cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kupče, Ēriks: Reflections, Projections and Adiabatic Passages

A short historical sketch of a scientist's route to the world of NMR spectroscopy that started behind the iron curtain is presented. A brief account on the associated research in the fields of selective excitation, adiabatic pulses, fast techniques, particularly Hadamard spectroscopy, the projection-reconstruction method, hyperdimensional NMR, and parallel NMR spectroscopy is given. Keywords: selective excitation; adiabatic pulses; adiabatic decoupling; fast techniques; Hadamard spectroscopy; projection-reconstruction; backprojection; hyperdimensional NMR; parallel NMR spectroscopy; PANACEA
Dielectric Dispersion of Polycrystalline Aluminum Nitride at Microwave Frequencies

Complex permittivity of polycrystalline AlN was measured over the frequency range 100 MHz to 13 GHz using reflection coefficient and cavity resonator methods. Dielectric relaxation peaks of loss tangent were observed in the frequency range 200 MHz to 3 GHz. The maximum value of loss tangent was ∼200 × 10−4. Relative permittivities decreased by ∼4% with increased frequency at the region of relaxation peaks. It was shown that these dispersion frequencies were inversely proportional to the grain sizes of AlN and independent of purities and processes. Model calculations for elastic vibration of a single-crystal grain of AlN were performed to investigate the origin of the dielectric dispersion due to piezoelectric effect. The calculated results of elastic sphere and 14-faced-polyhedron models showed a good quantitative agreement with the observed dispersion frequencies, which suggested that the dispersion was due to a piezoelectric vibration of a single grain of AlN ceramics at microwave frequencies.
Experimenter and subject sex effects in the skin conductance response.

The present study was designed to determine the significance of the experimenter's sex on the subject's skin conductance responsiveness and to ascertain the nature and extent of sex differences in basal skin conductance, skin conductance response (SCR) magnitude, and spontaneous skin resistance (SRR) activity. The responses of 30 male and 30 female Ss were recorded by 3 male and 3 female experimental assistants. Following a brief adaptation period, all Ss received 20 5-sec bursts of 75 dB white noise. Variable stimulus intervals were employed. Male Ss serving in the female E condition evidenced significantly higher basal conductance levels and a more rapid decrease in basal conductance levels over trials. Skin resistance response magnitude data showed a significant Experimenter Sex X Trials interaction such that all Ss serving in the female E condition failed to habituate. An analysis of spontaneous SRR activity showed that Ss serving in the other-sex E condition emitted more spontaneous responses. All Ss showed a significant decrease in spontaneous activity across trials.
Topiramate concentration in saliva: an alternative to serum monitoring.

Abstract This study examines the relationship between serum and saliva topiramate concentrations, and attempts to determine if saliva may be a useful alternative to serum for therapeutic monitoring. Saliva and blood specimens were collected from 31 epilepsy patients (mean age 10.5 ± 6.0 years; range 2.5 years to 24.8 years), and topiramate concentrations were determined by fluorescence polarization immunoassay. One patient's results were omitted because the saliva concentration was below the limit of quantitation of the assay. A strong correlation exists between serum and saliva topiramate concentrations (adjusted r 2 = 0.97, n=30, P
Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy and the Epidemic of HIV+ End-Stage Renal Disease

The rise in the number of patients with HIV-associated nephropathy and HIV-infection with end-stage renal disease (HIV+ ESRD) continues to be a substantial concern for the ESRD program. In order to assess the impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the progression of patients with AIDS to the development of ESRD and to project the prevalence of HIV+ ESRD through 2020, a mathematical model of the dynamics of HIV+ infection in the ESRD population was developed. Epidemiologic data on AIDS and HIV+ ESRD among black individuals in the United States were obtained since 1991 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and US Renal Data System, respectively. The model was constructed to predict the prevalence of HIV+ ESRD incorporating the current rate of growth in AIDS prevalence. Two possible trends were considered: linear AIDS growth and exponential AIDS growth. The likely effectiveness of HAART in slowing progression to HIV+ ESRD was estimated from the best fit of the model to the data after 1995, when HAART was introduced. The model was then used to evaluate recent data and to project the prevalence of HIV+ ESRD through 2020. The model suggested that HAART has reduced the rate of progression from AIDS to HIV+ ESRD by 38%. The model projected an increase in HIV+ ESRD prevalence in the future as a result of the increase in the AIDS population among black individuals. This increase was predicted even assuming a 95% reduction in the progression from AIDS to HIV+ ESRD. Despite the potential benefit of HAART, the prevalence of HIV+ ESRD in the United States is expected to rise in the future as a result of the expansion of the AIDS population among black individuals. It is concluded that prevention of progression to ESRD should focus on early antiretroviral treatment of HIV-infected patients who have evidence of HIV-associated nephropathy.
Refracted Knowledge: Viewing Families Through the Prism of Social Science

