cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Subcritical Water Chromatography with Electrochemical Detection

Reverse phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) is a commonly used separation and analysis technique. RPLC typically employs mixtures of organic solvents and water or aqueous buffers as the mobile phase. With RPLC being used on a global scale, enormous quantities of organic solvents are consumed every day. In addition to the purchasing cost of the hazardous solvents, the issue of waste disposal is another concern. At ambient temperature, water is too polar to dissolve many organic substances. Therefore, although water is nontoxic it cannot be used to replace the mobile phase in RPLC since organic analytes will not be eluted. Subcritical water chromatography may be an alternative. The characteristics of water, such as polarity, surface tension, and viscosity, can be altered by manipulating water's temperature, thus making it behave like an organic solvent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of separation using water mobile phase and detection by an electrochemical (EC) detector. The classes of analytes studied were neurotransmitters/metabolites, nucleic acids/heterocyclic bases, and capsaicinoids. Both isothermal and temperature-programmed separations were carried out. The separation temperature ranged from 25 to 100 °C. For separations of all three classes of solutes, the retention time was decreased with increasing temperature, thus shortening the analysis time. The peaks also became narrower as temperature increased. The limit of detection of neurotransmitters/metabolites ranges from 0.112 to 0.224 ppm.
Smartphone-based anywhere-anytime signals and systems laboratory

This paper presents a newly developed laboratory paradigm for the laboratory component of signals and systems courses. It involves the implementation of signals and systems algorithms that are written in MATLAB on smartphones using their ARM processors. This smartphone-based approach enables an anywhere-anytime environment for students to conduct signals and systems experiments. The steps involved for running MATLAB codes on smartphones are discussed together with the laboratory experiments that are normally covered in signals and systems courses. It is shown that this paradigm still keeps the programming language for conducting signals and systems experiments to MATLAB while enabling a truly mobile laboratory environment for students to learn the implementation aspects of signals and systems concepts.
Emerging investigators series: advances and challenges of graphitic carbon nitride as a visible-light-responsive photocatalyst for sustainable water purification

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is an emerging visible-light-responsive photocatalyst that has been explored since 2009. This photocatalyst has highly tailorable structures and properties that enable potential utilization of a large portion of solar energy. This material is also synthesized from earth-abundant precursors, is chemically and thermally stable, and is biocompatible with no reported toxicity to date. The merits and pioneering performance evaluation of g-C3N4 indicate that this photocatalyst holds promise for the degradation of persistent and emerging contaminants, including chemicals and pathogens, for sustainable water purification with reduced energy and chemical footprint. In this perspective, we propose and answer five questions that are most relevant to the development and application of g-C3N4 for photocatalytic water purification, including both benefits and current barriers, from molecular-scale mechanistic understanding of g-C3N4 properties and photocatalytic performance to industrial-scale photoreactor design for g-C3N4 implementation in practice.
Heterogeneous multirobot coordination with spatial and temporal constraints

Existing approaches to multirobot coordination separate scheduling and task allocation, but finding the optimal schedule with joint tasks and spatial constraints requires robots to simultaneously solve the scheduling, task allocation, and path planning problems. We present a formal description of the multirobot joint task allocation problem with heterogeneous capabilities and spatial constraints and an instantiation of the problem for the search and rescue domain. We introduce a novel declarative framework for modeling the problem as a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) problem and present a centralized anytime algorithm with error bounds. We demonstrate that our algorithm can outperform standard MILP solving techniques, greedy heuristics, and a market based approach which separates scheduling and task allocation.
Developing Wisdom in Christian Psychologists

A major topic of the Rech Conference on Christian Graduate Training in Psychology was that of the “Christian virtues” as potentially powerful therapeutic factors that should be manifested in the li...
Brief Report: Tubulointerstitial Damage in Lupus Nephritis: A Comparison of the Factors Associated With Tubulointerstitial Inflammation and Renal Scarring.

OBJECTIVE To characterize and compare the factors associated with tubulointerstitial inflammation (TII) and tubulointerstitial scarring, defined as interstitial fibrosis and/or tubular atrophy (IF/TA), in patients with lupus nephritis (LN). METHODS We identified systemic lupus erythematosus patients who had renal biopsy results consistent with LN between 2005 and 2017. Clinical data were collected from medical records. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to assess factors associated with TII and with IF/TA (moderate-to-severe versus none/mild). RESULTS Of 203 LN patients included, 41 (20%) had moderate-to-severe TII, 45 (22%) had moderate-to-severe IF/TA, and 21 (10%) had both. Multivariable logistic regression models showed that moderate-to-severe TII was associated with a shorter disease duration, African American race, proliferative LN, and an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of <60 ml/minute/1.73 m2 at the time of biopsy. Hydroxychloroquine use was associated with significantly lower odds of moderate-to-severe TII (odds ratio 0.27 [95% confidence interval 0.10-0.70], P = 0.008). Similar to TII, factors associated with moderate-to-severe IF/TA included proliferative LN and eGFR <60 ml/minute/1.73 m2 at the time of biopsy. In addition, the presence of moderate-to-severe TII and older age was associated with moderate-to-severe IF/TA. None of the routinely available serologic markers-including anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies, anti-Ro/La antibodies, and low complement-were associated with tubulointerstitial damage. CONCLUSION The use of hydroxychloroquine was strongly associated with less inflammation, while the presence of TII, proliferative LN, and low eGFR were major determinants of tubulointerstitial scarring. Identifying modifiable factors is critical for the development of better preventive and therapeutic strategies with the goal of improving survival in patients with lupus-related kidney disease.
Effects of oral contraceptives on serum lipid profiles of women runners

