cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Web-based, GPU-accelerated, Monte Carlo simulation and visualization of indirect radiation imaging detector performance.

Purpose: Monte Carlo simulations play a vital role in the understanding of the fundamental limitations, design, and optimization of existing and emerging medical imaging systems. Efforts in this area have resulted in the development of a wide variety of open-source software packages. One such package, hybridMANTIS, uses a novel hybrid concept to model indirect scintillator detectors by balancing the computational load using dual CPU and graphics processing unit (GPU) processors, obtaining computational efficiency with reasonable accuracy. In this work, the authors describe two open-source visualization interfaces, webMANTIS and visualMANTIS to facilitate the setup of computational experiments via hybridMANTIS. Methods: The visualization tools visualMANTIS and webMANTIS enable the user to control simulation properties through a user interface. In the case of webMANTIS, control via a web browser allows access through mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. webMANTIS acts as a server back-end and communicates with an NVIDIA GPU computing cluster that can support multiuser environments where users can execute different experiments in parallel. Results: The output consists of point response and pulse-height spectrum, and optical transport statistics generated by hybridMANTIS. The users can download the output images and statistics through a zip file for future reference. In addition, webMANTIS provides a visualization window that displays a few selected optical photon path as they get transported through the detector columns and allows the user to trace the history of the optical photons. Conclusions: The visualization tools visualMANTIS and webMANTIS provide features such as on the fly generation of pulse-height spectra and response functions for microcolumnar x-ray imagers while allowing users to save simulation parameters and results from prior experiments. The graphical interfaces simplify the simulation setup and allow the user to go directly from specifying input parameters to receiving visual feedback for the model predictions.
Nanoscience, nanotechnology, and modeling

The terms nanostructure, nanoscience, and nanotechnology are currently quite popular in both the scientific and the general press. These intermediate-length structures are intriguing because generally in the nanometer region, almost all physical and chemical properties of systems become size-dependent. For example, although the color of a piece of gold remains golden as it reduces from inches to millimeters to microns, the color changes substantially in the regime of nanometers. Similarly, the melting points of such particles change as they enter the nanoscale, where the surface energies become comparable to the bulk energies. Because properties at the nanoscale are size-dependent, nanoscale science and engineering offer an entirely new design motif for developing advanced materials and their applications.
Do Gas Hydrates Occur in Alaminos Canyon, Gulf of Mexico?

Copyright 2013, Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (URTeC) This paper was prepared for presentation at the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference held in Denver, Colorado, USA, 12-14 August 2013. The URTeC Technical Program Committee accepted this presentation on the basis of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). The contents of this paper have not been reviewed by URTeC and URTeC does not warrant the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of any information herein. All information is the responsibility of, and, is subject to corrections by the author(s). Any person or entity that relies on any information obtained from this paper does so at their own risk. The information herein does not necessarily reflect any position of URTeC. Any reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of URTeC is prohibited.
Dual-band square slot antenna with embedded crossed strips for wireless local area network applications

A new compact microstripline-fed square slot antenna with embedded crossed strips is proposed for dual-band wireless local area network (WLAN) applications. Connected to the two upper inner corners of the slotted ground, the crossed strips can extend the path of the current distributed on the ground plane, thus effectively lowering the first resonant band of the antenna. The ratio of the center frequencies of the first two resonant bands can be tuned within a range of 1.8–2.6 by adjusting the angle between the crossed strips and the length of the parts of the crossed strips below the intersection point. An antenna prototype suitable for 2.45/5.25-GHz WLAN bands was successfully designed and fabricated for verification. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 435–439, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24070
The IκB Kinase (IKK) Inhibitor, NEMO-binding Domain Peptide, Blocks Osteoclastogenesis and Bone Erosion in Inflammatory Arthritis

Activation of NF-kappaB leads to expression of ample genes that regulate inflammatory and osteoclastogenic responses. The process is facilitated by induction of IkappaB kinase (IKK) complex that phosphorylates IkappaB and leads to its dissociation from the NF-kappaB complex, thus permitting activation of NF-kappaB. The IKK complex contains primarily IKKalpha, IKKbeta, and the regulatory kinase IKKgamma, also known as NEMO. NEMO regulates the IKK complex activity through its binding to carboxyl-terminal region of IKKalpha and IKKbeta, termed NEMO-binding domain (NBD). In this regard, a cell-permeable NBD peptide has been shown to block association of NEMO with the IKK complex and inhibit activation of NF-kappaB. Given the pivotal role of cytokine-induced NF-kappaB in osteoclastogenesis and inflammatory bone loss, we deduced that cell-permeable TAT-NBD peptide may hinder osteoclastogenesis and bone erosion in inflammatory arthritis. Using NBD peptides, we show that wild type, but not mutant, NBD blocks IKK activation and reduces cytokine-induced promoter and DNA binding activities of NF-kappaB and inhibits cytokine-induced osteoclast formation by osteoclast precursors. Consistent with the key role of NF-kappaB in osteoinflammatory responses in vivo, wild type TAT-NBD administered into mice prior to induction of inflammatory arthritis efficiently block in vivo osteoclastogenesis, inhibits focal bone erosion, and ameliorates inflammatory responses in the joints of arthritic mice. The mutant NBD peptide fails to exert these functions. These results provide strong evidence that IKKs are potent regulators of cytokine-induced osteoclastogenesis and inflammatory arthritis. More importantly, blockade of NEMO assembly with the IKK complex is a viable strategy to avert inflammatory osteolysis.
Effect of regeneration and hyperplasia on levels of DNA base oxidation in rat liver.

