cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Equating user performance among communication latency distributions and simulation fidelities for a teleoperated mobile robot

This paper explores the impact of communication latency (time delay) on path following for a teleoperated mobile robot. In [1] Vozar developed a human steering model capturing the effects of latency on teleoperated driving performance and introduced the idea of equating path following performances under variable latency to an equivalent constant latency. We repeat Vozar's user experiments on a higher fidelity (dynamic) simulation using different latency distributions. Two key findings are presented. First, user tests support a relationship between path following scores for latency distributions of different shapes. Second, our user tests with the dynamic simulation produced the same trend describing latency's impact on performance as Vozar's results with a kinematic simulation.
The standard model and beyond

This chapter describes the idea of an expanding universe, without using the equations of general relativity. The success of the Big Bang rests on three observational pillars: the Hubble diagram exhibiting expansion, light element abundances that are in accord with Big Bang nucleosynthesis, and the blackbody radiation left over from the first few hundred thousand years, the cosmic microwave background. Standard model embodies all these three pillars. Although the three pillars put the Big Bang model on a firm footing, other observations cry out for more details. Because of the limits inferred from Big Bang nucleosynthesis, the dark matter, or at least an appreciable fraction of it, must be nonbaryonic. The most popular idea currently is that the dark matter consists of elementary particles produced in the earnest moments of the Big Bang. The last decades of the 20th century saw a number of large surveys of galaxies designed to measure structure in the universe. These culminated in two large surveys, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Two Degree Field Galaxy. To understand this structure, one must go beyond the Standard Model.
Low P-wave amplitude (<0.1 mV) in lead I is associated with displaced inter-atrial conduction and clinical recurrence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation after radiofrequency catheter ablation.

Aims We hypothesized that P-wave amplitude in lead I is related to left atrial (LA) remodelling and inter-atrial conduction pattern, and has a predictive value for recurrence after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) among patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Methods and results A total of 525 consecutive patients with PAF (76% male, 56 ± 12 years old) who underwent RFCA were included. We compared pre-procedural sinus rhythm electrocardiograms without antiarrhythmic drug effect with LA volume (CT), LA voltage (NavX), the earliest activation site (EAS) conduction pattern of LA, and clinical recurrence rate. P-wave amplitude in lead I was significantly lower in patients with recurrence than in those that remained in sinus rhythm ( P < 0.001) during 21 ± 10-month follow-up. P-wave amplitude in lead I was linearly correlated with LA voltage ( β = 2.52, 95% CI 0.606–4.425, P = 0.010), LA conduction velocity ( β = 1.91, 95% CI 0.941–2.876, P < 0.001), and low septal displacement of EAS ( β = −1.67, 95% CI −2.352 to −0.996, P < 0.001). P-wave amplitudes <0.1 mV in lead I were independently associated with clinical recurrence of AF on multivariate Cox regression analysis (adjusted HR 2.163, 95% CI 1.307–3.581, P = 0.003). The integrated area under the curves was 0.705 (95% CI 0.655–0.755). Conclusion Low P-wave amplitude (<0.1 mV) in lead I is related to LA remodelling and displaced inter-atrial conduction pattern to low septum, and independently predicts clinical recurrence after RFCA in patients with PAF.
Reweaving The Tapestry: Embodying The Lives Of Women Of Color

Women of Color: Integrating Ethnic and Gender Identities in Psychotherapy, Lillian Comas-Diaz and Beverly Greene. New York: Guilford Press, 1994. 518 pp., $44.95, ISBN: 0-89862-371–5.
Entender la presuposición como anáfora ciertos inconvenientes de la propuesta de Kripke

According to Kripke, the traditional approaches to presupposition do not work in some compound sentences because the presuppositions from their component clauses traditionally assign presuppositions to each clause in isolation. I agree with this criticism, but I think that a contextual requirement is sometimes needed in order to determinate the meaning of presupposition included in a complex sentence, and this view can solve some problems in Kripke's semantic approach.
H-Bonding Cooperativity and Energetics of α-Helix Formation of Five 17-Amino Acid Peptides

Five peptides, each containing 17 amino acids, have been completely geometrically optimized in their α-helical and β-strand forms using a mixed DFT/AM1 procedure. B3LYP/D95** was used for the entire helical structures, while AM1 was initially used to optimize the side chains, followed by reoptimization at the DFT level. The energetic and structural results show (1) that the helices are favored over the strands by 29.5 to 37.4 kcal/mol; (2) that alkyl groups on the amino acid side chains favor helix formation even in the absence of solvent; (3) that C−H···O hydrogen bonds contribute to the relative stability of the helices that contain amino acids (val, leu and ile) with β-hydrogens in their alkyl side chains; (4) that formation of these helices entails approximately 6.6 kcal/mol of strain within the backbone per hydrogen bond; and (5) that H-bond cooperativity is essential for the α-helix to become more stable than a corresponding β-strand. This last observation strongly suggests that pairwise potentials ...
Free Volume Distribution in Polymer Liquid and Glass Evaluated by Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Molecular dynamics simulation has been performed with dense systems of alkane-like chain molecules. Distribution of occupied and unoccupied space in the system was then evaluated by the technique of Voronoi tessellation of space and by enumeration of the cavities formed when hard spheres of diameter D were assumed placed on atomic centers. The distribution of cavity volumes is extremely broad and often exhibits a bimodal or trimodal character. These cavities change shape and size with time even at temperatures much below Tg.
Fractionation by velocity sedimentation of Torpedo nicotinic post-synaptic membranes

