cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Forever after: The dead in the Avignonese confraternity of Notre Dame la Majour (1329-1381)

Abstract Historians of confraternities have often defined them as extended surrogate families, regrouping the living and the dead under their parentage. Death never unbound confraternal ties. It is the purpose of this paper to investigate whether or not, during the late Middle Ages, the dead `lived on' in the large Avignonese confraternity of Notre Dame la Majour. This investigation begins with a study of the association's early fourteenth-century statutes and continues by quantifying the lists of names from the matriculation books, in order to identify the association's dead. Contrary to prevailing notions, the confraternity eliminated its dead from the group's records. Thus, why did this confraternity bypass remembrance in its commemoration of the dead? The identity of the brothers partially answer this question. The association gathered numerous Italians, Florentine for the most part, who had followed the papal court to Avignon. Notre Dame la Majour granted civic recognition and honour to the foreigners present in the city through its ceremonies, funerary processions and public appearances. But foremost, the confraternity permitted foreigners to recognize, identify and relate to each other.
Mechanisms of sunscreen failure

Sunscreen is used as a primary strategy to prevent sunburn and later skin cancer. However, sunscreen use has paradoxically been associated with the increasing incidence of skin cancer. One explanation for this puzzling observation is sunscreen failure (sunburn in the setting of sunscreen). Our purpose was to evaluate mechanisms of sunscreen failure in a sunscreen-using population. We carried out an epidemiologic comparison of sunburned and nonsunburned beachgoers who used sunscreen. We found that men were less likely to use sunscreen than women (chi(2) = 11.3, df = 1, P = .001), and when it was used, men were less likely to apply sunscreen to all sunlight-exposed skin (chi(2) = 18.4, df = 1, P = .0001). Swimmers who used sunscreen were significantly more likely to be sunburned compared with nonswimming sunscreen users (Fisher exact test, df = 1). Sunscreen may fail to prevent sunburn if it is washed off during swimming or if it is not applied to all exposed skin. Epidemiologic studies that link sunscreen use to skin cancer should evaluate whether sunburn occurred in this setting.
The Johnson graph J ( d , r ) is unique if ( d , r ) ≠ (2,8)

Abstract We use the classical Root Systems to show the Johnson graph J ( d , r ) (2 ⩽ 2 d ⩽ r d , r ) ≠ (2, 8). Since this exceptional case has been dealt with by Chang [6] this completes the characterization problem for Johnson graph.
Soviet Tort Law and the Development of Public Policy

In spite of profound differences between the Soviet social system and Western systems, many of the details of Soviet tort law would appear quite reasonable to the Western lawyer. In both cases, tort law is essentially a mechanism for the settlement of private law disputes which has some public law aspects (for instance, the problem of governmental tort liability). And over the years in both the Soviet Union and the West, tort law has attracted considerable attention from those involved in the discussion and formulation of public policy. The policy objectives sought in the two systems differ in some important ways, but the fact that tort law can be seen in both as a vehicle for achieving policy ends is an interesting parallel in itself. The law of torts might be considered politically neutral in nature, since it is based on rather technical legal rules and applies largely to private parties. But some of the major political trends in Soviet history have been reflected in the developments of Soviet tort law, and some of the provisions on tort articulate principles rooted in the political values of the system. This paper will examine several aspects of Soviet tort law which, over the years, have had important public policy implications. These will include liability based on fault, strict liability, the liability of governmental organs, compensation for work-connected injuries, and a provision which allows the court to consider the economic situation of the defendant in assessing damages. These matters comprise only a relatively small portion of the total statutory law devoted to torts,1 so the analysis will be introduced by a general review of the major principles of Soviet tort law. In the third section of the article, the role of Soviet courts in fashioning tort law will be discussed. The final section will be devoted to an analysis of several policy problems connected with tort law presently being debated.
T and B lymphocytes in human colostrum.

Abstract Studies of human colostral fluid lymphocytes indicated that approximately 50% were T-cells and 34% were B-cells. The remaining lymphocytes could not be definitely classified as belonging to either category. Half of the colostral B lymphocytes were cells bearing surface IgA. Definite stimulation of colostral lymphocytes was recorded using phytohemagglutinin and pokeweed mitogen; however, considerable differences in response to plant mitogens between peripheral blood and colostral lymphocytes were recorded. Human colostrum contained a factor capable of inhibiting lymphocyte PHA response. T-cells present in human colostrum may be capable of transferring important mediator molecules such as transfer factor to newborn infants.
Time dependence of the asymmetric resistance of polycrystalline β″-alumina

