cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Competitive macroscopic deformation processes

Abstract Macroscopic deformation mechanisms such as folding, fracturing–faulting and formation of rock fabrics compete with one another in a fashion similar to the competition among crystalline deformation mechanisms such as cataclasis, grain boundary sliding, dislocation creep and diffusive mass transfer. Many authors seek to develop a unique structural chronology for a given field area based on what are considered exclusive overprinting relationships between structures. In contrast the approach taken here suggests that relative changes in external or internal variables within a rock mass can cause significantly different `dominant' types of macroscopic deformation to be developed in hand specimen and/or outcrop at the same time. Rather than representing distinct structural `facies', observed dominant macroscopic features are waypoints in continuum processes.
Ensemble phase averaged equations for multiphase flows in porous media. Part 1: The bundle-of-tubes model

A bundle-of-tubes construct is used as a model system to study ensemble averaged equations for multiphase flow in a porous material. Momentum equations for the fluid phases obtained from the method are similar to Darcy’s law, but with additional terms. We study properties of the additional terms, and the conditions under which the averaged equations can be approximated by the diffusion model or the extended Darcy’s law as often used in models for multiphase flows in porous media. Although the bundle-of-tubes model is perhaps the simplest model for a porous material, the ensemble averaged equation technique developed in this paper assumes the very same form in more general treatments described in Part 2 of the present work (Zhang, D.Z., 2009. Ensemble Phase Averaged Equations for Multiphase Flows in Porous Media, Part 2: A General Theory. Int. J. Multiphase Flow 35, 640–649). Any model equation system intended for the more general cases must be understood and tested first using simple models. The concept of ensemble phase averaging is dissected here in physical terms, without involved mathematics through its application to the idealized bundle-of-tubes model for multiphase flow in porous media.
Perceived physical and emotional trauma as precipitating events in fibromyalgia. Associations with health care seeking and disability status but not pain severity

Objective. We examined relationships between perceived physical and emotional trauma that occur prior to, or that initiate, pain onset and health care seeking for fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). We also assessed associations between perceived trauma and levels of health care usage, symptom severity, functional disability, and receipt of disability compensation among patients with FMS. Methods. We evaluated these variables using interviews and standardized instruments in a consecutive series of FMS patients and community residents who met the American College of Rheumatology criteria for FMS but had not sought medical care (“nonpatients”). Results. Emotional trauma was associated with status as an FMS patient independently of demographics, physical trauma, and sexual/physical abuse (P = 0.007). Among patients, emotional trauma was related to a high number of physician visits (P = 0.013), functional disability ratings (P = 0.012), and fatigue (P = 0.029), but physical trauma was associated with receipt of disability compensation (P = 0.019). Trauma history was not related to pain severity or pain thresholds. Conclusion. Perception of physical trauma is a greater determinant of disability compensation for FMS than is perceived emotional trauma, symptom severity, or functional disability. Effort should be devoted to understanding the social and legal factors underlying this observation, as well as to reducing high health care usage among FMS patients with emotional trauma.
Parasympathetic preganglionic neurons in the sacral spinal cord

Two types of preganglionic neurons have been identified in the sacral parasympathetic nucleus (SPN) of the cat. These neurons could be differentiated by various characteristics including axonal conduction velocities, morphology, location in the nucleus, organ of innervation and central reflex mechanisms controlling their activity. Neurons having myelinated axons (B-PGNs) with conduction velocities between 3.3 and 13 m/s were located in the lateral band of the SPN and innervated the urinary bladder. Neurons with unmyelinated axons (C-PGNs) with conduction velocities of 0.5-1.4 m/s were located in the dorsal band of the nucleus and innervated the large intestine. B-PGNs were excited by distention of the bladder and inhibited by distension or mechanical stimulation of the intestine, whereas C-PGNs exhibited the opposite responses to these stimuli. C-PGNs often exhibited a low level of spontaneous discharge in absence of stimulation but exhibited marked firing (3.5-10 spikes/s) during a defecation reflex elicited by mechanical stimulation of the rectum-anal canal. The excitatory responses were elicited by C-fiber afferents via a spinal reflex pathway. B-PGNs were inactive when intravesical pressure was below the threshold for inducing micturition (5 cm H2O) but raising the pressure above the threshold induced firing consisting of repetitive bursts of action potentials occurring at relatively high frequencies (15-60 spikes/s). These bursts coincided with rhythmic bladder contractions. The frequency of bladder contractions and associated bursts of PGN-firing and the mean PGN-firing rate (2-8 spikes/s) increased as intravesical pressure was increased in steps between 5 and 30 cm H2O. However, as indicated by interspike interval histograms, the frequency of firing within a burst of action potentials was unchanged. It is concluded that the micturition reflex pathway is organized as a simple on-off switching circuit and that B-PGNs receive a maximal synaptic input when intravesical pressure exceeds the micturition threshold. This circuit was triggered by vesical A delta afferents via a spinobulbospinal pathway. Transection of the spinal cord interrupted the reflex pathway and blocked micturition. However, in chronic spinal animals a spinal reflex mechanisms emerged which contributed to the recovery of bladder function. This mechanism, which was weak or non-existent in animals with an intact neuraxis, exhibited a number of important differences from the normal micturition reflex, most notably being activated by a C-fiber afferent rather than a A delta afferent limb. The mechanism underlying the emergence of C-fiber evoked bladder reflexes in spinal animals is uncertain.
Analytical design methodology for Double Stator Switched Reluctance Machine

