cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Graphene as Cathode Material in Molten Carbon Fuel Cells

The molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) is considered one of the best technologies for stationary power. This is due to its high efficiency, medium–high operating temperature, and low emissions. The MCFC operates at a temperature range from 600oC to 700oC and normally is combined with the gas turbine (GT) as a topping cycle. This work investigates the impact of Platinum/Graphene (Pt/G) on a combined cycle of MCFC-GT by applying the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The maximum work output of the hybrid cycle is ultimately calculated to be 1350 kW. The overall exergy efficiency achieved is 59.82%. Our findings reveal that there is an average 23% gain in the maximum work output, energy and exergy efficiencies when Pt/G is used as the cathode material compared to other materials such as Platinum/Carbon (Pt/C) and Platinum/Carbon cloth (Pt/CC).Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Binding of pyridine coenzymes to the β-subunit of the voltage sensitive potassium channels

Abstract The β-subunit of the voltage-sensitive K+ channels shares 15–30% amino acid identity with the sequences of aldo–keto reductases (AKR) genes. However, the AKR properties of the protein remain unknown. To begin to understand its oxidoreductase properties, we examine the pyridine coenzyme binding activity of the protein in vitro. The cDNA of Kvβ2.1 from rat brain was subcloned into a prokaryotic expression vector and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The purified protein was tetrameric in solution as determined by size exclusion chromatography. The protein displayed high affinity binding to NADPH as determined by fluorometric titration. The KD values for NADPH of the full-length wild-type protein and the N-terminus deleted protein were 0.1±0.007 and 0.05±0.006 M, respectively — indicating that the cofactor binding domain is restricted to the C-terminus, and is not drastically affected by the absence of the N-terminus amino acids, which form the ball and chain regulating voltage-dependent inactivation of the α-subunit. The protein displayed poor affinity for other coenzymes and the corresponding values of the KD for NADH and NAD were between 1–3 μM whereas the KD for FAD was >10 μM. However, relatively high affinity binding was observed with 3-acetyl pyridine NADP, indicating selective recognition of the 2′ phosphate at the binding site. The selectivity of Kvβ2.1 for NADPH over NADP may be significant in regulating the K+ channels as a function of the cellular redox state.
KAr and RbSr measurements on P-207, the U.S.G.S. interlaboratory standard muscovite

Abstract Potassium-argon analyses of P-207 in twenty-four laboratories and rubidium-strontium analyses in ten laboratories indicate that for material of this typo the average interlaboratory precision for KAr ages is 2.6% and for RbSr ages is 3.4%, and the average intralaboratory precision for KAr ages is 1.6% and for RbSr ages is 2.9%.
A retrospective cohort study of pulmonary function, radiographic measures, and quality of life in children with congenital scoliosis: an evaluation of patient outcomes after early spinal fusion.

STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to evaluate pulmonary function and quality of life (QOL) in children treated with early spinal fusion for progressive congenital scoliosis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The relationships between radiographic measures, pulmonary function tests (PFT), and QOL were examined. METHODS.: Twenty-one patients with congenital scoliosis treated with early spinal fusion were evaluated using radiographs, PFT, and the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ) at 12.6 +/- 3.5 years. They were 6.9 +/- 2.3 years postdefinitive fusion, which occurred at 4.9 +/- 3.1 year of age. The cohort was also divided in two groups, "thoracic fusion" (apex above the thoracolumbar T-L junction) and "nonthoracic fusion" (below T-L junction). RESULTS Forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume (FEV1), vital capacity (P < 0.0001), and total lung capacity (P = 0.017) were significantly lower compared with healthy children. CHQ scores were significantly lower than in healthy children in physical function (P = 0.036), general health (P = 0.007), physical summary (P = 0.026), and parental impact/emotional (P = 0.01). Correlation analysis showed that the degrees of thoracic curves were negatively correlated with FEV1 (P < 0.05), family activities, role/social physical (P < 0.05), and physical summary (P < 0.01). The degree of kyphosis was negatively correlated with Self-Esteem (P < 0.01). Patients who had thoracic fusions had shorter spinal height (P = 0.049), lower forced vital capacity (P = 0.004), FEV (P = 0.012), vital capacity (P = 0.031), and reported more pain (P = 0.033) than nonthoracic fused. CONCLUSION Compared with healthy peers, congenital scoliosis patients treated with early spinal fusion have worse PFT and QOL scores at 6.9 years follow up. Patients with thoracic fusions had shorter spines, worse pulmonary function, and more pain than nonthoracic fused. The results may support alternatives to early spinal fusion such as growing rods, epiphysiodesis, and distraction thoracoplasty. Current efforts are underway to compare outcomes of this study to those of other treatments.
Historical perspectives on the principalship

The school principal is the most complex and contradictory figure in the pantheon of educational leadership. The principal is both the administrative director of educational policy and a building m...
An asymptotic property of equilibrium on futures markets arising from speculation

