cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Miniaturized UHF microstrip antenna for a Mars mission

The JPL/NASA Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) Program is planning a Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission circa 2005. This mission will have a rover on Mars to pick and place soil samples into a small spherical canister (16 cm diameter), which will be ejected into Martian orbit and retrieved by an orbiting spacecraft. This spacecraft will than bring the canister back to Earth for sample analysis. During canister ascent toward the orbiting spacecraft, a UHF transponder/beacon transmitt/receive signal is needed from the canister. This calls for a miniaturized low-profile antenna with an omni-directional pattern to be mounted onto the outer skin of the small canister. Antenna miniaturization techniques used on this circular patch are two fold: high dielectric-constant substrate material and multiple slats on the patch. This paper presents an antenna that combines these two techniques with dual-frequency and dual-polarization capabilities. The radiation characteristics of this antenna, when mounted on the small canister, as well as on flat ground planes of various sizes, are discussed. The bandwidth and efficiency performance and thermal effect of this antenna are also presented. In general, the antenna radiates a nearly omni-directional pattern with good efficiency and cross-polarisation characteristics.
The impact of mood states and surprise cues on satisfaction.

Abstract Mood effects have been studied in consumer behavior literature, but prior research investigating the joint impact of mood and surprise on satisfaction is scant. To bridge this gap, this study examines the relationship among these three constructs. We manipulated customers’ pre-consumption mood and provided surprise cues with hypothetical scenarios in a 2 by 2 factorial design in a restaurant setting. The results show that a positive surprise yields high satisfaction without a significant effect from customers’ pre-consumption mood. Conversely, with a negative surprise, customers in a negative pre-consumption mood indicate lower satisfaction than those in a positive mood.
Low-cost cavity-dumped femtosecond Cr:LiSAF laser producing >100 nJ pulses

We report a low-cost cavity-dumped Cr:colquiriite laser for generating enhanced pulse energies. Four single-mode laser diodes were used to pump a Cr:LiSAF laser, which was mode locked with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. Cavity dumping at 10 kHz repetition rate, the laser generated ~120 fs pulses at ~825 nm, with 112 nJ pulse energies and ~0.93 MW of peak power, using only ~600 mW of incident pump power. At higher dumping rates of up to 1 MHz, reduced pulse energies of 62 nJ could be generated. Two-photon absorption in the saturable absorber mirror limits pulse durations, while Q-switching instabilities limit pulse energy extraction.
Boson representation for the quantized rotator

Boson expansions are given in closed form for the basis states and fundamental operators of the quantized rotator. The boson representation is especially useful for describing states of high spin.
Comparison of in vivo infectivity of tissue-cultured nonoccluded virus and alkali-liberated occluded virus of Baculovirus heliothis

Abstract Feeding and intrahemocelic injection studies using tissue-culture-derived-nonoccluded virus (TCNOV) and occluded virus liberated by alkaline solution (ALOV) from polyhedral inclusion bodies were conducted with the single-embedded Heliothis nuclear polyhedrosis virus, Baculo-virus heliothis (HzSEV). Comparisons of infectivity between ALOV and NOV were based upon the number of adminstered plaque-forming-units (PFU). There was little, if any, difference in infectivity between ALOV and TCNOV of HzSEV when injected into 4th-instar larvae of Heliothis virescens. The LD50, from the multiple dose injection studies, for ALOV and TCNOV was 6.5 ± 1.2 PFU per larva and 3.4 ± 0.9 PFU per larva, respectively. Injection of a single dose (5 PFU per larva) resulted in a larval mortality of 83.2 ± 3.4 and 62.6 ± 5.7% for ALOV and TCNOV of the HzSEV, respectively. The LC50 of ALOV and TCNOV, from the multiple-dose feeding tests, was 3.1 ± 0.4 PFU/cm2 and 4.5 ± 0.9 PFU/cm2, respectively. Feeding 24-hr-old larvae on virus-treated diets at a single dose (50.0 PFU/cm2) resulted in a 1.5-fold difference in percentage larval mortality between ALOV (91.0 ± 4.0%) and TCNOV (61.2 ± 3.0%). Counts of viral particles (VP), based upon electron microscopy, were 14.3 ± 2.6 × 1010 and 5.2 ± 1.1 × 107 VP/ml for the ALOV and TCNOV, respectively. Thus, each larva ingesting or injected with one PFU received ca. 3500 × more VP of ALOV than in did of TCNOV.
Footplates of the medial crura.