Double Stator Switched Reluctance Machine (DSSRM) is a novel switched reluctance machine with unique magnetic structure and very high power/torque density. In this paper, an analytical design method based on power expression is presented. General rules for selection of critical parameters is also included. Design of a 100kW, three phase DSSRM is presented as a case study following proposed design procedure. Performace of the machine has been analyzed using finite element method as well. The results validate the effectiveness of the design method.
Brazil's SIVAM: Surveillance Against Crime and Terrorism

(2003). Brazil's SIVAM: Surveillance Against Crime and Terrorism. International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence: Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 543-560.
Ondansetron with propofol reduces the incidence of emesis in children following tonsillectomy.

Purpose This study tested the hypothesis that the antiemetic effects of a combination of ondansetron and propofol were superior to propofol alone in children undergoing tonsillectomy surgery.
The Influence of Non-Epistemic Features of Settings on Epistemic Cognition

Situated theories of learning recognize the rules, tools, goals, and communities within which activities develop. Similarly, situated theories of epistemic cognition recognize that individuals’ ideas about knowledge are tentative and dependent on particular contexts. In this study, we bring these frameworks together and qualitatively examine how one high school student thinks about knowledge at the intersection between multiple settings while creating a documentary film about a socioscientific issue. We describe several non-epistemic features of settings that impact epistemic cognition, including time constraints, tool characteristics, and participation norms.
Merging the narratives: a historical study of translated philosophy in Mexico (1940s-1950s)

This paper presents the history of philosophy and the history of translation as parallel narratives. It argues that these histories must be merged in order to investigate productively the functions of philosophical translation within a specific intellectual tradition. The paper discusses possible points of intersection between the narratives produced by historians of translation and philosophy, and then examines particular translations at the crossroads of the German and Hispanic traditions. It explores the emergence of philosophical nationalism as a result, in part, of the influence of German historicist traditions in the Spanish and Mexican cultural milieus of the 1940s and 1950s. Two translations of Dilthey’s essay ‘The Essence of Philosophy’ are examined; these were published in Mexico and fulfilled different functions in that country’s philosophical field. They are examined as a corpus of texts with distinct social functions and are considered as discursive sites where different intellectual trajecto...
Recurrent diabetic ketoacidosis

Abstract This report presents and analyzes certain clinical and laboratory findings in 17 patients who were hospitalized repeatedly for diabetic ketoacidosis on a municipal hospital medical service during the early 1970s and the early 1980s. The 17 patients had a total of 92 hospitalizations for ketoacidosis during the survey periods. During the 1970s, most of the frequent recurrences occurred in young women, as has often been noted by others. In recent years, however, the number of patients with frequent recurrences hospitalized at Bronx Municipal Hospital Center has declined, and most of the patients have been young men. There is no obvious explanation for the latter trend. The laboratory findings were analyzed in order to learn whether they were similar in each patient during his or her recurrent admissions. In a few patients, blood pH, hemoglobin concentration, serum glucose level, anion gap, and osmoiarity tended to be similar during their repeated hospitalizations. In the majority of the patients, however, there was significant variation in most of these laboratory indexes, except for the serum osmolarities and blood hemoglobin concentrations. The similarity of the serum osmolarities and hemoglobin concentrations in sequential episodes in most of the patients suggested that a certain severity of dehydration may have been the main factor that led them to seek hospitalization.
Comments on the Preceding Paper

A solution to the problem of acquiring an acceptable starting point is given in “A General Method for Nonlinear Programming,” by Anthony V. Fiacco, Nicholas M. Smith, and David Blackwell Bulletin of the Operations Research Society of America, Volume 8, Supplement 1, page B-36 1960. This the paper referred to in reference 17 of the Carroll, C. W. 1961. The created response surface technique for optimizing nonlinear, restrained systems. Oper. Res.9 169--183.
Cathepsins as transcriptional activators

One action of proteases is limited cleavage of latent transcription factors, releasing active factors to initiate nuclear signaling. Goulet et al., in a recent Molecular Cell paper, provide evidence that a lysosomal protease, cathepsin L, exists in a previously unsuspected isoform capable of trafficking to the nucleus and activating the CDP/Cux transcription factor. The findings should stimulate new research on the nature of nuclear proteases involved in signaling.
0.1 ev HgCdTe photodetectors