Abstract This paper presents an asymptotic property of a joint spot-futures market equilibrium established in Cheng-Magill (1982). As speculators diversity over a large number of markets, the equilibrium risk premium converges to an asymptotic premium, the behaviour of which depends solely on the stochastic dependence between the spot price and an index of average returns on other markets. Risk arising from the variability of the spot price itself is diversified away. The results are related to the arbitrage pricing theory of Ross (1976).
Scheduling using drum-buffer-rope in a remanufacturing environment

Scheduling in a remanufacturing environment is more complex and the scheduler must deal with more uncertainty than in a traditional manufacturing environment. In order to properly schedule in a remanufacturing environment the schedule must be able to cope with several complicating factors which increase variability. The schedule must be able to cope with conditional routeings, a routeing that may or may not be taken due to the condition of the unit. The schedule must also be able to cope with dependent events, e.g. operation B cannot begin until operation A is completed. Drum-buffer-rope (DBR.) offers an extremely robust method of scheduling. A schedule built using DBR can take both conditional routeings and dependent events into account. A realistic example from a military depot is discussed in detail and each step required to build a schedule using DBR is explained fully. This paper also shows the results from a simulation model of DBR at a repair/rework depot which are benchmarked against the present p...
Piecewise Tendency Diagnosis of Weather Regime Transitions

Abstract Piecewise tendency diagnosis (PTD) is extended and employed to study the dynamics of weather regime transitions. Originally developed for adiabatic and inviscid quasigeostrophic flow on a beta plane, PTD partitions local geopotential tendencies into a linear combination of dynamically meaningful source terms within a potential vorticity (PV) framework. Here PTD is amended to account for spherical geometry, diabatic heating, and ageostrophic processes, and is then used to identify the primary mechanisms responsible for Northern Hemisphere weather regime transitions. Height tendency patterns obtained by summing the contributions of individual PTD forcing terms correspond very well to actual height tendencies. Composite PTD analyses reveal that linear PV advections provide the largest dynamical forcing for the weather regime development over the North Pacific. Specifically, linear baroclinic growth provides the primary forcing while barotropic deformation of PV anomalies provides a secondary contrib...
The safety of the IFR

The hallmarks of the approach to safety embodied in the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) are: Large margins between the operating conditions and physical safety limits; reliance on passive processes to hold power production in balance with heat removal; and totally passive removal of decay heat, independent of the equipment and structures in the balance-of-plant. Should equipment in the balance-of-plant or control system fail, IFRs will passively regulate their own power so as to remain undamaged for all such initiators, even in the anticipated transient without scram (ATWS) scenarios. Decay heat is removed through a heat-transport path that operates at ambient pressure, is contained along with the reactor core in a double-walled top-entry tank of coolant, has large thermal inertia, is driven by natural convection, is completely independent of the balance-of-plant equipment, and is always in operation. The resulting level of safety exceeds the already acceptable levels attained in current-generation reactors now licensed and operating safely throughout the world. Even for accidents of extremely low probability, lying far beyond the design basis and not even considered in licensing reactors of the current generation, the IFR system has an inherent, designed-in response that prevents release of radioactivity. Processes that are innate consequences of the materials and geometry cause dispersal of fuel early enough to avoid prompt criticality and its accompanying energy release, and assure subcriticality and coolability inside an intact reactor vessel should significant fuel pin failures cause an accumulation of debris.
Clinical Evaluation of Transvenous Catheter Technique for Endomyocardial Biopsy

Results obtained with the technique of Sakakibara and Konno for transvenous biopsy of right ventricular endomyocardium are described. The instrument consists of a metal catheter which bears two 2 × 2.5 mm biopsy spoons at its tip and is introduced into the right ventricle through the use of standard techniques of right-heart catheterization. This simple and safe technique was enployed in 28 patients with a variety of myocardial diseases of known and unknown etiology. Satisfactory specimens, usually multiple, were obtained in all 25 patients in whom the instrument could be introduced into the right ventricular cavity. Complications were minimal and the procedure was acceptable to the patients.
Transcript localization of four opsin genes in the three visual organs of Drosophila ; RH2 is ocellus specific

Drosophila and other Dipteran flies have three different kinds of visual organs; in the adult a pair of compound eyes1 and three dorsal ocelli2,3; and in the larva a pair of internal photoreceptor organs4,5. They develop in distinct ways, yet have certain features in common. All three organs use retinal-derived chromophores, coupled to distinct opsins, to provide a diversity of spectral sensitivities. Four opsin genes have been identified thus far in Drosophila: Rhl, Rh2, Rh3 and Rh4 (refs 6–11). We have used in situ hybridization to study the messenger RNAs expressed by these four opsin genes in all three visual organs. Rhl, Rh3 and Rh4 are already known to be expressed in different subsets of cells in the compound eye8–10. We found that, in contrast, opsin Rh2 is the predominant opsin expressed in the ocelli. Opsin Rhl is known to be expressed in the larval photoreceptor12. We found that Rh3 and Rh4 are as well, but not Rh2. The ocellar-specific gene expression of Rh2 is of particular interest for its possible bearing on the function of the ocellus13,14.
The role of molecular diffusion in the deepening of the mixed layer