The purpose of this combined prospective and retrospective study was to review the abnormalities of the footplates of the medial crura, their surgical correction, and the dynamic changes that result from footplate alteration.Prospectively, measurements of 40 footplates were obtained during 20 consec
A WAVEPACKET-PATH INTEGRAL METHOD FOR CURVE-CROSSING DYNAMICS

A combined wavepacket−path integral method is proposed for computing the time evolution of nuclear coordinate wavepackets on several nonradiatively coupled potential energy surfaces. In order to make the technique useful for multidimensional problems, the method uses the Gaussian wavepacket dynamics (GWD) algorithm (Heller, E. J.; J. Chem. Phys. 1975, 62, 1544) to perform nuclear coordinate wavepacket evolution on successive individual surfaces as prescribed by the path integral formalism. Since the GWD algorithm is not exact for anharmonically coupled potential energy surfaces, this introduces some error into the calculation. However, as long as the GWD algorithm is sufficiently accurate to treat single-surface propagation on all of the relevant potential energy surfaces, the proposed method is expected to yield useful results. A simple illustration is given using a one-dimensional model of a direct photodissociation process involving two nonradiatively coupled electronic states. Good agreement with nume...
The isotope substitution effect on the hydrated proton

Abstract The influence of deuteration on the hydrated excess proton in liquid water is examined through quantum-dynamical computer simulation. Equilibrium and dynamical properties are calculated and compared to the H + /H 2 O scenario. The effect of isotopic substitution on the vibrational density of states is also studied.
Do parallel languages respond to the needs of scientific programmers

Parallel programming is considered from the viewpoint of scientific researchers, with particular reference to their requirements for language support. The questions of how scientists go about developing parallel applications, what role language plays in determining the success of their programming efforts, how much scientific programmers should be expected to know about parallel languages and machines and what computer scientists can do to facilitate parallel scientific programming are addressed. The discussion centers on the 'mainline' supercomputers for scientific and engineering applications: vector and scalar MIMD (multiple instruction, multiple data) multiprocessors. New research efforts that are tackling the problems facing scientific programmers are discussed. >
Thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction: Review of clinical trials

Intracoronary infusion of streptokinase is associated with recanalization rates of 60 to 90% immediately after the procedure. Mortality data in published trials are conflicting. In 125 registry patients who had paired contrast ventriculograms before streptokinase infusion and hospital discharge, improvement in ejection fraction correlated with incomplete coronary obstruction before angiography, the presence of collateral vessels to the infarct area and recanalization of complete obstruction. In assessing the risk/benefit ratio of intracoronary streptokinase infusion, the risks of angiography in the setting of acute myocardial infarction, reocclusion, bleeding and such secondary interventions as angioplasty or bypass surgery must be considered. Intravenous infusion of conventional doses of streptokinase was associated with improved survival in some trials in which therapy began within 12 hours after the onset of infarction. Immediate recanalization rates in patients who received large doses of intravenous streptokinase were lower than those associated with intracoronary streptokinase infusion. The risks and benefits of high-dose intravenous streptokinase administration must still be assessed.
Responsive organizational dynamism: managing technology using reflective practice

This paper provides a theoretical approach to how organizations should consider reflecting and responding to challenges posed by new technologies. Technology is a ‘dynamic variable’ affecting organizations in specific ways. It is unpredictable and capable of accelerating change, dynamically affecting organizational development. This paper introduces responsive organizational dynamism (ROD) as a reflective practice in organizational behavior to respond to the demands of technology. It includes two core components: strategic integration addresses the way in which organizations determine how to use technology as part of business strategy; and cultural assimilation seeks to answer how the organization will accommodate, both structurally and culturally, the human resources of IT within the process of implementing new technologies.
Predictors of college students’ knowledge of and attitudes toward elderly sexuality: The relevance of grandparental contact

In this study, 241 young and middle‐aged adult college students completed the Aging Sexuality Knowledge and Attitude Scale, and provided information about their demographic and grandparental relationship qualities. Findings showed that greater age was associated with increased knowledge of elderly sexuality. Both the presence of contact and greater than average perceptions of closeness with at least one grandparent were predictive of more permissive attitudes toward elderly sexuality. Among the total sample, greater knowledge was related to more permissive attitudes toward elderly sexuality. However, the presence of contact with at least one grandparent moderated this relationship; young adults without grandparental contact presented a nonsignificant knowledge /attitude relationship. These findings suggest that future studies of younger age cohorts’ attitudes toward elderly sexuality should assess grandparental contact and relationship characteristics, as well as general demographic information such as ch...
Hastened transport of equine embryos through the oviduct of the mare

The purposes of this experiment were 1) to test the hypothesis that placing rabbit embryos into the mare's uterus would hasten oviduct transport and 2) to determine if placing fluid into the uterus of bred mares on Day 4 and/or Day 5 would subsequently disrupt the mare's pregnancy. The hypothesis that placing rabbit embryos into the mare's uterus would hasten oviduct transport was not supported, since the uterine recovery rate of equine embryos on Day 5 was not significantly higher (P>0.05) for mares receiving rabbit embryos on Day 4 than for mares receiving no uterine infusion on Day 4 (110 vs 010, respectively). However, placing fluid into the mare's uterus on Day 4 was apparently responsible for hastened oviduct transport, since mares with media infused into the uterus on Day 4 had a significantly higher (P<0.05) recovery rate of equine embryos on Day 5 than did mares receiving either rabbit embryos or no uterine infusion on Day 4 post ovulation (510 vs 110 or 010, respectively). The Day-14 pregnancy rate was significantly higher (P<0.05) for mares receiving no uterine infusion on Day 4 or Day 5 than for mares receiving uterine infusion on Day 5 or uterine infusion on both Days 4 and 5 (910 vs 410, 210 and 010, respectively).
Biallelic knockout of the α-1,3 galactosyltransferase gene in porcine liver-derived cells using zinc finger nucleases.

