consequently its frequency and characteristics have been extensively described. By contrast, virtually nothing is known about the extent to which gene regulation varies in populations. Yet it is likely that regulatory variants are important in modulating gene function: alterations in gene regulation have been proposed to influence disease susceptibility and to have been the primary substrate for the evolution of species. Here, we report a systematic study to assess the extent of cis-acting regulatory variation in 69 genes across four inbred mouse strains. We find that at least four of these genes show allelic differences in expression level of 1.5-fold or greater, and that some of these differences are tissue specific. The results show that the impact of regulatory variants can be detected at a significant frequency in a genomic survey and suggest that such variation may have important consequences for organismal phenotype and evolution. The results indicate that larger-scale surveys in both mouse and human could identify a substantial number of genes with common regulatory variation.
The Communalism Scale and Collectivistic-Individualistic Tendencies: Some Preliminary Findings.

Communalism is an Afrocultural dimension that highlights the fundamental interdependence of people. This two-part study provided data on the construct validity of a newly developed Communalism Scal...
A novel method for collecting vaginal pool for fetal lung maturity studies

Objective Fetal lung maturity (FLM) studies using vaginal pool can guide management in near-term gestations with rupture of membranes. Because an adequate sample may be difficult to collect using a syringe, we tested collection using a sterile sponge. Study Design In this prospective study, vaginal pool was collected via both a syringe and a sponge from each gravida. Study patients experienced rupture of membranes between 34-41 weeks of gestation. Each sample was analyzed using the TDx-FLM II assay and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) testing. Results Fifty patients were enrolled; 44 demonstrated concordant syringe/sponge results. There was 1 instance of mature TDx-FLM testing using a sponge but not a syringe; PG testing in this case was absent in both samples. Using the κ statistic, agreement between the methods was “substantial” for TDx-FLM and “almost perfect” for PG. Conclusion Collecting vaginal pool with a sponge may provide clinically useful information, particularly when PG is present.
Bay-capping reactions: Kinetics and influence on graphene-edge growth

Abstract A capping reaction was found in a recent study to cause curvature in graphene edges and affect their growth rates. This reaction is initiated by acetylene addition to an armchair-like graphene radical site containing an embedded five-member ring. In this work, a combination of quantum-chemical calculations and reaction rate analysis was employed to explore the elementary steps of bay-capping reactions and to derive their rate coefficients. To evaluate the influence of the embedded five-member ring on six-member ring cyclization, the energetics and reaction rates of capping an embedded five-member ring were compared with those of capping a graphene armchair site. Detailed kinetic Monte Carlo simulations were performed to model evolution of graphene edges at conditions typical of soot growth and to examine the influence of the newly-derived rate coefficients.
Post-traumatic insulin resistance in uninjured forearm tissue

Insulin resistance is a hallmark of post-traumatic metabolism. The mechanism and site of this resistance, however, have not been elucidated. To further define the site of this abnormality, glucose uptake across the uninjured forearm was measured in conjunction with hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp studies in 21 normals and 5 patients with multiple trauma. Under these conditions, glucose infused approximates whole body glucose disposal (M, milligrams/kilogram/min). Forearm glucose flux (Q, milligrams/100 ml tissue/min) is the product of blood flow and arterial-deep venous glucose difference (A-DV). In the basal, unperturbed state forearm glucose uptake (Q) was significantly lower in the patients (0.01 +/- 0.04 mg/100 ml/min) than in the normals (0.06 +/- 0.02) and not significantly different from zero. Basal serum insulin in patients (17 +/- 3 microU/ml) was significantly greater than controls (11 +/- 1). During steady-state conditions of euglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, forearm glucose uptake in the patients (0.36 +/- 0.18 mg/100 ml/min was not significantly different from the basal value. At comparable serum insulin levels in controls, forearm glucose uptake was approximately three times that of the injured patients. This is the first in vivo confirmation of the hypothesis that post-traumatic insulin resistance occurs in uninjured forearm tissue, primarily skeletal muscle. Diminished forearm glucose uptake is present in the resting basal state and cannot be overcome by increasing insulin concentrations.
Impaired spatial navigation learning in transgenic mice over-expressing heme oxygenase-1

Transgenic mice expressing heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) using the neuron-specific enolase promoter were impaired in learning the Morris water maze compared to nontransgenic littermates. The memory of the HO-1 mice for the location of the platform was similarly impaired when tested using a probe trial after 7 training blocks, but performance on visible platform trials was similar for both groups of mice. Importantly, both HO-1 and nontransgenic mice had normal sensorimotor function, and performed the same on a Y-maze alternation task, highlighting the specificity of memory deficit in the spatial navigation task. These results suggest that carbon monoxide, one product of HO-1 activity, interferes in the development of spatial navigation memory, and may play a role in normal memory function.
Change in working alliance, social support, and psychological symptoms in brief therapy.

