cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A thermal stress mechanism for the fragmentation of molten UO2 upon contact with sodium coolant

Abstract An important aspect of fuel-coolant interaction problems relative to various hypothetical LMFBR accidents is the fragmentation of molten oxide fuel on contact with sodium coolant. In order to properly analyze the kinetics of such an event, an understanding of the breakup process and an estimate of the size and dispersion of such fragmented fuel must be known. A thermal stress initiated mechanism for fragmentation is presented using elastic stress theory for the cases of both temperature-dependent and independent mechanical properties. Included is a study of the effect of the choice of surface heat transfer boundary condition and the compressibility of the unsolidified inner core. Results of parametric calculations indicate that the thermal stresses induced in the thin outer shell and the pressurization of the inner molten core are potentially responsible for the fragmentation. For UO 2 in Na the calculated stresses are extremely high, while for aluminum in water they are much smaller and a strong function of the surface heat transfer boundary condition. Qualitatively, these results compare favorably with small scale dropping experiments, that is, molten UO 2 quenched in Na undergoes fragmentation while aluminum in water usually results in little breakup. The experimentally observed increase in breakup with decreasing coolant temperature is also in qualitative agreement with the thermal stress-induced mode of fragmentation.
Null boundary controllability for semilinear heat equations

We consider null boundary controllability for one-dimensional semilinear heat equations. We obtain null boundary controllability results for semilinear equations when the initial data is bounded continuous and sufficiently small. In this work we also prove a version of the nonlinear Cauchy-Kowalevski theorem.
Will Secretoneurin Be the Next Big Thing

Heart failure (HF) and arrhythmias are monumental public health challenges associated with suffering, death, and high resource utilization. Currently available treatments are inadequate and costly. Furthermore, we lack highly reliable and readily measurable indices for predicting which HF patients
The tarsectomy operation of A.P.L. Gillet de Grandmont (1837-1894) and its periodic rediscovery.

During the past two centuries, several methods of ptosis repair have been described and refined, but each method has typically been subject to cycles of popularity, neglect and reincarnation. Repair of ptosis through partial resection of the tarsus is one such example. Although Sir William Bowman included tarsectomy with his historic levator resections, the French ophthalmologist, A.P.L. Gillet de Grandmont was the first to specifically emphasize resection of tarsus for the correction of ptosis. Yet contemporary advocates of tarsectomy for ptosis repair have generally failed to recognize Gillet de Grandmont’s contribution and his role in the history of ptosis surgery. For this reason, a review of this subject is presented.
Root locus design with CPISL compensation and the parallel inner loop form

Root locus design for integral control using the dominant second order poles technique often gives unsatisfactory results for two reasons. The first reason is that the zeros of the compensator cause the overshoot to be much larger than the overshoot of the model second order system with the desired poles. The second, more subtle problem is that poles at the origin moving along the negative real axis cannot move left past real axis zeros. These “blocked” poles often end up dominating the closed-loop response. This paper presents an easy to follow design procedure using the Complex Proportional-Integral-Lead (CPIL) compensator or Complex Proportional-Integral-Super-Lead (CPISL) compensator to address the “blocked” poles issue. The procedure also uses the parallel-inner loop form of implementing a controller with integral action to address the excess overshoot issue. We illustrate this design procedure for a double integrator plant.
Comprehensive Environmental Informatics System (CEIS) Integrating Crew and Vehicle Environmental Health

Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) systems have been pursued as highly integrated systems that include smart sensors, diagnostic and prognostics software for assessments of real-time and life-cycle vehicle health information. Inclusive to such a system is the requirement to monitor the environmental health within the vehicle and the occupants of the vehicle. In this regard an enterprise approach to informatics is used to develop a methodology entitled, Comprehensive Environmental Informatics System (CEIS). The hardware and software technologies integrated into this system will be embedded in the vehicle subsystems, and maintenance operations, to provide both real-time and life-cycle health information of the environment within the vehicle cabin and of its occupants. This comprehensive information database will enable informed decision making and logistics management. One key element of the CEIS is interoperability for data acquisition and archive between environment and human system monitoring. With comprehensive components the data acquired in this system will use model based reasoning systems for subsystem and system level managers, advanced on-board and ground-based mission and maintenance planners to assess system functionality. Knowledge databases of the vehicle health state will be continuously updated and reported for critical failure modes, and routinely updated and reported for life cycle condition trending. Sufficient intelligence, including evidence-based engineering practices which are analogous to evidencebased medicine practices, will be included in the CEIS to result in more rapid recognition of off-nominal operation to enable quicker corrective actions. This will result from better information (rather than just data) for improved crew/operator situational awareness, which will produce significant vehicle and crew safety improvements, as well as increasing the chance for mission success, future mission planning as well as training. Other benefits include improved reliability, increase safety in operations and cost of operations. The cost benefits stem from significantly reduced processing and operations manpower, predictive maintenance for systems and subjects. The improvements in vehicle functionality and cost will result from increased prognostic and diagnostic capability due to the detailed total human exploration system health knowledge from CEIS. A collateral benefit is that there will be closer observations of the vehicle occupants as wrist watch sized devices are worn for continuous health monitoring. Additional database acquisition will stem from activities in countermeasure practices to ensure peak performance capability by occupants of the vehicle. The CEIS will provide data from advanced sensing technologies and informatics modeling which will be useful in problem troubleshooting, and improving NASA s awareness of systems during operation.
Detection and significance of splenomegaly on chest radiographs of HIV-infected outpatients