The time dependence of the asymmetric dc resistance for certain polycrystalline β″-alumina tubes was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and current pulse techniques. Various compositions were studied as representative of the different types of behavior; asymmetric resistance with time dependence (9.6% Na2O, 0.75% Li2O), asymmetric resistance without time dependence (8.6% Na2O, 1% MgO, 0.5% Li2O), and symmetric resistance (8.85% Na2O, 0.75% Li2O). Asymmetry appears to be caused by the anodic modification of an initially present film to a thin passivating film of Na2O. Film conversion occurs more slowly for the first material.
Effective surface passivation of CdMnTe materials

Passivation is an important process that reduces surface leakage current and its attendant noise. We treated detector-grade large-volume CdMnTe:In samples with an (NH4)-based passivant, and compared the results with untreated samples by measuring current–voltage characteristics, surface recombination velocity, Raman spectroscopy, and charge-collection mapping. The leakage current of the passivated CdMnTe (CMT) detectors decreased five to ten times, and surface recombination declined five to six times, depending on the passivation conditions applied. We satisfactorily explained these improvements in detector performance as resulting from different passivation layers that were generated by distinct chemical reactions, as determined by the pH of the passivant.
Interest rate sensitivity of US property/liability insurer stock returns

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate interest rate sensitivity of the US property/liability (P/L) insurers stock returns using various return generating process models incorporating different interest rate changes such as actual interest rate changes, unexpected interest rate changes and orthogonalized market returns.Design/methodology/approach – The study follows the 1974 two‐index model by Stone. In the two‐index model, three different interest rate indices are tested one at a time to examine if interest rate sensitivity of the insurers stock returns, if any, is vulnerable to an interest rate index used.Findings – It is found that the US P/L insurers' stock returns are sensitivity to interest rate changes. The impact of actual interest rate changes on the stock returns is little different from that of unexpected interest rate changes, which is consistent with findings in the banking literature. When orthogonalized market returns are used in the models in lieu of actual market returns, t...
Farming Systems Research to Improve the Livelihood of Small Farmers: Discussion

Dave Norman presents an interesting point of view on what farming systems research is, what it can do, and what it cannot do. I like the way he starts the paper, by pointing out that farming systems research has developed in an evolutionary way, rather than as a radical departure from the previous thinking about research on agriculture in developing countries. The author divides the previous thinking about, or philosophy towards, inducing technical change in agriculture in LDCs into four stages which could be called (a) the colonial extraction stage; (b) the Corn Belt-county agent stage (if it works in the Corn Belt, it will work in Nigeria if properly extended); and (c) the within-country (LDC) but still high income-country-type research (fossil fuel, commodity based). The fourth stage is the farming systems stage, which is characterized as being "farmer-based," whereas the previous stages were "top-down." The author implies that we are more firmly into stage four than I feel we are. I think that researchers, research administrators, and others who control research funding in the LDCs are still predominantly in the third stage in their thinking and their attitudes on research. Only a small minority, but thankfully a vocal minority, are firmly into the farming systems stage. Granted, one cannot fully elaborate the farming systems research model in only eleven pages; yet, the next section starts off with what seems to me to be a serious omission. The author defines a "farming system" as "the result of a complex interaction among a number of interdependent components." But he neglects to include the household as one of those components. Consumption by the household, as well as its time allocation decisions, is a necessary and integral part of farming systems for small farms in LDCs. The household producing-consuming model is becoming more widely known through such studies as the Singapore Household Studies Workshop (De Tray) sponsored by A/D/C. Research papers on LDC problems involving the household model are also beginning to be seen in this Journal (Benito, Evenson). Another example is Hayami.
Modulation of carbene spin state population through precursor photophysics.

Dicarbomethoxycarbene can be generated by photolysis of S−C sulfonium ylides derived from thiophene. By manipulating the thiophene (leaving group) portion of the ylide, the initial spin distribution of the carbenes can be strongly influenced. With certain carbene traps, product distributions from dicarbomethoxycarbene depend on the initial spin state distribution in which the carbene is generated and this is used as a means to report on the initial spin state distributions. This approach should be general for other carbenes generated from analogous precursors.
FTIR spectroscopy of a LiMnPO4 composite cathode

Abstract A Li x MnPO 4 ( x = 1.0–0.15) composite cathode was investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy at different states of charge. Significant spectral changes of the PO 4 3− vibrations, which are correlated with the Jahn–Teller distortion of Mn 3+ in MnPO 4 and the 3rd ionization potential of Mn, were observed upon electrochemical delithiation of LiMnPO 4 . The presence of two sets of peaks observed in the series of delithiated Li x MnPO 4 spectra is consistent with a two-phase process for delithiation. These results provide insight into the structural changes that occur during lithium extraction and insertion in LiMnPO 4 .
Synthesis of aromatic polymers containing anthrazoline and isoanthrazoline units

