cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Responding to Evil

In this paper, I argue that moral and institutional evils, even though they are all contingent, are so pervasive and persistent that there is no practical way of responding to them that would lead eventually to the eradication of all of them. Instead, our practical task is to respond to these evils in ways that respect both the basic capabilities and their associated vulnerabilities that are constitutive of each human being. To do this most effectively, one should offer unconditional forgiveness to the perpetrators of evil. The attitude that can best underpin this forgiveness is one of a properly understood indefeasible hope, a hope that always insists that each person is of greater worth than whatever he or she does.
Principles and methods of dilution refrigeration. II

This paper is an extension of, and complementary to, an earlier paper by Wheatley, Vilches, and Abel. Some important fundamental questions which lead to degradation in the performance of a dilution refrigerator are considered: namely, convection on the dilute side and superfluid on the concentrated side. Experimental results are presented for a film suppressing still used in conjunction with a continuous-heat exchanger (several designs are considered) and a variable number (0–6) of step-heat exchangers of a copper-foil type with a high surface-area-to-viscous-impedance ratio. The first quantitative measurements of viscous heating on the dilute side are presented as well as measurements of thermal resistance on the dilute and concentrated side. Finally, the properties of the refrigerator under external heat load are considered.
Oral Bacterial DNA Differ in Their Ability to Induce Inflammatory Responses in Human Monocytic Cell Lines

Background: Deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) of periodontal pathogens, Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) and Tannerella forsythia, stimulate cytokine production in human monocytic cells (THP-1) through Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR-9) and nuclear factor-kB signaling. Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) is one of the most frequently isolated bacteria in periodontally diseased tissues and is reported to synergize with Pg, enhancing the pathogenicity. We investigate inflammatory mediator production in THP-1 cells challenged with Fn and Streptococcus sanguinis (Ss) DNA, a non-pathogenic oral bacteria, and further assess whether cytokines triggered by whole pathogens or Pg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are affected by TLR-9 signaling inhibitors (chloroquine). Methods: THP-1 cells were stimulated with Pg-DNA (100 ng/mL), Fn-DNA (100 ng/mL), Ss-DNA (100 ng/mL), Pg-LPS (10 ng/mL), and heat-killed whole bacteria (multiplicity of infection, 1:100) for 16 hours with or without chloroquine pretreatment (10 mg/mL). Interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-a levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical analyses included analysis of variance with multiple comparisons using Dunnett or Tukey methods and paired t test. Av alue ofP <0.05 was significant. Results: Inflammatory mediator levels were increased in response to all the stimuli with the exception of Ss-DNA (P <0.05). Chloroquine pretreatment significantly decreased cytokine production from THP-1 cells with the exception of IL-6 production triggered by whole Fn and Ss (P <0.05). Conclusions: Differences exist among oral bacterial DNA in inducing immune responses. By altering the conditions in cytosolic compartments, we can interfere with cellular responses triggered by extracellular receptor activation. Thus, alternative treatment approaches targeted to intracellular receptors might be of benefit in controlling periodontal inflammation. J Periodontol 2012;83:1069-1077.
Conditioned inhibition of the rabbit nictitating membrane response as a function of CS-UCS interval

Albino rabbits received differential conditioning in either a simple differential conditioning paradigm (CS+ = light; CS− = tone) or a conditioned inhibition paradigm (CS+ = light; CS− = light plus tone) at CS-UCS intervals (ISIs) of.25,.5, or 1.5 sec. Combined–cue summation tests and the results of subsequent conditioning to the tone (retardation tests) indicated that the tone acquired inhibitory properties at the longer ISIs but was “tuned out” at the shortest ISI resulting in a loss of salience.
Effect of chloroform on charge movement in the nerve membrane

It is generally accepted that membrane-bound charges or dipoles moving under the influence of the transmembrane electric field produce conformational changes that result in the opening and closing of ion-selective channels1. The location of these charged groups or dipoles is unknown but it has been speculated that they are sited either inside the channel macromolecule or embedded in the lipid bilayer2. We report here that in the squid axon membrane, the general anaesthetic chloroform reduces the magnitude of the gating currents but has no effect on their kinetics. In contrast, chloroform increases the rate of charge translocation of the lipophilic ion dipicrylamine (DpA−). These results indicate that the gating charges responsible for the opening and closing of the Na+ channel do not move in the bulk lipid of the membrane as do DpA− molecules, but that they move in a physical domain where their kinetics are unaffected by changes in the structural parameters of the lipid matrix. It is therefore unlikely that general anaesthetics act to modify the kinetics of the opening and closing of ionic channels via modifications of the structural parameters of the lipid matrix3.
Structural Fault Testing of Embedded Cores Using Pipelining