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of splenomegaly on chest radiographs of HIV-infected outpatients and to correlate with CD4 cell counts, opportunistic conditions, liver disease and the presence of intrathoracic disease on chest radiographs. Methods: We reviewed sequential chest radiographs of 200 HIV Clinic outpatients at the Jacobi Medical Center, Bronx, New York, mixed with chest radiographs of 137 outpatients of unknown HIV status (control group) for the presence of splenomegaly and intrathoracic disease. Chest radiographic assessment of splenomegaly was correlated with computed tomography (CT) or ultrasound (US) in 90 out of 337 patients (27%). Clinical charts of all HIV-infected patients were reviewed for CD4 cell count, liver disease and opportunistic conditions including those associated with splenomegaly. The HIV-infected patients were divided into four groups by ascending CD4 cell count: Group 1 (0–50 cells/mm3), Group 2 (51–200 cells/mm3), Group 3 (201–500 cells/mm3) and Group 4 (>500 cells/mm3). There were 118 men and 82 women with a mean age of 40 (range 20–60) years. Mean CD4 was 180 (range 2–1108) cells/mm3. We also reviewed all autopsies (n = 239) performed on HIV-infected patients between 1983 and 1995 at our institution to correlate splenic size with splenic pathology in that population. Results: Splenomegaly was present on chest radiographs in 82 (41%) HIV-infected patients including: 3684 (43%) Group 1, 2349 (47%) Group 2, 1846 (39%) Group 3, and 521 (24%) Group 4 (P = NS). Splenomegaly was present in 3097 (31%) patients with no evidence of liver disease or opportunistic conditions known to be associated with splenomegaly. Forty-nine HIV-infected patients had 63 opportunistic conditions known to be associated with splenomegaly (mycobacterial and fungal infections, Kaposi sarcoma and lymphoma), half of whom had splenomegaly. Splenomegaly was present on chest radiographs in 18137 (13%) controls. The presence or absence of splenomegaly on CT or US agreed with chest radiography in 89%. Among the autopsied patients, 135239 (56%) had splenomegaly (splenic weight ≥ 240 g). No specific pathogen was present in 93135 (69%) enlarged spleens. In contrast, one or more opportunistic conditions were present in 26104 (25%) normal weight spleens. Conclusion: In conclusion, splenomegaly is common in HIV-infected patients and was present in 41% of this series. Splenomegaly may be seen in HIV-infected patients without associated opportunistic conditions or liver disease and in the absence of specific splenic pathology. Chest radiography plays an important role in detecting splenomegaly and may lead to earlier diagnosis of HIV infection.
Kibra Functions as a Tumor Suppressor Protein that Regulates Hippo Signaling in Conjunction with Merlin and Expanded

The Hippo signaling pathway regulates organ size and tissue homeostasis from Drosophila to mammals. Central to this pathway is a kinase cascade wherein Hippo (Hpo), in complex with Salvador (Sav), phosphorylates and activates Warts (Wts), which in turn phosphorylates and inactivates the Yorkie (Yki) oncoprotein, known as the YAP coactivator in mammalian cells. The FERM domain proteins Merlin (Mer) and Expanded (Ex) are upstream components that regulate Hpo activity through unknown mechanisms. Here we identify Kibra as another upstream component of the Hippo signaling pathway. We show that Kibra functions together with Mer and Ex in a protein complex localized to the apical domain of epithelial cells, and that this protein complex regulates the Hippo kinase cascade via direct binding to Hpo and Sav. These results shed light on the mechanism of Ex and Mer function and implicate Kibra as a potential tumor suppressor with relevance to neurofibromatosis.
VISCOELASTIC FREE-SURFACE FLOWS - SPIN-COATING AND DYNAMIC CONTACT LINES