Abstract The ultimate D∗ of 0.1 eV HgCdTe photodetectors is analyzed assuming an Auger limited band-to-band process determines the carrier lifetime in n-type material. A quantitative comparison of photoconductors and photodiodes in the thermal limit indicates that superior ultimate performance is offered by the photoconductor above 70°K. However, at lower temperatures the limit on photoconductor D∗ imposed by minority carrier sweepout suggests that the better ultimate performance potential is offered by the photodiode. The problems associated with attaining these ultimate D∗ values are discussed in light of present day detector design and fabrication techniques.
High-resolution infrared study of hydrogen (1×1) on tungsten (100)

The first high-resolution observation of the ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{1}$ vibrational mode of H chemisorbed on W(100) at saturation coverage has been obtained by surface electromagnetic wave spectroscopy.
Thermal characterization of sulfonated polyethylene fibers

Abstract Earlier work has shown that sulfonation results in an increase in the melting range of polyethylene fibers. Sulfonation of polyethylene fibers is also reported as a means of stabilization for high temperature treatments. In this study, sulfonation of some highly ordered and oriented polyethylene fibers was carried out to make the fibers infusible. The fibers were treated in concentrated sulfuric acid at different temperatures for varying lengths of time. The changes taking place in the precursor fibers treated under different conditions were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. Fibers treated for sufficient lengths of time showed no melting or recrystallization and retained up to 50% of their weight at 800°C. It was also observed that tension plays a major role in determining the structure and properties of the sulfonated fibers.
First-principles phase diagrams of pseudoternary chalcopyrite-zinc-blende alloys.

The temperature-composition phase diagrams of the pseudoternary (${\mathrm{CuInSe}}_{2}$${)}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$(ZnSe${)}_{2\mathit{x}}$ and (${\mathrm{ZnSnP}}_{2}$${)}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$(GaP${)}_{2\mathit{x}}$ chalcopyrite\char21{}zinc-blende semiconducting alloys are obtained by a combination of first-principles total-energy calculations with a statistical-mechanics description of a spin-1 Hamiltonian. We find that (i) alloying with zinc blende sharply lowers the order-disorder transition temperature of the chalcopyrite, (ii) despite the different crystal structures of the constituents, the alloy exhibits miscibility already above \ensuremath{\sim}500 K, and (iii) while the equilibrium ground state corresponds to phase separation, a metastable long-range-ordered intermediate stannite-type compound ${\mathrm{CuInZn}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Se}}_{4}$ is predicted.
Training nurses and nursing students about prevention, diagnoses, and treatment of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can result in birth defects known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. This study examined whether 1-h training sessions on alcohol screening, brief intervention, diagnoses, and treatment of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders could increase practical knowledge and confidence in nurses and student nurses. Data were collected from 420 nurses (n = 95) and student nurses (n = 325) in the southeastern United States, from 2009 to 2011. Pre- and post-test data were analyzed using chi-square tests and t-tests. The post-training response rate was 84%. Nurses were more likely to know what constitutes binge drinking, facial abnormalities associated with fetal alcohol syndrome, and criteria for diagnosis. Nurses were also more confident in educating about effects of prenatal alcohol use, identifying fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and utilizing resources. Training materials may need to be improved and/or longer training programs developed for student nurses, and nursing school programs should place more emphasis on educating and preparing student nurses regarding this topic area.
Prospective Study Reveals Associations Between Colorectal Cancer and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus or Insulin Use in Men

Background & Aims Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC); it is not clear if this association varies by sex or other factors. Insulin use might also be associated with CRC risk. We investigated associations of type 2 DM and insulin use with CRC risk. Methods The Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort is a prospective study of cancer incidence. In 1992 or 1993, adult participants (n = 184,194) completed a detailed, self-administered questionnaire. Follow-up questionnaires were sent in 1997 and every 2 years thereafter. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to calculate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for covariates. Results After exclusions, 73,312 men and 81,663 women remained in the final analytic cohort; 1567 men (227 with type 2 DM) and 1242 women (108 with type 2 DM) were diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer by 2007. Among men, type 2 DM was associated with increased risk of incident CRC compared to not having type 2 DM (RR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.08−1.44); risk was higher for participants with type 2 DM using insulin (RR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.05−1.78), and participants with type 2 DM not using insulin (RR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.04−1.45). Among women, type 2 DM and insulin use were not associated with risk of incident CRC (RR: 1.01; 95% CI: 0.82−1.23 and RR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.64−1.41, respectively). Conclusions There is a modest association between type 2 DM and CRC among men, but not women. Insulin use is not associated with a substantially increased risk of CRC.
A set of behavioral modeling primatives (digital circuit models)

A set of higher-level primitives which can be used to speed up the process of digital circuit model development is defined. The use of these primitives can improve productivity to a large extent. These primitives are built as a macro library into the tool, and the modeler is given the option to define his own primitives and use them. It is shown how a tool called the Modeler's Assistant, developed by D.G. Burnette (1988), together with the modeling primitives provides a tool that can simplify the process of model development and produce syntactically correct very-high-speed IC hardware description language source code interactively. >
Spatially-resolved spectral observations of pulsed surface flashover in a nitrogen environment