The purpose of this paper is to develop a global design for test methodology for testing a core-based system in its entirety. This is achieved by introducing a “bypass” mode for each core by which the data can be transferred from a core input port to the output port without interfering the core circuitry itself. The interconnections are thoroughly tested because they are used to propagate test data (patterns or signatures) in the system. The system is modeled as a directed weighted graph in which the accessibility (of the core input and output ports) is solved as a shortest path problem. Finally, a pipelined test schedule is made to overlap accessing input ports (to send test patterns) and output ports (to observe the signatures). The experimental results show higher fault coverage and shorter test time.
Systemic Hypersensitivity Reaction to Goserelin Acetate

ABSTRACT: Women suffering from endometriosis are treated with long-acting analogues of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). This is a case of hypersensitivity reaction to a goserelin acetate implant that manifested as an anaphylactic reaction. This is the first report of a hypersensitivity reaction to the GnRH analogue, goserelin acetate (Zoladex®, Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, Wilmington, DE).
Microwave Dielectric Measurements on Single Fibers

Microwave techniques which have proved successful at frequencies of 3,000 and 9,300 Mc for the determination of the complex dielectric constant of fiber bundles have been extended to include a frequency of 26,000 Mc, where for the first time measure ments on a single wool fiber have proved to be feasible. Such measurements make it possible to compare directly the results of electrical and mechanical measurements on the same single fiber. In addition, the single-fiber technique has provided a con venient, rapid, and nondestructive method for the determination of the average mass of adjacent 1-cm sections of the fiber along its length. Variations as large as two-fold in mass per unit length are sometimes encountered within a single wool fiber. The occurrence of these variations and their effect upon mechanical measurements are discussed.
Novel role of the lipopolysaccharide O1 side chain in ferric siderophore transport and virulence of Vibrio anguillarum

From a library of approximately 20,000 transposon mutants, we have identified mutants affected in chromosomal genes involved in synthesis of the siderophore anguibactin, as well as in ferric anguibactin utilization. Genetic and sequence analyses of one such transport-defective mutant revealed that the transposon insertion occurred in an open reading frame (ORF) with homology to rmlC, a dTDP-rhamnose biosynthetic gene. This ORF resides within a cluster of four ORFs, all of which are predicted to function in the biosynthesis of this O side chain precursor. The same phenotype was seen in a mutant obtained by allelic exchange in rmlD, another ORF in this dTDP-rhamnose biosynthetic cluster. This mutation could be complemented with the wild-type rmlD gene, restoring both production of the O1 antigen side chain and ferric anguibactin transport. Presence of the O1 side chain was crucial for the resistance of Vibrio anguillarum to the bactericidal action of nonimmune serum from the fish host. Surprisingly, further analysis demonstrated that these mutations were pleiotropic, leading to a dramatic decrease in the levels of FatA, the outer membrane protein receptor for ferric anguibactin transport, and a concomitant reduction in iron transport. Thus, our results in this work demonstrate that the lipopolysaccharide O1 side chain is required for the operation of two critical virulence factors in V. anguillarum: serum resistance and anguibactin-mediated iron transport. These factors allow V. anguillarum to survive in serum and multiply in the iron-limiting milieu of the host vertebrate.
Distribution of Ticks and Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in the Upper Connecticut River Valley of Vermont.

Abstract Ixodes scapularis (Black-legged Tick) has expanded its range in recent decades. To establish baseline data on the abundance of the Black-legged Tick and Borrelia burgdorferi (the causative agent of Lyme disease) at the edge of a putative range expansion, we collected 1398 ticks from five locations along the Connecticut River in Vermont. Collection locations were approximately evenly distributed between the villages of Ascutney and Guildhall. Relative abundance and distribution by species varied across sites. Black-legged Ticks dominated our collections (n = 1348, 96%), followed by Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (Rabbit Tick; n = 45, 3%), and Dermacentor variabilis (American Dog Tick; n = 5, <1%). Black-legged Tick abundance ranged from 6198 ticks per survey hectare (all life stages combined) at the Thetford site to zero at the Guildhall site. There was little to no overlap of tick species across sites. Phenology of Black-legged Ticks matched published information from other regions of the northea...
Effects of insulin and acarbose alone and in combination in the female streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rat

