cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Impact Damage and Holes on the Compressive Strength of a Graphite/Epoxy Laminate

An experimental investigation has been conducted to determine the effect of low-velocity impact damage and unloaded circular holes on the compressive strength of a 48-ply orthotropic graphite/epoxy flat laminate. Specimens were impacted by a 1.27-cm-diameter aluminum sphere with speeds from 52 to 101 m/x to simulate momenta typical of low-velocity impact hazards that can occur in commercial aircraft service. It is shown that low-velocity impact damage can significantly degrade the static compressive strength of the laminate. Specimens that fail at axial strains above 0.008 in the undamaged condition can fail at strains as low as 0.0031 when impacted at 100 m/s. Circular holes also reduce the static compressive strength of the laminate. The failure strain decreases as the hole diameter increases.
Video Data Mining

Data mining, which is defined as the process of extracting previously unknown knowledge and detecting interesting patterns from a massive set of data, has been an active research area. As a result, several commercial products and research prototypes are available nowadays. However, most of these studies have focused on corporate data — typically in an alpha-numeric database, and relatively less work has been pursued for the mining of multimedia data (Zaiane, Han, & Zhu, 2000). Digital multimedia differs from previous forms of combined media in that the bits representing texts, images, audios, and videos can be treated as data by computer programs (Simoff, Djeraba, & Zaiane, 2002). One facet of these diverse data in terms of underlying models and formats is that they are synchronized and integrated hence, can be treated as integrated data records. The collection of such integral data records constitutes a multimedia data set. The challenge of extracting meaningful patterns from such data sets has lead to research and development in the area of multimedia data mining. This is a challenging field due to the non-structured nature of multimedia data. Such ubiquitous data is required in many applications such as financial, medical, advertising and Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (C3I) (Thuraisingham, Clifton, Maurer, & Ceruti, 2001). Multimedia databases are widespread and multimedia data sets are extremely large. There are tools for managing and searching within such collections, but the need for tools to extract hidden and useful knowledge embedded within multimedia data is becoming critical for many decision-making applications. BACKGROUND
The Theory and Applications of Generalized Complex Fuzzy Propositional Logic

The current definition of complex fuzzy logic has two limitations. First, the derivation uses complex fuzzy relations; hence, it assumes the existence of complex fuzzy sets. Second, current theory is based on a restricted polar representation of complex fuzzy proposition, where only one component of a complex fuzzy proposition carries fuzzy information. In this chapter we present a novel form of complex fuzzy logic. The new theory, referred to as generalized complex fuzzy logic, overcomes the limitations of the current theory and provides several advantages. First, the derivation of the new theory is based on axiomatic approach and does not assume the existence of complex fuzzy sets or complex fuzzy classes. Second, the new form supports Cartesian and polar representation of complex logical propositions with two components of fuzzy information. Hence, the new form significantly improves the expressive power and inference capability of complex fuzzy logic. Finally, the new form is compatible with (yet independent of) the definition of complex fuzzy classes; thereby providing further improvement in the expressive power and inference capability. The chapter surveys the current state of complex fuzzy sets, complex fuzzy classes, and complex fuzzy logic; and provides a new and generalized complex fuzzy propositional logic theory. The new theory has potential for usage in advanced complex fuzzy logic systems and latent for extension into multidimensional fuzzy propositional and predicate logic. Moreover, it can be used for inference with type 2 (or higher) fuzzy sets. Furthermore, the introduction of complex logic can be used for analysis of periodic temporal fuzzy processes where the period is fuzzy.
Aperture design for the third neutron and first gamma-ray imaging systems for the National Ignition Facility

The current construction of a new nuclear-imaging view at the National Ignition Facility will provide a third line of sight for hotspot and cold fuel imaging and the first dedicated line of sight for 4.4-MeV γ-ray imaging of the remaining carbon ablator. To minimize the effort required to hold and align apertures inside the vacuum chamber, the apertures for the two lines of sight will be contained in the same array. In this work, we discuss the system requirements for neutron and γ-ray imaging and the resulting aperture array design.
Applications of acoustic radiation force for material characterization and imaging

Acoustic radiation force has been used in many interesting medical and industrial applications in the past two decades. The fact that radiation stress can be confined to a small focal area and exerted remotely inside or on an object allows one to use this phenomenon in a variety of ways to explore properties of the object. Vibro-acoustography is a material characterization and imaging method that uses harmonic or impulsive acoustic radiation force to stimulate the targeted material and receives the resulting acoustic response. The output acoustic signal is then used to extract important information about the object. Biomedical applications of vibro-acoustography and its closely related methods include imaging, flow detection, and tissue characterization. Other applications include non-destructive evaluation/testing of materials, modal analysis of small structures, and microscopy. This talk presents an overview of vibro-acoustography and its closely related techniques over the past 20 years. Various biomedical and industrial applications will be presented. The talk will conclude with a discussion on potential future applications of this technology.
Theory-Based Development of Performance Metrics for Comparing Multi-Reactant Enzymes