The condensation of bisketomethylene monomers with either 4,6-dibenzoyl-1,3-phenylenediamine or 2,5-dibenzoyl-1,4-phenylenediamine catalyzed by acid affords high molecular weight polymers containing the anthrazoline and isoanthrazoline units in the polymer main chain. Base is not an effective catalyst for the production of high molecular weight polymer. The phenyl substitution on the anthrazoline and isoanthrazoline units increases the solubility of these polymers over those in which phenyl substitution is absent. The rodlike character of these polymers, which can be altered by positional isomerism in the chain, has an effect on the solution properties.
MetaID: A novel method for identification and quantification of metagenomic samples

Advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has provided us with an opportunity to analyze and evaluate the rich microbial communities present in all natural environments. The shorter reads obtained from the shortgun technology has paved the way for determining the taxonomic profile of a community by simply aligning the reads against the available reference genomes. While several computational methods are available for taxonomic profiling at the genus- and species-level, none of these methods are effective at the strain-level identification due to the increasing difficulty in detecting variation at that level. Here, we present MetaID, an alignment-free n-gram based approach that can accurately identify microorganisms at the strain level and estimate the abundance of each organism in a sample, given a metagenomic sequencing dataset. MetaID is an n-gram based method that calculates the profile of unique and common n-grams from the dataset of 2,031 prokaryotic genomes and assigns weights to each n-gram using a scoring function. This scoring function assigns higher weightage to the n-grams that appear in fewer genomes and vice versa; thus, allows for effective use of both unique and common n-grams for species identification. Our 10-fold cross-validation results on a simulated dataset show a remarkable accuracy of 99.7% at the strain-level identification of the organisms in gut microbiome. We also demonstrated that our model shows impressive performance even by using only 25% or 50% of the genome sequences for modeling. In addition to identification of the species, our method can also estimate the relative abundance of each species in the simulated metagenomic samples. The generic approach employed in this method can be applied for accurate identification of a wide variety of microbial species (viruses, prokaryotes and eukaryotes) present in any environmental sample. The proposed scoring function and approach is able to accurately identify and estimate the entire taxa in any metagenomic community. The weights assigned to the common n-grams by our scoring function are precisely calibrated to match the reads up to the strain level. Our multipronged validation tests demonstrate that MetaID is sufficiently robust to accurately identify and estimate the abundance of each taxon in any natural environment even when using incomplete or partially sequenced genomes.
Adaptation of visual tracking synchronization after one night of sleep deprivation

The temporal delay between sensory input and motor execution is a fundamental constraint in interactions with the environment. Predicting the temporal course of a stimulus and dynamically synchronizing the required action with the stimulus are critical for offsetting this constraint, and this prediction-synchronization capacity can be tested using visual tracking of a target with predictable motion. Although the role of temporal prediction in visual tracking is assumed, little is known of how internal predictions interact with the behavioral outcome or how changes in the cognitive state influence such interaction. We quantified and compared the predictive visual tracking performance of military volunteers before and after one night of sleep deprivation. The moment-to-moment synchronization of visual tracking during sleep deprivation deteriorated with sensitivity changes greater than 40 %. However, increased anticipatory saccades maintained the overall temporal accuracy with near zero phase error. Results suggest that acute sleep deprivation induces instability in visuomotor prediction, but there is compensatory visuomotor adaptation. Detection of these visual tracking features may aid in the identification of insufficient sleep.
Delphi study of digital libraries

Abstract A Delphi study of digital libraries was undertaken in January 1998 to gain a broader understanding of issues related to DLs. Selected experts in the field were identified and presented with a series of 118 opinion statements, organized over a set of 13 questions. The Delphi Planning System, a Web-based software application, was utilized initially. Originally, 218 experts were considered and 33 were invited to participate in the Delphi study. 21 of those 33 initially agreed to participate. 13 general question areas formulated by the project group were forwarded to the invited experts, some of whom withdrew from participation. A review of the 9 expert contributions generated 118 opinion statements across the set of 13 questions. Round 1 of the Delphi resulted in 6 of 118 opinion statements reaching consensus. Round 2 resulted in 83 of the 118 opinion statements reaching some consensus of opinion. Round 3 focused on the 35 opinion statements that had not reached consensus. Analysis of round 3 data revealed that consensus of opinion or stability had been reached on all statements. Results from expert consensus included that: (1) efforts associated with the development of digital libraries are primarily collaborative, (2) an array of expertise is involved in the research and development of DL, (3) a DL has the potential to transform access to digital knowledge records and (4) the primary role of librarians in DL development is an extension of current practice. The names of 40 contributors to digital library research and development were posited by the study participants, with 10 identified as being `experts in DL'.
Induction of heme oxygenase-1 shifts the balance from proinjury to prosurvival in the placentas of pregnant rats with reduced uterine perfusion pressure

