cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors Associated with ELISA Sample/Positive Ratio Scores for Paratuberculosis in an Angus-Brahman Multibreed Herd of Beef Cattle

Paratuberculosis is a chronic disease of ruminants that causes economic losses in beef and dairy cattle due to diminished production and eventually death. Dam and calf genetic and environmental factors were evaluated for their association with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) sample to positive ratio scores for paratuberculosis in a multibreed beef cattle population.
Overview: Progress in Insect Neuroanatomy and Neurogenesis

As in the past, the papers presented at ICINN-3 emphasized the interdependency between neuroanatomy and the disciplines of biochemistry and physiology. To these disciplines is added the contribution from the field of molecular biology with its synergy between biochemistry and genetics. Yet, with all the advances of biotechnology, progress in neuroscience still requires the descriptive analysis of the components of the nervous systems of the large number of species comprising the Class Insecta. In this regard, a new sensory receptor in the ventral body wall of Rhodnius prolixus was described (Chaing et al.). This receptor may monitor pressure resulting from distension of the stomach from a blood meal. Several histochemical stains were used to locate, describe, and quantify several types of neurosecretory cells in the brain of the short horned grasshopper as well as trace their pathway in the nervi corporis cardiaci (Patil). Knowledge of the anatomy of the neuroendocrine system of a species permits studies such as an in vivo comparison of the mode of action of different insecticides on this system. One such study compared the effect of three organophosphate insecticides on the corpora cardiaca of the female roach, Periplaneta americana (Nanda and Banerjee). The authors concluded that the neurotoxic effect of these three insecticides was due to the uncontrolled, accelerated release of neurosecretory products from the perikarya.
Advances in Helium Cryogenics

This review provides a survey of major advances that have occurred in recent years in the area of helium cryogenics. Helium-temperature cryogenics is the enabling technology for a substantial and growing number of low-temperature systems from superconducting magnets to space-based experimental facilities. In recent years there have been many advances in the technology of low-temperature helium, driven mostly by new applications. However, to keep the review from being too broad, this presentation focuses mainly on three of the most significant advances. These are: (1) the development of large-scale recuperative refrigeration systems mainly for superconducting magnet applications in accelerators and other research facilities; (2) the use of stored superfluid helium (He II) as a coolant for spacebased astrophysics experiments; and (3) the application of regenerative cryocoolers operating at liquid helium temperatures primarily for cooling superconducting devices. In each case, the reader should observe that critical technologies were developed to facilitate these applications. In addition to these three primary advances, other significant helium cryogenic technologies are briefly reviewed at the end of this chapter, along with some vision for future developments in these areas.
Business Ethics on the Web

Abstract Current literature indicates that, in the wake of corporate scandals at institutions like Enron and WorldCom, business educators and academic institutions are already beginning to reshape the curriculum and many business schools have initiated programs in business ethics within the last two years. As the business curriculum has incorporated ethics topics, business librarians have responded by taking an active role in providing appropriate research tools. Library instruction sessions offer an important arena for discussion of social responsibility and ethics using a wide variety of methods, including case studies, database searching, and research strategies. This paper will briefly examine a few of the salient trends in business ethics education, consider the role of the library in supporting those efforts, and illustrate one tool developed to assist business students evaluate corporate approaches to social responsibility.
Volume measurements in the embryonic zebrafish heart using 4D confocal microscopy

Recently developed confocal microscopes allow image acquisition at rapid frame-rates (e.g. 120 frames per second for images of size 512 by 512 pixels) and open new avenues for cardiac imaging at the microscopic scale. The reconstruction and analysis of dynamic 3D data of embryonic hearts require further image processing. The main challenges are the handling of the considerable amount of data generated for each experiment and the need for a reliable and repeatable analysis procedure. Here we present the workflow for the reconstruction of 4D volumetric data from nongated 2D image sequences acquired in living zebrafish embryos and the subsequent data analysis to extract atrial and ventricular volume changes over time. The former is performed using a wavelet-based synchronization procedure while the latter is made possible via semi-automatic segmentation of the atrial and ventricular heart regions.
Economic Development: Natural Resources and the Environment: Toward Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development The 1987 UN Commission on Environment and Development, chaired by Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, coined the term sustainable development , referring to “progress that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Sustainability means not only the survival of the human species but also maintaining the productivity of natural, produced, and human assets from generation to generation. In judging whether these assets are sufficient, we need to be aware of the extent to which physical (produced) capital can substitute for natural capital (see Daly's theorem later in this chapter). This chapter analyzes land, natural resources, and the environment as economic resources in LDCs, and whether development is sustainable, given natural resource depletion and environmental damage. We look at differences among land, natural resources, and capital; assess the effect of changing real oil prices on consumption in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s; analyze the adverse impact of Dutch disease in a booming export sector on other sectors; discuss whether abundant resources might be a curse rather than a blessing; examine the effect of poverty on the environment; identify market imperfections that contribute to environmental degradation; examine the change in pollution with economic growth; specify a decision-making rule for abating pollution; indicate how to place a monetary value on pollution discharges; discuss the growth of arid and semiarid lands; examine economic development in tropical climates; analyze policy toward environmental resources, such as biodiversity and climate, that are global public goods; consider the extent to which growth is limited by a scarcity of natural resources; look at measures of economic welfare that consider resource depletion and environmental damage; and examine the ethical dilemmas of rich nations in a world of limited resources and income inequalities.
Evaluation of Diverse Microalgal Species as Potential Biofuel Feedstocks Grown Using Municipal Wastewater