Abstract Elevations of oxidatively modified DNA bases have been associated with a variety of carcinogens and tumor promoters, and implicated in causation of cancer. Since carcinogen exposure can induction of cell proliferation and levels of DNA base oxidation was examined. Cell proliferation was induced in livers of male F344 rats by stimuli of either regeneration or hyperplasia. Levels of DNA base oxidation were evaluated by measuring 8-OH-deoxyguanosine/deoxyguanosine ( 8-OHdG dG ) ratios by HPLC in enzymatic digests of DNA isolates. Despite induction of cell proliferation, hepatic levels of 8-OHdG dG were not increased at 1, 2, 3 or 5 days after any of these treatments. Results of the present work suggest that the mechanism of elevated levels of DNA base oxidation is not directly related to induction of cell proliferation.
The universal bioavailability environment/soil test unibest

Abstract The Universal Bioavailability Environment/Soil Test (UNIBEST) provides a new methodology for testing and monitoring soil, the vadose zone, water‐saturated strata, free water, or other media. The methodology is based on placement of a uniform, rigid, spherical, porous capsule of mixed‐bed ion‐exchange resin into the medium to be tested. Solutes, both cations and anions, are independently and selectively adsorbed, based on their concentration in the solution phase and their rate of diffusion to the resin sink. The exchange capacity of the resin capsule functions as an effectively infinite sink, allowing continuous adsorption of elements in a manner somewhat analogous to absorption by living organisms. Thus, quantities of elements accumulated in the capsule during a selected time relate to their “bioavailability.”; The test is being developed as a “universal”; single‐extraction approach for laboratory soil testing. However, capsule characteristics allow for in‐situ methodology development to replace...
A fast mechanical beam stop and other auxiliary beam control equipment

Abstract A mechanical beam stop for work with short-lived beta and gamma activities is described. It opens or closes within 50 msec, is simple to build and use, and performs reliably over many successive opening and closing cycles. Also described are a variable-width double-slit system for beam collimation and a beam viewer.
Semisynthesis of Protein variants Using Intein-Mediated Protein Ligation.

INTRODUCTION. The introduction of non-natural amino acid residues or modules into proteins enables the study of the significance of single amino acid residues or entire structural regions in the stability of the protein, its folding/unfolding behavior, or its biological function. Bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A) is a small protein with a well-characterized structure and thoroughly studied stability and unfolding/folding behavior (1). More recently, RNase A also became a target of studies as a chemotherapeutic (2). We exploited the method of intein-mediated protein ligation (3) to introduce non-natural amino acid residues into the C-terminal part of RNase A and investigated the biochemical properties of the variants. METHOD. Peptides containing either the wild-type RNase A sequence Cys95-Val124 or the same sequence with replacements for certain amino acid residues were synthesized by solidphase methods. Full-length RNase A or RNase A 1-94 and variants of these were produced as a fusion protein. The respective DNA sequence was inserted into the plasmids pTYB1 and pTXB1 to produce a fusion protein, which consists of RNase A (1-124 or 1-94) with an additional Met –1, the intein, and a chitin-binding domain (4). RESULTS. With pTYB1, purification of the fusion protein and thiol-facilitated formation of a thioester at the C-terminal Asn94 of the RNase A 1-94 fragment resulted in high amounts of cleavage product. However, only a little fraction contained the required thioester due to the slow intein cleavage and the fast thioester hydrolysis. Ligation of the intein cleavage product with the corresponding peptide yielded about 70 µg of ligation product per liter of bacterial culture. An N94A RNase A 1-94 variant proved to result in considerable higher yields of thioester, enabling efficient ligation of the protein component with the peptide. Here, ligation yielded about 200 µg of product per liter of bacterial culture. With pTXB1, the yields of fusion protein were substantially higher which allowed a formation of ligation product in reasonable amounts.
Revolutionary Ideology in Stuart England: The Essays of Christopher Hill

