cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Centering with Random Effects: An Alternative to the Fixed Effects Model for Studying Time-Varying Treatments in School Settings

Abstract Fixed effects models are often useful in longitudinal studies when the goal is to assess the impact of teacher or school characteristics on student learning. In this article, I introduce an alternative procedure: adaptive centering with random effects. I show that this procedure can replicate the fixed effects analysis while offering several comparative advantages: the incorporation into standard errors of multiple levels of clustering; the modeling of heterogeneity of treatment effects; the estimation of effects of treatments at multiple levels; and computational simplicity. After illustrating these ideas in a simple setting, the article formulates a general linear model with adaptive centering and random effects and derives efficient estimates and standard errors. The results apply to studies that have an arbitrary number of nested and cross-classified factors such as time, students, classrooms, schools, districts, or states.
Relationship of neural and otoacoustic emission thresholds during endocochlear potential development in the gerbil

Distortion product otoacoustic emissions and auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were measured in neonatal gerbils at three ages: at 15-16 days after birth (dab), near the onset of hearing when the endocochlear potential (EP) is known to be still immature; at 22 dab, when the EP first reaches mature levels; and at 30 dab. Comparing individual 15-16 dab animals to the 22 dab group, ABR threshold changes were typically larger than those for cubic distortion tone (CDT, 2f1-f2) emission thresholds which were, in turn, larger than those for the simple difference tone (DT, f2-f1). In contrast, from 22 to 30 dab there were no important changes in CDT or DT emission thresholds. Observed threshold-change relationships were very similar to those found in differential diagnosis investigations, where the EP was experimentally decreased using a chronic furosemide application. Therefore, most of the change in cochlear function over the two week period studied could be attributed to the maturation of EP during the first week. Model calculations further show that relative changes in CDT and DT emission thresholds are compatible with a movement of the operating point of the cochlear amplifier toward its symmetrical "central" point as the EP reaches mature levels.
Effects of intermolecular dipolar couplings in solution NMR in separated time intervals: the competition for coherence transfer pathways

Abstract We investigate the competition between intermolecular dipolar effects in multiple time intervals and develop a theoretical framework to understand coherence transfer when this competition is important. The quantum picture permits explicit evaluation of coherence transfer pathways, which have been verified by experimental data obtained from pulse sequences with multiple-quantum selective phase cycling. Implications for sequences in common use in biological applications are discussed.
Influence of linguistic complexity, rate of presentation, and interphrase pause time on auditory-verbal comprehension of adult aphasic patients

Abstract Among the variables affecting comprehension of linguistic stimuli by aphasic subjects are syntactic complexity and processing time. Comprehension performance of 15 aphasic adults was studied while altering the rate of speech presentation and varying the pause time between the major phrases within sentences of increasing grammatical complexity. Simple Active Affirmative Declarative Sentences, Negative, and Passive sentences were presented (1) at the rate of 150 words per minute (wpm) with 1-sec interphrase pause time (IPT); (2) 150 wpm with no pauses; (3) 120 wpm with 1-sec IPT; (4) 120 wpm with no pauses added. Performance was seen to vary with increasing syntactical complexity and as a function of processing time. Greater comprehension was seen with active affirmative than negative; greater with passive affirmative than with active negative. Clinical implications are discussed. Subjects demonstrated greater comprehension when sentences were presented at slower than normal rate; addition of interphrase pause time intervals aided comprehension. Combining slower rate of presentation and IPT intervals provided greatest increase in auditory processing time and showed concomitant increase in comprehension performance.
Northern Fowl Mite Control with Malathion

Abstract IN THE search for the “perfect insecticide” for control of poultry ectoparasites, certain qualities are essential. The material should provide effective control; be simply, rapidly, and safely applicable; possess residual activity not accompanied by tainting or toxic residues in poultry flesh or eggs; and should be inexpensive for field application. For many years the poultry industry has searched for such a material for the control of the Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini et Fanzago). This mite is a vicious blood sucker that manifests itself by causing scabs on the skin of birds, slowed weight gains, decreased egg production, and generally poor condition. It usually spends its entire life on the bird although in heavy infestations large numbers may also be found roving about the premises and on the eggs. The early literature on biology and control of O. sylviarum has been reviewed by Cameron (1938). The materials described by Cameron and by …
The applicability of expert systems to a space-based defensive shield

Abstract The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was orginally intended to reduce the level of nuclear forces and strengthen deterrence. Since SDI was first proposed, a wide ranging debate ensued as to the probable cost, technical feasibility and moral implications of the program. This paper examines the evidence to determine if the advanced computing methods needed to control a space-based defensive system like SDI would be capable of fulfilling its purpose. The outcome of this discussion is that a defensive shield would not achieve the stated purpose and would likely increase the chances of nuclear war.
Dyadic adjustment in chronic illness : does relationship talk matter?

