cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Behavioral responses of adult potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae), to potato germplasm and transmission of Candidatus Liberibacter psyllaurous

The potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae), is a major pest of potatoes that can cause yield loss by direct feeding on crop plants and by transmitting a bacterial pathogen, Candidatus Liberibacter psyllaurous (a.k.a. Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum) associated with zebra chip disease of the crop. In recent years, there have been no studies regarding resistance of potato to the potato psyllid or the bacterial pathogen that the psyllid transmits. Thus, the objectives of this study were to determine the effects of potato germplasm on adult potato psyllid behavior and transmission of Ca. L. psyllaurous .A total of twenty-two potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) breeding clones and varieties were examined. Plant genotype significantly affected the occurrence and duration of psyllid probing, the duration of psyllid cleaning, resting and the amount of time psyllids spent off the potato leaflet as well as transmission of Ca. L. psyllaurous. For the potato genotypes in which there were significant decreases in transmission compared to controls, there was often an unclear relationship between the occurrences and duration of behaviors and subsequent bacterial transmission. We discuss the implications of our results for an integrated pest management program for the potato psyllid and Ca. L. psyllaurous control on potatoes. 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Phonon dispersion in NiO

Abstract The phonon dispersion relations in NiO have been measured using coherent inelastic neutron diffraction. Good fits to the data were obtained using various shell models. The room temperature phonon density of states was calculated and used to determine the temperature dependence of the lattice specific heat and the Debye temperature.
MicroRNA-Mediated Transformation by the Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Kaposin Locus

The human oncogenic Kaposi9s Sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) expresses a set of ∼20 viral miRNAs. miR-K10a stands out among these miRNAs because its entire stem-loop precursor overlaps the coding sequence for the Kaposin (Kap) A/C proteins. The ectopic expression of KapA has been reported to lead to transformation of rodent fibroblasts. However, these experiments inadvertently also introduced miR-K10a, which raises the question whether the transforming activity of the locus could in fact be due to miR-K10a expression. To answer this question, we have uncoupled miR-K10a and KapA expression. Our experiments revealed that miR-K10a alone transformed cells with similar efficiency as its co-expression with KapA. Maintenance of the transformed phenotype was conditional upon continued miR-K10a but not KapA protein expression, consistent with its dependence on miRNA-mediated changes in gene expression. Importantly, miR-K10a taps into an evolutionary conserved network of miR-142-3p targets, several of which are expressed in 3T3 cells and are also known inhibitors of cellular transformation. In summary, our studies of miR-K10a serve as an example of an unsuspected function of a miRNA whose precursor is embedded within a coding transcript. In addition, our identification of conserved miR-K10a targets that limit transformation will point the way to a better understanding of the role of this miRNA in KSHV-associated tumors. Importance Kaposi9s Sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a human tumor virus. The viral Kaposin locus has known oncogenic potential, which has previously been ascribed to the encoded KapA protein. Here we show that the virally encoded miR-K10a miRNA, whose precursor overlaps the KapA coding region, may account for the oncogenic properties of this locus. Our data suggest that miR-K10a mimics the cellular miRNA miR-142-3p and thereby represses several known inhibitors of oncogenic transformation. Our work demonstrates that functional properties ascribed to a coding region may in fact be carried out by an embedded non-coding element and sheds light on the functions of viral miR-K10a.
Spontaneous mode locking in long-cavity xenon lasers

Spontaneous mode locking in Fabry–Perot xenon lasers has been experimentally investigated for cavity lengths up to 66 m. Our results show dependence of the number of pulses per round-trip time on the cavity length and the excitation current. Other dynamical effects such as the ringing and modulation of the mode-locked pulses have been observed. A semiclassical model for the self-locking of an inhomogeneously broadened laser is also presented. Numerical results based on this model describe many dynamical features observed in our experiments.
Metallic wear — a review with special references to vibration-induced wear in power plant components

Abstract Some of the major processes that are likely to be involved in wear — namely, adhesion, abrasion, fatigue, delamination and oxidation — are described. An outline of the Systems Concept in the analysis of wear processes is given. Some wear theories and various factors that affect wear, such as distance of travel, speed, applied load, material and temperature, are also discussed. The latter part of the paper reviews recent literature pertinent to vibration-induced wear, eg impact and fretting of power plant components — more specifically, heat exchangers. Several predictive models for tube wear are described.
Poster Sessions AP13: Novel Techniques and Technologies