Abstract Turbulent mixing across heat-stratified density interfaces was studied in the laboratory using oscillating-grid generated turbulence. The aim was to study the transition between the entrainment regimes dominated by interfacial wave-breaking and molecular diffusion, and to study the characteristics of the latter. It was observed that, above a critical Richardson number Ric, which depends on the Peclet number Pe, the mixing due to wave breaking disappears and that Ric ∼ Pe−n, where the mean value of the exponent n is approximately 1 2 . Above Ric, the entrainment is molecular-diffusion dominated and takes place through a sequence of events: the buoyancy gradient of the initially sharp density interface is weakened by molecular diffusion until the mixed-layer eddies can engulf a portion of the interfacial layer wherefore the interface sharpens again. Thus, the entrainment events are recurrent with a rate-controlling diffusion stage between them. An entrainment law of the form E ∼ Ri−2Pe−2, where E is the entrainment coefficient and Ri is the Richardson number, is suggested for the diffusion-dominated entrainment regime.
Precision assembly station for high-resolution segmented optics

Historically, segmented optics similar to those used in BBXRT and ASTRO have achieved resolutions of a few arc minutes. Achieving substantially better performance requires significant improvement in both the optics themselves and how the optics are assembled and mounted to flight structure. While techniques for improving the optics themselves are underway at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Columbia University, and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), here we address how the optics are assembled and mounted to flight structure. We have developed a concept for mounting large numbers of nested, segmented optics which require sub micron accuracy. This methodology uses lithographically defined and etched silicon alignment microstructure. A precision assembly station, incorporating the silicon micro structures is used to position the optics which are then bonded to a flight structure. The advantages of this procedure are that the flight structure has relaxed tolerance requirements and the precision assembly tooling can be reused. We show the positional requirements of the precision tooling as well as the mechanical requirements of the tooling itself.
Effects of sabinene and γ-terpinene from coastal redwood leaves acting singly or in mixtures on the growth of some of their fungus endophytes

Sabinene and γ-terpinene were assayed in vitro acting singly or in mixtures in the gaseous state on the following redwood endophytes: Botrytis cinerea, Cryptosporiopsis abietina, Pestalotiopsis funerea, Phomopsis occulta, Pleuroplaconema sp. and Seiridium juniperi. The hypothesis that these redwood monoterpenes were acting additively or synergistically in inhibiting the growth on leaf endophytes was tested. Dose-response curves were obtained for each endophyte growing under five concentrations of both sabinene and γ-terpinene. Three mixtures of different ratios were assayed keeping constant 0.25 mg of monoterpenes per ml air. Either acting singly or in mixtures sabinene and γ-terpinene were inhibitory to all fungi, but their effect varied according to species. Both compounds had similar effects acting singly on each endophyte with doses from 0.0625 to 0.25 mg ml air−1. With doses of 1.6667 mg ml air−1 of either monoterpene, S. juniperi was mildly inhibited by sabinene and strongly inhibited by γ-terpinene, but other species were strongly and equally inhibited by both compounds. Sabinene: γ-terpinene mixtures of 1:3, 1:1 and 3:1 ratios were equally inhibitory for each species. Results suggest that when these compounds co-occur, they act additively on leaf endophytic fungi.
Automatic processing of duration in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often exhibit deficits in processing information about time. Most studies, however, have required participants to perform active tasks and consequently it is unclear if performance deficits are due to impaired processing of temporal information, attentional deficits, or to impairments at a later stage of decision-making. This study used mismatch negativity (MMN) to examine automatic processing of temporal information in children with ADHD. The sample consisted of 11 children with typical development (8 boys; mean age/SD = 9.3/0.6 years) and 12 with ADHD (10 boys; mean age/SD = 8.9/0.8 years). Using the MMN paradigm, responses to standards and four deviants (hard/easy frequency, hard/easy duration) were elicited during the same sequence. The children's ability to actively discriminate each deviant was also assessed. Both groups exhibited MMNs to all deviants suggesting successful automatic discrimination. Furthermore, amplitude and latency measures were roughly comparable across groups. No group differences were seen on the active discrimination task, but performance was worse for duration than for frequency deviants. These results suggest that children with ADHD are able to automatically process temporal information, so deficits reported in active discrimination paradigms are likely due to deficits in subjective perception or usage of temporal information. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–9)
Population-Based Community Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the Urban Poor of San Francisco