The kcat/KM ratio holds substantial significance as a comparative figure of merit in the evaluation of enzymes with uni-molecular mechanisms. However, its applicability in the evaluation of multi-reactant systems is frequently not justified. Here, we derive figures of merit for multi-reactant enzyme mechanisms based on the stabilization of the transition states and the kinetic Haldane equilibrium relationships. For most bi-molecular reactions, the ratio of kcat/KiaKb (where Kia is the dissociation constant of A and Kb is the Michaelis constant of B) is best suited for comparing enzyme performance, especially at non-saturating reactant concentrations. The value of this parameter for assessing the performance of a series of oxidoreductase mutants is demonstrated. Figures of merit for other common enzymatic mechanisms are derived, which enable a theory-based approach for comparing steady-state catalytic performances of enzymes with multiple reactants.
Comparison of continuum and cross-core theories of dynamic strain aging

Abstract Dynamic strain aging (DSA) is the process of solute atoms segregating around dislocations on the timescale of loading. Continuum theories of DSA derived from elasticity theory have been shown to severely overpredict both the timescale and strengthening of DSA. Recently, cross-core theory was developed to reconcile this gap, invoking a special single-atomic-hop diffusion mechanism across the core of an extended dislocation. In this work, we show that the classical continuum theory expression for the rate of solute segregation is in error. After correcting this error, we show that continuum theory predictions match cross-core theory when the elevated diffusivity near the dislocation core is accounted for. Our findings indicate that continuum theory is still a useful tool for studying dislocation-solute interactions.
PID Control of a Quadrotor

A Quadrotor comes under the rotor-type category of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) which has four rotors. They are non-linear multivariable system that is highly underactuated. The Quadrotors have the capability to hover at one place during their flight and to take-off and land at any place vertically with the help of the vertical thrust produced by four rotors. They do not require a track to lift-off and land like fixed-wing UASs. They have three rotational motions, i.e. roll, pitch and yaw. These are obtained by changing the speed of the rotors. The model of a Quadrotor is simulated using MATLAB and Simulink and a PID control action is used to sustain its roll, pitch, yaw and altitude.
Synthesis and crystallographic characterization of N-allyl-N-benzyl-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide

N -Benzyl-4-methylbenzenesulfonamides were prepared via a two-step synthetic process involving the treatment of 4-methylbenzenesulfonyl chloride with a primary amine to give the corresponding 4-methylbenzenesulfonamide. Benzylation of the sulfonamide affords the substituted N -benzyl-4-methylbenzenesulfonamides. The similarities between the two steps of synthesis lend credence to the development of a one-pot synthesis of substituted N -benzyl-4-methylbenzenesulfonamides from 4-methylbenzenesulfonyl chloride. This method was applied to the synthesis of N -allyl- N -benzyl-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide and characterized through spectroscopic and crystallographic means. The crystal structure of N -allyl- N -benzyl-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide was obtained by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal structure reveals an orthorhombic Pna 2 1 space group with cell parameters a = 18.6919 (18) A, b = 10.5612 (10) A, c = 8.1065 (8) A, V = 1600.3 (3) A 3 and Z = 4, T = 173.15 K, μ(MoKα) = 0.206 mm -1 , Dcalc = 1.251 g/cm 3 , 14455 reflections measured (4.36° ≤ 2Θ ≤ 54.96°), 3619 unique ( R int = 0.0439, R sigma = 0.0429) which were used in all calculations. The final R 1 was 0.0428 (I > 2σ(I)) and wR 2 was 0.1079 (all data). Molecules are linked through C-H···N hydrogen bonds and C-H···π interactions.
Response of Retail Lawn Seed Products during Acute Drought and Recovery

Consumers often have multiple choices when purchasing retail lawn products in stores. In this study, we evaluated the acute drought performance of locally available retail lawn seed products (mixtures or blends) at two mowing heights of 2.5 and 3 inches. We hypothesized that the species present in the products and the height-of-cut differentially influence the drought resistance and recovery of the mixtures and blends. In Fall 2016 and 2017, 28 different products consisting of 25 mixtures and 3 blends of turfgrass seeds were established under a fully automated rainout shelter at the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota. The drought treatments lasted for 67 days in 2017, and 52 days in 2018; both the 2017 and 2018 treatments were followed by a recovery period. Data were obtained during acute drought treatments and recovery periods for visual turfgrass quality and green turfgrass cover using digital images of the plots. During the first year, several products displayed higher green stability (or the ability to remain green) at the 3-inch height-of-cut compared with the 2.5-inch height-of-cut. Products with tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus) and fine fescue (Festuca sp.) as dominant species generally performed better during the drought treatments, whereas an increasing presence of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) decreased the visual drought performance of the products. During the recovery period, an effect of the interaction between mowing height and the date of data collection on the percentage of green cover was observed: the lower mowing height improved the early recovery of green cover after acute drought. These findings suggest that consumers in the upper midwestern United States and areas with a climate similar climate to that of St. Paul, MN, who are challenged with multiple choices of lawn seed products should choose products containing a higher tall fescue content and adjust their mowing heights to optimize recovery.
Organization and Chromosomal Locations of Genes Encoding Human Plasma Proteins

