cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular dynamics simulations for glass transition temperature predictions of polyhydroxyalkanoate biopolymers

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) represent an emerging class of biosynthetic and biodegradable polyesters that exhibit considerable potential to replace petroleum-based plastics towards a sustainable future. Despite the promise, general structure–property mappings within this class of polymers remain largely unexplored. An efficient exploration of this vast chemical space calls for the development and validation of predictive methods for accurate estimation of a diverse range of properties for PHA-based polymers. Towards this aim, here we present and validate the results of our molecular dynamics (MD) simulation based approach aimed at predicting glass transition temperatures (Tg) of PHA-based polymers. Since generally available and widely used polymer forcefields exhibit a relatively poor performance for Tg predictions, we have developed a new forcefield by modifying the polymer consistent force field (PCFF) via refining a selected set of torsion potentials of the polymer backbone using accurate density functional theory (DFT) computations. After carefully assessing the dependence of critical simulation parameters, such as, polymer chain length, number of polymer chains, supercell size, and thermal quenching rate used in the simulation, the applicability and transferability of the modified PCFF (mPCFF) is demonstrated by directly comparing the computed Tg predictions of various polymers with different chemistries, polymer side chain lengths and functional groups forming the polymer side chains against the respective experimentally measured values. Furthermore, the transport properties such as self-diffusion coefficient and viscosity are computationally determined and their well-known correlation with the target properties is demonstrated. Lastly, we have employed the developed approach to predict Tg values for a number of yet-to-be-synthesized PHA-based polymers with a diverse set of functional groups in the polymer side chains. The results are further rationalized by correlating the predicted Tg values with the inter-chain H-bond formation tendencies of the different side chain functional groups. This work represents an important first step towards computationally guided design of PHA-based functional polymers and opens up new directions for a systematic investigation of composition- and configuration-dependent structure–property relationships in more complex binary and ternary copolymer systems.
Local lignocellulosic biofuel and biochar co-production in Sub-Saharan Africa: The role of feedstock provision in economic viability

Abstract Bioenergy production in developing countries remains a contentious topic. We study feedstock provision costs in the context of a hybrid thermochemical-biochemical (HTB) lignocellulosic conversion process to co-produce ethanol and biochar in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. Using household-level and market data from Kenya, we examine the availability and cost of purchasing agricultural residues from smallholder farmers and transporting residues to a local-scale (10–20 Mg dry biomass per hour) HTB biofuel-biochar plant with integrated syngas-fermentation for ethanol production. We demonstrate that these costs depend significantly on regionally-specific agroecological and socio-economic conditions, such as crop yields, cropland density, and the value of crop residues to farmers. Only under the best-case scenario do we find that this integrated biofuel-biochar plant with 15 Mg of feedstock per hour capacity has positive net present value.
Double explosions and jet formation in GRB-supernova progenitors

Progenitors of long GRBs, and core-collapse supernovae in general, may have two separate mechanisms driving the outflows: quasi-isotropic neutrino-driven supernova explosions followed by a highly collimated relativistic outflow driven by the GRB central engine, a black hole or a magnetar. We consider the dynamics of the second GRB-driven explosion propagating through expanding envelope generated by the passage of the primary supernova shock. Beyond the central core, in the region of steep density gradient created by the SN shock breakout, the accelerating secondary quasi-spherical GRB shock become unstable to corrugation and under certain conditions may form a highly collimated jet, a "chimney", when a flow expands almost exclusively along a nearly cylindrically collimated channel. Thus, weakly non-spherical driving and/or non-spherical initial conditions of the wind cavity may produce highly non-spherical, jetted outflows. For a constant luminosity GRB central engine, this occurs for density gradient in the envelope \rho ~ r^{-\omega} steeper than \omega >4.
Examining Racial and Ethnic Disparities among Older Adults in Long-Term Care Facilities.