With the possible exception of Sir Geoffrey Elton and Lawrence Stone, no present historian of Tudor and Stuart England has been more prolific or controversial than Christopher Hill, the former master of Balliol College, Oxford. The twenty-nine articles, lectures, and book reviews included in the first two volumes of his Collected Essays' deal with many of the themes developed in his more recent books, beginning with The World Turned Upside Down: Radical Ideas During the English Revolution (London, 1972). Although two of the pieces appeared as early as the 1950s, Hill has revised the essays for this collection, so that the total corpus reflects his mature judgment. The result is vintage Hill, with no real surprises. His favorite themes are amply reiterated: the primacy of economic factors in historical development (reflecting the influence of R. H. Tawny); a fascination with radical ideas and their manifestation in writers of striking diversity; the interplay of society and religion; and the revolutionary character of the 1640s and 1650s in literature no less than in the political and social arena. Most of the pieces reflect Hill's strengths as a historian: voracious reading, with an excellent command of printed primary sources and secondary (especially British) literature; a brilliant ability to synthesize and suggest new lines of research; and an appreciation of the links between social and intellectual developments, including literature as well as religion. Several of the pieces, however, are simply not up to Hill's usual standard. They include those book reviews, such as that dealing with Sir John Berkenhead, which essentially summarize another author's work. Disappointing for another reason are the lectures on the necessity of religion and the way in which all parties in the civil war era cited God to vindicate their positions. The latter subject is obvious to anyone who has sampled the literature. In the former lecture Hill discusses the commonplace notion that seventeenth-century English people thought religion was essential to the maintenance of the state
Local control of cognitive radio networks

This research examines the configuration and coordination of cognitive radio networks and seeks whether it is possible to efficiently configure a cognitive radio network using control algorithms that can independently manage and coordinate connections among radio nodes. Such control algorithms have to manage a cognitive radio in two ways - first, they must internally configure the radio to appropriately fulfill the users demand without causing interference to outside users; and second, they must configure the radio to allow satisfactory communication with external nodes since the cognitive radios objective is to exchange data. To address this coordination and configuration problem, this thesis examines two distinct problems. The first problem relates to improving the choice of internal configuration parameters and involves using fractional factorial designs to run a series of "on line" experiments to determine a predictive model for performance among a set of nodes for a specific set of inputs. Through simulation and implementation, this thesis demonstrates that the fractional factorial design can be used to accelerate the convergence of a variety of optimization techniques (e.g., genetic algorithms and gradient ascent techniques). The second problem relates to the issue of channel assignment for cognitive radio networks, wherein different nodes must agree on which channels they will use to communicate. Through a series of theoretical analysis, software simulation and hardware implementation, this work demonstrates that biologically-inspired local control algorithms are a feasible and worthwhile avenue for cognitive radio coordination and shows promising prospects for other areas in wireless systems such as sensor and ad hoc networks. This thesis demonstrates that local control based on biologically-inspired algorithms is well suited to the coordination of cognitive radio nodes and that this approach can cope well with limited sensing capabilities and only partial knowledge about the system. The algorithm however showed certain limitations when large network sizes came into play due to its probabilistic inner workings, however there exist additional components that could address these issues and warrant further investigation.
Three-dimensional shape analysis of coarse aggregates : New techniques for and preliminary results on several different coarse aggregates and reference rocks

The shape of aggregates used in concrete is an important parameter that helps determine many concrete properties, especially the rheology of fresh concrete and early-age mechanical properties. This paper discusses the sample preparation and image analysis techniques necessary for obtaining an aggregate particle image in 3-D, using X-ray computed tomography, which is then suitable for spherical harmonic analysis. The shapes of three reference rocks are analyzed for uncertainty determination via direct comparison to the geometry of their reconstructed images. A Virtual Reality Modeling Language technique is demonstrated that can give quick and accurate 3-D views of aggregates. Shape data on several different kinds of coarse aggregates are compared and used to illustrate potential mathematical shape analyses made possible by the spherical harmonic information.
Diagnosis of Wegener's Granulomatosis by Transbronchial Biopsy

We performed transbronchial biopsies in a patient with a large cavitary lung lesion and obtained tissue diagnostic of Wegener's granulomatosis. Fiberoptic bronchoscopic examination with transbronchial biopsy may be indicated as the first diagnostic test in the evaluation of patients with suspected Wegener's granulomatosis.
Effect of somatotropin administration and duodenal infusion of methionine and lysine on lactational performance and nutrient flow to the small intestine