Many interpersonal therapists use the working alliance as a vehicle for client change and as a corrective experience for clients to learn new relationship skills. Clients in brief therapy (N = 34) completed measures of social support and psychological symptoms at pretest and termination and a measure of working alliance after the third session and at termination. Path analysis suggested that improvement in the working alliance was significantly related to improvement in social support and that improvement in social support was significantly related to symptom reduction. The working alliance appears to have an important indirect connection to symptom reduction, through the mediating influence of increased support. After the effects of improved alliance were controlled, increased support was still related to decreased symptoms; however, after the effects of social support were controlled, the relation between change in alliance and symptoms was not significant.
Initial crystallization in a nanostructured Al–Sm rare earth alloy

Abstract The transformation kinetics and microstructural evolution during initial crystallization in highly driven Al 90 Sm 10 were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), conventional Cu K α and high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction (HEXRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The highest cooling rate obtained in this study yielded a high number density of fcc-Al nanocrystals, with sizes on the order of 2–5 nm, embedded in a disordered matrix rich in an Al–Sm medium range order (MRO) structure. Isothermal in-situ HEXRD results indicated a single crystallization of a large primitive cubic phase from the disordered state. Further analysis using DSC showed two crystallization events; a small peak overlapping the peak from the main crystallization event. TEM analysis performed at different stages of crystallization resolved pre-existing fcc-Al crystals, further crystallization of fcc-Al, (corresponding to the first small peak) and evolution of the cubic phase, corresponding to the main crystallization event. Fcc-Al nanocrystals showed a restricted growth and stayed at an average size of 16 nm after full crystallization was established. Transformation kinetics was described using Johnson–Mehl–Avrami approach after deconvolution of the overlapping crystallization peaks using a Gaussian approximation.
Estimating Reliability of a System of Electric Generators Using Stochastic Integration of Renewable Energy Technologies (SIRET) in the Renewable Energy Optimization (REO) Method

The Renewable Energy Optimization (REO) screening method identifies the optimal combination of renewable energy technologies for a site subject to constraints imposed by the organization or by the physical limits of the site. The REO method calculates the life-cycle cost of a combination of renewable energy generators and then uses a solver to iterate until it finds the size of each generator that minimizes life-cycle cost. In 2007, NREL developed a method called “Stochastic Integration of Renewable Energy Technologies” (SIRET) [1, 2, 3, 7] to account for the interactions between multiple generators serving a load. SIRET calculates the quantity of electricity bought from and sold to the utility within a time interval, which allows an accurate economic model when the retail rate and sell-back rate of electricity differ. These two energy quantities calculated by SIRET are used to calculate utility costs in the REO life-cycle cost calculation. When one or more emergency generators and/or the electric grid are included with renewables as generation resources in the analysis, the SIRET algorithm can also be used to estimate the reliability of the system, where reliability is defined as the fraction of time in which any combination of generation resources is sufficient to meet the load. The SIRET algorithm is capable of analyzing any number of generation resources, and currently includes photovoltaics (PV), wind, solar thermal electric, biomass gasification, anaerobic digestion, landfill gas, daylighting, and an arbitrary number of emergency generators as well as the electric grid. An example consisting of PV, wind, and an emergency generator is presented to illustrate the method. This method is based on very simple and heuristic methods, and thus should be regarded only as a relative indicator of reliability, rather than an accurate prediction, but agreement with hourly simulation is presented as one benchmark of the effectiveness of the method.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Modifier genes and protective alleles in humans and mice

Interest in modifier genes is growing rapidly because of their ability to modulate the phenotype of individuals with monogenic and multigenic traits and diseases. A neglected class of modifiers is protective alleles that can suppress disease in otherwise susceptible individuals. Together these modifier genes and protective alleles provide important glimpses into the molecular and cellular basis for the functional networks that provide robustness and homeostasis in complex biological systems.
Reproductive Characteristics of Weakfish in Delaware Bay: Implications for Management