Placental hypoxia/ischemia has been implicated as a central factor in the development of preeclampsia. One particularly useful animal model to study the impact of placental ischemia is the reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) model. We have previously demonstrated that RUPP animals exhibit elevated placental oxidative stress, which plays an important role in the development of the associated maternal hypertension. Recently, we have demonstrated that cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP)-mediated induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) attenuates RUPP-induced oxidative stress and consequent hypertension. However, signaling pathways that are involved in this process are virtually unknown. Here, we show that placentas from RUPP animals exhibit increased phosphorylation of JNK, STAT1, STAT3, and p52shc with a concomitant increase in caspase-3 activation and depletion of intracellular ATP. Treatment with CoPP decreased RUPP-induced phosphorylation of JNK and STAT1, while it increased phosphorylation of ERK and STAT3, leading to decreased caspase-3 activation and restoration of intracellular ATP content. Our data imply that RUPP induces oxidative stress and the consequent injurious state by increasing phosphorylation of mediators of injury (STAT1, JNK) and, to a lesser extent, survival (STAT3, p52shc) in placentas of pregnant rats. HO-1 induction shifts this balance to a prosurvival phenotype by augmenting phosphorylation of the prosurvival ERK and STAT3, while suppressing phosphorylation of JNK and STAT1. This attenuates the resulting injury, as indicated by caspase-3 activation and ATP depletion. These results demonstrate a novel therapeutic activity of HO-1 induction in placental cell survival during ischemia and support the HO-1 pathway as a promising therapeutic target for the management of preeclampsia.
Global Sea Level Projections to 2100 Using Methodology of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

AbstractForecasts of sea-level rise by 2100 have such a wide range that objective planning is difficult. In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecast a sea-level rise from 1990 to 2100 between 0.18 and 0.59 m, but they did not completely consider contributions from Greenland and Antarctica in determining the upper limit. Recent projections by others have been larger, typically 1–2 m, with Greenland and Antarctica being the greatest contributors. However, these projections are usually maximum possible rises without probabilities of occurrence, whereas the maximum IPCC projection is at the 95% confidence level with a 2.5% probability of being equaled or exceeded. Project planning and design generally require projections with associated probabilities to determine risk. This paper shows what worldwide tide gauge data tell us about sea-level rise trends and accelerations in the twentieth century, and satellite altimeter recordings tell us about the rise since the early 1990s. Using IP...
Scalable parallel graph partitioning

We consider partitioning a graph in parallel using a large number of processors. Parallel multilevel partitioners, such as Pt-Scotch and ParMetis, produce good quality partitions but their performance scales poorly. Coordinate bisection schemes such as those in Zoltan, which can be applied only to graphs with coordinates, scale well but partition quality is often compromised. We seek to address this gap by developing a scalable parallel scheme which imparts coordinates to a graph through a lattice-based multilevel embedding. Partitions are computed with a parallel formulation of a geometric scheme that has been shown to provide provably good cuts on certain classes of graphs. We analyze the parallel complexity of our scheme and we observe speed-ups and cut-sizes on large graphs. Our results indicate that our method is substantially faster than ParMetis and Pt-Scotch for hundreds to thousands of processors, while producing high quality cuts.
Improving Throughput and Reliability of Distributed Scientific Workflows for Streaming Data Processing

With the advent of next-generation scientific applications, the workflow-based computing technology has become an indispensable research method for managing and streamlining large-scale distributed data processing. This paper investigates a problem of mapping distributed workflows for streaming data processing in faulty networks where nodes and links are subject to probabilistic failures. We formulate this problem as a bi-objective optimization problem in terms of both throughput and reliability, and propose a decentralized layer-oriented method to achieve high throughput for smooth data flow while satisfying a prespecified overall failure rate bound for a guaranteed level of reliability. The superiority of the proposed mapping solution is illustrated by both extensive simulation-based performance comparisons with existing algorithms and experimental results from a real-life scientific workflow deployed in wide-area networks.
The Cardiac Mutant: An Overview

SYNOPSIS.The cardiac lethal mutation was discovered in a strain of axolotls ( Ambysloma mexkanum ) imported from Mexico. Embryos homozygous recessive for the c gene develop in a normal fashion until the heartbeat stage of development. At this time, heart action is observed in unaffected siblings, but in cardiac lethal embryos heart action is not apparent. Affected animals hatch and swim, but do not feed. Within a few days, ascites develops and the animals die within a short time afterward. The c gene is inherited as a simple recessive. The direct effect of gene c is unknown. Data has been presented which suggests that gene c alters the anterior endoderm which may be a specific heart inductor in this species. Alternatively, the failure of heart action may result from an ionic imbalance in the immediate heart environment. This paper reviews the relevant experiments and presents new data supporting each of these suggestions for the mechanism of action of the cardiac lethal gene.
Trace gas emissions and smoke-induced seed germination