Diabetes is characterized by hyperphagia, polydipsia, polyuria, elevations in blood and urinary glucose, and alterations in the adrenergic nervous system. Insulin treatment is effective in reversing most of the adverse conditions of diabetes in the streptozotocin-treated rat. Acarbose (BAY G 5421), an intestinal a-glucosidase inhibitor, decreases postprandial glycemia by delaying carbohydrate absorption and also affords some beneficial effects in the diabetic animal. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of chronic insulin (≤2 U/day) with and without acarbose treatment (20 mg/100 g of diet) on the metabolic and adrenergic parameters altered in streptozotocin (50 mg/kg, intravenously)-induced diabetes in female rats. Insulin dosage was changed weekly after the first 2 weeks of treatment in both insulin-treated groups in an attempt to maintain a level of blood glucose that was comparable to that achieved with acarbose treatment alone. Insulin dosage was reduced to a greater extent in the dual-treated group than in the group treated with insulin alone. Diabetic rats were hyperphagic, polydipsic, and polyuric within 1 week of streptozotocin treatment. Each treatment alone was effective in reducing these alterations. However, these reductions were more apparent in the combined therapy group. Only in this combined therapy group was glycated hemoglobin returned to normal. All treatments also prevented the significant weight loss observed in untreated diabetic animals. Adrenergic responses were assessed by monitoring the rise in tail skin temperature associated with administration of Isoproterenol. Diabetic rats were less responsive than controls, and each of the treatments restored this response. Terminal blood sampling revealed that T 4 but not T 3 was significantly reduced in the diabetic group and T 4 was restored to control values with both single and combined treatments. Collectively, these data suggest that combined insulin and acarbose therapy has a much greater beneficial effect than does individual therapy alone and that the insulin requirement can be reduced with adjunctive acarbose treatment.
Enhanced proliferation and directed migration of oligodendroglial progenitors co-grafted with growth factor-secreting cells.

Transplantation repair of demyelinating lesions is restricted because relatively few cells can be introduced at only a limited number of sites. Repair could be enhanced by stimulating division of transplanted cells and by directing migration to multiple or distant lesions. This article demonstrates that transplanted oligodendroglial progenitors proliferate more when co-grafted with growth factor-secreting cells, yet retain the capacity to form myelin. Transplanted glial cells also migrate preferentially toward the growth factor-secreting cells when the two are implanted at separate sites. This opens avenues to examine growth factor actions on glia in vivo and improves the prospects for human remyelination therapies.
Women's Empowerment Through Home–based Work: Evidence from India

This article examines the extent to which home–based production in the garment sector of Ahmedabad, India, serves to empower its female participants, defining empowerment in terms of control over enterprise income and decision–making within the household. It places this question within the literatures on resource theory and bargaining models of the household, both of which posit that improved access to resources increases women's power in the household. This study highlights why access to resources may not lead so directly to improvements in women's position in the household in the Indian context. It then discusses why home–based work may be less empowering than sources of work outside of the home. The arguments about the empowerment potential of women's access to resources through home–based work are tested by examining, first, the determinants of control over the income generated by women in home–based garment production and, second, to what extent access to and control over income from this source translates into involvement in decisions which are atypically women's and yet important to their lives. The results provide a better understanding of the potential of home–based work to offer women in urban India a source of economic activity that also can translate into increased intra–household power.
Synonym Success—Thanks to the Thesaurus

After a class of ninth graders discovered the helpfulness of the thesaurus in such synonym activities as Synonym Tic-Tac-Toe and Cross-Synonym Puzzles, they started using the thesaurus to locate “the exactly right word” while drafting compositions. They also enriched their oral vocabularies during these activities by discussing synonyms from the thesaurus and using them in context. Synonym wordplay turned the thesaurus into a popular and effective reference book for vocabulary development.
Medical management of radiation injuries: current approaches

The current approach to medical management of irradiated patients begins with early diagnosis of radiation injury. Medical assessment of radiation dose is based on event history, symptomatology and laboratory results, with emphasis on time to emesis and lymphocyte depletion kinetics. Dose assessment provides a basis for early use of haematopoietic growth factors that can shorten the period of neutropaenia for patients with acute radiation syndrome. Assessments of haematopoietic, gastrointestinal and cutaneous syndromes have improved in recent years, but treatment options remain limited. Selected examples of current developments are presented.
Effect of direct current dielectrophoresis on the trajectory of a non‐conducting colloidal sphere in a bent pore

Dielectrophoresis has shown a wide range of applications in microfluidic devices. Force approximations utilizing the point-dipole method in dielectrophoresis have provided convenient predictions for particle motion by neglecting interactions between the particle and its surrounding electric and flow fields. The validity of this approach, however, is unclear when the particle size is comparable to the characteristic length of the channel and when the particle is in close proximity to the channel wall. To address this issue, we apply an accurate numerical approach based on the boundary-element method (BEM) to solve the coupled electric field, flow, and particle motion. This method can handle much closer particle-wall distances than the other numerical approaches such as the finite-element method. Using the BEM and integrating the Maxwell stress tensor, we simulate an electrokinetic, spherical particle moving within a bent cylindrical pore to investigate how the dielectrophoretic force affects the particle's trajectory. In the simulation, both the particle and the channel wall are non-conducting, and the electric double layers adjacent to the solid surfaces are assumed to be thin with respect to the particle radius and particle-wall gap. The results show that as the particle comes close to the wall, its finite size has an increasingly important effect on its own transient motion and the point-dipole approximation may lead to significant error.
Patient allegations of sexual abuse against psychiatric hospital staff