I reinforce a vision for family science in which we routinely step back from our research to consider the fit of the empirical world with the reality of everyday life. This vision suggests that we pursue the methodological advances of the past decade but remain mindful of the limitations of the scientific approach. Such mindfulness will help us attend to both similarity and variability in families and in family-life experience. A responsible social science also requires that we attend to rhetoric or how we communicate. I reflect on the practice of humility as a way to achieve these goals. Language: en
Risk Factors for Traumatic Physical Injury During Sexual Assaults for Male and Female Victims

This study presents the frequency and correlates of traumatic injury during sexual assaults for male and female victims. Sexual assaults (6,877 total, 6,213 among females, 664 among males) were reported in South Carolina from October 1991 to September 1994 through the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Incident Based Reporting System. Sexual assaults were defined to include vaginal rape, sodomy, and sexual assaults with objects. Among sexually assaulted females, 28.5% had traumatic physical injuries compared with 18.4% of similarly assaulted males. Risk factors for nongenital traumatic injury during sexual assault included: increasing number of assailants (females only), being sodomized (females only), weapon use by assailant, being kidnapped (females only), being assaulted by intimates or strangers (females only), African American race (males only), and use of alcohol or other drugs. Avoiding environments in which drugs and alcohol are abused may reduce one's risk of traumatic physical injury dur...
Sub-10 nanometre fabrication: molecular templating, electron-beam sculpting and crystallization of metallic nanowires

Homogeneous metallic nanowires with diameters below 10 nm are produced by sputter coating suspended DNA molecules and/or carbon nanotubes. A fabrication method is described that allows 'e-beam nanosculpting', i.e. local modification of the shape of nanowires, with a resolution of ~3 nm. The process is performed with a focused electron beam (e-beam) in a transmission electron microscope, under direct visual control. We also demonstrate that e-beam radiation can induce local crystallization of nanowires. This method could be used to fabricate novel electronic devices, e.g. single-electron tunnelling transistors, with dimensions below 10 nm, possibly operating at room temperature.
Flavonoid regulation of EAG1 channels

The voltage-gated, K(+)-selective ether a go-go 1 (EAG1) channel is expressed throughout the brain where it is thought to regulate neuronal excitability. Besides its normal physiological role in the brain, EAG1 is abnormally expressed in several cancer cell types and promotes tumor progression. Like all other channels in the KCNH family, EAG1 channels have a large intracellular carboxy-terminal region that shares structural similarity with cyclic nucleotide-binding homology domains (CNBHDs). EAG1 channels, however, are not regulated by the direct binding of cyclic nucleotides and have no known endogenous ligands. In a screen of biological metabolites, we have now identified four flavonoids as potentiators of EAG1 channels: fisetin, quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol. These four flavonoids shifted the voltage dependence of activation toward more hyperpolarizing potentials and slowed channel deactivation. All four flavonoids regulated channel gating with half-maximal concentrations of 2-8 µM. The potentiation of gating did not require the amino-terminal or post-CNBHD regions of EAG1 channels. However, in fluorescence resonance energy transfer and anisotropy-based binding assays, flavonoids bound to the purified CNBHD of EAG1 channels. The CNBHD of KCNH channels contains an intrinsic ligand, a conserved stretch of residues that occupy the cyclic nucleotide-binding pocket. Mutations of the intrinsic ligand in EAG1 (Y699A) potentiated gating similar to flavonoids, and flavonoids did not further potentiate EAG1-Y699A channels. Furthermore, the Y699A mutant CNBHD bound to flavonoids with higher affinity than wild-type CNBHD. These results suggest that the flavonoids identified here potentiated EAG1 channels by binding to the CNBHD, possibly by displacing their intrinsic ligand. EAG1 channels should be considered as a possible target for the physiological effects of flavonoids.
The Uncertainty Elimination in Discrete Topology Optimization of Compliant Mechanisms

Topology uncertainty leads to different topology solutions and makes topology optimization ambiguous. Point connection and grey cell might cause topology uncertainty. They are both eradicated when hybrid discretization model is used for discrete topology optimization. A common topology uncertainty in the current discrete topology optimization stems from mesh dependence. The topology solution of an optimized compliant mechanism might be uncertain when its design domain is discretized differently. To eliminate topology uncertainty from mesh dependence, the genus based topology optimization strategy is introduced in this paper. The topology of a compliant mechanism is defined by its genus which is the number of holes in the compliant mechanism. With this strategy, the genus of an optimized compliant mechanism is actively controlled during its topology optimization process. There is no topology uncertainty when this strategy is incorporated into discrete topology optimization. The introduced topology optimization strategy is demonstrated by examples with different degrees of genus.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Tubular multi‐bilayer polysaccharide biofilms on ultra‐thin cellulose fibers

