cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hot isostatic pressing to enhance inter-laminar tensile strength in additively manufactured carbon fiber-PEEK parts

Additive manufacturing (AM) of composites is a rapidly expanding technology with an increasing focus on printing end use parts rather than prototyping. Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is relatively inexpensive and fast compared to other AM technologies. The resulting FFF parts, however, suffer low interlaminar mechanical properties due to poor layer-to-layer adhesion and voids. A possible solution to this would be post processing using hot isostatic pressing (HIP). HIP utilizes high temperatures and pressures to consolidate parts in turn reducing void content, enhancing inter-layer adhesion, and increasing the crystallinity of the parts. This paper seeks to investigate the effects of HIP on structure and interlaminar strength of short carbon fiber reinforced polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) parts manufactured via FFF. Coupons were printed vertically (normal to the print bed and along the Z-direction) and post processed for one hour in an in-house HIP device. The HIP pressure was set to 0, 20, and 200 psig and a constant temperature of 165 °C (slightly above its glass transition temperature) was used. HIP treated samples were characterized via tensile tests to evaluate their tensile strength and modulus. Additionally, the samples were analyzed using X-ray micro computed tomography (μCT) device to assess their void content before and after the HIP processing. Structure, morphology, and properties for all tested samples were compared and correlated to the HIP treatment conditions. It was concluded that HIP can effectively increase the inter-layer mechanical properties of FFF parts by up to 50% in strength and 30% in modulus, rendering them more suitable for end use applications. Based on the new understanding of failure resulted from this study, post-treatment strategies to further increase the Z tensile properties in FFF are suggested.
Dynamic Adaption of Noise Covariance for Accurate Indoor Localization of Mobile Robots in Non-Line-of-Sight Environments

The estimation of robot pose in an indoor and unknown environment is a challenging problem. Traditional methods using wheel odometry and inertial measurement unit (IMU) are inaccurate due to wheel slippage and drift related issues. Ultra-wide-band (UWB) technology fused with extended Kalman filter (EKF) approach provides relatively accurate ranging and localization in a line-of-sight (LOS) scenario. However, the presence of physical obstacles {such as, walls, doors etc. called as non-line-of-sight (NLOS)} in an indoor environment pose additional challenges which are difficult to address using UWB alone. Identification of LOS/NLOS information can greatly benefit many location-related applications. To this end, an algorithm based on variance measurement technique of distance estimates along with power envelope of the received signal is proposed for NLOS identification. Further, adaptive adjustment of sensor noise covariance approach is devised to mitigate the NLOS effect. The proposed method-ology is computationally light and is thoroughly tested. The results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves 2X improvement in accuracy compared to existing approach.∼
Counting grass as a rich introduction to population estimation.

Undergraduate students often have trouble grasping concepts of statistical inference and sampling. The activity described here is designed to help students connect their intuition about estimating population sizes to statistical terminology and procedures, and to shed light on some of their misconceptions about sampling techniques. On the first day of an undergraduate Natural Resources Measurements course, students are given 45 minutes to estimate the number of blades of grass covering a large field using rulers and measuring tape. This simple activity is a microcosm of what students will be doing throughout the course, and it provides a basis for rich discussion of many aspects of statistical sampling and population estimation, including random and stratified sampling, variability, error, bias, and decisions about plot and sample size. The activity can also be used to highlight professional skills, such as collaboration and the need for clear communication, and begin the transformation from thinking like students to thinking like professionals. Instructors can easily vary the emphasis on particular topics, depending on course goals and serendipity during the activity. Of significant pedagogical value, this activity is referred to throughout the semester as the intuitive base for statistical concepts that might otherwise get lost in terminology and symbols, and during discussion of professional development.
Using N,N-dialkylamides for neptunium purification from other actinides for space applications

Tributylphosphate (TBP) has been reliably used in the solvent extraction of actinides for decades. One current application of TBP is the purification of plutonium-238 (238Pu), a heat source for rad...
The Survey of Rewards for Teens-Revised: A Brief Psychometric Report and Assessment of Reward Preferences in STEM Education

The Survey of Rewards for Teens-Revised (SORT-R) was developed amid the introduction of novel, and potentially rewarding, environmental stimuli fueled by technological progression. The presence of ...
Proteomic Resistance Biomarkers for PI3K Inhibitor in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Patient-Derived Xenograft Models