Lack of sufficient methionine and lysine delivered post-ruminally may limit milk production response to bovine somatotropin (bST). To test this hypothesis, four Holstein cows fitted with rumen and duodenal cannulas were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design with 14 d periods. Treatments were: (1) control, (2) continuous duodenal infusion of 8 g methionine and 24 g lysine/d, (3) injection of 25 mg bST/d and (4) infusion of methionine and lysine plus injection of bST. Infusion of amino acids led to trends for small increases in milk (3%), fat (5.5%), and protein (3.7%) yield. Larger and significant increases (8.7, 14 and 6.9% for milk, fat and protein yield respectively) were achieved with bST administration which also increased milk fat content. Plasma levels of urea-N and essential amino acids were reduced with bST. Duodenal nutrient flow was generally unaffected by treatment. The production response to bST was not enhanced in cows producing an average of 34 kg milk when provided additional methionine and lysine post-ruminally in this short-term study.
Altered Plant-community Composition and Edaphic Features Associated with Plowing in Southern Wisconsin Fens

The potential for land-use legacies to alter current wetland macrophyte communities and edaphic conditions are underexplored. Here we present results of a study describing associations among these factors in southern Wisconsin fens. Plant-community composition, hydrology, and nutrient availability data were recorded from 1) fens that had been plowed, 2) fens that have never been plowed, and 3) fens with plowed and never-plowed areas. Plowed fens had: 1) lower total species richness, 2) higher invasive species richness, 2) lower native graminoid richness, 3) lower shrub richness, 4) lower root-zone volumetric water content, and 5) higher available N and P then never-plowed fens. Most of these same relationships held when comparing plowed and never-plowed areas of the same fen. Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling revealed that the most important community gradient separates graminoid- and fen-specialist-rich communities from those dominated by invasive species. This gradient also separated plowed from never plowed plots. Accordingly, we believe that a history of plowing has fundamentally altered biotic and, potentially, abiotic conditions, with real consequences for wetland management and restoration.
BioMap: discovering schema mapping using ontologies

Biologists currently devote significant time and effort searching information for their research. The wide diversity in terminology used inhibit effective computerized and manual data retrieval. For example, say a user wants to find all the gene products that are involved in bacterial protein synthesis, and that have sequences or structures significantly different from those in humans. If one database describes these molecules as being involved in 'translation', whereas another uses the phrase 'protein synthesis', it will be difficult for the user - and even harder for a computer - to find functionally equivalent terms. A schema mapping tool, which interprets results from one database in terminology used by a second database, can solve such problems. We started our project by developing schema mapping for UniProt and Genbank protein resources, both of which can be rendered in XML format, as a large part of scientific community uses proteomic resources. The approach will later on be extended to other scientific databases. Here we present a novel idea of mapping schemas using ontologies.
Ein polymeres Gastmolekül wandelt Clathratkäfige in Kanäle um: Einkristall-Röntgenstrukturanalyse von Tetra-n-butylammoniumpolyacrylat-Hydrat (nBu4NPA⋅40 H2O)

Stapel von Hydratkafigen werden in Kanale umgewandelt, wenn Polyacrylsaure zusammen mit Tetra-n-butylammoniumhydroxid in ein Hydratgitter eingebaut wird. Dabei liegt die Polymerkette (in der Abbildung an den grosen Kugeln zu erkennen) so im Kanal, das einige der Carboxygruppen Wassermolekule im Clathratgerust ersetzen. Die ubrigen Carboxygruppen liegen als hydrophobe Einheiten ohne starke gerichtete Wechselwirkungen mit den im Kanal befindlichen Wassermolekulen vor.
Field Classification of Fine-Grained Sedimentary Rocks

ABSTRACT A field classification of fine-grained sedimentary rocks should be simple, based on features of genetic significance, and equally applicable to outcrops, cores, and well cuttings. No published classification meets all of these requirements. Classifications based on the development of fissility are inapplicable to cores and well cuttings and are of little genetic significance. We propose a new classification, based on textural and structural rock attributes. The nomenclature consists of root names which combine information on grain size and stratification. To classify a sample, one needs only to determine its silt content and whether it is laminated.
Intragenic deletion in the Desmoglein 4 gene underlies the skin phenotype in the Iffa Credo "hairless" rat.