Abstract The effect of elasticity on the spreading of a spinning drop of fluid is investigated in the context of lubrication theory. It is shown that the Oldroyd-B constitutive equation permits a solution in which the free surface of the central part of the drop thins uniformly in space. Perturbation results for small effects of elasticity indicate an increased thinning rate of the free surface compared to Newtonian results for the central part of the spinning drop, and that this enhanced thinning rate persists only over a few characteristic relaxation times. Elastic effects in the capillary region near the moving contact line are also investigated by perturbation theory for small elasticity. Two methods for resolving the contact line singularity are chosen: matching the free surface profile to a precursor film of thickness b, and introducing slip at the spinning plate. For the precursor film model, the free surface correction changes character from a net enhancement of the capillary ridge near the contact line for large b, to a negative correction over most of the profile for small b. With the slip model, the free surface correction gives a net enhancement of the capillary ridge for all values of the slip parameter α. The difference between the models for thin precursor films or slight slip is explained by examining the manner in which the stress relaxes near the contact line. The results suggest that viscoelastic contact line dynamics may be more sensitive to the local molecular physics than the Newtonian counterparts.
‘Anarchist Amazons’: The Gendering of Radicalism in 1970s West Germany

This article examines the intersection between reactions to urban guerrilla violence and anxieties over the women's liberation movement in 1970s West Germany. State officials and the mainstream press focused a disproportionate amount of attention on women's contributions to left-wing violence, claiming that female guerrillas suffered from an ‘excess of women's liberation’. However, while commentators juxtaposed domineering women with effeminate men, the actual experiences of women inside groups such as the Red Army Faction often featured expressions of male dominance. Evidence suggests that female guerrillas suffered more from a compulsion to self-sacrifice than excessive emancipation.
Nonparametric flaw detection in large grained materials

The detection of targets embedded in dense microstructure scatterers using ultrasonic pulse-echo systems is examined. Split-spectrum processing (SSP) is presented as an efficient method for discriminating between target echoes and microstructure scattering based on differences between their RF phase patterns. The design of constant false-alarm thresholds is described for the F-test applied to RF SSP vectors. Experimental results are presented for A-scans from large-grain stainless-steel samples with flat-bottom holes. >
Joint Optimization of Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Radio Networks

Cognitive radio networks require fast and reliable spectrum sensing to achieve high network utilization by secondary users. Current optimization approaches to spectrum sensing to-date have focussed on maximizing aggregate throughput while considering only a single parameter variable pertinent to sensing, notably the threshold or duration, but not both. In this work, we consider joint minimization of the average detection time for finding a spectrum hole as a function of both parameters. We show that the resulting non-convex problem is actually biconvex under practical conditions and solve for a global optimum detection time. Numerical results show that the proposed approach can considerably improve system performance in terms of the mean time to detect a spectrum hole.
A linear interpolatory algorithm for robust system identification with corrupted measurement data

A linear, robustly convergent interpolatory algorithm for system identification in the presence of bounded noise is presented. The algorithm converges in the actual, but unknown, system in the frequency domain in the noise-free case and maintains the robust convergence result in the face of bounded noise. This robustness property distinguishes the algorithm from existing linear schemes. A key idea of this robust linear algorithm is that the approximation is separated into real and imaginary parts and into Fejer (Hermite) interpolation. Because of the Fejer interpolation the data points are required at the Chebyshev points. >
Learning Classifiers on a Partially Labeled Data Manifold

We present an algorithm for learning parametric classifiers on a partially labeled data manifold, based on a graph representation of the manifold. The unlabeled data are utilized by basing classifier learning on neighborhoods, formed via Markov random walks. The proposed algorithm yields superior performance on three benchmark data sets and the margin of improvements over existing semi-supervised algorithms is significant.
CB1 Knockout Mice Unveil Sustained CB2-Mediated Antiallodynic Effects of the Mixed CB1/CB2 Agonist CP55,940 in a Mouse Model of Paclitaxel-Induced Neuropathic Pain.

Cannabinoids suppress neuropathic pain through activation of cannabinoid CB1 and/or CB2 receptors; however, unwanted CB1-mediated cannabimimetic effects limit clinical use. We asked whether CP55,940 [(−)-3-[2-hydroxy-4-(1,1-dimethylheptyl)phenyl]-4-(3-hydroxypropyl)cyclohexanol], a potent cannabinoid that binds with similar affinity to CB1 and CB2 in vitro, produces functionally separable CB1- and CB2-mediated pharmacological effects in vivo. We evaluated antiallodynic effects, possible tolerance, and cannabimimetic effects (e.g., hypothermia, catalepsy, CB1-dependent withdrawal signs) after systemic CP55,940 treatment in a mouse model of toxic neuropathy produced by a chemotherapeutic agent, paclitaxel. The contribution of CB1 and CB2 receptors to in vivo actions of CP55,940 was evaluated using CB1 knockout (KO), CB2KO, and wild-type (WT) mice. Low-dose CP55,940 (0.3 mg/kg daily, i.p. ) suppressed paclitaxel-induced allodynia in WT and CB2KO mice, but not CB1KO mice. Low-dose CP55,940 also produced hypothermia and rimonabant-precipitated withdrawal in WT, but not CB1KO, mice. In WT mice, tolerance developed to CB1-mediated hypothermic effects of CP55,940 earlier than to antiallodynic effects. High-dose CP55,940 (10 mg/kg daily, i.p.) produced catalepsy in WT mice, which precluded determination of antiallodynic efficacy but produced sustained CB2-mediated suppression of paclitaxel-induced allodynia in CB1KO mice; these antiallodynic effects were blocked by the CB2 antagonist 6-iodopravadoline (AM630). High-dose CP55,940 did not produce hypothermia or rimonabant-precipitated withdrawal in CB1KO mice. Our results using the mixed CB1/CB2 agonist CP55,940 document that CB1 and CB2 receptor activations produce mechanistically distinct suppression of neuropathic pain. Our study highlights the therapeutic potential of targeting cannabinoid CB2 receptors to bypass unwanted central effects associated with CB1 receptor activation.
Colloidal templating: seeded emulsion polymerization of a soluble shell with a controlled alkyne surface density