Studies of the antioxidant defense system and the monoamine metabolic pathways are often complicated by cumbersome analytical methods, which require separate and multistep extraction and chemical reaction procedures. Thus, measurements of multiple parameters are limited in relatively small biological samples. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with a Coulometric Multi-Electrode Array System (CMEAS) provides us a convenient and most sensitive tool to measure low molecular weight, redox-active compounds in biological sample. The deproteinized sample was analyzed on a HPLC coupled with a 16-channel CMEAS, which incremented from 60 to 960 mV in 60 mV steps. Each sample was run on a single column (Meta-250, 4.6 × 250 mm) under a 150-minute complex gradient that ranged from 0% B (A: 1.1% pentane sulfonic acid) to 20% B (B: 0.1 m lithium acetate in mixture of methanol, acetonenitrile and isopropanol), with a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. We have developed an automated procedure to simultaneously measure various antioxidant, oxidative stress marker, and monoamine metabolites in a single column with binary gradient. No other chemical reactions are necessary. In order to reduce the running time and yet achieve a reproducible retention time by the autosampler injection, our gradient elution profile was modified to produce a shorter equilibration time and to compensate for the initial contamination of mobile phase B following the first injection. Without the use of two columns in series and peak suppresser/gradient mixer, we have simplified the previously published method to measure over 20 different antioxidants, oxidative stress markers and monoamine metabolites simultaneously in biological samples.
Cuticle protein gene expression during the third instar of Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract Genes that encode cuticle proteins of Drosophila melanogaster are useful for the study of coordinate gene regulation. During the development of Drosophila , five cuticles are made: one for each of the three larval instars, one for the pupa, and one for the adult. The production of each cuticle is controlled by the steroid moulting hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone. In this study we investigated the basis for the sequential appearance of third instar larval cuticle proteins. Among five major proteins, larval cuticle proteins (LCPs) 3–5 accumulate before LCPs 1 and 2. Metabolic labelling of the proteins suggests that LCPs 3–5 are synthesized before LCPs 1 and 2. The genes that encode LCPs 1–4 are clustered within 8 kilobases on chromosome 2. Using probes specific for these genes, we find that transcripts of genes 3 and 4 accumulate before those of genes 1 and 2. Thus, the late accumulation of transcripts from genes 1 and 2 during the 3rd instar appears to be the basis for the delayed accumulation of larval cuticle proteins 1 and 2.
Terms for Kith and Kin

Scheffler and Needham give alternative interpretations of Karo Batak terminology, the former describing it as a kinship terminology, the latter as a terminology of social/symbolic classification. Both these points of view prove useful in understanding the way Karo use kinship terms and behave as kin. The organization of ritual, the etiquette of reference and address, and the way Karo forge kinlike ties illustrate how both genealogy and alliance categories operate in Karo kinship.
INDUCED FEEDING AND GROWTH ENHANCEMENT OF BLACK DRUM WHEN CULTURED WITH FLORIDA POMPANO AND WITH STRIPED MULLET

Age O black drum (Pogonias cromis) were stocked in polyculture with age O Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus); age O striped mullet (Mugil cephalus); and in monoculture in 0.1 ha flow-through ponds. Densities were 5,000 fish/ha each for Florida pompano and black drum and 500 fish/ha for striped mullet. Pompano were harvested after 5 months of culture leaving black drum counterparts to continue in monoculture. After approximately 278 days, production of drum was 66% greater when initially grown with pompano for 145 days than for those maintained in monoculture throughout the study. The small number of striped mullet served as feeding stimuli for black drum, thus improving production 40% over drum kept in monoculture.
Calculation of the noninertial space-charge force and the coherent synchrotron radiation force for short electron bunches in circular motion using the retarded Green's function technique

The space-charge forces for short electron bunches in circular motion can be very different from the space-charge forces for short electron bunches undergoing straight-line motion. The two major effects introduced by the circular motion are an off-axis, so-called {open_quote}{open_quote}noninertial space-charge{close_quote}{close_quote} effect, in which there is essentially no net energy loss of the bunch, and a coherent synchrotron radiation effect, in which the bunch radiates coherent energy. The consequence of these effects is a potentially large growth in the electron bunch{close_quote}s transverse emittance. We derive an expression for these forces from a Green{close_quote}s function approach, starting with the definitions of the retarded scalar and vector potentials. In particular, we find an expression for the total electric field along the direction of motion from a short line of charge in circular motion. These expressions in turn can be used in numerical particle simulations to estimate the amount of emittance growth, including the effects of suppressing the coherent synchrotron radiation by reducing the beam pipe dimensions. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
Effects of Anisotropy on the Capture Zone of a Partially Penetrating Well

Dimensional analysis is used to show the effects of aquifer anisotropy on capture zone geometry for a partially penetrating well that is screened from the top of a confined aquifer. Dimensionless similarity criteria are identified which allow an extension of results for advective transport modeling from isotropic conditions to anisotropic ones. Using published results of modeling capture zones in isotropic aquifers, it is shown that anisotropy is important in determining the size and shape of the capture zone under two conditions: (1) the pumping rate is small compared to the scaled regional flow velocity, and (2) the well has a low degree of penetration. Examples are used to show that disregard of even modest aquifer anisotropy can significantly affect estimates of capture zone.
Current Automotive Holometry Studies