Multiple bilayered polysaccharide biofilms have been assembled by electrostatic layer-by-layer (LBL), alternating deposition of cationic chitosan (CS, Mv = 405 kDa) and anionic dextran sulfate (DXS, Mw = 500 kDa) onto ultra-fine cellulose (CELL) and partially hydrolyzed cellulose acetate fibers with diameters ranging from 350 to 410 nm. While the surfaces of partially hydrolyzed (degrees of substitution of 1.14 or 0.2) and CELL fibers were equally hydrophilic, higher surface charges on the more hydrolyzed fibers afford thicker bilayers. The elestrostatic interactions between CS and DXS were enhanced by the presence of NaCl in the dipping and rinsing solutions to allow uniform deposition of sequential polysaccharide bilayers. At 0.25M NaCl, each CS/DXS bilayer averaged 6.4 to 9.0 nm thick with the total thickness of the five bilayer (CS/DXS)5 varied from 64 to 77 nm. The CS/DXS bilayers exhibited much reduced BET surface area and pore volume indicating that these polysaccharides were much more densely packed on the fully hydrolyzed CELL fibers. The findings proofed the concept that long chain polysaccharide electrolytes can be self-assembled as nanometer scale tubular bilayers on ultra-fine cellulose fibers to afford wholly polysaccharidic fibrous architecture. The electrolytic nature, chemical reactivity, and structural versatility of these ultra-high specific surface polysaccharides are advantageous and can be further tuned to serve biological functions and for biomedical applications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011
Ergosterol content of fungi associated with Dendroctonus ponderosae and Dendroctonus rufipennis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae)

Insects require sterols for normal growth, metamorphosis, and reproduction, yet they are unable to synthesize these organic compounds and are therefore dependent upon a dietary source. For phloephagous species, such as Dendroctonus bark beetles, whose food does not necessarily contain appropriate types or adequate quantities of sterols, fungal symbionts may provide an alternative source in the form of ergosterol. We determined and compared the relative amounts of ergosterol in the primary fungal associates of Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins and Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby. Ergosterol content of host tree phloem naturally infested with larvae (and their fungal symbionts) of both species also was compared with ergosterol contents in uninfested phloem tissue. Mycelia of Ophiostoma montium (Rumfold) von Arx and Ophiostoma clavigerum (Robinson-Jeffrey & Davidson) Harrington isolated from D. ponderosae mycangia, and Leptographium abietinum (Peck) Wingfield isolated from the exoskeleton of D. ruifpennis contained relatively large quantities of ergosterol, although no significant differences in content were found among these fungal species. Phloem colonized by larvae of both species contained significantly more ergosterol than did uninfested host phloem tissue. Our results suggest that larval life stages of D. ponderosae and D. rufipennis may obtain vital nutrients not only from the host tree phloem but also from fungal symbionts, in the form of ergosterol, while mining larval galleries.
A History of Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum cinctum) Records from California with Comments on Factors Affecting their Distribution

Abstract The Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum), widely distributed in parts of the Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, is rare in California. However, during the last 153 years, as many as 26 credible records have been documented from four California counties. Habitat in which the species has been observed in California is characterized by rocky, deeply incised topography, in most cases, associated with large and relatively high mountain ranges. Most localities are associated with riparian areas (including the lower Colorado River) and range from near sea level to over 1,200 m. All records except one (Mojave River) occur east of about 116° longitude. Records documented with photographs or museum specimens generally show color patterns diagnostic of the geographically expected subspecies H. s. cinctum. The distribution of the species in California suggests an invasion into the high mountain ranges of the northeastern Mojave during the last inte...
Reaction of Blood with Artificial Surfaces of Hemodialyzers Studies of Human Blood with Platelet Defects or Coagulation Factor Deficiencies

Heparinized human blood was exposed to the dialysis membranes of commercially available pediatric size hemodialyzers in an in vitro flow circuit. Bloods from normal subjects and from patients with various blood coagulation and platelet function deficiencies were tested in this model system. In most cases, there was a heavy linear deposit of leukocytes on the dialysis membrane overlying support structures. In other areas, the cellular deposit was less uniform and consisted of single platelets, platelet aggregates, leukocytes, and occasional fibrocellular microthrombi. The number of adherent platelets was smaller in tests with blood from patients with congenital afibrinogenemia, factor XII deficiency, severe von Willebrand's disease, and thrombasthenia then in tests with blood from normal subjects or hemophilic patients. Hence, fibrinogen, factor XII, the von Willebrand factor, and a normal platelet plasma membrane appear necessary for adhesion of platelets to dialysis membranes.
Characterizing the Covalent Targets of a Small Molecule Inhibitor of the Lysine Acetyltransferase P300

C646 inhibits the lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) p300 and CBP and represents the most potent and selective small molecule KAT inhibitor identified to date. To gain insights into the cellular activity of this epigenetic probe, we applied chemoproteomics to identify covalent targets of the C646 chemotype. Modeling and synthetic derivatization was used to develop a clickable analogue (C646-yne) that inhibits p300 similarly to the parent compound and enables enrichment of bound proteins. LC–MS/MS identified the major covalent targets of C646-yne as highly abundant cysteine-containing proteins, and follow-up studies found that C646 can inhibit tubulin polymerization in vitro. Finally, we provide evidence that thiol reactivity of C646 may limit its ability to antagonize acetylation in cells. These findings should enable a more precise interpretation of studies utilizing C646 as a chemical probe of KAT activity and suggest that an underappreciated liability of electrophile-containing inhibitors is a reduction ...
Substrate-selective inhibition by verapamil and diltiazem: differential disposition of antipyrine and theophylline in humans.