Abstract Recombinant DNA technology has provided the means to examine and characterize human genes encoding plasma proteins. Three families of genes have been studied in our laboratory: haptoglobin–a member of the serine protease family, transferrin–a major member of a gene family important in iron transport and the Group-Specific Component–recently discovered to be a member of the albumin gene family. The chromosomal locations, evolutionary relationships, DNA polymorphisms and post-translational processing of these plasma proteins have been emphasized in the studies described.
Team Effectiveness in Virtual Environments: An Ecological Approach

This chapter attempts to address the need for more research on virtual team effectiveness and outlines an ecological theoretical framework that is applicable to virtual learning environments (VLE). Prior empirical studies on virtual team effectiveness used frameworks of traditional team effectiveness and mainly followed Hackman's normative model (input-process-output). We propose an ecological approach for virtual team effectiveness that accounts for team boundaries management, technology use, and external environment in VLE, properties which were previously either non-existent or contextual. The ecological framework suggests that three components, external environment, internal environment, and boundary management, reciprocally interact with effectiveness. The significance of the proposed framework is a holistic perspective that takes into account the complexity of the external and internal environment of the team. Furthermore, we address the needs for new pedagogical approaches in VLE.
Long Live the Mature B Cell--a BAFFling Mystery Resolved

What determines whether transitional B cells newly emerged from the bone marrow will differentiate further to become mature, long-lived, circulating B lymphocytes? In a Perspective, Waldschmidt and Noelle discuss new findings showing that the TNF family ligand BAFF and its receptor BAFF-R are crucial for selecting transitional B cells into the mature B cell pool ( Thompson et al ., Schiemann et al .).
Clusterability and Centroid Approximation

Identifying clusters in a dataset is valuable. Most existing data clustering algorithms need the number of clusters as an input. The present paper introduces a graphical method that outputs the number of clusters. Once the number of clusters is calculated, other clustering algorithms may use it. This method is cubic in the number of input data. Given that most of the databases are extremely big, it is convenient to choose a random sample to make a faster detection of the clusters. However, not only is speed important but the level of confidence in this method is as well. So the level of accuracy is calculated for each run of the algorithm. Three different sampling algorithms have been used in order to choose the random sample. The efficiency of the three algorithms has been compared based on the number of clusters that they detect and the running time. In addition, depending on the number of points in each cluster, central points or spies that cover the clusters are assigned to each cluster. In order to have a complete vision of the evolution of data clustering and the future tendencies of the clusters, a time series analysis was conducted as well. All the tests have been conducted using datasets from the UCI Machine learning repository and artificially generated datasets. We present the experimental results and show the effect of sampling algorithms and the number of clusters.
TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE MUTANTS OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS BACTERIOPHAGE SP3 I. : Isolation and Characterization

Nishihara, Mutsuko (University of California, Los Angeles), and W. R. Romig. Temperature-sensitive mutants of Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage SP3. I. Isolation and characterization. J. Bacteriol. 88:1220–1229. 1964.—Twelve temperature-sensitive mutants of Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage SP3 were isolated from a suspension of the wild type treated with nitrous acid. The mutants were detected because of an impaired ability to replicate in the host cell at 45 C, in contrast to the parental wild type which has essentially the same burst size at temperatures between 37 and 48 C. However, the latent period of the wild-type phages was decreased as growth temperatures were varied from 37 to 49 C. The reduction of burst size at temperatures above 48 C is probably the result of the effect of higher temperatures on the metabolism of the host, because the bacterial growth rate is decreased between 45 and 51 C. A temperature effect on the mutants was studied by infecting cells at 45 C, and then transferring portions of the mixture to 37 C at two time intervals. One transfer was made within the expected 45 C latent period, and the other was made about 10 min after the end of the latent period. In both cases, removal of the phage-bacterium complexes from the inhibitory condition of high temperature did not result in an immediate increase of plaque-forming units. A delay was observed which might correspond to the time necessary to complete the temperature-sensitive synthesis in the infected cells. In experiments with three of the mutants, cells infected at 37 C were transferred to 45 C at various times during the 37 C latent period. The extent of inhibition upon transfer to the high temperature was found to decrease progressively with increasing time of prior incubation at 37 C.
Reconstruction of paleoenvironments of the Great Salt Lake Basin during the late Cenozoic