Microalgae offer great potential as a third-generation biofuel feedstock, especially when grown on wastewater, as they have the dual application for wastewater treatment and as a biomass feedstock for biofuel production. The potential for growth on wastewater centrate was evaluated for forty microalgae strains from fresh (11), brackish (11), or saltwater (18) genera. Generally, freshwater strains were able to grow at high concentrations of centrate, with two strains, Neochloris pseudostigmata and N. conjuncta, demonstrating growth at up to 40% v/v centrate. Fourteen of eighteen salt water Dunaliella strains also demonstrated growth in centrate concentrations at or above 40% v/v. Lipid profiles of freshwater strains with high-centrate tolerance were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and compared against those obtained on cells grown on defined maintenance media. The major lipid compounds were found to be palmitic (16:0), oleic (18:1), and linoleic (18:2) acids for all freshwater strains grown on either centrate or their respective maintenance medium. These results demonstrate the highly concentrated wastewater can be used to grow microalgae, which limits the need to dilute wastewater prior to algal production. In addition, the algae produced generate lipids suitable for biodiesel or green diesel production.
The role of soils and biogeochemistry in the climate and earth system.

Soils play a central role throughout the climate system, through regulating the atmospheric abundance of key trace gases including, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide exchange, tropospheric and stratospheric ozone and some halogens, i.e. methyl bromide and methyl flouride. The Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded “warming is unequivocal” based on many lines of observational evidence. Humans are forcing the climate system in a new way with the release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by fossil fuel burning. Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have not been this high in more than a half a million years. The AR4 was the first Earth System IPCC report because of the inclusion of a fully interactive carbon cycle and was the first Working Group 1 report to address the changing global nitrogen cycle. Soils and their sustained productivity remain a critical ethical discussion for the future of Earth System modeling and for the future of life on our Earth.
Constable Receives 2013 William Gilbert Award: Citation

I am honored to present the 2013 William Gilbert Award to Catherine Constable in recognition of her fundamental contributions to our understanding of secular variation of the geomagnetic field and exemplary service to the geomagnetism and paleomagnetism (GP) community.
Reflections on clinical practice by first-year dental students: a qualitative study

During the first and second year of the dental curriculum, students have little time to process and learn the didactic material in a meaningful way because of the large number of required courses in the curriculum. If an outcome of dental education is to promote critical thinking, however, methods need to be explored to encourage this process in dental students throughout the curriculum. Reflecting on experience is the way learners "make meaning" out of the information they acquire, and "making meaning" is an integral component in the development of critical thinking. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore how reflection on clinical experiences may facilitate the development of critical thinking in first-year dental students as well as assist them in integrating their didactic coursework with clinical care. I used Luborsky's thematic analysis to analyze semi-structured interviews, clinical observations, and written reflection papers from dental students. The major themes identified from the data were: 1) connections between didactic material and the clinical experience, 2) the students' vision of their future role as dentists, and 3) the nature of the dentist-patient interaction. The data further suggest a process of reflective thinking that begins with students' questioning assumptions about their prior experience and knowledge that leads them to look at things in a new way and ultimately to recognize the need to take some action to provide care to the patient. The findings suggest that encouraging students to keep a clinic journal or write reflection papers about their experience may be a way to enhance student learning and is an area that deserves further research.
Securing the .NET programming model

The security of the .NET programming model is studied from the standpoint of fully abstract compilation of C#. A number of failures of full abstraction are identified, and fixes described. The most serious problems have recently been fixed for version 2.0 of the .NET Common Language Runtime.
Reduced-order compensators via balancing and central control design for a structural control problem

