cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Magnetic Susceptibility of Carbons and Polycrystalline Graphites. II

In this investigation, the relation of susceptibility to the $a$ dimension of crystallites was studied over the range from turbostratic carbons with diameters of 50 angstroms, to graphitic crystals with diameters of at least several thousand angstroms. Two series of carbons, one Thermax carbon black in powder form, the other National Carbon baked rods, were prepared in which the crystallite size was varied by heat treatment to different temperatures. A third series consisting of carbon blacks with different particle sizes from 50A to 3000A was prepared by heating to 3000\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, the particle size limiting the crystallite growth. The crystallite diameter was determined from the broadening of the x-ray diffraction lines, 10 (two-dimensional asymmetric diffraction line), and 110. The magnetic susceptibility was measured at room temperature by the Gouy method, and the measurements were made with fields ranging from 2000 to 11 500 oersteds to correct for ferromagnetic impurities. The mass susceptibilities of all carbons plotted against crystallite diameter fall within a narrow band showing that the susceptibility is primarily a function of crystallite size (Fig. 5). Almost all the increase in susceptibility from -0.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$/g for very small crystallites (aromatic molecules) to -7.8\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$/g for large crystals takes place in the range of diameters from 50A to 150A. The sharp increase in susceptibility is discussed in relation to the changes in the Hall effect and thermoelectric power as a function of heat treatment. It is concluded that this increase is due to an increase in the filling of the $\ensuremath{\pi}$ band which brings the Fermi level into a region of higher curvature of the constant energy surfaces.
Rapid atrial pacing : A useful technique during slow pathway ablation

BACKGROUND Catheter ablation is the treatment of choice for atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) with a success rate of 95-98%. The appearance of junctional rhythm during radiofrequency (RF) application to the slow pathway has been consistently reported as a marker for the successful ablation of AVNRT. Ventriculoatrial (VA) conduction during junctional rhythm has been used by many as a surrogate marker of antegrade atrioventricular nodal (AVN) function. However, VA conduction may not be an accurate or consistent marker for antegrade AVN function and reliance on this marker may leave some patients at risk for antegrade AVN injury. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to describe a technique to ensure normal antegrade AVN function during junctional rhythm at the time of RF catheter ablation of the slow pathway. METHODS Retrospective review of all patients less than 21 years old who underwent RF ablation for AVNRT at our institution from January 2002 to July 2005. During RF applications, immediately after junctional rhythm was demonstrated, RAP was performed to ensure normal antegrade AVN function. Postablation testing was performed to assess AVN function and tachycardia inducibility. RESULTS Fifty-eight patients underwent RF ablation of AVNRT during the study period. The mean age +/- SD was 14 +/- 3 years (range: 5-20 years). The weight was 53 +/- 15 Kg (range: 19-89 Kg). The preablation Wenckebach cycle length was 397 +/- 99 msec (range: 260-700 msec). Fifty-four patients had inducible typical AVNRT, and four patients had atypical tachycardia. The mean tachycardia cycle length +/- SD was 323 +/- 62 msec (range: 200-500 msec). Patients underwent of 8 +/- 7 total RF applications (median: 7; range 1 to 34), for a total duration of 123 +/- 118 seconds (median: 78 sec, range: 20-473 sec). Junctional tachycardia was observed in 52 of 54 patients. RAP was initiated during junctional rhythm in all patients. No patient developed any degree of transient or permanent AVN block. Following ablation, the Wenckebach cycle length decreased to 364 +/- 65 msec (P < 0.01). Acutely successful RF catheter ablation was obtained in 56 of 58 patients (96%). CONCLUSION Rapid atrial pacing during radiofrequency catheter ablation of the slow pathway is a safe alternative approach to ensure normal AVN function.
Relationship of Mindfulness, Quality of Life, and Psychiatric Symptoms Among Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a significant health problem. IBD patients have an exaggerated response to stress, which is also implicated as a flare-up trigger. Stress management techniques can potentially prevent flare-ups and improve quality of life. This study examines the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and perceived stress, quality of life, and psychiatric distress. Participants with ulcerative colitis (UC) completed questionnaires and were classified into two groups: asymptomatic and symptomatic. Independent samples t tests determined whether the groups differed significantly on mindfulness and psychosocial variables. Pearson's bivariate correlations were used to test for linear relationships between scores on the mindfulness measure and scores on psychosocial variables. In the asymptomatic group, mindfulness scores were significantly and inversely correlated with anxiety, depression, and perceived stress scores, and significantly but positively correlated with quality of life. In the symptomatic group, mindfulness was significantly and inversely correlated with perceived stress scores and was not significantly correlated with other psychosocial variables. Our data suggest that mindfulness training, which can be incorporated into a stress management program, may be an important component in treating UC, by improving physical and psychiatric functioning. Randomized, placebo-controlled trials are necessary to determine whether MBSR is useful in managing UC.
A low-voltage bulk-silicon tunneling-based microaccelerometer