Velocity sedimentation on sucrose gradients containing Torpedo physiological saline has been utilized to fractionate Torpedo (Torpedo californica and T. nobiliana) post-synaptic membranes isolated initially on the basis of their density by equilibrium centrifugation. Membranes are separated into two populations: (1) those retained within the gradient (referred to as gradient pool); and (2) membranes sedimenting rapidly through the gradient (referred to as f 22, fraction 22 of the gradient). Comparison of their polypeptide compositions by sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicates that the gradient pool consists of highly purified nicotinic post-synaptic membranes containing the peptides of the acetylcholine receptor and a peptide of Mr 43 000, while f 22 contains the contaminating membranes present in the initial suspension as well as a small fraction of the nicotinic post-synaptic membranes. On the basis of the kinetics of efflux of 22Na+ from the membrane fractions, it is concluded that the gradient pool contains most of the sealed vesicles with functional nicotinic receptors. The internal volume (μl/mg protein) of those membranes exceeds that of f 22 by a factor of 4, and greater than 85% of that internal volume is equilibrated by the nicotinic agonist carbamylcholine, while for f 22 only 40% is equilibrated. Thin-section electron microscopy has been used to estimate the distribution of vesicle sizes. The observed distribution for the gradient pool indicates that these vesicles are a size homogeneous population of diameter 0.3 μm, while f 22 contains a number of smaller and larger vesicles. Torpedo post-synaptic membranes have been treated with alkali to remove the non-receptor peptide of Mr 43 000. After alkaline extraction, velocity sedimentation permits the isolation of a population of size-homogeneous and well-sealed vesicles containing only the peptides of the nicotinic receptor. It is concluded that upon homogenization, the innervated surface of the Torpedo electroplax tends to form vesicles of uniform size (0.3 μm) which can be readily isolated by velocity sedimentation and that the peptide of Mr 43 000 is not required for the maintenance of bilayer structure.
On the question of biologically active fluorescent derivatives of thiamine

Abstract The potassium permanganate and manganese dioxide oxidations of thiamine afford thiamine disulfide (83%) and thiochrone (17%). This mixture shows activity with respect to the decarboxylation of pyruvic acid in yeast preparations, and these components are apparently the fluorescent oxidation products of thiamine (quinochromes) that were discussed by Kinnersley . The decreased biological activity of the oxidation products arising from the reaction in 85% ethanol, as compared to 15% ethanol, is explained in terms of the dielectric constant of the solvent; solvents of high dielectric constants favor disulfide production, whereas solvents of low dielectric constants favor thiochrome formation.
Basal and stimulated gonadotropin levels in the perimenopause

Abstract OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether perimenopausal menstrual cycle irregularity is associated with increased gonadotropin immunoactivity, bioactivity, or the bioactivity/immunoactivity ratio at baseline and after short-term stimulation with gonadotropin-releasing hormone. STUDY DESIGN: Subjects consisted of four groups: (1) young regular cycling women ( 35 years) with (2) regular or (3) irregular menstrual cycles, and (4) postmenopausal women. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation tests (100 μg intravenous gonadotropin-releasing hormone) were performed in the National Institute of Mental Health outpatient clinic during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle or randomly in postmenopausal women. RESULTS: Perimenopausal women had baseline follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels and stimulated follicle-stimulating hormone levels (area under the curve) that were similar to those of postmenopausal women and significantly greater than those of control (younger and older) women. Postmenopausal women had significantly greater baseline levels of luteinizing hormone bioactivity than did the other three groups. The bioactivity/immunoactivity ratio in the postmenopausal women was significantly greater than those in the perimenopausal and older cycling women, which were similar. No change in the bioactivity/immunoactivity ratio was seen after gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation in any group. CONCLUSIONS: Although the perimenopause is associated with increases in baseline and stimulated gonadotropin levels similar to those seen after the menopause, significantly increased baseline luteinizing hormone bioactivity and the bioactivity/immunoactivity ratio are seen only after the menopause. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1996;175:643-50.)
Mean-field theory of spin-glasses with finite coordination number

The mean-field theory of dilute spin-glasses is studied in the limit where the average coordination number is finite. The zero-temperature phase diagram is calculated and the relationship between the spin-glass phase and the percolation transition is discussed. The present formalism is applicable also to graph optimization problems.
Reliable Energy Conversion Power Systems for Space Flight

Low-voltage converter-regulators provide the key to the utilization of new energy conversion power sources in future space applications. It is now possible to use transistor-converters to boost the low voltage level of thermionic, fuel cell, thermoelectric, and electro-chemical sources to a higher more useable regulated voltage. Improved low-voltage converter-regulators have efficiencies between 70 and 90%. This approach will allow the space power system designer to achieve higher reliability with single-cell sources coupled to low-voltage converter-regulators.
A-fiber sensory input induces neuronal cell death in the dorsal horn of the adult rat spinal cord.

Excitotoxicity due to excessive synaptic glutamate release is featured in many neurological conditions in which neuronal death occurs. Whether activation of primary sensory pathways can ever produce sufficient over-activity in secondary sensory neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord to induce cell death, however, has not been determined. In this study, we asked whether activity in myelinated afferents (A fibers), which use glutamate as a transmitter, can induce cell death in the dorsal horn. Using stereological estimates of neuron numbers from electron microscopic sections, we found that stimulation of A-fibers in an intact sciatic nerve at 10 Hz, 20 Hz, and 50 Hz in 10-minute intervals at a stimulus strength that activates both Abeta and Adelta fibers resulted in the loss of 25% of neurons in lamina III, the major site of termination of large Abeta fibers, but not in lamina I, where Adelta fibers terminate. Furthermore, sciatic nerve lesions did not result in detectable neuron loss, but activation of A fibers in a previously sectioned sciatic nerve did cause substantial cell death not only in lamina III but also in laminae I and II. The expansion of the territory of A-fiber afferent-evoked cell death is likely to reflect the sprouting of the fibers into these laminae after peripheral nerve injury. The data show, therefore, that primary afferent A-fiber activity can cause neuronal cell death in the dorsal horn with an anatomical distribution that depends on whether intact or injured fibers are activated. Stimulation-induced cell death potentially may contribute to the development of persistent pain.
THE STRESS FIELD AND ENERGY OF A THREE-DIMENSIONAL DISLOCATION LOOP AT A CRACK TIP

The self stress field and self energy are estimated for a planar 3D dislocation loop emanating from a half-plane crack tip. While the problem is of greatest interest for analysis of shear loops nucleating from the crack tip in the concentrated stress field there due to applied loadings, it is addressed here in the interest of tractability for 3D prismatic loops lying in the same plane as the crack. Exact elastic calculations for that case are based on recent developments of 3D crack weight function theory and specific results are given for induced stress fields, intensity factors and energy of semicircular and rectangular prismatic dislocation loops. Also, self stresses and energy expressions are derived for the 2D case of a line dislocation lying parallel to the crack for arbitrary Burgers vector type and general orientation of the dislocated plane relative to the crack plane, and those results are used together with the 3D prismatic loop results to estimate approximately the self energy for 3D shear dislocation loops emanating from the tip on planes inclined to the crack plane. Energy results are given in terms of a correction factor m to the usual estimate of energy for an emergent crack tip loop as half the energy of a full loop (identified as the emergent loop and its image relative to the crack tip) in an uncracked solid. That is, if the energy of a full circular loop of radius r in an uncracked solid is 2πrA0 1n (8re2r0), with r0 = core cut-off and A0 = energy factor, then the energy of a semicircular loop of radius r emerging from the crack tip is shown to take the form πrA0 In (8mre2r0) and the constant m is calculated here as 2.2 for a prismatic loop ahead of a crack and estimated approximately to range from about 1.2 to 1.9 for representative shear loops inclined to the crack plane. The self energy exceeds the half-full-loop value, corresponding to m = 1, and it is observed that this effect increases by √m the predicted loads to nucleate a dislocation loop of the assumed shape from a crack tip.
Optimal semistable control for continuous-time coupled systems

In this paper, we develop distributed H 2 semistability theory for linear dynamical systems. Using this theory, we design distributed H 2 optimal semistable controllers for linear dynamical systems. Unlike the standard H 2 optimal control problem, a complicating feature of the distributed H 2 optimal semistable stabilization problem is that the closed-loop Lyapunov equation guaranteeing semistability can admit multiple solutions. Necessary and sufficient conditions for existence of solutions to the semistable Lyapunov equation are derived and a design framework for distributed optimal controllers is presented.
Strategic coping responses and attentional biases

This study investigated relations among affective distress, voluntary coping strategies, and attentional biases. University students (n = 63, 75% Caucasian) completed a “dot probe” computer task that presented supraliminal (conscious) and subliminal (below conscious awareness) social threat words. Order of task presentation (supraliminal vs. subliminal) was randomly determined. Results found that for those completing the supraliminal task first, attentional avoidance of supraliminal threat words was associated with higher anxiety and depressive symptoms, negative current mood, and an avoidant coping style. In contrast, bias towards subliminal threat words was associated with depressive symptoms, trait anxiety, avoidant coping and negative mood, and less primary control coping. However, few relationships among supraliminal or subliminal bias and coping or affect were evident when participants completed the subliminal task first. Findings suggest that when primed by consciously available cues, strategic coping processes may influence attentional biases at both supraliminal and subliminal levels of presentation. Clinical interventions aimed at improving cognitive coping skills may benefit treatment of affective disorders partially through influences on information-processing characteristics.
Vector quantization: clustering and classification trees

An image that is mapped into a bit stream suitable for communication over or storage in a digital medium is said to have been compressed. Using tree-structured vector quantizers (TSVQs) is an approach to image compression in which clustering algorithms are combined with ideas from tree-structured classification to provide code books that can be searched quickly and simply. The overall goal is to optimize the quality of the compressed image subject to a constraint on the communication or storage capacity, i.e. on the allowed bit rate. General goals of image compression and vector quantization are summarized in this paper. There is discussion of methods for code book design, particularly the generalized Lloyd algorithm for clustering, and methods for splitting and pruning that have been extended from the design of classification trees to TSVQs. The resulting codes, called pruned TSVQs, are of variable rate, and yield lower distortion than fixed-rate, full-search vector quantizers for a given average bit rat...
Public opinion and interest group positions on open-space issues in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA: Implications for resource management

The purpose of this research was to elicit and compare the open-space preferences of citizens and openspace experts in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. A randomly selected sample of 492 citizens and 35 open-space experts participated in a telephone survey during May 5–18, 1986. The following hypothesis was tested and used as a guideline for the study: HO1: There is no significant difference between respondents' status and preference for open space in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The hypothesis was rejected. Findings confirmed respondents' status affected preference for open space. Of the eight issues on which the citizen and expert groups were compared, five recorded significant differences in response profiles. The open-space expert group was significantly more supportive of using open space to accommodate offroad vehicle facilities, wildlife preserves, a citywide recreational trail, and a trail system along the arroyos and city ditches. The citizen sample was significantly more supportive of using open space to accommodate overnight camping facilities. Both groups equally supported using open space to accommodate an outdoor amphitheater, outdoor education facilities, and rafting, kayaking, and canoeing facilities. The finding indicated that expert preferences did not represent an aggregate of citizen preferences for managing open-space resources. Understanding both expert and citizen positions will facilitate decision-making processes and help resolve environmental disputes.
An experimental reactor for kinetic studies: continuously-fed batch reactor

Abstract The use of a continuously-fed batch reacter (CFBR) as an experimental tool for the kinetic studies is presented for liquid- and gas-phase reactions, and noncatalytic gas-solid reactions. An experimental CFBR run is demonstrated using the reaction involving sucrose conversion to substantiate the theoretical results. The concept used for the CFBR is the fact that at an extremum of concentration the rate of concentration change is zero. For the liquid- and gas-phase reactions, the CFBR can be used as an alternative to the CSTR. For slow reactions, the rate determined from a CFBR run is more accurate than the rate determined from a CSTR run. Determination of the rates over the entire conversion range is made easy for fast reactions with the use of the CFBR. Results are extended to noncatalytic gas-solid reactions. It is shown that the fractional change of reacting surface area of the solid reactant can be obtained using the CFBR under the limiting condition of negligible effect of mass transfer.
A survey of laboratory computers in psychophysiology.

Since the mid 196O's there has hcen a growing interest in and use of computers in psychophysiology laboratories. There are even a growing number of accepted physiological measures which are fully dependent on computer technology for their derivation. Although minicomputers have been in use for over a decade, recent developments in microcomputer and microprocessor technology have led to rapid acceptance of microcomputers for laboratory work. These rapid advances have produced a need to survey the current state of laboratory computer applications and development. A comprehensive survey was mailed to 301 psychophysiology laboratory groups during the spring and summer of 1979 and completed surveys were received from 61% of the mailing. Sun'ey results are reported on computer hardware and configuration, dependent measures and user satisfaction, and use and cost of engineering and programming support. Developments in computer hardware and user services are also discussed.
Osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells synergistically enhanced by biomimetic peptide amphiphiles combined with conditioned medium

An attractive strategy for bone tissue engineering is the use of extracellular matrix (ECM) analogous biomaterials capable of governing biological response based on synthetic cell-ECM interactions. In this study, peptide amphiphiles (PAs) were investigated as an ECM-mimicking biomaterial to provide an instructive microenvironment for human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in an effort to guide osteogenic differentiation. PAs were biologically functionalized with ECM isolated ligand sequences (i.e. RGDS, DGEA), and the osteoinductive potential was studied with or without conditioned medium, containing the supplemental factors of dexamethasone, β-glycerol phosphate and ascorbic acid. It was hypothesized that the ligand-functionalized PAs would synergistically enhance osteogenic differentiation in combination with conditioned medium. Concurrently, comparative evaluations independent of osteogenic supplements investigated the differentiating potential of the functionalized PA scaffolds as promoted exclusively by the inscribed ligand signals, thus offering the potential for therapeutic effectiveness under physiological conditions. Osteoinductivity was assessed by histochemical staining for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of key osteogenic markers. Both of the ligand-functionalized PAs were found to synergistically enhance the level of visualized ALP activity and osteogenic gene expression compared to the control surfaces lacking biofunctionality. Guided osteoinduction was also observed without supplemental aid on the PA scaffolds, but at a delayed response and not to the same phenotypic levels. Thus, the biomimetic PAs foster a symbiotic enhancement of osteogenic differentiation, demonstrating the potential of ligand-functionalized biomaterials for future bone tissue repair.
Data logging and energy consumption analysis of two houses in St. John's, Newfoundland

In this paper a design of a low cost data logger to log temperature and power consumption in a house is presented. The designed data logger is capable of logging four AC current and two temperature measurements. It is based on a low cost microcontroller PIC18F4550. Microcontroller is programmed using Mikrobasic. The circuit displays temperature measurements on an LCD display and all measurements are also stored in separate files on a sd card. Power consumption of two houses was logged for one year using a sampling time of 2 minutes. The data stored in a sd card is used for further analysis. This paper also presents design of data logger and a detailed analysis of energy consumption of two houses based on collected data. Data analysis indicates power consumption pattern and its variation over a year. Analysis indicates that the logged data and monthly data collected by the utility company give similar energy consumption.
Effect of octreotide and erythromycin on idiopathic and scleroderma-associated intestinal pseudoobstruction.

Treatment of chronic intestinal pseudoobstruction with prokinetic agents has been disappointing. Our study was designed to determine if octreotide and erythromycin would provide sustained relief from nausea, abdominal pain, and bloating in pseudoobstruction. Using gastrointestinal manometry, quantitative parameters of the activity front of the migrating motor complex at baseline and after prokinetic therapy with erythromycin and octreotide were determined in 14 patients with intestinal pseudoobstruction who had nausea, abdominal pain, and bloating. Patients were treated with erythromycin and octreotide for 20–33 weeks. Octreotide increased the frequency, duration, and motility index of activity fronts (AFs) from 1.2±0.3 AFs/4hr, 2.7±0.7 min, and 85±23 min mm Hg to 4.1±0.8 AFs/4 hr, 5.5±0.7 min, and 152±24 min mm Hg, respectively (P<0.05). Antral activity was decreased from 63±14 to 23±8% by octreotide (P<0.05). Erythromycin induced antral activity; however, small intestinal motor activity was suppressed. While on erythromycin and octreotide, five patients had long-term improvement of nausea and abdominal pain. All responders had at least 5 AFs/4 hr induced by octreotide. We conclude that octreotide and erythromycin relieve abdominal pain and nausea in pseudoobstruction. Patients who have at least 5 AFs/4 hr after octreotide administration are most likely to clinically respond.
A Review of Literature on Chromosome Studies of the Fowl

Abstract LITERATURE REVIEW AN INTENSIVE chronological review of the literature on chromosome studies of the domestic fowl (Loyez, 1906; Sonnenbrodt, 1908; Guyer, 1909; Lecaillon, 1910; Boring and Pearl, 1914; Guyer, 1916; Cutler, 1916; Swift, 1916; Boring (on Stevens), 1923; Crew, 1923; Shiwago, 1924; Hance, 1924, 1925, 1926a, b, c, Akkeringa, 1927; Goldsmith, 1928; Kemp, 1930; Suzuki, 1930; Saguchi, 1931; White, 1932; Popoff, 1933; Sokolow and Trofimow, 1933; Unger, 1936; Sokolow, Tiniakow and Trofimow, 1936; Miller, 1938; Scaccini, 1944; and Yamashina, 1944), which is summarized in Table 1, shows widespread investigation but almost universal disagreement. No one has yet clearly demonstrated the characteristic number of chromosomes of domestic or wild types of fowl, nor the type of sex inheritance, nor the sex chromosome. Through the period between Loyez (1906) and Yamashina (1944), the diploid number of chromosomes has increased from 6 pairs to 39 pairs (plus or minus 1). The XO-type of . . .
Medical ethics, moral philosophy and moral tradition.

Abstract Medical ethics is commonly assumed to be a form of ‘applied moral philosophy’ in which practical moral judgments are deduced from moral theories. This account of the relationship between moral theory and moral judgment is inadequate in several respects. The deductivist approach often results in inadequate attention being given to social, historical and developmental contexts. It also fails to explain some common phenomena in practical moral reasoning. In contrast to the emphasis in deductivism, a case-centered or casuistic practical ethics insists on immersion in the particularities of cases and on interpretation of details in light of moral maxims and other mid-level forms of moral reasoning. Two features of casuistics that ought to be distinguished but frequently are not, are: (1) the emphasis on immersion and interpretation, and (2) a claim about the relation between moral judgment and moral theory as sources of moral knowledge. Once we consider case-centered moral judgments as sources of moral knowledge, we must also begin to look critically but open-mindedly to moral traditions which, upon examination, appear to be more dynamic and to have more reformist potential than is commonly assumed.
Evaluation of a Model Laboratory Silo

Abstract Objectives of this research were to evaluate a new type of miniature laboratory silo and describe its use in silage research. The silo unit was designed to study, separately or collectively, variables affecting the ensiling process, such as moisture, temperature, density, light, and additives. In addition, loss of wet weight and fermentation gases could be measured. The capacity of the unit was approximately 250g of forage material with a volume of 463cm 3 . Laboratory silos were evaluated for three forage crops (alfalfa at two moistures, whole plant corn, and corn stover) and two ensiling periods (3 and 5 wk). They also were compared with farm scale silos for whole plant corn. The laboratory silos simulated farm silos and produced high quality silages from both high moisture alfalfa and whole plant corn. The smaller amounts of substrate permitted closer control of the process and more uniformity of composition of starting material. Dry matter and pH varied least. Variation was relatively higher with carbon dioxide, acetate, and lactate. The 3-wk ensiling produced high quality silages with low pH and high content of lactic acid compared to 5-wk. Lactic acid was predicted accurately, .97 correlation, from pH, titratable acidity, and carbon dioxide output. The pH also was predicted from lactic acid and titratable acidity but with relatively less accuracy, .62 correlation.
Crystallization in curved three-dimensional space

Crystallization is studied by Metropolis Monte Carlo annealing of assemblies of particles with an ${r}^{\ensuremath{-}12}$ interaction. In two dimensions, a high degree of crystalline order is obtained very quickly; in three dimensions a disordered (glass) structure is generally obtained. The special system consisting of 120 particles on the surface of a four-dimensional sphere, which has a close-packed crystal phase, was found to crystallize much more readily than flat three-dimensional space. This gives support to current theories of the role of topological frustration in the formation of glassy phases.
Chestnut blight: the classical problem of an introduced pathogen

(1987). Chestnut Blight: The Classical Problem of an Introduced Pathogen. Mycologia: Vol. 79, No. 1, pp. 23-37.
Artificial Transmission Lines With Distributed Constants

Artificial transmission lines have been very valuable in developing the theory of transmission of power. This theory has been developed in great detail for steady state conditions, and it is now important to extend it to cover transient conditions. This can best be done upon artificial transmission lines but the usual lumpy type of line introduces parasitic reflections caused by the discrete units of inductance, and therefore are of very limited use for this purpose. Attempts have been made from time to time to produce artificial lines with distributed constants, but the results were either unsatisfactory or expensive and bulky. A method, originally proposed by Pupin, has been developed by which small compact and cheap artificial transmission line coils can be designed and built to represent any desired configuration of circuit. These involve tinfoil wound in with the wire between the different layers, insulated from the winding by the usual form of condenser dielectric paper. One of the most difficult parts is to arrive at a coil with the proper constants. Formulas have been derived for doing this which will calculate the result given by the coil within the limits of manufacturing error, and which can be used in a straightforward manner similar to the design of other electrical apparatus. Either single or polyphase lines may be represented, and a single-phase line representing the average configuration of a 110,000-volt line approximately 1000 miles (1600 km.
Three computer programs for calculating cyclotron orbits

Three computer programs for calculating particle orbits with linearized vertical motion in general cyclotron magnetic fields are described in detail. The first program is used for finding properties of equilibrium orbits and small oscillations about them. The second program is a very flexible routine for determining the history of a particle under various conditions, including acceleration. Flexibility is achieved through the use of options such as a resonance-hunt routine, harmonic-bump routines, and an equilibrium-orbit-search routine. The third program, the deflector program, allows various combinations of electrostatic, magnetic, and regenerative extractors to be used.
Increased production of reactive oxygen species in hyperglycemic conditions requires dynamic change of mitochondrial morphology

Increased production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) by hyperglycemia is recognized as a major cause of the clinical complications associated with diabetes and obesity [Brownlee, M. (2001) Nature 414, 813–820]. We observed that dynamic changes in mitochondrial morphology are associated with high glucose-induced overproduction of ROS. Mitochondria undergo rapid fragmentation with a concomitant increase in ROS formation after exposure to high glucose concentrations. Neither ROS increase nor mitochondrial fragmentation was observed after incubation of cells with the nonmetabolizable stereoisomer l-glucose. However, inhibition of mitochondrial pyruvate uptake that blocked ROS increase did not prevent mitochondrial fragmentation in high glucose conditions. Importantly, we found that mitochondrial fragmentation mediated by the fission process is a necessary component for high glucose-induced respiration increase and ROS overproduction. Extended exposure to high glucose conditions, which may mimic untreated diabetic conditions, provoked a periodic and prolonged increase in ROS production concomitant with mitochondrial morphology change. Inhibition of mitochondrial fission prevented periodic fluctuation of ROS production during high glucose exposure. These results indicate that the dynamic change of mitochondrial morphology in high glucose conditions contributes to ROS overproduction and that mitochondrial fission/fusion machinery can be a previously unrecognized target to control acute and chronic production of ROS in hyperglycemia-associated disorders.
Exchange rate behavior with currency inconvertibility

Abstract The paper analyzes exchange rate dynamics in a world where the domestic currency is inconvertible into foreign currency and there is a ‘black market’ for foreign exchange. The official exchnage rate is thus set by policy but the black market rate is determined by portfolio balance. The stock of domestic money changes with the reported current account and the stock of foreign assets of the private sector changes with smuggling and other unreported current account transactions. The effects of capital and current account disturbances as well as the effects of changes in the level and the rate of crawl of the official rate on the black market premium and on the currency substitution ratio are analyzed in variants of the basic model.
The general linear model analysis of variance: its relevance to transportation planning and research†

Abstract The general linear model analysis of variance (GLANOVA) is discussed to show its relevance to several transportation planning and research topics. Two specific analytical procedures, an analysis of variance for multiway tables with unequal cell frequencies and an analysis of covariance, are presented. The potential applicability of these GLANOVA procedures to trip generation, mode split and market segmentation in transportation planning and research contexts is mentioned. It is concluded that further examination of GLANOVA techniques, both on empirical and analytical levels, will be fruitful for research studies. However, theoretical sophistication and lack of convenient computer programs which are compatible with transportation planning software make GLANOVA inappropriate for use in normal planning studies.
Region-specific tritium enrichment, and not differential -absorption, is the major cause of `quenching' in film autoradiography

Tritium quenching refers to the situation in which estimates of tritium content generated by film autoradiography depend on the chemical composition of the tissue as well as on the concentration of the radioisotope. When analysing thin brain sections, for example, regions rich in lipid content generate reduced optical densities on x-ray film compared with lipid-poor regions even when the total tissue concentration of tritium in those regions is identical. We hypothesize that the dried thickness of regions within sections depends upon the relative concentrations and types of lipid within the regions. Areas low in white matter dry thinner than areas high in white matter, leading to a relative enrichment of tritium in the thinner regions. To test this model, a series of brain pastes were made with different concentrations of grey and white matter and impregnated with equal amounts of tritium. The thickness of dried sections was compared with percentage of white matter and apparent radioactive content as determined by autoradiogram analysis. The results demonstrated that thickness increased, and apparent radioactivity decreased, with higher percentages of white matter. In the second experiment, thickness measurements from dried sections were successfully used to correct the apparent radioisotope content of autoradiograms created from tritium containing white- and grey-matter tissue slices. We conclude that within-section thickness variation is the major physical cause for 'tritium quenching'.
Privacy-aware personalization for mobile advertising

Mobile advertising is an increasingly important driver in the Internet economy. We point out fundamental trade-offs between important variables in the mobile advertisement ecosystem. In order to increase relevance, ad campaigns tend to become more targeted and personalized by using context information extracted from user's interactions and smartphone's sensors. This raises privacy concerns that are hard to overcome due to the limited resources (energy and bandwidth) available on the phones. We point out that in the absence of a trusted third party, it is impossible to maximize these three variables - ad relevance, privacy, and efficiency - in a single system. This leads to the natural question: can we formalize a common framework for personalized ad delivery that can be instantiated to any desired trade-off point? We propose such a flexible ad-delivery framework where personalization is done jointly by the server and the phone. We show that the underlying optimization problem is NP-hard and present an efficient algorithm with a tight approximation guarantee.Since tuning personalization rules requires implicit user feedback (clicks), we ask how can we, in an efficient and privacy-preserving way, gather statistics over a dynamic population of mobile users? This is needed for end-to-end privacy of an ad system. We propose the first differentially-private distributed protocol that works even in the presence of a dynamic and malicious set of users.We evaluate our methods with a large click log of location-aware searches in Microsoft Bing for mobile. Our experiments show that our framework can simultaneously achieve reasonable levels of privacy, efficiency, and ad relevance and can efficiently support a high churn rate of users during the gathering statistics that are required for personalization.
Immunoreactive alpha and beta subunits of follicle stimulating and luteinizing hormones in peripheral blood throughout the menstrual cycle and following stimulation with synthetic gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)

The concentration of immunoreactive α and β subunits of human LH (hLH) and human FSH (hFSH) were measured in unfractionated serum throughout normal menstrual cycles, and when GnRH was administered at about midcycle. The RIA subunit systems employed were sufficiently sensitive and specific to measure basal levels of free α-hLH, β-hLH, and α-hFSH. The β-hFSH system lacked sufficient sensitivity to measure β-hFSH in unfractionated serum. In normal cycles, α-hLH, β-hLH and α-hFSH were shown to circulate in the free form with highest concentrations occurring at the time of midcycle peak of LH and FSH. The concentration of subunits during the follicular phase were not significantly different from those observed during the luteal phase of the cycle. In response to GnRH administration during the periovulatory phase of the cycle, the increases in circulating free α-hLH, β-hLH, and of α-hFSH subunits were directly related to the increases in LH and FSH. Other investigators have shown that increases in circulating levels of free subunits are due to secretion from the pituitary gland rather than from peripheral dissociation of intact hormone. Therefore, it can be assumed that the increase in immunoreactive α-hLH, β-hLH, and of α-hFSH subunits observed in this study at midcycle represent release of free subunits in response to endogenous or exogenous GnRH administration.
Physics-based traffic excitation models for highway bridges

For long-term bridge health monitoring, structural dynamic properties are usually obtained by system identification based only on the system output (bridge vibration responses), because the system input (traffic excitation) is difficult to measure. To facilitate such identification the excitation is commonly assumed as spatially uncorrelated white noise. However, when physically modeling it as a stationary stream of moving forces traversing the bridge, whose arrivals at the bridge are in accordance with a Poisson process, the traffic excitation is found to be spatially correlated. In this paper a procedure for formulating the traffic excitation model based on its physics is proposed, which involves first converting the moving forces into equivalent nodal excitation time-histories by the dynamic nodal loading approach, and then applying the Campbell’s theorem for the filtered Poisson processes. By this procedure, a non-diagonal frequency-variant excitation spectrum density matrix (SDM) is obtained. This does not conform to the conventional white noise excitation model. One of the output-only identification techniques based on the conventional excitation model, the frequency domain decomposition technique is implemented to demonstrate that direct application of the technique to traffic-induced vibrations can lead to misleading results. The proposed procedure for formulating the traffic excitation SDM provides a way to describe primary knowledge of the traffic excitation in frequency domain even for complicated bridges, which will potentially enable improvement in output-only identification techniques with unknown but spatially correlated excitation.
The Effect of Feeding Diethylstilbestrol to Cockerels

Abstract LORENZ (1943) reported that implantations of pellets of diethylstilbestrol increased both the total amount of abdominal fat and the per cent fat in breast and leg muscle of cockerels. This author (1944) reported similar results in turkeys although the results were not so marked as they were in chickens. Jaap and Thayer (1944) observed that amounts of diethylstilbestrol up to 100 mg. failed to produce sufficient effect to be of practical use in fattening chickens when the product was given by mouth. In another report, Thayer, Jaap and Penquite (1944) showed that when diethylstilbestrol was added to the feed in a concentration of 23 mg. per pound, its fattening effect was extremely low when fed for four weeks to eight weeks old fryers and old cock birds showed only slight improvement over controls even when fed for five weeks at a 200 mg. level. The dimethyl ether of stilbestrol, however, . . .
Steady and oscillatory buoyant thermocapillary convection

This paper reviews some aspects of our recent work pertinent to the character and stability of two dimensional and three dimensional thermocapillary and buoyant thermocapillary flows in a fixed rectangular cavity. For two dimensional calculations, the flow is assumed isothermal at the two vertical boundaries and adiabatic at the others. Three dimensional calculations include an assumed periodicity in the axial direction with planes of symmetry separating respective calculation regions. In all cases, thermocapillarity influences flow through a tangential shear boundary condition at the free surface. The limit of small Capillary number (Ca→0) is assumed and thus the free-surface is nondeformable to leading order.
Early exposure to environmental chaos and children's physical and mental health

Environmental chaos has been proposed as a central influence impeding children's health and development, with the potential for particularly pernicious effects during the earliest years when children are most susceptible to environmental insults. This study evaluated a high-risk sample, following 495 low-income children living in poor urban neighborhoods from infancy to age 6. Longitudinal multilevel models tested the main tenets of the ecobiodevelopmental theory, finding that: (1) numerous distinct domains of environmental chaos were associated with children's physical and mental health outcomes, including housing disorder, neighborhood disorder, and relationship instability, with no significant results for residential instability; (2) different patterns emerged in relation to the timing of exposure to chaos, with more proximal exposure most strongly associated with children's functioning; and (3) the intensity of chaos also was a robust predictor of child functioning. Contrary to expectations, neither biological vulnerability (proxied through low birth weight status), maternal sensitivity, nor maternal distress moderated the role of chaos. Rather, maternal psychological distress functioned as a pathway through which environmental chaos was associated with children's functioning.