Real-time control of a physical system necessitates controllers that are low order. In this article, we compare two balanced truncation methods as a means of designing low-order controllers for a nonlinear cable-mass system. The first is the standard technique of balanced truncation. The second, linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) balanced truncation, can be thought of as balancing based on the controller, and states that are important from the perspective of control and filter design are retained. The control design applied to each reduced-order model is the central controller. We provide an overview of the central controller and devote attention to the design of this controller in the presence of balancing. Also described in this article is a method for reducing computational time in solving algebraic Riccati equations for the design of low-order LQG balanced controllers.
Different Molecular Structures at Polymer/Silane Interfaces Detected by SFG

Buried polymer/silane interfacial molecular structures were examined using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. The silanes under investigation included n-octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTCS), n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane (OTMS), and (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (ATMS). Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS) were among the polymers studied, and to avoid spectral confusion, deuterated polymers (d-PMMA and d-PS) were also employed. When OTCS or OTMS contacted a polymer surface, a stable and ordered interface immediately formed. It was found that the silane molecules could adopt different conformations at the interface, depending on the surface structure of the polymer. Such interfacial structures revealed evidence of interfacial molecular interactions at polymer/silane interfaces. Conversely, ATMS molecules tended to become disordered while interacting with the polymer surface, accompanied by the loss of polymer surface order. Through our SFG studies, we demonstrated that by ...
Spatial Calibration Of A Multispectral Data Base

A new airborne multispectral scanner system was assembled and installed in a De Havilland DHC4A (Caribou) aircraft. This system was used to collect two sets of imagery; one set for strategic target areas near Sunnyvale, California, and another set for target areas near Rome, New York, during the time period July-November 1978. The imagery was processed and distributed to various researchers for use in studies of advanced scene-matching techniques as part of a program to provide precise autonomous guidance for strategic delivery vehicles. The sensor system produces seven data channels, all in spatial registration-visible, near infrared, thermal infrared, 1.06 μm laser reflectance, 10.6 μm laser reflectance, 95 GHZ radar reflectance and 1.06 μm laser range. All optical channels had a 1.25 mrad field of view and the radar has a 7 mrad two-way antenna beamwidth. The data were digitized and re-corded on a high-density digital magnetic tape recorder along with aircraft altitude from a radar altimeter and aircraft attitude and acceleration data derived from an inertial navigation sensor. A nine-inch format metric camera was boresighted with the sensors and provides additional information on aircraft position through use of inscene surveyed benchmarks. A key feature of the system was the dual-frequency modulated 1.06 μm laser ranging unit that provides absolute range from the aircraft to each pixel in the scene. The range data, the camera photos, and the inertial navigation data all provide inputs for geometrical reformatting of the imagery to remove distortions caused by aircraft motion and reconstruction of imagery either in the original line scan format or a single point-of-view format. The topic of the paper is the calibration aspects of this data base with the major emphasis being placed upon the geometrical reconstruction of the data.*© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Psychiatric disability determination under social security in the United States

The Social Security Act provides disability benefits to those insured who are prevented from working by a severe medically determinable impairment. Under the Act, psychiatric impairment is assessed on the basis of demonstrable clinical manifestations including mental status examination and, where needed, by standardized psychological tests yielding quantifiable results. The total function of the person in daily living, both in the social and work spheres, is taken into consideration in the assessment process. Efforts at obtaining further progress in the classification of psychiatric concepts and arriving at greater objectivity in psychiatric decision-making are described.
A particle-on-a-sphere model for C60

A perimeter model for the x electrons of C, is developed and implemented within the independent particle approximation. Physically, the model gives the energy levels of a particle on a sphere perturbed by the icosahedral potential set up by the 60 carbon atomic cores. Computational techniques are adapted from well known crystal field formalisms. The molecular orbitals are represented by linear combinations of spherical harmonics. One or two adjustable parameters are used to give reasonable agreement with the observed UV-visible spectrum and with semi-empirical and ab initio calculations at a similar level of approximation. A closed-shell ground state, appreciable HOMO-LUMO gap, and electric dipole forbidden HOMO-LUMO transition are predicted. 1. Intmduction Since its discovery in 1985 [ 11, CsO has been the subject of many quantum-mechanical calculations [ 2-91. Techniques ranging from HiIckel theory to rigorous Hartree-Fock SCF computations have predicted the two distinct bond lengths, closed-shell ground state and appreciable HOMO-LUMO gap observed experimentally. In addition, papers which report results at the orbital level are in agreement as to the ordering of the molecular orbitals in terms of energy. These calculations have provided much useful information about Cso but fail to give a simple conceptual basis for understanding the electronic structure of the molecule. Many of the authors have addressed this issue by noting the similarity between the energy levels of the C& R system and those of a particle on a sphere [2-4,7-g 1. We present here an elaboration of this idea, in which the K electrons are treated as independent particles sliding on the surface of a sphere onto which is impressed an icosahedral potential generated by point charges at the carbon atomic positions. The present treatment is restricted to this conceptually simple case and ignores electron correlation. The predictions are therefore limited to results at the orbital level of approximation.
Correlates of Depression Among Chinese and Korean Immigrant Elders in the United States