This paper describes the design, fabrication, and testing of a low-driving-voltage (/spl les/10 V) bulk-silicon tunneling-based microaccelerometer. Using the bulk-silicon fabrication technology and boron etch-stop dissolved wafer process, one of the devices with an active area of 400/spl times/400 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ has been successfully fabricated, fully characterized, and electrostatically tested. The d.c. sensitivity is 1.66/spl times/10/sup 4/ ppm/g (133 mV/g) and the gain bandwidth is 2 kHz in air. The device provides a full scale range of -20 g to 10 g with a nonlinearity of 0.6%. The measured sensitivity variation is /spl plusmn/150 ppm per g (/spl ap/0.9%) over three weeks, which is primarily attributed to the change of tip characteristics and creep of microstructures over time. The temperature coefficient of offset (TCO) and temperature coefficient of sensitivity (TCS) are -600 ppm//spl deg/C and 1200 ppm//spl deg/C respectively.
Mutagenic analysis of the 3' cis-acting elements of the rubella virus genome.

Thermodynamically predicted secondary structure analysis of the 3′-terminal 305 nucleotides (nt) of the rubella virus (RUB) genome, a region conserved in all RUB defective interfering RNAs, revealed four stem-loop (SL) structures; SL1 and SL2 are both located in the E1 coding region, while SL3 and SL4 are within the 59-nt 3′ untranslated region (UTR) preceding the poly(A) tract. SL2 is a structure shown to interact with human calreticulin (CAL), an autoantigen potentially involved in RUB RNA replication and pathogenesis. RNase mapping indicated that SL2 and SL3 are in equilibrium between two conformations, in the second of which the previously proposed CAL binding site in SL2, a U-U bulge, is not formed. Site-directed mutagenesis of the 3′ UTR with a RUB infectious clone, Robo302, revealed that most of the 3′ UTR is required for viral viability except for the 3′-terminal 5 nt and the poly(A) tract, although poly(A) was rapidly regenerated during subsequent replication. Maintenance of the overall SL3 structure, the 11-nt single-stranded sequence between SL3 and SL4, and the sequences forming SL4 were all important for viral viability. Studies on the interaction between host factors and the 3′ UTR showed the formation of three RNA-protein complexes by gel mobility shift assay, and UV-induced cross-linking detected six host protein species, with molecular masses of 120, 80, 66, 55, 48, and 36 kDa, interacting with the 3′ UTR. Site-directed mutagenesis of SL2 by nucleotide substitutions showed that maintenance of SL2 stem rather than the U-U bulge was critical in CAL binding since mutants having the U-U bulge base paired had a similar binding activity for CAL as the native structure whereas mutants having the SL2 stem destabilized had much lower binding activity. However, all of these mutations gave rise to viable viruses when introduced into Robo302, indicating that binding of CAL to SL2 is independent of viral viability.
Role of calcium and dairy products in energy partitioning and weight management

Dietary calcium plays a pivotal role in the regulation of energy metabolism because high-calcium diets attenuate adipocyte lipid accretion and weight gain during the overconsumption of an energy-dense diet and increase lipolysis and preserve thermogenesis during caloric restriction, which thereby markedly accelerates weight loss. Intracellular Ca(2+) plays a key regulatory role in adipocyte lipid metabolism and triacylglycerol storage; increased intracellular Ca(2+) results in the stimulation of lipogenic gene expression and lipogenesis and the suppression of lipolysis, which results in increased lipid filling and increased adiposity. Moreover, the increased calcitriol produced in response to low-calcium diets stimulates adipocyte Ca(2+) influx and, consequently, promotes adiposity, whereas higher-calcium diets inhibit lipogenesis, inhibit diet-induced obesity in mice, and promote lipolysis, lipid oxidation, and thermogenesis. Notably, dairy sources of calcium markedly attenuate weight and fat gain and accelerate fat loss to a greater degree than do supplemental sources of calcium. This augmented effect of dairy products relative to supplemental calcium is likely due to additional bioactive compounds, including the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and the rich concentration of branched-chain amino acids in whey, which act synergistically with calcium to attenuate adiposity. These concepts are confirmed by epidemiologic data and recent clinical trials, which indicate that diets that include > or =3 daily servings of dairy products result in significant reductions in adipose tissue mass in obese humans in the absence of caloric restriction and markedly accelerate weight and body fat loss secondary to caloric restriction compared with diets low in dairy products. These data indicate an important role for dairy products in both the prevention and treatment of obesity.
Integration of asset and outage management tasks for distribution systems

Integration of asset management and outage management tasks for distribution system is proposed and discussed. The necessity of integration is presented, followed by a description of the concept of integration. The optimization of asset and outage management tasks based on the integrated processing and evaluation of the influence of optimization on the cost of system outage is elaborated. Potential benefit of integration in distribution system is analyzed in terms of system reliability and return of investment for utilities.
Tunable, high-power ferrite frequency doubler