Relationship talk involves talking about the nature and state of one's relationship. To determine the effectiveness of talking about the relationship when one spouse has a chronic illness, the study involved completion of a confidential questionnaire by 182 married couples. Ninety of these were couples in which both partners were healthy, and 92 were couples in which one spouse had a chronic illness. Results of multilevel modeling analyses showed that the association between relationship talk and dyadic adjustment was stronger for women than for men and for couples with an ill spouse than for couples where both spouses were healthy. These findings highlight the importance of taking a relationship perspective and suggest that relationship talk is a potentially useful tool couples can use in their repertoire of relationship-enhancing behaviors during chronic illness.
A geometric analysis of solubility ranges in Laves phases

Abstract Laves phases nominally occur at the AB 2 stoichiometry but can exhibit a range of solubility involving non-stoichiometric compositions in binary alloys. The solubility trends in the reported binary C14, C15 and C36 structures have been analyzed in terms of the atom size requirements that are known to stabilize the Laves phases. For example, Laves phases exist at metallic diameter ratios ( D A / D B ) between ∼1.05 and 1.68 with the ideal diameter ratio existing at ∼ 1.225. Although less than 25% of the Laves phases within the D A / D B ratios of 1.05–1.68 have defined ranges of homogeneity, the frequency of the number of intermetallic phases exhibiting any solubility range is increased by a factor of approximately two to three within specific D A / D B ratios of 1.12–1.26 (C14 and C36 phases) and 1.1–1.35 (C15 phases). The upper and lower bounds for the C15 structures can be physically defined as the limits at which the A-B atom distance contractions are greater than the A-A atom distance and B-B atom distance contractions, respectively. For all three main polytypes the occurrence of solubility corresponds to a lattice-adjusted contraction between 0–15%. The contraction size rule is a geometric argument based upon the contraction of the atoms forming the intermetallic structure and appears to be an important relationship in describing ranges of homogeneity in Laves phases. The relationships developed are applied to interpret potential defect mechanisms and alloying behavior in binary and ternary Laves phases. In addition, extended ternary solubility ranges normal to a pseudobinary direction can be predicted with suitable solute additions having a metallic diameter between that of the A and B atoms.
Automatic classification and retrieval of documents by means of a bibliographic pattern discovery algorithm

Abstract We present completely automatic procedures for the self-generation of meaningful groups among the members of a document collection and for the classification according to these groups of subsequent documents. These procedures operate on large document collections with reasonably short computation times. Thus far, in our experiments on the physics literature, automatic classification has proven to be as good as or better than manual indexing and, in addition, potentially less expensive. Empirically derived, our method is based upon a pattern discovery algorithm which uses only the citation content of a document and which operates on the bibliographic links among papers. The self-generated groups correspond to very specific subject headings; retrospective bibliographies generated in the procedures allow one to classify the subsequent literature with remarkably high recall and relevance ratios, close to 100%.
Global null controllability of nonlinear delay equations with controls in a compact set

The question of controlling some nonlinear retarded functional differential equations from an initial function to the zero function is considered. The control setsM(Ω) are square integrable functions with values in the unit closed sphereL2([t0, ∞),Em) with center the origin. Assuming that the linear approximation of the nonlinear equation is null controllable with some integrable controls on some interval [t0,t1−2r], wheret0 is sufficiently large and wherer>0 is the delay, and assuming that the nonlinear system, withu=0, is uniformly globally asymptotically stable, we show that the nonlinear control process is globally null controllable with controlsu∈M(Ω). The paper gives conditions which guarantee the stability assumptions, and also indicates conditions which yield the null controllability assumptions of the linear approximation. Our research extends known results on ordinary differential processes.
Global Oceanic Precipitation from the MSU during 1979—91 and Comparisons to Other Climatologies

The construction and general features of a new monthly oceanic precipitation data set compiled from Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) data gathered by TIROS-N satellites are described. Rainfall is estimated from the intensity of warming in MSU channel 1 (50.3 GHz) brightness temperatures above a 15-percent cumulative frequency distribution threshold after correction for airmass temperature. The average channel 1 warming above the threshold is calibrated into precipitation units with five to ten years of monthly accumulations from 132 raingages distributed around the globe. Comparisons between the satellite and raingage measurements of the average annual cycle in monthly precipitation are presented for 75 raingages from different climatic regions.
The genetic basis of viral virulence

The precise genetic and molecular determinants of viral virulence are poorly understood. Genetic studies with influenza and reovirus have indicated that virulence is multigenic. The high frequency of mutation of RNA viruses can complicate genetic analyses of virulence, resulting in phenotypes that are difficult to interpret. The ease with which the reoviruses reassert genome segments has made it possible to isolate reassortants from parental viruses causing different patterns of animal disease. It has thus been feasible to show that each of the three outer capsid proteins plays a major role in the pathogenesis of animal infection: the viral haemagglutinin determines the specificity of the immune response and cell and tissue tropism; the $\mu$ l c protein plays a central role in determining yield at portals of entry as well as in differentiated tissues; the $\sigma$ 3 protein inhibits host macromolecular synthesis. Thus virulence is clearly multigenic, with each of the viral components playing distinct roles.
Defining History for Library Statistics, or Everything Has a History.