This study examines the effects of life stresses, religiosity and family coping resources on depression in a regional probability sample of older Chinese (n = 105) and older Korean (n = 100) immigrants. A major focus is placed on assessing the ethnic differences found in the relationship between religiosity and depressive symptoms, as experienced by the two Asian ethnic groups. The data for this secondary analysis was derived from a landmark study, Asian American Elders in New York City Survey. Findings suggest that about 46 % of the Chinese sample and 24 % of the Korean sample were depressed, indicating higher depression rates than those found among older Americans of other ethnicities in the literature. Data also show that Korean immigrant elders reported higher levels of religiosity (attended religious services at least once a week and felt that religion was very important in their lives) than their Chinese counterparts. Multivariate analyses confirm ethnic differences in depressive symptoms. Other things being equal, factors of religiosity have an overall significant positive impact on depression among the Korean group, but appear to have no effect on the Chinese group. This data shows that the impact of religiosity on psychological well-being is crucial for mental health professionals in maintaining cultural competency when working with clients from different Asian immigrant subgroups.
Agricultural land evaluation and site assessment in the United States: An introduction

The US Soil Conservation Service has developed an agricultural land evaluation and site assessment (LESA) system. The LESA system is being used by the US Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies to implement the Farmland Protection Policy Act of 1981. The LESA system and three case studies from the Pacific North-west are introduced in this article.
Lactate Dehydrogenase Undergoes a Substantial Structural Change to Bind its Substrate

Employing temperature-jump relaxation spectroscopy, we investigate the kinetics and thermodynamics of the formation of a very early ternary binding intermediate formed when lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) binds a substrate mimic on its way to forming the productive LDH/NADH·substrate Michaelis complex. Temperature-jump scans show two distinct submillisecond processes are involved in the formation of this ternary binding intermediate, called the encounter complex here. The on-rate of the formation of the encounter complex from LDH/NADH with oxamate (a substrate mimic) is determined as a function of temperature and in the presence of small concentrations of a protein destabilizer (urea) and protein stabilizer (TMAO). It shows a strong temperature dependence with inverse Arrhenius behavior and a temperature-dependent enthalpy (heat capacity of 610 ± 84 cal/Mol K), is slowed in the presence of TMAO and speeded up in the presence of urea. These results suggest that LDH/NADH occupies a range of conformations, some competent to bind substrate (open structure; a minority population) and others noncompetent (closed), in fast equilibrium with each other in accord with a select fit model of binding. From the thermodynamic results, the two species differ in the rearrangement of low energy hydrogen bonds as would arise from changes in internal hydrogen bonding and/or increases in the solvation of the protein structure. The binding-competent species can bind ligand at or very near diffusion-limited speeds, suggesting that the binding pocket is substantially exposed to solvent in these species. This would be in contrast to the putative closed structure where the binding pocket resides deep within the protein interior.
Microcomputer simulation of antigen-antibody binding at a fixed antigen/antibody ratio

Computer simulation techniques were used to define the theoretical nature of the reaction of antigen with antibody at a constant degree of antigen excess. The simulation studies show that binding curves obtained under these conditions have unique features which are determined by antibody affinity, affinity heterogeneity and the concentrations of antigen and antibody. When analyzed by non-linear least squares regression these curves can be used to determine the affinity of antibody in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems.
Modern fluid dynamics of subsonic and transonic flight

The paper discusses a number of factors, termed research drivers, which are expected to provide much of the stimulus for research in the subsonic and transonic flight regimes in the coming decade. The research drivers discussed comprise the need for energy efficiency, new and improved facilities, better instrumentation, more capable and efficient computers, theoretical methodology refinements, increased use of optimization techniques, and military requirements. Illustrations of advances in aircraft aerodynamics at subsonic and transonic speeds are presented, along with a discussion of future research opportunities and trends. Particular attention is given to airfoil and basic fluids research designed to reduce skin-friction drag.
The deterrent value of drug and integrity testing

Numerous studies have shown that job applicants may react negatively to drug, integrity, and personality testing and that these negative reactions can affect their attitudes and job search behavior. However, it is not clear if these negative reactions are equally strong among users and non-users of drugs. Using a sample of 509 subjects responding to a hypothetical employer, results showed that drug users had more negative reactions than non-users to urinalysis, overt integrity tests and personality inventories. Drug users responded equally negatively to all forms of testing, while non-users were especially negative towards personality tests.
Properties of murine intracisternal A particles: electron microscopic appearance after critical point drying and platinum shadowing.