The development of streamers during the initial stage of a pulsed atmospheric discharge, which carries a high content of vacuum UV (VUV) emission, is investigated. Due to the high spectral absorptivity of atmospheric air in the VUV regime, few experiments have been conducted that observe the wavelength range shorter than 180 nm. However, direct photoionization is believed to play an important role in streamer formation during this phase of breakdown. VUV radiation (hν > 7 eV) is energetic enough to promote step-ionization and directly ionize background gas mixtures. Utilizing a VUV-sensitive experimental apparatus, spatially-resolved photomultiplier tube (PMT) measurements were recorded showing that initial VUV emission is dependent on the inhomogeneous field distribution near the electrodes. It was revealed that further into the developing streamer the position of instantaneous VUV emission is propagating from anode to cathode away from the initial VUV emissions. From these observations, the low temperature plasma is capable of producing high energy photons during the streamer phase as well as after voltage collapse.
Central American Resource Studies

The Los Alamos National Laboratory has been involved in geothermal and mineral resource studies in Central America over the last four years. These studies have concentrated on finding mineral resources in Costa Rica (using geochemical prospecting), peat in Costa Rica and Panama, geothermal resources in Honduras and Guatemala, and developing existing geothermal fields in Costa Rica (Miravalles), El Salvador (Ahuachapan), and Guatemala (Zunil). We have been assisted in these efforts by the counterpart electrical utilities in each country, the U.S. Geological Survey, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and private consultants. The work has been funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) at a level of $8.0 million over calendar years 1985–1987.
Rab11a-positive compartments in proximal tubule cells sort fluid-phase and membrane cargo

The proximal tubule (PT) reabsorbs the majority of sodium, bicarbonate, and chloride ions, phosphate, glucose, water, and plasma proteins from the glomerular filtrate. Despite the critical importance of endocytosis for PT cell (PTC) function, the organization of the endocytic pathway in these cells remains poorly understood. We have used immunofluorescence and live-cell imaging to dissect the itinerary of apically internalized fluid and membrane cargo in polarized primary cultures of PTCs isolated from mouse kidney cortex. Cells from the S1 segment could be distinguished from those from more distal PT segments by their robust uptake of albumin and comparatively low expression of γ-glutamyltranspeptidase. Rab11a in these cells is localized to variously sized spherical compartments that resemble the apical vacuoles observed by electron microscopy analysis of PTCs in vivo. These Rab11a-positive structures are highly dynamic and receive membrane and fluid-phase cargo. In contrast, fluid-phase cargoes are largely excluded from Rab11a-positive compartments in immortalized kidney cell lines. The unusual morphology and sorting capacity of Rab11a compartments in primary PTCs may reflect a unique specialization of these cells to accommodate the functional demands of handling a high endocytic load.
Axial nonuniformity of geometric and mechanical properties of mouse aorta is increased during postnatal growth.

The hemodynamic conditions of aorta are relatively uniform prenatally and become more heterogeneous postnatally. Our objective was to quantify the heterogeneity of geometry and mechanical propertie...
Multiagent System for Reputation--based Web Services Selection

QoS-based service selection mechanisms will play an essential role in service-oriented architectures, as e-Business applications want to use services that most accurately meet their requirements. However, current techniques provide no support for actually making rational selections. In this paper, we develop a multiagent framework for QoS-based Web services selection, through a combination of the respective merits of agent and service-oriented to enables dynamic and efficient delivery of composite Web services. We present a service-oriented distributed reputation assessment algorithm as a QoS support module in the framework. We give an example application and some preliminary results.
Vector and Tensor Coulomb Energies

Vector and tensor Coulomb energies have been extracted from the known experimental Coulomb energy differences between isobaric doublets and triplets in light nuclei. The vector Coulomb energy essentially depends linearly on $A$ within a given shell and shows discontinuities at major shell closures and superimposed weak oscillations. The tensor Coulomb energy exhibits a pronounced oscillatory structure. The characteristic $A$ dependence of both Coulomb energies is discussed and the oscillations in particular are related to Coulomb pairing effects.
Nearly perfect fluidity: from cold atomic gases to hot quark gluon plasmas