Dormant seeds of a California chaparral annual were induced to germinate by smoke or vapors emitted from smoke-treated sand or paper. Nitrogen oxides induced 100 percent germination in a manner similar to smoke. Smoke-treated water samples inducing germination were comparable in acidity and concentration of nitrate and nitrite to nitrogen dioxide (NO2)–treated samples. Vapors from smoke-treated and NO2-treated filter paper had comparable NO2flux rates. Chaparral wildfires generate sufficient nitrogen oxides from combustion of organic matter or from postfire biogenic nitrification to trigger germination of Emmenanthe penduliflora. Nitrogen oxide–triggered germination is not the result of changes in imbibition, as is the case with heat-stimulated seeds.
The Costs of Child Protection in the Context of Welfare Reform

The financing structure of any large public service system both reveals the priorities held by policymakers and drives the delivery of services. Of the $11.2 billion in public funds for child welfare services, somewhat less than half is federal. As this article explains, federal funds for child welfare overwhelmingly go to support out-of-home care (foster care and adoption services), and these costs have risen sharply in recent years. In contrast, federal funding for child protection investigations, prevention programs, and treatment services is more limited, and expenditures have not risen apace with reports of maltreatment. The article compares the high cost of foster care with the lower per capita cost of cash assistance to poor families and the per-case costs of child protection investigations and service provision. Pointing out that the great majority of families served by the child welfare system are poor, the author argues that child welfare and cash assistance should be seen and analyzed as interrelated programs serving poor families. The article examines the varied ways in which the changes in cash assistance programs introduced by the 1996 federal welfare reform law may increase the need for child welfare services and drive up the costs of child protection.
Not a Soldier, Not a Slacker: Conscientious Objectors and Male Citizenship in the United States during the Second World War

This essay argues that the 1940 Selective Service Act introduced new tensions between pacifism and male citizenship in the United States. Even as the draft required tens of millions of American men to answer Uncle Sam's call and promoted a new norm of male military obligation, it also specified the acceptable grounds for conscientious objection and created bureaucratic mechanisms for distinguishing between sincere objectors and ‘slackers’. Using Selective Service and organisational records, letters, diaries, interviews and the media, I suggest that male citizenship has been defined not only by idealised and gendered duties, but also by the difficulties and exceptions involved in their practical realisation.
Digital power controller with non-linear variable switching frequency

Digital controller for a power converter with non-linear variable switching frequency is presented in this paper. Regression analysis is used to obtain approximated function of the non-linear variable switching needed to yield output voltage ripple in DCM that is close to the CCM output voltage ripple. The need to sense and sample the peak inductor current and the input voltage is avoided in the presented digital controller. The approximated function has the load current as an input and the nonlinear switching frequency as its output and it is used by the digital controller to set the switching frequency during DCM operation of the power converter.
Correlation of angle-resolved light scattering with the microfacet orientation of rough silicon surfaces

The angle-resolved light scattering of several microrough silicon surfaces was measured with a laser reflectometer and presented in terms of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). The BRDF shows strong anisotropy and prominent subsidiary peaks for some surfaces, while it is nearly isotropic with a dominant peak for other surfaces. Similar characteristics can be observed in the microfacet orientation by analyzing the atomic force microscope (AFM) topographic data in the form of the two-dimensional (2-D) slope distribution function. A correlation has been constructed between the BRDF and the 2-D slope distribution. The salient features in the BRDF and the 2-D slope distribution are attributed to the modification of the surface of microfacets during chemical etching. This work shows that the angle-resolved light scattering measurements and the AFM topography measurement complement each other and provide important information about the microfacet orientation resulting from the wafer processing. The procedures described here can be used to obtain the slope distribution for a variety of microrough surfaces. This work will help the advancement of metrology in semiconductor wafer manufacturing.
Elemental abundance analyses with DAO spectrograms – XIX. The superficially normal B starsζ Draconis, ε Lyrae, 8 Cygni and 22 Cygni

A B STR A CT Elemental abundances of the superficially normal early and middle B stars z Dra, n Lyr, 8 Cyg and 22 Cyg are derived, consistent with previous studies in this series, using spectrograms obtained with Reticon and CCD detectors. Almost all of the derived metal abundances are found to be solar within the errors of the analysis. However, the He/H ratios are slightly greater than solar.
Pseudospark-Based Power Modulator Technology for Transient Plasma Ignition