PI3K pathway activation is frequently observed in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, single agent PI3K inhibitors have shown limited anti-tumor activity. To investigate biomarkers of response and resistance mechanisms, we tested 17 TNBC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models representing diverse genomic backgrounds and varying degrees of PI3K pathway signaling activities for their tumor growth response to the pan-PI3K inhibitor, BKM120. Baseline and post-treatment PDX tumors were subjected to reverse phase protein array (RPPA) to identify protein markers associated with tumor growth response. While BKM120 consistently reduced PI3K pathway activity, as demonstrated by reduced levels of phosphorylated AKT, percentage tumor growth inhibition (%TGI) ranged from 35% in the least sensitive to 84% in the most sensitive model. Several biomarkers showed significant association with resistance, including elevated baseline levels of growth factor receptors (EGFR, pHER3 Y1197), PI3Kp85 regulatory subunit, anti-apoptotic protein BclXL, EMT (Vimentin, MMP9, IntegrinaV), NFKB pathway (IkappaB, RANKL), and intracellular signaling molecules including Caveolin, CBP, and KLF4, as well as treatment-induced increases in the levels of phosphorylated forms of Aurora kinases. Interestingly, increased AKT phosphorylation or PTEN loss at baseline were not significantly correlated to %TGI. These results provide important insights into biomarker development for PI3K inhibitors in TNBC.
Wheel of Fortune: A Critique of the ‘Manifest Imbalance’ Requirement for Race-Conscious Affirmative Action Under Title VII

The Supreme Court has long required that a valid voluntary affirmative action plan must seek to eliminate "a manifest imbalance in traditionally segregated job categories." Although supposedly advancing the goals of Title VII, the manifest imbalance requirement interferes with achieving those goals. It prevents civically conscientious employers from instituting affirmative action, while it does nothing to promote the values of equal employment opportunity, meritocracy, or fairness to nonminority workers. For example, in Schurr v. Resorts International Hotel, Inc., 196 F.3d 486 (3d Cir. 1998), the hotel, located in Atlantic City, adopted a race-conscious affirmative action plan to combat minority unemployment in a city afflicted with urban blight. Despite the needs of Atlantic City’s beleaguered minority population, the Third Circuit invalidated the plan because the hotel could not show a history of discrimination in the casino industry. The manifest imbalance test operated like a wheel of fortune costing minority workers jobs. The Article concludes that the law should abandon the manifest imbalance requirement and encourage voluntary affirmative action plans as long as they adequately protect the rights of nonminority workers. Only when minority underemployment is eliminated nationwide should affirmative action end.
Centroid and Apparent Diameter Optical Navigation on Mars Orbit

The work described in this paper harnesses an open-source astrodynamics engine and visualization to quantify the performance of on-board optical navigation. It introduces the Hough Circles transfor...
Frequentist Model Averaging in the Generalized Multinomial Logit Model

The generalized multinomial logit (GMNL) model nests the random parameters logit (RPL) model and the scale heterogeneity logit (SMNL) model. The RPL model captures the preference heterogeneity among individuals by allowing the coefficients to be random with any distribution. It has been often used to analyze and predict people' choices in many fields, such as health economics, agriculture economics, marketing and transportation research. However, more and more researchers stated that much of the preference heterogeneity in most choice context can be better described as "scale" heterogeneity, which takes the form of coefficients of observed attributes scaled down or up proportionately over individuals. The random coefficients of the RPL model cannot adequately account for such scale heterogeneity. The GMNL model accommodates scale heterogeneity to the preference heterogeneity in the RPL model. Incorporating the scaling parameter to the preference heterogeneity in the RPL model makes the maximization of the simulated likelihood function of GMNL model become more difficult and the corresponding estimated parameters have bigger variance. In this paper, we use frequentist model average estimator to reduce the estimation and prediction risks of the GMNL estimators. The model average estimator in this study is a weighted combination of GMNL-I and GMNL-II estimators. The weight is selected by minimizing the asymptotic squared error risk of the model average estimator. The results of our Monte Carlo experiments show that the frequentist model average estimator provides smaller mean squared error (MSE) than the GMNL estimator. The accuracy of the predicted choices are higher based on the model average estimates compared to the results based on the GMNL estimates. In the empirical analyses, using model average estimator improves the percentage of correct predicted choices by 10% compared to the results with GMNL estimate.
Improving detection accuracy of perfusion defect in standard dose SPECT-myocardial perfusion imaging by deep-learning denoising.

We previously developed a deep-learning (DL) network for image denoising in SPECT-myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). Here we investigate whether this DL network can be utilized for improving detection of perfusion defects in standard-dose clinical acquisitions. To quantify perfusion-defect detection accuracy, we conducted a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis on reconstructed images with and without processing by the DL network using a set of clinical SPECT-MPI data from 190 subjects. For perfusion-defect detection hybrid studies were used as ground truth, which were created from clinically normal studies with simulated realistic lesions inserted. We considered ordered-subset expectation-maximization (OSEM) reconstruction with corrections for attenuation, resolution, and scatter and with 3D Gaussian post-filtering. Total perfusion deficit (TPD) scores, computed by Quantitative Perfusion SPECT (QPS) software, were used to evaluate the reconstructed images. Compared to reconstruction with optimal Gaussian post-filtering (sigma = 1.2 voxels), further DL denoising increased the area under the ROC curve (AUC) from 0.80 to 0.88 (P-value < 10−4). For reconstruction with less Gaussian post-filtering (sigma = 0.8 voxels), thus better spatial resolution, DL denoising increased the AUC value from 0.78 to 0.86 (P-value < 10−4) and achieved better spatial resolution in reconstruction. DL denoising can effectively improve the detection of abnormal defects in standard-dose SPECT-MPI images over conventional reconstruction.
Two-Fluid Modeling of Dense Particulate Suspensions for Electronics Cooling