Shear viscosity is a measure of the amount of dissipation in a simple fluid. In kinetic theory shear viscosity is related to the rate of momentum transport by quasi-particles, and the uncertainty relation suggests that the ratio of shear viscosity ? to entropy density s in units of /kB is bounded by a constant. Here, is Planck's constant and kB is Boltzmann's constant. A specific bound has been proposed on the basis of string theory where, for a large class of theories, one can show that ?/s ? /(4?kB). We will refer to a fluid that saturates the string theory bound as a perfect fluid. In this review we summarize theoretical and experimental information on the properties of the three main classes of quantum fluids that are known to have values of ?/s that are smaller than /kB. These fluids are strongly coupled Bose fluids, in particular liquid helium, strongly correlated ultracold Fermi gases and the quark gluon plasma. We discuss the main theoretical approaches to transport properties of these fluids: kinetic theory, numerical simulations based on linear response theory and holographic dualities. We also summarize the experimental situation, in particular with regard to the observation of hydrodynamic behavior in ultracold Fermi gases and the quark gluon plasma.
Catalytic selectivity in complex systems

Diffusional effects on the three general types of catalytic selectivity are studied for complex, isothermal systems. A variable diffusivity evaluated from pore structure-diffusion models is used to express the influence of mixed modes of diffusion, multicomponent mixtures, and catalytic pore structure on selectivity. Selectivity in complex systems is, in general, lower than that estimated from constant diffusivity analysis, although an optimum particle density may exist for certain cases of parallel reaction. The quantitative estimation of selectivity in complex systems requires some detail on the properties of the reaction and catalyst under study. Les effets de la diffusion sur les trois types generaux de selectivite des catalyseurs sont etudies pour des reactions complexes sous des conditions isothermiques. Un coefficient de diffusion variable, estime a partir d'un modele, est utilise pour definir L'influence sur la selectivite du type de diffusion, de la composition du melange reactif et de la structure du catalyseur. La selectivite d'un catalyseur dans une reaction complexe est generalement inferieur a celle prevue par des etudes de diffusion. Cependant, une densite de particule optimum existe peut-ětre dans le cas de certaines reactions simultanees. L'estimation de la valeur de la selectivite dans les reactions complexes requiert la connaissance de certaines proprietes de la reaction et du catalyseur sous etude.
Tectonic significance of Late Neoproterozoic granites from the Tibesti massif in southern Libya inferred from Sr and Nd isotopes and U–Pb zircon data

Abstract The Neoproterozoic crust of the Tibesti massif was stabilized by magmatism that included subduction-generated batholithic suites and post-orogenic granite plutons. All of the magmatism occurred in a period of about 20 million years centered around 550 Ma, and nearly all of the granites have initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of about 0.706. The Wadi Yebigue pluton has U–Pb zircon ages of 563 Ma and 558 Ma on two different phases and e Nd at 550 Ma from −0.5 to −2.2. These isotopic data and the geologic history of the massif suggest that granites in the Tibesti massif developed during and shortly after closure of a short-lived ocean basin that developed by fragmentation of pre-existing continental crust of the Saharan region.
Optical blending for multi-projector display wall systems

In this presentation, we will give a brief overview of the Scalable Display Wall project, and then focus on a low-cost optical blending technique that we developed to implement a seamless display with multiple tiled projectors. We will also describe a digital tuning technique to improve the blending technique.
OVEREXPRESSION OF HUMAN LECITHIN CHOLESTEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE LEADS TO HYPERALPHALIPOPROTEINEMIA IN TRANSGENIC MICE

Lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) is a key enzyme which catalyzes the esterification of free cholesterol present in plasma lipoproteins. In order to evaluate the role of LCAT in HDL metabolism, a 6.2-kilobase (kb) fragment consisting of 0.851 and 1.134 kb of the 5'- and 3'-flanking regions, as well as the entire human LCAT gene, was utilized to develop transgenic mice. Three different transgenic mouse lines overexpressing human LCAT at plasma levels 11-, 14-, and 109-fold higher than non-transgenic mice were established. Northern blot hybridization analysis demonstrated that the injected 6.2-kb fragment contained the necessary DNA sequences to direct tissue specific expression of the human LCAT gene in mouse liver. Compared to age- and sex-matched controls, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels were increased in all 3 transgenic mice lines by 124-218 and 123-194%, respectively, while plasma triglyceride concentrations remained similar to that of control animals. Fast protein liquid chromatography analysis of transgenic mouse plasma revealed marked increases in high density liposportin (HDL)-cholesteryl ester and phospholipid as well as the formation of larger size HDL. Thus, the majority of the increase in transgenic plasma cholesterol concentrations was due to accumulation of cholesteryl ester in HDL consistent with enhanced esterification of free cholesterol in mouse HDL by human LCAT. Plasma concentrations of apoA-I, apoA-II, and apoE were increased in high expressor homozygote mice who also demonstrated an accumulation of an apoE-rich HDL1. Like the mouse enzyme, human LCAT was found to be primarily associated with mouse HDL. Our studies demonstrate a high correlation between plasma LCAT activity and total as well as HDL cholesterol levels establishing that in mice LCAT modulates plasma HDL concentrations. Overexpression of LCAT in mice leads to HDL elevation as well as increased heterogeneity of the HDL lipoprotein particles, indicating that high levels of plasma LCAT activity may be associated with hyperalphalipoproteinemia and enhanced reverse cholesterol transport.
Maximum Likelihood Direction Finding in Spatially Colored Noise Fields Using Sparse Sensor Arrays