In order to determine prevalence and characteristics of patient allegations of sexual abuse against psychiatric hospital staff and to illustrate the impact of allegations on a unit, we surveyed 255 directors of psychiatric units. We requested detailed descriptions of one or two incidents and report a clinical vignette. Thirty-six percent of the programs reported patient allegations of sexual abuse by a staff member during 1985-1991. Allegations represented a wide range of unit types and patient characteristics. We conclude that patient allegations of staff sexual abuse, which have powerful effects on those involved, are not isolated, rare events. Procedural recommendations to address allegations are made.
Large bursts do not cause instability

Fluid models of queuing networks are among the simplest models to analyze, owing to the fact that calculus can be applied. At the same time, wider classes of network models are more flexible for modeling real traffic. It is thus useful to reduce questions about the more realistic models to questions about related fluid models. Such a reduction was achieved by J.G. Dai (1995), who showed that stability of a fluid model implies stability (in the sense of Harris recurrence) of related multiclass networks with random service and interarrival processes of renewal type. The purpose of this paper is to similarly reduce the question of stability for networks with input traffic satisfying deterministic constraints in the sense of R.I. Cruz (1991) to a question of stability for a fluid model. It is shown that the stability of networks with fluid traffic implies stability of networks with deterministically constrained traffic.
Wellness, Professional Quality of Life, and Career-Sustaining Behaviors: What Keeps Us Well?

A sample of 506 professional counselors who were members of the American Counseling Association completed measures of professional quality of life, career-sustaining behaviors (CSBs), and wellness. Significant differences were found both within the sample based on caseload characteristics and between the participants and available norm groups. Counselors with high wellness scores engaged in more CSBs and reported higher positive professional quality of life factors (compassion satisfaction). Implications for counselors, counselor training, and research are discussed.
Switched-capacitor equalizers with digitally programmable tuning characteristics

A digitally programmable switched-capacitor equalization filter is presented. The proposed structure uses only two nonoverlapping clock phases and is fully programmable through the use of three independent capacitor arrays. Effects of the finite gain of the operational amplifiers are investigated in detail, and simulation results are presented, verifying the models involved in the analysis. Also shown is a comparison of the performance of the proposed equalizer with that of other equalizers reported in the literature. Experimental results obtained from a prototype circuit built with discrete components are also included. >
A low viscosity G-actin preparation

Recently reported values for the intrinsic viscosity of G-ATP actin2 have been about 0.1 dl/g. (e.g., Lewis etal. (1963).). This value is considerably higher than one would expect for a globular protein. The possibility remains that these preparations contain small amounts (ca. 1%) of tropomyosin, which could make a considerable contribution to the intrinsic viscosity. We wish to report some preliminary physical measurements on G-ADP actin2 in the presence of 0.1 M salts. In addition to extracting the acetone powder at 0°C as suggested by Drabikowski and Gergely (1962), a further purification step to remove possible tropomyosin contamination was introduced.
Thermal Characterization of Open Lattice Structures used as Heat Exchanger Surfaces

Numerical simulation is performed to evaluate flow field and thermal characteristics in heat exchange matrices. The heat exchanger geometry evaluated consists of an isotropic open lattice structure containing group-interconnected, millimeter-scale, thermally conductive ligaments. The Reynolds number range of interest is Re = 3 1000. The flow fields investigated in this paper are both laminar and turbulent. The laminar flow fields are solved using direct numerical simulation (DNS), while turbulent flow fields are solved by large-eddy simulation (LES). The mean velocity profiles and velocity fluctuations are compared to each other and to experimental data for a packed bed of spheres. Friction factor and Colburn j-factor are calculated from the simulated flow fields and averaged in time. They are compared to the algebraic correlations reported in the literature for a packed bed of spheres and to experimental data for a screen laminate.
What We Know About the Effects of Mass Communication: The Brink of Hope

The "brink of hope" for research in mass communications, according to this author, lies in a new orientation toward its study and some resulting generalizations which order many of the seemingly diverse and unrelated findings. This article contains a description of the new orientation, of the emerging generalizations, and of the findings which they may mold into a body of organized knowledge. Joseph T. Klapper is Mass Communication Consultant with General Electric. At the time this article was written, he was Research Associate at the Bureau of Applied Social Research at Columbia University. T WENTY YEARS ago writers who undertook to discuss mass communication typically felt obliged to define that unfamiliar term. In the intervening years conjecture and research upon the topic, particularly in reference to the effects of mass communication, have burgeoned. The literature has reached that stage of profusion and disarray, characteristic of all burgeoning disciplines, at which researchers and research administrators speak wistfully of establishing centers where the cascading data might be sifted and stored. The field has grown to the point at which its practitioners are periodically asked by other researchers to attempt to assess the cascade, to determine whither we are tumbling, to atempt to assess, in short, "what we know about the effects of mass communication." The present paper is one attempt to partially answer that question. The author is well aware that the possibility of bringing any order to this field is regarded in some quarters with increasing pessimism. The paper will acknowledge and document this pessimism, but it will neither condone nor share it. It will rather propose that we have come at last to the brink of
A Redetermination of the Rayleigh Optical Depth and its Application to Selected Solar Radiation Problems.