The study objective was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for nasal colonization with Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin resistance among the urban poor and to compare antibiotic resistance and genetic similarity to concurrently collected clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). A population-based community sample of 833 homeless and marginally housed adults were cultured and compared with 363 clinical isolates of MRSA; 22.8% of the urban poor were colonized with S. aureus. Of S. aureus isolates, 12.0% were methicillin resistant. Overall prevalence of MRSA was 2.8%. Significant multivariate risk factors for MRSA were injection drug use (odds ratio [OR], 9.7), prior endocarditis (OR, 4.1), and prior hospitalization within 1 year (OR, 2.4). Resistance to antimicrobials other than beta-lactams was uncommon. Only 2 individuals (0.24%) with MRSA had no known risk factors. A total of 22 of 23 community MRSA genotypically matched clinical MRSA isolates, with 15 of 23 isolates identical to MRSA clones endemic among hospitalized patients.
Large nonresonant light-induced refractive-index changes in thin films of amorphous arsenic sulfide

We have measured a light-intensity-dependent change in the refractive index of thin films of the amorphous semiconductor arsenic sulfide. In a novel type of nonlinearity, strongly absorbed light produces a relatively large change in the optical properties of the material at wavelengths where the absorption is weak. This represents a compromise between the large resonant nonlinearities found in crystalline semiconductors, which have the disadvantage of large signal attenuation, and the nonresonant nonlinearities, which occur at wavelengths with low absorption but are small.
Bioaccumulation of cesium‐137 in yellow bullhead catfish (Ameiurus natalis) inhabiting an abandoned nuclear reactor reservoir

Bioaccumulation of {sup 137}Cs was investigated in yellow bullhead catfish (Ameiurus natalis) inhabiting an abandoned reactor reservoir, Pond B, Savannah River Site, Barnwell Co., South Carolina. The authors collected fish by trap-netting, and determined ages from pectoral spines. Muscle and other tissues were assayed for {sup 137}Cs by NaI-scintillation. Music {sup 137}Cs was unrelated to sex or mass of fish, but was related to age. Examination of least-squares means suggested that {sup 137}Cs in muscle increased up to about age 3, but did not increase with greater age. A modified Richards model showed equilibrium {sup 137}Cs concentration in muscle was acquired in approximately 2.4 years. Growth differed between sexes and the time to asymptotic body mass was longer than the time to attain equilibrium {sup 137}Cs concentration. Males attained an asymptotic mass of 577 g in approximately 6.3 years; females attained an asymptotic mass of 438 g in approximately 5.9 years. The cumulative {sup 137}Cs burden of the population was 4.9 {times} 10{sup 6} Bq, representing <0.001% of the {sup 137}Cs inventory of the reservoir. Concentration of {sup 137}Cs varied among tissues with gill and muscle the lowest and highest. Concentration of {sup 137}Cs in ovaries declined with increasing ovarymore » mass. Until equilibrium is attained in these fish, {sup 137}Cs concentration is directly related to increasing age rather than size.« less
Sequence reordering to improve the levels of compaction achievable by static compaction procedures

We describe a reordering procedure that changes the order of test vectors in a test sequence for a synchronous sequential circuit without reducing the fault coverage. We use this procedure to investigate the effects of reordering on the ability to compact the test sequence. Reordering is shown to have two effects on compaction. (1) The reordering process itself allows us to reduce the test sequence length. (2) Reordering can improve the effectiveness of an existing static compaction procedure. Reordering also provides an insight into the detection by test generation procedures of faults that are detected by relatively long subsequences.
Suite of three protein crystallography beamlines with single superconducting bend magnet as the source

At the Advanced Light Source (ALS), three protein crystallography (PX) beamlines have been built that use as a source one of the three 6 Tesla single pole superconducting bending magnets (superbends) that were recently installed in the ring. The use of such single pole superconducting bend magnets enables the development of a hard x-ray program on a relatively low energy 1.9 GeV ring without taking up insertion device straight sections. The source is of relatively low power, but due to the small electron beam emittance, it has high brightness. X-ray optics are required to preserve the brightness and to match the illumination requirements for protein crystallography. This was achieved by means of a collimating premirror bent to a plane parabola, a double crystal monochromator followed by a toroidal mirror that focuses in the horizontal direction with a 2:1 demagnification. This optical arrangement partially balances aberrations from the collimating and toroidal mirrors such that a tight focused spot size is achieved. The optical properties of the beamline are an excellent match to those required by the small protein crystals that are typically measured. The design and performance of these new beamlines are described.
Developmental GnRH signaling is not required for sexual differentiation of kisspeptin neurons but is needed for maximal Kiss1 gene expression in adult females.