Abstract Background Genetic modification of the pig has been hampered by inefficiency of homologous recombination and unavailability of pig embryonic stem cells. Engineered zinc finger nuclease (ZFN)–mediated genetic modification in somatic cells combined with somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technology provides a new approach for targeted modification in pig genome. In this study, we used a ZFN pair to disrupt porcine α-1,3, galactosyltransferase (GGTA1) gene in liver-derived cells (LDC). ZFN-treated LDC were used as nuclear donors to produce fetuses and piglets via SCNT. All cloned fetuses and piglets showed biallelic knockout of GGTA1 gene. Materials and methods A ZFN pair was designed to target exon 8 of pig GGTA1 gene. LDC were transfected with GGTA1 ZFN plasmids. SURVEYOR assay was used to evaluate the ZFN activity in LDC. GGTA1 gene knockout cells (GTKO) were obtained by counter-selection and used as nuclear donors for SCNT. The cloned fetuses and piglets were characterized by DNA sequencing. Expression of α-Gal epitope was further examined by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Results SURVEYOR assay revealed 6.48% ZFN activity in LDC. GTKO cells were obtained by counter-selection 10 d after ZFN transfection. A total of six fetuses and 13 piglets were produced by SCNT. All fetuses and piglets had biallelic mutations in the ZFN targeted region and were negative for α-Gal epitope. Conclusions Biallelic GGTA1 gene disruption in LDC was generated efficiently by ZFN. GTKO fetuses were produced from ZFN-treated LDC by SCNT. GTKO piglets were obtained by SCNT of ZFN-treated LDC or recloning of fetal fibroblasts from GTKO fetuses. With longer lifespan and robust growth rate, LDC has the potential to endure multiple genetic modifications in vitro without going to SCNT, which could accelerate the production of genetically modified pig organs for xenotransplantation.
Computerized evaluation simulator based on the CIPP model

An attempt was made to build a computer simulation model based on an evaluation model. The model (CIPP) systematically examined each stage of evaluation activities (context, input, process, and product of a project). The administrators, funds, and program effectiveness were considered as major factors in a simulation model. An optimal solution approach was chosen to evaluate the simulation results. Jackson's time independent solution was used to calculate the solution.The purpose of this project was to construct an evaluation simulation model based on the CIPP model, so that the evaluator would be able to envisage the best-fit evaluation design using a given educational setting. The major factors were the characteristics of the students and the school, the preferential attitude of the administrators to a specific project and program, and the availability and capability of programs and funding agencies.This paper presents the methodology used in building the CIPP simulation. The study is composed of four sections: 1. A theoretical framework in which a systems analytical view of the CIPP model is presented. This includes descriptions and interactions of the functions within and between the components of CIPP model. 2. A system synthesis of the CIPP model in which the concept of probabilistic operations is implemented. 3. A theoretical presentation of the optimal solution of a simulation model which gives an estimation of what would be a good strategy an evaluator may adopt. 4. A summary of the results from the simulation experiment.
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains replicate and persist in the murine lung, but to significantly different degrees

The environmental bacterium Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is increasingly described as a multidrug-resistant pathogen of humans, being associated with pneumonia, among other diseases. But the degree to which S. maltophilia is capable of replicating in a mammalian host has been an issue of controversy. Using a model of intranasal inoculation into adult A/J mice, we now document that S. maltophilia strain K279a, the clinical isolate of S. maltophilia whose complete genome sequence was recently determined, is in fact capable of replicating in lungs, displaying as much as a 10-fold increase in c.f.u. in the first 8 h of infection. Importantly, as few as 104 c.f.u. deposited into the A/J lung was sufficient to promote bacterial outgrowth. Bacterial replication in the lungs of the A/J mice was followed by elevations in pro-inflammatory cytokines and also promoted resistance to subsequent challenge. We also found that DBA/2 mice were permissive for S. maltophilia K279a replication, although the level of growth and persistence in these animals was less than it was in the A/J mice. In contrast, the BALB/c and C57BL/6 mouse strains were non-permissive for S. maltophilia K279a growth. Interestingly, when five additional clinical isolates were introduced into the A/J lung, marked differences in survival were observed, with some strains being much less infective than K279a and others being appreciably more infective. These data suggest that the presence of major virulence determinants is variable among clinical isolates. Overall, this study confirms the infectivity of S. maltophilia for the mammalian host, and illustrates how both host and bacterial factors affect the outcome of Stenotrophomonas infection.
Continuous resuscitation after hemorrhage and acute fluid replacement improves cardiovascular responses.