The development of a high-efficiency, tunable ferrite frequency doubler operating at 17.0 GHz is described. The optimum efficiencies are from 30 to 40 percent, with incident power levels up to 10 kW peak, 3.0 watts average. The doubler consists of a yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG) disk located at the junction of X- and K u -band rectangular waveguides. Attempts to scale the doubler into the millimeter range are in progress.
Creating abstract digital paintings with painting camera technique

We present a simple and intuitive rendering technique to create abstract paintings. This technique allows the users to render a given animated scene with multiple cameras, using a method inspired by concepts used by cubist and futurist abstract painters. In our method, the number of cameras is unlimited and the camera parameters are continuous functions. We define the camera parameters as parametric functions that are described by images, which we call camera-control-images. The spatial distribution color in these camera-control-images determines the camera parameters such as position and orientation. For the creation of abstract paintings, we have developed two artistic techniques. In the first technique, artists incrementally paint a complicated camera-control-image for a given 3D scene. The second technique is the opposite of the first. In this technique, for a given camera-control-image artists incrementally built a 3D scene to create an interesting abstract painting. The second technique is helpful when using existing images such as photographs and paintings.
Differential base stacking interactions induced by trimethylene interstrand DNA cross-links in the 5'-CpG-3' and 5'-GpC-3' sequence contexts.

Synthetically derived trimethylene interstrand DNA cross-links have been used as surrogates for the native cross-links that arise from the 1,N2-deoxyguanosine adducts derived from α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. The native enal-mediated cross-linking occurs in the 5′-CpG-3′ sequence context but not in the 5′-GpC-3′ sequence context. The ability of the native enal-derived 1,N2-dG adducts to induce interstrand DNA cross-links in the 5′-CpG-3′ sequence as opposed to the 5′-GpC-3′ sequence is attributed to the destabilization of the DNA duplex in the latter sequence context. Here, we report higher accuracy solution structures of the synthetically derived trimethylene cross-links, which are refined from NMR data with the AMBER force field. When the synthetic trimethylene cross-links are placed into either the 5′-CpG-3′ or the 5′-GpC-3′ sequence contexts, the DNA duplex maintains B-DNA geometry with structural perturbations confined to the cross-linked base pairs. Watson−Crick hydrogen bonding is conserved throughou...
In Situ Molecular Level Studies on Membrane Related Peptides and Proteins in Real Time Using Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy

Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy has been demonstrated to be a powerful technique to study the molecular structures of surfaces and interfaces in different chemical environments. This review summarizes recent SFG studies on hybrid bilayer membranes and substrate-supported lipid monolayers and bilayers, the interaction between peptides/proteins and lipid monolayers/bilayers, and bilayer perturbation induced by peptides/proteins. To demonstrate the ability of SFG to determine the orientations of various secondary structures, studies on the interactions between different peptides/proteins (melittin, G proteins, alamethicin, and tachyplesin I) and lipid bilayers are discussed. Molecular level details revealed by SFG in these studies show that SFG can provide a unique understanding on the interactions between a lipid monolayer/bilayer and peptides/proteins in real time, in situ and without any exogenous labeling.
“An Informal and Limited Alliance”: The President and the Supreme Court

Presidential influence transcends some of the barriers imposed by the separation of powers to influence decision making by the Supreme Court. Specifically, we test Robert Scigliano's proposition that an informal and limited alliance exists between the president and the Court. The analysis utilizes Supreme Court decisions on civil rights and civil liberties cases from 1953 to 2000 to assess the effects of the presidency, Congress, judicial policy preferences, and legal factors on the Court. The findings demonstrate that presidential ideology influences Court decisions, while the effects of Congress are more conditional and limited. The results provide support for Scigliano's notion of an informal alliance.
Global Expression Profiles in Human Normal and Aneurysmal Abdominal Aorta Based on Two Distinct Whole Genome Microarray Platforms

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are the thirteenth cause of death in the United States. The etiology of the disease is yet largely unknown, although several environmental risk factors (e.g., smoking) have been identified and the search for finding genetic risk factors has been initiated. The purpose of our study was to gain insight into the pathobiology of AAA by determining which genes are expressed in the abdominal aorta under either the diseased or normal states, thereby generating the whole-genome-wide expression profiles for these conditions.
Multicrystalline silicon solar cells: gettering optimization and characterization

Three multicrystalline silicon materials were used in preliminary experiments in preparation for a planned comprehensive gettering study on several industrial solar cell materials. Two processes commonly used to upgrade material quality were investigated; phosphorus gettering and aluminum-alloying. Microwave-detected photoconductance decay measurements of minority carrier lifetime and detailed analyses of full solar cells were used to determine the response to the gettering processes. Lateral nonuniformities were shown to be significant in these multicrystalline materials. Identification of the nature of the nonuniformities is important in developing an understanding of gettering effects. >
CRIMINAL GROUP EMBEDDEDNESS AND THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF ARRESTING A GANG'S LEADER: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY†