Multiphase flows have been an attractive choice of fluid system to mitigate the temperature rise in electronic devices. We propose a particle-laden flow (i.e., a dense suspensions) comprising boron nitride (BN) particles of micrometer dimensions suspended in a 3MTM FluorinertTM FC-43, which is a dielectric fluid commonly used for cooling electronics. A computational two-fluid model is developed in OpenFOAM® to enable high-fidelity predictive simulation of such suspension flows. We perform 3D computational fluid dynamics simulations of coupled particle migration and heat transfer in three different micro-channel geometries: uniform cross-section channels, channels with converging and diverging sections, and herringbone-patterned micro-channels designed to enhance mixing. Our simulations address thermal management solutions for uniform heat input, as well as for a local hotspot in the system. The converging-diverging channel improves the thermal performance due to enhancement of the local suspension Reynolds number, while the herringbone channel induces secondary flows in the cross-section, which further enhance mixing and promote heat transfer. In particular, our simulations indicate that, for the same channel inlet dimensions and mass flow rate, out of the three designs, the herringbone geometry keeps the system coolest for a fixed heat input: the maximum temperature in the channel for a hotspot at the bottom wall of the channels is limited to 325K for converging-diverging, 324K for herringbone, and 332K for uniform cross-section channels. While the converging-diverging channel exhibits a similar maximum temperature to the herringbone design, it requires the largest pumping power of 26.7 µW. The herringbone channel is the most efficient at 8.6 µW due, in part, to the increased channel cross-section in the herringbone design. As a point of reference, simulations with pure (clear) FC-43 fluid were performed in the same channels. For the herringbone channel, we found a maximum temperature of 430 K at a slightly lower pumping power of 5.8 µW. For the pure fluid in the converging-diverging channel, the maximum temperature was 360 K at 12.5 µW. Clearly, suspensions of high-thermal-conductivity BN particles improve the thermal management of electronics devices reducing the surface temperature by up to 100 °C for the same volumetric flow rate. Further investigation and optimization of the combined flow physics, particle migration, and thermal transport could lead to efficient microelectronics cooling systems.
Multiplex: A Formal Model for Multidatabases and Its Implementation

The integration of information from multiple databases has been an enduring subject of research for over 20 years, and many different solutions have been attempted or proposed. Missing from this research has been a uniform framework. Usually, each solution develops its own ad-hoc framework, designed to address the particular aspects of the problem that are being attacked and the particular methodology that is being used. To address this situation, in this paper we define a formal model for multidatabases, which we call Multiplex. Multiplex is a simple extension of the relational model, which may serve as a uniform abstraction for many previous ad-hoc solutions. Multiplex is based on formal assumptions of integrability, which distinguish between scheme and instance reconcilability among independent databases. Multiplex supports database heterogeneity, and it provides several degrees of freedom that allow it to model actual situations encountered in multidatabase applications. In addition, in situations in which a single answer is not obtainable (either because the global query is not answerable, or there are multiple candidate answers), Multiplex defines approximative answers. Finally, Multiplex provides a practical platform for implementation. A prototype of such an implementation is described briefly.
Turbulent heating and acceleration of He++ ions by spectra of Alfvén‐cyclotron waves in the expanding solar wind: 1.5‐D hybrid simulations

[1] Both remote sensing and in situ measurements show that the fast solar wind plasma significantly deviates from thermal equilibrium and is strongly permeated by turbulent electromagnetic waves, which regulate the ion temperature anisotropies and relative drifts. Thus, the ion kinetics is governed by heating and cooling related to absorption and emission of ion-acoustic and ion-cyclotron waves, as well as nonresonant pitch angle scattering and diffusion in phase space. Additionally, the solar wind properties are affected by its nonadiabatic expansion as the wind travels away from the Sun. In this study we present results from 1.5-D hybrid simulations to investigate the effects of a nonlinear turbulent spectrum of Alfven-cyclotron waves and the solar wind expansion on the anisotropic heating and differential acceleration of protons and He++ ions. We compare the different heating and acceleration by turbulent Alfven-cyclotron wave spectra and by pure monochromatic waves. For the waves and the wave spectra used in our model, we find that the He++ ions are preferentially heated and by the end of the simulations acquire much more than mass-proportional temperature ratios, Tα/Tp>mα/mp. The differential acceleration between the two species strongly depends on the initial wave amplitude and the related spectral index and is often suppressed by the solar wind expansion. We also find that the expansion leads to perpendicular cooling for both species, and depending on the initial wave spectra, it can either heat or cool the ions in parallel direction. Despite the cooling effect of the expansion in perpendicular direction, the wave-particle interactions provide an additional heating source, and the perpendicular temperature components remain higher than the adiabatic predictions.
The Heart and Circulation