Abstract Intracisternal A particles (IAP) are present in mouse neoplasms; morphologically they resemble certain immature forms of oncogenic RNA viruses, and they have certain biochemical markers found in known RNA tumor viruses. By combining critical point drying with uranyl acetate positive staining and shadowing, it is possible to observe whole unsectioned particles while simultaneously demonstrating internal detail. IAP exist in the isolated state as budding and intact forms, and consist of two concentric spherical shells surrounding a roughly spherical electron lucent core. The outer shell is sensitive to the detergent Na deoxycholate, but the inner shell is resistant to this agent and retains its spherical construct following treatment with it. The inner shell is not solublized by 1% Na dodecyl sulfate but it does lose its structural integrity and collapses. Exposure to 0.15% trypsin for limited time periods reveals concentric linear densities in the inner shell; such structures are faintly visible in untreated particles.
Oxygen-insensitive nitroreductases of Escherichia coli do not reduce 3-nitrotyrosine.

Abstract The oxygen-insensitive nitroreductases nfsA and nfsB are known to reduce para-nitrated aromatic compounds. We tested the hypothesis that these nitroreductases are capable of reducing 3-nitrotyrosine in proteins and peptides, as well as in free amino acids using wild-type and nfsA nfsB mutant strains of Escherichia coli. E. coli homogenates were incubated with nitrated proteins and the level of 3-nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity was assayed by Western blotting. Assay conditions that allow the nitroreductases to rapidly reduce nitrofurantoin did not result in the modification of 3-nitrotyrosine in protein, peptide, or free amino acid. Stimulation of nfsA nfsB activity with paraquat had no effect on 3-nitrotyrosine reduction. Nonlethal exposure of E. coli to peroxynitrite/CO2 resulted in the reproducible nitration of tyrosine residues in endogenous proteins. The degree of 3-nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity over the 2-h postexposure period did not differ between mutant and wild-type strains. These results indicate that the nfsA and nfsB enzymes do not reduce 3-nitrotyrosine.
THE REACTION BETWEEN LITHIUM HYDRIDE AND RHODIUM TO FORM A HYDRYL

Abstract The hypothesis is proposed that lithium, rhodium and hydrogen can combine to form a new type of hydrogen compound, a “hydryl” compound. This is analogous to the known carbonyl and cyanyl compounds. The hydride ion, formed by the reaction of lithium and hydrogen, uses its electron pair to enter into co-ordination with rhodium. Some possible reactions are as follows: 4 Li + Rh + 2 H 2 = ( Li 4 RhH 4 ) χ ( Li 4 RhH 4 ) χ + 1 2 H 2 = Li 4 RhH 5 The evidence for these reactions, consisting of powder X-ray diffraction patterns and the stoicheiometry, is given. The melting points of these “hydryls” appeared to be in the range 565–580°C.
On the Belgian chocolate problem and output feedback stabilization: Efficacy of algebraic methods

The Belgian chocolate problem asks for which values of a process parameter δ there exist three stable polynomials satisfying a certain controller design equation. For small n, earlier papers have employed global optimization techniques to obtain solutions involving polynomials of degree ≤ n, with each successive paper having a slightly larger δ. We note that these solutions converge to a critical case and we introduce algebraic methods to identify that case. The previously obtained solutions are simply approximations to this critical case, with the particular δ artificially constrained by the precision to which the authors were working. As a demonstration of the efficacy of algebraic methods, we see that the record value of δ can be increased from 0.973974 to 0.976461. We discover a surprising connection with the abc theorem for polynomials and present ideas for systematically increasing this record.
Flexor reflexes in chronic spinal cord injury triggered by imposed ankle rotation.