Background and objectives The purpose of this project was to examine individual-level ethnic and racial differences and facility-level differences in types of complaints and rates of complaint resolution in a local long-term care ombudsman program. Research design and methods We employed a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. First, we analyzed secondary complaint data based on residents' race and ethnicity (n = 464) and facility characteristics (n = 101). We then conducted 2 focus groups with ombudsmen (n = 12) to provide context for our quantitative findings and to explore the ombudsmen's views on disparities in long-term care facilities. Results Racial and ethnic minority residents were more likely to generate complaints related to residents' rights than nonminority residents. Assisted living facilities were more likely to have complaints related to residents' rights and outside agencies than nursing homes. The rate of complaint resolution increased among facilities with a higher proportion of minority residents, compared to facilities with a lower proportion of minority residents. However, an estimation of cross-level interaction revealed that non-Hispanic White residents in these facilities experienced faster complaint resolution than minority residents. Ombudsmen expressed concerns about communication barriers between minority residents and facility staff and discussed different complaint types and resolution rates according to facility types. Discussion and implications Our findings highlight disparities across long-term care facilities as well as disparities in care minority residents experience. Long-term care ombudsman program complaint data should be disaggregated by race and ethnicity of the residents to advocate for policy change at facility, state, and federal levels.
A Comparison of Feature Selection and Feature Extraction Techniques for Condition Monitoring of a Hydraulic Actuator

In many applications, there are a number of data sources that can be collected and numerous features that can be calculated from these data sources. The error of big data has lead many to believe that the larger the data, the better the results. However, as the dimensionality of the data increases, the effects of the curse of dimensionality become more prevalent. Further, a large feature set also increases the computational costof data collection and feature calculation. In this study, we evaluated four dimensionality reduction techniques as part of a system for condition monitoring of a hydraulic actuator. Two feature selection techniques, ReliefF and variable importance, and two feature extraction techniques, principal component analysis and autoencoders, are used to reduce the input into three classification algorithms. We conclude that variable importance in conjunction with the random forest algorithm outperforms the other dimensionality reduction techniques. Feature selection has the added advantage of being able to remove data sources and features from the data collection and feature calculation process that are not present inthe relevant feature subset.
Coordination of Unsaturated Molecules to Transition Metals

Publisher Summary The interaction of unsaturated molecules,–—for example, olefins and acetylenes— with transition metals is of paramount importance for a variety of chemical processes. These processes are stercospecific polymerization of olefin monomers, the production of alcohols, aldehydes in the hydroformylation reaction, hydrogenation reactions, cyclopropanation, isomerizations, hydrocyanation, and many other reactions. The chapter focuses on the coordination of unsaturation molecules to transition metals and the metrical aspects of this interaction as derived from a considerable body of structural data. The broad geometrical features of the interaction between unsaturated molecules and transition metals are now well-defined as a result of a large number of structural studies. In a general way these results can be rationalized by current, crude bonding model. But if the overall understanding of the bonding of unsaturated molecules to transition metals is to be improved, additional experimental and theoretical work needs to be done. On the experimental side, a number of factors must be considered. The diffraction results on a given compound could be improved considerably if the experiment is done at low temperatures so that the smearing effects of thermal motion could be minimized.
Negotiating Aesthetics and Culture

Aesthetics as a discourse is fraught with structural ambivalence. But, many of the tensions rooted in the philosophical discipline have metamorphosed into tenets of aesthetic education. The concepts with which scholars violently wrestle in academic arenas, classroom teachers and teaching artists embrace as central to their work with young people. Aesthetic education is recognized as set apart from other modes of teaching and learning by its central focus on interweaving knowledge, intuition, and experience in core subjects of study, through the manipulation of various artistic media, including those pertaining to visual arts, musical forms, language arts, and kinesthetic explorations, like dance or theatre (Eisner, 2002; Greene, 2001). Immanuel Kant theorized aesthetic assessment as disinterested valuation of a universal bent, existing just outside of one’s merely cognitive and merely intuitive faculties. Kant’s Critique of Judgment (1952) originally published in 1790, posits that human assessments fall into two distinct categories, reflective and determinant (determinative). Aesthetic evaluation is reflective in nature, a process that affords individuals the opportunity to personally rectify any number of unknowns. Beyond the nomination of reflection as a criterion for aesthetic response, Kant’s articulations on the subject are highly praised, and widely contested, making his theories of aesthetics (addressed with brevity and simplicity here) fodder for over two centuries of polemics. In particular, three areas of discord within the field of aesthetics resound as specifically relevant to aesthetic education—the relationship of cognition to intuition, negotiations of sensus particularis in light of sensus communis, and the hegemonic implications of a dominant cultural aesthetic.
The Dynamic Effects of Family Income on Child Health in the United States