Kisspeptin, encoded by Kiss1, stimulates reproduction. In rodents, one Kiss1 population resides in the hypothalamic anterior ventral periventricular nucleus and neighboring rostral periventricular nucleus (AVPV/PeN). AVPV/PeN Kiss1 neurons are sexually dimorphic (greater in females), yet the mechanisms regulating their development and sexual differentiation remain poorly understood. Neonatal estradiol (E2) normally defeminizes AVPV/PeN kisspeptin neurons, but emerging evidence suggests that developmental E2 may also influence feminization of kisspeptin, although exactly when in development this process occurs is unknown. In addition, the obligatory role of GnRH signaling in governing sexual differentiation of Kiss1 or other sexually dimorphic traits remains untested. Here, we assessed whether AVPV/PeN Kiss1 expression is permanently impaired in adult hpg (no GnRH or E2) or C57BL6 mice under different E2 removal or replacement paradigms. We determined that 1) despite lacking GnRH signaling in development, marked sexual differentiation of Kiss1 still occurs in hpg mice; 2) adult hpg females, who lack lifetime GnRH and E2 exposure, have reduced AVPV/PeN Kiss1 expression compared to wild-type females, even after chronic adulthood E2 treatment; 3) E2 exposure to hpg females during the pubertal period does not rescue their submaximal adult Kiss1 levels; and 4) in C57BL6 females, removal of ovarian E2 before the pubertal or juvenile periods does not impair feminization and maximal adult AVPV/PeN Kiss1 expression nor the ability to generate LH surges, indicating that puberty is not a critical period for Kiss1 development. Thus, sexual differentiation still occurs without GnRH, but GnRH or downstream E2 signaling is needed sometime before juvenile development for complete feminization and maximal Kiss1 expression in adult females.
Coupling of the green (506-nm) and ultraviolet (342-nm) emission bands of I 2

Collisional coupling between the electronic excited states of I2 that are responsible for the green and ultraviolet (D′ → A′) bands of the molecule (centered at 506 and 342 nm, respectively) has been studied in electron-beam-pumped mixtures of argon and hydrogen iodide (HI). The dependence of the temporal decay of the green and UV fluorescence waveforms on the buffer-gas pressure demonstrates that the two bands do not originate from a common upper state. The interdependence of the two bands, however, is clear from the disappearance of gain at 506 nm, when an optical cavity having a high Q at 342 nm is installed around the excited medium (IUV ∼ 30 MW cm−2). Also, the peak intensity of the UV band is suppressed by more than 40% when a green dye-laser pulse (λ = 503 nm, I ≥ 5 MW cm−2) is directed along the axis of the active medium.
Design and fabrication of multi-material structures for bioinspired robots

New multi-material rapid prototyping processes are making possible the design and fabrication of bioinspired robot structures that share some of the desirable properties of animal appendages. The structures combine stiff and compliant materials and incorporate sensors and other discrete components, resulting in robots that are less demanding to control than traditionally designed robots and more robust. Current challenges include extending this approach to the structures that involve microscopic as well as macroscopic features.
Early Stages in the Development of Collateral Circulation to the Lung in the Rat

The early stages of the development of collateral circulation to the lung following experimental ligation of the pulmonary artery were studied in adult rats. Five different types of vessels were found to be involved: 1. The bronchial arteries enlarge. Quantitative gross and microscopic studies indicated that this is first due to hemodynamic factors leading to dilatation of the vessels. After 5 days, true growth of the vessels occurs, associated with proliferative changes in the vessel wall, including mitoses in endothelial and smooth muscle cells. 2. Pre-existing nutrient arteries of the heart muscle coat of the pulmonary veins enlarge by the same processes. 3. New vessels form in the granulation tissue at the ligature. They can grow through the thick vessel wall into the lumen of the main pulmonary artery to form a considerable portal of entry for blood into this vessel. 4. Vessels form in pleural adhesions and can supply blood to the lung from intercostal arteries. 5. New bronchial arteries form in regi...
Comparative Study of the Losses in Voltage and Current Source Inverter Fed Induction Motors

The losses in an induction motor fed from six-step voltage and current source inverters are calculated and a comparison of efficiencies when supplied from these sources is given. The equivalent circuit that includes the effect of space harmonics and corrected for the skin effect in rotor bars is used for the calculation of main and stray copper losses. Stray iron losses due to magnetomotive force (MMF) and permeance harmonics, end leakage and skew leakage are also considered. Losses in the motor when supplied from these sources are also calculated using the modified equivalent circuit having stray and core loss resistors and their efficiencies are compared.
73 GHz millimeter wave propagation measurements for outdoor urban mobile and backhaul communications in New York City

The spectrum congestion experienced in today's common cellular bands has led to research and measurements to explore the vast bandwidths available at millimeter waves (mmWaves). NYU WIRELESS conducted E-band propagation measurements for both mobile and backhaul scenarios in 2013 in the dense urban environment of New York City using a sliding correlator channel sounder, by transmitting a 400 Mega chip per second (Mcps) PN sequence with a power delay profile (PDP) multipath time resolution of 2.5 ns. Measurements were made for more than 30 transmitter-to-receiver location combinations for both mobile and backhaul scenarios with separation distances up to 200 m. This paper presents results that support the use of directional steerable antennas at mmWave bands in order to achieve comparable path loss models and channel statistics to today's current cellular systems and at 28 GHz. These early results reveal that the mmWave spectrum, specifically the E-band, could be used for future cellular communications by exploiting multipath in urban environments with the help of beam-steering and beam combining.
Why Hasn't Eliminating Acute Rejection Improved Graft Survival?*

Although patients with end-stage renal disease can be maintained with dialysis therapy, the superiority of patient survival with renal transplantation makes transplantation the preferred method of renal replacement. Potent immunosuppressive therapies, particularly calcineurin inhibitors, have greatly reduced the incidence of acute rejection. However, long-term allograft survival remains limited. We discuss the impact of acute rejection on long-term allograft survival and discuss other factors leading to late allograft loss, including calcineurin inhibitor toxicity, chronic allograft nephropathy, and BK virus nephropathy, as well as donor and recipient factors associated with long-term allograft loss.
Influence of Probe Geometry on Pitot-Probe Displacement in Supersonic Turbulent Flow

An experiment was conducted to determine the varying effects of six different probe-tip and support-shaft configurations on pitot tube displacement. The study was stimulated by discrepancies between supersonic wind-tunnel tests conducted by Wilson and Young (1949) and Allen (1972). Wilson (1973) had concluded that these discrepancies were caused by differences in probe geometry. It is shown that in fact, no major differences in profiles of streamwise velocity over streamwise velocity at boundary-layer edge vs normal coordinate over boundary-layer total thickness result from geometry. The true cause of the discrepancies, however, remains to be discovered.
Development of a particle tracking-based measurement technique to map three-dimensional interfaces between transparent, immiscible fluids

Experiments were conducted to develop a microscale spatial measurement technique applicable to transparent fluid flows, with the target application being the determination of liquid geometries in multiphase flows. Air/isopropanol interfaces were used to simulate multiphase boundaries and were studied by examining menisci in capillary tubes. Fluorescent seeding particles of 0.5 µm diameter were added to the isopropanol working fluid. The use of fluorescent particles circumvented many of the noise-related issues characteristic of transparent and reflective systems. By exploiting the difference in the length scale between particle size, inter-particle spacing, and target feature size, the particle position data could be used to resolve spatial measurements within the sample, primarily the location of the interface within the field of view. Additionally, by adjusting the position of the focal plane within the sample, a three-dimensional map of the air/liquid interface was obtained.
Sensorless Current Sharing in Digitally Controlled Two-Phase Buck DC-DC Converters

This paper describes a current sharing technique for digitally controlled two-phase buck DC-DC converters where pulse width and resistance mismatches are digitally compensated to achieve approximately equal current sharing without sensing currents. Effects of various non-idealities on the current sharing performance are discussed and corresponding mitigation techniques are presented. An extension to converters with more than two phases is discussed. Experimental results are shown for a two-phase synchronous buck converter with 6V input voltage, and 1.3 V, 0 - 20 A output.
Anomalous relaxation and self-organization in nonequilibrium processes

We study thermal relaxation in ordered arrays of coupled nonlinear elements with external driving. We find that our model exhibits dynamic self-organization manifested in a universal stretched-exponential form of relaxation. We identify two types of self-organization, cooperative and anticooperative, which lead to fast and slow relaxation, respectively. We give a qualitative explanation for the behavior of the stretched exponent in different parameter ranges. We emphasize that this is a system exhibiting stretched-exponential relaxation without explicit disorder or frustration.
The Political Economy of the Resource Curse

How does a state's natural resource wealth influence its economic development? For the past fifty years, versions of this question have been explored by both economists and political scientists. New research suggests that resource wealth tends to harm economic growth, yet there is little agreement on why this occurs. This article reviews a wide range of recent attempts in both economics and political science to explain the “resource curse.” It suggests that much has been learned about the economic problems of resource exporters but less is known about their political problems. The disparity between strong findings on economic matters and weak findings on political ones partly reflects the failure of political scientists to carefully test their own theories.
Reduced fatalities related to rear seat shoulder belts

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect on fatality rates in crashes of installation of shoulder belts in automobile back seats. METHODS: During 1988-96, fatalities to rear outboard seat occupants of passenger cars, classified by age of occupant and vehicle curb weight were matched to data on model year in which shoulder belts became standard equipment. The same data were obtained from the same years on back seat occupants in crashes from the Crashworthiness Data System. Weighted regression was performed on death rates per occupants in crashes by belt equipment, occupant age, and vehicle weight for all occupants and occupants who claimed to be restrained. RESULTS: The risk of death is significantly lower in vehicles equipped with shoulder belts, midsized to larger cars, and among children. Claimed child restraint use is higher in cars with shoulder belts and claimed use of shoulder belts is higher among adolescents and young adults but lower among those 35 and older. However, older occupants have lower death rates in shoulder belt equipped cars. CONCLUSIONS: Shoulder belts substantially reduce risk of death relative to lap belts at prevalent use rates in each age group. Belt effectiveness when used cannot be estimated precisely because of invalid claimed use, but the lowered rates among vehicles with shoulder belts indicates that effectiveness given prevalent use is far more efficacious than lap belts without shoulder belts.
Non-intrusive transaction monitoring using system logs