Holometry studies of automotive body and powertrain components have become a very useful high resolution test methodology to knowledgeable Ford engineering personnel. Current examples of studies that represent the static or dynamic operational conditions of the automotive test component are presented. Continuous wave laser holometry, computer aided holometry (CAH) and pulsed laser holometry were the holometric techniques used to study the following subjects: (1) body in prime (BIP) vibration modes, (2) transmission flexplate stud-torque converter deformation due to engine torque pulses, (3) engine cylinder head and camshaft support structure deformation due to cylinder pressure and (4) engine connecting rod/cap lift-off. Static and dynamic component loading and laboratory techniques required to produce usable and valid test results are discussed along with possible conclusions for the engineering concerns.
Influences of 1-Dodecylazacycloheptan-2-one on Permeation of Membranes by Weak Electrolytes. 1. Theoretical Analysis of Weak Electrolyte Diffusion through Membranes and Studies Involving Silicone Rubber Membranes

The pH dependency of permeation of weak electrolytes allows inferences to be made about the barrier characteristics of membranes. The influences of enhancers on pH–permeation profiles promise further mechanistic enlightenment. To explore issues of weak electrolyte mass transfer, a steady-state mathematical model for a hydrophobic membrane with aqueous pores existing in series with aqueous phases, presently a popular depiction of the skin and other biological barriers, has been developed. The case in which there are no pores is then considered theoretically and in studies involving the mass transfer of benzoic acid across silicone rubber membranes. Specifically, the flux of [14C]benzoic acid across Silastic sheeting as a function of pH was investigated. This isotropic membrane's behavior conformed to expectations drawn from the model in that the un-ionized species penetrated in proportion to benzoic acid's prevailing state of ionization, the membrane being all but impenetrable to the benzoate anion. The enhancer, 1-dodecylazacyclo-heptan-2-one (Azone), was then applied to the membrane in emulsions of increasing concentration. There were two important consequences of such application. First, the un-ionized species of benzoic acid partitioned into the emulsion droplets, lowering the activity of the permeant in the emulsion's continuous phase. Second, Azone was imbibed to a degree into the polymeric membrane, significantly altering the permeability of the silicone rubber of which it is composed. The former influence had to be carefully factored out in order to delineate Azone's intrinsic enhancing effects on the membrane. The silicone rubber membrane system served well as a model for study of the enhancing effects of Azone on a wholly hydrophobic barrier, establishing a basis for the analysis of the actions of enhancers such as Azone on more complex, multiphasic biological barriers.
Barium as a tracer of Arctic halocline and river waters

Dissolved barium (Ba) concentrations are reported for water samples collected during six oceanographic cruises to the Arctic in 1993 and during the 1994 Arctic Ocean Section. Upper Arctic ( -75 nmol Ba 1−1) observed in the surface mixed layer of the Arctic interior (i.e. beyond the 200 m isobath) occurred in the Canada Basin. As a result of the biological removal of Ba from surface waters of the Chukchi Sea and the tendency of the Bering inflow to enter the Arctic interior at depths below the relatively fresher mixed layer, we hypothesize that the Mackenzie River is the dominant source of the high Ba observed in the surface waters of the Canada Basin. Features characterized by local salinity minima and Ba maxima in surface waters down to depths of 30–50 m were observed over the Arlis Plateau and Mendeleyev Ridge in both 1993 and 1994, and over the Makarov Basin and Lomonosov Ridge in 1994. The physical and chemical properties of these waters suggest that they have been significantly influenced by fluvial discharge. It could not be determined from available data whether these features arose from offshore transport of Eurasian river discharge from the Russian Arctic seas, meanders of the Mackenzie River-influenced Beaufort Gyre, or a branch of Bering inflow that crossed the Chukchi shelf and entrained river water from North American and/or Eurasian sources. In both 1993 and 1994 Ba concentrations in the upper halocline layer (as defined by a core salinity of 33·1) ranged between 42 and 77 nmol Ba 1−1, with highest values observed in the Canada Basin. The Ba maximum and the related nutrient maxima and oxygen minimum that characterize the upper halocline in the Canada Basin suggest sources in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, and that the mechanism by which these waters are formed is linked with the influx of water through the Bering Strait. The Ba distributions for 1993 and 1994 delineate the lateral extent of upper halocline waters with Canada Basin character and show them to be chemically distinct from upper halocline waters in the Eurasian Basin. The front separating these water types ran roughly along the Mendeleyev and Alpha ridges, consistent with reports that the boundary between Atlantic and Pacific water mass assemblies in the Arctic has recently been displaced from its historical position over the Lomonosov Ridge. Lateral gradients in both Ba and the NO parameter were observed within the lower halocline layer (defined by an NO minimum and core salinity of 34·2–34·4) along the 1994 Arctic Ocean Section, indicating that lower halocline waters receive additional inputs as they transit to the Canadian Basin from their region of formation in the Eurasian sector of the Arctic.
Vision: the case for cellular small cells for cloudlets