Abstract Background. Although acute fluid replacement after trauma and severe hemorrhage remains the cornerstone in the management of trauma victims, it remains unknown whether continuous resuscitation after trauma-hemorrhage and acute fluid replacement produces salutary effects on cardiovascular function and reduces proinflammatory cytokine release. Methods. Adult male rats underwent laparotomy (ie, soft tissue trauma) and were bled to and maintained at a mean arterial pressure of 40 mm Hg until 40% of the shed blood volume was returned in the form of Ringer's lactate (RL). The animals were then resuscitated with 4 times the volume of shed blood with RL for 60 minutes, followed by continuous resuscitation with RL at 5 mL/h/kg for 48 hours after the acute fluid replacement. At 48 hours after hemorrhage, mean arterial pressure, cardiac output, and left ventricular contractility parameters, such as the maximal rates of ventricular pressure increase (+dP/dtmax) and decrease (−dP/dtmax), were determined. Microvascular blood flow in the intestine and kidney was assessed by laser Doppler flowmetry. In addition, plasma levels of TNF-α were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. The mean arterial pressure and cardiac output were decreased by 34% and 18%, respectively, at 48 hours after hemorrhage and acute resuscitation. Continuous resuscitation, however, markedly improved these parameters. Similarly, +dP/dtmax and −dP/dtmax decreased significantly after hemorrhage and acute fluid replacement but was restored to sham values after continuous resuscitation. Microvascular blood flow in the gut and kidneys was decreased after hemorrhage and acute resuscitation by 34% and 35%, respectively. However, intestinal and renal perfusion was maintained at the sham levels at 48 hours after continuous resuscitation. In addition, the upregulated TNF-α after acute resuscitation alone was reduced after continuous resuscitation. Conclusions. Continuous resuscitation after acute fluid replacement appears to be a useful approach for restoring and maintaining cardiovascular function and organ perfusion after trauma and severe hemorrhage.(Surgery 2001;129:559-66.)
Nitric oxide regulation of lingual blood flow in the rat.

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of nitric oxide in the maintenance of basal lingual blood flow in the anesthetized rat. By using laser-Doppler flowmetry, blood flow was measured from the tongue before and after treatment with the nonselective inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, L-NAME (0.2, 2.0, and 20 mg/kg), or the selective neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, 7-nitroindazole (40 mg/kg). Other groups of rats were treated with saline, D-NAME (2.0 mg/kg), L-arginine (200 mg/kg), L-arginine + L-NAME (200 + 2.0 mg/kg), or the 7-nitroindazole vehicle. L-NAME produced a dose-related depression in blood flow in the tongue (concurrent with increased arterial blood pressure), which was attenuated by prior administration of L-arginine. Lingual blood flow depression was not seen after administration of the inactive stereoisomer, D-NAME. In addition, the neuronally specific nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, 7-nitroindazole, failed to produce a significant depression of lingual blood flow. These results suggest that the tonic release of nitric oxide from the vascular endothelium plays an important role in maintaining basal blood flow in the tongue and that neuronally released nitric oxide is not involved in maintaining basal circulation in this vascular bed.
Temporal generalization accounts for response resurgence in the peak procedure

The peak interval (PI) procedure is commonly used to evaluate animals' ability to produce timed intervals. It consists of presenting fixed interval (FI) schedules in which some of the trials are replaced by extended non-reinforced trials. Responding will often resume (resurge) at the end of the non-reinforced trials unless precautions are taken to prevent it. Response resurgence was replicated in rats and pigeons. Variation of the durations of the FI and the non-reinforced probe trials showed it to be dependent on the time when reinforcement is expected. Timing of both the normal time to reinforcement, and the subsequent time to reinforcement during the probe trials followed Weber's law. A quantitative model of resurgence is described, suggesting how animals respond to the signaling properties of reinforcement omission. Model results were simulated using a stochastic binary counter.
Aggregation of rose bengal ethyl ester induced by alkali metal cations in aqueous solution

Abstract The spectrum of Rose Bengal C-2′ ethyl ester, C-6 sodium salt dimer in 2% ethanol has been observed in the presence of alkali metal cations. It is proposed that aggregation occurs in two steps: (a) formation of a neutral complex between the anion of the dye and the alkali metal cation and (b) reaction between the neutral complex and a second dye anion to produce the dimeric species. Both equilibrium constants, as well as the geometry of the dimer, are sensitive to the identity of the cation. The equilibrium constant for the first step ranges from 3.37 M −1 for Li + to 257 M −1 for Rb + and that for the second step ranges from 2.81 × 10 5 M −1 for Li + to 1.05 × 10 6 M −1 for Cs + . The driving force of the first reaction is purely electrostatic whereas the dimerization step is controlled mainly by the hydrophobicity of the dye anion.
800 Mb/s microwave FSK using a self-pulsating compact-disk laser diode

Microwave frequency-shift keying (FSK) is demonstrated at 800 Mb/s using a low-cost, compact-disk, self-pulsating laser diode. The FM response of the self-pulsation at various drive currents is also given. The response exhibits a 3-dB bandwidth of 700 MHz and is independent of the peak current over a large range of deviations. The results confirm that an inexpensive, self-pulsating, compact-disk laser diode is a viable alternative to conventional microwave oscillators as a microwave subcarrier FSK transmitter with bit rates from 125 to 800 Mb/s, a range unachievable with commercially available microwave oscillators. >
An Evidence-Based Approach for Integrating Bedside Ultrasound Into Routine Practice in the Assessment of Undifferentiated Shock:

