cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ignition, Burning and Extinction of a Strained Fuel Strip with Complex Kinetics

Flame structure and ignition and extinction processes associated with a strained fuel strip are explored numerically using detailed transport and complex kinetics for a propane-air reaction. Ignition modes are identified that are similar to those predicted by one-step activation energy asymptotics, i.e., modes in which diffusion flames can ignite as independent or dependent interfaces and modes in which single premixed or partially premixed flames ignite and burn. These ignition modes have been found to be dependent on critical combinations of strain rate, fuel strip thickness and initial reactant temperatures. The formation of NO/NO2 is found to be strongly dependent on strain rate and the local molecular mixing of reactants which occurs as a consequence of strain. Extinction in this configuration is seen to occur due to fuel consumption by adjacent flames, although viscosity is seen to have the effect of delaying extinction by reducing the effective strain rate experienced by the flames. Response of the flames to oscillatory strain rates is seen to be strongly dependent on the amplitude and frequency of the oscillation.
“Saddle-point” ionization

Abstract We have studied the ionization of rare gases by protons at intermediate energies, i.e., energies at which the velocities of the proton and the target-gas valence electrons are comparable. A significant channel for electron production in the forward direction is shown to be “saddle-point” ionization, in which electrons are stranded on or near the saddle-point of electric potential between the receding projectile and the ionized target. Such electrons yield characteristic energy spectra, and contribute significantly to forward-electron-production cross sections. Classical trajectory Monte Carlo calculations are found to provide qualitative agreement with our measurements and the earlier measurements of Rudd and coworkers, and reproduce, in detail, the features of the general ionization spectra.
THE RELEASE, SETTLEMENT AND GERMINATION OF ZOOSPORES IN CHORDA TOMENTOSA (PHAEOPHYCEAE, LAMINARIALES)1,2

SUMMARY Details of zoospore germination in Chorda tomentosa Lyngb. are outlined. Uninucleate zoospores, when released are embedded in a mucilaginous mass of carbohydrate which dissolves and the biflagellate zoospores become motile. The long anterior flagellum is composed of a highly coiled terminal region and a rigid lower section bearing mastigonemes. The rigid, short posterior flagellum lacks mastigonemes. After initial contact by the tightly coiled region of the anterior flagellum, the zoospore draws itself to the substrate by flagellar resorbtion. After deposition of 3 wall layers the germling produces a germ tube. During this time the disc-shaped chloroplast enlarges undergoing changes in shape. As the germ tubes reach ca. 15 μm they cease forward growth and swell at their tips. The majority of cytoplasm of the original zoospore moves into the tube. Just before the nucleus enters the tube, centriole replication occurs. Mitosis is presumed to take place somewhere in the germ tube so that at 24 h, 2-celled gametophytes are produced.
Feeling connected? Or just plain wired?

Let's have a show of hands. Who feels tied down-rather than liberated-by all the new electronic gadgets? Yay? Nay? Can't even raise a hand because you're going through your voice mail messages on your cell phone as you navigate rush-hour traffic while slurping a latte?
Abstract 1309: ERβ1 induces apoptosis in lung cancer cells by regulating growth factor signaling.

Estrogens have recently been associated with the clinical outcome of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The wild-type estrogen receptor β (ERβ1) one of the mediators of the estrogen signaling in cells is expressed in lung cancer. However, the role of ERβ1 in NSCLC cell growth has not been fully elucidated. Here we show that induction of ERβ1 expression inhibited cell growth in H1299 and A549 NSCLC cells. Treatment of these cells with the ERβ agonists 17β-estradiol or 3β-Adiol further decreased cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. ERβ1 was found to induce apoptosis through stimulation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway that involves upregulation of the proapoptotic protein Bim. Inactivation of the extracellular-signal-regulated kinases ERK1/2 was found to be involved in the ERβ1-mediated induction of apoptosis since treatment with EGF that activates ERK1/2 abolished the ability of ERβ1 to sustain the apoptotic phenotype. These results suggest that, by regulating NSCLC cell growth, ERβ1 could be an important factor in biology of lung cancer and a potentially useful component in the clinical management of the disease. Citation Format: Christoforos Thomas, Fotis Nikolos, Gayani Rajapaksa, Igor Bado, Jan-Ake Gustafsson. ERβ1 induces apoptosis in lung cancer cells by regulating growth factor signaling. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1309. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1309
Hydraulic Uncertainties in Flood Levee Capacity

This paper explores hydraulic uncertainty in flood levee capacity, which results from the inability of mathematical models and/or empirical equations to describe completely the physical flow process of floods. The hydraulic uncertainty is evaluated through a first‐order analysis of uncertainties of Manning's equation. This study shows that the roughness coefficient and the friction slope dominate the variation in hydraulic uncertainty in that they account for 95% of the hydraulic uncertainty. A procedure is developed for determining the hydraulic effect of friction slope uncertainty.
Topological defects as seeds for eternal inflation.