The purpose of this study was to examine the combined effects of oral contraceptive (OC) use and strenuous exercise on the lipid profiles of a group of 11 women runners. The five runners who used OCs had lipid profiles within normal ranges. When compared with a group of six runners who were not using OCs, matched for body fat and cholesterol intake, no significant differences in lipid profiles were seen. Women who choose to use OCs may offset previously documented alterations in lipid levels through a regular physical exercise program.
Chromosomal Loop Organization in Eukaryotic Genomes

Considerable progress has been made in understanding the mechanism of gene regulation in eukaryotic cells. Protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions are believed to bridge specific promoter and enhancer elements, thereby creating a favorable environment for RNA polymerase to initiate transcription (Ptashne 1988). Over the next few years it is predictable that perhaps hundreds of genes which encode regulatory proteins will be cloned, sequenced, and functionally characterized. While this information will be fundamental, these studies do not address the next important problem, namely how nuclear organization might participate in gene expression.
Fabrication and characterization of porous CNF/PDMS nanocomposites for sensing applications

This paper presented the development, fabrication, and characterization of porous nanocomposites using carbon nanofiber (CNF) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer for sensing applications under compressive loads. Sugar particles coated with CNFs were first used to manufacture templates and then used for the nanocomposite fabrications. All the manufactured nanocomposites were characterized to understand the CNF distribution, porous morphology, and electrical conductivity. The piezoresistive sensing functions were investigated by characterizing the nanocomposites under compressive cyclic loads at various applied maximum strains and strain rates. Long-term sensor performance was evaluated via durability tests for 12 h. The developed nanocomposite sensors have great potential for applications in a broad range of engineering fields.
Effect of Hepatic Organic Anion-Transporting Polypeptide 1B Inhibition and Chronic Kidney Disease on the Pharmacokinetics of a Liver-Targeted Glucokinase Activator: A Model-Based Evaluation

PF-04991532 ((S)-6-(3-Cyclopentyl-2-(4-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-imidazol-1-yl) propanamido) nicotinic acid) is a glucokinase activator designed to achieve hepato-selectivity via organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATP)s, so as to minimize systemic hypoglycemic effects. This study investigated the effect of OATP1B1/1B3 inhibition and renal impairment on PF-04991532 oral pharmacokinetics. Cyclosporine (600 mg single dose) increased mean area under the plasma curve (AUC) of PF-04991532 by approximately threefold in healthy subjects. In a renal impairment study, PF-04991532 AUC values were ~ 2.3-fold greater in subjects with mild, moderate, and severe kidney dysfunction, compared with healthy subjects. Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model parameterizing hepatic and renal transporter-mediated disposition based on in vitro inputs, and verified using first-in-human data, indicated the key role of OATP-mediated hepatic uptake in the systematic and target-tissue exposure of PF-04991532. Mechanistic evaluation of the clinical data suggest reduced hepatic OATPs (~ 35%) and renal organic anion transporter (OAT)3 (80-90%) function with renal impairment. This study illustrates the adequacy and utility of the PBPK approach in assessing the impact of drug interactions and kidney dysfunction on transporter-mediated disposition.
A Growing Conspiracy: Recolonization of Common Ravens (Corvus corax) in Central and Southern Appalachia, USA