Undifferentiated hypotension remains a central diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in emergency and critical care medicine. Increasingly, bedside ultrasound conducted by intensivists and emergency medicine providers is assuming a central role in diagnosis and resuscitation of hypotension. This review discusses sample algorithms for the bedside ultrasonographic assessment of undifferentiated shock and outlines an evidence-based framework for the intensivist seeking to incorporate bedside ultrasound into daily clinical practice. The literature regarding specific applications including cardiac, thoracic, pulmonary, and vascular assessment is briefly reviewed, as is the evidence pertaining to effective implementation, training, credentialing, and ongoing quality assurance.
FDR Goes to War: How Expanded Executive Power, Spiraling National Debt, and Restricted Civil Liberties Shaped Wartime America. By Burton W. Folsom, Jr. and Anita Folsom, with an introduction by M. Stanton Evans. (New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 2011. Pp. xii, 370. $27.00.)

This book is a worthy wedge of World War II scholarship (including appendix, notes, acknowledgments, and index). It is a well‐considered and insightful exploration into the tangled web of FDR's war...
Modeling and preventing TOCTTOU vulnerabilities in Unix-style file systems

TOCTTOU (Time-of-Check-To-Time-Of-Use) is a file-based race condition in Unix-style systems and characterized by a pair of file object access by a vulnerable program: a check operation establishes certain conditions about the file object (e.g., the file exists), followed by a use operation that assumes that the established condition still holds. Due to the lack of support for transactions in Unix-style file systems, an attacker can modify the established file condition in-between the check and use steps, thus causing significant harm. In this paper, we present a model of the TOCTTOU problem (called STEM), which enumerates all the potential file system call pairs (called exploitable TOCTTOU pairs) that form the check/use steps. The model shows that a successful TOCTTOU attack requires a change in the mapping of pathname to logical disk blocks between the check and use steps. We apply STEM to POSIX and Linux to demonstrate its practical value for Unix-style file systems. Then we propose a defense mechanism (called EDGI) that prevents an attacker from tampering with the file condition between exploitable TOCTTOU pairs during a vulnerable program's execution. EDGI works at the file system level and does not require existing applications to change. We have implemented EDGI on Linux kernel 2.4.28 and our evaluation shows that EDGI is effective and incurs little overhead to application benchmarks such as Andrew and Postmark.
Long-term effects of exogenous leptin on body weight and fat in post-obese female rats.

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that short-term leptin infusion during the post-obese refeeding phase of weight-reduced rats would reduce the rate of weight regain and, as a result, reduce the final body weight and fat content in weight-reduced rats. Ninety-six female Wistar rats were divided into four groups: (1) LFCON (low-fat control) group: Rats in this group were fed the control low-fat (LF) diet ad lib for the entire study period. (2) HFCON (high-fat control) group: Rats in this group were fed the high-fat (HF, 40% fat) diet ad lib for the study period. (3) HFRLP (high-fat fed, weight-reduced, leptin treatment) group: Obese rats in this group were weight-reduced and received leptin infusion for 2 weeks (miniosmotic pumps, 0.5 μg/kg/day) during the post-obese refeeding period. (4) HFRSM (high-fat fed, weight-reduced, sham control) group: Rats in this sham-control group were treated the same as the rats in the HFRLP group with the exception that no leptin was actually infused during the first 2 weeks of refeeding period. The results demonstrated that 2 weeks of leptin treatment during the early refeeding phase did not prevent weight regain in weight-reduced rats, but it significantly reduced body fat content in these rats as compared to ad lib fed obese control rats. One cycle of weight reduction and regain did not alter the body weight and body fat content in HFRSM rats when compared to obese control rats. Therefore, leptin treatment was effective in reducing body fat content in post-obese rats for up to 7 weeks, but the long-term effect of short-term leptin treatment needs to be further examined.
An analysis pipeline for the inference of protein-protein interaction networks

We present a platform for the reconstruction of protein-protein interaction networks inferred from Mass Spectrometry (MS) bait-prey data. The Software Environment for Biological Network Inference (SEBINI), an environment for the deployment of network inference algorithms that use high-throughput data, forms the platform core. Among the many algorithms available in SEBINI is the Bayesian Estimator of Probabilities of Protein-Protein Associations (BEPro3) algorithm, which is used to infer interaction networks from such MS affinity isolation data. Also, the pipeline incorporates the Collective Analysis of Biological Interaction Networks (CABIN) software. We have thus created a structured workflow for protein-protein network inference and supplemental analysis.
Temperature distribution in a nailed gypsum‐stud joint exposed to fire