This study summarizes the results of micropaleontological, sedimentological, and isotope geochemical analyses of cuttings from five deep wells drilled in the Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA). Spanning the last 5.0 million yrs, our environmental history of the Great Salt Lake distinguishes four intervals based on paleobiological and sedimentological characteristics, using a previously developed tephrochronology for age control. For most of its history, the Great Salt Lake Basin has been occupied by a mixture of marsh, shallow lacustrine and sand flat conditions. In contrast, open lake conditions, typical of the Bonneville cycles and the modern Great Salt Lake apparently have only dominated the basin for the past 0.6-0.8 Ma. The two main structural basins in the study area (the North and South Basins) experienced different lacustrine histories. Large but frequently saline lakes occupied the North Basin after about 0.6 Ma. In the South Basin, ephemeral, saline lacustrine conditions started at 2.1 Ma and developed to full lacustrine conditions at 0.3 Ma. Our paleoenvironmental interpretations are broadly consistent with the aquatic palynological records from the same wells, as well as with the prior core- and outcrop-based lines of evidence. However, the differences in lake history between the North and South Basin have not been previously recognized.
A File System Component Compiler

File System development is a difficult and time consuming task, the results of which are rarely portable across operating systems. Several proposals to improve the vnode interface to allow for more flexible file system design and implementation have been made in recent years, but none is used in practice because they require costly fundamental changes to kernel interfaces, only operating systems vendors can make those changes, are still non-portable, tend to degrade performance, and do not appear to provide immediate return on such an investment. This proposal advocates a language for describing file systems, called FiST. The associated translator can generate portable C code — kernel resident or not — that implements the described file system. No kernel source code is needed and no existing vnode interface must change. The performance of the file systems automatically generated by FiST can be within a few percent of comparable hand-written file systems. The main benefits to automation are that development and maintenance costs are greatly reduced, and that it becomes practical to prototype, implement, test, debug, and compose a vastly larger set of such file systems with different properties. The proposed thesis will describe the language and its translator, use it to implement a few file systems on more than one platform, and evaluate the performance of the automatically generated code.
The Replication of Bacteriophage MS2: V. Proteins Specifically Associated with Infection

Uninfected and MS2-infected Escherichia coli spheroplasts, treated with 10 μg/ml. of actinomycin D, were labeled, one with a [^(14)C]amino acid and the other with the corresponding [^3H]amino acid. The resultant lysates were combined, fractionated and the fractions differentially counted. Several protein fractions contained an increased ratio of counts from the infected culture to counts from the uninfected culture. These were: (1) a histidine-labeled fraction with an S value of about 41 s derived from a 13,000 g sediment; (2) a fraction sedimenting at 60 to 80 s and a fraction sedimenting at greater than 81 s, both of which were derived from the 105,000 g sediment (these fractions were observed with leucine or lysine labeling, but not with histidine labeling); (3) a fraction sedimenting at about 6 s from a 105,000 g sediment, labeled with histidine; (4) fractions from the 105,000 g supernatant which were eluted from a DEAE-Sephadex column at 0·22 M-NaCl and 0·26 M-NaCl in pH 7·6 buffer. Also, a fraction was isolated from both infected and uninfected cells, the synthesis of which seemed independent of the presence of actinomycin.
Agricultural Safety and Health—State of the Art

This paper explores the state of the art of agricultural safety and health. It is organized under nine major headings: The Problem; Present Federal Standards and Areas for Future Consideration; Legal Status of Farms and Farm Workers; Conditions Typical of Farm Work; Major Farm Hazards; Diseases and Injuries; Tractor--The Major Injury Source; Safety Education and Research; and Selected Bibliography. Language: en
Verapamil induces PTH resistance but increases duodenal calcium absorption in rats

In vitro, verapamil inhibits duodenal Ca absorption, parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion, and PTH-stimulated bone resorption. This study was designed to determine if any effects of chronic oral verapamil treatment on PTH secretion-action are reflected by changes in vitamin D metabolism, duodenal Ca absorption, and bone Ca content. Rats (100 g) received verapamil in the drinking water at doses of 4, 20, or 100 mumol.kg-1.day-1 for 2 wk. Verapamil administration did not significantly affect growth, plasma Ca or phosphate, or bone Ca content. However, verapamil treatment was associated with a dose-dependent 90% increase in plasma PTH levels. The elevated PTH was accompanied by a 22% decrease in 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] levels, such that there was a significant negative correlation (r = -0.52; P less than 0.01) between PTH and 1,25(OH)2D3 levels. Despite the decreased plasma 1,25(OH)2D3 levels, verapamil treatment was associated with a dose-dependent increase in duodenal Ca absorption. The increased Ca absorption did not seem to be caused by a verapamil-induced increased intestinal sensitivity to 1,25(OH)2D3, since verapamil-treated vitamin D-deficient rats showed the same absorptive response to administered 1,25(OH)2D3 as untreated rats. Thus chronic oral verapamil treatment induces an apparent PTH resistance but does not appear to have major effects on overall Ca homeostasis in young male rats.
Processing and reactivity of T cell epitopes containing two cysteine residues from hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL74-90).