We investigate the global structure of an inflationary universe both by analytical methods and by computer simulations of stochastic processes in the early Universe. We show that the global structure of an inflationary universe depends crucially on the mechanism of inflation. In the simplest models of chaotic inflation with the effective potentials ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\varphi}}}^{\mathit{n}}$ or ${\mathit{e}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\alpha}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\varphi}}}$ the Universe looks like a sea of a thermalized phase, surrounding permanently self-reproducing inflationary domains. On the other hand, in the theories where inflation may occur near a local extremum of the effective potential corresponding to a metastable state, the Universe looks like de Sitter space surrounding islands of a thermalized phase. A similar picture appears even if the state \ensuremath{\varphi}=0 is unstable but the effective potential has a discrete symmetry, e.g., the symmetry \ensuremath{\varphi}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}=-\ensuremath{\varphi}. In this case the Universe becomes divided into domains containing different phases (\ensuremath{\eta} or -\ensuremath{\eta}). These domains will be separated from each other by domain walls. However, unlike ordinary domain walls often discussed in the literature, these domain walls will inflate, and their thickness will exponentially grow. In the theories with continuous symmetries, inflation will generate exponentially expanding strings and monopoles surrounded by a thermalized phase. Inflating topological defects will be stable, and they will unceasingly produce new topological defects. This means that topological defects may play a role of indestructable seeds for eternal inflation.
Performance Evaluation of TCP over Optical Channels and Heterogeneous Networks

Next generation optical networks will soon provide users the capability to request and obtain end-to-end all optical 10 Gbps channels on demand. Individual users will use these channels to exchange large amounts of data and support applications for scientific collaborative work. These new applications, which expect steady transfer rates in the order of Gbps, will very likely use either TCP or a new transport layer protocol as the end-to-end communication protocol. In this paper, we investigate the performance of TCP and newer TCP versions over High Bandwidth Delay Product Channels (HBDPC), such as the on demand optical channels described above. In addition, we investigate the performance of these new TCP versions over wireless networks and according to old issues such as fairness. This is particularly important to make adoption decisions. Using simulations, we show that (1) the window-based mechanism of current TCP implementations is not suitable to achieve high link utilization and (2) congestion control mechanisms, such as the one utilized by TCP Vegas and Westwood are more appropriate and provide better performance. We also show that new TCP proposals, although perform better than current TCP versions, they still perform worse than TCP Vegas. In addition, we found that even though these newer versions improve TCP's performance over their original counterparts in HBDPC, they still have performance problems in wireless networks and present worse fairness problems than their old counterparts. We conclude that all these versions are still based on TCP's AIMD strategy or similar and therefore continue to be fairly blind in the way they increase and decrease their transmission rates. TCP will not be able to utilize the foreseen optical infrastructure adequately and support future applications if not redesigned to scale.
Automatic Optimizing of a Poorly Defined Process-I

This paper is concerned with a consideration of the characteristics of various processes for which automatic optimizing might be employed. An appraisal is given as to the effect of these characteristics on the type of strategies or control logic to be employed. Further, an over-all description of a digital computer program is included which was developed and used to obtain quantitative results in this study. A number of strategies which were investigated in detail are then reviewed. The effect of such factors as constraints, measurement noise, and quantization are mentioned. Finally, the effects of noise are briefly examined, techniques to modify the strategies are discussed, and the results of one experiment described.
Erratum for Improved Dispersion of a Fin-Stabilized Projectile Using a Passive Moveable Nose

References 1Black, Harold D., “A Passive System for Determining the Attitude of a Satellite,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 2, No. 7, 1964, pp. 1350, 1351. 2Lerner, Gerald M., “Three-Axis AttitudeDetermination,” Spacecraft Attitude Determination and Control, edited by James R. Wertz, D. Reidel, Dordrecht, the Netherlands, 1978, pp. 420– 428. 3Wahba, Grace, “A Least Squares Estimate of Spacecraft Attitude,”SIAM Review, Vol. 7, No. 3, 1965, p. 409. 4Markley, F. Landis, and Mortari, Daniele, “Quaternion Attitude Estimation Using Vector Observations,” Journal of the Astronautical Sciences, Vol. 48, No. 2/3, 2000, pp. 359–380. 5Shuster,M. D., and Oh, S. D., “Three-Axis Attitude Determination from Vector Observations,” Journal of GuidanceandControl, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1981, pp. 70–77. 6Markley, F. Landis, “AttitudeDetermination Using Vector Observations: A Fast Optimal Matrix Algorithm,” Journal of the Astronautical Sciences, Vol. 41, No. 2, 1993, pp. 261–280. 7Mortari, Daniele, “EULER-2 and EULER-n Algorithms for Attitude Determination from Vector Observations,” Space Technology, Vol. 16, No. 5/6, 1996, pp. 317–321.
Flow and transport in hierarchically fractured rock