Antipyrine and theophylline disposition was studied in healthy volunteer subjects in the control state while the subjects were taking verapamil (120 mg) orally four times daily or diltiazem (120 mg) orally three times daily. Both verapamil and diltiazem treatment decreased antipyrine clearance (verapamil, 42.5 to 30.1 ml/min, P less than .01; diltiazem, 41.7 to 29.9 ml/min, P less than .01), resulting in prolonged antipyrine half-life with no change in distribution volume. Fractional clearances of urinary antipyrine metabolites 4-hydroxyantipyrine, 3-hydroxymethylantipyrine, norantipyrine and unchanged antipyrine were differentially changed by verapamil and diltiazem treatment. With verapamil treatment, 4-hydroxyantipyrine and norantipyrine fractional clearances were markedly decreased, with 3-hydroxymethylantipyrine slightly decreased and antipyrine unchanged. With diltiazem treatment, 3-hydroxymethylantipyrine was decreased, with no significant change in 4-hydroxyantipyrine, norantipyrine or antipyrine. Effect on theophylline clearance differed between verapamil treatment (57.7 to 44.7 ml/min; P less than .01) and diltiazem treatment (50.2 to 49.4 ml/min; N.S.), with prolonged theophylline half-life during verapamil treatment, no change in half-life during diltiazem treatment and distribution volume unchanged by either treatment. Fractional clearances of urinary theophylline metabolites 3-methylxanthine, 1-methyluricacid, 1,3-dimethyluricacid and unchanged theophylline reflected the differential plasma theophylline clearance. During verapamil treatment, 3-methylxanthine and 1,3-dimethyluricacid fractional clearances were decreased, with no change in 1-methyluricacid or theophylline. During diltiazem treatment, 1,3-dimethyluricacid fractional clearance was slightly decreased, and 3-methylxanthine, 1-methyluricacid and theophylline were unchanged.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Plant functional constraints guide macroevolutionary trade-offs in competitive and conservative growth responses to nitrogen

Summary Decades of research show that plants vary in their growth responses to increasing soil nitrogen (N), supporting theory on evolutionary trade-offs between competitive and conservative growth strategies. However, we lack an explicit examination of the evolutionary processes guiding trade-offs in competitive and conservative growth responses to N addition (GRN), processes which should include selection across environmental gradients and constraint within certain plant functional types. To determine current variation in GRN across plants, we collected previously published data on total biomass responses of 125 terrestrial plant species to N fertilization, relative to control soil N conditions. We calculated phylogenetic signal of GRN to assess the influence of shared evolutionary history on variation in N use capacities. To determine whether this variation is consistent with stabilizing selection towards unique N use capacities across environmental gradients and plant functional types, we compared the fit (second-order Akaike Information Criterion) of species’ GRN data to models that approximate evolution according to genetic drift with and without stabilizing selection across plant functional types, biomes, latitude, mean annual temperature and annual precipitation. More than one in four species in our analysis responded negatively or neutrally to increasing soil N and responses ranged from a 60% decrease to an 1800% increase in biomass with added N. We identified a significant phylogenetic signal for GRN, and evolutionary models incorporating stabilizing selection plus genetic drift explained more variation in GRN than models incorporating genetic drift alone. Parameter estimates from selection-based models indicate that plant functional types have experienced selection towards GRN values (i.e. evolutionary optima) that differ more than among biomes or across climatic gradients. Overall, our results suggest that phylogenetic relatedness and stabilizing selection associated with functional constraints are two aspects of past evolution that govern whether species will be winners or losers in global soil N addition scenarios.
Analysis of a Dual-Mode Scramjet Combustor

Numerical solutions of the flowfield in a dualmode scramjet combustor are presented in this paper. Fuel is injected at sonic speed normal to a Mach 2.5 incoming vitiated airstream. Hydrogen is used as the fuel and is injected through eighteen orifices placed on the combustor walls. A three-dimensional model for the combustor configuration has been used. Numerical results are obtained using a finite volume CFD code with unstructured grids with size of about 265,000 cells. The objective of the current study is to investigate the effect of the new arrangement of the fuel injectors on both mixing and combustion.
Optimal Manual Control for Heart Rate Tracking During Treadmill Exercises