Hypersensitivity of the flexor reflexes to input from force-sensitive muscle afferents may contribute to the prevalence and severity of muscle spasms in patients with spinal cord injuries. In the present study, we triggered flexor reflexes with constant-velocity ankle movements into end-range dorsiflexion and plantarflexion positions in 8 individuals with spinal cord injuries. We found that all 8 subjects had coordinated increases in flexion torque at the hip and ankle following externally imposed plantarflexion movements at the ankle. In addition, end-range dorsiflexion movements also triggered flexor reflexes in 3 subjects, although greater loads were required to trigger such reflexes using dorsiflexion movements (compared to plantarflexion movements). These three-joint reflex torque patterns triggered by ankle movement were broadly comparable to flexion withdrawal responses elicited by electrocutaneous stimuli applied to a toe, although the amplitude of the torque response was generally lower. We conclude that excitation of muscle and joint-related afferents induced by end-range movements may be responsible for exaggerated flexion reflex responses in spinal cord injury.
The solar electromagnetic radiation environment.

Solar electromagnetic radiation spectral distribution from ground level, rocket and satellite observations to obtain value of energy received at top of atmosphere
Image Quality Effects In Optical Correlators

Three aspects of image quality and their effects in an optical matched spatial filter correlator are described. These concern operation on: digitized imagery, data with low modulation and low space bandwidth product, and synthetic reference imagery. To address these practical problems, we employ: spatial filtering, edge enhancement, use of different apertures, photoreduced imagery, and digital preprocessed data. The first exuerimental data on optical matched spatial filter correlations with synthetic reference imagery and the first comparative data on digitally and optically processed multisensor image correlations are included. From these experiments, we find an optical weighted matched spatial filter correlator to be adequate for most multisensor data and that advanced digital preprocessing operators are necessary when presently available synthetic reference imagery is used.
Postsocialism, Governmentality, and Subjectivity: An introduction

The idea for this special issue in Ethnos grew out of a AAA conference panel in fall 2003.1 The aim of the panel was to stimulate new thinking on ‘postsocialism,’ geographically and theoretically, ...
Tag testing methodology for RFID enabled temperature tracking and shelf life estimation

Recent advances in sensory devices using radio frequency identification (RFID) led to applications such as monitoring the temperature during the transportation of heat sensitive products where recorded data can be used to detect refrigeration equipment failure along the supply chain or estimate remaining shelf life of the product. For the project discussed in this paper, a handheld based portable RFID system is used to track the storage and transportation temperatures of perishable products using battery assisted passive temperature tags. The information from the tags is used in shelf life prediction models to estimate the remaining shelf life based on the recorded temperature data to provide a dynamic expiration date. Instead of the full application development effort, this paper focuses on the unique project requirements and challenges which led to the introduction of three novel concepts related to RFID enabled temperature tracking systems. First, due to absence of a common standard for testing RFID temperature tags, we develop a requirement driven, comprehensive testing protocol combining statistical tools and common industry standards with the help of a uniquely designed test setup to realistically simulate and evaluate the real life performances of different temperature tags. Next, a novel context based accuracy metric is derived for objective and application (such as shelf life prediction) specific comparison of different technologies. Finally, a pallet temperature estimation algorithm is developed to overcome some of the physical difficulties encountered in reading ultra-high frequency tags near the presence of metals and liquids.
Equivalent circuit modeling of broadband antennas using a rational function approximation

This paper describes a technique for synthesizing an equivalent circuit for a broadband antenna. A method is proposed for generating a rational function approximation with real coefficients in order to model the input impedance of the antenna in the frequency domain. An algorithm is then developed to find the best-fit positive-real rational function that is realizable by passive circuits. The technique is applied to a planar UWB antenna from 3 to 10 GHz. The results show that a modeling error of 0.59% can be achieved. The Brune's theorem is used to synthesize an equivalent circuit of the antenna. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 950–953, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21529
An Application of Free Probability to Arithmetic Functions

In this paper, we study free probability on tensor product algebra \(\mathfrak {M} = M \otimes _{\mathbb {C}} \mathcal {A}\) of an arbitrary (pure-algebraic, or topological, or topological \(*\)-)algebra \(M\) and the algebra \(\mathcal {A},\) consisting of all arithmetic functions equipped with the functional addition and the convolution. We study free-distributional data of certain elements of \(\mathfrak {M},\) and study inner freeness on \(\mathfrak {M},\) in particular, determined by primes.
Singular continuation of planar central configurations with clusters of bodies

Abstract Planar central configurations of point masses that have one or more clusters of bodies are created by analytic continuation. The singularity of the gravitational interaction is removed from the continuation equations by algebraic means. The continuation splits a single body into several, and the initial mass of the single body can be nonzero. Necessary conditions are derived for these continuations that may be useful in addressing the question of finiteness of central configurations.
Transition-Activek =O Representations and the Microscopic Description of Phase Transitions