We construct multiple realizations of hierarchical fracture networks with fractal dimensions between one and two, then simulate single-well pumping tests and natural-gradient tracer tests on them. We calculate averages and standard deviations of test results over the multiple realizations, and show individual results for selected cases to highlight key features of flow and transport through hierarchically fractured rock. These studies are intended to illustrate the range of possible behavior that can be obtained during fracture-dominated hydraulic and tracer tests, and provide insights into how to interpret field responses. The fractal dimension of the fracture network itself is generally larger than the fractal dimension of the flow field arising during a well test. The performance measures of the natural-gradient tracer tests, including the total flow through the fracture network, tracer travel time, front width, and maximum breakthrough concentration, can all be correlated to fractal dimension. Although some of the features observed in the flow and transport behavior within the hierarchically fractured rock have been observed by other authors using non-fractal fracture network concepts (e.g. channelized flow with early breakthrough times, crossing breakthrough curves), others arise directly from the fractal nature of the fracture network, in which variability occurs on all scales (e.g. front width and maximum breakthrough concentration that are constant over a wide range of fractal dimensions). Generally, transport simulations show large variability within a given realization and among realizations with the same fractal dimension, even in networks whose dimension is close to two. This finding is consistent with the large variability in experimental results observed at fractured rock field sites.
A lower-bound method for the dimension-free measurement of internal consistency

Abstract Many social science variables are composites of number of component variables. For example, a social class measure may be obtained as a sum of occupation, income, dwelling area, and education measures. Generally, the components represent different aspects or facets of an attribute. A special case occurs when the components presumably measure the same aspects of an attribute; this is the well-known case of reliability. We obtain an index of the quality of the composite, as indicated by the internal consistency among the components. The more highly interrelated the components are, the more adequately the composite represents the components. We make some rather natural assumptions and derive a lower-bound index, called coefficient theta, for the internal consistency of the composite. Theta provides a better lower bound for the measurement of internal consistency than a typically-used index, coefficient alpha, although it is more difficult to compute. We present a significance test to determine whether θ = 0 in the population. Finally, a number of examples are presented. In an appendix we prove that θ ≥ α.
Regulation of feeding and ovipositional success ofAmblyomma americanum ticks

Duration of the adult femaleAmblyomma americanum feeding period was found to be dependent upon male receptiveness to mating, which was in turn dependent upon when males were placed with females. Prolonging the time to mating by 5 days had no effect on female engorgement weight or length of the preovipositional period, but prolonging mating by 10 days substantially decreased the number of ovipositing females and ablated egg viability. In the absence of males, females were severely stunted in size and had to be forcibly removed from the host.
Identification and N-consistent estimation of a nonlinear panel data model with correlated unobserved effects

Abstract This paper investigates identification and root- n -consistent estimation of a class of single-index panel data models in which the link function is unknown, the unobserved individual effects may be correlated with all the explanatory variables, and all the explanatory variables may be predetermined. We propose two sets of sufficient conditions, one in which link function is assumed to be strictly increasing, and the other in which it is not. We propose simple kernel-based estimators for the models, and derive consistency and asymptotic normality results for the proposed estimators. Finally, we present results of two Monte Carlo studies of the estimators.
The Law and Policy of Biodiversity Conservation in the Caribbean: Cutting a Gordian Knot

Once upon a time, not very long ago, the Caribbean seemed like an ideal region in which to demonstrate the power and efficacy of international environmental law for solving many if not most of the ...
Effects of core histone tail domains on the equilibrium constants for dynamic DNA site accessibility in nucleosomes.

The N and C-terminal tail domains of the core histones play important roles in gene regulation, but the mechanisms through which they act are not known. These tail domains are highly positively charged and are the sites of numerous post-translational modifications, including many sites for lysine acetylation. Nucleosomes in which these tail domains have been removed by trypsin remain otherwise intact, and are used by many laboratories as a model system for highly acetylated nucleosomes. Here, we test the hypothesis that one role of the tail domains is to directly regulate the accessibility of nucleosomal DNA to other DNA-binding proteins. Three assays are used: equilibrium binding by a site-specific, DNA-binding protein, and dynamic accessibility to restriction enzymes or to a non-specific exonuclease. The effects of removal of the tail domains as monitored by each of these assays can be understood within the framework of the site exposure model for the dynamic equilibrium accessibility of target sites located within the nucleosomal DNA. Removal of the tail domains leads to a 1.5 to 14-fold increase in position-dependent equilibrium constants for site exposure. The smallness of the effect weighs against models for gene activation in which histone acetylation is a mandatory initial event, required to facilitate subsequent access of regulatory proteins to nucleosomal DNA target sites. Alternative roles for histone acetylation in gene regulation are discussed.
Goniometric characteristics of optical fibres for temperature measurement in diesel engine exhaust filters