Abstract We quantified size and age at maturity, batch fecundity, spawning frequency, and annual fecundity for weakfish Cynoscion regalis in Delaware Bay in 1999 and 2000. Information about these critical characteristics are needed for stock assessment models, which have never been assessed in Delaware Bay nor anywhere in the range of the weakfish since 1991–1992, when abundance was very low. Stock size increased from 1991–1992 to 1999–2000, but size at maturity was 168 ± 4.1 mm (mean ± SE) and did not appear to increase with stock size. Ninety-seven percent of age-1 fish were mature, but they arrived later to the estuary, had lower batch fecundity, and spawned less frequently than did older fish. The annual fecundity of fish age 2–6 was at least 30 times as great as that of age-1 fish. Batch fecundity was similar between Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay in the same year once corrected for fish size. The relationships of batch fecundity to both female weight and length were statistically equal between the ...
NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCES OF THREE DISTINCT CLONES CODING FOR RAT HEAVY CHAIN CLASS I MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY ANTIGENS

Poly(A){sup +} RNAs were isolated from ConconavalinA stimulated splenocytes of BUF (RT1.A{sup b}), PVG (RT1.A{sup c}), or PVG.1U (RT1.A{sup u}) rats, respectively, using a Micro-Fast Track kit. After reverse transcription with a synthetic oligo-d(T) primer (5{sup {prime}}-CAT GAT CGA ATT CAC GCG TCT AGA TTT TTT TTT TTT TTT TTT TTT TTT TVN-3{sup {prime}}, V = A+G+C, N = A+T+G+C; Genosys, Woodland, TX), 1.6 kilobase products, which encode the entire MHC class I protein and the 3{sup {prime}} non-translated region including the poly-A tail, were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using two synthetic oligonucleotide primers (Genosys). The upstream primer (5{sup {prime}}-GTC CGG GWT CTC AGA TGG GG C-3{sup {prime}}, W = A+T) was designed based upon the published rat class I sequences of eight genes: RT1.1{sup a} M31018; rat LW2 gene X70066; RT1.1{sup 1}, L26224 X79719; RT1.A{sup u} X82669, and RT1.Aw3 L40363, RT1.E{sup u} L40365, RT1.C{sup 1} L40362. The downstream primer (5{sup {prime}}) ATG ATC GAA TTC ACG CGT CTA GA-3{sup {prime}} was the portion of the oligo-d(T) primer used for reverse transcription. The purified PCR products were inserted into pCR II cloning vectors (Invitrogen). Automated sequencing of plasmid cDNAs from the positive clones obtained from three repeated PCRmore » amplifications identified by restriction enzyme mapping were reproducible. Comparison between new sequences of the heavy chain class I genes and those available in GenBank. 7 refs., 1 fig.« less
Biochemical evaluation of calcium stonepatients: How soon can it be done after stone surgery/passage?

Biochemical evaluations were done two times for 29 outpatients with calcium stone disease, the first time within one month after surgical extraction or passage of stones and the second time two months or more later. Classification of the etiologic basis for the stone disease was the same after both tests in 27 patients. In the other 2 patients the diagnosis was changed from renal to absorptive hypercalciuria. Both of these patients had creatinine clearance rates less than 60 percent of normal during the first test. One also had multiple residual stones during both evaluations, and the second had a urinary tract infection during the first test that resolved with a normal creatinine clearance by the second test period. When nephrogenous cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMPn) assays were done on fasting specimens in these patients, the results were consistent with absorptive hypercalciuria. Almost all patients can be evaluated and placed in management programs within a few weeks after surgery. If cAMPn assays are not done, patients with decreased renal function secondary to residual stones or infection can be tested at a later time.
Heat Kernel Asymptotics of Local Dirichlet Spaces as Co-Compact Covers of Finitely Generated Groups

Let X be a complete local Dirichlet space with a local Poincare inequality, local volume doubling, and volumes of balls of a fixed radius bounded away from both 0 and ∞. When X is a co-compact covering of a finitely generated group, the large time behavior of their heat kernels are comparable. This is an extension of work by Pittet and Saloff-Coste (J Geom Anal 10:713–737, 2000).
Novel CFTR Chloride Channel Activators Identified by Screening of Combinatorial Libraries Based on Flavone and Benzoquinolizinium Lead Compounds