The Iffa Credo (IC) “hairless” rat is an autosomal recessive hypotrichotic animal model actively used in pharmacological and dermatological studies. Although the molecular basis of the IC rat phenotype was never defined, the designation “hr/hr” (hairless) has been used for this rat mutation. Despite the observation that IC rats share many phenotypic similarities with Charles River (CR) ‘hairless rats’, crossbreeding between CR and IC rats indicated that these mutations are not allelic, and moreover, genetic analysis of both CR and IC hairless mutant rats showed no mutations in the hr gene. Here, we present a detailed analysis of the skin phenotype in the IC rat. While the initial stages of hair follicle (HF) morphogenesis reveal no significant abnormalities, the subsequent processes of inner root sheath and hair shaft formation are severely disturbed due to impaired proliferation in the hair matrix and abnormal differentiation in the precortex zone. This results in significant reduction of hair bulb volume, and the formation of dysmorphic “blebbed” hair shafts lacking medullar structure and resembling “lanceolate” hairs. Based on the presence of lance-head hairs typical of rodent lanceolate mutants, we performed molecular analysis of the desmoglein 4 gene and found a large intragenic deletion encompassing nine exons of the gene. This finding, together with specific morphological features of skin and hairs, confirms that the IC rat is allelic with the lanceolate hair (lah) mutations in mice and rats. Our results elucidate the genetic and morphological basis of the IC rat mutation, thus providing a new model to study molecular mechanisms of hair growth control.
N-Terminal clustering of the O-glycosylation sites in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis lipoprotein SodC

SodC is one of two superoxide dismutases produced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This protein was previously shown to contribute to virulence and to act as a B-cell antigen. SodC is also a putative lipoprotein, and like other Sec-translocated mycobacterial proteins it was suggested to be modified with glycosyl units. To definitively define the glycosylation of SodC, we applied an approach that combined site-directed mutagenesis, lectin binding, and mass spectrometry. This resulted in identification of six O-glycosylated residues within a 13-amino-acid region near the N-terminus. Each residue was modified with one to three hexose units, and the most dominant SodC glycoform was modified with nine hexose units. In addition to O-glycosylation of threonine residues, this study provides the first evidence of serine O-glycosylation in mycobacteria. When combined with bioinformatic analyses, the clustering of O-glycosylation appeared to occur in a region of SodC with a disordered structure and not in regions important to the enzymatic activity of SodC. The use of recombinant amino acid substitutions to alter glycosylation sites provided further evidence that glycosylation influences proteolytic processing and ultimately positioning of cell wall proteins.
Melanoma biomarker expression in melanocytic tumor progression: a tissue microarray study

Background: The elucidation of protein biomarkers that are differentially expressed in human melanocytic tumors during tumor progression may lead to the identification of therapeutic targets and novel diagnostic tests. In a meeting chaired by Dr Mihm, a list of biomarkers of interest in melanoma was compiled. The specialized programs of research excellence (SPORE) in skin cancer developed a melanocytic tumor progression tissue microarray (TMA) to evaluate these candidate biomarkers. In addition to markers reported elsewhere, we evaluated c-Kit, MITF, MART1, HMB-45 and bcl-2. Methods: The TMA contains 480 cores of benign nevi, primary cutaneous melanoma and melanoma metastases. Immunohistochemical detection of melanoma biomarkers, including c-Kit, MITF, MART-1, HMB-45 and bcl-2 was performed. Results: Intense nuclear staining for MITF protein was observed in 83% of nevi, 56% of primary melanomas and 23% of metastases. Bcl-2 expression was reduced with progression to metastasis (detected in 86, 89 and 52% of nevi, primaries and metastases, respectively), contrary to MART-1, which showed no differential expression (74, 85 and 84%). HMB-45 was observed in 18% of nevi and most (72 and 75%) primary melanomas and metastases. c-Kit protein increased with progression from nevi to primary tumor (10 and 77% of cases, respectively) and was decreased in metastases (26% of cases). Conclusions: Through a collaboration of the Skin SPOREs sponsored by the Organ Systems Branch of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), we identified a list of melanoma biomarkers of interest, developed a melanocytic tumor progression TMA and completed a coordinated analysis of these biomarkers. This TMA has served as a powerful validation tool for newly identified and known melanoma biomarkers by revealing trends in expression during tumor progression and by confirming the heterogeneity of biomarker expression in cutaneous melanocytic tumors. Nazarian RM, Prieto VG, Elder DE, Duncan LM. Melanoma biomarker expression in melanocytic tumor progression: a tissue microarray study.
On the nonlinearity of integrators in continuous-time delta-sigma modulators

In this communication the effect of nonlinearity of continuous-time integrators on the achievable signal to (noise + distortions) ratio SNDR of delta-sigma modulators is analyzed. It is shown that some topologies are less sensitive to the nonlinearities of the embodied integrators.
Survival of secondary sporidia of floret-infecting Tilletia species: implications for epidemiology.