The accurate in situ, non-contact measurement of the temperature distribution within diesel after-treatment filters requires the employment of optical fibres with special tip geometry. The goniometric characteristics of optical fibres with flat, 45° angled and bent and polished tips are studied such that the specific radiation acceptance region can be determined. One 2 mm diameter fused silica and two 0.425 mm diameter sapphire optical fibres are examined. Detailed discussion of the relative intensity profiles observed for these fibres is presented. Of the three fibres evaluated, the 45° angled tip geometry provides the most precise response for measuring radiation emitted from the internal filter walls. Exploiting the characteristics of total internal reflection, the 45° angled tip fibre accepts the maximum quantity of incident radiation at an angle perpendicular to the optical axis.
Carboniferous Stratigraphy of Northwestern Kansu.

(Abstract) The specimen is collected from a small outcrop near the Lolo village of Mao Mao Kou, some 30 km. N.N.W. of Hui Li district in S. Szechuan, on the N. slope of Lung Tsao Shan, a prominant mountain some 8,000 feet above the sea, entirely covered by a basaltic lava of Permian age. The latter weathers into a residual red clay which covers the lower slopes. The contact of the syenite with the Lung Tsao Shan lava was not observed owing to the thick cover. East of the occurrence a series of steep dipping red shales appears. The exact relation of this series with the syenite is not clear, but it is probable that they are in actual contact. Further east the red shale series is thrown into contact with a coal series containing Rhaetic plant fossils—probably by an overthrust as the whole coal series is highly folded.
Adaptive Helmholtz resonators and passive vibration absorbers for cylinder interior noise control

Abstract This paper presents an adaptive-passive solution to control the broadband sound transmission into rocket payload fairings. The treatment is composed of passive distributed vibration absorbers (DVAs) and adaptive Helmholtz resonators (HR). Both the frequency domain and time-domain model of a simply supported cylinder excited by an external plane wave are developed. To tune vibration absorbers to tonal excitation, a tuning strategy, based on the phase information between the velocity of the absorber mass and the velocity of the host structure is used here in a new fashion to tune resonators to peaks in the broadband acoustic spectrum of a cavity. This tuning law, called the dot-product method, only uses two microphone signals local to each HR, which allows the adaptive Helmholtz resonator (AHR) to be manufactured as an autonomous device with power supply, sensor, actuator and controller integrated. Numerical simulations corresponding to a 2.8 m long 2.5 m diameter composite cylinder prototype demonstrate that, as long as the structure modes, which strongly couple to the acoustic cavity, are damped with a DVA treatment, the dot-product method tune multiple HRs to a near-optimal solution over a broad frequency range (40–160 Hz). An adaptive HR prototype with variable opening is built and characterized. Experiments conducted on the cylinder prototype with eight AHRs demonstrate the ability of resonators adapted with the dot-product method to converge to near-optimal noise attenuation in a frequency band including multiple resonances.
Investigating efficacy of two brief mind–body intervention programs for managing sleep disturbance in cancer survivors: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Purpose After completing treatment, cancer survivors may suffer from a multitude of physical and mental health impairments, resulting in compromised quality of life. This exploratory study investigated whether two mind–body interventions, i.e., Mind–Body Bridging (MBB) and Mindfulness Meditation (MM), could improve posttreatment cancer survivors’ self-reported sleep disturbance and comorbid symptoms, as compared to sleep hygiene education (SHE) as an active control.
An alternate interface to computers for the physically handicapped: the auto-monitoring communication board

For many individuals severe physical handicaps have completely cut off most avenues of personal development and employment. Their physical involvement bars them from any constructive or creative activities requiring physical or manipulative abilities. Moreover, their inability to speak, write or efficiently operate even simple communication devices severely impairs their ability to develop and exercise their mental capacities. This latter problem is basically an output problem in which a normally functioning intellect is trapped within a body having no effective means of communicating or interacting with the environment. Fortunately with today's technology, especially micro electronics and the computer, new avenues are being opened for these individuals which promise them not only a chance for a more effective education and a more meaningful mode of self expression, but also a means of self support through employment.
Internationalizing the business ethics curriculum: A survey

This article reports on a telephone survey of business school faculty in the United Kingdom, Asia and North America concerning efforts to internationalize the teaching of business ethics. International dimensions of business ethics are currently given only limited coverage in the business school curriculum with over half of the faculty surveyed indicating that less then 10% of their ethics teaching focuses on global issues. Teaching objectives vary widely with some faculty emphasizing a relativistic, diversity oriented perspective while others stress the universality of values. The respondents identified a great need to develop teaching materials based upon non-U.S. corporations and/or non-U.S. incidents.
Economics of intercropping loblolly pine and switchgrass for bioenergy markets in the southeastern United States