The flavonoid genistein and the benzo[c]quinolizinium MPB-07 have been shown to activate the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), the protein that is defective in cystic fibrosis. Lead-based combinatorial and parallel synthesis yielded 223 flavonoid, quinolizinium, and related heterocyclic compounds. The compounds were screened for their ability to activate CFTR at 50 microm concentration by measurement of the kinetics of iodide influx in Fisher rat thyroid cells expressing wild-type or G551D CFTR together with the green fluorescent protein-based halide indicator YFP-H148Q. Duplicate screenings revealed that 204 compounds did not significantly affect CFTR function. Compounds of the 7,8-benzoflavone class, which are structurally intermediate between flavones and benzo[c]quinoliziniums, were effective CFTR activators with the most potent being 2-(4-pyridinium)benzo[h]4H-chromen-4-one bisulfate (UCcf-029). Compounds of the novel structural class of fused pyrazolo heterocycles were also strong CFTR activators with the most potent being 3-(3-butynyl)-5-methoxy-1-phenylpyrazole-4-carbaldehyde (UCcf-180). A CFTR inhibitor was also identified. The active compounds did not induce iodide influx in null cells deficient in CFTR. Short-circuit current measurements showed that the CFTR activators identified by screening induced strong anion currents in the transfected cell monolayers grown on porous supports. Compared with genistein, the most active compounds had up to 10 times greater potency in activating wild-type and/or G551D-CFTR. The activators had low cellular toxicity and did not elevate cellular cAMP concentration or inhibit phosphatase activity, suggesting that CFTR activation may involve a direct interaction. These results establish an efficient screening procedure to identify CFTR activators and inhibitors and have identified 7,8-benzoflavones and pyrazolo derivatives as novel classes of CFTR activators.
Microfluidic based single cell microinjection

We report a microfluidic based approach for single cell microinjection in which fluid streams direct a cell onto a fixed microneedle in contrast to moving a microneedle towards an immobilized cell, as done in conventional methods. The approach simplifies microinjection and offers the potential for flow through automated microinjection of cells.
Differential CD4 T Cell Activation in Measles

Measles is associated with a vigorous antibody response without production of significant measles virus-specific delayed type hypersensitivity. Generalized disruption of immune responses also occurs during measles, including depressed skin test responses and decreased in vitro lymphocyte proliferation to mitogens. To determine if preferential activation of a subset of CD4 cells might explain these observations, the patterns of cytokines produced in vivo and in vitro during measles were determined. Soluble CD4 was elevated in plasma at all times. Interleukin (IL)-2 was increased in plasma during and shortly after the clearance of the rash and then declined. Plasma IL-4 became elevated after resolution of the rash and remained elevated in some patients through the 7-week study period. Mononuclear cells proliferated poorly in response to stimulation with anti-CD3 and produced low levels of IL-2 and interferon-gamma and high levels of IL-4 and IL-6 in vitro. The defect in lymphoproliferation during convalescence was partially corrected by in vitro neutralization of IL-4. Preferential activation of type 2 cells late during measles may explain the predominant humoral immune response and the generalized suppression of cellular immune responses.
Single-channel kinetics, inactivation, and spatial distribution of inositol trisphosphate (IP3) receptors in Xenopus oocyte nucleus.

Single-channel properties of the Xenopus inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) ion channel were examined by patch clamp electrophysiology of the outer nuclear membrane of isolated oocyte nuclei. With 140 mM K+ as the charge carrier (cytoplasmic [IP3] = 10 microM, free [Ca2+] = 200 nM), the IP3R exhibited four and possibly five conductance states. The conductance of the most-frequently observed state M was 113 pS around 0 mV and approximately 300 pS at 60 mV. The channel was frequently observed with high open probability (mean P(o) = 0.4 at 20 mV). Dwell time distribution analysis revealed at least two kinetic states of M with time constants tau 1 s. Higher cytoplasmic potential increased the relative frequency and tau of the longest closed state. A novel "flicker" kinetic mode was observed, in which the channel alternated rapidly between two new conductance states: F1 and F2. The relative occupation probability of the flicker states exhibited voltage dependence described by a Boltzmann distribution corresponding to 1.33 electron charges moving across the entire electric field during F1 to F2 transitions. Channel run-down or inactivation (tau approximately 30 s) was consistently observed in the continuous presence of IP3 and the absence of change in [Ca2+]. Some (approximately 10%) channel disappearances could be reversed by an increase in voltage before irreversible inactivation. A model for voltage-dependent channel gating is proposed in which one mechanism controls channel opening in both the normal and flicker modes, whereas a separate independent mechanism generates flicker activity and voltage-reversible inactivation. Mapping of functional channels indicates that the IP3R tends to aggregate into microscopic (<1 microm) as well as macroscopic (approximately 10 microm) clusters. Ca2+-independent inactivation of IP3R and channel clustering may contribute to complex [Ca2+] signals in cells.
Ion exchange kinetics for systems of nonlinear equilibrium relationships