This chapter begins a discussion of mathematics in physiology to which the remainder of the book is devoted. The discussion begins with the heart and blood circulation in the body. We first outline the structure of the circulation and then we derive models of blood flow and pressure and mechanisms for controlling them.
Foundations of object-oriented languages: types and semantics

In recent years, object-oriented programming has emerged as the dominant computer programming style, and object-oriented languages such as C++ and Java enjoy wide use in academic and industry. This text explores the formal underpinnings of object-oriented languages to help the reader understand the fundamental concepts of these languages and the design decisions behind them.
A rare case of splenic pseudoaneurysm in pediatric splenic blunt trauma patient: Review of diagnosis and management

Introduction Splenic pseudoaneurysms (SPA) are a rare but serious sequela of blunt traumatic injury to the spleen. Management of adult blunt splenic trauma is well-studied, however, in children, the management is much less well-defined.
Rovibrational Laser Spectroscopy of ESD Neutrals from Chemisorbed Species

Ever since the introduction of intense tunable laser radiation, the fields of molecular spectroscopy and dynamics have expanded tremendously. Indeed, with each technical improvement in laser resolution and output power, new applications have emerged with correspondingly increased levels of sophistication and information. In the field of electron-stimulated desorption (ESD), not only has the utilization of lasers resulted in the detection of neutral species [1–5], which were previously difficult to observe without specially designed analyzers [6], but also the quantum-specific nature of the resonant laser interaction with the neutrals has yielded valuable information concerning internal energies [2–5]. In this article, we will discuss some of the experimental methods in the application of laser resonance-ionization spectroscopy (RIS) to the study of the ESD of neutrals, in particular, chemisorbed NO and CO desorption from Pt(111). We will also show how the detailed information obtained in these experiments has identified a new desorption mechanism.
International regulation of underwater sound

Underwater sound is created by myriad activities worldwide and there is general agreement that manmade noise in the ocean is increasing. This rise in anthropogenic sound in the ocean has generated concern that it is affecting marine mammal behavior and could affect humans as well. Controversy over underwater sound and its effects on marine mammals has generated much discussion within the marine community. Future regulation that restricts the use of sonar could have enormous impact on naval operations, scientific research, oil exploration, fishing and aquaculture. The creation of noise as a by-product of other activities indicates that even shipping, recreational boating, and airlines could be impacted by this issue. Presently there is a lack of coherent policy framework for evaluating the environmental impacts of underwater noise pollution. There are no international treaties or laws that specifically address the operations of sonars or transmission of sound in territorial waters or the high seas. The issue of underwater sound is examined in a global context and the extent to which the international legal and environmental community has addressed it is discussed. Additionally, recommendations are made for the development of appropriate policy regarding the use of sound in the ocean.
A Combined Analytical and Numerical Approach to Analyze Mud Motor Excited Vibrations in Drilling Systems

Severe vibrations in drillstrings and bottomhole assemblies can be caused by cutting forces at the bit or mass imbalances in downhole tools. One of the largest imbalances is related to the working principle of the so-called mud motor, which is an assembly of a rotor that is maintained by the stator. One of the design-related problems is how to minimize vibrations excited by the mud motor.Simulation tools using specialized finite element methods (FEM) are established to model the mechanical behavior of the structure. Although finite element models are useful for estimating rotor dynamic behavior and dynamic stresses of entire drilling systems they do not give direct insight how parameters affect amplitudes and stresses. Analytical models show the direct influence of parameters and give qualitative solutions of design related decisions. However these models do not provide quantitative numbers for complicated geometries.An analytical beam model of the mud motor is derived to calculate the vibrational amplitudes and capture basic dynamic effects. The model shows the direct influence of parameters of the mud motor related to the geometry, material properties and fluid properties. The analytical model is compared to the corresponding finite element model. Vibrational amplitudes are discussed for different modes and parameter changes. Finite element models of the entire drilling system are used to verify the findings from the analytical model using practical applications. The results are compared to time domain and statistical data from laboratory and field measurements.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Are Odors the Best Cues to Memory? A Cross-Modal Comparison of Associative Memory Stimulia

To test the claim that odors are the 'best' cues to memory, several cross-modal experiments were conducted in which odors were compared with verbal, visual, tactile and musical stimuli as associated memory cues. Each experiment comprised two sessions (encoding and retrieval) separated by 48 hr. At the encoding session, a series of stimuli were incidentally associated to a set of emotionally arousing pictures. At the retrieval session, memory accuracy and emotionality were assessed. Across experiments, results revealed that odors were equivalent to other stimuli in their ability to elicit accurate recall, but that odor-evoked memories were always more emotional. Notably, emotional responses did not vary as a function of stimulus type at encoding. These data indicate that emotional saliency, rather than accuracy, is responsible for the impression that odors are superior reminders, and that retrieval processes (cf. encoding processes) are responsible for the distinctive emotionality of odor-evoked memories.
Bioinformatic analysis of expressed sequence tags derived from a compatible Alternaria brassicicola–Brassica oleracea interaction