Cell preserving transitions that give rise to localized physical quantities are considered from the standpoint of the phase transformations of the individual crystal sublattices. Such transitions are shown to be associated not with irreducible crystal point-group representations, but with certain generalized transitive imprimitive representations of the transitive permutation groups of the “transforming” sublattices. These representations allow a microscopic treatment of any such transition, and it is shown, in particular, that the thermodynamic order of a crystal transition depends on the microscopic structures of the transforming sublattices. Further, it is shown on the basis of a Landau-type crystal free-energy expansion that at least one linear combination of the components of the (generalized) zero-field inverse susceptibility tensor, χ+1, of the crystal should go to zero at the transition temperature Tc. The case of structural transitions, for which χ+1 is the elasticity tensor, is considered in some detail. It is shown that if a structural transition is brought about by the spontaneous distortion of a sublattice of site point group H ⊆ D4h, then either one of the shear moduli cs = 1/2 (c11 – c12) and c44 will go to zero at Tc. [Russian Text Ignored].
A Pilot Study of Risperidone, Olanzapine, and Haloperidol in Psychotic Youth: A Double-Blind, Randomized, 8-Week Trial

This pilot study was undertaken to estimate the acute antipsychotic effect size and side effect propensity of risperidone and olanzapine in the pediatric population, in comparison to haloperidol, a conventional antipsychotic with established efficacy. Risperidone and olanzapine are widely used as first-line treatments to ameliorate psychotic symptoms in youth, but their abilities to specifically treat children and adolescents presenting due to psychotic symptoms have not been rigorously studied. Subjects, selected because of prominent positive psychotic symptoms, were randomly assigned to double-blind, parallel treatment with risperidone, olanzapine, or haloperidol for 8 weeks. The primary outcome was reduction in the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale for Children total score from baseline to termination. An exploratory, descriptive analysis was done to compare the three treatments. A total of 50 patients, 8-19 years, participated. All treatments reduced symptoms significantly with p-values (corrected for multiple comparisons) of 0.0018 for each of the atypical agents and 0.012 for haloperidol. In all, 88% of subjects treated with olanzapine, 74% treated with risperidone, and 53% treated with haloperidol met response criteria. The primary side effects observed in all patients were mild to moderate sedation, extrapyramidal symptoms, and weight gain. Risperidone and olanzapine acutely reduced psychotic symptoms in this pediatric sample. Exploratory comparisons indicate the magnitude of the antipsychotic response with these atypical agents is comparable to that observed with haloperidol. However, youth treated with risperidone and olanzapine experienced weight gain and extrapyramidal effects that appear more prevalent and severe than reported in adults.
Chemotherapeutic management of head and neck cancer

The use of chemotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer is increasing. In patients with recurrent head and neck cancer, a large number of chemotherapeutic drugs have shown antitumor activity. These drugs are discussed, and factors which influence response rate and survival are examined. New agents and treatment, including specific agents for combination chemotherapy, are presented. There has been a search for new treatment or procedures in patients with previously untreated and locally advanced cancer of the head and neck. The results, including studies of combined modality therapy and chemotherapy after surgery, are discussed. Chemotherapy in tumor of the salivary glands is briefly discussed, followed by an examination of intraarterial therapy.
Effects of transverse shear deformation on buckling of laminated cylinders as a function of thickness and ply orientation

Buckling loads of thick-walled, orthotropic, simply-supported right circular cylinders are predicted using a new higher-order transverse shear deformation theory. The higher-order theory shows that, by more accurately accounting for transverse shear deformation effects, the predicted buckling load may be reduced by as much as 80 percent compared to predictions based on conventional transverse shear deformation theory. A parametric study of the effect of ply orientation on the buckling load of axially compressed cylinders indicates that laminates containing 0 deg plies are the most sensitive to transverse shear deformation effects. Interaction curves for buckling of cylinders with axial compressive and external pressure loadings indicate that buckling loads due to external pressure loadings are much less sensitive to transverse shear deformation effects than those due to axial compressive loadings.
The ghetto of writing: Encounters with fear in ancient and modern political thought

How can we understand the confrontation with fear in works of political philosophy? Plato wrote ironically, but also took profound risks in his writing, labeling contemporaneous statesmen as squabbling fools. Hobbes deftly skirted the line past which one was declared an atheist or a heretic. Both thinkers knew fear and, at least at certain times, confronted it openly. Leo Strauss, however, gives us a different story, arguing that the political philosopher will encrypt his or her true thinking under an exoteric facade. What is the consequence of Strauss' confrontation with fear? In this essay I argue that Strauss reveals the existence of secrets without revealing the content of those secrets. He creates rules of secrecy for philosophic writing, and then, by revealing them, Strauss bothers those rules. This is, for Lacan, the essence of perversion.
Degradation of mRNA in eukaryotes