Today's cellular networks are built with``macro cell'' basestations connected to the Internet via a rigid, complicated backhaul. Even with state-of-art technologies like LTE, users get limited throughput and high latency, with high variance. Performance enhancing IP boxes are deployed in the cellular operator's datacenters, far from the user. As a result, the most compelling cloudlet applications are difficult to realize on such networks and cloudlet researchers have thus far focused on Wi-Fi networks only.We argue that the cloudlet community should consider small cell networks in addition to Wi-Fi networks. Small cells, such as femtocells and picocells, are relatively new additions to the cellular standards. By reducing the cell size compared to the traditional macro cells, they increase spatial reuse of precious licensed frequencies. Users get higher bandwidth and lower latency, with relatively less variance. This architecture, where small cells are deployed simply with power and Ethernet connectivity, lends itself well to cloudlet augmentation. In this position paper, we describe why deployed macro cell basestations are unsuitable for cloudlet deployment. In contrast, we describe why a small cell architecture is amenable for cloudlet deployments. Our experience from operating a small cell testbed in licensed frequencies matches that reported by equipment vendors. The applications we care about require high throughput and low latency. In a cellular network this can be achieved today by augmenting small cells with powerful cloudlets.
Survival of patients with malignant primary osseous spinal neoplasms: results from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 1973 to 2003.

Object Malignant primary osseous spinal neoplasms are aggressive tumors that remain associated with poor outcomes despite aggressive multidisciplinary treatment measures. To date, prognosis for patients with these tumors is based on results from small single-center patient series and controlled trials. Large population-based observational studies are lacking. To assess national trends in histology-specific survival, the authors reviewed patient survival data spanning 30 years (1973–2003) from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry, a US population-based cancer registry. Methods The SEER registry was queried to identify cases of histologically confirmed primary spinal chordoma, chondrosarcoma, osteosarcoma, or Ewing sarcoma using coding from the International Classification of Disease for Oncology, Third Edition. Association of survival with histology, metastasis status, tumor site, and year of diagnosis was assessed using Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis. Results A tot...
Elemental storage of forest soil from local to global scales

Abstract The storage of available soil fertility elements is a cornerstone of the sustainability of forest elemental cycles at the local scale, as well as to those on the global scale. Total soil elemental storage per m2 for relatively undisturbed sites utilizing cumulative depth functions of amounts of storage for local soil pit profiles was eventually expanded to a world wide database from more than 3000 sites. Examples are presented that apply these data to carbon and nitrogen storage problems ranging in scale from local sites in California’s Lake Tahoe Basin to soils at global levels.
Implicit treatment of diffusion terms in lower-upper algorithms

A method is presented which allows diffusion terms to be treated implicitly in the lower-upper (LU) algorithm (which is a commonly used method for solving 'compressible' Euler and Navier-Stokes equations) so that the algorithm's good stability properties will not be impaired. The new method generalizes the concept of LU factorization from that associated with the sign of eigenvalues to that associated with backward- and forward-difference operators without regard to eigenvalues. The method is verified in a turbulent boundary layer study.
Interleukin-1 production and antigen presentation by normal human peritoneal macrophages

Human peritoneal macrophages from healthy females have been investigated for their capability to produce interleukin-1 (IL-1), their expression of HLA-DR and -DQ, and for their antigen-presenting capacity in concanavalin A, tetanus toxoid (TT), and autologous T-cell proliferative responses. Fifteen out of thirty macrophage populations produced IL-1 but the activity was 1/5 to 1/10 that of peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated under similar conditions. High levels of HLA-DR were expressed on all macrophages while lower and more variable levels of DQ were found. All macrophages induced mitogen-dependent T-cell proliferation while the ability to induce a proliferative response to TT was variable, 12/23 tests were positive. In five samples stimulatory capacity of macrophages in the absence of TT was as strong as in the presence of the stimulus, suggesting that in vivo processed immunogen could be responsible for the proliferative response. The surface density of HLA-D-region-determined antigens was not indicative of the macrophages' ability to induce antigen-specific proliferation. IL-1 production, however, correlated with this function. Antigen presentation was not confined exclusively to peritoneal populations consisting of recently immigrant monocyte-like cells, nor were all young macrophages able to present antigen. This may reflect on the diversion of macrophage function by the local environment.
Spectral variability of Cygnus X-2 - Structure in the circumsource material