Although law enforcement agencies arrest criminal group leaders to dismantle organized crime, few studies have assessed whether such interventions produce adverse effects. Through a mixed-method comparative case study of the Latin Kings and 22 Boys street gangs in Chicago, this article examines the consequences of arresting a gang's leader. Using violent crime data, I show that a spike in violent crime took place in the first month after the arrest of the 22 Boys gang leader. In contrast, the arrest of the Latin Kings gang leader produced no change in violent crime. Using several qualitative data sources, I show that the arrest of the 22 Boys gang leader temporarily led to the gang's withdrawal from its territory, which spurred violent aggression from rival gangs in adjacent territories. In contrast, the Latin Kings gang continued its operations because the gang's prison leaders quickly appointed new leadership. The results suggest that criminal group embeddedness (or the social relations between criminal groups) can contribute to adverse effects in interventions targeting gang or other criminal group leaders. Language: en
The Depth Limits of Eddy Current Testing for Defects: A Computational Investigation and Smooth-Shaped Defect Synthesis from Finite Element Optimization

Abstract : This paper presents a computational investigation of the validity of eddy current testing (ECT) for defects embedded in steel using parametrically designed defects. Of particular focus is the depths at which defects can be detected through ECT. Building on this we characterize interior defects by parametrically describing them and then examining the response fields through measurement. Thereby we seek to establish the depth and direction of detectable cracks. As a second step, we match measurements from eddy current excitations to computed fields through finite element optimization. This develops further our previously presented methods of defect characterization. Here rough contours of synthesized shapes are avoided by a novel scheme of averaging neighbor heights rather than using complex Bezier curves, constraints and such like. This avoids the jagged shapes corresponding to mathematically correct but unrealistic synthesized shapes in design and nondestructive evaluation.
Effects of short-duration exposures to 2MHz ultrasound on growth and mitotic index of Pisum sativum roots

Abstract Roots of Pisum sativum were exposed to 2 MHz ultrasound for durations from 0.006 to 60 sec. Growth was noticably reduced by exposure durations of 0.03 sec and longer (at a spatial peak intensity of 20 w/cm 2 ) and mitotic index was noticably depressed by exposure durations of 0.06 sec and longer (at 30 W/cm 2 ). Additional increments of ultrasound exposure were progressively less effective in further reducing growth and mitotic index. Thus, a major part of the damage from a one-minute ultrasound exposure appears to be produced within the first few seconds after the beam is turned on.
Extra-anatomic Visceral Revascularization and Endovascular Stent-Grafting for Complex Thoracoabdominal Aortic Lesions:

Open surgical treatment of lesions of the thoracoabdominal aorta is a formidable procedure. It is associated with significant perioperative morbidity and mortality as well as a prolonged recuperative period. Because of the magnitude of the surgery required, many patients with thoracoabdominal aortic lesions are considered a prohibitive surgical risk and are denied elective surgical intervention. Risk factors for open surgery include prior thoracoabdominal aortic procedures, underlying pulmonary, renal, or cardiac dysfunction, and advanced age. In an effort to reduce the surgical risk, a combined technique has been developed consisting of retrograde extra-anatomic revascularization of visceral vessels followed by thoracoabdominal aortic endografting. Our experience and reports from other institutions suggest that early outcomes are acceptable, even in high-risk patients otherwise deemed unacceptable candidates for open thoracoabdominal surgery. The general principles for patient selection, the surgical and endovascular techniques involved, and representative cases will be presented.
MIXED MNL MODELS FOR DISCRETE RESPONSE

SUMMARY Thispaperconsidersmixed,orrandomcoeAcients,multinomiallogit (MMNL)modelsfordiscreteresponse, andestablishesthefollowingresults.Undermildregularityconditions,anydiscretechoicemodelderivedfrom random utility maximization has choice probabilities that can be approximated as closely as one pleases by a MMNLmodel.PracticalestimationofaparametricmixingfamilycanbecarriedoutbyMaximumSimulated LikelihoodEstimationorMethodofSimulatedMoments,andeasilycomputedinstrumentsareprovidedthat make the latter procedure fairly eAcient. The adequacy of a mixing specification can be tested simply as an omittedvariabletestwithappropriatelydefinedartificialvariables.Anapplicationtoaproblemofdemandfor alternativevehiclesshowsthatMMNL provides aflexible and computationally practical approach todiscrete response analysis. Copyright # 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Role of the vagus in the reduced pancreatic exocrine function in copper-deficient rats