Recently, a nonlinear dynamic system has been presented to model the heart rate (HR) response during and after treadmill exercise. The parameters of the model can be estimated and individualized. Based on the nonlinear model, several control techniques for the regulation of HR during treadmill exercise have been proposed. But commercial treadmills may not have equipments to be computer-controlled. In this paper, an optimal manual method is presented to track a predefined HR trajectory. A piecewise constant speed profile is considered as the input to the system and computed by an optimization procedure offline. The objective function is constituted in term of heart rate deviation from its desired. The subject must change manually the speed of the treadmill according to the optimal protocol periodically. The time interval between two speed changes should be long enough so that the subject is able to change the speed. Also, the proposed method is such that, limited attention for control is needed and the controller is not always active.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Concurrent Renal Tuberculosis and Contralateral Transitional Cell Carcinoma of The Renal Pelvis: A Case Report

AbstractWe report a case of 2 concurrent serious renal problems in opposite kidneys. The patient presented with gross hematuria, which resulted in a diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis and tuberculosis of the contralateral kidney. Intraoperative nephroscopy allowed for appropriate diagnosis and surgical therapy.
Size-Dependent Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering Activity of Plasmonic Nanorattles

Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is considered to be a highly attractive platform for chemical and biological sensing and molecular bioimaging. Most of the SERS substrates and contrast agents rely on individual or lightly aggregated metal nanostructures that either offer limited enhancement or suffer from poor stability and reproducibility. We have recently demonstrated that plasmonic nanorattles, owing to the internal electromagnetic hotspots, offer significantly higher SERS enhancement compared to their solid counterparts. In this work, we investigate the size- and shape-dependent SERS activity of plasmonic nanorattles comprised of Au nanospheres and nanorods as cores and porous Au nanocubes and cuboids as shells. The SERS activity of Au nanorattles with spherical core was found to increase with increase in the edge length of the cubic shell. On the other hand, the SERS activity of Au cuboid nanorattles with AuNR core was found to decrease with increase in the size of the cuboid shell. Finite di...
Identity, Authority, and the British War in Iraq

Despite the lack of an obvious threat to Britain, the Blair government invaded Iraq in 2003 alongside the United States. This article draws on securitization theory and social identity approaches from social psychology to propose that the democratic political identity vested in Britain’s domestic society facilitated the Blair government’s effort to construct Iraq as a threat, but in other ways constrained the ability of the Blair government to pursue the use of force without substantial domestic political costs. Using a multimethod approach, the article examines the discourses in the lead up to the invasion to support the central argument as well as to explore the domestic security authority held by United Nations. In so doing, the article addresses not only the British case, but also larger questions regarding the factors that shape the construction of an issue as one of security and the appropriate policy responses.
Production of useful energy from solid waste materials by steam gasification

Summary A steam gasification processes is an energy conversion pathway through which organic materials are converted to useful energy. In spite of the high energy content in organic waste materials, they have been mostly disposed of in landfills, which causes harmful environmental issues such as methane emissions and ground water pollution and contaminations. In this sense, organic solid waste materials are regarded as alternative resources for conversion to useful energy in the steam gasification process. In this study, three types of waste materials – municipal solid waste (MSW), used tires and sewage sludge – were used to generate syngas through the gasification process in a 1000 °C steam atmosphere. The syngas generation rates and its chemical compositions were measured and evaluated over time to determine the characteristics and dynamics of the gasification process. Also, carbon conversion, and mass and energy balances are presented which demonstrates the feasibility of steam gasification as a waste conversion pathway. The results show that the syngas contains high concentrations of H2, around 41–55% by volume. The syngas generation rate was found to depend on the carbon content in the feedstock regardless of the types of input materials. Comparing to the hydrogen production from water splitting that requires extremely high temperatures at around 1500 °C, hydrogen production by steam gasification of organic materials can be regarded as equally effective but requires lower system temperatures. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Innovative sensory methods to access acceptability of mixed polymer semisoft ovules for microbicide applications

Vaginal microbicides are a promising means to prevent the transmission of HIV, empowering women by putting protection under their control. We have been using gel technology to develop microbicides in the intermediate texture space to overcome shortcomings of current solid and liquid forms. We recently formulated semisoft ovules from mixed polymer combinations of carrageenan and Carbopol 940P to overcome some of the flaws with our previous generation of formulations based solely on carrageenan. To determine the user acceptability of the reformulated gels, women first evaluated intact semisoft ovules before evaluating ovules that had been subjected to mechanical crushing to simulate samples that represent post-use discharge. Women then evaluated combinations of intact and discharge samples to understand how ovule textures correlated with texture of the resulting discharge samples. Carbopol concentration directly and inversely correlated with willingness to try for discharge samples and intact samples, respectively. When evaluating intact samples, women focused on the ease of inserting the product and preferred firmer samples; conversely, when evaluating discharge samples, softer samples that resulted in a smooth paste were preferred. Significant differences between samples were lost when evaluating pairs as women made varying trade-offs between their preference for ease of inserting intact ovules and acceptability of discharge appearance. Evaluating samples that represent different stages of the use cycle reveals a more holistic measure of product acceptability. Studying sensory acceptability in parallel with biophysical performance enables an iterative design process that considers what women prefer in terms of insertion as well as possibility of leakage.
Nonlinear Surface Acoustic Waves and Their Associated Surface Acoustic Solitons