Recent studies on the relationship between family income and child health show that children from poorer families have worse health than those from wealthier families, and that the negative effects of low income on health accumulate during childhood. In this paper, we aim to disaggregate the accumulated effects of income on child health found in the past studies into the gmarginal h (i.e., contemporaneous) effects and investigate how the contemporaneous effects evolve as children become older. Using data from the two waves of the Child Development Supplement (CDS) of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), we found weak evidence that the contemporaneous effects of family income on child health seem to accumulate with a decreasing rate throughout childhood.
Gevrey Regularity for Nonlinear Analytic Parabolic Equations on the Sphere

The regularity of solutions to a large class of analytic nonlinear parabolic equations on the two-dimensional sphere is considered. In particular, it is shown that these solutions belong to a certain Gevrey class of functions, which is a subset of the set of real analytic functions. As a consequence it can be shown that the Galerkin schemes, based on the spherical harmonics, converge exponentially fast to the exact solutions, as the number of modes involved in the approximation tends to infinity. Furthermore, in the case that the underlying evolution equation has a global attractor, then this global attractor is contained in the space of spatially real analytic functions whose radii of analyticity are bounded uniformly from below.
The Partner‐Specific Investment Inventory: An Evolutionary Approach to Individual Differences in Investment

This research advances an evolution-based model of the function and content of investment in romantic relationships. In developing this model, theory testing has proceeded concurrently with the validation of a multidimensional measure of partner-specific investment (PSI). Ten strategies of investment were identified through factor analysis and scaled to form the PSI Inventory. These scales form a diverse set of investment measures that are reasonably independent, internally consistent, and reliable across raters. Both gender and sociosexual orientation predict use of specific PSI strategies. Overall PSI scores correlate positively with partner’s feelings of love and felt security in the relationship, correlate negatively with degree of sexualizing of others by partner, and do not correlate with the self’s performance of mate retention behaviors. It is concluded that the PSI Inventory possesses adequate psychometric properties and satisfactory convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity, thus suggesting that it constitutes a viable means of assessing individual differences in investment. These investigations show how a multidimensional, adaptationist approach to investment can further our understanding of these individual differences.
Electronic correlations in the superconductor La Fe As O 0.89 F 0.11 with low carrier density

The crystal structure and numerous normal and superconducting state properties of layered tetragonal $(P4∕nmm)$ LaFeAsO, with F doping of $\ensuremath{\approx}11%$, are reported. Resistivity measurements give an onset transition temperature ${T}_{c}=28.2\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$, and low field magnetic susceptibility data indicate bulk superconductivity. In applied magnetic field, analysis of the resistive transition results in a critical field ${H}_{c2}\ensuremath{\approx}30\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{T}$ and a coherence length ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\mathrm{GL}}\ensuremath{\approx}35\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{\AA{}}$. An upper limit for the electron carrier concentration of $1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{21}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ is inferred from the Hall data just above ${T}_{c}$. Strong electron-electron correlations are suggested from temperature-dependent resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity data. Anomalies near ${T}_{c}$ are observed in both Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity data.
A 9.5 mW 330 /spl mu/sec 1024-point FFT processor

This paper presents an energy-efficient, single-chip, 1024-point FFT processor. The full-custom, 460000-transistor design has been fabricated in a standard 0.7 /spl mu/m (L/sub poly/=0.6 /spl mu/m) CMOS process and is fully functional on first-pass silicon. At a supply voltage of 1.1 V, it calculates a 1024-point complex FFT in 330 /spl mu/sec at a clock speed of 16 MHz while consuming 9.5 mW, resulting in an adjusted energy efficiency more than 16 times greater than the previously most-efficient known FFT processor. At 3.3 V, it operates at 173 MHz.
Copyright and the Jurisprudence of Self-Help

The proposed draft of Article 2B grants broad rights to enforce electronically contract provisions governing access to and use of digital works. Purveyors of digital works may engage in electronic self-help following breach of contract, and may also elect to foreclose unauthorized uses ex ante, via electronic “regulation of performance.” This Article examines these provisions in light of existing law authorizing selfhelp repossession of tangible chattels, leading academic justifications for self-help repossession, and federal copyright law and policy. It concludes that the provisions authorize an unprecedented degree of intrusion into private homes and offices, that they lack a sound theoretical basis, and that their adoption would threaten constitutionally-mandated limits on copyright protection. It concludes, further, that the law should afford users of digital works rights of electronic self-help where necessary to preserve the copyright balance.
Test Medium for the Growth of Nitrosomonas europaea