Abstract Rayleigh optical depths are calculated for six standard atmospheres using the latest value of the depolarization factor (ρn = 0.0139). Present uncertainties in the Rayleigh optical depth of ±0.16% exist for the values calculated in this paper but the new values are 3.5–3.7% lower than previously reported values. As a consequence it is shown that previous aerosol optical depth or turbidity values from Volz sunphotometer measurements, for example, are reported with systematic errors 2–100% too low. The new Rayleigh optical depths are shown to largely explain the systematic differences between the various wavelength pair determinations of total ozone by the Dobson spectrophotometer. Other possible applications of the results of this paper are also indicated.
Zur Algebra ladungsartiger Eigenschaften

Nach der Darlegung, was unter einer ladungsartigen Eigenschaft, einer Einwirkung auf ein System und einer Erscheinungsform eines Systems verstanden werden soll, werden die Wechselwirkungsmoglichkeiten zwischen geladenen Systemen vom Standpunkt der reinen Kombinatorik untersucht. Dabei wird vorausgesetzt, das die Wechselwirkung in bezug auf den Ladungsparameter durch einfache Systemzusammensetzung beschrieben werden kann. Bei Voraussetzung der arithmetischen Additivitat des Ladungsparameters gilt fur die atomaren Pradikate geladener Systeme eine spezielle Algebra. Die Wechselwirkung zwischen einfach-geladenen Systemen fuhrtim allgemeinen auf mehrfach-geladene Systeme. Im Sinne des logischen Pradikatenkalkuls entsprechen diesen Wechselwirkungen eindeutige Funktoren zwischen den Zustandsmengen der Systeme. Es existieren aber auch Wechselwirkungstypen mit mehrdeutigen Funktoren. Sie fuhren auf Erzeugungs-, Vernichtungs-und Umwandlungsprozesse. Es wird angedeutet, unter welchen Voraussetzungen das hergeleitete kombinatorische Schema zu einer Klassifizierung der Elementarteilchen dienen kann.
Distributional Effects of the 2001 and 2003 Tax Cuts and Their Financing

Tax cuts are not free; they must be financed with some combination of tax increases or spending cuts. The central goal of this paper is to apply this standard insight from public finance to the analysis of the distributional effects of making the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent. We estimate not only who benefits directly from the tax cuts, but also who benefits and who loses once the financing of the tax cuts is considered. We consider two scenarios: one in which each household pays an equal dollar amount to finance the tax cuts and one where each household pays the same share of income. In both cases, more than three-quarters of households end up worse off if the tax cuts are made permanent and financed. In addition, there are large aggregate transfers from the majority of low- and middle-income households to an affluent minority. These results show that, far from simply giving people their money back, making the tax cuts permanent would impose significant losses on tens of millions of American households.
THE IMPLICATIONS OF OVUM SIZE VARIABILITY FOR OFFSPRING FITNESS AND CLUTCH SIZE WITHIN SEVERAL POPULATIONS OF SALAMANDERS (AMBYSTOMA).

A prevalent attitude concerning parentoffspring relationships maintains that either preor post-fertilization care by parents toward offspring results in increased offspring survival at the expense of additional present or future reproductive success. This has led to models that have as an assumption monotonically increasing functions which relate parental investment per offspring to offspring fitness (Smith and Fretwell, 1974; Brockelman, 1975; Wilbur, 1977). A second assumption of such models, that offspring number is sacrificed for increased offspring care, has recently been found valid in some real situations in salamanders (Kaplan and Salthe, 1979). A third assumption is that there is intrapopulational variability in the energy invested in offspring which allows for the possibility of change in the system. Reproductive patterns of populations can evolve (or be maintained) only if there is sufficient intrapopulational variability in at least some of their components. The present study will establish the amount of intrapopulational variability in ovum size (pre-fertilization parental care) in several salamander populations. Focusing on the first assumption, the physiological ramifications of intrapopulational ovum size variability that may be related to fitness will be assessed. Whether such ramifications are monotonically associated with ovum size variability over the range of variability found will be determined. This approach will allow for an evaluation of how parameters that may be related to offspring fitness are affected by variation in pre-ovipositional parental investment. For example, if the timing of a developmental event (e.g., hatching) is of critical importance in some environments and changes in ovum size affect such timing, then in those environments variability in ovum size will potentially affect offspring fitness. However, in an environment where the timing of such an event is unimportant, variance in investment per offspring will not affect the offspring's fitness through this route. This study also relates to the problem of the determination of clutch size, that is, how and why parental investment during any breeding period is partitioned differentially among offspring within a population. Factors that determine the degree of total parental investment during a single breeding period have been dealt with elsewhere (Kaplan and Salthe, 1979), and for the purposes intended here can be assumed to be constant among individuals.
Online Continuing Education in Informatics: The AMIA 10 × 10 Experience