We obtain the nonlinear dispersion relation, and the associated displacement field, for nonlinear surface acoustic waves of shear horizontal polarization that propagate without change of form in a system that consists of a film of thickness d of a linear, cubic elastic medium bonded to a semi-infinite, nonlinear, cubic elastic medium. From the nonlinear dispersion relation we obtain the nonlinear Schrodinger equation governing the propagation of a surface acoustic soliton in this system by methods developed originally by Whitham, Yuen and Lake, and Karpman and Krushkal΄. It is found that stable solutions of this equation can exist in the system under consideration.
A critical switching flow index for transient stability assessment in smart grid topology control

Smart grid topology control makes power system more flexible and efficient. For example, it has been demonstrated that economic benefit and corrective action in contingency can be achieved by topology control. However, transient stability is a major concern in applying smart grid topology control since a potential large disturbance of line flows is involved. In this paper, a critical switching flow concept is proposed as a transient stability index to assess system transient stability associated with topology control. This new index is based on system worst scenario in offline study and thus can be used to evaluate switching plan and avoid transient instability in real time operation without online dynamic simulations. Monte Carlo based algorithm is developed to determine critical switching flow for planned system and validated in simplified WSCC 9 bus system and IEEE 24 bus reliability test system to demonstrate a potential use of the new concept.
Tissue culture studies; identification of components and synthetic replacements for the active fraction of chick embryo extract ultrafiltrate.

Some of the compounds in the active fraction of ultrafiltrates of chick embryo extract have been identified as taurine, serine, glutamic acid, xanthine, uracil, glucose-6-phosphate, glucose, ferrous iron, and inorganic phosphate. Based on the identity of these compounds a synthetic replacement for the ultrafilterable portion of chick embryo extract has been devised. There is an additional nutritional requirement that can be met by vitamin B12. Folic acid appears to be beneficial to the system though the requirements of this or any of the above compounds except vitamin B12 remain for future research. The low nitrogen content of the isolated fraction and the synthetic mixture suggests that the main nutrition of chick cells in roller tube cultures is derived from the non-dialyzable portion of the medium.
Leakey, Richard, & Lewin, Roger (1995). The sixth extinction: Patterns of life and the future of humankind

(1997). Leakey, Richard, & Lewin, Roger (1995). The sixth extinction: Patterns of life and the future of humankind. Journal of Leisure Research: Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 476-481.
Horizontal tooth displacement and premolar occurrence in elephants and other elephantiform proboscideans

Modern elephants lack permanent premolars and their cheek teeth succeed one another by an unusual horizontal tooth displacement mechanism. The fossil record demonstrates that this mechanism charact...
A low-power 3.25GS/s 4 th -order programmable analog FIR filter using split-CDAC coefficient multipliers for wideband analog signal processing

Discrete-time (DT) circuits provide a means to overcome the analog-circuit design challenges in deeply scaled digital CMOS technologies while benefitting from the reduced switch on-resistance and parasitic capacitance, resulting in lower dynamic power dissipation. In addition, such DT analog circuits can reduce the requirements on analog-to-digital converters that precede digital processing [1]. Recent DT domain filters achieve high-order narrowband programmable filtering with low power and high linearity even under low supply voltage [2,3]. However, DT switched capacitor circuits have not been considered for wideband analog signal processing (ASP) applications such as on-chip implementation of FIR-based beamforming [4,5]. While the AFIR filter proposed in [6] is a suitable approach for programmable wideband ASP applications, in that design only symmetric and positive coefficient sets were possible and measured performance was not shown.
Adaptive quadratically-constrained MVDR filtering

The objective of this work is the development of receiver designs for wireless CDMA communications with a special emphasis given to high-dimensional adaptive processing under small sample support. In this work, we propose a quadratically-constrained MVDR/MMSE filter in an effort to achieve superior filtering performance under limited sample support adaptations. The quadratically-constrained MVDR/MMSE filter estimator utilizes a regularized estimate of the input covariance matrix that is given as a convex combination of the sample-average covariance matrix and a scalar multiple of its inverse. Selection methods based on the limited sample support are proposed for both the inverse matrix multiplicative scalar as well as the regularization parameter, and they can be applied more generally to other adaptive filtering techniques such as selection of the diagonally-loaded MVDR parameter.
Using Wiki to Explore the Leisure Service Delivery Systems