A mineral medium for studying the growth of Nitrosomonas europaea was developed and examined. The medium was defined in terms of chemical speciation by using chemical equilibrium computer models. The medium significantly increased the metabolic activity of the organisms compared with previously developed media, yielding a specific growth rate as high as 3.0 day−1 (generation time, 5.5 h). The specific growth rate was enhanced by increasing the inoculum and was linearly correlated with the inoculum-to-total-culture volume ratio on a semilog scale. A reproducible growth rate for N. europaea was obtained with this medium under controlled experimental conditions.
Critical care use during the course of serious illness.

Despite its expense and importance, it is unknown how common critical care use is. We describe longitudinal patterns of critical care use among a nationally representative cohort of elderly patients monitored from the onset of common serious illnesses. A retrospective population-based cohort study of elderly patients in fee-for-service Medicare is used, with 1,108,060 Medicare beneficiaries at least 68 years of age and newly diagnosed with serious illnesses: 1 of 9 malignancies, stroke, congestive heart failure, hip fracture, or myocardial infarction. Medicare inpatient hospital claims from diagnosis until death (65.1%) or fixed-right censoring (more than 4 years) were reviewed. Distinct hospitalizations involving critical care use (intensive care unit or critical care unit) were counted and associated reimbursements were assessed; repeated use was defined as five or more such hospitalizations. Of the cohort, 54.9% used critical care at some time after diagnosis. Older patients were much less likely to ev...
Eye dominance columns from an isogenic double-nasal frog eye

Removing the posterior (temporal) two-thirds of the Xenopus eye bud produces a remaining fragment, which becomes round and grows to a normal adult size eye. Electrophysiological and anatomical analyses showed that each of the two halves of this eye projected across the entire optic tectum in mirror image (double-nasal) fashion, and that fibers from each half-eye sorted out to form eye dominance stripes on the tectum. That both halves of the mirror-symmetric map were derived from only one animal, and from only one side of the head, rules out global markers such as right versus left and histocompatibility differences as causing the formation of these stripes.
Paradoxical cardiovascular effects of implementing adaptive emotion regulation strategies in generalized anxiety disorder

Abstract Recent models of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have expanded on Borkovec’s avoidance theory by delineating emotion regulation deficits associated with the excessive worry characteristic of this disorder (see Behar, DiMarco, Hekler, Mohlman, & Staples, 2009 ). However, it has been difficult to determine whether emotion regulation is simply a useful heuristic for the avoidant properties of worry or an important extension to conceptualizations of GAD. Some of this difficulty may arise from a focus on purported maladaptive regulation strategies, which may be confounded with symptomatic distress components of the disorder (such as worry). We examined the implementation of adaptive regulation strategies by participants with and without a diagnosis of GAD while watching emotion-eliciting film clips. In a between-subjects design, participants were randomly assigned to accept, reappraise, or were not given specific regulation instructions. Implementation of adaptive regulation strategies produced differential effects in the physiological (but not subjective) domain across diagnostic groups. Whereas participants with GAD demonstrated lower cardiac flexibility when implementing adaptive regulation strategies than when not given specific instructions on how to regulate, healthy controls showed the opposite pattern, suggesting they benefited from the use of adaptive regulation strategies. We discuss the implications of these findings for the delineation of emotion regulation deficits in psychopathology.
New Approach of Tracking Control for a Class of Non-Minimum Phase Linear Systems

The paper presents a new tracking control approach for a class of non-minimum phase linear systems. The proposed approach consists of two parts: trajectory planning and tracking controller design. The trajectory planning is solved as an optimization problem to improve the achievable transient performance under the fundamental constraints associated with perfect tracking of non-minimum phase systems. The recently proposed adaptive robust tracking controller for a class of non-minimum phase systems is then applied to guarantee that the tracking error dynamics can be stabilized with bounded internal states. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated through simulation on tracking control of a second order non-minimum phase linear system. Further works are underway to extend the proposed control strategy and trajectory design to a class of non-minimum phase nonlinear systems.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Cylindrical metamaterial lens for single-feed adaptive beamforming