Goates, B. J. 2010. Survival of secondary sporidia of floret-infecting Tilletia species: Implications for epidemiology. Phytopathology 100:655662. Secondary sporidia of Tilletia horrida, T. indica, and T. walkeri initiate local infection of rice, wheat, and ryegrass florets, respectively, leading to disease in seed. Secondary sporidia are considered to be fragile and short lived. To examine this, secondary sporidia from agar cultures of these species were naturally discharged onto petri dish lids and were air-dried and maintained in the laboratory at 10 to 20% relative humidity (RH) at 20 to 22°C, and at 40 to 50% RH at 18°C. Lids were periodically inverted over fresh agar to determine viability of dried sporidia. Sporidia held 31 to 49 days at 10 to 20% RH and 56 to 88 days at 40 to 50% RH regenerated rapidly. Commonly, 18 h after lids with dried sporidia were inverted over agar, newly produced secondary sporidia had discharged onto the agar and produced extensive hyphal growth. There was no difference in the viability of sporidia that were initially dried rapidly or dried slowly over 10 h. Sporidia of T. horrida or T. indica dried on petri dish lids placed in the lower canopy of barley or wheat fields in Idaho and Arizona during early flag leaf to soft dough stages and held until crops were near or beyond maturity regenerated rapidly despite temperatures up to 46°C and several days of RH < 20%. These results suggest that sporidia produced well prior to susceptible growth stages of the host can lay dormant in very dry field environments and then rapidly regenerate under humid rainy conditions associated with the diseases.
Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and Time-Resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (TR-PIV) in the Wake of a Cavitating Hydrofoil

A Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approach for cavitating flow, based on a virtual single-phase, fully compressible cavitation model which includes the effects of incondensable gas, has been shown to be capable of capturing the complex dynamical features of highly unsteady cavitating flows of two-dimensional hydrofoils. Here the LES results are compared to Time-Resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (TR-PIV) in the wake of a cavitating NACA 0015 hydrofoil, with particular attention to the predicted vortex shedding mechanisms. Despite some difficulty with obtaining vector fields from vortical clouds of vaporous-gaseous bubbles with cross-correlation techniques, the initial results seem promising in that they confirm the existence of a primary vortex pair (type A-B). In addition to TR-PIV, the cavitation cloud shedding was also documented with phase-locked, time-resolved photography and high speed volume-illuminated video, both with simultaneous imaging of side and plan views of the foil. All three experimental techniques confirm the need for fully three-dimensional simulations to properly describe the unsteady, three-dimensional cavitation cloud shedding mechanism.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Investigation of NASA Orion Wake Effects on Drogue Chute Aerodynamic Characteristics

The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) iscurrently under development by NASA and is scheduled to replace the soon-retiring Space Shuttle. During reentry the CEV will decelerate using a staged deployment parachute system. Recent computational findings from the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) Applied Aeroscience and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) branch suggest that the drogue chutes produce 40% less drag when in the wake of the CEV due to the bluff body shape of the CEV. This 40% projected drag loss is considerably higher than expected, thus an experimental investigation is needed. The objectives of this research are to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of the CEV drogue chute for freestream conditions and “in wake” conditions behind the CEV; experimentally define the drag loss on the drogue parachute due to the wake of CEV by measuring both forces/moments and pressures; and experimentally define the pressure distribution on the inside surface of the drogue chute canopy. The drogue parachute is tested in free stream conditions as well as in the wake of the CEV in order to quantify the drag loss on the drogue parachute as a result of the wake of the CEV. Force measurements indicate a 7.3% maximum reduction in drag coefficient and a 22.1% average maximum reduction in pressure coefficient at each pressure port caused by the wake of the CEV when the CEV is at 0o angle of attack. With the CEV at 20 degrees angle of attack, the maximum reduction in drag coefficient is 12.4% and the average maximum reduction in pressure coefficient is 27.1%.
Mastering the competencies of HR management

There is an emerging group of human resource professionals who see the opportunity to turn human capital strategy into a long-term competitive advantage. Yet competence sustains this group as much as vision. Competent human resource professionals recognize the requirements of the profession and are willing to invest in maintaining and improving their skills and knowledge during rapidly changing times. But what determines competence? This article identifies the key components in measuring competency—intelligence, education, experience, ethics, and interests—and the importance of each in regard to human resource management. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Congestion control mechanism for ATM networks using neural networks

This paper presents a new approach to the problem of congestion control arising to the user-to-network interface (UNI) of the ATM-based broadband integrated services digital networks (B-ISDN). Our approach employs an adaptive rate based feedback control algorithm using reinforcement learning neural networks (NNs). The reinforcement learning NN controller provides an adaptive optimal control solution. This is achieved via the formulation of a performance measure function (cost function) that is used to, adaptively, tune the weights of the NN. The cost function is defined in terms of two main objectives: (1) to minimize the cell loss rate (CLR), i.e., control congestion and (2) to preserve the quality of the voice/video traffic via maintaining the original coding rate of the multimedia sources. The results show that the NN control system is adaptive in the sense that it is applicable to any type of multimedia traffic. Also, the control signal is optimal in the sense that it maximizes the performance of the system which is defined in terms of its performance measure function. Hence, our novel approach is very effective in controlling the congestion of multimedia traffic in ATM networks.
Relief of anxiety and pain in children and adolescents with cancer: quantitative measures and clinical observations.