This chapter describes the background and current status of the AMIA 10 × 10 continuing education program. AMIA 10 × 10 is organized by the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) program in partnership with universities around the U.S. It was started in the mid 2000s with the goal of training 10,000 informaticians by 2010. It was started to address the growing need for informatics education that was not degree-based and is a model for informatics continuing education programs. The program at Oregon Health & Science University was the first 10 × 10 program and its curriculum is described in some detail to illustrate how the 10 × 10 programs are organized. The chapter concludes with a description of how the program has grown over the last seven years.
Cushioning characteristics of a soft landing airbag with elastic fabric

Base on the energy conservation principle and thermo-dynamics equations,an analytical model of a soft landing airbag considering the elasticity of fabric was presented and validated by LS-DYNA.Then,this model was used to investigate the deceleration characteristics of a horizontal cylinder airbag.A series of simulations were conducted to find out the influence of fabric elasticity,initial inflation pressure and venting orifice area on cushioning properties.Numerical results showed that the maximum deceleration of payload in creases with decrease in fabric elasticity modulus;especially,when the elasticity modulus is lower than 0.2Gpa,the influence of fabric elasticity on cushioning properties will become more obvious;the initial infla tion pressure also is a key parameter to affect the cushioning properties,and the maximum deceleration decreases with increase in initial inflation pressure,but at the same time the ending velocity of the payload will have a tiny increase;during design of a soft landing airbag,the size of the venting orifice of the airbag needs to optimize;if the venting orifice area is too small,the airbag will rebound because the impact energy can not be released in time;but if the venting orifice is too large,the ending velocity of the payload will exceed the limi tation because no enough impact energy is transferred to the airbag attenuation system.
Nonlinear Flow in Porous Media

Many investigators are concerned about the validity of the Forchheimer equation which represents the relationship between the velocity of flow and pressure gradient in porous media. A theoretical development of this equation through analysis of the dimensionless form of the Navier-Stokes equation is presented. It shows that energy losses at high-flow velocities in porous medium are a result of convective acceleration effects not turbulent effects. In addition, two dimensionless terms representing the flow behavior are defined and evaluated. It is shown that a constant could be used to represent the geometric properties of the medium and that a characteristic length representative of the flow exist. Both of these quantities are easily evaluated through hydraulic measurements of gradients and flow velocities. Experimental data from many sources were used to evaluate the theoretical results.
Vagueness and Comparison

Vagueness and comparison are linked in a number of different ways. The most obvious is that, at least when they are expressed by adjectives (in English), vague predicates have morphosyntactically comparative forms. These forms are often invoked in formulations of the inductive premise of the sorites paradox:
Contribution of $\sigma$-meson exchange to elastic lepton-proton scattering

Lepton mass effects play a decisive role in description of elastic lepton-proton scattering when the beam's energy is comparable to the mass of the lepton. The future MUSE experiment, which is devised to solve the "Proton Radius Puzzle", is going to cover the corresponding kinematic region for a scattering of muons by a proton target. We anticipate that helicity-flip meson exchanges will make a difference in comparison of elastic electron-proton versus muon-proton scattering in MUSE. In this article, we estimate the $\sigma$ meson exchange contribution in the $t$-channel. This contribution, mediated by two-photon coupling of $\sigma$, is calculated to be at most $\sim 0.1 \%$ for muons in the kinematics of MUSE and it is about 3 orders in magnitude larger than for electrons because of the lepton-mass difference.
NNT and NNH remain helpful in evidence-based medicine.

We read with interest the commentary by Roose et al regarding number needed to treat (NNT) and the concern that this metric is difficult to interpret given the high placebo response rates observed in contemporary clinical trials.[1][1] The principal objection of Roose and colleagues is that ‘NNTs
The Case for Extant Life on Mars and Its Possible Detection by the Viking Labeled Release Experiment

Abstract The 1976 Viking Labeled Release (LR) experiment was positive for extant microbial life on the surface of Mars. Experiments on both Viking landers, 4000 miles apart, yielded similar, repeatable, positive responses. While the authors eventually concluded that the experiment detected martian life, this was and remains a highly controversial conclusion. Many believe that the martian environment is inimical to life and the LR responses were nonbiological, attributed to an as-yet-unidentified oxidant (or oxidants) in the martian soil. Unfortunately, no further metabolic experiments have been conducted on Mars. Instead, follow-on missions have sought to define the martian environment, mostly searching for signs of water. These missions have collected considerable data regarding Mars as a habitat, both past and present. The purpose of this article is to consider recent findings about martian water, methane, and organics that impact the case for extant life on Mars. Further, the biological explanation of ...
Comparisons on state space models of doubly fed induction genertors (DFIG) for power system research