Copper plays an essential role in the function and development of the central nervous system and exocrine pancreas. Dietary copper limitation is known to result in noninflammatory atrophy of pancreatic acinar tissue. Our recent studies have suggested that vagal motoneurons regulate pancreatic exocrine secretion (PES) by activating selective subpopulations of neurons within vagovagal reflexive neurocircuits. We used a combination of in vivo, in vitro, and immunohistochemistry techniques in a rat model of copper deficiency to investigate the effects of a copper-deficient diet on the neural pathways controlling PES. Duodenal infusions of Ensure or casein, as well as microinjections of sulfated CCK-8, into the dorsal vagal complex resulted in an attenuated stimulation of PES in copper-deficient animals compared with controls. Immunohistochemistry of brain stem slices revealed that copper deficiency reduced the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive, but not neuronal nitric oxide synthase- or choline acetyltransferase-immunoreactive, neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV). Moreover, a copper-deficient diet reduced the number of large (>11 neurons), but not small, intrapancreatic ganglia. Electrophysiological recordings showed that DMV neurons from copper-deficient rats are less responsive to CCK-8 or pancreatic polypeptide than are DMV neurons from control rats. Our results demonstrate that copper deficiency decreases efferent vagal outflow to the exocrine pancreas. These data indicate that the combined selective loss of acinar pancreatic tissue and the decreased excitability of efferent vagal neurons induce a deficit in the vagal modulation of PES.
Polar Residues in the Protein Core of Escherichia coli Thioredoxin Are Important for Fold Specificity

Most globular proteins contain a core of hydrophobic residues that are inaccessible to solvent in the folded state. In general, polar residues in the core are thermodynamically unfavorable except when they are able to form intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Compared to hydrophobic interactions, polar interactions are more directional in character and may aid in fold specificity. In a survey of 263 globular protein structures, we found a strong positive correlation between the number of polar residues at core positions and protein size. To probe the importance of buried polar residues, we experimentally tested the effects of hydrophobic mutations at the five polar core residues in Escherichia coli thioredoxin. Proteins with single hydrophobic mutations (D26I, C32A, C35A, T66L, and T77V) all have cooperative unfolding transitions like the wild type (wt), as determined by chemical denaturation. Relative to wt, D26I is more stable while the other point mutants are less stable. The combined 5-fold mutant protein (IAALV) is less stable than wt and has an unfolding transition that is substantially less cooperative than that of wt. NMR spectra as well as amide deuterium exchange indicate that IAALV is likely sampling a number of low-energy structures in the folded state, suggesting that polar residues in the core are important for specifying a well-folded native structure.
Event identification from seismic/magnetic feature vectors: a comparative study

The event identification problem plays a large role in the application of unattended ground sensors to the monitoring of borders and checkpoints. The choice of features and methods for classifying features affects how accurately these classifications are made. Finding features which reliably distinguish events of interest may require measurements based on separate physical phenomena. Classification methods include neural net versus fuzzy logic approaches, and within the neural category, different architectures and transfer functions for reaching decisions. This study examines ways of optimizing feature sets and surveys common techniques for classifying feature vectors corresponding to physical events. We apply each technique to samples of existing data, and compare discrimination attributes. Specifically, we calculate the confusion matrices for each technique applied to each sample dataset, and reduce them statistically to scalar scores. In addition, we gauge how the accuracy of each method is degraded by reducing the feature vector length by one element. Finally, we gather rough estimates of the relative cpu performance of the forward prediction algorithms.
Staphylococcus aureus Escapes More Efficiently from the Phagosome of a Cystic Fibrosis Bronchial Epithelial Cell Line than from Its Normal Counterpart

Staphylococcus aureus is frequently the initial bacterium isolated from young cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, and yet its role in CF disease progression has not been determined. Recent data from our lab demonstrates that S. aureus can invade and replicate within the CF tracheal epithelial cell line (CFT-1). Here we describe the finding that the fate of internalized S. aureus in CFT-1 cells differs from its complemented counterpart (LCFSN). S. aureus strain RN6390 was able to replicate within the mutant CFT-1 cells after invasion but not in the complemented LCFSN cells. At 1 h postinvasion, S. aureus containing vesicles within both cell lines acquired vacuolar-ATPase, lysosomal markers LAMP 1 and 2, and the lysomotrophic dye LysoTracker to a similar degree. However, at 4 h postinvasion, the percentage of S. aureus within CFT-1 cells associated with these markers decreased significantly compared to LCFSN, where the association approached 100%. Transmission electron microscopic analysis revealed that the majority of bacteria within CFT-1 cells were free in the cytosol at 4 h after invasion, whereas most S. aureus bacteria internalized by LCFSN cells remained within vesicles. These results demonstrate a fundamental difference in the fate of live S. aureus after invasion of CFT-1 versus LCFSN cell lines and may explain the propensity of S. aureus to cause chronic lung infection in CF patients.
A multi-resolution data structure for two-dimensional Morse-Smale functions

We combine topological and geometric methods to construct a multi-resolution data structure for functions over two-dimensional domains. Starting with the Morse-Smale complex, we construct a topological hierarchy by progressively canceling critical points in pairs. Concurrently, we create a geometric hierarchy by adapting the geometry to the changes in topology. The data structure supports mesh traversal operations similarly to traditional multi-resolution representations.
A multi-formalism modeling composability framework: agent and discrete-event models