The Ag processing and structural requirements involved in the generation of a major T cell epitope from the hen egg-white lysozyme protein (HEL74–88), containing two cysteine residues at positions 76 and 80, were investigated. Several T cell hybridomas derived from both low responder (I-Ab) and high responder (I-Ak) mice recognize this region. These hybridomas are strongly responsive to native HEL, but unresponsive to the reduced and carboxymethylated protein. Air-oxidized HEL74–88 peptide was unable to bind I-Ak molecules and failed to stimulate T cells in the absence of intracellular Ag processing. Further functional competition assays showed that alkylation of cysteine residues with bulky methyl groups interferes with the contacts for the MHC class II molecules (I-Ak) of high responder mice and the I-Ab-restricted TCR of low responder mice. Serine substitutions of the cysteine residues of HEL74–88 either enhanced or abrogated T cell stimulation by the peptides without significant alterations in the class II binding. These results suggest that the cysteine residues of peptides must be free from disulfide bonding for efficient stimulation of T cells and yet frequently used modifications of cysteine residues may not be suitable for peptide-based vaccine development.
Nitrate, nitrite and nitric oxide reductases: from the last universal common ancestor to modern bacterial pathogens

The electrochemical gradient that ensues from the enzymatic activity of cytochromes such as nitrate reductase, nitric oxide reductase, and quinol oxidase contributes to the bioenergetics of the bacterial cell. Reduction of nitrogen oxides by bacterial pathogens can, however, be uncoupled from proton translocation and biosynthesis of ATP or NH4(+), but still linked to quinol and NADH oxidation. Ancestral nitric oxide reductases, as well as cytochrome c oxidases and quinol bo oxidases evolved from the former, are capable of binding and detoxifying nitric oxide to nitrous oxide. The NO-metabolizing activity associated with these cytochromes can be a sizable source of antinitrosative defense in bacteria during their associations with host cells. Nitrosylation of terminal cytochromes arrests respiration, reprograms bacterial metabolism, stimulates antioxidant defenses and alters antibiotic cytotoxicity. Collectively, the bioenergetics and regulation of redox homeostasis that accompanies the utilization of nitrogen oxides and detoxification of nitric oxide by cytochromes of the electron transport chain increases fitness of many Gram-positive and -negative pathogens during their associations with invertebrate and vertebrate hosts.
Nursing home quality: does financial performance matter?

This study explores the relationship between financial condition and selected quality measures for 1,197 nursing homes in Florida. Data sources included the Online Survey, Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) data reports and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare cost report from 2002-2005. Quality measures included surveyor-reported deficiencies and facility-reported incidents of urinary catheterisation, restraint use, and pressure sores. The study conducted multivariate regression analyses using a cross-sectional time series generalised estimating equation (GEE) model to examine the effect of nursing home financial performance on each of these quality measures. Nursing homes in the lowest financial performance category had significantly higher total deficiencies, higher rates of catheterisation and higher incidences of pressure sores when compared to top performers. Policymakers need to closely monitor the financial performance of these poorest performers to ensure that they can survive financially while ensuring a safe environment and delivery of high quality care.
Perceived flicker rate of suprathreshold stimuli: influences of spatial-frequency content and modulation amplitude

A number of experiments were conducted in which observers had to discriminate the apparent flicker rates of temporally modulated gratings and flickering homogeneous fields. When both intramodal- and cross-modal-matching procedures were used, apparent flicker rate was found to be consistently higher for countermodulating gratings than for homogeneous fields of the same temporal frequency. Also, the apparent flicker rate of countermodulating gratings tended to increase as spatial frequency increased. These effects are more pronounced at low rates of temporal modulation than at high rates and are not dependent on variations in the stimulus’s apparent modulation amplitude.
When the center no longer holds: Cities as frontier zones

This viewpoint argues that today’s frontier zone – a strategic frontier zone for global corporate capital as much as for those who lack power – is located deep inside our large cities.
On the Simulation of Nonaqueous Phase Organic Compounds in the Subsurface

The movement of nonaqueous phase organic liquids (NAPL) in a groundwater system involves both miscible and immiscible flow phenomena. A broad overview of the task of modeling these flows is presented along with a discussion of various problematic issues related to such a modeling effort. Descriptive equations are obtained through combination of the species balance equations for multiphase fluid flow in a porous medium and appropriate constitutive relationships. Tabulation and discussion of these constitutive relations yields insight into model requirements. Under certain assumptions, the modeling problem can be reduced to the solution of two nonlinear partial differential equations in two unknowns. An example simulation of the movement of NAPL emanating from two point sources in a confined aquifer is presented to illustrate present modeling capabilities.
Absolute polarization and microwave-optical-photoselection spectroscopy (MOPS) of the zero-field transitions of the triplet state