Performance of wood-stud walls depends on the integrity of nailed connections between the sheathing and the framing members. The performance of nailed connections has been studied at room temperature, but the effects of intense thermal loads, such as those from fire, are still poorly understood. This study examines the temperature distribution within nailed joints exposed to fire; this information is essential in modeling strength and stiffness of connections in wall systems. The finite-element method was used to determine the effects of wood density, nail size, and type of gypsum board on temperature distribution within a set of connections. Temperature distributions were verified in nailed joints exposed in fire tests conducted in accordance with ASTM E119-88. The principal path of heat flow through the connection was along the nail, rather than directly through the interface between gypsum board and wood. Wood species, type of gypsum board, and nail length did not change temperature distribution significantly.
Lyrical Socialist Realism

The thirty-three-year-old artist Aleksandr Deineka was given a large piece of wall space at the exhibition 15 Years of Artists of the RSFSR at the Russian Museum in Leningrad in 1932. At the center of the wall hung his most acclaimed painting, The Defense of Petrograd of 1928, a civil-war-themed canvas showing marching Bolshevik citizens, defending against the incursions of the White armies on their city, arrayed in flattened, geometric patterns across an undifferentiated white ground. The massive 15 Years exhibition attempted to sum up the achievements of Russian Soviet art since the revolution as well as point toward the future, and Deineka, in spite of his past association with “leftist” (read: avant-garde) artistic groups such as OST (the Society of Easel Painters) and October, was among those younger artists who were anointed by exhibition organizers as leading the way forward toward Socialist Realist art—a concept that was being formulated through both the planning of and critical response to this v...
Numerical Simulation of Field-Scale Contaminant Mass Transfer during Air Sparging

Air sparging is a remediation technology for removing volatile organic contaminants (VOCs) from below the water table using air injection. Contaminant mass removal can be controlled by the mass transfer between liquid phases (aqueous and nonaqueous phase liquid [NAPL]) and the injected gas phase. Traditional multiphase flow numerical models ignore subgridblock-scale effects of gas channel flow on local mass transfer and assume local equilibrium between liquid and gas phases. This traditional, single-domain modeling approach tends to overpredict contaminant mass removal during sparging. A dual-domain multiphase flow approach for local interphase mass transfer may more accurately simulate contaminant removal, while still accounting for injected gas plume behavior. Mass transfer limitations are introduced through a numerical grid modification where each traditional single-domain gridblock is split into two domains: one with very strong capillary pressures that remains mostly water saturated and one with weak capillary pressures that becomes mostly gas saturated during sparging. The two domains are coupled through a first-order mass transfer expression. This simple model can then approximate the localized (subgridblock-scale) gas channel effects on mass transfer that are limited by liquid phase diffusion. In this study, data from a two-dimensional laboratory-scale experiment and a field-scale air sparging demonstration were used to test the capabilities of the dual- and single-domain approaches. It is the first time mass transfer has been simulated for air sparging at either of these scales using a multiphase flow kinetic interphase mass transfer model. Both experiments involved air sparging remediation of tetrachloroethylene, a NAPL. The single-domain local-equilibrium model resulted in an overprediction of mass removal rates in both cases. The dual-domain mass transfer approach provided a much better fit of the experimental data, and it is shown that the apparent interphase mass transfer coefficient becomes smaller with increasing scale.
Phototriggered Fluorescence Color Changes in Azobenzene-Functionalized Conjugated Polymers

We report fluorescence studies of phototriggered changes in spectral position and shape for two azobenzene-functionalized poly(p-phenylenevinylene) derivatives, poly(2-methoxy-5-(4-phenylazophenyl-4‘-(1,10-dioxydecyl))-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (MPA-10-PPV) and poly(2-hexyloxy-5-(4-phenylazophenyl-4‘-(1,10-dioxydecyl))-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (HPA-10-PPV). Upon trans → cis azobenzene photoisomerization, small (ca. 1 nm) blue shifts in spectral position are observed for MPA-10-PPV in 100% toluene, a good solvent for this polymer. These shifts are reversed upon visible irradiation and can be cycled many times. To probe the dependence of these shifts on initial polymer conformation, a dichloromethane−methanol cosolvent study was performed in which the solvent quality was decreased incrementally to induce a reduction in polymer coil dimensions. Unirradiated dichloromethane solutions of both MPA-10-PPV and HPA-10-PPV showed a red shift and reduction in quantum yield with increasing methanol concentration as expect...
Simulation Games in Business Policy Courses: Is There Value for Students?.

Abstract This study explores the importance of business policy as a capstone course and examines the role of individual differences and satisfaction with a business game as a learning tool. Results produced through the use of a business game by business policy students at a large southwestern university indicate that students use what they learn in a business policy course. Individual locus of control, need for achievement, and risk propensity were associated with satisfaction with the game as a learning tool. Results also support relationships among group consensus, satisfaction with the group, and team performance. Implications are discussed regarding the use of business games as instructional tools and the role of business policy as a capstone course.
Afterword: Mortgage Markets and the Urban Problematic in the Global Transition