It is common practice to build complex systems from disparate sub-systems. Model composability is concerned with techniques for developing a whole model of a system from the models of its sub-systems. In this paper we present a new kind of multi-formalism modeling composability framework which introduces the concept of knowledge interchange broker for composing disparate modeling formalisms. The approach offers separation of concerns between model specifications and execution protocols across multiple modeling formalisms. The framework is exemplified via vehicle and agent models described in the discrete-event system specification and reactive action planning formalisms. A high-level software specification that illustrates an implementation of this framework is described. Ongoing and future research directions are also briefly presented.
Development of the Idiographic functional status assessment: A measure of the personal goals and goal attainment activities of people with AIDS

Abstract This study presents the development of the Idiographic Functional Status Assessment (IFSA), an interview to assess functional status according to each person's unique point of view. This idiographic method asks people to state their personal goals in terms of things they want to accomplish, problems they want to solve, situations they hope to avoid, roles and relationships they want to maintain, and pursuits they want to relinquish. After describing their goals, respondents rate goal attainment activities they have pursued in the past month in terms of level of difficulty, dependence and other performance dimensions. In a study of 224 people with AIDS, the idiographic measure provided functional status scales that were relatively stable over time, and that correlated well with other subjective well-being measures and heath status criteria. Goal content measures derived from the interview can be used to distinguish sub samples that differ in terms of the determinants of quality of life.
Optical-label based packet, burst, and circuit switching networks

This tutorial overviews optical-label switching technologies in light of packet, burst, and circuit switched networking applications. In particular, we will discuss architecture, protocol, and systems integration issues, and further provide possible network evolution scenarios from today’s circuit-oriented optical networks to tomorrow’s agile networks supporting various applications. Optical-label switching networks simultaneously support various applications optimized for circuit, burst, or packet switched networks on multiple optical channels. Systems applications of optical-label swapping, and optical-label switching routers have shown promising results including variable-length packet switching with 600 psec switching speed, 11-hop cascaded packet switching, 477 km field trials, and video transmission using optical-label switching core routers. Future interoperable networking with MPLS and legacy networks with GMPLS signaling are also discussed.
Comparison of toxicity of radiocontrast agents to renal tubule cells in vitro.

We have previously reported that radiocontrast agents induce direct renal tubule cell toxicity in vitro. The observed toxic effects were markedly potentiated by concomitant hypoxia. In addition, we have reported that the ionic radiocontrast agent diatrizoic acid is more toxic than the nonionic radiocontrast agent iopamidol in this system. Using suspensions enriched in rabbit renal proximal tubule segments, we compared the direct toxicities of the ionic dimeric ioxaglic acid to the nonionic monomeric compound iopamidol. Toxicity was assessed by comparing tubule potassium and calcium content, ATP levels, and respiratory rates after exposure to clinically achievable concentrations of radiocontrast agents. Ioxaglate (25 mM) produced significant declines in tubule cation content and respiratory rate with 30 min of hypoxia followed by 60 min of reoxygenation compared to molar-equivalent concentrations of iopamidol under similar conditions. Meglumine, a cationic compound frequently present in ionic contrast agen...
A longitudinal study investigating quality of life and nutritional outcomes in advanced cancer patients receiving home parenteral nutrition

In cancer patients where gastrointestinal function is marginal and malnutrition significant enough to result in the requirement for intensive nutrition support, parenteral nutrition (PN) is indicated. This longitudinal study examined the quality of life (QoL) and nutritional outcomes in advanced cancer patients receiving home PN (HPN). Fifty-two adult cancer patients (21 males, 31 females, average age 53 years) treated at a specialized cancer facility between April 2009 and November 2011 met criteria. QoL and nutritional status were measured at baseline and every month while on HPN using EORTC-QLQ-C30, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), and Subjective Global Assessment (SGA). Repeated measures ANOVA and Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) were used to evaluate longitudinal changes in QoL and SGA. Cancer diagnoses included pancreatic (n = 14), colorectal (n = 11), ovarian (n = 6), appendix (n = 5), stomach (n = 4) and others (n = 12). Average weight loss 6-months prior to HPN was 13.2 kg (16.9%). Average weight at initiation of HPN was 62.2 kg. In patients with available follow-up data after 1 month (n = 39), there was a significant improvement in SGA, weight (61.5 to 63.1 kg; p = 0.03) and KPS (61.6 to 67.3; p = 0.01) from baseline. Similarly, after 2 months (n = 22), there was an improvement in global QoL (37.1 to 49.2; p = 0.02), SGA, weight (57.6 to 60 kg; p = 0.04) and KPS (63.2 to 73.2; p = 0.01) from baseline. Finally, after 3 months (n = 15), there was an improvement in global QoL (30.6 to 54.4; p = 0.02), SGA, weight (61.1 to 65.9 kg; p = 0.04) and KPS (64.0 to 78.7; p = 0.002) from baseline. Upon GEE analysis, every 1 month of HPN was associated with an increase of 6.3 points in global QoL (p<0.001), 1.3 kg in weight (p = 0.009) and 5.8 points in KPS (p<0.001). HPN is associated with an improvement in QoL, KPS and nutritional status in advanced cancer patients, irrespective of their tumor type, who have compromised enteral intake and malnutrition. The greatest benefit was seen in patients with 3 months of HPN, although patients receiving HPN for 1 or 2 months also demonstrated significant improvements.
A New Correlation for the Aerosol Deposition Rate in Vertical Ducts