A design is presented for a beam-scanning Transformation Electromagnetics (TE) lens that allows an arbitrary number of beams at controlled magnitudes to be dynamically synthesized from a single omnidirectional source. A cylindrical slab of zero-index magnetic metamaterial controls the radiation pattern by altering the effective shape of the lens through switching regions of it ‘off’ to emulate free-space conditions. This lens offers the potential for fast solid-state multi-beam control with application to advanced terrestrial communication systems or adaptive radars.
Potamotrygon spp.: Elasmobranchs with Low Urea Content

All previously reported species of Chondrichthyes, from both marine and fresh water, have contained urea at concentrations ranging from about 300 to 1300 milligrams of urea nitrogen per 100 milliliters of fluid. Body fluids from two species of Potamotrygon, permanent residents of the Amazon basin, contained only 2 to 3 milligrams of urea nitrogen per 100 milliliters. Although they have abandoned the retention of urea exhibited by other chondrichthyans, the extent to which they have lost the mechanisms of retaining and tolerating urea in a hypertonic medium has not been determined.
Strain hardening and substructural evolution in NiCo solid solutions at large strains

Abstract Torsion deformation was used to investigate dislocation substructure evolution at large strains in high purity nickel and NiCo solid solutions. Observations of small strain dislocation structures formed in stage III revealed that the laminar dislocation structure observed after large strains in stage IV develops from short paired dislocation sheets within the tangled dislocations of an equiaxed cell wall. The development of these short paired dislocation sheets into long microbonds occurs gradually by a multiple-slip process in accordance with the principles of low energy dislocation structures and without the occurrence of a shear instability. The plane of these sheets and /or microbands does not correspond to a {111} slip plane. As these microbands form, a misorientation between the interior of the paired sheets and the surrounding matrix develops and increases with increasing strain.
Aromatic hydrocarbon receptor interaction with the retinoblastoma protein potentiates repression of E2F-dependent transcription and cell cycle arrest

Polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, of which 2,3,7, 8-tetrachloro-p-dioxin (TCDD) is the prototype compound, elicit a variety of toxic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic responses in exposed animals and in humans. In cultured cells, TCDD shows marked effects on the regulation of cell cycle progression, including thymocyte apoptosis, induction of keratinocyte proliferation and terminal differentiation, and inhibition of estrogen-dependent proliferation in breast cancer cells. The presence of an LXCXE domain in the dioxin aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), suggested that the effects of TCDD on cell cycle regulation might be mediated by protein-protein interactions between AHR and the retinoblastoma protein (RB). Using the yeast two-hybrid system, AHR and RB were in fact shown to bind to each other. In vitro pull-down experiments with truncated AHR peptides indicated that at least two separate AHR domains form independent complexes with hypophosphorylated RB. Coimmunoprecipitation of whole cell lysates from human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells, which express both proteins endogenously, revealed that AHR associates with RB in vivo only after receptor transformation and nuclear translocation. However, the AHR nuclear translocator and transcriptional heterodimerization partner, is not required for (nor is it a part of) the AHR.RB complexes detected in vitro. Ectopic expression of AHR and RB in human osteosarcoma SAOS-2 cells, which lack endogenous expression of both proteins, showed that AHR synergizes with RB to repress E2F-dependent transcription and to induce cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, AHR partly blocked T-antigen-mediated reversal of RB-dependent transcriptional repression. These results uncover a potential function for the AHR in cell cycle regulation and suggest that this function may be that of serving as an environmental sensor that signals cell cycle arrest when cells are exposed to certain environmental toxicants.
Thermodynamics of mixing in NaK β-aluminas

Abstract The activities of the components in the pseudo-binary NaK β-alumina system have been calculated from equilibrium ion-exchange data. Using data from exchanges with molten nitrate, chloride, and iodide salts, the results indicate that this system shows negative deviations from ideal mixing. A model involving preferential “ion pairing” of Na and K ions gives a good fit to the experimental data. Two maxima in the excess stabilities are found at compositions lying close to those which have been shown to exhibit the lowest ionic conductivities in the system. It is suggested that the “mixed-alkali” effect in NaK β-alumina is strongly related to the presence of cation order, and that the driving force for order results from reduction of nearest-neighbor cation repulsions.
Refraction of a fluid at an interface between two anisotropic porous media

In dieser Arbeit wird die Stromung uber eine Grenzflache zwischen zwei anisotropen porosen Korpern betrachtet.
Effects of bicuculline on signal detectability in lateral geniculate nucleus relay cells