State space models of doubly fed induction generators (DFIG) are useful for small-signal stability study in power system research. They can also be used for identifying different oscillation modes (mechanical, electromechanical, electromagnetic) between DFIG and power systems. This paper compares different state space models of DFIG for power system study. Firstly, the modeling details of the turbine, drive train, pitch controller, induction machine and the controllers of both the Rotor Side Converter (RSC) and the Grid Side Converter (GSC) of DFIG are introduced. Then we compare different DFIG state space models in literatures. The conclusions and suggestions on DFIG state space models for different research topics in power systems are given in the last part.
The potential for blue growth in marine fish yield, profit and abundance of fish in the ocean

The oceans provide food, employment and income for billions of people. We analyzed data from scientific stock assessments, and from a statistical model for other fish stocks, to summarize the past and present status, and the potential catch, abundance and profit for 4713 fish stocks constituting 78% of global fisheries. Three major scenarios of future trends are considered; business as usual (BAU) in which largely unmanaged fisheries move towards bioeconomic equilibrium but where well-managed fisheries maintain their management, maximum sustainable yield (MSY) in which fisheries are managed to maximize yield, and fisheries reform (REF) where the competitive race to fish is eliminated and fisheries are managed to maximize profit. The future prospects differ greatly based on region of the world and product type. This analysis forecasts that yield in major tuna and forage fish species will remain roughly the same as current levels under all three scenarios, while there does appear to be potential for increased yield of whitefish. There is considerable room for increased profit in most of these fisheries from better management. Increased yield will come from rebuilding overexploited stocks, reducing fishing mortality on stocks that are still abundant but fished at high rates, and surprisingly from fishing some stocks harder. Indeed in Europe and North America the primary potential for increased yield comes from fully exploiting stocks that are now lightly exploited. Asia provides the greatest opportunity for increased fish abundance and increased profit by fisheries reform that would lead to reduced fishing pressure.
Family Stress and Academic Failure

An exploration by a family agency and two school systems of the effects of stressful home conditions on school achievement and social adjustment
Background, Presentation and Pathophysiology of Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is an acquired disorder characterized by the production of autoantibodies with high affinity for autologous erythrocyte antigens causing red blood cell (RBC) destruction and a resultant wide spectrum of symptomatology and laboratory findings. The severity of presentation highly depends on the autoantibody type, concentration, affinity, antigen type, expression level, and antibody-antigen thermodynamics. Although AIHA is a relatively rare disorder with an estimated incidence of 1–3 cases per 100,000 per year, basic understanding of its manifestations and standard diagnostics is essential for healthcare providers in various clinical settings, as severe forms of the disease can be life-threatening. Early recognition and initiation of appropriate treatment are critical to achieving a positive outcome. Additionally, autoimmune hemolysis is frequently the presenting manifestation of a myriad of underlying autoimmune, infectious and/or neoplastic processes, and awareness of such association allows for earlier diagnosis and management of these disorders. On the other hand, even isolated subclinical immune hemolysis can sometimes complicate the interpretability of common laboratory tests and standard blood banking procedures.
The Unfinished Task of Spectrum Policy Reform

In a landmark event worthy of the sixtieth anniversary of the Communications Act, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) in 1994 began using competitive bidding to assign certain radio frequency spectrum licenses. As a longtime advocate of spectrum auctions, I was heartened by this development stemming from the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, which authorized the FCC to use auctions. As the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) concluded in a report issued during my tenure there, "greater reliance on market principles in distributing spectrum, particularly in the assignment process, [is] a superior way to apportion this scarce resource among competing and often incompatible users."(note 1)
Mass Laws and Nucleosynthesis

The purpose of this paper is to show that there is a considerable body of experimental evidence from geophysics and astrophysics which can be used to test and compare various semi-empirical mass laws. As an experimentalist, I am somewhat surprised to find this paper in the theoretical session of this conference, but on the other hand there is no other place to put it. As you perhaps know, Professor William A. Fowler of the California Institute of Technology has for many years been an instigator of mass laws; my own mania for computers has ensnared me as his current pawn.
Principles of Gene Therapy

Gene therapy for somatic cells is defined as the insertion, removal, or manipulation of genes, for therapeutic purposes. Gene transfer can be accomplished by the insertion of naked DNA and the application of nonviral gene transfer (transfection) or viral gene transfer (transduction) methods. These methods vary widely in their gene transfer efficacy and also in the duration of expression of the transferred gene. For durable gene expression, retroviral or lentiviral gene transfer vectors are used.
Two-Way AWGN Channel Error Exponents at Zero Rate