A numerical simulation of the motion of spherical, surface charge-free, monodisperse polystyrene particles having dimensionless relaxation times, τ+, ranging from 0.1 to 50 was performed in a fully turbulent channel flow with a friction velocity of 60 cm/s. The motion of the particles is governed by the modified Maxey-Riley equation which includes the wall-corrected Stokes drag force, the wall-induced and shear-induced lift force, and the Brownian random force. The nonlinear drag correction, particle-particle collisions and the feedback effect of the particles on the fluid were not considered because the particles are small and assumed to be very dilute in the flow field. The particle deposition rates were obtained for both monodisperse and log-normally distributed polydisperse particles. It was observed that, for a given τ+, the deposition rate depends strongly on particle polydispersity. Monodisperse particles always have the lowest deposition rate if compared with polydisperse particles. The deposition rate can be increased by three orders of magnitude when the particles' geometric standard deviation, σ, increases from 0 to 0.45. For particles with the same σ, the deposition rate can be higher if one determines it by weighing the deposited particle mass instead of counting the deposited particle numbers. It was also observed that, for a given particle density and flow field, there is a minimum deposition point which takes place at τ+ ≈ 1 for polystyrene particles. This minimum deposition point will shift to a lower τ+ value as the particles' polydispersity increases. Because of the strong dependence of deposition rate on particle polydispersity, it is crucial to correlate deposition rate with both τ+ and σ.
Facilitating automated search for Web services

Recent advances in the area of Web services have enabled inter-organization sharing of data and data-oriented software services. The challenges of developing software in a service-oriented development environment include search, retrieval, and integration of services with client applications. Such applications can be dynamic in nature and may vary depending on current availability of services or on the current relationship between client and service organizations. As such, applications must be able to quickly locate and integrate different potential service components. In this paper we describe an approach for automating the process of searching for Web services using signature matching and describe a new signature match criteria called the contains match.
Verifying object-oriented software: lessons and challenges

A program verification system for modern software uses a host of technologies, like programming language semantics, formalization of good programming idioms, inference techniques, verification-condition generation, and theorem proving. In this talk, I will survey these techniques from the perspective of the Spec# programming system, of which I will also give a demo. I will reflect on some lessons learned from building automatic program verifiers, as well as highlight a number of remaining challenges.
Electrical Insulation Characteristics of Glass Fiber Reinforced Resins

Non-metallic structural materials that act as an electrical insulation are needed for cryogenic power applications. One of the extensively utilized materials is glass fiber reinforced resins (GFRR) and may also be known as GFRP and FRP. They are created from glass fiber cloth that are impregnated with an epoxy resin under pressure and heat. Although the materials based on GFRR have been employed extensively, reports about their dielectric properties at cryogenic temperatures and larger thicknesses are generally lacking in the literature. Therefore to guide electrical apparatus designers for cryogenic applications, GFRR samples with different thicknesses are tested in a liquid nitrogen bath. Scaling relation between the dielectric breakdown strength and the GFFR thickness is established. Their loss tangents are also reported at various frequencies.
Linear and nonlinear mixed model analyses of growth performance of commercial U.S. dairy buck kids

Abstract The objectives of this research were: (1) to describe the growth of crossbred, intact, dairy buck kids from shortly after weaning to slaughter weight and (2) to determine whether raising them can be profitable. The kids in this study were purchased from three commercial dairy goat farms and were fed to slaughter weight in two separate environments. Individual kid body weight (BW) and pen feed disappearance was recorded. Both a linear mixed model and a nonlinear Gompertz mixed model were implemented to describe BW over the time of the feeding trial. The fits of the models were compared by −2 log likelihood, Akaike information criterion, and Bayesian information criterion. All fit statistics favored the nonlinear model, though upon visual inspection, growth was near linear. Although groups of kids were sold at varying weights and for different prices, revenues over kid purchase price and feed costs were positive. Feeding cull dairy kids can be profitable under many production scenarios.
A Revision of the Genus Arhyssus Stål

Arhyssus is the largest genus of the newly recognized rhopalid tribe Niesthrini insofar as the number of the species is concerned. The genus is confined to the Western Hemisphere and is quite homogeneous; however, it is possible to recognize 4 definite groups within the genus. The genus Arhyssus was formerly considered to be composed of 14 species and 1 variety. The present investigation reveals that Corizus brevipilis Harris, C. indentatus (Hambleton), and C. tuberculatus (Hambleton) are synonyms of A. scutatus (Stal). The specific name nigristerum (Signoret) has priority over bohemani Signoret. Moreover, 6 new species have been discovered and named: Arhyssus schaeferi, distinctus, peruensis, confusus, longirostratus, and slateri. Thus, the genus Arhyssus as now considered contains 17 species. These results are based on a comparative study of the male genitalia, which present reliable characters to separate species in this genus. A key to the species, based mainly on clearcut structural characteristics, is included.
The verification spectrum