A general methodology for producing ca. 100 nm core–shell colloidal particles in which the shell has an elevated alkyne functionality and yet remains thermoplastic is presented. The availability of accessible alkyne groups on the surface of the aqueous-phase particles allows for the in situ surface modification of the particles through a copper(I) catalyzed Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with an azide-terminated surface agent. The core is an extensively crosslinked polymer which can be easily removed by dispersing the particles in a solvent and centrifuging and collecting the cores, leaving the solubilized shells. This allows for the complete characterization of the colloidal surface reactions in the absence of the volumetrically dominant core. The technique is demonstrated with a core–shell colloid composed of a 135 nm crosslinked polystyrene (PS) core coated with a ca. 10 nm thick uncrosslinked poly(methyl acrylate-co-propargyl acrylate) shell. Due to the applicability of this technique for generating particles useful in biomedical imaging or drug delivery applications, the core–shell particles are surface modified with a variety of azide-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) derivatives, including a poloxamer which was terminated on either end by an azide and a naphthalimide chromophore. The resulting fluorescent particles had an absorbance at 413 nm and peak emission at 525 nm. The PEG derivatives could be attached to the particles at a grafting density of ca. 0.2–0.3 groups/nm2.
Derivatives of Z-bisdehydrodoisynolic acid provide a new description of the binding-activity paradox and selective estrogen receptor modulator activity.

Z-Bisdehydrodoisynolic acid [()-Z-BDDA], an estrogenic carboxylic acid, is highly active in vivo yet binds poorly to estrogen receptors (ERs). Studies of Z-BDDA and its enantiomers demonstrate therapeutic potential as selective ER modulators; however, the activity vs. binding paradox has remained. One possible explanation is that the carboxylic acid group of Z-BDDA may be modified in vivo to an ester or amide. Synthesis of these derivatives showed the relative binding affinity (RBA) of the methyl ester for ER and ER was increased approximately 14- and 20-fold, respectively, relative to the parent compound. Yet, this increased affinity did not result in increased reporter gene expression. In contrast, the amide showed an unexpected approximately 4-fold decrease in RBA to both ERs compared with the parent. The relationship among the RBAs of ester, acid, and amide is consistent with their predicted polarity, suggesting the carboxylic acid, and not the carboxylate of BDDA, binds to ERs. Studies at pH 6.5, 7.4, and 8.0 were consistent with a simple acid-base equilibrium model, with BDDA binding as the undissociated acid and withaffinityequaltoorexceedingthatofestradiol,consistent with high in vivo potency. Furthermore, the alcohol BDD-OH alsodemonstratedhighaffinityandincreasedactivityingene expression assays. In addition to suggesting a resolution to the decades-old binding/activity paradox, these studies may provide a direction for definitive in vivo metabolic and pharmacokinetic studies and provide additional insight into the chemicalandmetabolicdeterminantsofBBDA’suniquetissue selectivity and selective ER modulator activities. (Endocrinology 147: 3952–3960, 2006)
Infrared radiative relaxation of benzene ion. ICR photodissociation study of the deuterium isotope effect

Abstract Using the chopped-laser photodissociation technique to characterize the kinetics of two-photon dissociation, collisionless cooling rates of photoexcited C 6 H 6 + and C 6 D 6 + were measured. Collisionless quenching rates of 26 and 13 s −1 were determined for benzene ion and perdeuterobenzene ion, respectively, which correspond to first-order energy-removal rate constants of 15 and 7.4 s −1 . The factor-of-two deuterium isotope effect on the cooling rate supports the common assumption that the collisionless cooling mechanism involves infrared radiation from excited vibrational states of the ion. The cooling rate is a factor of 10 higher than that calculated using the infrared absorption intensities of the neutral molecules.
Lightly tethered unmanned underwater vehicle for under-ice exploration