The main objective of this study was to assess the economics of alley cropping of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the southern United States. Assuming a price range of switchgrass between $15 and $50 Mg−1 and yield of 12 Mg ha−1 year−1, we investigated the effect of switchgrass production on the optimal forest management for loblolly pine stands under different stumpage prices. We considered the following potential scenarios: no competition between species for resources; reduced loblolly pine productivity due to competition with switchgrass; and reduced productivity of both species due to competition for nutrients, water and light. Findings also suggested that the optimal system would depend on the competitive interactions between switchgrass and loblolly pine crops, and the expected prices for each crop. Loblolly pine monoculture would be the most profitable option for landowners compared to intercropping systems with switchgrass below $30 Mg−1. However, when switchgrass prices are ≥$30 Mg−1, landowners would be financially better off adopting intercropping if competitive interaction between crops were minimal. In order to realize higher economic returns for intercropping system, forest landowners must make some efforts in order to diminish the decline of productivity.
Effect of l-methionine and vitamin B12 on methionine biosynthesis in Escherichia coli

Abstract The repression of several enzymes involved in methionine synthesis in Escherichia coli by either methionine or vitamin B 12 has been investigated. l -Methionine, at 10 −2 m in the growth medium, yielded the following results: 83% repression of the non-B 12 transmethylase; 77% repression of N 5,10 -methylene-H 4 -folate reductase; and 75% repression of β-cystathionase. Vitamin B 12 , at 10 −9 m , showed 99% repression of the non-B 12 transmethylase, 78% repression of N 5,10 -methylene-H 4 -folate reductase, and no repression of β-cystathionase. The significantly higher repression of the non-B 12 transmethylase by vitamin B 12 when compared to methionine, in conjunction with the lack of β-cystathionase repression by the vitamin, suggested that repression by the vitamin was not due to an increase in intracellular methionine formed. This was corroborated by direct assay of intracellular methionine levels which showed no increase after growth of the organism in the presence of the vitamin. However, the studies with other cobamides suggested that repression of the non-B 12 transmethylase by vitamin B 12 was dependent on formation of the B 12 transmethylase holoenzyme. These data indicate that the vitamin and methionine may cause repression of the non-B 12 enzyme by different mechanisms.
Detectability of buried mines in 3- to 5-μm and 8-to 12-μm regions for various soils using hyperspectral signatures

This is a follow-up work to analyze completely the detectability of the buried mines for the spectral regions extending from Visible/Near IR (VNIR) to Longwave IR (LWIR). Similar to previous work focusing on the VNIR region (1) this paper presents the quantitative detectability of the buried mines in the 3-5)mum and 8-12)mum regions. Specifically, this paper presents a statistical analysis for the buried mines in specified spectral regions for various soils and burial durations. As shown in the previous work (1) the performance based on the single hypothesis test using the distance measure was better than the intensity thresholding method. This paper focuses on only the distance measure method for statistical analysis of the data, and subsequently, classification to quantify the detectability of the buried mines in the 3 to 5 and 8 to 12 micron regions.
Factors influencing self‐directed career management: an integrative investigation

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the protean career and other variables, including organizational learning climate, individual calling work orientation, and demographic variables.Design/methodology/approach – The research data were obtained from a sample consisting of 292 employees of two South Korean manufacturing companies in the private sector. To collect the research data, this study employed the web survey method.Findings – The study results showed that two organizational learning climates – embedded system and system connection – and calling orientation had significant positive relationship with the protean career. Demographic variables did not relate significantly to the protean career.Research limitations/implications – This paper provides an empirical approach to related environmental and psychological variables influencing the protean career based on the literature review.Practical implications – The results have implications for both researchers and practitioner...
The Rio Principles and our responsibilities of ocean stewardship

The 1992 Rio Principles confirm the responsibilities of all countries to prevent damage outside their borders, to use the precautionary approach, to internalize environmental costs, to prepare environmental impact assessments with full public participation, and to consult with other affected countries whenever planned activities may cause harm to others. These Principles are primarily procedural, however, and they ignore the need to protect biodiversity and rare and fragile ecosystems, as well as the substantive ideas encompassed in the Public Trust Doctrine. Principle 13 chides nations for their reluctance to develop mechanisms to ensure liability and facilitate compensation for environmental damage caused to areas beyond national jurisdiction. Recent initiatives at the World Bank and through NAFTA provide useful examples of how environmental concerns can be incorporated into international decision making.
Stabilization of helix by side-chain interactions in histatin-derived peptides: role in candidacidal activity.