Mathematical relationships based on material balance and rate equations have been derived for the study of ion exchange kinetics in a fixed-bed operation. Numerical techniques for the solution of the systems possessing equilibrium relationships of the Freundlich-adsorption isotherm type have been developed, and numerical results have been obtained with the use of a digital computer. The resulting numerical solutions have been found to be dependent on parameters involving time, position, and the relative resistances of the liquid and resion phases. The numerical solutions are presented in both tabular and graphical forms.
Quantum criticality at the Anderson transition: A typical medium theory perspective

We present a complete analytical and numerical solution of the typical medium theory (TMT) for the Anderson metal-insulator transition. This approach self-consistently calculates the typical amplitude of the electronic wave functions, thus representing the conceptually simplest order-parameter theory for the Anderson transition. We identify all possible universality classes for the critical behavior, which can be found within such a mean-field approach. This provides insights into how interaction-induced renormalizations of the disorder potential may produce qualitative modifications of the critical behavior. We also formulate a simplified description of the leading critical behavior, thus obtaining an effective Landau theory for Anderson localization.
Political Theory and Public Administration

Certainly one of the most fervently debated subjects of political science in recent years has been bureaucracy and its place in the political spectrum. The discussion has ranged from somber, footnoted articles in the scholarly journals to anguished editorials in the right wing press. Almost any day the Congressional Record will carry speeches on the subject; a great many investigations by Congressional, executive, and private bodies have examined the problem; the judiciary, in decision after decision, has tried to answer it in terms of both precedent and modern need. And yet, with all this discussion, there have been few attempts to develop a theory of administration based upon the behavior of persons in formal organizations. It is the purpose of this paper to inquire why this is true. In one sense, public administration is a stepchild to political science. While it is true that the President is given substantial powers in the Constitution, there is almost no mention of the bureaucracy and it is quite certain that no one in the Constitutional Convention could foresee the time when one in every ten persons gainfully employed would be in some branch of government. The bureaucrat was, in the nineteenth century, the clerk who performed such simple tasks that, as Andrew Jackson pointed out, any reasonable, intelligent person could learn them in a short time. It was not until Woodrow Wilson's now famous essay was published in 1887 that public administration was recognized as a special problem, and Wilson set its intellectual framework when he defined it as "the detailed and systematic execution of public law."'1 By relegating administration to means, Wilson held to the traditional dichotomy between willing and doing, that is, between policy and administration, which was further developed by Goodnow. The great advantage of this was that it enabled the growing bureaucracy
Formation and Reaction of Metal-containing Nanoparticles in Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Aerogels

Synthesis of hybrid aerogel materials that contain both selectively reactive nanoparticles and nanoparticles with appreciable magnetic susceptibilities will be reported. This has been achieved by a two stages process. First silica-bioderived polymer hybrid aerogels with incorporated metal ions were synthesized and then reduced by photolytically induced chemical reductions or decompositions. For example, silica-chitosan hybrid gels were prepared, Au(III) ions were coordinated to the chitosan, and, after forming the Au(III)-silica-chitosan aerogel by SCL extraction, UV photolysis afforded gold nanoparticles of controlled size in the aerogel. Second, an iron-containing organometallic compound, such as iron carbonyl itself, was absorbed into the aerogel, and then heating or photolysis afforded reduced metal decomposition products. Ferromagnetic organic/inorganic hybrid products containing Au(0) nanoparticles were obtained. Their size (TEM), crystallographic, optical and magnetic properties are discussed. Reactions of thiol compound with the metal nanoparticles in the aerogels were studied.