This afterword develops one argument about, and then engages in two dialogues with, this symposium on the subprime crisis and the mortgage market. First, it argues that these articles have a unifying theme: they all insist that any understanding of the evolution of the subprime crisis must take into account the role of the complex, racialized dynamics of social inequality in urban space. This perspective, which we term the ‘urban problematic’, is shared by the authors gathered here; however, it is notably absent from many other accounts of the origins of the subprime crisis. This leads to two dialogues with these articles. The first explores this question: if this problematic is so powerful, then why isn't it pervasive in all social-scientific and economic discussions of the subprime crisis? The second dialogue then asks why there aren't richer ongoing exchanges between social scientists engaged in the urban problematic, on one side, and heterodox economists, on the other side? We suggest that it will be beneficial to deepen these interdisciplinary exchanges; and doing so will require making visible — and then overcoming — some hidden disjunctures in the ways that those working on these problems from different starting points frame and orient their work. Resume Apres un argumentaire dans le cadre de ce symposium sur la crise des subprimes et le marche des prets hypothecaires, ce texte de cloture propose deux axes de dialogue. D’abord, ces articles ont un theme en commun: tous insistent sur le fait que, pour comprendre l’evolution de la crise des subprimes , il fait tenir compte des dynamiques racialisees et complexes de l’inegalite sociale dans l’espace urbain. Cette optique, que nous appellerons ‘problematique urbaine’, est partagee par les auteurs reunis ici; toutefois, son absence est flagrante dans beaucoup d’autres versions des origines de cette crise. Il en decoule deux axes de dialogue. Le premier part de l’interrogation suivante: si cette problematique est si forte, pourquoi n’impregne-t-elle pas toutes les analyses de la crise des subprimes en sciences sociales et en economie? Le second cherche pourquoi les echanges actuels ne sont pas plus riches entre les specialistes en sciences sociales interesses par la problematique urbaine d’un cote, et les economistes heterodoxes de l’autre. Un renforcement des echanges interdisciplinaires serait benefique, ce qui impliquerait de donner une visibilite— puis une preponderance —a certaines disjonctions sous-jacentes dans les facons dont ceux qui traitent ces problemes sous des angles differents elaborent et orientent leurs travaux.
Disruption of the β-Sarcoglycan Gene Reveals Pathogenetic Complexity of Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2E

Abstract Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2E (LGMD 2E) is caused by mutations in the β-sarcoglycan gene, which is expressed in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle. β-sarcoglycan-deficient ( Sgcb -null) mice developed severe muscular dystrophy and cardiomyopathy with focal areas of necrosis. The sarcoglycan–sarcospan and dystroglycan complexes were disrupted in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle membranes. e-sarcoglycan was also reduced in membrane preparations of striated and smooth muscle. Loss of the sarcoglycan–sarcospan complex in vascular smooth muscle resulted in vascular irregularities in heart, diaphragm, and kidneys. Further biochemical characterization suggested the presence of a distinct e-sarcoglycan complex in skeletal muscle that was disrupted in Sgcb -null mice. Thus, perturbation of vascular function together with disruption of the e-sarcoglycan-containing complex represents a novel mechanism in the pathogenesis of LGMD 2E.
Counting the cost of virtual teams

Studying the performance, satisfaction, and group dynamics of virtual and face-to-face teams.
Orthotopic Heart Transplantation in Patients With Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava: Bicaval and Biatrial Techniques

Persistent left superior vena cava (LSVC) is the most common congenital venous abnormality. With the increasing number of children who survive into adulthood with congenital heart malformations, the recognition of persistent LSVC among patients with advanced heart failure is likely to rise. We present two cases of orthotopic heart transplantation in the setting of LSVC successfully managed with biatrial and bicaval techniques.
Effects of Ethionine and Methionine on Serum Lipids and Lipoproteins

SummaryProlonged feeding of ethionine to rats receiving a diet containing cholesterol, cholic acid and hydrogenated coconut oil leads to about a 10-fold rise in serum triglyceride concentration which is primarily confined to triglycerides bound to low-density lipoproteins. This increase is prevented if an equal amount of methionine is included in the diet. Serum cholesterol concentrations of rats fed ethionine are lower than those of unsupplemented rats. Addition of methionine with ethionine further lowers the cholesterol concentration. Methionine lowers the concentrations of serum triglycerides and phospholipids only slightly but substantially lowers serum cholesterol concentration.
On the Connectedness Structure of the Coulomb S-Matrix*

The forward direction singularity of the non-relativistic Coulomb S-matrix is examined and discussed. The relativistic Coulomb S-matrix to order e is shown to have a similar singularity.
Diabetic Chronic Hyperglycemia and Neurologic Outcome following Global Ischemia in Dogs