Based on the above mechanisms of mRNA degradation, an integrated model of mRNA turnover can be proposed (Figure 1). In this model, all polyadenylated mRNAs would be degraded by the deadenylation-dependent pathway at some rate. In addition to this default pathway, another layer of complexity would come from degradation mechanisms specific to individual mRNAs or to classes of mRNAs. Such mRNA-specific mechanisms would include sequence-specific endonuclease cleavage and deadenylation-independent decapping. Thus, the overall decay rate of an individual transcript will be a function of its susceptibility to these turnover pathways. In addition, cis-acting sequences that specify mRNA decay rate, as well as regulatory inputs that control mRNA turnover, are likely to affect all the steps of these decay pathways. One important goal in future work will be to identify the gene products that are responsible for the nucleolytic events in these pathways and to delineate how specific mRNA features act to affect the function of these degradative activities. The identification of distinct mRNA decay pathways should allow, genetic and biochemical approaches that can be designed to identify these gene products. A second important goal is to understand the nature of the interaction between the 5' and 3' termini, which may also be critical for efficient translation.
Adenosine 3', 5'-Monophosphate-Dependent Membrane Phosphorylation: A Possible Mechanism for the Control of Microsomal Calcium Transport in Heart Muscle

The role of cyclic adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate (AMP) in the control of microsomal calcium ion (Ca2+) transport was studied in microsomes prepared from rabbit heart. These cardiac microsomes contained intrinsic cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity that phosphorylated serine residues in a microsomal protein component with a molecular weight of about 20,000 (determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis). Intrinsic phosphoprotein phosphatase activity of the microsomal membranes resulted in rapid dephosphorylation of these residues. Microsomes phosphorylated in the presence of 1 x 10-6M cyclic AMP exhibited enhanced Ca2+ uptake. We conclude that reversible phosphorylation of microsomal membranes may be an important mechanism for regulation of microsomal Ca2+ transport by cyclic AMP.
Ethical Values at Stake in Health Care Reform

THERE is every reason to believe that the 1990s will be a decade of significant change in American health care. The number of proposals for reform of the system and the rising chorus of voices demanding change suggest that some major alterations in the system are inevitable. 1 Because the American health care system consumes so much of the gross national product (GNP) and because it is composed of so many powerful interest groups, health care reform will be shaped by myriad economic, political, and bureaucratic factors. But reform in something as fundamental as health care ought not to proceed merely on the basis of self-interest and political accommodations. Ethical values should also play a key role in the debate. In this article some of the central ethical values at stake are articulated in the hope that they will be more readily available for use in the national dialogue on
Ethylene-propylene-silsesquioxane thermoplastic elastomers

Preparative methods for the incorporation of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) macromonomers into ethylene-propylene (EP) polymers have been developed that utilize metallocene polymerization. Analysis of these novel ethylene-propylene-POSS polymers using wide-angle X-ray diffraction reveals that pendant POSS groups off the polymer backbones aggregate with a phenyl periphery, and the polymers crystallize as anisotropically shaped nanocrystals. POSS particle aggregation is strongly dependent on the nature of the POSS peripheral group. X-Ray studies suggest that aggregation of POSS in the EP elastomers did not occur with isobutyl and ethyl peripheries, as they disperse within the polymer matrix. The formation of POSS nanocrystals increases the mechanical properties of these thermoplastic elastomers. The tensile storage modulus increases significantly with the addition of POSS, as does the length of the rubbery plateau region. Tensile studies reveal an elongation at break of 720% for one EP-phenyl POSS polymer sample, with the others between 400 and 500%.
Evidence for Ovipositional Preference of Callosobruchus maculatus for Cowpea Varieties

Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) prefers smooth- to rough-seeded varieties and cheeks to other areas of the seeds for oviposition on cowpeas. It does not oviposit on the seed hilum, which is spongy and fibrillary in texture. Differences in seed-coat texture are considered to be responsible for the preferences. Scanning electron microscopy revealed deep pits in seeds that are rough-coated but not in those that are smooth-coated.
Two extremes of the megalourethra spectrum

The 2 cases of megalourethra presented in this report illustrate the variability in the severity of congenital malformations associated with this condition. Surgical repair of a scaphoid-type megalourethra is discussed. Also, a digital video of megalourethra in a degloved penis is presented that uniquely illustrates the functional anatomy of this condition.