Although libraries frequently act on the assumption that a correlation exists between topicality and call number range for collection management decisions, the recent rise in interdisciplinary scholarship challenges that practice. This study measured the subject area and call number correspondence for the discipline of history in an academic library.
Effects of Ubiquinone and Mevalonic Acid on Hepatic Peroxisomal Enzymes Induced by Dehydroepiandrosterone

The adrenal steroid, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has been identified as a peroxisome proliferator. We examined the effects of the cellular antioxidant ubiquinone and its precursor mevalonic acid on the induction of enzymes associated with DHEA-mediated peroxisome proliferation in male F-344 rats. Upon treatment with DHEA (300 mg/kg orally for 14 days), there was a significant increase in hepatic activities of peroxisomal beta-oxidation (3 fold), 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase (4 fold) and catalase (1.8 fold). Co-administration of either mevalonic acid (100 mg/kg intraperitoneally) or ubiquinone (50 mg/kg orally) with DHEA significantly attenuated the DHEA-mediated induction of these enzymes. However, neither ubiquinone nor mevalonic acid alone significantly altered peroxisomal enzyme activities in rat liver. These data suggest that exogenous administration of ubiquinone or mevalonic acid can modulate the induction of the enzymes involved in peroxisome proliferation.
CT manifestation of ocular muscular dystrophy

Common varieties of muscular dystrophy rarely involve the extraocular muscles, but several uncommon varieties do. In one of our patients with ocular muscular dystrophy (Von Graefe's disease), computed tomography demonstrated atrophy of the extraocular muscles, particularly of the lateral rectus muscles. Involvement of the extraocular muscles by muscular dystrophy has not been previously reported or demonstrated in the radiological literature.
Gerald J. Wasserburg Awarded 2008 William Bowie Medal

Gerald J. Wasserburg was awarded the 2008 William Bowie Medal at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held 17 December 2008 in San Francisco, Calif. The medal is for “outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research.”
Reproductive performance of dairy cows managed with a program aimed at increasing insemination of cows in estrus based on increased physical activity and fertility of timed artificial inseminations

The objective of this study was to compare the reproductive performance of lactating dairy cows using a treatment (TRT) program for second and subsequent artificial insemination (AI) services aimed at (1) increasing AI upon estrus detection based on increased physical activity (AIAct) and (2) increasing fertility of timed AI (TAI) services for cows not AIAct through presynchronization of the estrous cycle and improved physiological milieu before TAI. Cows in the control (CON) group were managed with a program that combined AIAct and TAI after the Ovsynch protocol. After nonpregnancy diagnosis (NPD) by transrectal ultrasonography at 31 ± 3 d after AI, cows received the following treatments: (1) CON (n=634), AIAct any time after a previous AI and resynchronization with the Ovsynch-56 protocol (GnRH-7d-PGF2α-56 h-GnRH-16 h-TAI) 1d after NPD, or (2) TRT (n = 616): cows with a corpus luteum (CL) ≥ 20 mm (TRT-CL) received a PGF2α injection 1d after NPD, whereas cows with no CL or a CL < 20 mm (TRT-NoCL) received a GnRH injection 3d after NPD. Cows in TRT-CL and TRT-NoCL not AIAct were enrolled in a 5-d Ovsynch + progesterone protocol (GnRH + controlled internal drug release-5d-PGF2α + controlled internal drug release removal-24 h-PGF2α -32 h-GnRH-16 h-TAI) 9 and 7d after the PGF2α or GnRH injection, respectively, to receive TAI. The hazard of pregnancy up to 270 DIM was similar for cows in the CON and TRT group (hazard ratio = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.95 to 1.21), but it was affected by parity (primiparous greater than multiparous cows). Median days to pregnancy for the CON and TRT group were 111 and 110 d, respectively. When evaluated after 104 DIM (first time point at which cows were affected by the treatments), the hazard of pregnancy was similar for the CON and TRT group (hazard ratio = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.95 to 1.39). Based on this analysis, median days to pregnancy for the CON and TRT group were 161 and 178 d, respectively. Thus, in spite of increasing the proportion of cows AIAct (29 and 10% for TRT and CON), median days to insemination after NPD were greater for cows in the TRT (17 d) than the CON (10 d) group, which coupled with similar fertility to AIAct, and TAI failed to improve overall reproductive performance. A low proportion of cows with a CL at NPD (65.2%) and a poor response to PGF2α may explain the poor estrus detection efficiency in the TRT group. We concluded that, when compared with a typical estrus detection and TAI program for cows failing to conceive to previous AI services, a program aimed at increasing the proportion of cows AIAct after NPD and fertility of TAI services increased the proportion of cows AIAct but failed to reduce days to pregnancy during lactation because of greater days to AI after NPD.
Amino acid synthesis from formaldehyde and hydroxylamine.

Abstract The experiments reported here have shown that by heating an aqueous mixture of formaldehyde and hydroxylamine hydrochloride, several amino acids, hydroxy acids, and other biochemical compounds are formed. The predominant amino acid formed is glycine. The conditions under which the reaction takes place have been studied in some detail. The mechanism of synthesis has also been studied. Formaldoxime, hydrogen cyanide, and ammonia are among the first products formed. Strecker and cyanohydrin condensations yield nitriles which are subsequently hydrolyzed to amides and finally to acids. Other condensation reactions are proposed to account for the formation of serine, alanine, β-alanine, and lactic acid. The interpretation of some previous photochemical syntheses of amino acids appears possible in the light of the present evidence. The experiments are of significance in relation to the formation of biochemical compounds, from simple compounds of carbon and nitrogen, under conditions assumed to have existed during the early development of the earth's crust.
Status versus warmth as determinants of sex differences in personal space

Previous studies indicate that females are allotted less personal space than males. In everyday situations, both warmth and low status may be confounded in women, thus obscuring the roles each may play in determining interpersonal distance. The present study manipulates sex, status (a professor or a student), and sociability (warm or cold) of a stimulus person independently of each other. Subjects were 40 male and 40 female students who were asked to “form impressions” of the stimulus person from a videotaped recording and a personal interview. Results indicate that males are given more space than females. Both status and sociability influence the amount of space that males are allotted, with the cold low-status male being allowed the most space. For females, the high-status woman was allowed more space than the low-status one, and sociability bore no relation to how close others came to her. These findings are discussed in relation to the previous studies on sex differences and personal space.
Testing for multiple faults in domino-CMOS logic circuits

The problem of multiple faults detection in domino-CMOS logic circuits is considered. The multiple faults can be of the stuck-open and stuck-on types. It is shown that a multiple fault in the domino-CMOS circuit can be mapped to a multiple stuck-at fault in its gate-level model. A method is given to initialize the domino-CMOS circuit and apply a multiple stuck-at fault test set based on the gate-level model of the circuit. This results in the detection of all multiple faults having detectable consistent faults. The problem of test set invalidation due to arbitrary signal delays is easily taken care of in domino-CMOS circuits, making such an implementation of a function even more attractive than a fully complementary CMOS implementation, from the testability point of view. >
Incorrect focus cues in stereo displays: effects on visual performance and viewer fatigue

Stereoscopic displays have become important for many applications including vision research, operation of remote devices, medical imaging, surgical training, scientific visualization, virtual prototyping, and more. In many of these applications, it is important for the graphic image to create a faithful impression of the 3d structure of the portrayed object or scene. Unfortunately, 3d displays often yield distortions in perceived 3d structure compared with the percepts of the real scenes the displays depict. A likely cause of such distortions is the fact that computer displays present images on one surface. Thus, focus cues---accommodation and blur in the retinal image---specify the depth of the display rather than the depths in the depicted scene. Additionally, such displays require the viewer to override the normal coupling of vergence and accommodation. I will discuss the development of displays that present focus cues that are correct or nearly correct for the depicted scene. Such displays can create retinal images that are a reasonable approximation to the images formed in natural viewing of depth-varying scenes. Research with these displays has shown that presenting correct or nearly correct focus cues allows a much larger percentage of viewers to fuse binocular images, reduces the time required to identify a stereoscopic stimulus, reduces distortions in perceived depth, and decreases viewer fatigue and discomfort. I will discuss the implications of this work for basic vision research and applications of stereoscopic presentation.
The REFLECT Statement: Methods and Processes of Creating Reporting Guidelines for Randomized Controlled Trials for Livestock and Food Safety by Modifying the CONSORT Statement†

The conduct of randomized controlled trials in livestock with production, health and food-safety outcomes presents unique challenges that may not be adequately reported in trial reports. The objective of this project was to modify the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement to reflect the unique aspects of reporting these livestock trials. A 2-day consensus meeting was held on 18-19 November 2008 in Chicago, IL, USA, to achieve the objective. Prior to the meeting, a Web-based survey was conducted to identify issues for discussion. The 24 attendees were biostatisticians, epidemiologists, food-safety researchers, livestock-production specialists, journal editors, assistant editors and associate editors. Prior to the meeting, the attendees completed a Web-based survey indicating which CONSORT statement items may need to be modified to address unique issues for livestock trials. The consensus meeting resulted in the production of the REFLECT (Reporting Guidelines for Randomized Control Trials) statement for livestock and food safety and 22-item checklist. Fourteen items were modified from the CONSORT checklist and an additional sub-item was proposed to address challenge trials. The REFLECT statement proposes new terminology, more consistent with common usage in livestock production, to describe study subjects. Evidence was not always available to support modification to or inclusion of an item. The use of the REFLECT statement, which addresses issues unique to livestock trials, should improve the quality of reporting and design for trials reporting production, health and food-safety outcomes.
Information sharing in secure systems