(2007). Using Wiki to Explore the Leisure Service Delivery Systems. SCHOLE: A Journal of Leisure Studies and Recreation Education: Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 15-18.
Modifications of Therapeutic Procedure for Psychological Reasons in Breast Cancer

The female patient who undergoes mastectomy for breast cancer is exposed to two stressful, emotional problems: 1) she must cope with the knowledge that she has a potentially fatal disease and must overcome the fear of cancer recurrence and death; 2) she must adapt to the loss of her breast, which is a source of femininity and self esteem. The initial response of most patients to the possible diagnosis of breast cancer is one of fear and anxiety at the prospect of losing her breast. In most cases, this initial anxiety is ultimately replaced by an overriding concern regarding the possibility of recurrence and death from disease.
On the Response of Polymer Bonded Explosives at Different Impact Velocities

Multiscale experiments are performed to understand the deformation mechanisms in polymer bonded explosives at a range of impact velocities. The experiments are conducted in a direct impact configuration, where a polycarbonate projectile is directly shot onto polymer bonded sugar samples at different impact velocities. During the deformation process, the images are captured at five million frames/second using an ultrahigh speed camera. For the macro scale experiment, the images are captured at a resolution of 75 μm/pixel and for the mesoscale experiments, the magnification factor is 10 μm/pixel. The deformation field is obtained using digital image correlation technique. From the macroscale displacement field, the spatial stress distribution is calculated using a nonparametric method. The meso-scale experiments are used to explain the deformation mechanisms observed at the macroscale.
Satellite data-driven modeling of field scale evapotranspiration in croplands using the MOD16 algorithm framework

Abstract Evapotranspiration (ET) is a key variable linking the global water, carbon and energy cycles, while accurate ET estimates are crucial for understanding cropland water use in context with agricultural management. Satellite remote sensing provides spatially and temporally continuous information that can be used for global ET estimation. The NASA MODIS MOD16A2 operational product provides 500-m 8-day global ET estimates extending from 2001 to present. However, reliable estimates for delineating field level cropland ET patterns are lacking. In this investigation, we modified the MOD16 global algorithm to better represent cropland ET by calibrating model parameters according to C3 and C4 crop types, and incorporating finer scale satellite vegetation inputs to derive 30-m cropland ET estimates over the continental USA (CONUS). Similar overlapping enhanced vegetation index (EVI) records from Landsat and MODIS were used to generate a continuous 30-m 8-day fused EVI and ET record extending from 2008 to 2017 over CONUS croplands. The satellite-based ET estimates were compared with tower based ET observations over different crop types, and more traditional cropland actual ET (AET) estimates derived from reference ET and crop-specific coefficients. The new satellite based 30-m cropland ET estimates (ET30m) corresponded favorably with both tower ET observations (ETflux; R2 = 0.69, RMSE = 0.70 mm d−1, bias = 0.04 mm d−1) and the baseline global MOD16A2 ET product (ETMOD16). The ET30m results also showed better performance against the ETflux observations than ETMOD16 (R2 = 0.54, RMSE = 0.82 mm d−1) or AET (R2 = 0.52, RMSE = 2.47 mm d−1) for monitoring CONUS croplands. The spatial and temporal patterns of the ET30m results show enhanced delineation of agricultural water use, including impacts from variable climate, cropland area and diversity. The resulting ET30m record is suitable for operational applications promoting more effective agricultural water management and food security.
Na9K16Tl18Cd3: A Novel Phase Containing Tl8Cd310- and Tl57- Clusters1

Reaction of the elements in tantalum containers at 450 °C followed by slow cooling yields the title phase, which crystallizes in the hexagonal space group P63/mmc (No. 194), Z = 2, a = 11.136(6) A, c = 29.352(7) A. The compound contains separate layers of Tl8Cd310- and Tl57- clusters separated by Na+ and K+ cations, viz., (Na+)9(K+)16(Tl57-)2(Tl8Cd310-)e-. The new Tl8Cd310- is a pentacapped trigonal prism (D3h), isosteric and isoelectronic with Tl117-, with Cd substituted in the waist-capping positions, the vertexes with the least negative Mulliken charge in the parent cluster. The compound is semiconducting and Curie−Weiss paramagnetic (−1.50 μB), these evidently reflecting the extra electron trapped in some alkali-metal-bordered cavity. Some energetics of the atom substitution reaction are considered.
VizEmo: Child Communication Technology for Learning Ambience

Current wearable technologies in the classroom do not properly support tracking children's emotions with regards to their progress in learning. Interactive, learning ambience connected with wearables to track and visualize children's emotion, is one approach that may allow for better communication of emotional state with teachers and peers alike. We introduce VizEmo by probing into connectivity and interactivity of wearables to capture children's emotional feedback, wireless technology and sensors to detect the wearable device, and visual representations such as lights and pictures to display children's captured emotions. Lifelogging helps informal tracking and visualization of children's real-time physiological signals, such as heart-rate and electrodermal activities connected to their emotions progressing in their education. Supported by our prior study, this work aims at advancing children's emotion communication technology while improving their educational outcomes. It further augments connectivity and interactivity of wearables to learning ambience when communicating with the classroom.
Multiplex CARS Study of Infrared-Multiphoton-Excited OCS