Abstract By replacing the helix with an external horn in the phosphorescence-microwave double resonance (PMDR) experiment, the polarization characteristics of the microwave radiation could be utilized. The determination of the absolute polarization and thus the assignment of the zero-field (zf) transitions and their hyperfine structure is made conveniently if mixed single crystals are used and the intensity of the optically detected microwave signals are determined along the different crystal axes. In a randomly oriented sample, three, four-(or more) step photoselection experiments can be performed from which the direction of the electric dipole transition moments of the singlet—singlet and triplet—triplet absorption, in addition to the phosphorescence and fluorescence emission, can be determined relative to the three orthogonal magnetic transition moments of the zf transitions of the lowest triplet state. The potential use of these expriments in determining the orientation and type of distortion of probe molecules embedded in the solid state as well as triplet—-triplet energy transfer orientation dependence is briefly discussed.
Inert Gases in Solids: Interatomic Potentials and Their Influence on Rare-Gas Mobility

A modification of the Wedepohl method for the determination of interatomic potentials between closed-shell atoms and ions was developed and applied to the rare gases. Both Slater and Kohn-Sham exchange approximations were employed in the calculation of the atomic charge distributions and also in the overlap region between the atoms. The He-${\mathrm{Cu}}^{+}$ and short-range ${\mathrm{Cu}}^{+}$-${\mathrm{Cu}}^{+}$ interactions were calculated by the same technique. Using five different potentials to describe the copper lattice, the minimum energy configuration of an interstitial He atom was determined. The (1, 0, 0) octahedral position in the lattice was found to be most stable, independent of the potential. Despite the variations in the potentials, the activation energy for He migration was found to lie within the narrow range 0.45 to 0.71 eV and the path of migration was found to be along a 110 g crystallographic direction. Our calculations therefore show that interstitial He atoms will be mobile at or below room temperature in a trap-free copper lattice.
A solution of the lot sizing problem as a stochastic resource contention game

We present a new way to solve the “lot sizing” problem viewed as a stochastic non-cooperative resource contention game. We develop a Stochastic Flow Model (SFM) for polling systems with non-negligible changeover times enabling us to formulate lot sizing as an optimization problem with no constraints on the distributional characteristics of the random processes in the system. We then use Infinitesimal Perturbation Analysis (IPA) methods and derive an on-line gradient-based algorithm for obtaining optimal lot sizes from both a system-centric and user-centric perspective and observe that, uncharacteristically for such cases, there is no gap between the two solutions in the two-class case for which we have obtained explicit numerical results.
Chilling Stress to Soybeans during Imhibition.

Embryos, excised from seed coats of soybeans (Glycine max Merr. cv. ;Wayne'), leak profusely during the first minutes of imbibition. A discontinuity of temperature/leakage patterns occurs between 10 and 15 C; as embryos imbibe at 10 C or lower, disproportionately more solutes leak out per unit of water imbibed. Short periods of imbibition at or below 12 to 14 C reduce embryo germination and axis elongation; injury results from imbibition at 2 C for as little as 5 minutes. Humidifying embryos to 35 to 50% moisture before imbibition reduced leakage during imbibition and imparted some resistance to imbibitional chilling injury.The period of profuse leakage is interpreted as a time of membrane reorganization. Imposing a low temperature during this period prolongs the rapid leakage, suggesting delayed or faulty membrane reorganization. Reduced cold sensitivity of embryos with an initial 35 to 50% moisture content is presumed to be due to at least partial membrane reorganization in the embryo before imbibition. These data collectively are taken to indicate that low temperature interferes with normal membrane reorganization during imbibition, probably by modifying the physical state of membrane phospholipids, and that the consequent abnormal organization of membranes is a basic cause of low temperature injury.
Vigabatrin enhances promoted release of GABA in neonatal rat optic nerve

Abstract Vigabatrin ( γ -vinyl GABA) is an antiepileptic drug and blocks GABA transaminase activity resulting in elevations in cellular GABA levels in the brain. Nipecotic acid (NPA) promotes release of GABA from neonatal optic nerve astrocytes, resulting in a bicuculline-sensitive depolarization of the optic nerve axons. The NPA-induced depolarization of vigabatrin-treated rats (100 mg/kg, i.p.) more than doubled, suggesting an elevation in free GABA levels; the GABA transporter inhibitor, NO-711 reduced the depolarization. These results are consistent with the known ability of vigabatrin to block the GABA degradation enzyme GABA-transaminase, suggesting that vigabatrin elevates astrocytic GABA levels, thereby favoring greater release of GABA through the GABA transporter.
The need for the pathology community to sponsor a whole slide imaging repository with technical guidance from the pathology informatics community.