Achievable error exponent regions of a two-way additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel, where two terminals exchange a fixed number of messages M, are derived. In particular, error exponent regions for $M$ = 2 messages under expected power and $M$ = 3 messages under almost sure power constraints are considered. For $M$ = 2 messages the use of active feedback is shown to lead to an error exponent gain over that when feedback / interaction is ignored. For $M$ = 3 messages and asymmetric channels, it is shown that the error exponent of the weaker channel may be improved through active feedback, at the expense of a decreased error exponent of the stronger direction. This may, for sufficiently asymmetric channel gains, outperform the error exponent region achieved by having both terminals operate independently of one another (ignoring the possibility of sending feedback for the other).
Role of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in addition to revised international prognostic index (R-IPI) in patients with extranodal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of head and neck.

e19032Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most prevalent subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). One third of DLBCLs cases have a primary extranodal origin and head and neck loc...
Increased lumbar spinal column laxity due to low‐angle, low‐load cyclic flexion may predispose to acute injury

Lumbar spinal column laxity contributes to instability, increasing the risk of low back injury and pain. Until the laxity increase due to the cyclic loads of daily living can be quantified, the associated injury risk cannot be predicted clinically. This work cyclically loaded 5-vertebra lumbar motion segments (7 skeletally-mature cervine specimens, 5 osteoporotic human cadaver specimens) for 20 000 cycles of low-load low-angle (15°) flexion. The normalized neutral zone lengths and slopes of the load-displacement hysteresis loops showed a similar increase in spinal column laxity across species. The intervertebral kinematics also changes with cyclic loading. Differences in the location and magnitude of surface strain on the vertebral bodies (0.34% ± 0.11% in the cervine specimens, and 3.13% ± 1.69% in the human cadaver specimens) are consistent with expected fracture modes in these populations. Together, these results provide biomechanical evidence of spinal column damage during high-cycle low-load low-angle loading.
Visualization and quantification of mitochondrial structure in the endothelium of intact arteries.

AIM To quantify the mitochondrial structure of ECs in intact arteries vs. cultured cells. METHODS AND RESULTS Cre-stop mito-Dendra2 mice, expressing the fluorescent protein Dendra2 in the mitochondrial matrix only, were used to label EC mitochondria using Cre-recombinase under the control of the VE-cadherin promoter. Conduit arteries, resistance arterioles and veins were fixed, mounted on glass slides and fluorescent images were obtained using a laser scanning confocal microscope (ex 488 nm; em 550 nm). ImageJ was used to calculate form factor (FF) and aspect ratio (AR) of the mitochondrial segments. Mitochondrial fragmentation count (MFC) was calculated by counting non-contiguous mitochondrial particles and dividing by the number of pixels which comprise the mitochondrial network. Primary aortic EC cultures (48 h on culture plates) were generated to compare the mitochondrial structure of cultured ECs vs. intact arteries. Aortic segments were also exposed to high glucose overnight (33 mM) ex vivo, and separate groups of mice were either infused with a high-glucose saline solution (300 mM) via tail vein catheter for 1 h or injected with streptozotocin (STZ; 50 mg/kg) to cause hyperglycaemia. Compared with cultured ECs, the mitochondria of ECs from the intact aorta were more fragmented (MFC: 6.4 ± 2.5 vs. 18.6 ± 9.4, respectively; P < 0.05). The mitochondrial segments of ECs within the aorta were more circular in shape (FF: 3.5 ± 0.75 vs. 1.8 ± 0.30, respectively; P < 0.05) and had less branching (AR: 2.9 ± 0.60 vs. 2.0 ± 0.25, respectively; P < 0.05) compared with cultured ECs. Ex vivo exposure of the intact aorta to high glucose overnight caused mitochondrial fission compared with normal glucose conditions (5 mM; MFC: 25.5 ± 11.1 high glucose vs. 11.0 ± 3.6 normal glucose; P < 0.05). Both 1-h infusion of high glucose saline (MFC: 22.4 ± 4.3) and STZ treatment (MFC: 40.3 ± 14.2) caused mitochondrial fission compared with freshly fixed aortas from control mice (MFC: 18.6 ± 9.4; P < 0.05 vs. high-glucose infusion and STZ treatment). CONCLUSIONS Using a novel mouse model, we were able to, for the first time, obtain high resolution images of EC mitochondrial structure in intact arteries. We reveal the endothelial mitochondrial network is more fragmented in the intact aorta compared with cultured ECs, indicating that mitochondria assume a more elongated and branched phenotype in cell culture.
Experimental Studies on a Mesoscale Cycloidal Rotor in Hover

This paper details the performance and flowfield measurements on a mesoscale cycloidal rotor (rotor radius of 1 in.), which operates at ultralow Reynolds numbers (Re∼11,000) and uses a design diffe...