The author attempts to establish a theoretical foundation for secure information sharing. He proposes a secure system structuring construct, called a secure object manager, as an example of a one-way information sharing mechanism. Secrecy, integrity, and availability requirements for the secure object manager are defined. A formal system model, including a careful treatment of communication via bounded buffers, is developed. Then he formally defines secrecy in terms of the model. This definition of secrecy precludes all covert channels, including storage, probabilistic, and timing channels. An implementation of the secure object manager that satisfies all the requirements considered is presented. >
Fair Electronic Exchange Based on Fingerprint Biometrics

Fair exchange between two parties can be defined as an instance of exchange such that either both parties obtain what they expected or neither one does. Protocols that facilitate such transactions are known as â€œfair exchange protocolsâ€ . We analyze one such protocol by Micali that demonstrates fair contract signing, where two parties exchange their commitments over an already negotiated contract. In this journal we show that Micaliâ€™s protocol is not completely fair and demonstrate the possibilities for one party cheating by obtaining the other partyâ€™s commitment and not offer theirs. A revised version of this protocol by Bao provides superior fairness by handling the above mentioned weakness but fails to handle the possibility of a replay attack. Our proposed protocol improves upon Baoâ€™s protocol by addressing the weakness that leads to a replay attack. We also demonstrate a software implementation of our system which provides fair contract signing along with properties like user authentication achieved through the use of a fingerprint based authentication system and features like confidentiality, data-integrity and non-repudiation through implementation of hybrid cryptography and digital signatures algorithms based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography.
A model for simulating rock–water interactions in a weathering profile subjected to frequent alternations of wetting and drying

Abstract Physically based equations for unsaturated groundwater flow and solute transport have been coupled with kinetic rate laws for mineral dissolution–precipitation, and mass balance/mass action equations for aqueous species, in a numerical model that is capable of simulating rock–water interactions in a weathering profile subjected to fluctuating boundary conditions. A numerical experiment was conducted to demonstrate how incipient soil development may proceed in a warm subhumid environment. The simulation involved a hypothetical coarse-textured parent material that was subjected to frequent wetting and drying during an annual water cycle. The hypothetical weathering profile evolved rapidly; dissolution of primary minerals (enstatite, forsterite, and diopside) and precipitation of secondary clay–minerals (kaolinite and Ca-montmorillonite) occurred monotonically despite the abrupt fluctuations in soil-moisture content. In contrast, the activities of aqueous species and dissolution–precipitation rates of calcite were very sensitive to the changing moisture conditions in the upper part of the profile. Although the simulation involved numerous simplifying assumptions, reasonable results were achieved and the calculated (from the model) rate of chemical denudation fell within the range of contemporary denudation rates determined from the dissolved loads of rivers.
A MIMS View-Station For Orthopedic Images

A satellite image transmission system has been installed between an orthopedic clinic in suburban Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in central Philadelphia. The two facilities are approximately 15 miles apart. Images are acquired with a laser film digitizer and transmitted over a Ku-Band satellite link. After receipt, the images are archived and sent to a Virtual Imaging VIEW-2000 workstation for display and interpretation. This paper addresses the software on the VIEW-2000, from a designer's point of view. The workstation software handles image retreival, image management and image display. User interaction is provided via a standard alphanumeric keyboard and a three-button mouse. Image manipulation includes rove, zoom, window/level and inverse intensity. Image sequencing logic facilitates radiologist interaction. Various enhancements are considered.
Conformation and structure of 9-α-d-arabinofuranosyladenine

The crystal structure of the nucleoside 9-α-d-arabinofuranosyladenine (C10H13N5O4) has been determined by means of three-dimensional X-ray counter data. The adenosine analog crystallizes in space group P212121 of the orthorhombic system with eight formula units in a cell of dimensions a, 6.720(5), b, 40.188(35), c, 8.357(8) A. Hence, there are two crystallographically independent molecules in the unit cell. The structure was solved by direct methods and refined by full-matrix least-squares techniques to a final value of the conventional R-factor of 0.076 using 1173 independent intensity data. In the crystal, both independent molecules (A and B) adopt the anti conformation (for an α-sugar), with glycosyl torsion angles, X, of −73° and −64°; these are comparable to values found in other α-nucleosides. The conformation about the extracyclic C(4′)-C(5′) bond is gauche-gauche in both molecules. The sugar pucker is C(2′)-exo-C(3′)-endo, 2T3, in molecule A and C(3′)-endo, 3E, in molecule B. Conformational analysis of rotation about the N(9)-C(1′) glycosyl bond has been performed by use of CNDO2 molecular orbital calculations. These calculations suggest that the observed conformation may not be the global minimum, but that it lies only 0.4 kcal · mol−1 higher in energy than the global minimum. The highest energy barrier to rotation around the glycosyl bond is calculated to be only 1.1 kcal · mol−1, which is comparable to the value calculated for adenosine.
Temperature-Dependent Permeability of Microporous Membranes for Vapor Venting Heat Exchangers