There are three schools of thought on verification, each with different implications for arms control. How do verification problems help or hinder negotiations?
An experimental study on toxicity and mutagenicity of petroleum asphalt

Objective To supply experimental data for establishing occupational hygienic standard. Methods Acute oral toxicity test, subchronic inhalation toxicity test and mutagenicity test were conducted to observe the effects of petroleum asphalt in experimental animals. Results The body-weight of experimental animals , and WBC, Hb, BUN, ALT, AST, ALP and the rates of chromosome aberration and micronuclei didn’t change obviously, but bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema were found in pathological examination. Conclusion Petroleum asphalt is a low-toxic substance, and the mutagenicity is not found in the animal experiment, but stimulation of petroleum asphalt fume on respiratory system is quite obvious.
A comparative study of qualitative and quantitative dynamic models of biological regulatory networks

Mathematical modeling of biological regulatory networks provides valuable insights into the structural and dynamical properties of the underlying systems. While dynamic models based on differential equations provide quantitative information on the biological systems, qualitative models that rely on the logical interactions among the components provide coarse-grained descriptions useful for systems whose mechanistic underpinnings remain incompletely understood. The middle ground class of piecewise affine differential equation models was proven informative for systems with partial knowledge of kinetic parameters. In this work we provide a comparison of the dynamic characteristics of these three approaches applied on several biological regulatory network motifs. Specifically, we compare the attractors and state transitions in asynchronous Boolean, piecewise affine and Hill-type continuous models. Our study shows that while the fixed points of asynchronous Boolean models are observed in continuous Hill-type and piecewise affine models, these models may exhibit different attractors under certain conditions. Overall, qualitative models are suitable for systems with limited knowledge of quantitative information. On the other hand, when practical, using quantitative models can provide detailed information about additional real-valued attractors not present in the qualitative models.
Investigating the lightning effect on compact transmission lines by employing Monte Carlo method

This paper examines the outage rate caused by lightning strokes on compact transmission lines (TL). Compact and conventional transmission lines are different in terms of design and structure. Due to such differences, the previous lightning performance studies on conventional TL are useless in understanding the lightning performance of compact TL; hence, such studies have to be updated. In this paper, the aforementioned differences have been taken into the consideration. The lightning performance of compact TL has been studied by application of Monte Carlo method. Moment method is used to determine tower surge impedance by SuperNEC software and an approximate model has been introduced for tower modeling in EMTP-RV. After the accurate modeling of all components, backflashover analysis has been performed and at the end, the number of outages in the simulated sample size has been presented.
Neonatal Stabilization Score (NSS): A Predictive Auditing Tool of Mortality Outcome in Transported Newborns ≤ 1000 Gm. at Birth

Very low birth weight (VLBW) rate is considered the main factor influencing neonatal outcome in any population (Lee 1980). A reduction in newborn mortality and morbidity outcomes is contingent on efforts of newborn stabilization. The present communication is an attempt to create a reliable and valid scoring system (NSS) which can quantify neonatal stabilization efforts. It is contended that this NSS would correlate with outcome, in this case neonatal mortality, for infants with birth weights ≤1000 gm.
Anatomic relationship of the pectoralis major and minor muscles: a cadaveric study.

Background: Although the anatomy of the individual pectoralis major and minor muscles has been described previously, never before has the anatomic relationship between these muscles been investigated. Objective: The authors identify the anatomic relationship of the costal origins of the pectoralis major and minor muscles. Methods: Bilateral thoracic wall dissection was completed in 102 cadavers. In each dissection, the chest wall soft tissue was removed, and the distance between costal origins of the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor muscles was measured. Results: In 49 female and 53 male cadavers, 202 pectoralis major muscles were lifted to expose the costal origins of the pectoralis major and minor muscles. Distances between pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles were separated into 3 categories: less than 1 cm, between 1 and 3 cm, and greater than 3 cm. Forty-nine (24%) pectoralis muscle dissections displayed a distance of less than 1 cm between costal muscle origins. Eighty-three dissections (41%) showed an intermediate distance of between 1 and 3 cm, while the remaining 70 (35%) were over 3 cm. No significant difference was observed in these percentages with regard to sex. Ten cadavers displayed asymmetry in pectoralis muscle origin distance. Eight specimens displayed shared fibers between pectoralis major and minor muscles. Conclusions: The anatomic relationship between the costal origin of the pectoralis major and minor muscles is highly variable. Understanding this spatial relationship has important implications for cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery.
Corrigendum to “What is sustainable intensification: Views from experts” [Land Use Policy 46C (2015) 01–10]

The authors regret to inform you that he has missed to include “Financial support was provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation LTER Program (DEB 1027253) and MSU AgBioResearch.” line in the Acknowledgement section. The authors would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused.