cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Study on Direct Reduction of Harmonics of Ultra High Power AC Arc Furnaces in Uneasy Mode of Operation

An arc furnace (AF) transformer is extensively subjected to harmonics generated by furnace. To mitigate this, filters are installed usually at AF primary terminals. In this scenario, the harmful current components, namely, the furnace-generated harmonics, the unbalanced, and reactive current, contribute to the transformer energy loss. This loss can be reduced if the filter is installed at the secondary terminals of the AF transformer. This article investigates and validates the furnace performance when the reactive current compensation and harmonic mitigation is implemented on the secondary side of AF transformer. The studies were performed using a real-time simulator OPAL-RT. Results from these studies can significantly enhance our understanding of the impact of filter installed at the furnace terminals.
Connecting Researchers with Research Data Management Information

Outreach strategies include:  Information sessions  Low-traffic mailing list (rdmsg-announce-l@cornell.edu)  Web site (data.research.cornell.edu)  Twitter (@CURDMSG)  Links from other service providers  Office of Sponsored Programs  Center for Advanced Computing  Outreach at campus events  Life Sciences Research Resources Expo  Growing the network  Reference and liaison librarians  Departmental administrative staff
Why conductivity is not always king – physical properties governing the capacitance of 2D metal–organic framework-based EDLC supercapacitor electrodes: a Ni3(HITP)2 case study

We report a systematic study on the variation of the physical properties of Ni3(HITP)2 (HITP = 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexaiminotriphenylene) in the context of their influence on the capacitive behavior of this material in supercapacitor electrodes prepared using the neat MOF. We find that, for this representative material, the sample morphology has a greater impact on the measured electrode performance than differences in bulk electrical conductivity.
Racial Resentment, Empathy, and Support for Release during COVID-19: Results from a Survey Experiment

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has presented the American criminal justice system with unprecedented challenges, including protecting the safety of incarcerated men and women. Given the ill-su...
Role of NEAT1/MiR-9-5p/SLC26A2 Pathway on Human Airway Smooth Muscle Cell

Purpose Asthma is a serious inflammatory disease of the respiratory system in which airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) play a key role. This study aimed to investigate the expression of SLC26A2 in human ASMCs (HASMCs) and the regulatory mechanism of SLC26A2 in the proliferation and inflammatory factor production of HASMCs. Materials and methods We obtained the asthma-associated differential mRNA SLC26A2 by bioinformatics analysis in childhood acute asthma samples. To investigate its role in airway inflammation and airway remodeling, we treated HASMCs with platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in an in vitro model and determined SLC26A2 expression in cells using western blotting. Cell proliferation was detected by MTT and EdU assays, and cell contractile phenotype marker proteins were measured. Cell migration and production of inflammatory factors were determined by Transwell and ELISA assays. Additionally, the upstream regulatory miRNA and LncRNA of SLC26A2 were identified by bioinformatics, luciferase reporter gene, and RIP analyses. Results SLC26A2 was significantly upregulated in bioinformatics analysis of pediatric asthma-related sample. PDGF treatment up-regulated SLC26A2 expression in HASMCs, whereas the knockdown of SLC26A2 inhibited PDGF-stimulated proliferation, migration, and production of inflammatory factors, and enhanced the expression of cell contractile phenotype marker proteins in HASMCs. Luciferase reporter and RIP experiments validated that NEAT1 targeted miR-9-5p to regulate SLC26A2, thereby influencing the biological function of PDGF-induced HASMCs. Conclusion These findings indicate that NEAT1-mediated miR-9-5p targeting of SLC26A2 inhibits the PDGF-induced proliferation and production of inflammatory factors in HASMCs. These findings highlight potential therapeutic targets for asthma and airway inflammation.
Fields, Spaces and States

Models allow us to both understand and predict phenomena. In the case of models used in environmental health risk assessment, the phenomena are those of the relationship between sources of risk (e.g. a factory), the state of the environment (e.g. the state of the atmosphere), and various states of health. The predictions tell us what will happen to both the state of the environment and the state of health under well-described circumstances such as an experiment or introduction of an environmental policy. If models also embody understanding, they tell us why these events happen in the order in which they do, based on an understanding of the principles governing the phenomenon. Environmental models are most successful when they embody both prediction and understanding, and so this book focuses on both aspects of a model.
MICON: Automated Design of Computer Systems

Semiconductor technology is providing tremendous opportunities for high processing power, reliable, and low-cost computers in the office or lab. Many of these computers, spanning the range from personal computers to super-mini’s, are based on commercially available microprocessor family components. The high-end microprocessors available today commonly support virtual memory and main memory cache. Complementing these devices are a full array of high-performance dedicated processors (e.g. graphics controllers and numerical coprocessors) and communication components. A very sophisticated machine can be constructed almost entirely from off-the-shelf components. It appears that semiconductor designers have just begun to tap the well of possibilities, promising more performance and function in future chips.
World Population Projections for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Scenarios

A survey is made of the latest world population projections issued by the United Nations, World Bank, U.S. Census Bureau, and International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. Medium variants from all the organizations show excellent agreement with respect to many features of future world population growth. It appears that little would be gained by obtaining additional regional projections made by governments or organizations other than those listed above. In general, the new range of population projections that are candidates for forthcoming IPCC emissions scenarios are narrower and lower than the previous IPCC IS92 population range: a reflection of updated information on the decline of fertility rates in developing countries and the incorporation of a plausible correlation between mortality rates and fertility rates within the IIASA ‘rapid’ and ‘slow’ demographic transition variants. Comments are made on the schematic approach of forecasting CO2 emissions using multiplicative identities such as ‘IPAT’ (impact/emissions = population × affluence × technology). Although the unqualified IPAT model suggests that emissions should scale linearly with population, a number of caveats to this exist, the most important of which may be factor interactions. A brief review is made of conventional thinking about interactions between population growth and economic development. Correlation studies and theory suggest that population growth has a neutral or, at most, weak negative effect on economic growth. Conversely, it is well established that higher per capita incomes are well correlated with lower fertility and mortality rates in developing countries. Therefore, a plausible first-order relationship worth exploring in the next generation of IPCC scenarios is that scenarios with higher average economic growth rates in the developing world should be associated with lower fertility and mortality rates there. Calculations are presented that illustrate the effect this negative correlation could have had on the range of the older IS92 emission scenarios, assuming that all other factors are unchanged. Finally, some policy issues concerning population and global warming are reviewed in connection with the IPCC’s omission of population policy discussion in its 1995 Second Assessment Report.
Food selection criteria for disaster response planning in urban societies

Background Nutrition professionals that have menu planning and disaster management responsibilities should consider factors that have transcended from ancient to current times, in addition to recognizing societal trends that have led to our current increased vulnerability in the event of a disaster. Hence, we proceeded to develop a set of “Disaster Response Diets” (DRDs) for use in urban societies inclusive of the aforementioned considerations.
The Evolution of the Common Law

This book chapter — originally delivered as the Donald W. Sutherland Memorial Lecture in Law and History at the University of Iowa and now published in this festschrift for Professor R.H. Helmholz — explores evolution as a metaphor to deepen our understanding of the development of the common law. The book chapter also uses examples, drawn from different centuries, to examine the role of external factors in the common law’s evolution.
A new chemical economy

The United States has a big problem when it comes to our production and consumption of chemicals— and we9ve been thinking about it all wrong. So argues Ken Geiser in his sweeping new tome, Chemicals Without Harm. Instead of decrying (and attempting to regulate) the health and environmental impacts of hazardous chemicals, Geiser argues that we need to see hazardous chemicals as the symptom of a much larger problem: a whole chemical economy gone awry. In addressing this new version of the problem, he issues a far-reaching scientific,technical, and cultural challenge: retool the material basis of our society toward a system that produces and uses dramatically safer chemicals.
Climate Cultures: Anthropological Perspectives on Climate Change

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our times, yet also seemingly intractable. This book offers novel insights on this contemporary challenge, drawing together the state-of-the-art thinking in anthropology. Approaching climate change as a nexus of nature, culture, science, politics, and belief, the book reveals nuanced ways of understanding the relationships between society and climate, science and the state, certainty and uncertainty, global and local that are manifested in climate change debates. The contributors address three major areas of inquiry: how climate change issues have been framed in previous times compared to the present; how knowledge about climate change and its impacts is produced and interpreted by different groups; and how imagination plays a role in shaping conceptions of climate change.
Tobacco use and surgical outcomes in patients with head and neck cancer

Background Tobacco use is a risk factor for head and neck cancer, but effects on postoperative outcomes are unclear. Methods Patients with head and neck cancer (n = 89) were recruited before surgery. We assessed self-reported tobacco use status (never, former, or current) at study entry and recent tobacco exposure via urinary cotinine on surgery day. Outcomes included hospital length of stay (LOS) and complications. Results Most participants reported current (32.6%) or former (52.8%) tobacco use; 43.2% were cotinine-positive on surgery day. Complications occurred in 41.6% and mean LOS was 4.0 and 8.8 days in patients who received low and high acuity procedures, respectively. Current and former smokers were over 6 times more likely to have complications than never smokers (p = .03). For high acuity procedures, LOS was increased in current (by 4.4 days) and former smokers (by 2.3 days; p = .02). Conclusion Tobacco use status is associated with postoperative complications and may distinguish at-risk patients. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2015
15-Deoxy-prostaglandin J2 inhibits PDGF-A and -B chain expression in human vascular endothelial cells independent of PPARγ

Abstract 15-Deoxy-prostaglandin J 2 (15 d-PGJ 2 ) is an endogenous ligand of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and plays an important role in the regulation of endothelial cell growth and apoptosis. However, the detailed mechanisms are poorly understood. We hypothesized that 15d-PGJ2 might affect PDGF expression in endothelial cells through activating PPARγ. Here we documented that 15d-PGJ2 dose-dependently inhibited phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA)-stimulated expression of the PDGF-A and PDGF-B chain in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) by Northern blot and Western blot analyses. In contrast, the synthetic and high-affinity PPARγ agonists, including ciglitazone and GW7845, did not affect PMA-induced PDGF expression. In addition, we found that the PPARγ antagonist GW9662 did not block the effects of 15d-PGJ2 on PDGF expression. Furthermore, Northern blot analysis showed that 15d-PGJ2 inhibited the expression of Sp1, which is a well-known positive regulator of PDGF transcription. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the inhibition of PDGF expression by 15d-PGJ2 in HUVEC is independent of PPARγ, but may be through the downregulation of Sp1.
Hybrid framework for fusion 2+ in multi-multi air engagement

Fusion 2+ of air-to-air engagement involves pressing, real-time constraints and very large amounts of imperfect data. Real-time data acquired during an air-to-air engagement will have different types of imperfection; two representative classes of imperfection are vagueness and ambiguity in the data. However, the current approaches of managing Fusion 2+ are limited to utilize either vague data or ambiguous data. The most popular fusion technique for vague data is Fuzzy Logic, and for ambiguous data, the Bayesian Network. The challenge addressed in this proposal is to explore the framework of a hybrid processing Fusion 2+ model that can formally process both vague (fuzzy) and ambiguous (probabilistic) data types. There are two major issues for building this Fusion 2+ model. The first issue is to mathematically integrate the heterogeneous models, which have different domains, probability and possibility. The second issue is to programmatically integrate two different S/Ws. For solving the first issue, this research explores and adopts two novel transformation methods between probability and possibility and compares the sensitivity between methods. Also this research provides an Object Oriented Tool for building a hybrid model by adopting an Application Programming Interface, so that we can model the complex (multi-to-multi) Fusion 2+ model of an air-to-air engagement.
Evaluating variable resolution displays with visual search: task performance and eye movements

Gaze-contingent variable resolution display techniques allocate computational resources for image generation preferentially to the area around the center of gaze where visual sensitivity to detail is the greatest. Although these techniques are computationally efficient, their behavioral consequences with realistic tasks and materials are not well understood. The behavior of human observers performing visual search of natural scenes using gaze-contingent variable resolution displays is examined. A two-region display was used where a high-resolution region was centered on the instantaneous center of gaze, and the surrounding region was presented in a lower resolution. The radius of the central high-resolution region was varied from 1 to 15 degrees while the total amount of computational resources required to generate the visual display was kept constant. Measures of reaction time, accuracy, and fixation duration suggest that task performance is comparable to that seen for uniform resolution displays when the central region size is approximately 5 degrees.
Expression of differentiated functions in mouse neuroblastoma mediated by dibutyryl-cyclic adenosine monophosphate.

CELLS derived from the mouse neuroblastoma (C1300) grown in culture are predominantly round and highly refractile. A small number of the cells are flatter and possess one or more extensions (“neurites”) which may be as long as 3 mm1–3. The proportion of these morphologically differentiated cells increases when the medium lacks serum4 or when 5-bromo-deoxyuridine is added5. The cells also contain enzymes of neural function2,6 and are capable of generating action potentials in vitro7,8. We now show that differentiated characteris-tics of neuroblastoma cells can be induced by N6,O2′-dibutyryl adenosine 3′ : 5′-monophosphate (dibutyryl-cyclicAMP).
A neurochemical differentiation between exposure to stress and the development of learned helplessness

Both learned helplessness and stress produce deficits in escape/avoidance behavior. The yoked control paradigm was used to compare these two phenomena, with pairs of animals exposed to the same amount of shock—in one case controllable (stress) and in the other uncontrollable (learned helplessness). Stressed animals demonstrated a transient (one day) elevation in serotonin levels in the septal synaptosomal pellet. On the other hand, animals subjected to uncontrollable footshock sustained a significant decrease in septal synaptosomal serotonin for five days. Similar differences were found in the anterior cortex, but not in the posterior cortex or hippocampus. This work demonstrates the importance of using appropriate controls in neurochemical and pharmacologic research with learned helplessness.
Sexual compulsivity among heterosexual college students.

A growing body of literature suggests that an association exists between sexual compulsivity and participation in sexual behaviors that are high risk in terms of HIV/STD infection. In most of these studies, sexual compulsivity has been measured using the Sexual Compulsivity Scale (SCS; Kalichman & Rompa, 1995). As yet, sexual compulsivity has only been assessed with this scale among individuals who are members of “high risk” groups for HIV infection or who are HIV‐positive. In this study, we found support for reliability and construct validity of the SCS in a sample of 876 heterosexual college students, a group not yet examined in the sexual addiction and compulsivity literature. Construct validity was substantiated by the presence of significant relationships of sexual compulsivity with frequencies of sexual behaviors and numbers of sexual partners. The scale was also related to gender and age. Sexual compulsivity scores were associated with frequency of risky sexual behaviors. The relationships between ...
Factors affecting marine debris deposition at French Frigate Shoals, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, 1990–2006

Data on the amount and type of small debris items deposited on the beaches of the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge Tern Island station, French Frigate Shoals were collected over 16 years. We calculated deposition rates and investigated the relationship among deposition and year, season, El Nino and La Nina events from 1990 to 2006. In total 52,442 debris items were collected with plastic comprising 71% of all items collected. Annual debris deposition varied significantly (range 1116-5195 items) but was not influenced by season. Debris deposition was significantly greater during El Nino events as compared to La Nina events. Although often deduced to influence floating marine pollution, this study provides the first quantitative evidence of the influence of El Nino/La Nina cycles on marine debris deposition.
Microsomal activation and increased production of 4'-(9-acridinylamino)-3-methanesulfon-m-anisidide (m-AMSA)-dependent, topoisomerase-associated DNA lesions in nuclei from human HL-60 leukemia cells.

Des etudes anterieures ayant demontre que certains metabolites de l'amsacrine etaient plus cytotoxiques que cette derniere, des fractions microsomales ont ete utilisees dans cette etude car elles contiennent des isozymes du cytochrome P450 qui sont supposes interagir avec la substance etudiee en catalysant son metabolisme. La mesure de l'ADN endommage au niveau du noyau des cellules HL60 humaines, incubees en presence de l'anticancereux a ete etudiee
Self-assembly of flat sheets into closed surfaces

A recent experiment [Boncheva Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102, 3924 (2005)] introduced the possibility of initiating the self-assembly of a three-dimensional structure from a flat elastic sheet. The ultimate utility of this method for assembly depends on whether it leads to incorrect, metastable structures. Here we examine how the number of metastable states depends on the sheet shape and thickness. Using simulations and theory, we identify out-of-plane buckling as the key event leading to metastability. The buckling strain that arises from joining edges of a planar sheet can be estimated using the theory of dislocations in elastic media. The number of metastable states increases rapidly with increasing variability in the boundary curvature and decreasing sheet thickness.
Minimum principle for autoionizing states.

An approximation procedure is introduced for the evaluation of the parameters that determine the positions, widths, and asymmetric shapes of resonance profiles associated with autoionizing states. The essential feature of the method is the availability of a minimum principle to aid in the optimization of trial functions. Such functions, suitably antisymmetrized, are used in the variational calculation of the nonresonant background contribution to the continuum wave function describing a resonant electron-ion scattering process. The rigor of the minimum principle can be maintained, even for atomic systems consisting of more than two electrons, if sufficiently accurate trial bound-state wave functions are employed in the description of ionic target states and those discrete states of the full system that are embedded in the continuum. The analysis of the general problem is preceded, for illustrative purposes, by a study of a solvable model of a resonant two-channel scattering system; the utility of the minimum principle is demonstrated by comparison of exact and variationally determined s-wave cross sections. The applicability of the formalism to the calculation of resonant photoionization and bound-state Compton scattering amplitudes is discussed briefly. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
The century for cytopathology.

By the end of the 19th century, exfoliated cancer cells had been described in all of the types of specimen in which we find them today. However, it was not until Drs. Papanicolaou and Traut published their account of the diagnosis of uterine cancer from exfoliated cells (1941 and 1943) that cytopathology acquired the momentum to develop into the powerful presence that it has in human medicine today. These and the subsequent publications by Papanicolaou stimulated the development and application of cytopathology worldwide, resulting in abundant literature on the subject and a galaxy of outstanding practitioners. The 1980s saw the development and widespread use of aspiration cytology. This was followed in the 1990s by the development of automated screening systems, marking the latest stage in the evolution of cytopathology. These and other events and achievements in cytopathology, from its meager beginnings in the early 20th century to its worldwide use and acceptance today, mark this century as the "century for cytopathology."
A linear potential model of aqueous solvation energies

Abstract Solvation energies of singly and multiply charged aqueous metal cations are predicted from calculated potential energies due to solvent dipoles and to electron transfer. The formalism is obtained from the Hellmann-Feynman theorem.
Organ culture of postnatal rat liver: Effects of ethanol on lipid metabolism

Abstract Organ culture explants of 3- to 5-day-old postnatal rat liver were used to examine in vitro hepatocyte lipid metabolism as affected by incubation with 1.0% ethanol, v/v, 173 m M ) for 6 hr. Lipogenesis, as measured by [ 14 C]acetate incorporation into explant lipids, and fatty acid esterification, measured by [ 14 C]palmitate incorporation into triglycerides, were both increased by ethanol administration. Production of 14 CO 2 by the explants from [ 14 C]palmitate, [ 14 C]acetate, and [ 14 C]glucose was decreased following incubation with ethanol. Ethanol did not affect the release of labeled lipids from the explants into the media. Increases in the explant lactate/pyruvate ratio during incubation with ethanol and incorporation of [ 14 C]ethanol into fatty acids indicated that the explants were oxidizing ethanol to acetate. Explant viability, as judged by [ 3 H]leucine incorporation into cellular protein and morphologic appearance by light and electron microscopy, was unaffected by incubation with 1.0% ethanol for up to 24 hr. Despite apparently increased lipogenesis and decreased fatty acid oxidation by the explants during ethanol administration, no statistically significant ethanol-induced increases in explant triglyceride or fatty acid concentration were found unless the explants were incubated with media supplemented to 25% serum as an exogenous lipid source. These results indicate that acute hepatic explant lipid accumulation during ethanol administration is due primarily to deposition of exogenous lipids, with increased lipogenesis contributing only minimally to the increased deposition of lipids.
Transition of the Large-Scale Atmospheric and Land Surface Conditions from the Dry to the Wet Season over Amazonia as Diagnosed by the ECMWF Re-Analysis

Abstract Using 15-yr instantaneous European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Re-Analysis (ERA) data, the authors have examined the large-scale atmospheric conditions and the local surface fluxes through the transition periods from the dry to wet seasons over the southern Amazon region (5°–15°S, 45°–75°W). The composite results suggest that the transition can be divided into three phases: initiating, developing, and mature. The initiating phase is dominated by the local buildup of the available potential energy. This begins about 90 days prior to the onset of the wet season by the increase of local land surface fluxes, especially latent heat flux, which increases the available potential energy of the lower troposphere. The cross-equatorial flow and upper-tropospheric circulation remain unchanged from those of the dry season. The developing phase is dominated by the seasonal transition of the large-scale circulation, which accelerates by dynamic feedbacks to an increase of locally thermal-driven ra...
Cross-hedging foreign currency risk: Empirical evidence from an error correction model

In this article, the traditional price change hedge ratio estimation method is extended by applying the theory of cointegration in the case of cross-hedging of spot exchange risk of the Belgian franc (BF), the Italian lira (IL), and the Dutch guilder (NG) with U.S. Dollar Index futures contracts. Previous studies ignore the last period's equilibrium error and short-run deviations. The findings of this study indicate that the hedge ratio estimated by the error correction method is superior to that obtained from the traditional method, as evidenced by the likelihood ratio test and out-of-sample forecasts. Hedgers will be able to control the risk of their portfolios more effectively at a lower cost.
The significances of bacterial colony patterns

Bacteria do many things as organized populations. We have recently learned much about the molecular basis of intercellular communication among prokaryotes. Colonies display bacterial capacities for multicellular coordination which can be useful in nature where bacteria predominantly grow as films, chains, mats and colonies. E. coli colonies are organized into differentiated non-clonal populations and undergo complex morphogenesis. Multicellularity regulates many aspects of bacterial physiology, including DNA rearrangement systems. In some bacterial species, colony development involves swarming (active migration of cell groups). Swarm colony development displays precise geometrical controls and periodic phenomena. Motile E. coli cells in semi-solid media form organized patterns due to chemotactic autoaggregation. On poor media, B. subtilis forms branched colonies using group motility and long-range chemical signalling. The significances of bacterial colony patterns thus reside in a deeper understanding of prokaryotic biology and evolution and in experimental systems for studying self-organization and morphogenesis.
Carbon Dynamics of Surface Residue– and Root-derived Organic Matter under Simulated No-till

No-till practices have the potential to increase soil organic C, but little is known about the relative contribution of surface residue and roots to soil organic C accumulation. In a simulated no-till experiment, we studied the fate of 14 C-labeled surface residue and in situ roots during a 1-yr incubation. Soil samples collected during the incubation were chemically dispersed and separated into five particle size and density fractions. The organic C, 14 C, and total N content of each fraction was determined. Alkali traps were used to measure 14 C losses due to respiration. After 360 d, 66% of the 14 C contained in the surface residue on Day 0 had been respired as 14 CO 2 , 11% remained in residue on the soil surface, and 16% was in the soil. In comparison, 56% of the root-derived 14 C in the soil was evolved as 14 CO 2 and 42% remained in the soil. The large (500-2000 μm) and small (53-500 μm) particulate organic matter (POM) fractions together contained 11 to 16% of the initial root-derived 14 C in the soil. In contrast, POM contained only 1 to 3% of the inital surface residue-derived 14 C. These data show dear differences in the partitioning of surface residue- and root-derived C during decomposition and imply that the beneficial effects of no-till on soil organic C accrual are primarily due to the increased retention of root-derived C in the soil.
Electro-Optic Tunable Filter

This paper describes the performance characteristics of an electronically tunable optical filter based on the electro-optic effect. Like the acousto-optic tunable filter, this device operates by selectively coupling principal polarizations in a birefringent crystal at a phase-matched wavelength by means of a spatially periodic refractive index perturbation. Instead of a traveling acoustic wave, however, the electro-optic tunable filter employs a temporally static electric field. The main advantages of this filter are its very low power consumption and its versatility of passband programming, by virtue of sepa-rately addressable voltages under microprocessor control. Two basic embodiments of the filter structure are described, one using longitudinal fields collinear with the light beam, the other using transverse fields in a "thick waveguide" configuration. Various examples of passband synthesis are described that result from apodizing the amplitude of the applied electric field perturbations. Experimental results of filter transfer characteristics at visible wavelengths are presented for the basic transfer function, for passband broadening, and for sidelobe suppression, together with theoretical computer plots showing excellent agreement. Typical driver voltages are 50 to 100 V.
The Fumed Silica Surface: A Study by NMR

High-resolution solid-state NMR techniques were used to investigate the surface structure of Cab-O-Sil fumed silica. 1H NMR results obtained from CRAMPS, MAS-only and relaxation studies reveal the existence of both hydrogen-bonded silanols and isolated silanols on the Cab-O-Sil surface. A systematic dehydration study of fumed silica was carried out, with results on the quantity of each type of silanol on the surface at various dehydration stages. 29Si CP-MAS experiments, including CP spin dynamics studies and various other relaxation studies, were employed to probe hydrogen bonding and the local structural environments of various hydroxyl groups of silica surfaces. 29Si CP-MAS experiments on water-treated and deuterium-exchanged Cab-O-Sil indicate the existence of interparticle silanols and internal silanols in fumed silica. 1H and 29Si NMR show that for fumed silica both isolated and hydrogen-bonded silanols are present on the surface of an untreated sample, in contrast to the case of silica gel, where a...
Synthesis and in vacuo deposition of iron oxide nanoparticles by microplasma-assisted decomposition of ferrocene

Microplasma-assisted gas-phase nucleation has emerged as an important new approach to produce high-purity, nanometer-sized, and narrowly dispersed particles. This study aims to integrate this technique with vacuum conditions to enable synthesis and deposition in an ultrahigh vacuum compatible environment. The ultimate goal is to combine nanoparticle synthesis with photoemission spectroscopy-based electronic structure analysis. Such measurements require in vacuo deposition to prevent surface contamination from sample transfer, which can be deleterious for nanoscale materials. A homebuilt microplasma reactor was integrated into an existing atomic layer deposition system attached to a surface science multi-chamber system equipped with photoemission spectroscopy. As proof-of-concept, we studied the decomposition of ferrocene vapor in the microplasma to synthesize iron oxide nanoparticles. The injection parameters were optimized to achieve complete precursor decomposition under vacuum conditions, and nanoparticles were successfully deposited. The stoichiometry of the deposited samples was characterized in situ using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicating that iron oxide was formed. Additional transmission electron spectroscopy characterization allowed the determination of the size, shape, and crystal lattice of the particles, confirming their structural properties.
Functional development of the hypothalamo-hypophyseal-adrenal cortex axis in the chick embryo, Gallus domesticus.

Basal plasma levels of corticosterone increased gradually during the second half of incubation, reaching a peak around the time of hatching. Stress resulted in a very significant elevation of corticosterone above the basal level in embryos 16 days or older, but not in younger embryos. Newly hatched chicks did not respond to stress, but a typical stress response was evident one week after hatching. Adrenocorticotropin (100 mU) elicited a significant rise in plasma corticosterone in 14-day embryos and in newly hatched chicks, demonstrating that the adrenal is capable of responding to pituitary stimulation at these times when a stress response does not occur. Decapitated 16-day embryos had significantly lower basal levels of corticosterone than normal, and showed no rise in corticosterone in response to stress. Basal levels of corticosterone were unaffected by decapitation of 14-day embryos. Grafting ten-day embryonic pituitaries to the chorioallantoic membrane on day 9 of incubation restored normal basal hormone levels on day 16 in decapitated embryos, but did not restore the ability to respond to stress. This study demonstrates that the hypothalamo-hypophyseal-adrenal axis is functional before hatching in chicks. The adrenal exhibits significant autonomous functional capability prior to day 14, and the pituitary becomes important in maintaining both the resting level of hormone and the stress response between days 14 and 16 of incubation. The hypothalamus does not appear to control normal resting levels of corticosterone, but is essential for the stress response.
Structural and superconducting properties of isoelectronic Sb-substituted Ba1−xKxBiO3

Abstract Single phase samples of (Ba 1− x K x )(Bi 1− y Sb y )O 3 have been synthesized over a limited compositional range using a two-step procedure: high-temperature firing in a low oxygen partial pressure followed by low-temperature oxygen annealing. For y > 0 samples are superconducting only in a simple cubic structure with T c gradually decreasing as y increases for fixed x . As in the case of potassium only ( y =0) substituted material, the highest T c is found in the compositional range adjacent to the structural phase transition into the lower symmetry nonsuperconducting phase. Mossbauer effect measurements indicate that Sb is close to +5 valent state with small mixed valent behavior which increases with Sb content.
Selenomethionine contents of NIST wheat reference materials

Values of the total selenium and selenomethionine (Semet) content of four wheat-based reference materials have been obtained by gas chromatography-stable isotope dilution mass spectrometry methods. The total Se method is an established one, and the results obtained with it are consistent with previously-assigned values. The Semet method (previously reported by our laboratory) is based on reaction with CNBr. Our data indicate that the four wheat samples (wheat gluten, durum wheat, hard red spring wheat, and soft winter wheat), though having a 30-fold range in total Se content, all have about 45% of their total Se values in the form of selenomethionine. Investigation of the CNBr-based method suggests that additional experiments are needed to verify that all selenomethionine in the wheat samples is accounted for, but also indicates that the values obtained are within 15% of the true values. As the form in which Se occurs in foods and dietary supplements is important from a nutritional perspective, adding information about Se speciation to total Se values in appropriate reference materials makes these materials more valuable in relevant analytical work.
Solute crystallization in mannitol-glycine systems--implications on protein stabilization in freeze-dried formulations.

The use of mannitol in combination with glycine has resulted in stable freeze-dried protein formulations. Our objectives were to (1) study solute crystallization in ternary systems containing mannitol, glycine, and water during all the stages of freeze drying as a function of processing conditions and formulation variables; (2) investigate the effect of sodium phosphate buffer salts on the crystallization of both mannitol and glycine and vice versa; and (3) investigate the effects of these excipients in a freeze-dried lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) formulation. X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to study the frozen aqueous solutions. Phase transitions during primary and secondary drying were monitored by simulating the entire freeze-drying process in situ in the sample chamber of the diffractometer. LDH activity after freeze drying was determined spectrophotometrically. In frozen aqueous solutions containing mannitol and glycine, each solute influenced the extent of crystallization of the other. The solutes crystallized as delta-mannitol and beta-glycine during primary drying. Glycine had a stronger tendency to crystallize, while it was easier to influence mannitol crystallization. The buffer salts inhibited the crystallization of mannitol and glycine. However, in some cases, during primary drying, glycine crystallization was followed by that of disodium hydrogen phosphate dodecahydrate. The latter underwent dehydration forming an amorphous anhydrate. It was possible to correlate the extent of crystallization of mannitol and glycine in the lyophile with the retention of protein activity. An increase in buffer concentration decreased the crystallinity of mannitol and glycine. This translated to increased retention of protein activity.
Multiscale Analysis of Hydrology in a Mountaintop Mine-Impacted Watershed

In the Appalachian region of the eastern United States, mountaintop removal mining (MTM) is a dominant driver of land-cover change, impacting 6.8% of the largely forested 4.86 million ha coal fields region. Recent catastrophic flooding and documented biological impairment downstream of MTM has drawn sharp criticism to this practice. Despite its extent, scale, and use since the 1970s, the impact of MTM on hydrology is poorly understood. Therefore, the goal of this study was a multiscale evaluation to establish the nature of hydrologic impacts associated with MTM. To quantify the extent of MTM, land-cover change over the lifetime of this practice is estimated for a mesoscale watershed in southern West Virginia. To assess hydrologic impacts, we conducted long-term trend analyses to evaluate for systematic changes in hydrology at the mesoscale, and conducted hydrometric and response time modeling to characterize storm-scale responses of a MTM-impacted headwater catchment. Results show a general trend in the conversion of forests to mines, and significant decreases in maximum streamflow and variability, and increases in base-flow ratio attributed to valley fills and deep mine drainage. Decreases in variability are shown across spatial and temporal scales having important implications for water quantity and quality. However, considerable research is necessary to understand how MTM impacts hydrology. In an effort to inform future research, we identify existing knowledge gaps and limitations of our study.
Identification of CD4+ T cell epitopes in C. burnetii antigens targeted by antibody responses.

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium that causes acute Q fever and chronic infections in humans. A killed, whole cell vaccine is efficacious, but vaccination can result in severe local or systemic adverse reactions. Although T cell responses are considered pivotal for vaccine derived protective immunity, the epitope targets of CD4+ T cell responses in C. burnetii vaccination have not been elucidated. Since mapping CD4+ epitopes in a genome with over 2,000 ORFs is resource intensive, we focused on 7 antigens that were known to be targeted by antibody responses. 117 candidate peptides were selected from these antigens based on bioinformatics predictions of binding to the murine MHC class II molecule H-2 IAb. We screened these peptides for recognition by IFN-γ producing CD4+ T cell in phase I C. burnetii whole cell vaccine (PI-WCV) vaccinated C57BL/6 mice and identified 8 distinct epitopes from four different proteins. The identified epitope targets account for 8% of the total vaccination induced IFN-γ producing CD4+ T cells. Given that less than 0.4% of the antigens contained in C. burnetii were screened, this suggests that prioritizing antigens targeted by antibody responses is an efficient strategy to identify at least a subset of CD4+ targets in large pathogens. Finally, we examined the nature of linkage between CD4+ T cell and antibody responses in PI-WCV vaccinated mice. We found a surprisingly non-uniform pattern in the help provided by epitope specific CD4+ T cells for antibody production, which can be specific for the epitope source antigen as well as non-specific. This suggests that a complete map of CD4+ response targets in PI-WCV vaccinated mice will likely include antigens against which no antibody responses are made.
Water soluble polymers. 76. Electrolyte responsive cyclocopolymers with sulfobetaine units exhibiting polyelectrolyte or polyampholyte behavior in aqueous media

Copolymers of N,N-diallyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride (DADMAC) and the zwitterionic monomer 3-(N,N-diallyl-N-methylammonio)propanesulfonate (DAMAPS) have been prepared in a 0.5 M NaCl aqueous solution using 2-hydroxy-1-[4-(hydroxyethoxy)phenyl]-2-methyl-1-propanone (Irgacure 2959) as the free-radical photoinitiator. The feed ratio of DADMAC:DAMAPS was varied from 100:0 to 0:100 mol % with the total monomer concentration held constant at 2.5 M. 13C NMR data indicate that the resulting polymers maintain the five-membered ring structure in the cis conformation common to diallylammonium salts. Reactivity ratio studies indicate that the sulfobetaine monomer is incorporated randomly along the polymer backbone. Laser light scattering provided molecular weights and second virial coefficients, which varied from 5.16 × 104 to 8.42 × 104 and 5.54 × 10-4 to 1.89 × 10-4 mL mol g-2, respectively. Solution behavior is dependent upon ionic strength as determined by low shear viscosity and dynamic light scattering exper...
Enhancing HIV Vaccine Trial Consent Preparedness among Street Drug Users

This research used open-ended and true-false questions to assess the preparedness of 96 ethnically diverse, economically and socially marginalized adult street drug users to consent to participate in HIV vaccine trials (HVT). Specific areas of consent vulnerability included misconceptions about: (1) the recuperative value and risk of vaccines in general; (2) the presence of the HIV virus within the vaccine and the possibility of contracting or transmitting HIV as a consequence of participation; (3) inclusion criteria and experimental blinds; and (4) distrust in the medical and research establishments. A brief HVT lesson administered to 30 participants was effective in correcting specific HVT knowledge misperceptions and increasing certain, but not all areas of HVT trust. Assessment of post-lesson responses to ethics-relevant questions provides information on respondents' attitudes toward AIDS safe behavior, research risks and benefits, monetary compensation, and willingness to participate. Implications for enhancing informed consent for HVT involving active drug users are discussed.
The L7/L12 stalk, a conserved feature of the prokaryotic ribosome, is attached to the large subunit through its N terminus.

Abstract The L7/L12 stalk, a distinctive feature of the large ribosomal subunit from Escherichia coli , is shown to be a general morphological feature associated with large subunits from representative prokaryotes. In the gram-positive thermophile Bacillus stearothermophilus , the stalk consists of four copies of ribosomal proteins B.L13, the functional and amino acid sequence homologue of E. coli proteins L7/L12. That this protein comprises the stalk is shown by electron microscopy of 50 S subunits that have had B.L13 selectively removed, and by immune electron microscopic mapping of B.L13. In addition, a fragment consisting approximately of the N-terminal one-third of B.L13, known to compete with B.L13 for binding to B.L13-depleted 50 S cores, is shown to be located in the region of the stalk proximal to the body of the 50 S subunit, and the C-terminal two-thirds of B.L13 is shown to be located in the globular region of the stalk that is distal to the large subunit. Taken together these results suggest that in the isolated subunit at least three and probably all four chains of B.L13, and of the corresponding L7/L12 proteins in other prokaryotes, are arranged with the N termini of the proteins contacting the body of the 50 S subunit and with the C-terminal globular regions of the protein extending away from the subunit into the cytoplasm.
Geopolitics and geoculture: Essays on the changing world system

(1992). Geopolitics and geoculture: Essays on the changing world system. History of European Ideas: Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 613-614.
Are drumlins a product of a thermo-mechanical instability?

Of numerous theories of drumlin genesis, none has been widely accepted. It seems evident, however, that some form of positive feedback process is involved. Under certain circumstances perturbations are amplified. Herein we suggest that patchy areas of frozen bed provide the initial perturbation. Such frozen patches may occur in local areas underlain by material of lower thermal conductivity or on slight topographic highs. Drag exerted by the frozen patch deflects ice flow into its lee, dragging with it mobile till eroded from the thawed area. The energy balance is such that this till likely refreezes, either producing a topographic perturbation or amplifying an existing one. The resulting topography then deflects more of the geothermal heat away from the developing hill and into the adjacent trough, resulting in a positive feedback. Once the thermal perturbation exceeds a critical (though as yet undefined) level, melting may decouple the ice from the bed, preventing further entrainment of till from thawed areas, and thus limiting the height and length of the drumlin.