Improved flow regime stability and lower pressure drop may be possible in two-phase microfluidic heat exchangers through the use of a hydrophobic membrane for phase separation. Past research on vapor-venting heat exchangers showed that membrane mechanical and hydrodynamic properties are crucial for heat exchanger design. However, previous characterizations of hydrophobic membranes were primarily carried out at room temperatures with air or nitrogen, as opposed to liquid water and steam at the elevated operating temperature of the heat exchangers. This work investigates laminated PTFE, unlaminated PTFE, and nylon membranes and quantifies the permeability of the membranes to air and steam. The pressure drop across the membrane as a function of fluid flow rate and temperature characterizes the membrane permeability. This work will facilitate more focused experimental work and predictive modeling on optimizing membrane properties and will help with the development of more effective vapor venting heat exchangers.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
A sign-selected dichromatic neutrino beam

Abstract A sign-selected dichromatic neutrino beam using conventional magnets is described. The beam has a solid angle acceptance of ten μsr and can focus charged hadrons up to a momentum of 170 GeV/ c . The beam can be used to select either neutrinos or anti-neutrinos: when focused for neutrinos, the anti-neutrino contamination is less than 0.001 for neutrino momenta greater than 40 GeV/ c ; when the beam is focused for anti-neutrinos, the neutrino background is 0.01 over most of the momentum range. The beam has a provision for momentum selection which produces a dichromatic neutrino beam — a beam focused into two momentum bands.
Response of lateral impulse on liquid helium sloshing with baffle effect in microgravity

Sloshing dynamics within a partially filled rotating dewar of superfluid helium II are investigated in response to lateral impulse. The study, including how the rotating bubble of superfluid helium II reacts to the impulse in microgravity, how amplitudes of bubble mass center fluctuate with growth and decay of disturbances, how slosh reaction forces amplify and decay in response to lateral impulse, and how sloshing dynamics differ with and without a baffle, are investigated. The numerical computation of sloshing dynamics is based on the non-inertial frame dewar bound coordinate. Results of the studies are illustrated.
Right Atrial Metastatic Melanoma with Unknown Primaries

A 54-year-old male with history of anemia and rheumatoid arthritis presented with a three-month history of dyspnea on exertion and lower extremity edema. Patient was referred for a transthoracic echocardiogram that revealed a large right atrial mass with reduced ejection fraction of 40% and an incidental large liver mass. Subsequent cardiac MRI revealed a lobulated right atrial mass measuring 5.4 cm 5.3 cm with inferior vena cava compression and adjacent multiple large liver lesions confirmed to be malignant melanoma through biopsy. Interestingly, no primaries were found in the patient. PET/CT imaging displayed hypermetabolic masses within the right atrium and liver that likely represent metastases, as well as bilateral pleural effusions, most likely due to heart failure. Preoperative coronary angiogram demonstrated perfusion to the mass by a dense network of neovasculature arising from the mid right coronary artery. The cardiac melanoma was surgically removed, and the right atrium was reconstructed with a pericardial patch. After surgery, all cardiac chambers appeared normal in size and function with associated moderate tricuspid regurgitation. The patient is currently being administered ipilimumab for systemic therapy of metastatic melanoma.
Erratum: "Silicon electronics on silk as a path to bioresorbable, implantable devices" [Appl. Phys. Lett. 95, 133701 (2009)].

In the acknowledgment section, the following acknowledgment should be added. “We also thank the NIH P41 Tissue Engineering Resource Center (Grant No. P41 EB002520) for support of the studies, all of which were conducted under approved Animal Protocols at Tufts University.”
Dietary oligonucleotides from yeast RNA influence immune responses and resistance of hybrid striped bass (Morone chrysops × Morone saxatilis) to Streptococcus iniae infection

Three feeding trials were conducted to evaluate potential immunomodulatory effects of nucleotides in the diet of hybrid striped bass. A basal diet was formulated from menhaden fish meal to contain 40% crude protein and 10% lipid. An oligonucleotide product (Ascogen P®) from brewer's yeast was added to the basal formulation at the manufacturer's recommended rate of 0.5% to produce the experimental diet. Each diet was fed to four replicate groups of juvenile hybrid striped bass for seven or eight weeks in two separate trials. After Trials 1 and 2, a Streptococcus iniae bath challenge was executed to test the effects of diet on disease resistance. No significant difference in growth performance was observed between fish fed the basal and experimental diets. Body composition of whole fish, hematocrit and serum lysozyme levels were observed to be within normal ranges and not influenced by dietary nucleotides. Neutrophil oxidative radical production of fish fed the nucleotide-supplemented diet was significantly (P=0.011) higher than in fish fed the basal diet. Significantly (P<0.05) enhanced survival after exposure to S. iniae also was generally observed in fish fed the nucleotide-supplemented diet. In addition, fish fed the nucleotide-supplemented diet tended to have a higher antibody response based on microtitration agglutination; however, the difference was not statistically significant because of high variation between individual fish. Long-term (16 weeks) administration of oligonucleotides in Trial 3 failed to show enhancement of immune responses between treatments. It is concluded that dietary oligonucleotides positively influenced immune responses and resistance of juvenile hybrid striped bass to S. iniae infection.
The dose dependence of the crystalline-to-amorphous transformation in U6Fe

Abstract The dose dependence of the crystalline-to-amorphous transformation was investigated in the intermetallic compound U 6 Fe using reactor ambient temperature, thermal fission fragment damage. The transformation was meausred using calorimetry (DSC). The dose dependence is well described by the composite model of Dennis and Hale when both direct cascade amorphization and cascade overlap amorphization are included. This data is compared to published data on the transformation in NiTi induced by heavy ion irradiation. It is concluded that the U 6 Fe results can be explained by a critical defect density model for the transformation similar to that proposed for NiTi.
Concerning the Electronic Coupling of MoMo Quadruple Bonds Linked by 4,4‘-Azodibenzoate and Comparison with t2g6-Ru(II) Centers by 4,4‘-Azodiphenylcyanamido Ligands

From the reactions between Mo2(O2CtBu)4 and each of terephthalic acid and 4,4'-azodibenzoic acid, the compounds [Mo2(O2CtBu)3]2(mu-O2CC6H4CO2) (1) and [Mo2(O2CtBu)3]2(mu-O2CC6H4N2C6H4CO2) (2) have been made and characterized by spectroscopic and electrochemical methods. Their electronic structures have been examined by computations employing density functional theory on model compounds where HCO2 substitutes for tBuCO2. On the basis of these studies, the two Mo2 units are shown to be only weakly coupled and the mixed-valence ions 1+ and 2+ to be valence-trapped and Class II and I, respectively, on the Robin-Day classification scheme for mixed-valence compounds. These results are compared to t2g6-Ru centers linked by 1,4-dicyanamidobenzene and azo-4,4'-diphenylcyanamido bridges for which the mixed-valence ions [Ru-bridge-Ru]5+ have been previously classified as fully delocalized, Class III [Crutchley et al. Inorg. Chem. 2001, 40, 1189; Inorg. Chem. 2004, 43, 1770], and on the basis of results described herein, it is proposed that the latter complex ion is more likely a mixed-valence organic radical where the bridge is oxidized and not the Ru(2+) centers.
A hybrid, center-difference, limiter method for simulations of compressible multicomponent flows with Mie-Grüneisen equation of state

We develop an efficient spatially high-order, Cartesian-mesh, hybrid, center-difference, limiter methodology for numerical simulations of compressible multicomponent flows with isotropic Mie-Gruneisen equation of state. Effective switching between center-difference and limiter schemes is achieved by a set of robust tolerance and Lax-entropy based criterion [18]. Oscillations that could result from a mixed stencil scheme are minimized by requiring that the limiter method approaches the center-difference method in smooth regions. To achieve this the limiter is based on a norm of the deviation of WENO reconstruction weights from ideal. Results from a spatially 4th order version of the methodology are presented in one and two dimensions utilizing the California Institute of Technology's VTF (Virtual Test Facility) AMROC [7] software.
Chlordecone (Kepone) on the night of proestrus inhibits female sexual behavior in CDF-344 rats.

Abstract The effect of the estrogen-like chlorinated pesticide chlordecone (Kepone) on sexual behavior was examined in proestrous rats following treatment with 25, 50, or 75 mg/kg chlordecone. In most animals, sexual behavior, both receptivity and proceptivity, was reduced within 60 min following the higher dosage of chlordecone. Reduced sexual receptivity occurred more slowly with 50 mg/kg chlordecone (usually within 180 min) and no reduction was seen following 25 mg/kg chlordecone. The reduced sexual behavior after chlordecone treatment preceded the onset of marked chlordecone-induced tremor. A group of rats treated with 75 mg/kg chlordecone was euthanized at the time that behavioral inhibition began to develop. The content of serotonin, norepinephrine, and their principal metabolites was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography of extracts of brain tissue of these animals. In hypothalamus, increases in serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) content, and a decrease in the level of norepinephrine (NE), were detected in chlordecone-treated rats relative to matched controls which received vehicle. The content of 5-HT was also increased in preoptic area of chlordecone-treated females. The content of the catecholamine metabolite, 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylacetic acid, was unaffected by chlordecone in either part of brain. These are the first observations of the parallel effects of chlordecone on receptive and proceptive behaviors, and on neurochemistry, in female rats; the results demonstrate short-latency effects of the pesticide treatment on the CNS events that mediate female reproductive behavior. Results of previous studies had led to the suggestion that chlordecone's inhibition of sexual behaviors resulted from its interaction with the intracellular estrogen receptor. However, the rapidity of the inhibition during the period of ongoing sexual behavior makes it unlikely that the inhibition is mediated by the pesticide's action at the intracellular estrogen receptor. Because of the importance of sexual behaviors to reproductive fitness, the current results indicate that nonsteroidal, behavioral mechanism could contribute to chlordecone's neuroreproductive toxicity.
Preference based scheduling for medical residents and interns at the University of Virginia