Abstract Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen prevalent in AIDS patients and oral candidiasis. Azole-based drugs are currently used in the treatment of candidiasis. Histidine-rich peptides (histatins), are the natural inhibitors of candida species present in human salivary secretions. Sequence comparison of histatins revealed the common motif –KRKFHE– in active peptide fragments. Molecular modeling analysis showed structural similarity between this segment of histatins and azole-based drugs. The helical conformation adopted by histatin-5 may be stabilized by two side chain–side chain interactions (Phe . . . His and Arg . . . Glu). Based on sequence comparison of histatin peptides and molecular modeling, a synthetic 10-residue peptide derived from histatin-5 was helical and possessed significant anti candida activity. This peptide may be used as a template to develop histatin-based drugs for treating oral candidiasis.
1.14-GHz self-aligned vibrating micromechanical disk resonator

Micromechanical radial-contour mode disk resonators featuring new self-aligned stems have been demonstrated with record resonance frequencies up to 1.14 GHz and measured Q's at this frequency >1,500 in both vacuum and air. In addition, a 733-MHz version has been demonstrated with Q's of 7,330 and 6,100 in vacuum and air, respectively. For these resonators, self-alignment of the stem to exactly the center of the disk it supports allows balancing of the resonator far superior to that achieved by previous versions (where separate masks were used to define the disk and stem), allowing the present devices to retain high Q while achieving frequencies in the GHz range for the first time. In addition to providing measured results, this paper formulates an equivalent electrical circuit model that accurately predicts the performance of this disk resonator.
Multiagent learning through neuroevolution

Neuroevolution is a promising approach for constructing intelligent agents in many complex tasks such as games, robotics, and decision making. It is also well suited for evolving team behavior for many multiagent tasks. However, new challenges and opportunities emerge in such tasks, including facilitating cooperation through reward sharing and communication, accelerating evolution through social learning, and measuring how good the resulting solutions are. This paper reviews recent progress in these three areas, and suggests avenues for future work.
Modernizing Political Science: A Model-Based Approach

Although the use of models has come to dominate much of the scientific study of politics, the discipline’s understanding of the role or function that models play in the scientific enterprise has not kept pace. We argue that models should be assessed for their usefulness for a particular purpose, not solely for the accuracy of their predictions. We provide a typology of the uses to which models may be put, and show how these uses are obscured by the field’s emphasis on model testing. Our approach highlights the centrality of models in scientific reasoning, avoids the logical inconsistencies of current practice, and offers political scientists a new way of thinking about the relationship between the natural world and the models with which we are so familiar.
Differential sensitivity of mouse oocytes to colchicine-induced aneuploidy

Unpublished results from our laboratory showed that colchicine increased the incidence of hyperploid mouse metaphase II (MII) oocytes when injected at the same time as human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG). The objective of the present study was to determine whether the time of administering colchicine influenced the incidence of aneuploidy in MII oocytes. CD-1 mice were given pregnant mare's serum (PMS) and, 48 hr later, HCG. An intraperitoneal injection of 0.2 mg/kg colchicine was given at +4, +2, 0, -2, or -4 hr relative to HCG. Oocytes were collected 17 hr post-HCG and processed, and chromosomes were subsequently C-banded. The percentage of hyperploid oocytes was 0.77, 2.56, 5.71, 7.79, 3.54, and 2.70 for control, +4, +2, 0, -2, or -4 hr pre/post-HCG, respectively. Chi-square analyses of these data demonstrated that colchicine significantly increases the proportion of aneuploid oocytes, and that the relative sensitivity of colchicine-induced aneuploidy depends upon the time that this drug is administered relative to HCG.
The Effects of Renewable Portfolio Standards on Carbon Intensity in the United States

US state carbon intensities are highly heterogeneous, and few studies have been aimed at identifying the causes of these differences among states. Determining the factors that enable certain states to develop their economies on a less carbon-intensive trajectory can give us insight into how those state characteristics or policies can be replicated to achieve lower carbon intensities in other economies. Our study finds that renewable portfolio standards (RPS) have already had a negative and significant impact on carbon intensities through their influence on state electricity prices. Additionally, we show that the adoption of RPS reduced overall US carbon emissions by 4 percent by 2010.
The Fossil Flora of the Winthrop Formation (Albian-Early Cretaceous) of Washington State, USA. Part II: Pinophytina

ABSTRACT The Winthrop Flora is of middle to late Albian age (Early Cretaceous) and occurs in the Methow basin of north-central Washington State, USA. With an estimated diversity of more than 150 species, the Winthrop is the most diverse flora yet described from the Early Cretaceous of North America. This paper deals with the 38 species of gymnosperms or Pinophytina of the Winthrop Formation, consisting of three species of Pteridospermopsida, three of Cycadopsida, three of Ginkgoopsida, nine of Bennittopsida, 15 of conifers or Pinopsida, and five species whose assignment is uncertain below the level of the gymnosperms. We describe four new genera and 21 new species of Pinophytina. Overall, the gymnosperm component of the flora is concordant with that of other late Early Cretaceous floras of the Northern Hemisphere. However, several of its species are similar to those found in Jurassic sediments from Mexico and Central America and some of the cycadophytes and conifers have what we interpret as xeromorphic f...
The Differentiation of Quality among Auditors: Evidence from the Not‐for‐Profit Sector