SUMMARY Alternaria brassicicola is a necrotrophic fungal pathogen that causes black spot disease on members of the Brassicaceae plant family. In order to identify candidate fungal pathogenicity genes and characterize a compatible host response, a suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library enriched for A. brassicicola and Brassica oleracea genes expressed during the interaction was created, along with a fungal cDNA library representing genes expressed during nitrogen starvation (NS). A total of 3749 and 2352 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were assembled into 2834 and 1264 unisequence sets for the SSH and NS libraries, respectively. We compared two methods to identify the origins (plant vs. fungal) of ESTs in the SSH library using different classification procedures, with and without the availability of a database representing the A. brassicicola whole genome sequence and Brassicaceae-specific genes. BLASTX analyses of the 2834 unisequence set using the GenBank non-redundant database identified 114 fungal genes. Further BLASTN analyses of the genes with unidentifiable origin using a database consisting of the 1264 fungal unisequence set from the nitrogen-starved library identified 94 additional fungal genes. By contrast, BLASTN analyses of the same SSH unisequence set using a partially assembled A. brassicicola whole genome draft sequence identified a total of 310 unisequenes of fungal origin. Our results indicated that even a small number of organism-specific EST sequences can be very helpful to identify pathogen genes in a library derived from infected tissue, partially overcoming the limitation of the public databases for little studied organisms. However, using the whole genome draft sequence of A. brassicicola we were able to identify approximately 30% more fungal genes in the SSH library than without utilizing this resource. The putative role of specific fungal and plant genes identified in this study in a compatible interaction is discussed.
Minority-carrier transport parameters in heavily doped p-type silicon at 296 and 77 K

Minority-carrier electron lifetime, mobility and diffusion length in heavily doped p-type Si were measured at 296 and 77 K. It was found that a 296 K mu /sub n/ (pSi) approximately= mu /sub n/ (nSi) for N/sub AA/ 3*10/sup 18/ cm/sup -3/, in contrast to the opposite dependence for mu /sub n/ (nSi) in n/sup +/ Si. >
Some problems of finite representability

It has been pointed out that context-free grammars of a certain class have the property that a one-one mapping exists between the structural descriptions of its sentences and the sentences generated by a finite state grammar. Given a grammar, it is decidable whether it belongs to this specific class or not. The grammars of this class can be divided into a countable hierarchy of increasing complexity.
Effect of Implantation Site on Hepatocytes Heterotopically Transplanted on Biodegradable Polymer Scaffolds

We investigated the engraftment of heterotopically transplanted hepatocytes in three sites: the subcutaneous space, the small intestinal mesentery, and the omentum to determine the optimal location for tissue-engineered liver constructs. Hepatocytes were isolated from inbred Lewis rats and placed on polymer constructs. Cell-polymer constructs were implanted into the subcutaneous space of the abdominal wall, the small intestinal mesentery, and the omentum of Lewis rats. One group of rats had undergone previous portacaval shunt. Animals were killed 2 or 4 weeks after implantation and the constructs were analyzed for engraftment, using computer-assisted morphometric analysis. Engraftment was greatest in the omentum with less engraftment in the mesentery. There was minimal engraftment in the subcutaneous space in all specimens. Prior portacaval shunt increased engraftment in the mesentery and the omentum, but not the subcutaneous space. The omentum is the most favorable bed for engraftment of hepatocyte-polymer tissue-engineered constructs and the addition of a portacaval shunt increases survival of transplanted hepatocytes in the omentum and mesentery.
The Influence of the Rural Community College Initiative on Increasing Civic Capacity in Distressed Rural Communities

This article discusses the influence of the Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI) on the development of civic capacity in distressed rural communities. RCCI was a demonstration project funded by the Ford Foundation to explore the ways that rural community colleges can act as catalysts for economic and educational opportunity in persistently poor regions. Among other factors, a qualitative assessment of the project conducted by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) concluded that, although economic and educational progress was hard to measure, there was clear evidence of increased energy for community development. RCCI was distinctive from other community-based initiatives in that it included a nationwide network of institutions and used third-party intervention to facilitate the development of collaboration between college and community rather than relying on the resources of the college alone. Examples from Appalachian colleges participating in the initiative illustrate that this proc...
Haemonchus contortus: enzymes. III. Glutamate dehydrogenase

Abstract Adult male and female Haemonchus contortus were homogenized and subjected to differential centrifugation. The crude, high-speed, supernatant fraction contained more than 95% of the glutamate dehydrogenase activity. The enzyme was purified through use of DEAE-cellulose columns and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The enzyme from both crude and purified preparations was detected as a single band of activity following starch or polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The Haemonchus enzyme was compared with ovine and bovine liver glutamate dehydrogenases. The three enzymes were similar in molecular size, Michaelis constants, and pH optimums but differed in electrophoretic mobility in polyacrylamide-gels, activity with NADP as coenzyme, and effect of AMP and ADP on activity. Sheep anti- Haemonchus glutamate dehydrogenase serum inhibited Haemonchus glutamate dehydrogenase, but did not inhibit the ovine or bovine enzymes.
How do female parasitoid wasps assess host size during sex-ratio manipulation?

Abstract Abstract. As in many parasitoid wasps, Spalangia cameroni females oviposit a greater proportion of daughters in large hosts than in small hosts. How females assess host size for this sex-ratio manipulation was examined: do females require visual cues and do they use exposed surface area or volume or duration required to drill into a host prior to oviposition? Visual cues are not necessary; in the dark, females still produced a greater proportion of daughters in large hosts than in small hosts. To examine whether females use exposed surface area or volume to estimate host size, proportion of daughters was compared between unburied hosts and hosts that had been half-buried either horizontally or vertically. Burying hosts did not interfere with host-size assessment for sex-ratio response; sex ratios did not differ between partially buried hosts and unburied hosts of the same size. Females do not appear to use duration required to drill into a host prior to oviposition to assess a host's resources. Drill duration was not consistently longer or shorter for the types of hosts in which daughters versus sons tended to be oviposited. Specifically, a greater proportion of daughters were oviposited in large hosts than in small hosts and in young hosts than in old hosts. Drill duration was longer in large hosts than small hosts but was shorter in young hosts than old hosts. The greater average drill duration observed for daughters suggests that daughters may be more costly to produce than sons.
PdRu/C catalysts for ethanol oxidation in anion-exchange membrane direct ethanol fuel cells

Abstract Carbon supported PdRu catalysts with various Pd:Ru atomic ratios were synthesized by impregnation method, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electrochemical half-cell tests, and the anion-exchange membrane direct ethanol fuel cell (AEM-DEFC) tests. XRD results suggest that the PdRu metal exists on carbon support in an alloy form. TEM study shows that the bimetallic PdRu/C catalysts have slightly smaller average particle size than the single metal Pd/C catalyst. Lower onset potential and peak potential and much higher steady state current for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media were observed on the bimetallic catalysts (Pd x Ru y /C) than on the Pd/C, while the activity for ethanol oxidation on the pure Ru/C was not noticeable. By using Pd/C anode catalysts and MnO 2 cathode catalysts, AEM-DEFCs free from the expensive Pt catalyst were assembled. The AEM DEFC using the bimetallic Pd 3 Ru/C anode catalyst showed a peak power density as high as 176 mW cm −2 at 80 °C, about 1.8 times higher than that using the single metal Pd/C catalyst. The role of Ru for enhancing the EOR activity of Pd/C catalysts is discussed.
Inactivation of Bcl-2 by phosphorylation

The antiapoptosis potential of Bcl-2 protein is well established, but the mechanism of Bcl-2 action is still poorly understood. Using the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid or the chemotherapeutic drug taxol, we found that Bcl-2 was phosphorylated in lymphoid cells. Phospho amino acid analysis revealed that Bcl-2 was phosphorylated on serine. Under similar conditions, okadaic acid or taxol treatment led to the induction of apoptosis in these cells. Thus, phosphorylation of Bcl-2 seems to inhibit its ability to interfere with apoptosis. In addition, phosphorylated Bcl-2 can no longer prevent lipid peroxidation as required to protect cells from apoptosis.
Competition between inhibitors of the trypanosome alternative oxidase (TAO) and reduced coenzyme Q9

The trypanosome alternative oxidase (TAO) is an attractive target for chemotherapy for the diseases caused by African trypanosomes because there is no equivalent enzyme in mammalian hosts. Many inhibitors of this enzyme have been described, but there have been no data on the mechanism of inhibition. In the present study, reduced 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-decyl-1,4-benzoquinone (decyl-CoQ-H2) was used as a substitute for the natural substrate CoQ9-H2 to allow direct measurements of the TAO in crude mitochondrial preparations from Trypanosoma brucei brucei. A Km value of 3.8 microM was obtained for this substrate. The following five compounds that have alkyl side chains from 1 to 4 carbons and belong to three classes of inhibitors showed a competitive inhibition pattern with respect to decyl-CoQ-H: p-methoxybenzhydroxamic acid, p-ethoxybenzhydroxamic acid,p-n-butyloxybenzhydroxamic acid, methyl 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate and N-n-butyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzamide. The following four compounds belonging to the same chemical classes but having alkyl side chains from 10 to 12 carbons showed uncompetitive inhibition patterns: p-n-dodecyloxybenzhydroxamic acid, n-decyl 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate, n-dodecyl 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate, and N-n-decyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzamide. Clearly, the first group of inhibitors compete with CoQ-H2 for the active site of the TAO. We propose that the uncompetitive patterns produced by the second group of inhibitors are due to the greater lipophilicity of these compounds and the resulting change in the interaction of the inhibitors and the membrane containing the TAO, thus affecting the local concentration of the inhibitors at the active site.
Location of Citrus Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) Pupation: Tree or Ground

Field experiments indicated that only 33% of larval and adult citrus thrips, Scirtothrips citri (Moulton), sampled on 2-m-high citrus trees originated from larvae that pupated in the ground. This estimate was reduced to 22% with 3-m-high trees that offered more pupation sites aboveground. Of the thrips that did drop to the ground for pupation, most did so in the NE quadrant, between 26 and 45 cm from the trunk.
2-acetyl-4-tetrahydroxybutylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole in caramel colours, vinegar and beverages in China.

A survey of 2-acetyl-4-tetrahydroxybutylimidazole (THI) and 4-methylimidazole (4-MeI) concentrations in caramel colours, vinegar and beverages from the Chinese market were performed by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). In total, 117 samples, 78 caramel colour samples, 23 vinegar samples and 16 beverage samples, were investigated. The results indicated that 4-MeI was found in all samples. THI was found in a part of the samples and also the level range was lower compared to 4-MeI. In caramel colour samples, the concentration level range of THI was 1.0–74.3 mg/kg and of 4-MeI was 1.5–1291.8 mg/kg. In vinegar samples, the concentration level range of THI was 13.3–119.2 µg/L and for 4-MeI 111.2–2077.8 µg/L. In beverage samples, THI was only found in two samples and the concentration level range of 4-MeI was 10.8–307.1 µg/L. THI and 4-MeI levels in vinegar and beverages were rather low compared with those in caramel colour samples. These observations can be helpf...
Opportunities and Constraints for Cement Kiln Incineration in Malaysia

A preliminary investigation of the feasibility of cement kiln incineration in Malaysia is presented together with a brief overview of the test results of cement kiln incineration in different countries. A brief overview of the hazardous waste problem in Malaysia is included. Opportunities and constraints of utilizing the existing cement kilns for waste disposal are examined and a scheme for the successful implementation of cement kiln incineration is presented.
CO2 decomposition kinetics of YBa2Cu3O7-x via in situ electrical conductivity measurements

In situ electrical conductivity measurements were employed to study the kinetics of decomposition of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7− x in flowing 5% CO 2 /95% O 2 atmosphere at 815 °C. Three regimes could be observed in the decay of the conductivity with time, interpreted as corresponding to nucleation over the initial 5–10 min, rapid formation of Y 2 Cu 2 O 5 , BaCO 3 , and CuO between 10 min and 1 h, and finally transition to the formation of Y 2 BaCuO 5 , BaCO 3 , and CuO at longer times. The absence of dispersion in impedance measurements as a function of frequency together with the gradual decay of conductivity (roughly corresponding to the remaining volume fraction of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7− x ) indicates that not all grain boundaries are involved in the decomposition process.
Function Prediction Using Recurrent Neural Networks

The real-time recurrent learning (RTRL) algorithm was modified and applied to the task of function prediction. This recurrent neural network was modified to include both a variable learning rate, and a linear output combined with sigmoidal hidden units. The simple learning rate modification allows faster network convergence while avoiding most cases of catastrophic divergence. In addition, a linear output combined with hidden sigmoidal units enables the network to predict unbounded functions. The modified recurrent network was then used to simulate a linear system (second order Butterworth filter). In addition, the recurrent network was applied to two specific applications: predicting 3-D head position in time, and voice data reconstruction. The accuracy at which the network predicted the pilot's head position was compared to the best linear statistical prediction algorithm. The application of the network to the reconstruction of voice data showed the recurrent network's ability to learn temporally encoded sequences, and make decisions as to whether or not a speech signal sample was considered a fricative or a voiced portion of speech.
Analytical modeling of conformal mantle cloaks for cylindrical objects using sub-wavelength printed and slotted arrays

Following the idea of “cloaking by a surface” [A. Alu, Phys. Rev. B 80, 245115 (2009); P. Y. Chen and A. Alu, Phys. Rev. B 84, 205110 (2011)], we present a rigorous analytical model applicable to mantle cloaking of cylindrical objects using 1D and 2D sub-wavelength conformal frequency selective surface (FSS) elements. The model is based on Lorenz-Mie scattering theory which utilizes the two-sided impedance boundary conditions at the interface of the sub-wavelength elements. The FSS arrays considered in this work are composed of 1D horizontal and vertical metallic strips and 2D printed (patches, Jerusalem crosses, and cross dipoles) and slotted structures (meshes, slot-Jerusalem crosses, and slot-cross dipoles). It is shown that the analytical grid-impedance expressions derived for the planar arrays of sub-wavelength elements may be successfully used to model and tailor the surface reactance of cylindrical conformal mantle cloaks. By properly tailoring the surface reactance of the cloak, the total scattering from the cylinder can be significantly reduced, thus rendering the object invisible over the range of frequencies of interest (i.e., at microwaves and far-infrared). The results obtained using our analytical model for mantle cloaks are validated against full-wave numerical simulations.
TDDB Monitoring and Compensation Circuit Design for Deeply Scaled CMOS Technology

In this paper, a time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) compensation method with two TDDB monitoring circuits for reliable designs is proposed in 32-nm CMOS technology. To the best of our knowledge, there is no TDDB compensation method or TDDB monitoring circuits proposed before. The proposed TDDB monitoring circuits are referred to as soft breakdown (SBD) monitoring circuit and hard breakdown (HBD) monitoring circuit, which generate a fixed output pattern when severe SBD or HBD occurs. Based on the output of the monitoring circuits, the TDDB compensation method is proposed to completely overcome severe performance degradation and functionality failure due to SBD and HBD. The effectiveness and design costs of the proposed designs are evaluated using ISCAS'85 benchmark circuits.
White Flight/Black Flight: The Dynamics of Racial Change in an American Neighborhood

Rachael A. Woldoff's White Flight/Black Flight insists that to understand both white and black flight, we must study the places they have left and look closely at the lives of the people who chose ...
Comparison of the timing of initial prophylactic palivizumab dosing on hospitalization of neonates for respiratory syncytial virus.

Purpose The effects of two prophylactic palivizumab schedules on hospitalization of neonates for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were compared. Methods This retrospective study was conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a tertiary care, academic medical center. Patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 (hospitalized between October 2005 and April 2007) received inpatient doses of palivizumab monthly throughout the RSV season, regardless of their anticipated discharge date, followed by outpatient doses. Group 2 (hospitalized between October 2007 and April 2009) received only one dose of palivizumab before hospital discharge with subsequent outpatient doses. The primary outcome measure was the number of hospitalizations for RSV bronchiolitis. Secondary endpoints included the total number of palivizumab doses each patient received, number of inpatient doses per patient, number of hospitalizations requiring intensive care unit admission, patient need for mechanical ventilation, outcome of the RSV-related hospitalization, and cost of inpatient palivizumab doses per patient. Results A total of 207 neonates were included in the study (112 in group 1, 95 in group 2). The mean gestational age was 29.7 weeks in group 1 and 30.3 weeks in group 2. Seven patients were hospitalized for RSV infection (5 in group 1 versus 2 in group 2, p = 0.4564). No RSV-related deaths occurred. Significantly more inpatient doses were administered to group 1 versus group 2 (1.7 versus 1, p < 0.001). Limiting inpatient palivizumab to 1 dose before discharge resulted in an institutional cost savings of more than $60,000 annually. Conclusion Hospitalization rates for RSV did not significantly differ between NICU patients who received inpatient prophylactic palivizumab monthly and those who received only one dose before discharge.
SOCIAL CONTEXT, MANAGEMENT, AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE : When human capital and social capital serve as substitutes

AbstractDo internal (administrative human capital) and external (social capital) resources work to reinforce the effects of each other? Work from multiple disciplines has approached this question, and we advance this literature with a theory of social and administrative resources as potential substitutes for each other in the production of public education outcomes. We argue that social capital benefits some groups more than others and that it interacts with management to improve performance. We therefore expect the benefits associated with social capital to be non-uniform across community groups. Using education as our area of study, we find that social capital offers the most direct and unconditional benefits to white students but that management can use human capital resources to compensate disadvantaged students who may lack support and resources outside of the classroom. We do not find support for the expectation that social capital and human administrative capital reinforce the benefits of each othe...
Regulation of pH and HCO3 in brain and CSF of the developing mammalian central nervous system.

Abstract Acute (2-h) metabolic acidosis or alkalosis was induced in immature rats to ascertain the ability of their incompletely-developed CNS to regulate pH when challenged with perturbations in blood [H] and [HCO3]. Brain and cisternal CSF pH were determined from steady-state distribution of [14C]dimethadione, a weak organic acid. By 1 week post partum, there was a remarkable stability of pH in the cerebral cortex of animals subjected to arterial pH extremes of 7.1 and 7.5. However, CSF pH in 1-week-old animals rendered alkalotic remained 0.07–0.08 units above control due to lack of a compensatory increase in pCO2, and to a blood—CSF barrier apparently more permeabie to HCO3. As arterial HCO3, i.e. [HCO3]art, was varied from about 10 to 30 mmol/l, the infants maintained [HCO3]csf only half as effectively as adults, i.e. Δ[HCO3]csf/ Δ[HCO3]art was 0.4 and 0.2 at 1 and >4 weeks, respectively. Throughout postnatal ontogenesis, [HCO3]csf was more resistant to alteration by metabolic acidosis than by alkalosis. Overall, the results indicate that immature rats challenged with systemic acid-base loads are less capable than adults in regulating CSF pH, but they are able to maintain brain pH.