At the University of Virginia (UVa) Hospital, medical residents and interns serve month-long rotations through different medical specialties. The competing considerations governing the annual assignment and scheduling of rotations are complex, including hospital staffing requirements, individual preferences for specialties and holidays, breadth of exposure, and externally imposed regulations on duty hours. In this paper, we describe the development of a fully-integrated software system that relieves the chief resident in internal medicine from the difficult and time-consuming task of manual schedule preparation. The system features online data collection, storage, and retrieval and incorporates Gurobi linear solver for optimal schedule generation. The system has been demonstrated to yield schedules that are at least as good as (and often superior to) those developed manually, at an annual savings of more than two-hundred hours of professional time. With minor customization, the system could be applied to hospitals across the country, potentially saving millions of dollars, improving the quality of both graduate medical education and overall patient care.
Kinetics studies of the reaction of the ruthenium porphyrin Ru(OEP)(CO) with the S-nitrosothiol N-acetyl-1-amino-2-methylpropyl-2-thionitrite.

Abstract The reaction of the S -nitrosothiol compound N -acetyl-1-amino-2-methylpropyl-2-thionitrite (RSNO) with the model metalloporphyrin complex Ru II (OEP)(CO) (OEP = octaethylporphyrinato dianion) gives the addition product trans -Ru II (OEP)(NO)(SR). Here we report the details of a stopped flow kinetics investigation which demonstrates the rapid equilibrium formation of an intermediate concluded to be S -bound RSNO complex Ru II (OEP)(RSNO)(CO), which undergoes a rate-limiting step, presumably S-NO bond cleavage to give a second intermediate Ru III (OEP)(SR)(CO) too short lived for direct observation. Notably, this is different from the nitrogen coordination pathway often proposed and represents an alternative mechanism by which S -nitrosothiols may be formed or decomposed in the presence of redox active metal centers. Also reported is a brief study of the quantitative photochemistry of RSNO, the photodecomposition of which complicates the kinetics studies by spectroscopic techniques.
Effects of diffraction and experimental geometry on acoustic beam reflection from a fluid-loaded plate: a 3-D analysis

This article presents an accurate, approximate analysis for the receiver voltage in a geometry with bounded acoustic beams reflected from fluid-loaded structures. The relationship between reflection coefficient poles and transducer voltage minima is calculated and discussed. A series of precision experiments on a uniform, homogeneous plate is shown to validate the calculation. These results have significance for material property extraction from reflection measurements on fluid-loaded structures.
Cloudtop: a workspace for the cloud

Even as users rely more on the web for their computing needs, they continue to depend on a desktop-like area for quick access to in-use resources. The traditional desktop is file-centric and prone to clutter, making it suboptimal for use in a web-dominated world. This paper introduces Cloudtop, a browser plugin that offers a lightweight workplace for temporary items, optimized around the idea that its contents originate from and will ultimately return to the web. Cloudtop improves upon the desktop by 1) implementing a simple, time-based notebook metaphor for managing clutter, 2) capturing and bundling extensible metadata for web resources, and 3) providing a platform for greater interface uniformity across sites.
Sound Transmission Into Incubators in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

OBJECTIVE: To measure the attenuation of sound by modern incubators. STUDY DESIGN: LEQ, LMAX, LPEAK, and frequency distribution were measured simultaneously inside and outside two recent model incubators. RESULTS: The attenuation of sound (outside minus inside) was 15 to 18 dBA with the motor off and 4 to 8 dBA with the motor on. There was a significant difference between incubators in their attenuation of sound. Octave band analysis showed attenuation in frequency bands of >31.5 Hz with the motor off. With the motor on, the sound level inside the incubator was higher than outside at frequency bands of <250 Hz. CONCLUSION: Caring for infants inside modern incubators reduces “averaged” sound exposure to levels near those recommended for the neonatal intensive care unit. Lower frequency sounds are louder inside the incubator and arise from the incubator motor.