Cygnus X-2 was observed during 13 separate pointings in the course of 1 yr by the Einstein monitor proportional counter. During one of these pointings the objective grating spectrometer was also used. It is found that the data from these observations are well fitted by single-component thermal bremsstrahlung models with temperatures ranging from 4-12 keV; however, two-component models, where one component is a blackbody, are not excluded. The X-ray light curve appears to be correlated with the 9.843 day optical period, possibly implying a partial eclipse of the X-ray source. During the high states there are irregular dips of up to 30 percent in intensity that last for 300-700 s. The high spectra resolution grating data were taken during one of the high states when these dips occurred, and it is possible to distinguish variable variable emission and absorption features due to Fe, O, and Ne. The picture of Cygnus X-2 is consistent with an intrinsic thermal source surrounded by a hot accretion disk corona. This model can be used to explain the high and low X-ray states, the variability within the states, and the intensity dips which occur in the high states.
LINKING COGNITIVE, ORGANIZATIONAL AND POLITICAL FACTORS IN EXPLAINING STRATEGIC CHANGE

Much recent research on strategic decision-making and strategic change from many different perspectives challenges the view that decision outcomes are the product of rational choice. Allison's (1971) classification scheme is used to categorize recent strategic decision research within three different perspectives. Discussions of research on cognitive, organizational and political perspectives are followed by an integrative discussion showing how these three perspectives can be combined to deal with the full complexity of strategic decisions and the strategic change process.
American physicians and sex research and expertise, 1900-1990.

Les medecins Americains s'estiment competents dans le traitement des troubles de la sexualite de l'homme, mais ne souhaitent pas etre identifies a des sexologues, meme s'il est important de souligner qu'ils sont les principaux contributeurs a la comprehension de notre sexualite
#25-S an examination of the association betweeen bone mineral density and mortality in older men

Abstract PURPOSE: This study investigated the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and mortality in men using data from the NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study, which tracked participants from enrollment in 1971–1974 through 1992. METHODS: This analysis included 1,130 men aged 50–74 when first contacted for NHANES I in 1971–1974 who had baseline BMD measurements as part of their first NHANES visit. Mortality rates were calculated by age-adjusted quartile of BMD. RESULTS: Tests for trend showed that lower baseline BMD was significantly associated with total (p CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that low BMD appears to be a marker for cardiac and cancer mortality; delineation of the causal pathway awaits further studies.
Adjuvant Therapy in Gastric Cancer: What Is The Optimal Approach?

Gastric cancer confers a poor prognosis even when diagnosed as localized disease. Multimodality therapy improves the cure rate of patients with localized cancer. However, adjunctive therapeutic approaches differ in different regions of the world. This review focuses on the current standards and unresolved issues based on updated literature on therapy for localized gastric cancer. In the USA, the Intergroup 0116 trial established the use of postoperative chemoradiotherapy as a standard for patients who have surgery first for treatment of gastric cancer. In Europe, the MAGIC trial investigating perioperative chemotherapy demonstrated a survival benefit for gastric cancer patients. Finally, in Asia, the ACTS-GC and CLASSIC trials investigating postoperative chemotherapy established this as the standard of care after primary surgery that included D2 dissection. It is clear, however, that surgery alone is insufficient to achieve the highest possible cure rates.
Oxidized mono-, di-, tri-, and polysaccharides as potential hemoglobin cross-linking reagents for the synthesis of high oxygen affinity artificial blood substitutes.

Various oxidized mono/di/tri/poly saccharides were studied as potential hemoglobin (Hb) cross-linkers in order to produce oxygen carriers with high oxygen affinities (low P50apos;s) and high molecular weights (therefore lower macromolecular diffusivities compared to tetrameric Hb). Such physical properties were desired to produce polymerized hemoglobins (PolyHbs) with oxygen release profiles similar to that of human blood, as was demonstrated in work by Winslow ( 1). In this present study, bovine hemoglobin was cross-linked with a variety of oxidized (ring-opened) saccharides, which resulted in cross-linked Hb species ranging in size from 64 to 6400 kDa (depending on the particular oxidized saccharide used in the reaction) and P50apos;s ranging from 6 to 15 mmHg. A parallel synthetic approach was used to synthesize these carbohydrate-hemoglobin conjugates, and asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AFFF) coupled with multi-angle static light scattering (MASLS) was used to measure the absolute molecular weight distribution of these PolyHb dispersions. Cross-linking reactions were conducted at two pHs (6 and 8), with larger cross-linked Hb species produced at pH 8 (where hydrolysis was most likely to occur between glycosidic bonds linking adjacent saccharide rings) rather than at pH 6. The largest molecular weight species formed from these reactions consisted of Hb cross-linked with ring-opened lactose, maltose, methylglucopyranoside, sucrose, trehalose, and 15 kDa and 71 kDa dextran at high pH (pH 8). The most promising Hb cross-linker was methylglucopyranoside, which resulted in very large cross-linked Hb species, with low P50apos;s and lower methemoglobin (metHb) levels compared to the other Hb cross-linking reagents.
Extremum principles and exact two-side bounds of potential: Functional and dissipation for slow motions of nonlinear viscoplastic media

Abstract Viscoplastic media form a vast class of substances which do not manifest a noticeable shear viscoelasticity. These are pastes, paints, lubricants, drilling solutions and also a number of food and chemical substances. Though the rheological behavior of the media is relatively simple (as compared with viscoelastic ones), the traditional approaches for describing them result in some complicated boundary value problems for nonlinear partial differential equations which are very difficult to solve even with large modern computers. Therefore various approximate methods for solving these problems (and among them variational approaches) are of great value.
A novel intermediate strain rate testing device: The serpentine transmitted bar

Abstract A material's stress–strain behavior at intermediate strain rates (between 5 s−1 to 500 s−1) is essential for characterization of important events such as a car crash or a metal forming process. In addition, a material's stress–strain behavior can be strongly strain rate dependent, such that calibrating and validating the constitutive model at the actual strain rate of interest are important if finite element analyses are used for components that experience these strain rates. Testing of materials below 5 s−1 is easily accomplished with conventional electro-mechanical or servo-hydraulic load frames. Rates above 500 s−1 are typically performed with the split Kolsky/Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) and other devices depending upon the strain rate. However, the intermediate strain rate regime is a demanding test regime in which researchers have extended the use of specially instrumented servo-hydraulic load frames or very long Hopkinson bars. We describe a novel design of a serpentine Hopkinson transmitted bar that allows for accurate and robust load acquisition at intermediate strain rates in a compact form. Our new design produces repeatable stress–strain results without stress oscillations typical of a specially instrumented servo-hydraulic load frame and produces data for a longer loading time than a conventional Kolsky/Hopkinson bar of the same length. We demonstrate the intermediate bar's stress–strain response on a 6061-T6 Al alloy in which low rate and high rate data from the literature bounded the intermediate bar's response.
Rapid Warfarin Reversal in the Setting of Intracranial Hemorrhage: A Comparison of Plasma, Recombinant Activated Factor VII, and Prothrombin Complex Concentrate

Objective To compare the safety and effectiveness of three methods of reversing coagulopathic effects of warfarin in patients with potentially life-threatening intracranial hemorrhage. Methods A retrospective electronic medical record review of 63 patients with warfarin-related intracranial hemorrhage between 2007 and 2010 in an integrated health care delivery system was conducted. The three methods of rapid warfarin reversal were fresh-frozen plasma (FFP), activated factor VII (FVIIa; NovoSevenRT [Novo Nordisk, Bagsvaerd, Denmark]), and prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC; BebulinVH [Baxter, Westlake Village, California, USA], ProfilnineSD [Grifols, North Carolina, USA]), each used adjunctively with vitamin K (Vit K, phytonadione). We determined times from reversal agent order to laboratory evidence of warfarin reversal (international normalized ratio [INR]) in the first 48 hours and compared INR rebound rates and complications in the first 48 hours. Results Reversal with FFP took more than twice as long compared with FVIIa or PCC. To reach an INR of 1.3, mean (±SD) reversal times were 1933 ± 905 minutes for FFP, 784 ± 926 minutes for FVIIa, and 980 ± 1021 minutes for PCC ( P P P P = 0.001). Complications were uncommon. FVIIa was 15 and 3.5 times as expensive as FFP and PCC, respectively. Conclusion As an adjunct to Vit K for rapid warfarin reversal, FVIIa and PCC appear more effective than FFP. Either FVIIa or PCC are reasonable options for reversal, but FVIIa is considerably more expensive and may have greater risk of INR rebound.
Structural damage detection using digital video imaging technique and wavelet transformation

Damage in structures may render risk of catastrophic failure. Identifying damages and their locations is termed as damage detection. In this paper, use of digital video imaging is proposed for detecting damage in structures. The theory of measuring structural vibration using high-resolution images is presented first, based on sub-pixel edge identification. Then a concept of mode shape difference function is developed for structural damage detection. A laboratory test program was carried out to implement these concepts using a high-speed digital video camera. The images were analyzed to obtain displacement time series at sub-pixel resolution. Mode shapes were obtained from the time series to find the mode shape difference functions between the damaged and the reference states. They were subjected to wavelet transformation for determining the damage locations. Results show that the proposed approach is able to identify the introduced damage cases and their locations.
Low-Altitude Flight Performance as a Measure of Flight Simulator Fidelity

Low-altitude flight performance was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the texture density cues used in high fidelity flight simulators. Observers were asked to maintain a constant above ground level (AGL) altitude over textured terrain whose elevation was varied. All combinations of two texture densities (0.13 and 0.43 elements/meter) and three airspeeds (50, 150, and 300 m/sec) were tested. Observers maintained a higher AGL altitude as speed increased, suggesting that higher optical flow rates interfered with the ability to maintain the target AGL altitude. However, when a single airspeed was used in a given block of trials, the effect of airspeed was eliminated, indicating that the original airspeed effect was due to perceptual averaging of the optical flow rate at each airspeed tested. Texture density was a significant factor only in the blocked-airspeed condition, suggesting that the blocking procedure eliminated measurement error that initially obscured the effect of this factor on altitude maint...
Parent-Informed Anticipatory Guidance to Promote Family Meals

Objective. To learn what families report as common facilitating factors as well as barriers faced in having regular family meals (FMs). Methods. Cross-sectional descriptive study involving administ...
Automatic road extraction from satellite imagery using LEGION networks

We present an automatic method for road extraction from satellite imagery. The core of the proposed method is Locally Excitatory Globally Inhibitory Oscillator Networks (LEGION). We decompose the road extraction task into three stages. The first stage is image segmentation by LEGION. In the second stage, we compute the medial axis of each segment and select the segments with narrow widths. The third is the road grouping stage. With the medial axes, alignment-dependent connections between medial axis points are established and LEGION is utilized to group the well-aligned medial axes, which represent extracted road segments. Due to the selective gating mechanism of LEGION, different roads in an image are grouped separately. Experimental results on synthetic and real images show the effectiveness of this method.
Environmental Meaning and Ecosystem Management: Perspectives from Environmental Psychology and Human Geography

The contribution of human dimensions research to the ecological paradigm emerging in natural resource management involves the development of contextually rich, and spatially and historically specific, understandings of places. As an eclectic and integrative field of inquiry, environmental psychology offers a growing body of research that promotes a view of the person as a social agent who seeks out and creates meaning in the environment. As developed in environmental psychology, research from the adaptive, goal‐directed, and sociocultural paradigms is reviewed to illustrate alternative approaches to studying environmental meaning. These paradigms, taken together, provide complementary conceptual approaches for assessment and mapping of the diverse and often competing environmental meanings that various constituencies attach to natural resources. From human geography, the concept of place offers a framework for integrating environmental meanings into ecosystem management. Place constitutes a concrete focal...
Fermi-dirac analysis and simulation of an Organic Schottky Diode

Based on the numerical model and the analytical expression developed in our previous work, the location of Fermi level in an organic semiconductor is determined using charge neutrality principle. As in our previous work, a pentacene based Organic Schottky diode is considered for the simulation and comparison of the various physical and electrical properties with the reported experimental results. At first, the consistency checks between the two values of free carriers (holes) is performed, one using our own numerical model and the other using the well known Physics equation. Secondly, the same model is used in the charge neutrality principle to extract the Fermi level energy. This value of Fermi level energy is further applied to calculate the charge ratio and the number of ionized trapped charges. The density of ionized trapped charge is found to be 9.9425×1015cm−3, which is in close agreement with the experimental value. Finally, these parameters are used to simulate the I–V characteristics of the above mentioned device through Matlab and Silvaco International's ATLAS simulation software. The simulation results produce an excellent overlapping with the experimental. Besides this, the effect of traps in I–V characteristics of such device is also demonstrated.
Crank inertial load has little effect on steady-state pedaling coordination.

Abstract Inertial load can affect the control of a dynamic system whenever parts of the system are accelerated ordeclerated. During steady-state pedating, because within-cycle variations in crank angular acceleration still exist, the amount of crank inertia present (which varies widely with road-riding gear ratio) may affect the within-cycle coordination of muscles. However, the effect of inertial load on steady-state pedaling coordination is almos always assumed to be negligible, since the net mechanical energy per cycle developed by muscles only depends on the constant cadence and workload. This study tests the hypothesis that under steady-state conditions, the net joint torques produced by muscles at the hip, knee, and ankle are unaffected by crank inertial load. To perform the investigation, we constructed a pedaling apparatus which could emulate the low inertial load of a standard ergometer or the high inertial load of a road bicycle in high gear. Crank angle and bilateral pedal force and angle data were collected from ten subjects instructed to pedal steadily (i.e. constant speed across cycles) and smoothly (i.e. constant speed within a cycle) against both inertias at a constant workload. Virtually no statistically significant changes were found in the net hip and knee muscle joint torques calculated from an inverse dynamics analysis. Though the net ankle muscle joint torque, as well as the one- and two-legged crank torque, showed statistically significant increases at the higher inertia, the changes were small. In contrast, large statistically significant reductions were found in crank kinematic variability both within a cycle and between cycles (i.e. cadence), primarily because a larger inertial load means a slower crank dynamic response. Nonetheless, the reduction in cadence variability was somewhat attenuated by a large statistically significant increase in one-legged crank torque variability. We suggest, therefore, that muscle coordination during steady-state pedaling is largely unaffected, though less well regulated, when crank inertial load is increased.
Evidence for an Upper Carboniferous mangrove community

The morphological and paleogeographic evidence suggesting that cordaitean-dominated swamps from the early Westphalian D (= 295 m.y.b.p.) of Iowa grew in salt water swamps is reviewed. Cordaitean trees, Psaronius tree ferns, and Medullosa seed ferns contributed 95% of the peat in coal-ball samples taken from three Iowa mines. Ordination analysis shows that associations dominated by Psaronius and Medullosa succeeded an association dominated by cordaitean trees at each site. Based on comparisons with Upper Carboniferous compression flora deposits, Psaronius and Medullosa seem to have grown in freshwater or only slightly brackish water habitats. The root morphology of cordaitean trees from Iowa and the paleogeographic position of these swamps suggest that cordaitean trees which produced Nucellangium glabrum and Cardiocarpus spinatus seeds grew in salt water. Results of the ordination analysis suggest that cordaitean trees which produced Mitrospermum seeds grew in freshwater or only slightly brackish habitats. The methods used to assess these deposits as mangrove peats can be applied to any structurally preserved peat. Most other putative mangrove communities in the fossil record have been described from compression-flora deposits. The non-morphological criteria for assessing these floras as mangrove swamp deposits are reviewed.
Performance and economics of a solar thermal power generation plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia: Parabolic trough collector

The study explores the technical and economic feasibility of a thermal solar power generation plant using parabolic trough collectors (Euro Trough) in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. Total annual available solar radiation is calculated at 1,970 kWhr. The size of the proposed solar thermal power plant is 50 MW. The designed solar field is composed of 100 loops with a total footprint area at 0.864 km2, where each loop contains four solar collectors of ET150 Euro trough type. Heat transfer fluid flows in the collector field absorbers and exchanges heat in steam generator, which passes produced steam to Rankine cycle steam turbine for power generation. The study predicts total annual power generation capacity at 86.5 GWhr with capacity factor at 39% and an overall efficiency at 23.2%. The levelized cost of electricity is predicted at $0.107/kWhr, which is three times higher than the heavily subsidized electricity cost in Saudi Arabia.
Ethanol inhibition of recombinant NR1/2A receptors: effects of heavy metal chelators and a zinc-insensitive NR2A mutant

Abstract N -methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are a subtype of ionotropic glutamate receptors that are highly expressed in brain neurons. These receptors are calcium permeable and regulate various forms of plasticity, including long-term potentiation of glutamate synapses. Acutely, ethanol inhibits the function of NMDA receptors, and chronic exposure of neurons to ethanol is associated with enhanced NMDA receptor function during withdrawal. Results from previous studies with recombinant NMDA receptors have demonstrated that subunit composition influences the ethanol sensitivity of NMDA receptors, with NR2A-containing receptors often showing greater inhibition by ethanol than shown by those containing other NR2 subunits. NR2A-containing NMDA receptors are particularly sensitive to other modulators of channel function, including heavy metals such as zinc. Although zinc inhibits NMDA receptors at micromolar concentrations through a voltage-dependent interaction with a channel site, NR2A-containing receptors are inhibited by low nanomolar concentrations of zinc in a voltage-independent manner. In this study, we examined the effects of ethanol on NR1/NR2A receptors expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cells recorded under conditions in which the effects of zinc are minimized. Under control conditions, ethanol (100 mM) inhibited peak and steady-state currents of NR1/2A receptors by 35%–40%. Inclusion of the heavy metal chelator ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid [(EDTA); 10 μM] or other chelating compounds in the experimental solution augmented NMDA-stimulated currents, as previously described. In the presence of EDTA (10 μM), the inhibition of NR1/2A currents by 100 mM ethanol was reduced to approximately 28%. As expected, currents recorded from cells expressing the NR1 subunit and a zinc-insensitive NR2A mutant (H128S) were not augmented by zinc chelators. In these cells, ethanol (100 mM) inhibited NMDA receptor currents by approximately 28%, and this inhibition was unaffected by EDTA. These results support the suggestion that low levels of zinc present in experimental solutions may affect the apparent ethanol sensitivity of NMDA receptors containing the NR2A subunit.
Corridor navigation with a LiDAR/INS Kalman filter solution

Autonomous capability requires reliable and robust navigation solutions in multiple environments. GPS has become an effective tool but is not suitable for all environments. Laser scanners are quickly making their presence known in the navigation field and are proven to have a variety of uses. This paper investigates the use of LiDAR within an indoor corridor environment (i.e. hallway) to update IMU measurements. The LiDAR is combined with an IMU in a Kalman filter to produce estimates of vehicle velocity, heading, lateral error, and sensor biases. It is shown how this combination is effective in providing accurate state estimates while removing sensor errors due to noise and bias.
Stability of shear flows of polymeric liquid crystals

Abstract This article deals with flow phenomena in liquid crystal materials. The governing equations are a generalization of the Leslie-Ericksen equations for liquid crystals with variable degree of orientation. The goal of the analysis is to study the role of the order parameter in the model. We examine the multiplicity of solutions, phases , that occur in shear flow regimes and analyze their stability under physically realistic conditions (such conditions turn out to be compatible with the high viscosities of polymeric materials). In particular, we observe that ellipticity of the linearized system of governing equations is a consequence of the Clausius-Duhem inequality.