Abstract Children and adolescents with cancer, chiefly forms of leukemia, aged 6 to 19 years, underwent medical treatments which required repeated bone marrow aspirations, normally a painful and anxiety-provoking experience. Data were obtained in baseline bone marrow observations on 63 patients, who were then offered the opportunity to volunteer for hypnotic help in pain control. Of the 24 patients who accepted hypnosis, 19 were highly hypnotizable. 10 of the 19 reduced self-reported pain substantially by the first hypnotic treatment (the prompt pain reducers) and 5 more reduced self-reported pain by the second treatment (the delayed pain reducers) while none of the 5 less hypnotizable patients accomplished this. The latter benefitted by reducing anxiety. Short case reports illustrate the variety of experiences. Analysis of baseline observations before any therapeutic intervention revealed age and sex differences. The difference between self-reported and observed pain was not statistically significant for...
ACADEMIC RESEARCH INTERESTS OF HOSPITALITY CORPORATIONS

This study surveyed 200 chief operating officers from hotel and restaurant corporations nationwide. The respondents were asked to indicate how much effort they exert in keeping abreast of outside research, and how useful the research is generated from universities. They were also asked to rate their relative degree of interest in specific research topic areas. The results indicate that most of the companies do exert at least moderate effort in keeping abreast of outside research. The non-parametric Sign Test was used to analyze their interest in specific research topic areas, and the results reported illustrate a statistically significant level of interest in many areas.
Test Benches and Test Management

Once you have written your model, you are not even half done. Developing tests for your designs can take much more time and more code than the original models. Typical designs require three to ten times more effort for creating the tests than for developing the original designs.
Big data's role in expanding access to financial services in China

While China's internet-only banking industry is currently small, it has potential to cause a major disruption in the Chinese financial market.Various categories of personal financial and non-financial information are being used as proxy measures for a potential borrower's identity, ability to repay and willingness to repay.The main reason why low-income families and micro-enterprises in China lack access to financial services may not be because they lack creditworthiness but merely because banks and financial institutions lack data, information and capabilities to access the creditworthiness of and effectively provide financial services to this financial disadvantaged group. General consumer and business finance companies have had limited success in serving the needs of economically active low-income families and micro-enterprises cost-effectively and sustainably in emerging economies such as China. Recent advances in computing and telecommunications technology are dramatically transforming this landscape by changing the way the financial industry operates. A key mechanism underlying this transformation concerns the use of big data in assessing, evaluating and refining the creditworthiness of potential borrowers and reducing the transaction costs. While China's internet-only banking industry is currently small and some activities of players in this industry are akin to those in the shadow banking, this industry has potential to cause a major disruption in the Chinese financial market. A main objective of this paper is to examine the role of big data in facilitating the access to financial products for economically active low-income families and micro-enterprises in China. A second objective is to investigate how formal and informal institutions facilitate and constrain the use of big data in the Chinese financial industry and market. The paper also investigates how various inherent characteristics of big data - volume, velocity, variety, variability and complexity - are related to the assessment of the creditworthiness of low-income families and micro-enterprises. Case studies of big data deployment in the Chinese financial industry and market are discussed. The paper also looks at various categories of personal financial and non-financial information that are being used as proxy measures for a potential borrower's identity, ability to repay and willingness to repay. Various business models involving the sources of data (internal vs. external to the big data organization) and providers of credits (big data organization vs. external partners or clients of the big data organization) are investigated. The analysis of the paper indicates that the main reason why low-income families and micro-enterprises in China and other emerging economies lack access to financial services is not because they lack creditworthiness but merely because banks and financial institutions lack data, information and capabilities to access the creditworthiness of and effectively provide financial services to this financial disadvantaged group.
Focus-marking in a tone language: Prosodic cues in Mandarin Chinese

We conducted a production study to investigate prosodic encoding of discourse information in Mandarin, a tone language where F0, duration, and intensity also distinguish lexical items. We tested whether (i) the presence/absence of correction and (ii) the new/given distinction are encoded prosodically. Our results indicate that correction was reflected in all three parameters: Corrective words had longer durations, larger F0 ranges, and larger intensity ranges than Noncorrective words. The distinction between new and given information was reflected only in duration and F0, and only in the absence of correction (Correction-by-Givenness interaction). We discuss how these findings highlight the ability of the production system to utilize different aspects of acoustic dimensions.
Partnership Building and Implementation of an Integrated Healthy-Aging Program.