We consider the problem of maximum likelihood (ML) direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation of narrowband signals using sparse sensor arrays, which consist of widely separated subarrays such that the unknown spatially colored noise field is uncorrelated between different subarrays. We develop ML DOA estimators under the assumptions of zero-mean and non-zero-mean Gaussian signals based on an Expectation-Maximization (EM) framework. For DOA estimation of non-zero-mean Gaussian signals, we derive the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) as well as the asymptotic error covariance matrix of the ML estimator that improperly assumes zero-mean Gaussian signals. We provide analytical and numerical performance comparisons for the existing deterministic and the proposed stochastic ML estimators. The results show that the proposed estimators normally provide better accuracy than the existing deterministic estimator, and that the nonzero means in the signals improve the accuracy of DOA estimation.
The error probability performance of Gray encoded QPSK scheme with co-channel interference in a slow fading indoor channel

A theoretical analysis of the error performance of a Gray encoded quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) scheme in the presence of thermal Gaussian noise and a fading cochannel interference signal in a slow fading indoor wireless channel is presented. The exact error probability expression is presented in a closed form with the error manifesting the combined effect of noise and interference. The system model and the underlying assumptions are specified, and the problem is formulated. The expressions for the bit and symbol error rates are derived. The performance plots and conclusions are presented. It is shown that the exact bit error ratio and the symbol error can be expressed in a closed form. >
Implementing Change in Health Professions Education: Stakeholder Analysis and Coalition Building

The challenges facing the health sciences education fields are more evident than ever. Professional health sciences educators have more demands on their time, more knowledge to manage, and ever-dwindling sources of financial support. Change is often necessary to either keep programs viable or meet the changing needs of health education. This article outlines a simple but powerful three-step tool to help educators become successful agents of change. Through the application of principles well known and widely used in business management, readers will understand the concepts behind stakeholder analysis and coalition building. These concepts are part of a powerful tool kit that educators need in order to become effective agents of change in the health sciences environment. Using the example of curriculum change at a school of veterinary medicine, we will outline the three steps involved, from stakeholder identification and analysis to building and managing coalitions for change.
From sex roles to gender structure

This article has two goals, an intellectual history of gender as a concept and to outline a framework for moving forward theory and research on gender conceptualized as a structure of social stratification. The authors' first goal is to trace the conceptual development of the study of sex and gender throughout the 20th century to now. They do this from a feminist sociological standpoint, framing the question with particular concern for power and inequality. The authors use a modernist perspective, showing how theory and research built in a cumulative fashion, with empirical studies sometimes supporting and sometimes challenging current theories, often leads to new ones. The authors then offer their theoretical contribution, framing gender as a social structure as a means to integrate the wide variety of empirical research findings on causal explanations for and consequences of gender. This framework includes attention to: the differences and similarities between women and men as individuals, the stability of and changing expectations we hold for each sex during social interaction, and the mechanisms by which gender is embedded into the logic of social institutions and organizations. At each level of analysis, there is a focus on the organization of social life and the cultural logics that accompany such patterns.
Mapping student understanding in chemistry: The perspectives of chemists

Como parte de trabajo anterior, hemos venido desarrollando un marco conceptual conocido como Las Perspectivas de los Quimicos, el cual busca capturar una vision de aprendizaje incremental en quimica. Este marco fue desarrollado junto con el proyecto curricular Living by Chemistry (LBC), el cual incluye un sistema de evaluacion de conocimientos quimicos para los niveles medio, medio-superior y universitario conocido como ChemQuery. Estos proyectos han sido financiados por la National Science Foundation (NSF). ChemQuery es un sistema de evaluacion que se basa en un conjunto de ideas claves en la disciplina, una rubrica de evaluacion, preguntas representativas, y el marco conceptual Las Perspectivas de los Quimicos. El sistema permite combinar datos empiricos con modelos de medicion de la familia Rasch (IRT), con el fin de analizar e interpretar dichos datos (Wilson, 2005). El sistema permite describir progreso en el aprendizaje de los estudiantes en un curso o entre cursos de quimica y explorar diferencias individuales en el nivel de compresion de conceptos cientificos seleccionados. Nuestro proposito es estudiar como aprenden los estudiantes con el fin de saber lo que ellos saben y encontrar mejores maneras de apoyar su aprendizaje. En su momento, nuestro trabajo represento una descripcion temprana de una progresion de aprendizaje en quimica que creemos es relevante hoy dia. Por tanto, este trabajo se centra en la descripcion de lo que hemos aprendido acerca de trayectorias de aprendizaje de los estudiantes en quimica a traves del desarrollo del marco conceptual de Las Perspectivas dentro del sistema de evaluacion ChemQuery
Assessing local population vulnerability with branching process models: an application to wind energy development