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has been awarded funds by the National Science Foundation to develop a tethered robotic underwater vehicle for under-ice exploration by 2014. By employing a novel light-weight tether for data-only communications, the vehicle will provide the U.S. Polar Research Community with a capability to tele-operate, under direct real-time human supervision, a remotely-controlled inspection and survey vehicle under fixed ice at ranges up to 20 km distant from a support ship or other deployment site. Physical tethering of an underwater robot is required to provide low-latency, high bandwidth control and real-time data return. The vehicle will enable exploration and detailed exploration in under-ice environments through the use of high-definition video coupled to a suite of chemical and biological sensors. Long-range light-fiber tether technology provides the high bandwidth link necessary for real-time control under the direction of the science party which AUVs cannot meet.
The role of seedlings and seed bank viability in the recovery of Chesapeake Bay, USA, Zostera marina populations following a large-scale decline

The objective of this study was to quantify the spatial and temporal recolonization characteristics of Zostera marina beds in the lower Chesapeake Bay following large scale declines in the late summer of 2005. Transects were established and monitored monthly for changes in eelgrass abundance at three sites (two downriver, one upriver) in the York River from April–October 2006 and 2007. Measurements included percent bottom cover, above ground biomass, shoot density, shoot origin (seedling or vegetative), seed bank abundance and seed viability. During 2006, the eelgrass beds at all sites recovered with seedlings providing the largest proportion of the total shoot abundance. This trend shifted in 2007 and surviving vegetative shoots were the dominant component of shoot standing crop. A second consecutive decline related to low light conditions occurred during the summer of 2006 in the upriver site and recovery there was minimal in 2007. These results highlight that after a single die off event, seed germination with subsequent seedling growth is the principal method for revegetation in lower Chesapeake Bay Z. marina beds. However, no viable seeds remain in the seed bank during this first year of recovery and shoots produced by the seedling growth do not flower and produce seeds until their second year of growth. Therefore the seed-bank density is low and is not immediately replenished. This suggests that the resiliency of perennial Chesapeake Bay Z. marina populations to repeated disturbances is restricted and repeated annual stress may result in much longer term bed loss.
Solute partitioning and filtration by extracellular matrices

The physiology of glomerular filtration remains mechanistically obscure despite its importance in disease. The correspondence between proteinuria and foot process effacement suggests podocytes as the locus of the filtration barrier. If so, retained macromolecules ought to accumulate at the filtration barrier, an effect called concentration polarization. Literature data indicate macromolecule concentrations decrease from subendothelial to subepithelial glomerular basement membrane (GBM), as would be expected if the GBM were itself the filter. The objective of this study was to obtain insights into the possible role of the GBM in protein retention by performing fundamental experimental and theoretical studies on the properties of three model gels. Solute partitioning and filtration through thin gels of a commercially available laminin-rich extracellular matrix, Matrigel, were measured using a polydisperse polysaccharide tracer molecule, Ficoll 70. Solute partitioning into laminin gels and lens basement membrane (LBM) were measured using Ficoll 70. A novel model of a laminin gel was numerically simulated, as well as a mixed structure-random-fiber model for LBM. Experimental partitioning was predicted by numerical simulations. Sieving coefficients through thin gels of Matrigel were size dependent and strongly flux dependent. The observed flux dependence arose from compression of the gel in response to the applied pressure. Gel compression may alter solute partitioning into extracellular matrix at physiologic pressures present in the glomerular capillary. This suggests a physical mechanism coupling podocyte structure to permeability characteristics of the GBM.
Behaviors Used by Men to Protect Themselves against Prostate Cancer

This paper reports on behaviors men use to protect themselves against prostate cancer. Data were collected via a telephone or mailed survey from 353 men enrolled in two studies of prostate cancer screening. Respondents reported behaviors they used to protect themselves against prostate cancer, and responses were coded as conventional care, self-care, or nothing. Men who reported using both conventional care and self-care were categorized as conventional care users. Polytomous logistic regression was conducted to evaluate the association between sociodemographic background, prior prostate screening, and cognitive, affective, and social support and influence factors with protective behavior type. The distribution of protective behaviors was as follows: conventional care, 63%; self-care only, 19%; and nothing, 18%. In multivariable analyses, higher education level was found to be positively associated with conventional care use. Perceived salience and coherence of prostate cancer screening was positively associated with conventional care use among men in one of the two studies. Low concern about screening was positively associated with self-care use, as was mailed survey completion. This study presents self-report data regarding prostate cancer protection behaviors. Most men in the study reported using some type of prostate cancer protective behavior. Decision-making about whether or not to take protective action and what type of behavior to use may be influenced by socioeconomic background, cognitive perceptions related to behavioral options, and concern about risk.
Corporate Stories as Cultural Communications in the Organizational Setting