Background : Evidence-based interventions exist for prevention of chronic disease in older adults. Partnering with community organizations may provide a mechanism for disseminating these interventions. Objective : To describe the partnership and program implementation by the Arthritis Foundation (AF) and the University of Pittsburgh. Methods : The AF Exercise Program (AFEP; an existing evidence-based program) was enhanced with the “10 Keys”™ to Healthy Aging (a prevention-focused program bundling the most common risk factors for chronic disease and disability in older adults and applies behavior change strategies to enhance prevention). The program was delivered in 20 sessions over 10 weeks by community health workers in a cluster-randomized trial. Lessons Learned : Partnering with an organization having an existing infrastructure supports program delivery at the community level. This partnership provided programming in 54 sites across Pittsburgh and surrounding communities. Conclusions : This collaborative partnership created a productive synergy maximizing strengths in both research and program delivery.
Measurement of dynamic pressures at the shoe-foot interface during normal walking with various foot orthoses using the FSCAN system.

Foot orthoses are routinely used in clinical practice to redistribute pressure at the shoe-foot interface, although there is very little scientific evidence to support the efficacy of their use. In this study, the FSCAN sensor (an ultrathin in-shoe transducer) was used to determine the efficacy of pressure redistribution with a Plastizote, Spenco, cork, and a plastic foot orthosis as compared with control (no orthosis). Measurement variations of up to 18% occurred between sensors, and changes in stance time of up to 5% occurred between the orthoses and the control conditions. In spite of these potentially confounding variables, statistically significant differences in peak pressure between the orthotic types and the control condition (range, 9–146%) were noted. We conclude that Plastizote, cork, and plastic foot orthoses can be beneficial in relieving pressure in certain regions of the shoe-foot interface, but that they may do so at the cost of increasing pressure in other areas of the plantar surface.
Excess Dietary Copper Triggers Enlargement of the Proventriculus in Broilers

Abstract Suspect feed was collected from two broiler houses in which random necropsies revealed proventricular enlargement (proventriculitis). Feed also was collected from two unaffected houses on the same farm. Broiler chicks received the suspect feed, feed from unaffected houses, and a control feed for 2 wk. Thereafter, all groups were fed control feed until 4 wk of age. The suspect feed caused a 70 to 100% incidence of obvious proventricular enlargement, which was significantly higher than the basal 10 to 30% incidence observed in broilers fed control feed or feed from unaffected houses. The incidence of proventricular enlargement reverted to control levels when birds previously fed suspect feed were switched to control feed during the last 2 wk of the experiment. The suspect feed contained Cu, added as copper sulfate, in excess of 200 ppm. In a second experiment, feeds formulated to contain 0, 250, 500, and 750 ppm Cu were fed to broilers for 4 wk. Dietary Cu at and above 250 ppm significantly increased the incidence of proventriculitis. Dietary Cu in excess of 200ppm can trigger the classic symptoms of proventricular enlargement and proventriculitis in broilers.
GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN SPECIES OF THE GENUS SPEYERIA (LEPIDOPTERA: NYMPHALIDAE).

The electrophoretic separation of enzymes and other proteins has become a powerful tool to investigate evolutionary problems. Among insects, Drosophila has been the organism most extensively studied electrophoretically. The present study of electrophoretically detectable genetic variation in butterflies of the genus Speyeria was undertaken to investigate a series of questions of evolutionary interest, specifically the amount of genetic variation in natural populations of 10 different species, the degree of genetic differentiation between local populations and the processes responsible for such differentiation, and the amount of differentiaton between the subspecies and between the species of Speyeria. A tentative phylogeny as well as some taxonomic conclusions are additional outcomes of our study.
Expression of bcl-2 and bax in regenerating rat renal tubules following ischemic injury

To define potential roles for bcl-2 and bax in adult kidney as regulators of regeneration, their expressions were characterized postischemic injury. A 2.1-fold increase in levels of renal bcl-2 mRNA occurred within 24 h of injury relative to levels in kidney of sham-operated control rats. The levels of bcl-2 mRNA remained elevated for 3 days but returned to baseline by day 5 postischemia. In situ hybridization of kidneys from sham-operated rats demonstrated faint expression of bcl-2 mRNA localized diffusely throughout the nephron. After renal injury, the expression of bcl-2 mRNA was markedly enhanced in regenerating proximal tubule cells relining the basement membrane. Immunohistochemistry showed a similar localization for bcl-2 protein. Levels of bax mRNA in kidney were elevated beginning at 24 h postischemia and remained elevated for 7 days postinjury. Bax mRNA and bax protein were colocalized to regenerating proximal tubules postischemia and were prominently expressed in papillary proliferations. We conclude that the expressions of bcl-2 and bax in kidney are enhanced in a predictable pattern following acute ischemic injury. Our findings suggest that these regulators of apoptosis play key roles in the process of repair of the damaged proximal tubule postischemia.