We consider the problem of online monitoring of transaction instances in enterprise environments, based on footprints left by the instances in system logs and using a state-based reference model of the transaction. Unlike existing approaches, we do not rely on any platform-specific knowledge, neither do we assume footprints to carry correlating identifiers, as injected through instrumentation. We outline a solution for tracking transaction instances at individual and aggregate levels, present preliminary results on theoretical analysis of monitoring precision and conclude with directions of ongoing and future research.
An adaptive direct-sequence code-division multiple-access receiver for multiuser interference rejection

An adaptive receiver is considered for use in combating the near-far problem in direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (CDMA) communication networks. The focus of the paper is on the multiuser interference rejecting capability of the receiver. The receiver uses a chip matched filter followed by an adaptive equalizer structure to perform the despreading operation. This adaptive structure allows the receiver to adjust to the prevailing interference and noise environment. An analysis of the receiver giving the form of the equalizer coefficients and the mean squared error in steady state is given. From these results the capacity of a CDMA network using this receiver structure is obtained and compared with a system using conventional receivers. The receiver is shown to be immune to the near-far problem in the sense that the performance without any power control is nearly identical to the performance with perfect power control. The receiver is also shown to offer a two-fold increase in capacity relative to a conventional receiver with perfect power control. >
WELL-BEING - A THEORETICAL PROGRAM

A theoretical program of anthropological well-being is described and a special theory linking adaptive potential to biocultural success, longevity, and physical health is tested with a multicultural sample of 133 college students born outside, the United States. Those students who scored high in adaptive potential reported fewer symptoms of physical illness. The implications of the theory for a better understanding of cultural dynamics are discussed.
UPSA-M: Feasibility and initial validity of a mobile application of the UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment

Abstract Objective This study aimed to develop and validate a tablet mobile application version of the UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment (UPSA-M), a widely used test for assessing functional capacity in schizophrenia and other neurocognitively impaired patient populations. Methods The UPSA-M was developed for an iPad platform. Twenty-one middle-aged and older adults with schizophrenia and 13 healthy comparison (HC) participants completed a brief iPad tutorial, followed by the UPSA-M (full version, which includes all components of Brief UPSA-M) and a computer usage questionnaire. During a separate visit, patients with schizophrenia and HC participants completed the Brief UPSA (UPSA-B), and patients with schizophrenia completed a symptom inventory and brief neuropsychological screening battery. Results The UPSA-M was feasible for use among middle aged and older adults with schizophrenia with no prior history of tablet usage. The UPSA-M was able to differentiate between schizophrenia and HC participants 80% of the time, and this differential ability increased to 87% with the UPSA-M Brief. Traditional UPSA scores, UPSA-B scores, and neuropsychological performance were related to UPSA-M scores, whereas symptoms of psychopathology, experience with tablet technology, or difficulties operating the device were not significantly associated with UPSA-M. Conclusions The UPSA-M performed just as well as the standard-of-practice version. These preliminary results indicate that the UPSA-M Brief has greater sensitivity than the full version of the UPSA-M, and carries the advantage of a shorter administration time. Overall, the UPSA-M appears to be a promising mobile tool to assess functional capacity.
Snapback instability at crack ligament tearing and its implication for fracture micromechanics

The microcracking in the fracture process zone ahead of a major crack is assumed to consist, in the initial stage, of a two-dimensional array of small circular (penny-shaped)cracks and, in the terminal stage, of a two-dimensional array of small circular ligaments, all located on the main crack plane. Both cases are solved in three-dimensions accord ing to linear elastic fracture mechanics. The solution is approximate but asymptotically exact both for very small circular cracks and very small circular ligaments. The spacing of the cracks as well as the ligaments is governed by the spacing of the large aggregate pieces. The curve of the transverse displacement v due to cracks versus the remote applied normal stress is calculated and is found to exhibit snapback instability at which a negative slope changes to a positive slope and v reaches its maximum possible value. Since several other influencing physical mechanisms were neglected in the analysis, it still remains to be verified whether the snapback instability does actually occur in the concrete fracture process. The asymptotic behavior at ligament tearing is further analyzed, based on St.-Venant's principle, for arbitrary general three- and two-dimensional situations and it is shown that when the ligament transmits a force (mode I, II or III), its final tearing is always characterized by snapback instability, which determines maximum possible displacement due to crack. When, however, the ligaments transmit only a moment (bending or torsional), there is no snapback instability.
Secrecy beyond encryption: obfuscating transmission signatures in wireless communications

The privacy of a wireless user and the operation of a wireless network can be threatened by the leakage of side-channel information (SCI), even when encryption and authentication are employed. In this article, we describe various passive (traffic analysis) and active (jamming) attacks that are facilitated by SCI. Our goal is to highlight the need for novel PHY-layer security techniques that can be used to complement classical encryption methods. We discuss several of these techniques along with advanced hardware that exhibits promising capabilities for countering privacy and SCI-related attacks.
Effects of chloroquine and methylamine on lysosomal enzyme secretion by rat pancreas