Studies of power modulator technology for transient plasma generation for pulse detonation engine ignition are reported. Transient plasma ignition can significantly reduce delay times in static and flowing systems. The igniter operates reliably in repetitive modes with pulse length down to 50 ns, and in some situations, with less electromagnetic interference than conventional spark ignition. Pseudospark-based line type pulse generation is described in this report. Research directed toward more compact versions of the pulse generation technology, including investigations of miniaturized back-lighted thyratron switches, is briefly discussed. During the previous year, experiments have been conducted in collaboration with researchers at the Naval Postgraduate School, and Wright Patterson Air Force Research Laboratory, testing ignition of pulse detonation engines (PDE). These experiments demonstrated considerable (factors of 2 to 5) reduction in delay to detonation, and improvement in repetition rate, while retaining low energy cost. The results suggest a potential solution to one of the most serious limitations to the development of PDEs. Desired pulse amplitude depends on the exact geometry of the combustor, ignition chamber, as well as corona electrode. Typical voltages employed are 50 kV - 70 kV for these studies, with pulse energies of the order 100 mJ to 1 J. The pulse generator employed a pseudospark switch. The principles of the pulse generator reported here are described in the paper submitted for this meeting last year. It is designed to deliver pulses of Vp=90 kV peak amplitude and taup=50 ns duration
Study of the critical heat flux condition with water and R-123 during flow boiling in microtubes. Part I: Experimental results and discussion of parametric effects

Extensive experimentation was performed to obtain flow boiling critical heat flux data in single stainless steel microtubes with diameters from 0.286 to 0.700 mm over a wide range of mass fluxes, inlet subcoolings, and exit pressures for two different working fluids (water and R-123). The effect of different operating parameters – mass flux, inlet subcooling, exit quality, heated length and diameter – were assessed in detail (Part I of the paper). The conventional DNB-type behavior is observed in the high subcooled region, and the typical dryout type behavior is seen in the high-quality saturated region when the flow is completely annular. The flow in transitional flow patterns (churn–annular or slug–annular) causes a peculiar increase of CHF with exit quality. Also, the increased void fraction near the saturated region in subcooled boiling results in increased subcooled CHF values. Part II of the paper deals with comparison of data with existing correlations and development of a new correlation to predict the CHF condition in the subcooled liquid region.
Regulation of alpha 6 beta 1 integrin laminin receptor function by the cytoplasmic domain of the alpha 6 subunit.

The alpha 6 beta 1 integrin is expressed on the macrophage surface in an inactive state and requires cellular activation with PMA or cytokines to function as a laminin receptor (Shaw, L. M., J. M. Messier, and A. M. Mercurio. 1990. J. Cell Biol. 110:2167-2174). In the present study, the role of the alpha 6 subunit cytoplasmic domain in alpha 6 beta 1 integrin activation was examined. The use of P388D1 cells, an alpha 6-integrin deficient macrophage cell line, facilitated this analysis because expression of either the alpha 6A or alpha 6B subunit cDNAs restores their activation responsive laminin adhesion (Shaw, L. S., M. Lotz, and A. M. Mercurio. 1993. J. Biol. Chem. 268:11401-11408). A truncated alpha 6 cDNA, alpha 6-delta CYT, was constructed in which the human cytoplasmic domain sequence was deleted after the GFFKR pentapeptide. Expression of this cDNA in P388D1 cells resulted in the surface expression of a chimeric alpha 6-delta CYT beta 1 integrin that was unable to mediate laminin adhesion or increase this adhesion in response to PMA under normal conditions, i.e., in medium that contained physiological concentrations of Ca++ and Mg++. The alpha 6A-delta CYT transfectants adhered to laminin, however, when Ca++/Mg++ was replaced with 150 microM Mn++. We also assessed the role of serine phosphorylation in the regulation of alpha 6A beta 1 integrin function by site-directed mutagenesis of the two serine residues present in the alpha 6A cytoplasmic domain because this domain is phosphorylated on serine residues in response to stimuli that activate the laminin receptor function of alpha 6 A beta 1. Point mutations were introduced in the alpha 6A cDNA that changed either serine residue #1064 (M1) or serine residue #1071 (M2) to alanine residues. In addition, a double mutant (M3) was constructed in which both serine residues were changed to alanine residues. P388D1 transfectants which expressed these serine mutations adhered to laminin in response to PMA to the same extent as cells transfected with wild-type alpha 6A cDNA. These findings provide evidence for a novel mode of integrin regulation that is distinct from that reported for other regulated integrins (O'Toole, T. E., D. Mandelman, J. Forsyth, S. J. Shattil, E. F. Plow, and M. H. Ginsberg. 1991. Science (Wash. DC). 254:845-847. Hibbs, M. L., H. Xu, S. A. Stacker, and T. A. Springer. 1991. Science (Wash. DC). 251:1611-1613), and they demonstrate that serine phosphorylation of the alpha 6A cytoplasmic domain is not involved in this regulation.
Outcrossing and crossbreeding recovers deteriorated traits in laboratory cultured Steinernema carpocapsae nematodes.