The association between auditor size and audit quality is examined for a sample of not‐for‐profit (NFP) entities. The audit quality measure is based on the entities' compliance with eight GAAP reporting requirements. The numbers on compliance supports policymakers' contention (prior to the recent issuance of three new statements) that reporting by NFPs was inconsistent. Of the eight reporting requirements examined, noncompliance is highest for those that pertain specifically to NFPs, for example, disclosures about pledges and donated materials. However, the extent of noncompliance decreases as one moves from the small non‐Big 6 to the large non‐Big 6 and from the large non‐Big 6 to the then Big 6. This positive association between auditor size and audit quality is borne out in multivariate regression analyses, after controlling for other correlates of audit quality. Another measure of audit firm size, based on the number of professionals employed by the firm, further confirms this finding. In addition, th...
Prioritized parallel transmission MAC protocol and its performance in a simplified all-IP wireless WAN

The selection of medium access control protocol is a critical and pending issue for all-IP wireless network. MAC is classified as serial transmission MAC protocol and parallel transmission MAC protocol. A prioritized parallel transmission MAC (PPTM) protocol has been proposed for all-IP wireless network in our previous work. In this paper, we evaluate its performance in a simplified all-IP wireless wide area network and conclude that PPTM performs better than modified channel load sensing protocol (MCLSP) does.
High quality, continuous measurements of CO2 in Biosphere 2 to assess whole mesocosm carbon cycling

Accurate measurements of atmospheric CO2 concentrations are performed routinely in a variety of experimental settings including open fields and forests, leaf gas-exchange chambers, phytotrons and specialized growth chambers. However, the accurate monitoring of large scale structurally and biologically complex experimental systems, operating as materially closed systems, is not widely reported. Here we report the design elements, material specifications and other details for high precision monitoring of CO2 in Biosphere 2, a large scale ecologically diverse experimental facility located in Oracle, AZ. The results are used to illustrate how carbon balance in a temporarily isolated sub-system of the facility is used to assess carbon dynamics under different environmental conditions such as variable atmospheric CO2 levels, temperature, light, and soil moisture. The analytical system described here should be applicable for any settings in which continuous, high accuracy measurements of CO2 in a complex system are needed for quantitative research. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Plus-end tracking proteins, CLASPs, and a viral Akt mimic regulate herpesvirus-induced stable microtubule formation and virus spread

Although microtubules (MTs) frequently form highly dynamic networks, subsets of MTs become stabilized in response to environmental cues and function as specialized tracks for vesicle and macromolecular trafficking. MT stabilization is controlled by specialized plus-end tracking proteins (+TIPs) whose accumulation at the MT ends is facilitated by the end-binding protein, EB1, and regulated by various signaling pathways. As cargoes themselves, viruses are dependent on MTs for their intracellular movement. Although many viruses affect MT organization, the potential contribution of MT stabilization by +TIPs to infection remains unknown. Here we show that early in infection of primary human fibroblasts, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) disrupts the centrosome, the primary MT organizing center in many cell types. As infection progresses HSV-1 induces the formation of stable MT subsets through inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase 3beta by the viral Ser/Thr kinase, Us3. Stable MT formation is reduced in cells infected with Us3 mutants and those stable MTs that form cluster around the trans-Golgi network. Downstream of glycogen synthase kinase 3beta, cytoplasmic linker-associated proteins (CLASPs), specialized host +TIPs that control MT formation at the trans-Golgi network and cortical capture, are specifically required for virus-induced MT stabilization and HSV-1 spread. Our findings demonstrate the biological importance of +TIPs to viral infection and suggest that HSV-1 has evolved to exploit the trans-Golgi network as an alternate MT organizing center to facilitate virus spread.
Pycnogenol inhibits generation of inflammatory mediators in macrophages

Abstract Pycnogenol (procyanidins extracted from the bark of Pinus maritima Aiton) is a potent free radical scavenger. In this study, we used macrophages (a major cell type in inflammation) to study the antiinflammatory effect of pycnogenol. We determined the effects of pycnogenol on peroxide generation and on glutathione (GSH)-dependent and GSH-independent antioxidant systems. J774 cells were incubated with pycnogenol at 37°C and 5% CO 2 for 2 h. Generation of peroxides (one of the major mediators of inflammation) was triggered by zymosan and measured with a fluorometric assay. Pycnogenol exhibited a concentration-dependent suppression of peroxide release. To investigate possible mechanisms involved in pycnogenol's suppression of peroxide release, confluent monolayers of J774 cells were incubated with pycnogenol for 18 h, washed, resuspended in phosphate buffered saline, and sonicated to obtain a cell lysate. Biochemical assays were performed with the lysate. Pycnogenol increased the intracellular GSH content and activities of GSH peroxidase and GSH disulfide reductase, indicating its ability to modulate the GSH redox cycle. The activity of antioxidant enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase also increased with pycnogenol treatment. These results suggest that the antiinflammatory effect of pycnogenol may at least in part be due to its ability to modulate the GSH redox cycle and activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase.
The Predictive Validity of a Gender-Responsive Needs Assessment An Exploratory Study