In our recently published Editorial in the American Journal of Surgical Pathology entitled “Digital Slide Repositories for Publications – Lessons Learned from the Microarray Community”, we describe a number of potential benefits of a Whole Slide Imaging (WSI) repository for the pathology and biomedical communities, including: 1) an increased level of rigor for peer review of scientific studies submitted for publication, 2) open confirmation and validation of the entire collection of slides from published studies, rather than the contemporary reality where there is only the availability of limited fields of view as selected by authors, 3) the potential that multiple perspectives generated from the review of primary WSI data will identify alternate interpretations and/or conclusions, 4) improved educational opportunities, and 5) availability of reference data sets for inter-observer concordance studies and image analysis algorithm development.[1] While such repositories of scientific data are usually designed by information and computer scientists, we will discuss an alternative solution whereby pathology informaticists, in combination with computer scientists, would design a repository based on the needs and abilities of the end-user in question – in this case, the pathologist. Furthermore, the recent announcement of the closure of the proteomics repository and the Sequencing Read Archive (SRA)[2] highlights the need for the pathology community to sponsor/support such a repository such that it is immune to fluctuations in the federal budget and other external factors associated with the oversight being stewarded by non-pathologists. The purpose of this communication is to alert the pathology community to the need for sponsorship of their own WSI repository and to alert the pathology informatics community of the need for their help in the design and implementation of such a repository.
Fast image enhancement in compressed wavelet domain

This paper presents computationally efficient framework for color image enhancement in the compressed wavelet domain. The proposed approach is capable of enhancing both global and local contrast and brightness as well as preserving color consistency. The framework does not require inverse transform for image enhancement since linear scale factors are directly applied to both scaling and wavelet coefficients in the compressed domain, which results in high computational efficiency. Also contaminated noise in the image can be efficiently reduced by introducing wavelet shrinkage terms adaptively in different scales. The proposed method is able to enhance a wavelet-coded image computationally efficiently with high image quality and less noise or other artifacts. The experimental results show that the proposed method produces encouraging results both visually and numerically compared to some existing approaches.
Ammonia gas permeability of meat packaging materials.

Abstract: Meat products are packaged in polymer films designed to protect the product from exterior contaminants such as light, humidity, and harmful chemicals. Unfortunately, there is almost no data on ammonia permeability of packaging films. We investigated ammonia permeability of common meat packaging films: low-density polyethylene (LDPE; 2.2 mil), multilayer polyolefin (MLP; 3 mil), and vacuum (V-PA/PE; 3 mil, 0.6 mil polyamide/2.4 mil polyethylene). The films were fabricated into 10 × 5 cm pouches and filled with 50 mL deionized water. Pouches were placed in a plexiglass enclosure in a freezer and exposed to 50, 100, 250, or 500 ppm ammonia gas for 6, 12, 24, and 48 h at −17 ± 3 °C and 21 ± 3 °C. At freezing temperatures, no ammonia residues were detected and no differences in pH were found in the water. At room temperature, ammonia levels and pH of the water increased significantly (P < 0.05) with increasing exposure times and ammonia concentrations. Average ammonia levels in the water were 7.77 ppm for MLP, 5.94 ppm for LDPE, and 0.89 ppm for V-PA/PE at 500 ppm exposure for 48 h at 21 ± 3 °C. Average pH values were 8.64 for MLP, 8.38 for LDPE, and 7.23 for V-PA/PE (unexposed ranged from 5.49 to 6.44) at 500 ppm exposure for 48 h. The results showed that temperature influenced ammonia permeability. Meat packaging materials have low ammonia permeability and protect meat products exposed to ammonia leaks during frozen storage.
Eye fixations and recognition memory for pictures

Abstract Three experiments were performed investigating the extent to which recognition memory for pictures can be predicted by eye-movement patterns on the picture at the time of study. In each experiment, 180 pictures were viewed followed by a yes-no recognition test on all the pictures. Eye movements were recorded at the time of study. Experiment I investigated payoff structure: It was found that higher-valued pictures both received more fixations and were remembered better than low-valued pictures, but when number of fixations was held constant, memory performance was independent of value. Experiment II showed that (a) when pictures are viewed for a fixed amount of time, memory performance is a positive function of number of fixations on the picture, (b) with number of fixations held constant, performance is independent of exposure time, and (c) there is no memory for pictures which were originally viewed only peripherally. In Expt. III, pictures were viewed either normally or while a distracting task (counting backward by threes) was being performed concurrently. The distracting task was found to reduce both number of fixations and memory performance for a picture. When number of fixations was held constant, performance was still better for normally viewed pictures, suggesting that the distracting task was doing more to inhibit encoding besides simply reducing the fixation rate.
Decreased Transport Restores Growth of a Salmonella enterica apbC Mutant on Tricarballylate

Mutants of Salmonella enterica lacking apbC have nutritional and biochemical properties indicative of defects in iron-sulfur ([Fe-S]) cluster metabolism. An apbC mutant is unable to grow on tricarballylate as a carbon source. Based on the ability of ApbC to transfer an [Fe-S] cluster to an apoprotein, this defect was attributed to poor loading of the [Fe-S] cluster-containing TcuB enzyme. Consistent with these observations, a previous study showed that overexpression of iscU, which encodes an [Fe-S] cluster molecular scaffold, suppressed the tricarballylate growth defect of an apbC mutant (J. M. Boyd, J. A. Lewis, J. C. Escalante-Semerena, and D. M. Downs, J. Bacteriol. 190:4596-4602, 2008). In this study, tcuC mutations that suppress the growth defect of an apbC mutant by decreasing the intracellular concentration of tricarballylate are described. Collectively, the suppressor analyses support a model in which reduced TcuB activity prevents growth on tricarballylate by (i) decreasing catabolism and (ii) allowing levels of tricarballylate that are toxic to the cell to accumulate. The apbC tcuC mutant strains described here reveal that the balance of the metabolic network can be altered by the accumulation of deleterious metabolites.
Effect of depth of flooding on summer water budgets for small diked marshes