The nematode Steinernema carpocapsae infects and kills many pest insects in agro-ecosystems and is commonly used in biocontrol of these pests. Growth of the nematodes prior to distribution for biocontrol commonly results in deterioration of traits that are essential for nematode persistence in field applications. To better understand the mechanisms underlying trait deterioration of the efficacy of natural parasitism in entomopathogenic nematodes, we explored the maintenance of fitness related traits including reproductive capacity, heat tolerance, virulence to insects and ‘tail standing’ (formerly called nictation) among laboratory-cultured lines derived from natural, randomly mating populations of S. carpocapsae. Laboratory cultured nematode lines with fitness-related trait values below wild-type levels regained wild-type levels of reproductive and heat tolerance traits when outcrossed with a non-deteriorated line, while virulence and ‘tail standing’ did not deteriorate in our experiments. Crossbreeding two trait-deteriorated lines with each other also resulted in restoration of trait means to wild-type levels in most crossbred lines. Our results implicate inbreeding depression as the primary cause of trait deterioration in the laboratory cultured S. carpocapsae. We further suggest the possibility of creating inbred lines purged of deleterious alleles as founders in commercial nematode growth.
Adaptive web presence and evolution through web log analysis

With the rapid growth of the World Wide Web and the intensified competition among the businesses, effective web presence is critical to attract potential customers and retain current customers thus to the success of the business. This paper presents a framework to establish adaptive web presence and evolution through web log analysis. Some simple yet effective descriptive statistical techniques are used to reveal the relationship between the web traffic workload and a few factors such as the domains names and geographic locations. Correspondence analysis is explored to further unveil the patterns between the web workload and user groups. We find that the power law distribution can be applied to model the web traffic. These regularities and patterns shed light on how to design a better web and enhance its performance. The implications of applying these findings to e-commerce and other websites are discussed.
Sulfur-resistant and regenerable Ni/Co spinel-based catalysts for methane dry reforming

Oxide-supported metal catalysts were prepared by thermal impregnation of highly crystalline and highly-faceted starting spinels of the form (M0.75Mg0.25)Al2O4, where M = Ni, Co, or Cu and mixtures thereof. In situ reduction at 900 °C extracts the transition metals from the oxide, and the resulting catalysts contain metal crystallites with particle sizes of ~100 nm and exceedingly low dispersion, but show high activity for dry reforming of methane with turnover frequencies as large as 3.9 at 850 °C. The Ni0.375Cu0.375Mg0.25Al2O4 catalyst shows stable methane conversion out to 12 hours on stream without performance-degrading coking. For the Ni/Co catalysts, the reforming activity and sulfur tolerance are both functions of the Ni/Co ratio and the synthesis temperature of the starting spinel, with Ni0.375Co0.375Mg0.25Al2O4 synthesized at 1500 °C displaying fast reaction kinetics even in the presence of 20 ppm H2S. High reforming activity is attributed to long linear lengths of high-perfection facet edges and corners on the metal crystallites. Sulfur tolerance appears to be improved by a combination of the oxygen storage capacity of the defective spinel support and its faceting that provides additional reaction sites for activation of CO2.
Do Regional Trade Agreements Increase Members' Agricultural Trade?

The gravity model is used extensively to investigate the trade flow effects of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). A notable feature common to previous research is the use of aggregate trade data. These studies typically report conflicting, and even negative results of the effect of RTAs on members' trade. Using recent developments in the gravity equation suggested by Baier and Bergstrand (2007) and Anderson and van Wincoop (2003) , this article demonstrates that RTA effects on members' trade depend fundamentally on whether the analysis focuses on agricultural or nonagricultural sectors, on the particular agreement analyzed, and on the length of the phase-in period that characterizes almost all RTAs. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.
Classification of low resolution virtual slides from breast tumor sections: Comparison between global and local analysis

In this paper, a comparison is made between a global and a local approach for computer-aided classification of virtual slides from breast tumor sections. The first approach classifies the images according to both color and texture information from the whole tissue, whereas the second one classifies them only on shape and texture from epithelial compartment. The originality of this study is that only low resolution virtual slides are used. As the cytological details are not visible at low resolution, the classification is only based on architectural aspect of each lesion. Experimental results on images from breast tumor sections show that some information is already present in low resolution virtual slides, allowing the classification in benign lesions versus malignant carcinomas.
An Analysis of Vocal Jazz Repertoire by Three Selected Publishing Companies.

The purpose of this study was to analyze SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) vocal jazz octavos (N = 150) from three publishers in an effort to (a) identify the most prolific arrangers/composers, (b) cite improvisation opportunities, (c) document publisher improvisation markings, (d) indicate repeated titles, (e) identify most popular styles, and (f) investigate instrumental accompaniment combinations. Results revealed that the most prolific composers were Kirby Shaw, Steve Zegree, and Darmon Meader. Less than one fourth (22.6%) of the charts included improvisation opportunities for singers with transcribed notation (n = 18) or instructions (n = 16). Swing and Ballad styles were more prevalent than Latin and Contemporary. Categories for instrumental accompaniments included none/a cappella (n = 31), bass (n = 1), piano (n = 39), combo (n = 48), and augmented combo (n = 32). Further results and discussion are included.
Sarcomere number adaptation after retinaculum transection in adult mice.