Quantifying the impact of anthropogenic development on local populations is important for conservation biology and wildlife management. However, these local populations are often subject to demographic stochasticity because of their small population size. Traditional modeling efforts such as population projection matrices do not consider this source of variation whereas individual-based models, which include demographic stochasticity, are computationally intense and lack analytical tractability. One compromise between approaches is branching process models because they accommodate demographic stochasticity and are easily calculated. These models are known within some sub-fields of probability and mathematical ecology but are not often applied in conservation biology and applied ecology. We applied branching process models to quantitatively compare and prioritize species locally vulnerable to the development of wind energy facilities. Specifically, we examined species vulnerability using branching process models for four representative species: A cave bat (a long-lived, low fecundity species), a tree bat (short-lived, moderate fecundity species), a grassland songbird (a short-lived, high fecundity species), and an eagle (a long-lived, slow maturation species). Wind turbine-induced mortality has been observed for all of these species types, raising conservation concerns. We simulated different mortality rates from wind farms while calculating local extinction probabilities. The longer-lived species types (e.g., cave bats and eagles) had much more pronounced transitions from low extinction risk to high extinction risk than short-lived species types (e.g., tree bats and grassland songbirds). High-offspring-producing species types had a much greater variability in baseline risk of extinction than the lower-offspring-producing species types. Long-lived species types may appear stable until a critical level of incidental mortality occurs. After this threshold, the risk of extirpation for a local population may rapidly increase with only minimal increases in wind mortality. Conservation biologists and wildlife managers may need to consider this mortality pattern when issuing take permits and developing monitoring protocols for wind facilities. We also describe how our branching process models may be generalized across a wider range of species for a larger assessment project and then describe how our methods may be applied to other stressors in addition to wind.
Clinical Assessment of Acid-Base Status: Strong Ion Difference Theory

Acid-base abnormalities occur commonly in ruminants. Two methods that are currently used to assess acid-base status, the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation and the strong ion approach, are discussed in this article in detail. Guidelines are provided for applying the strong ion approach in the clinical treatment of acid-base disturbances. The anion gap and strong ion gap concepts are also discussed in this article. Cases are used to illustrate the advantages of the simplified strong ion model over the more traditional Henderson-Hasselbalch approach.
Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting

This chapter provides the introductory information on piezoelectric energy harvesting covering various aspects such as modeling, selection of materials, vibration harvesting device design using bulk and MEMS approach, and energy harvesting circuits. All these characteristics are illustrated through selective examples. A simple step-by-step procedure is presented to design the cantilever beam based energy harvester by incorporating piezoelectric material at maximum stress points in first and second resonance modes. Suitable piezoelectric material for vibration energy harvesting is characterized by the large magnitude of product of the piezoelectric voltage constant (g) and the piezoelectric strain constant (d) given as (d· g). The condition for obtaining large magnitude of d·g has been shown to be as |d| =en, where e is the permittivity of the material and n is a material parameter having lower limit of 0.5. The material can be in the form of polycrystalline ceramics, textured ceramics, thin films, and polymers. A brief coverage of various material systems is provided in all these categories. Using these materials different transducer structures can be fabricated depending upon the desired frequency and vibration amplitude such as multilayer, MFC, bimorph, amplified piezoelectric actuator, QuickPack, rainbow, cymbal, and moonie. The concept of multimodal energy harvesting is introduced at the end of the chapter. This concept provides the opportunity for further enhancement of power density by combining two different energy-harvesting schemes in one system such that one assists the other.
A Word of Caution for Lawyer Assistance Programming

With increasing awareness of the problem of substance abuse in the legal profession has come the natural desire to develop responses. Formal bar-sponsored "lawyer assistance" programs have sprouted throughout the United States. Many of these programs have been accompanied by rules that permit lawyers to seek help on a confidential basis. There is a very real tension between the functions of the bar in assisting lawyers in reforming their behavior, or seeking help for their addiction, and in protecting clients against lawyer misconduct. This tension has ramifications for the programs and rules bar organizations may wish to institute, for the principles that should govern administrators of lawyer assistance and bar disciplinary programs, and for the emphasis bar associations may wish to adopt for their activities. The goal of this brief comment is to identify a few of the issues that each state and local bar association should address before reaching any conclusions regarding the appropriateness of particular forms of lawyer assistance.
Long-Term n-Caproic Acid Production from Yeast-Fermentation Beer in an Anaerobic Bioreactor with Continuous Product Extraction

Multifunctional reactor microbiomes can elongate short-chain carboxylic acids (SCCAs) to medium-chain carboxylic acids (MCCAs), such as n-caproic acid. However, it is unclear whether this microbiome biotechnology platform is stable enough during long operating periods to consistently produce MCCAs. During a period of 550 days, we improved the operating conditions of an anaerobic bioreactor for the conversion of complex yeast-fermentation beer from the corn kernel-to-ethanol industry into primarily n-caproic acid. We incorporated and improved in-line, membrane liquid–liquid extraction to prevent inhibition due to undissociated MCCAs at a pH of 5.5 and circumvented the addition of methanogenic inhibitors. The microbiome accomplished several functions, including hydrolysis and acidogenesis of complex organic compounds and sugars into SCCAs, subsequent chain elongation with undistilled ethanol in beer, and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. The methane yield was 2.40 ± 0.52% based on COD and was limited by the ...
Metabolomic signatures of increases in temperature and ocean acidification from the reef-building coral, Pocillopora damicornis