Corporate stories represent a rich resource for the study of organizational communication, a resource that, since 1979, has received some serious attention. It is useful to be able to discuss corporate stories as organizational development interventions, as aids to culture change, and as behavioral monitors and controls. To do this, we must first understand model story forms, the process of composition, the nature of variants and invariants, story transformations, and the balance of tradition and change in story development. Toward this objective, this article recommends the anthropological-ethnographic perspective, in particular, that of oral traditional literature, as an appropriate context for the study of organizational stories. Such a perspective better enables us to understand the creation, transformation, maintenance, and transmission of these symbolic artifacts of organizational culture.
Average case behavior of election algorithms for unidirectional rings

The problem of election for asynchronous rings of processors is considered. Because of its many applications, this problem is important for both the practical and theoretical points of view. Thus, the availability of an algorithm that is good in both the average and the worst case has significant meaning. As an effort to achieve this goal, a new algorithm is designed and is simulated sequentially and analyzed by statistical methods. The statistical analysis demonstrates that the algorithm proposed is near optimal in the average case while its worst case message complexity is still O(n lg n). This is accomplished with the cost of one more bit in every message. This result is very interesting because it is contrary to the common belief that algorithms with good worst case complexity perform worse in the average case. >
A flow-measuring system for use in small lakes1

Currents, internal waves, and turbulence can be studied with a flowmeter consisting of a heated thermistor in a Wheatstone bridge circuit. Flow is proportional to the imbalance of the Wheatstone bridge caused by cooling of the heated thermistor bead as water flows past. Because the flow-sensing element is spherical, speed can be measured but not direction of flow. The flowmeter can measure speeds as low as 0.1 cm s−1 and can resolve frequencies up to 5 Hz. Frequency responses were determined by comparison with a laser-Doppler velocimeter and by spectral analysis of field data. At low speeds (<0.3 cm s−1), thermally driven convection contributes to the signal, but flow speeds can be estimated reliably by using a calibration equation that has as one of its parameters the voltage output at zero velocity.
Vaccination against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pneumonia in Immunocompromised Mice

Immunocompromised patients are highly susceptible to infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Our laboratory previously showed that intranasal administration of an attenuated Salmonella strain expressing the P. aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide O antigen was effective in clearing bacteria and preventing mortality in wild-type mice after intranasal challenge. We were interested in investigating the efficacy of this vaccine strategy in immunocompromised mice. Mice rendered leukopenic or neutropenic by intraperitoneal treatment with cyclophosphamide (Cy) or RB6-8C5 antibody, respectively, were more susceptible to P. aeruginosa pneumonia than their nontreated counterparts, demonstrating 50% lethal doses several logs lower than that in wild-type mice. This hypersusceptiblity was also associated with bacterial dissemination to the liver and spleen and increased lung permeability in Cy mice. Vaccination of the mice prior to treatment resulted in better survival and lower bacterial loads compared to vector-immunized mice. Although the treatments had no effect on antibody titers, this level of protection was still lower than that seen in untreated vaccinated mice. Administration of antibodies directly to the site of infection at the time of bacterial delivery prolonged survival and lowered bacterial loads in the immunocompromised mice. These results demonstrate the importance of white blood cells while still suggesting a critical role for antibodies in protection against P. aeruginosa infection.
Sudbury neutrino observatory neutral current detectors signal readout system

Two precise measurements of the /sup 8/B solar neutrino flux have been made at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) and a third measurement will be made with an array of neutral current detectors (NCD). The NCDs are /sup 3/He proportional counters which detect thermalized neutrons liberated by the neutral current reaction /spl nu//sub x/+d/spl rarr//spl nu//sub x/+n+p in SNO's D/sub 2/O. Due to the very low rate of neutrino interactions relative to the rates of other ionizing particles, one major criteria of the array readout system is to facilitate particle identification for the measurement of the solar neutrino flux. Data acquisition at a rate expected to be produced by the neutrino flux from supernovae within our galaxy (10 kpc) is another major requirement. To accomplish these two tasks, a readout system was constructed based upon two distinct pieces of hardware. Digital oscilloscopes are used to maximize particle identification, but are only capable of handling the expected data rate produced by solar neutrinos. Custom-designed VME-based shaping-discriminating-ADC boards measure the total charge of events and are capable of being read out at 20 kHz.
Fuel economy optimization in automotive engines