Skeletal muscle has been shown to adjust serial sarcomere number in response to chronic static length changes. However, the adaptive responses to alterations in the dynamic environment are less well defined. The adaptations of the adult mouse tibialis anterior (TA) muscle to altered length and excursion were investigated by surgical transection of the flexor retinaculum. TA moment arm and muscle excursion increased by 38 +/- 7% (mean +/- S.E.M.) and fully extended (plantarflexed) muscle length was decreased by 8% after flexor retinaculum transection. In spite of the significant shortening of the muscle in full plantar- and dorsiflexion, serial sarcomere number decreased by 10 +/- 1% after 2 weeks of recovery. Gait analysis of these transected animals revealed a 14 +/- 3% decrease in dorsiflexion angular velocity after transection. The decrease in angular velocity was less than the increase in moment arm and, as a result, muscle velocity was calculated to increase by 20 +/- 4%. These data suggested that the muscle adapted in response to the underlying change in length, irrespective of the altered excursion or velocity.
Comprehensive Two Fluid Model Simulation of Critical Two-Phase Flow Through Short Tube Orifices

Small-diameter tubes are utilized widely as expansion devices in refrigeration systems. They are employed in either kinds of short-tube orifices or long capillary tubes. Performance of these tubes is reliant upon critical flashing of the two-phase flow that controls the mass flow rate of the refrigeration system resulting in a steep reduction in pressure and temperature. The critical flow condition is approached whenever the mass flow rate increases to an amount whereby the choked-flow phenomenon occurs at the outlet of the tube. Due to their very small tube diameter, the evaporating two-phase flow, and the choked-flow condition, numerical analysis of flow through short-tube orifices is challenging. Accordingly, all available numerical analyses of such flows are performed as one-dimensional and in the majority of them, auxiliary correlations are applied to simplify the solution procedure. Typical approaches include homogeneous flow models and separated flow models, both of which consider the two-phase region in thermal equilibrium. The most comprehensive method for analyzing such flows is the two-fluid model in which there is no assumption of equilibrium between phases. Because of the complicated nature of this model, it has been used in a very limited number of previous investigations. Furthermore, two-phase flow calculations at the entrance and vena contracta region were eliminated. In the current investigation, additional steps utilized to improve the accuracy of computations include the following: (1) applying the most comprehensive two-fluid model including the effect of various two-phase flow patterns and the metastability of liquid phase, and (2) performing a two-phase analysis of the evaporating flow through the entrance and vena contracta regions which involves simulating the region as a converging diverging tube and performing a quasi-one-dimensional solution of governing equations through this region. Results showed more compatibility with experimental data in comparison with those of previous investigations for predicting the critical flow condition of common refrigerants HFC-134a and HFC-410a through short-tube orifices and long capillary tubes.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Use of a values inventory as a discussion aid about end-of-life care: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Objective:We examined the utility of a brief values inventory as a discussion aid to elicit patients' values and goals for end-of-life (EoL) care during audiotaped outpatient physician–patient encounters.Method:Participants were seriously ill male outpatients (n = 120) at a large urban Veterans Affairs medical center. We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial, randomizing 60 patients to either the intervention (with the values inventory) or usual care. We used descriptive statistics and qualitative methods to analyze the data. We coded any EoL discussions and recorded the length of such discussions.Results:A total of 8 patients (13%) in the control group and 13 (23%) in the intervention group had EoL discussions with a physician (p = 0.77). All EoL discussions in the control group were initiated by the physician, compared with only five (38%) in the intervention group. Because most EoL discussions took place toward the end of the encounter, discussions were usually brief.Significance of results:The outpatient setting has been promoted as a better place for discussing EoL care than a hospital during an acute hospitalization for a chronic serious illness. However, the low effectiveness of our intervention calls into question the feasibility of discussing EoL care during a single outpatient visit. Allowing extra time or an extra visit for EoL discussions might increase the efficacy of advance care planning.
A Study of Boron Implanted Silicon

Single crystal Silicon wafers implanted by 1×1016/cm2 boron ions at 30, 80, or 130 KeV are studied. The through thickness strain distribution in the wafer is found to reverse from tension in the as-implanted condition to compression after annealing for 20 minutes at 900°C. The 30 KeV implant generates a partially amorphized region under the wafer surface. Boron diffuses out of this region and accumulates at greater depth during annealing. Higher energy implants do not generate such an amorphous region and many long rod-like defects develop under a band of dislocation loops during annealing. Enhanced boron diffusion was observed at the tail of the boron profile at all three energies.
The overrated power of background music in television news magazines: A replication of Brosius’ 1990 study:

This study investigated the effects of background music on cognition, evaluations of films and attitudes. We replicated an earlier experiment by Brosius (1990) on the effects of background music on...