Corvus corax (Common Raven, hereafter Raven) was historically ubiquitous throughout much of North America, but persecution and habitat loss after European settlement resulted in range reduction and population decline across much of the eastern US. Increasing numbers of confirmed sightings of Ravens in the eastern US over the past 70 years suggest rapid regional recolonization, particularly in central and southern Appalachia where, in many states, Ravens were thought to be extirpated or at least highly range-restricted. We compiled 64,611 Raven observations from multiple public and private sources across Appalachia between 1950 and 2016 and performed spatial analyses to characterize regional recolonization trends. The Appalachian Mountain range has served as both a refugium for Ravens during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and a regional source population for range expansion between 1950 and 2016. Ravens are now common in the mountainous areas of Appalachia and have recently expanded their range into lower elevations, including the successful recolonization of 4 states: Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. Spatial analyses demonstrated a 40% increase in the Raven's apparent geographic range in central and southern Appalachia, which now spans at least 470,380 km2. We present an updated map detailing current Raven distributions in central and southern Appalachia and review potential habitat, interspecific, and trophic factors aiding range expansion for Ravens.
Cortical superficial siderosis: Fine dark lines, harbingers of doom.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), characterized by β-amyloid deposition in the media and adventitia of small- and medium-size cortical and leptomeningeal vessels,1 results in structural alterations in the vessel wall, rendering them fragile and prone to rupture and hemorrhage. Clinical manifestations of CAA include spontaneous lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) with high recurrence rate. MRI typically reveals lobar cerebral microbleeds (CMBs)2 or cortical superficial siderosis (cSS) identified on blood-sensitive sequences. Characterized by a curvilinear low signal lesion along the cerebral convexities (bilinear “track-like” appearance), cSS likely results from extravasation of blood from fragile capillaries into the subarachnoid space.3 These imaging markers have become essential components of diagnosis and are included in the modified Boston criteria for the diagnosis of CAA.4 They have an increasingly important role in prognostication and risk stratification, and possess a unique potential as surrogate markers for use in clinical research and practice. However, our understanding of their pathophysiology and natural history remains incomplete. Despite having emerged as a highly specific marker of CAA3 and being strongly associated with lobar ICH risk,5 little is known about the course and the clinical relevance of progression of cSS.
Time-optimal control of quantum lambda systems in the KP configuration

We consider the problem of time-optimal control for a three-level quantum system where one level is coupled by the control field to the lowest two, which are not coupled to each other. A bound is assumed on the norm of the control at every time. Such a problem belongs to the class of KP sub-Riemannian problems for which we can perform a symmetry reduction and reduce to a Riemannian problem on the associated quotient space. We prove several properties of such a quotient space in our case, including the fact that it is an example of an almost-Kahler manifold that is not Kahler. We provide the explicit form of the optimal controls for any unitary transformation on the lowest two levels and discuss the geometric and practical implications of this result.
Application of ECMO in the treatment of severe adenovirus pneumonia

Adenovirus is one of the common pathogens causing respiratory tract infection in children, which can cause severe pneumonia.Severe adenovirus pneumonia has an acute onset, rapid progress, and many complications, but there is no specific treatment and the mortality rate is high.Mechanical ventilation is an important means of respiratory support for the treatment of severe adenoviral pneumonia, and ventilator-associated lung injury is an inevitable drawback of mechanical ventilation.ECMO can replace and support cardiopulmonary function for a long time, reduce the occurrence of such damage, and improve oxygenation.When patients with severe adenovirus pneumonia develop respiratory failure or ARDS, and conventional treatment fails to improve hypoxemia, or accompanied by air leakage and other complications, ECMO treatment should be considered.However, there are few relevant studies in China, and further experience needs to be accumulated in the selection of respiratory support modes, intervention opportunities and management points of ECMO respiratory support for severe adenovirus pneumonia. Key words: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; Severe adenovirus pneumonia; Respiratory support
Transient Cooling of a Faultworthy Superconducting Electric Generator

In order for superconducting generators to be of use in power stations, they must be made faultworthy, or able to withstand the effects of a short circuit on the power lines. The work described herein is part of an MIT-DOE program to design a 2000-MVA generator, the size of commercial interest, and to build and test a 10-MVA prototype. Designs of faultworthy superconducting generators to date have stationary, normally conducting armatures, rotating superconducting field windings, and several rotating electromagnetic shields between the field winding and the armature [1-3]. The MIT design has two electromagnetic shields and is unique in that these are structurally part of the rotor and operate in the steady state at temparatures in the range of 4 to 6 K. A system of cold shields, as opposed to having at least the outermost shield self-supporting and at room temperature, simplifies the structural problem and has other advantages, but it makes the cooling problem much more difficult [1]. For a representative 2000-MVA design, subjected to a severe fault used for design purposes, the time-averaged total losses in the shields are 4 MW during the first 0.1 s and thereafter drop by an order of magnitude and decay exponentially. The transient cooling scheme must prevent this heat input from increasing the temperature of the superconductor to the level where it will go normal.
Apparent moduli and strength differences between cylindrical and prism specimens caused by edge confinement effects

Abstract Rock samples obtained from excavation and fault damage zones are friable, and it is challenging to obtain cylindrical specimens from such rocks using coring bits in the lab. On the other hand, preparation of prismatic specimens may be less destructive because it does not exert excessive rotational torque around the sides of the rock as in the preparation of cylindrical specimens. Therefore, prism-shaped specimens could become a more favorable sample geometry when working with highly fragile rock samples. However, prism specimens may experience shape-specific boundary effects during mechanical deformation due to the presences of corners and edges, which might cause differences in the measured rock strength and elastic properties compared to a cylindrical specimen. This study aims to investigate how the corners and edges of prism specimens affect the apparent strength and moduli of samples via comparison of laboratory data and finite element modelling results. We find that the prismatic samples can have higher apparent elastic moduli due to the enhanced confinement at the sample edges, which in turn also increases the measured compressional strengths of prism samples compared to cylindrical samples. Whether this apparent strengthening effect influences laboratory data interpretation will also depend on the degree of sample variability and how well specimen edge boundary conditions are controlled.
True Differences in Poor Outcome Risks Between Revision and Primary Lumbar Spine Surgeries