Automakers have introduced a number of devices, such as the exhaust gas recirculation valve and variable cam timing (VCT), intended to vary with operating conditions previously fixed by engine design. Scheduling set points for these devices and adjusting dependent parameters, such as spark advance, to optimize fuel economy and emissions typically require extensive engine dynamometer mapping. Exhaustively mapping all feasible combinations is prohibitive. Design of Experiments (DOE) has greatly reduced conventional engines mapping time and will be required for more complex engine configurations. On the other hand, caution must be exercised in applying DOE methods if the full benefit of new actuators is to be realized. This paper examines potential fuel economy losses directly attributable to steady state engine characterization by using a dual-independent VCT engine as the platform.
Visible-frequency metasurfaces for broadband anomalous reflection and high-efficiency spectrum splitting (Presentation Recording)

Metasurfaces offer new degrees of freedom in moulding the optical wavefronts by introducing abrupt and drastic changes in the amplitude, phase and/or polarization of electromagnetic radiation at the wavelength scale. By carefully arranging multiple subwavelength anisotropic or gradient optical resonators, metasurfaces have been shown to enable anomalous transmission, anomalous reflection, optical holograms and spin-orbit interaction. However, experimental realization of high-performance metasurfaces that can operate at visible frequency range has been a significant challenge due to high optical losses of plasmonic materials and difficulties in fabricating several subwavelength plasmonic resonators with high uniformity. Here, we propose a highly-efficient yet a simple metasurface design comprising of a single, anisotropic trapezoid-shape antenna in its unit cell. We demonstrate broadband (450 - 850 nm) anomalous reflection and spectrum splitting at visible and near-IR frequencies with 85% conversion efficiency. Average power ratio of anomalous reflection to the strongest diffraction mode was calculated to be on the order of 1000 and measured to be on the order of 10. The anomalous reflected photons have been visualized using a CCD camera, and broadband spectrum splitting performance has been confirmed experimentally using a free space, angle-resolved reflection measurement setup. Metasurface design proposed in this study is a clear departure from conventional metasurfaces utilizing multiple, anisotropic and/or gradient optical resonators, and could enable high-efficiency, broadband metasurfaces for achieving flat high SNR optical spectrometers, polarization beam splitters, directional emitters and spectrum splitting surfaces for photovoltaics.
A low diffraction beam technique for scanning in the shallow ocean

The Localized Wave pulse project has created the concept of highly localized, pulsed wave energy. We have confirmed, and developed the technique in a series of experimental and numerical tests. This technique generates radiation, mechanical or electromagnetic, from an array. LW generation sends a broad frequency bandwidth pulse of energy along the array axis. The pulse has no sidelobes and maintains the frequency bandwidth and pulse amplitude better than any other method proposed to date. Confirmation of the theory by acoustic experiments show that the effect is real, and that the advantages of the technique can be realized in a laboratory environment. Numerical studies have shown that this effect is extendible to the microwave (vector field) and elastodynamic (tensor field) regimes as well as the stratified ocean environment.
Bułgarzy banaccy – fenomen trwałości kultury

Nowadays, the so-called Banat Bulgarians are a numerous group of the descendants of Bulgarian Catholics, which were forced to emigrate to Wallachia in the end of the 17 th century and in the beginning of the 18 th century and from there in years 1738–1741 to Banat. Small part of them (after 1878) returned to Bulgaria where they establish new villages. Most of them still live in Romanian territory, decidedly less numerous colonies are in Hungary and in Serbia. From the end of 19 th century they were a subject of interest to historians and linguists. For historians, their history were extremely interesting. For linguists, because they managed to salvage the dialect which became (in the half of the 19 th century) a base of literary norm that was to shape their language.
Claimant Takes Nothing: Mental Injuries and the Workers’ Compensation System

Workplace bullying and harassment on the job can lead to mental injuries including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. One of the few ways workers can recoup medical bills and lost wages for these injuries is through the workers’ compensation system. Our study found that while 44% of claimants proved their mental injuries were caused by their jobs, only 19% of claimants received any compensation, despite the claimants’ testimony of bullying, racist epithets, physical intimidation, and assault.
Book Review: The Economics of Copyright: Developments in Research and Analysis, by W. J. Gordon and R. Watt (Eds.)

The ten papers in this book were first presented at the SERCI annual congress in Madrid in 2002. In her introduction to the volume, co-editor Wendy Gordon notes that the technology that enables us to preserve and make reproductions of creative works changes the entire cultural landscape, as it provides authors with a means of earning income from the general public as consumers, and not just from patronage appointments. This shift in the source of income will change the kind of works that are created. Importantly, "it was to harness the extra value enabled by technology that copyright was invented" (p. xviii). It is therefore appropriate that much of this valuable volume of new research on the economics of copyright is concerned with the response of copyright policy and market contractual arrangements to changing technology.
Correlates of Quality Improvement in U.S. Broadband Service