Risk assessment and classification systems for women have been largely derived from male-based systems. As a result, many of the needs unique to women are not formally assessed or treated. Emerging research advocating a gender-responsive approach to the supervision and treatment of women offenders suggests that needs such as abuse, mental health, substance abuse, relationship difficulties, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and parenting issues are important treatment targets. Although these needs may be highly prevalent among women offenders, they have not been adequately tested to determine their relationships with future offending. In response, the present study sought to understand whether gender-responsive needs contributed as risk factors to poor prison adjustment and community recidivism. Additionally, several types of risk assessment models were explored to determine whether gender-responsive needs enhanced the validities of currently established risk classification systems (i.e., a state’s institutional...
Cobalt(III) complexes of macrocyclic-bidentate type as a new group of corrosion inhibitors for iron in perchloric acid

A new class of corrosion inhibitors for iron demonstrated by group of cobalt complex com- pounds, of the general formula (Co III (Rdtc)cyclam)(ClO4)2 (1)-(4) where cyclam is 1,4,8,11-tetraaza- cyclotetradecane and Rdtcrefer to piperidine-, 2-, 3- or 4-methylpiperidine-dithiocarbamates, respectively, has been studied. Investigation of inhibiting properties of the ligands themselves as well as their corresponding complexes with Co(III) ion, was performed in 0.1 M HClO4 by potentiody- namic polarization and EIS measurements. Cobalt complexes inhibit the corrosion of iron better than the uncomplexed ligands. Polarization curves suggest that complexes and amino-ligands are mixed-type and cathodic-type inhibitors, respectively. The impedance of the inhibited substrate increased with increasing concentration of inhibitor. An equivalent circuit is suggested, based on the analysis of EIS spectra. Using molecular modeling calculations, the complex compounds were characterized in terms of their structural properties and inhibition activity. � 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Extensions of proportional-fair sharing algorithms for multi-access control of mobile communications: constraints and bursty data processes

We are concerned with the scheduling of transmitter time, bandwidth and power for multi-access mobile communications for data communications when the channels are randomly time varying. Time is divided into small scheduling intervals, called slots, and information on the current channel rates for the various users is available at the start of the slot, when the user selections are made. The proportional fair sharing method (PFS) balances the conflict between selecting the users with the best immediate rates and helping those with poor average throughputs. We have analyzed the convergence and basic qualitative properties (Kushner, H.J. and Whiting, P.A., Proc. Allerton Conf., 2002; IEEE Trans. Wireless Commun., vol.3, p.1250-9, 2004). The paths of the throughputs converge to the solution of an ODE, akin to a mean flow. The behavior of the ODE describes the behavior of PFS. It has a unique equilibrium point that is asymptotically stable and optimal for PFS in that it is the maximizer of a concave utility function. Most past work assumed an infinite backlog of data. The data arrival process is often bursty with the data queued until transmitted, minimal throughput constraints, or a balance between queue length (or delay) and throughput, might be sought. There might be preemption by priority users. Natural modifications of PFS for these cases are shown to have some of the same properties. Simulations illustrate many of the features and the possible tradeoffs.
Burrowing in frogs

More than 95% of burrowing Anura dig hindfeet first into the soil, a pattern unique to frogs among terrestrial vertebrates. The postero-laterally placed hindlimbs and associated musculature of frogs are preadaptations for hindfeet digging. One fossorial, backwards burrower, Glyphoglossus molossus (Microhylidae), has morphological modifications of the hindlimb for positioning the spade-like metatarsal tubercle and for increasing the force of the lower leg during digging. In contrast, in the headfirst burrower Hemisus marmoratus (Ranidae) there is extensive reorganization of the pectoral-cranial morphology compared to that: of a non-burrowing confamilial species. A model links the shifts in the pectoral morphology in Hemisus marmoratus to specific action patterns of headfirst: burrowing. Finally, data on stomach contents, natural history and energy utilization of frog species are presented to demonstrate the interrelationships of distinct loco. motor patterns with specific feeding strategies.
A minimax approach to the design of Doppler filters

The detection of a target in correlated clutter, thermal noise, and extraneous interference is considered. The amplitude, phase and Doppler frequency of the signal are not known a priori. A general criterion is presented which measures the performance of a suboptimal test relative to an optimal test. The criterion is encompassed into a design procedure used to design Doppler filters. The procedure allows many design considerations to be taken into account, and results in a design which attempts to minimize the number of filters required. For low dimensionality the procedure results in single filter designs; for higher dimensionality multiple filters are designed. The performances of these systems are compared with the results obtained by Emerson (1978) and Andrews (1974). It is found that the procedure yields good filter designs under general conditions and may reduce the number of filters required compared with classical designs. >