Water budgets for 10 small diked marshes in Manitoba, Canada were constructed for each of the 6 ice-free months for 5 years. Water levels in the marshes were maintained at 3 levels by pumping: 4 marshes at the average level of the surrounding marsh, 3 at +30 cm, and 3 at +60 cm. Water levels were assigned so that surface water-ground water relationships were replicated. At normal levels, precipitation and evapotranspiration (ET) were the major input and output of water, respectively. Local ground water-surface water relationships accounted for 80% of the variability in water budgets. The fraction of the flooded area of the marsh occupied by emergent vegetation was only weakly related to ET, but as emergent vegetation decreased, ET increased.
Arterial/venous plasma nicotine concentrations following nicotine nasal spray.

Background and objectives: Arterial (A) and venous (V) plasma nicotine and cotinine concentrations were measured after nasal nicotine spray in tobacco smokers of both genders. The hypothesis for this research was that a greater A/V difference in plasma nicotine would be present in males than females because males have greater skeletal muscle mass to bind nicotine.
Intercemetery morphological variation in Arikara crania from the Mobridge Site (39WW1).

Multivariate analysis is used to examine intrasite variation in cranial morphology in the Mobridge Arikara skeletal collection. The site included three spatially distinct burial areas. The burial areas (features) are defined according to geographic location. Feature 1 is a small hill west of the village. Feature 2 is a large, long hill 200–300 yards south of the village. Feature 3 is a small knoll 100 yards south of Feature 1. The internal chronology of Mobridge has not been established with precision, but order has been postulated based on archeological data. Previous researchers have considered area 2 to be later than areas 1 and 3. Significant morphological heterogeneity exists between areas. Sample differences indicate that specific features were used by temporally distinct populations. The archaeologically proposed temporal ordering of the cemeteries is supported by osteological evidence.
Thermal radiation modeling in multilayer thin film structures

Abstract A general technique is developed to account for the microscale heat transfer effects involved with the interaction of thermal radiation and multilayer thin films. In particular, the microscale radiation effects involved with both the emission from the multilayer structure and the reflection of incident radiation are described in detail. Considerable optical interference within the structure occurs when the film thicknesses are on the same order of magnitude as the wavelengths of the incident or emitted radiation; therefore, the net surface reflectivity and emission from the film structure are altered by slight changes in film thickness. Consequently, during high temperature thermal processing of micron thickness films, the resultant temperature profiles and the quality of the processed structure will be affected. The reflectivities and emissivities are calculated numerically using the matrix method for several different layering structures subject to thermal radiation. For the special case of equal optical film thicknesses, cross-correlation peaks are identified; these layering schemes are very sensitive to small film thickness changes. Maximum temperatures attained during thermal processing are calculated for several specific film structures to illustrate the significance of these effects.
COMBINED MINERALCORTICOID - CORTISONE VERSUS CORTISONE TREATMENT IN CONGENITAL ADRENAL HYTERPLASIA

Growth was studied in 13 patients with the salt losing form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Present height for chronological age and for bone age at mean age 7.2 years (range 1.1 – 16.4 years) is −0.12 SD ± 1.16 and −0.16 SD ± 0.62. In seven patients treated with cortisone acetate (c) and NaCl alone 9 fluorohydrocortisone (F) was instituted. C doses could then be reduced to mean 21 ± 5 from 28 ± 9 mg/m2 and day with equal or better control as measured by urinary pregnanetriol excretion. These patients also showed a better growth with a mean height gain of 0.48 SD-scores after 1.5 years of treatment. Bone age advancement during this period was 0.9 ± 0.5 years/year. The increased height velocity and good metabolid control during combined F and C treatment suggests that this regime is superior to the conventional longterm treatment with C and NaCl alone. Values are means ± standard deviation.
The main effect model versus buffering model of shop steward social support: A study of rank-and-file auto workers in the U.S.A

Social support has long been considered an important factor in influencing the experience of stress and strain at work (e.g. Cohen and Wills, 1985). Yet the effect of union support on stress and strain has been largely neglected. In the present study we explored the role of social support provided by shop stewards as both a predictor of various indicators of strain experienced by their constituents as well as a buffer of stress–strain relations. These hypothesized relations were evaluated using data provided by rank-and-file members (N = 112) of a large local union associated with the automotive industry located in the midwestern region of the U.S.A. The results were not generally supportive of the main-effect model of steward support, but were consistent with the buffering model.