Newly introduced and improved official government price indexes show both residential and business wired internet access prices essentially flat since 2007. In stark contrast, prices for wireless telecommunications services have been falling, at a consistent rate of about 2 to 4 percent per year over this period, and mobile broadband data prices have been falling at rates a full order of magnitude greater. Several studies which attempt to correct official price indexes for unmeasured quality improvement using data on actual or advertised download speed, conclude that, overall, quality‐adjusted wired broadband service prices did fall, but at disappointingly slow, single‐digit rates. This paper is concerned with understanding whether or not broadband quality improvement is systematically related to competitive conditions in regional broadband markets, making use of rich new data sources that allow us to directly measure the evolution of many dimensions of broadband service quality (though not price) over the thirty month period from March of 2011 through September of 2013. Using these data, I construct household‐specific weekly average download speed indexes for a sample of over 9,000 individual households. Household‐specific hourly variation in local network broadband download speed is controlled for using hour‐pair dummy variables in a first‐stage fixed effects regression model of changes in weekly download speed. The estimated first‐stage weekly dummy variables can then be interpreted as weekly measures of household download speed adjusted for time and day of week effects. The first stage estimates of hourly effects provide compelling evidence that variation in download speed within a speed tier primarily reflects variation in local network traffic. The pattern of these temporal effects strongly suggests that it is traffic (and congestion) on local network infrastructure, rather than global (or national) backbone infrastructure, that is primarily responsible for reductions in speed and service quality. A second stage fixed effects model is then applied to these estimates of weekly household download speed to estimate the impact of changes in time‐varying shifters of broadband demand and supply on weekly download speed. Preliminary results show that increased numbers of fixed wireline broadband providers generally have no statistically or economically significant impact on download speeds. Quite interestingly and perhaps provocatively, the same model shows statistically significant impacts on fixed connection broadband service quality associated with the presence of larger numbers of wireless mobile internet providers. We are left with a provocative and interesting empirical relationship that is consistent with the view that mobile is where the quality and price competition is most likely going to be coming from in the future, absent any major structural change in the current U.S. broadband market.
The LuEsther T. Mertz Library: The evolution of a modern, digitally integrated botanical library

To celebrate The New York Botanical Garden’s and the Mertz Library’s 125th anniversary, this article outlines some of the Library’s newest initiatives as well as summarizes ongoing programming since the Garden’s 2001–2007: Plan for a New Era and the 2009–2015 New Strategic Plan: Into the 21 st Century.
New development of the experimental study and the effect of Chinese herbs on the irritable gastric ulcer

Irritable gastric ulcer is a kind of gaster mucosa disease the characteristic of which is anabrosis, superficial ulcer and gastrointestinal bleeding. It often occurred because of wound and serious illness. The basic pathological change, and the effect of Chinese herbs on irritable gastric ulcer were summarized.
Soluble RAGE Treatment Delays Progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in SOD1 Mice.

The etiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal motor neuron disorder characterized by progressive muscle weakness and spasticity, remains largely unknown. Approximately 5-10% of cases are familial, and of those, 15-20% are associated with mutations in the gene encoding Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1). Mutations of the SOD1 gene interrupt cellular homeostasis and contribute to cellular toxicity evoked by the presence of altered SOD1, along with other toxic species, such as advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs trigger activation of their chief cell surface receptor, RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products), and induce RAGE-dependent cellular stress and inflammation in neurons, thereby affecting their function and leading to apoptosis. Here, we show for the first time that the expression of RAGE is higher in the SOD1 transgenic mouse model of ALS versus wild-type mouse spinal cord. We tested whether pharmacological blockade of RAGE may delay the onset and progression of disease in this mouse model. Our findings reveal that treatment of SOD1 transgenic mice with soluble RAGE (sRAGE), a natural competitor of RAGE that sequesters RAGE ligands and blocks their interaction with cell surface RAGE, significantly delays the progression of ALS and prolongs life span compared to vehicle treatment. We demonstrate that in sRAGE-treated SOD1 transgenic animals at the final stage of the disease, a significantly higher number of neurons and lower number of astrocytes is detectable in the spinal cord. We conclude that RAGE antagonism may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for ALS intervention.
Adverse Event Reporting for Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

ObjectiveTo assist clinicians in counseling patients regarding the risk of adverse events from proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), by synthesizing evidence from published systematic reviews of antireflux therapy.Data SourcesCochrane Library, CINAHL, PubMed, Web of Knowledge.Review MethodsOverview based on PRISMA reporting standards (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) of English-language meta-analyses and systematic reviews of PPI therapy for reflux disease through December 2014. Two independent investigators assessed study eligibility, rated the review quality with AMSTAR criteria (assessing the methodological quality of systematic reviews), and abstracted data for adverse events.ResultsThirty-three systematic reviews met inclusion criteria. The most commonly reported adverse events were community-acquired pneumonia (odds ratios, 1.04-1.92), with a greater association noted with shorter duration of therapy and higher doses. Hip fractures were also associated with PPI use (odds ...