In vivo pancreatic secretion of the lysosomal hydrolase cathepsin B was found to be increased by infusion of the secretagogue caerulein. The basal as well as caerulein-stimulated in vivo rate of cathepsin B was further increased by infusion of either chloroquine or methylamine while neither the basal nor the secretagogue-stimulated rates of amylase secretion were altered by the lysosomotropic agents. These observations indicate that neutralization of the acidic prelysosomal compartment by administration of lysosomotropic agents results in lysosomal enzyme entry, by default, into the regulated secretory pathway. In vitro stimulation of pancreatic acini with caerulein was also found to stimulate cathepsin B secretion. That in vitro rate of cathepsin B secretion stimulated by caerulein was not increased in acini prepared from animals infused with caerulein, chloroquine, or methylamine, but the in vitro rate of cathepsin B secretion stimulated by caerulein was increased in acini prepared from animals infused with caerulein plus either chloroquine or methylamine. Under these conditions, redistribution of cathepsin B from the lysosome-enriched to the zymogen granule-enriched subcellular fraction was noted, and lysosomal enzyme-containing organelles became increasingly fragile. These observations indicate that in vivo secretagogue stimulation increases the degree of diversion of lysosomal hydrolases into the regulated secretory compartment when the prelysosomal compartment has been neutralized with lysosomotropic agents.
Another Inconvenient Truth: A Carbon-Intensive South Faces Environmental Disaster, No Matter What the North Does

This paper critically examines a view of global warming that is common among developing countries (the South) and many in the development community: Developed countries (the North) caused climate change, the North should address the problem by dramatically reducing its own carbon emissions, and the South should be left free to develop along a carbon-intensive path until it is much richer. Our results indicate that this view cannot withstand empirical scrutiny and is, in fact, dangerous for the South itself. The South's cumulative carbon emissions are already large enough to jeopardize climatic stability and its own future growth, regardless of Northern emissions. By implication, a fossil-fueled South will undermine its own development long before it reaches Northern income levels. Sustainable development will therefore require a dramatic shift toward clean energy in the South, beginning immediately, as well as rapid reduction of Northern emissions.
Switched reluctance machine optimization method using current-fed FEA simulation

The switched reluctance machine (SRM) is a reliable machine and has received much attention in recent years. The SRM electromagnetic design is studied in this paper. A novel design method using current-fed excitation is proposed. It is applicable to a wide variety of SRM design cases, and efforts are made to reduce the computational costs. This method is used to optimize the SRM's geometry parameters to achieve the optimal performance. In this paper, FEA simulation results are presented to validate the proposed approach. Finally, a 12/8 SRM rotor design is developed to optimized to have maximum torque.
Convalescent care in Louisville, Kentucky.

32 Mrs. H., a 57 year old white woman, Was admitted to the Surgical Ward with a Fraoture of the Right Femur sus- tained in a fall in her.bathroom. Steinman Pins were in- serted in her hip and she required a oonvalesoence involving no walking for a period of at least 4 months and possibly muoh longer. This patient had been a widow for 10 years. Following the death of her husband she had li ved on a limit- ed inoome from stooks and bonds until 3 years ago when it beoame necessary for her to seoure employment through the Works Progress Adminis tration. She was an adopted ohild of a very wealthy couple. Following the death of her father, her husband assumed the responsibility for handling her finanoes and during the dep~e8sion he lost all of her in- heri tenoe through bank failures and bad investments. He died a mental case. Her baokground inoluded a college eduoation, a year at a finishing s ohool in New York and 3 years at the Conservatory of Musio in Chicago. She taught for twelve years at the Conservatory of Musio in this oity and when she was employed by W'PA she was placed on Musio Projeot. This patient had been accustomed to very comfortable living conditions, but due to misfortune in recent years she had been foroed to be dependent upon society. Only through the interpretation of the faoilities whioh were available for oonvalescence and with the enoouragement of very good friends did this patient agree to go to the Convalescent Ward for this period of recovery. Abstract 33 Marion, a 26 year old white girl, was admitted to the Surgieal Ward with a diagnosis of Metatastlc Disease of tne Bone and Pathological Fracture of the Right Femur. She was placed in a Right Hip Spica Case Which immobilized her. This patient had been in private hospitals on six different occasions in the past six months to receive Deep Xray Therapy for a Malignancy. The family had 'exhausted all savings and insurance policies in an effort to provide medioal care for her outside a public institution. It finally became necessary for them to arrange for her trans- fer to the Louisville General Hospital.33 Marion, a 26 year old white girl, was admitted to the Surgieal Ward with a diagnosis of Metatastlc Disease of tne Bone and Pathological Fracture of the Right Femur. She was placed in a Right Hip Spica Case Which immobilized her. This patient had been in private hospitals on six different occasions in the past six months to receive Deep Xray Therapy for a Malignancy. The family had 'exhausted all savings and insurance policies in an effort to provide medioal care for her outside a public institution. It finally became necessary for them to arrange for her trans- fer to the Louisville General Hospital.