Background: Previous studies have shown that the rates of complications associated with revision spine surgery are higher than those of primary spine surgery. However, there is a lack of research exploring the difference in magnitude of risk of poor outcomes between primary and revision lumbar spine surgeries. Purposes: We sought to compare the risks of poor outcomes for primary and revision lumbar spine surgeries and to analyze different measures of risk to better understand the true differences between the 2 forms of surgery. Methods: This retrospective observational study used data from the Quality Outcomes Database Lumbar Spine Surgical Registry from 2012 to 2018. We included individuals who received primary or revision surgery due to degenerative lumbar disorders. Outcome variables collected were complications within 30 days of surgery and 3 destination variables, specifically, (1) 30-day hospital readmission, (2) 30-day return to operating room, and (3) revision surgery within 3 months. Measures of risk considered were odds ratio (OR), relative risk (RR), relative risk increase (RRI), and absolute risk increase (ARI). Results: There were 31,843 individuals who received primary surgery and 7889 who received revision surgery. After controlling for baseline descriptive variables and comorbidities, revision surgery increased the odds of 4 complications and all 3 destination variables. Risk ratios reflected smaller magnitudes but similar findings as the statistically significant ORs. Conclusion: Revision surgery is related to higher overall risks than primary surgery, but the true magnitudes of these risks are very small. RRI and ARI should be included when reporting ORs to better clarify the significance.
NASDAQ and the NYSE: A Trade Reporting Facility Comparison

In this article, I study the differences in off-exchange trades reported between the NASDAQ and NYSE Trade Reporting Facility (TRF). I examine the differences in market quality and preferencing for trades reported in each TRF and show that trades reported in the NASDAQ TRF have both higher effective and realized spreads as well as a higher preferencing measure. This result is particularly strong in NYSE-listed stocks and in large-cap stocks. I also construct a matched sample of NYSE- and NASDAQ-listed stocks, finding similar results. My findings support regulatory concerns aimed at how the NASDAQ TRF handles and preferences customer orders.
Characterization of a proposed oxytocin receptor in the uterus of the rat and sow.

Abstract [3H]Oxytocin, incubated with rat uterine segments, was bound specifically, and about equally, to the three particulate fractions obtained by homogenization and centrifugation at 1,000, 20,000, and 105,000 x g. There apparently was no binding in the cytosol fraction. [3H]Oxytocin, added directly to rat uterine particles sedimenting between 1,000 and 20,000 x g, was bound with an apparent Kd of 1.8 x 10-9 m; 0.18 pmole of oxytocin was bound per mg of protein. For the 20,000 x g particulate fraction of the uterus from a pregnant sow, the apparent Kd for oxytocin binding was 1.5 x 10-9 m; 0.15 pmole of oxytocin was bound per mg of protein. The affinity of oxytocin for the 105,000 x g particles from sow uterus was about 3 times greater than for the 20,000 x g particles. The binding constants are of the same order as the concentration of oxytocin which elicits a half-maximal uterine response. The binding of [3H]oxytocin by sow uterine 20,000 x g particles was maximal by 40 min at 20°. Less binding occurred at 37 and 0° than at 20°. The competition for [3H]oxytocin binding sites by synthetic analogs of oxytocin was specific: oxytocin = [4-threonine]-oxytocin = [8-valine]oxytocin g [8-lysine]vasopressin >> [4-proline]oxytocin. Binding was optimal in the range of pH 7.4 to 7.8, was enhanced by Mn2+ and Co2+ g Mg2+ g Zn2+, and was absent with 1 mm ethylenediaminetetraacetate. The concentrations of Mn2+ giving maximal and half-maximal augmentation of binding were 5 and 0.4 mm, respectively. Ca2+, 5 mm, did not affect binding. A portion of the [3H]oxytocin appeared to be metabolized during the incubation with sow uterine particles. The uterine oxytocin receptor site is protein, at least in part, because binding was reduced by trypsin, —SH reagents such as N-ethylmaleimide, p-chloromercuribenzoate, and by thioglycollate. Phospholipases A and C inhibited binding; however, their inhibitory activities appeared to be separate from their catalytic activities. Neuraminidase, phospholipase D, butanedione, and sodium fluoride did not affect [3H]oxytocin binding. Binding was depressed by guanosine triphosphate, cytosine triphosphate, and uridine triphosphate. However, 1 mm ATP inhibited binding by more than twice as much as the other nucleoside triphosphates. The high affinity and ligand specificity of the uterine binding sites for oxytocin indicate that the binding protein is part of the oxytocin receptor system.
Resolutions of ideals of quasiuniform fat point subschemes of

The notion of a quasiuniform fat point subscheme Z ⊂ P 2 is introduced and conjectures for the Hilbert function and minimal free resolution of the ideal I defining Z are put forward. In a large range of cases, it is shown that the Hilbert function conjecture implies the resolution conjecture. In addition, the main result gives the first determination of the resolution of the mth symbolic power I(m;n) of an ideal defining n general points of P 2 when both m and n are large (in particular, for infinitely many m for each of infinitely many n, and for infinitely many n for every m > 2). Resolutions in other cases, such as fat points with tails, are also given. Except where an explicit exception is made, all results hold for an arbitrary algebraically closed field k. As an incidental result, a bound for the regularity of I(m; n) is given which is often a significant improvement on previously known bounds.
Chapter 4 Green engineering education

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the development of green engineering education. The natural method for engineering professors to inform society is to first teach their students this subject in the classroom. If engineering students are taught how to incorporate green engineering into their work, then this will help its implementation by industry and lead us to a sustainable future. The discipline embraces the concept that decisions to protect human health and the environment can have the greatest impact and cost effectiveness when applied early to the design and development phase of a process or product. In green engineering, risk assessment is applied to the design, retrofit, and optimization of feed stocks, waste streams, and unit operations in processes and products. The concept of risk-assessment takes into consideration the extent of harm a chemical and its use can pose to the environment. While traditional pollution prevention techniques focused on simply reducing as much waste as possible by treating all wastes as equal, risk-assessment methods used in pollution prevention can help quantify the degree of environmental impact for individual chemicals. With this approach to pollution prevention, engineers can design intelligently by focusing on the most beneficial way to minimize risk.
Cyclotomic integers and finite geometry

The most powerful method for the study of finite geometries with regular or quasiregular automorphism groups G is to translate their definition into an equation over the integral group ring 2[G] and to investigate this equation by applying complex representations of G. For the definitions and the basic facts, see Section 2. If G is abelian, this approach boils down to proving or disproving the existence of elements of 2[G] with 0-1 coefficients whose character values are cyclotomic integers of certain prescribed absolute values. Up to now there have been two general methods to tackle this problem, namely, Hall's multiplier concept and Turyn's selfconjugacy approach. However, both methods need severe technical assumptions and thus are not applicable to many classes of problems. Despite many efforts over a period of more than 30 years no general method has been found to overcome these difficulties. In this paper, we present a new approach to the study of combinatorial structures via group ring equations which works without any restrictive assumptions. In order to understand the method of the present paper it will be instructive to briefly discuss the self-conjugacy concept first. Turyn [51] demonstrated that the character method for the study of group ring equations works very nicely under the so-called self-conjugacy condition. An integer n is called self-conjugate modulo m if all prime ideals above n in the mth cyclotomic field Q((m) are invariant under complex conjugation. Under this condition it is possible to find all cyclotomic integers in Q((m) of absolute value nt/2 for any positive integer t. It is the complete knowledge of the cyclotomic integers of prescribed absolute value which makes the character method work so well under the self-conjugacy condition. Since Turyn's fundamental work [51] there have been dozens of papers extending and refining his approach. However, all these results are restricted to the case of self-conjugacy, and that is a very severe restriction indeed. Namely, the "probability" that n is selfconjugate modulo m decreases exponentially fast in the number of distinct prime divisors of n and m; see Remark 2.2. This means that the self-conjugacy method fails in almost all cases. One may ask if it is possible to extend Turyn's method in order to get rid of the self-conjugacy assumption. It turns out that in general this is impossible at least with present day methods. The required complete knowledge of the cyclotomic integers of prescribed absolute value would yield an
Torture, the State and the Individual

The Report of the Landau Commission puts a painful question for public debate: can it ever be morally acceptable in a liberal democracy for the state to use cruel measures against a person to compel him to reveal information needed to prevent grave harms, such as the loss of lives? The question, of course, belongs to a class of questions that has baffled and divided people for generations. Are some actions inherently and intrinsically wrong, so that they may not be redeemed by the net good consequences they produce on balance? Even if this is the case in general, can it be true regardless of the enormity of the consequences? Battle lines in moral philosophy are drawn in terms of how these questions are answered. For consequentialists the morality of all actions is solely determined by their consequences, near and long term. For deontologists the morality of all actions is always determined, at least in part, by their intrinsic wrongness, so that if they are wrong they are not made right by their desirable consequences. Each side has, so it seems, an unanswerable objection to the position of the other. Deontologists ask: then you mean you are ready to declare, for example, that punishment of innocent persons may be morally justified if it is necessary to prevent crime? And consequentialists (without answering) ask in turn: then you mean that even if the life of thousands and the preservation of the basic freedoms of a democratic community depend on it, you would regard it as morally prohibited to use any force against a single innocent person?These questions are among the hardest of all hard questions. But they become even harder when they are asked in the context of a public debate over how a government should act in some immediate crisis.
SO2 levels and perturbations in mortality. A study in the New York-New Jersey metropolis.

Analysis of daily mortality for 422 places in the United States from 1962 to 1966 provided a consistent set of mortality predictors of three classes: annual cycle, day of week, and Christmas holidays; influenza epidemics; and days or spells of extreme cold or heat. Analysis of deaths for New York metropolitan region, with daily SO2 measurements in Manhattan at the Davis Laboratory, showed the pollution measurement contributes significantly to prediction of deaths. Mortality was 1.5% iess than expected on 232 days with SO2 levels below 30μg/cu m and 2% greater than expected on 260 days with SO2 levels above 500μg/cu m, after correcting for the other factors. Coefficient of haze (COHS) does as well as SO2 in predicting death. A parallel analysis in the Philadelphia area showed similar, but weaker, SO2 and COHS effect.
Comparison of Temporal Artery and Axillary Temperatures in Healthy Newborns

ABSTRACT Objective To compare temperature readings of temporal artery and axillary thermometers in healthy late preterm and term infants in an effort to standardize practice. Design Descriptive comparative. Setting Thirty‐bed, healthy mother/baby unit in an inner‐city Level‐1 trauma center, averaging 2,500 births per year. Participants Healthy newborns ( N = 125) admitted to mother/baby unit after birth, at least 35 weeks gestation, and weighing greater than 1,900 grams. Methods Temperatures were taken at regular intervals per unit protocol. At each interval temporal and axillary temperatures were recorded. Results Temporal temperatures were significantly higher ( M = 36.9°C, SD = .59) than axillary temperatures ( M = 36.7°C, SD = .68), t (124) = 6.74, p Conclusion Our study findings supported a new nursing practice standard for measuring infant temperatures in our mother/baby unit. Using temporal artery thermometers is now our unit's standard of care for healthy newborns.
Evaluation of properties in the transition of capability based agent organization

It has been said that the only constant in life is change. This rule can also be directly applied to the lives of organizations. Any organization of non-trivial size, scope, life expectancy or function, is destined to change. An organization without the ability to transition is not robust, evolvable or adaptable within its environment. These basic preconditions to human organizations must also hold in viable agent organizations. To model an adaptable agent organization, the capability must be present to transition from one state to the next over the life of the organization. The organization model must include not only the structural objects, but also the ability to facilitate change. The ability to change empowers the organization to transition from one state to the next, over its useful life. To enable transition, we must formally capture and define what triggers an organization transition. In this paper, we will define the properties to formally model the ability of an adaptable organization to transition throughout its useful life. The properties will be instantiated, using an implemented system, allowing the evaluation of internal and external stimuli to cause transition to the organization. These transitions will be evaluated from several perspectives to determine their effectivity on basis of design and use.
The highly conserved KEOPS/EKC complex is essential for a universal tRNA modification, t6A

The highly conserved Kinase, Endopeptidase and Other Proteins of small Size (KEOPS)/Endopeptidase-like and Kinase associated to transcribed Chromatin (EKC) protein complex has been implicated in transcription, telomere maintenance and chromosome segregation, but its exact function remains unknown. The complex consists of five proteins, Kinase-Associated Endopeptidase (Kae1), a highly conserved protein present in bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes, a kinase (Bud32) and three additional small polypeptides. We showed that the complex is required for a universal tRNA modification, threonyl carbamoyl adenosine (t6A), found in all tRNAs that pair with ANN codons in mRNA. We also showed that the bacterial ortholog of Kae1, YgjD, is required for t6A modification of Escherichia coli tRNAs. The ATPase activity of Kae1 and the kinase activity of Bud32 are required for the modification. The yeast protein Sua5 has been reported previously to be required for t6A synthesis. Using yeast extracts, we established an in vitro system for the synthesis of t6A that requires Sua5, Kae1, threonine, bicarbonate and ATP. It remains to be determined whether all reported defects of KEOPS/EKC mutants can be attributed to the lack of t6A, or whether the complex has multiple functions.
DroidScope: seamlessly reconstructing the OS and Dalvik semantic views for dynamic Android malware analysis

The prevalence of mobile platforms, the large market share of Android, plus the openness of the Android Market makes it a hot target for malware attacks. Once a malware sample has been identified, it is critical to quickly reveal its malicious intent and inner workings. In this paper we present DroidScope, an Android analysis platform that continues the tradition of virtualization-based malware analysis. Unlike current desktop malware analysis platforms, DroidScope reconstructs both the OS-level and Java-level semantics simultaneously and seamlessly. To facilitate custom analysis, DroidScope exports three tiered APIs that mirror the three levels of an Android device: hardware, OS and Dalvik Virtual Machine. On top of DroidScope, we further developed several analysis tools to collect detailed native and Dalvik instruction traces, profile API-level activity, and track information leakage through both the Java and native components using taint analysis. These tools have proven to be effective in analyzing real world malware samples and incur reasonably low performance overheads.
Information technocracy: prologue to a farce or a tragedy

A comprehensive automated bibliographic control system has been developed by the New York Public Library. This system is unique in its use of an automated authority system and highly sophisticated machine filing algorithms. The primary aim was the rigorous control of established forms and their cross-reference structure. Th e original impetus for creation of the system, and its most highly visible product, is a photocomposed book catalog. The book catalog subsystem supplies automatic punctuation of condensed entries and contains the ability to pmduce cumulation / supplement book catalogs in installments without loss of control of the cross ref ere ncin g structure.
An infinitude of constant-energy flows of a gas

By converting the usual equations of motion for ideal inviscid fluids to Lagrangian form it is possible to exhibit infinitely many constant-energy flows of a compressible gas.
Microtags with 150-nm line gratings fabricated by use of extreme-ultraviolet lithography.

The microtag concept is an anticounterfeiting and security measure. Microtags are computer-generated holograms (CGH’s) consisting of 150-nm lines arranged to form 300-nm-period gratings. The microtags that we describe were designed for readout at 442 nm. The smallest microtag measures 56 µm×80 µm when viewed at normal incidence. The CGH design process uses a modified iterative Fourier-transform algorithm to create either phase-only or phase-and-amplitude microtags. We also report on a simple and compact readout system for recording the diffraction pattern formed by a microtag. The measured diffraction patterns agree very well with predictions.
The American Shipping Industry since 1914

In 1914 the United States had tess than 5 per cent of the merchant shipping tonnage of the world; in 1952 it had 32 per cent of a vastly larger world tonnage, although its basic competitive disadvantages had probably increased in the intervening years. This enormous growth of the American fleet resulted from the changes in public policy which accompanied a new view of the American role in world affairs. This article analyzes the major developments in the American merchant marine, both deep-sea and coastwise, since World War I.
Ethanol and other host-derived volatiles as attractants to beetles that bore into hardwoods.

Ethanol, methanol, acetone, and acetaldehyde—chemicals identified in the inner bark of living trees—were used to bait vane traps placed in crowns of oak trees in Connecticut. Ethanol-baited traps caught more cerambycid, scolytid, and clerid beetles than unbaited traps. Buprestidae were not attracted to ethanol. Acetaldehyde and acetone were not attractive to any family. A mixture of ethanol, methanol, and acetaldehyde was no more attractive than ethanol alone. The vane traps were very effective at catching Cerambycidae and Scolytidae, but ineffective compared to sticky panels at catching Buprestidae.
Bit-level erasure decoding of Reed-Solomon codes over GF(2/sup m/)

The algorithms for bit-level erasure decoding of (n,k) Reed-Solomon codes over GF(2/sup m/) beyond the design erasure decoding distance of n-k are considered. Erasure decoding takes place in the (mk, nk) binary image code. When the number of erasures exceeds n-k, then additional parity check equations must be developed. We describe how these equations are obtained and some of their properties. Decoding algorithms are discussed which tradeoff decoding performance for computational complexity. Simulation results for several families of codes are presented which provide information about good binary image codes.
Influence of administration route and dosage schedule on tumor response to nitrosoheptamethyleneimine in rats.

Nitrosoheptamethyleneimine (NHMI) was tested for carcinogenicity in Fischer-344 and Sprague-Dawley rats by intragastric administration and subcutaneous injection. Cumulative doses ranged from 5.5 to 1,200 mg/kg, and dosage schedules ranged from 40 serial administrations to one single injection. No difference in response was seen between sexes or strains of rats. Following the highest carcinogen doses by intragasritc administration, a high incidence of squamous-cell tumors occurred in the lung. The highest incidence of squamous-cell tumors occurred in the nasal cavity, trachea and esophagus. Following subcutaneous injection, tumors induced in the lungs were all alveologenic adenomas and adenocarcinomas. The upper respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts were again the most commonly affected sites, with tumors similar to those of the first group. Intragastric administration was more effective in producing tumors than was subcutaneous injection, and administration of multiple small doses was more efficient than single large doses. The results demonstrated that the route and schedule of administration markedly influenced the tumor response to NHMI, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Methylphenidate alters flash-evoked potentials, body temperature, and behavior in Long-Evans rats.

Abstract This experiment examined the effects of methylphenidate hydrochloride on flash-evoked potentials (FEPs) recorded from the visual cortex (VC) and superior colliculus (SC) of chronically implanted male Long–Evans rats, as well as on body temperature and open field behavior. FEPs were recorded at 10, 20 and 40 min following intraperitoneal injections of saline, and of doses of 0.7, 2.9, and 11.6 mg/kg methylphenidate on separate days. The 0.7 mg/kg dose did not produce significant effects. In the VC, following administration of the 11.6 mg/kg dose of methylphenidate the amplitude of components P 83 , N 146 , and P 232 decreased, the amplitude of component N 64 briefly increased and components P 23 , N 30 , N 40 , and P 48 were unchanged in amplitude. In the SC, component P 29 was unaffected, while components P 38 and N 51 were reduced in amplitude by the 11.6 mg/kg dose of methylphenidate. Peak latencies of components N 40 , P 48 , P 83 , and N 146 in the VC and component P 38 in the SC were increased by the 11.6 mg/kg dose of methylphenidate. When body temperature was recorded 45 min after drug administration, a mild dose-dependent hypothermia was found with the 2.9 and 11.6 mg/kg methylphenidate doses, suggesting that this may have contributed to the increased latencies. In subsequent open field observations, both line crossings and rearings were significantly increased by the 11.6 mg/kg dose. Increased movement into the center of the testing area was also observed, which could be a sign of increased exploration and reduced anxiety following methylphenidate.
Role of zinc in catalytic activity of carbonic anhydrase IX.

The carbonic anhydrases (CAs) in the α class are zinc-dependent metalloenzymes. Previous studies have reported that recombinant forms of carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), a membrane-bound form of CA expressed in solid tumors, appear to be activated by low levels of zinc independent of its well-studied role at the catalytic site. In this study, we sought to determine if CAIX is stimulated by zinc in its native environment. MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells express CAIX in response to hypoxia. We compared CAIX activity associated with membrane ghosts isolated from hypoxic cells with that in intact hypoxic cells. We measured CA activity directly using 18O exchange from 13CO2 into water determined by membrane inlet mass spectrometry. In membrane ghosts, there was little effect of zinc at low concentrations on CAIX activity, although at high concentration zinc was inhibitory. In intact cells, zinc had no significant effect on CAIX activity. This suggests that there is an appreciable decrease in sensitivity to zinc when CAIX is in its natural membrane milieu compared to the purified forms.
Micro-electrophoresis: a noninvasive method of sperm selection based on membrane charge

Objective To develop a technique with the potential of isolating genetically fit sperm for assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment without compromising its structural or functional competence. Design Observational study. Setting University hospital. Patient(s) Fifty patients undergoing infertility diagnosis and 88 couples undergoing ART treatment. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Under an electric field, the percentage of positively charged sperm (PCS), negatively charged sperm (NCS), and neutrally charged sperm was determined for each ejaculate before and after density gradient centrifugation (DGC), and evaluated for sperm DNA damage, histone retention, and couples' ART outcomes. Subsequently, PCS, NCS, and neutrally charged sperm were selected using an intracytoplasmic sperm injection needle and directly analyzed for DNA damage. Result(s) There was a reduction in the NCS population (95.10% ± 0.94% vs. 54.48% ± 2.39%) and an increase in the PCS population (4.28% ± 0.58% vs. 42.52% ± 2.36%) after DGC. The DNA damage was inversely proportional to %NCS ( r 2 = −0.242) and directly proportional to the %PCS ( r 2 = 0.206). When sperm were picked according to their charge and directly analyzed, sperm DNA damage was lower in the NCS population (3.9% ± 1.5%) compared with control (17.3% ± 3.2%) and %PCS populations (27.8% ± 6.0%). The %NCS was positively associated with fertilization rate ( r 2 = 0.469) and blastocyst development ( r 2 = 0.308) and inversely associated with embryo arrest ( r 2 = −0.253). Implantation rate and clinical pregnancies were higher in patient groups with increased NCS. Conclusion(s) Selection of NCS through micro-electrophoresis has the potential to isolate sperm relatively free of DNA damage to be used in ART.
New Pheromone Trap for Monitoring Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae) Populations

A new pheromone trap for Cydia pomonella (L.), made from paper and plastic cups, cheaper to purchase and use than existing traps, is described. The paper cup was simply a holder attached to a limb. The plastic cup, with lid, had three holes in the side near the top through which the moths entered. The septum containing pheromone was suspended from the lid. The bottom of the cup contained propylene glycol which trapped the moths. Trap efficiency was comparable to standard sticky traps or Sectar traps, but required less maintenance.
2.1.1 Using a Knowledge Management Tool to Improve U.S. EPA's Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise architecture (EA) is a process for ensuring that an organization's information resources are aligned with its goals and business. EA can be used for several purposes, such as improving business processes that are performed across an organization and integrating information management resources. For EA to achieve its potential, it is important to use an EA tool for housing and analyzing the organization's information. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is using such a knowledge management tool, called the Architecture Repository and Tool (ART), that is based on Metis software from Computas. ART can be used to identify which organizations perform the same business processes and to highlight opportunities for storing commonly used data. This paper illustrates how ART is a knowledge management tool that can reveal an organization's gaps, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
Neutrino oscillations from realistic SO(10)

Abstract The light neutrino mass spectrum and their mixing in a class of realistic SO (10) grand unification models with the seesaw mechanism are summarized.