We tested the hypothesis that the neuropathologic outcome following recovery from incomplete ischemia is similar in normoglycemia and diabetes. Incomplete global ischemia was induced for 20 min in two groups of dogs: (a) normoglycemic, nondiabetic controls (n = 11) and (b) chronic (3 months), diabetic hyperglycemic subjects (n = 12). Animals were allowed to recover from surgery for 7 days after which they were perfusion-fixed for neuropathology. On paraffin processed tissue stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), ischemic neurons were counted and the per cent of cell damage determined. All control animals survived for 7 days postischemia. Four of 12 diabetic animals survived for 7 days, with the remaining eight diabetic dogs dying within the first 3 days. On day 7, the percentage of neurons showing ischemic cell change in the four diabetic survivors and the 11 nondiabetic controls was similar in the cerebellum, CA1, superior temporal gyrus, and caudate. However, diabetic dogs that did not survive the 7-day recovery period showed cerebellar swelling, reduced Purkinje cell densities, and herniation. During the 3 months prior to ischemia, morning (10.7 +/- 4.4 versus 11.2 +/- 5.2 mM) and afternoon (8.8 +/- 5.0 versus 9.4 +/- 5.3 mM) blood glucose levels in the four surviving and eight nonsurviving diabetic animals, respectively, were similar. However, preischemic blood glucose was significantly elevated in animals that did not survive (7.8 +/- 2.8 versus 15.8 +/- 7.3 mM in survivors and nonsurvivors, respectively). This study shows that diabetic animals surviving 7 days postischemia and nondiabetic controls have similar neuropathology. However, diabetic animals in which glucose control deteriorated during the 24-h prior to ischemia did not survive, possibly due to severe hindbrain edema. These results show that in diabetes, blood glucose control immediately prior to incomplete global brain ischemia is an important determinant of morbidity and neuropathology.
Neurotrophins, nociceptors, and pain.

It is now well established that neurotrophins play a crucial role in the development of the nervous system. However, there is increasing evidence that the function of neurotrophins persists throughout adulthood. The broad scope of neurotrophin action is well documented in the case of nerve growth factor (NGF) and its effect on nociceptors and nociception. Here, we review the evidence for these multiple roles for NGF. Two manipulations influencing NGF levels are discussed in detail. The first involves the use of transgenic mice that overexpress or underexpress neurotrophins. A second strategy involves administration of NGF or its antibody in vivo to increase or decrease its level. During prenatal development, NGF is required for survival of nociceptors. In the early postnatal period, NGF is required for expression of the appropriate nociceptor phenotype. In adults, NGF acts as an important intermediate in inflammatory pain, contributing to both peripheral and central sensitization. The sensitization of peripheral nociceptors can be very rapid and can involve non-neural cells such as mast cells, neutrophils, fibroblasts, and macrophages. Recent evidence indicates that other neurotrophins also play key supporting roles in the development of nociceptors (e.g., NT-3) and in inflammatory pain (e.g., BDNF, NT-4/5). Furthermore, molecules from other superfamilies (e.g., GDNF) also are required to assure survival of certain classes of nociceptors. The diverse effects of neurotrophins on nociceptive processing emphasize their broad importance in the development and function of the nervous system.
Dynamic model of the piston-ring assembly using curved beam finite elements

A dynamic model for the crankshaft/connecting-rod/piston-assembly for a single cylinder engine is developed. The model considers the rigid body motion of the crank-slider mechanism including the piston secondary motions such as the piston-slap and piston-tilting. The formulation considers the ring to have three rigid body degrees of freedom in addition to its longitudinal and in-plane transverse deformations. The structural flexibility terms are approximated by using curved beam finite element method. The dynamic model has a variable structure whereby the number of degrees of freedom depends on the piston-liner and piston-ring interactions. Its formulation does not include frictional losses. The simulation results illustrate the piston secondary motions along with the ring tilting angles relative to the piston orientation for the total duration of the engine cycle. In addition, they exhibit the translational motion of the ring within the piston groove.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
The K-effect in stellar motions

Abstract The large K term associated with bright early B stars signifies expansion, but does not indicate any fundamental characteristic of the local region of the galaxy. It is a change property of the sample population traceable to nearby community motion groups within the sample. Removal of chance and real community motion groups reduces the K term to approximately + 2·5 km per sec. for the O to B2 stars. This term may be attributed principally, if not entirely, to gravitational red shift. A method of investigating on the basis of galactic structure the significance of the negative K term found for faint B stars is suggested. Tests indicate: 1. (1) No variation of the K term within the local spiral arm of the galaxy. 2. (2) No relative motion of the local and inner spiral arms, hence the same K term holds for both. 3. (3) While stars in the outer arm also tend to confirm the normal K term, the stars in the Perseus-Cassiopeia region possess large negative peculiar radial motions. Inclusion of the numerous B stars in this region will bias any solution towards a small or negative K term and a large Oort A -constant.
Neuronal Apoptosis Induced by β-Amyloid Is Mediated by Caspase-8 ☆

Abstract The Alzheimer disease-associated β-amyloid peptide has been shown to induce apoptotic neuronal death. In the present study, we test the hypothesis that the apoptotic pathway activated by β-amyloid is similar to the pathway activated by the Fas/TNFR family of death receptors, which requires caspase-8 activity and adaptor proteins such as FADD. We demonstrate that the selective caspase-8 inhibitor IETD-fmk blocks neuronal death induced by β-amyloid. Furthermore, using viral-mediated gene delivery, we show that neurons expressing dominant-negative FADD are protected from apoptosis induced by β-amyloid. Together these results indicate that the apoptotic pathway activated by β-amyloid requires both caspase-8 activity and FADD. These findings further support the hypothesis that β-amyloid might initiate apoptosis by cross-linking death receptors of the Fas/TNFR family.