Publisher Summary Coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) is a sensitive and efficient technique to monitor molecular vibrational and rotational distributions. This chapter presents the application of CARS to study the dynamics of OCS after infrared multiphoton excitation. The OCS molecule has three widely separated fundamental modes. This chapter explains the advantages of supersonic jet system over the static cell. Supersonic jet system greatly reduces the number of collisions between molecules and thus allows studying molecules under collision less conditions. Second advantage that supersonic jet system has over the static cell is that because of the adiabatic expansion, the translational, rotational, and vibrational temperatures get drastically reduced. That reduces the total number of populated molecular states and increases the population of individual states thereby improving the CARS signal, which is proportional to the square of the number of molecules in that state. The density in the supersonic jet is determined by comparing the integrated intensity of ground state peak in the CARS spectrum.
Abstract 071: Endothelin-1 Contributes to Vascular Dysfunction in Peri-Menopausal Women

Declines in vascular function occur early in the menopausal transition, as previously demonstrated by a reduction in endothelial function in perimenopausal women (PERI). However, the mechanisms con...
Turning it inside out: The organization of human septin heterooligomers

Septin family proteins are quite similar to each other both within and between eukaryotic species. Typically, multiple discrete septins co-assemble into linear heterooligomers (usually hexameric or octameric rods) with a variety of cellular functions. We know little about how incorporation of different septins confers different properties to such complexes. This issue is especially acute in human cells where 13 separate septin gene products (often produced in multiple forms arising from alternative start codons and differential splicing) are expressed in a tissue-specific manner. Based on sequence alignments and phylogenetic criteria, human septins fall into four distinct groups predictive of their interactions, that is, members of the same group appear to occupy the same position within oligomeric septin protomers, which are "palindromic" (have twofold rotational symmetry about a central homodimeric pair). Many such protomers are capable of end-to-end polymerization, generating filaments. Over a decade ago, a study using X-ray crystallography and single-particle electron microscopy deduced the arrangement within recombinant heterohexamers comprising representatives of three human septin groups-SEPT2, SEPT6, and SEPT7. This model greatly influenced subsequent studies of human and other septin complexes, including how incorporating a septin from a fourth group forms heterooctamers, as first observed in budding yeast. Two recent studies, including one in this issue of Cytoskeleton, provide clear evidence that, in fact, the organization of subunits within human septin heterohexamers and heterooctamers is inverted relative to the original model. These findings are discussed here in a broader context, including possible causes for the initial confusion.
Pedagogy and Classroom: How Can I Do This in That Space or Does it Even Matter?

The classrooms used by Computer Science students come in all shapes and sizes, from large lecture halls to small computer labs to collaborative active learning classrooms. Does our teaching style need to match the space? Are particular classroom environments more effective than others and might the types of artifacts generated by Computer Science students lend themselves better to one space over the other? As many students come to class with their own personal computer, development environment and opinions about effective instruction, does the classroom and supporting technology even matter? What effect does the space have on the instructional choices made? This BOF will provide a platform for a discussion around individual teaching styles and preferences and how they relate to the classroom space. Access and awareness of active learning pedagogy and active learning classrooms can create both tension (e.g., not wanting to teach in an active learning classroom) and challenges (e.g., desire to have access to an active learning classroom despite the costs associated, how working specific techniques into a given space). Shared experiences will help participants better leverage their classroom spaces to their desired pedagogy.
de Gennes Narrowing and Relationship between Structure and Dynamics in Self-Organized Ion-Beam Nanopatterning.

Investigating the relationship between structure and dynamical processes is a central goal in condensed matter physics. Perhaps the most noted relationship between the two is the phenomenon of de Gennes narrowing, in which relaxation times in liquids are proportional to the scattering structure factor. Here, a similar relationship is discovered during the self-organized ion-beam nanopatterning of silicon using coherent x-ray scattering. However, in contrast to the exponential relaxation of fluctuations in classic de Gennes narrowing, the dynamic surface exhibits a wide range of behaviors as a function of the length scale, with a compressed exponential relaxation at lengths corresponding to the dominant structural motif---self-organized nanoscale ripples. These behaviors are reproduced in simulations of a nonlinear model describing the surface evolution. We suggest that the compressed exponential behavior observed here is due to the morphological persistence of the self-organized surface ripple patterns which form and evolve during ion-beam nanopatterning.
An exploratory qualitative study of undergraduate men's perspectives on sexual violence bystander education.

This study examined the experiences of men in sexual violence bystander education programs at one institution of higher education. Participants: Twenty-three men participated in the study, of which...