As a changing climate threatens the persistence of terrestrial and marine ecosystems by altering community composition and function, differential performance of taxa highlights the need for predictive metrics and mechanistic understanding of the factors underlying positive performance in the face of environmental disturbances. Biochemical reactions within cells provide a snapshot of molecular regulation and flexibility during exposure to environmental stressors. However, because the organism is the unit of selection there is a need for the integration of metabolite data with organism physiology to understand mechanisms responsible for individual success under a changing climate. Our study aims to characterize the molecular response of reef corals to simulated global climate change stressors. Furthermore, we seek to relate changes in the molecular physiology to observations in overall colony response. To this end, we applied a non-targeted metabolomic approach to describe lipid and primary metabolite composition after exposure of the reef-building coral Pocillopora damicornis to ambient and elevated experimental climate change conditions. We compared these metabolite data to organism physiology, specifically the key processes of photosynthesis, respiration, and calcification. Corals significantly altered their lipid and primary metabolite profiles in response to experimental treatments. Primary metabolite profiles predicted organisms’ net photosynthesis, but not calcification or respiration measures. Despite challenges in metabolome annotation, our data indicated corals alter carbohydrate composition, cell structural lipids, and signaling compounds in response to elevated treatment conditions. The integration of metabolite and physiological data highlights the predictive power of metabolomics in defining organism performance and provides biomarkers for future studies. Here, we present a multivariate biomarker approach to assess climate change impacts and advance our mechanistic understanding of stress response in this keystone species.
The Costs of Crashing—A Comment:

This article presents an algorithm for selecting the activities which should be expedited to minimize the total cost of achieving a particular total project duration. The author comments on “The Co...
Discussing study methods on surface characterization of polyurethane liner

Several surface analysis technic and its application fields were introduced,such as contact angle(CA), ATR/FT-IR,XPS and so on. According to characteristic of polyurethane(PU) liner,some methods which may be used for investigating surface characteristics of PU liner were presented.
One-Stage Laparoscopic Pelvic Lymphadenectomy and Radical Perineal Prostatectomy

AbstractLaparoscopic pelvic lymph node dissection is currently an accepted procedure for staging adenocarcinoma of the prostate. To assess the feasibility and efficacy of performing laparoscopic pelvic lymph node dissection and radical perineal prostatectomy during the same anesthesia, we retrospectively analyzed 98 patients with clinically localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate who were candidates for radical prostatectomy. Of the patients 12 (12%) underwent laparoscopic pelvic lymph node dissection only since they had metastatic disease to the pelvic lymph nodes on frozen section evaluation (the Gleason pathological grade was 2 to 4 in 2 patients, 5 to 7 in 8 and 8 in 2). Of the remaining 86 patients who underwent radical perineal prostatectomy for definitive management 76 (88%) underwent 1-stage radical perineal prostatectomy immediately after laparoscopic pelvic lymph node dissection, while 10 (12%) in the initial stages of our series underwent delayed perineal prostatectomy following laparoscopic p...
Live and let live.

The World AIDS Day was declared by WHO in 1988 and the theme is given for this day every year and for the year 2002-03 "Live and let live" is the specific theme. According to UNAIDS there are 40-50 million people living with HIV/AIDS globally. Stigma and discrimination are major obstacles to effective HIV/AIDS prevention. HIV remains unaffected by highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The best hope for prevention of HIV rests on the development of a globally accessible vaccine. There are many complexities associated with conducting AIDS vaccine efficacy trials in the developing world.
Computational Considerations in Bone-Implant Systems

Structural analysis of bone-implant systems has become an important aspect of orthopaedic biomechanics during the last two decades. To a large extent, this has resulted from the increased use of total joint replacements for the treatment of diseased or damaged joints and the use of fracture fixation devices for the treatment of broken bones. When any of these devices are used, a new composite structure is created consisting of the implant, the bone, and the biological or artificial interface layers which are interposed between the device and the bone.
Descriptions of Males of Rhopobota tungurahuana Razowski & Pelz and Ancylis ecuadorica Razowski & Wojtusiak (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) with New Distribution Records from Venezuela

ABSTRACT The descriptions of Rhopobota tungurahuana Razowski & Pelz and Ancylis ecuadorica Razowski & Wojtusiak were based on female specimens collected in Ecuador. Series of both sexes of these species were collected in Venezuela, and these represent new distribution records. Male genitalia are described, and figures of imagos and genitalia of both sexes are provided.