Abstract The lateral geniculate nucleus conveys the center-surround organized retinal receptive fields to the cortex in a way that does not significantly alter their spatial structure. However, non-retinal influences may change the ‘strength’ (detectability) of the signal under conditions of anesthesia, arousal and attention. A previous analysis of receiver operating characteristic curves in cat suggests that a reduction in signal detectability occurs in lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) relay cells in anesthetized animals in comparison to the retinal afferents. In the present study, it was found that antagonism of GABA A receptors with bicuculline (BIC) increased signal detectability in LGN relay cells in the tree shrew ( Tupaia belangeri ). This change is consistent with the hypothesis that feedforward and/or feedback GABAergic circuits in the LGN differentially affect the retinogeniculate transfer ratio for visually driven activity versus maintained (spontaneous) activity. Under conditions of arousal or attention, signal detectability may be increased by brainstem activation, thus increasing the flow of information in the visual system.
Formation of a Porphyrin .pi.-Cation Radical in the Fluoride Complex of Horseradish Peroxidase

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was oxidized by IrCl6(2-) to a mixture of compounds I and II, the rate of oxidation and the ratio of the mixture being greatly affected by pH (Hayashi & Yamazaki, 1979). Oxidation of HRP by IrCl6(2-) in the presence of fluoride was significantly accelerated. This resulted in the formation of a new compound which is a ferric fluoride complex containing a porphyrin pi-cation radical. The spectrum of the new compound showed a decreased absorption band in the Soret region and a broad band at 570 nm; which was converted to that of the original ferric fluoride complex by addition of ascorbate or hydroquinone. Addition of cyanide slowed down the oxidation of HRP by IrCl6(2-), and the oxidation product was the same as that obtained in the absence of cyanide. Compound I was formed when H2O2 was added to HRP in the presence of fluoride or cyanide. The one-electron reduction potential (Eo') of the oxidized HRP-fluoride complex was measured at several pH values, the Eo' value at pH 7 being 861 +/- 4 mV. The ratio of delta Eo' to delta pH was 49 mV/pH unit.
Centroaffine Translation Surfaces in $${\mathbb{R}}^3$$

The centroaffine theorema egregium \(\chi = J - \frac{n}{n-1}G(T,T)+ 1\) is a fundamental scalar identity in the centroaffine differential geometry for non-degenerate hypersurface immersions. Here n is the dimension of the hypersurface, χ the normalized scalar curvature of the centroaffine metric G, J the Pick invariant and T the centroaffine Tchebychev vector field. In this paper we study non-degenerate centroaffine translation surfaces in affine 3-space \({\mathbb{R}}^3\) where one of the three summands in the centroaffine theorema egregium is constant, and then give the classifications by solving certain partial differential equations.
Effect of cotton nitrogen fertilization on Bemisia argentifolii populations and honeydew production

The impact of nitrogen fertilization on cotton plants, Gossypium hirsutum L., silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring, population dynamics and honeydew production were investigated in the field at Riverside, California, USA. Treatments were soil applications of 0, 112, 168 and 224 kg nitrogen per hectare, and a soil application of 112 kg of nitrogen plus a foliar application of 17 kg nitrogen per hectare. Increased numbers of both adult and immature whiteflies occurred during population peaks with increasing amounts of applied nitrogen. Higher numbers of whiteflies resulted in increased levels of honeydew. Increasing plant nitrogen also enhanced cotton foliar photosynthetic rates and stomatal conductance, and altered concentrations of glucose, fructose and sucrose in cotton petioles. However, at our treatment levels nitrogen had no effect on seedcotton yield. Petiole glucose levels were significantly correlated with numbers of whitefly adults on leaves during their peak populations. Significant correlations between whitefly numbers and other cotton physiological parameters occurred on only a few sampling dates.
Use of Fluorescent Sphingolipid Precursors for Biophysical Studies of Sphingolipids

Sphingolipids are one of the major components of cell membranes and also play critical roles in cell signaling. Many studies of disrupted cells have expanded our understanding of sphingolipid metabolism and function. Nonetheless, investigations of dynamic sphingolipid events, such as trafficking, diffusion, and organization in cell membranes, require observation of fluorescent sphingolipid analogs within living cells. However, sphingomyelin or ceramide analogs that contain a fluorophore-labeled N-acyl fatty acid cannot be used to track sphingosine or sphingosine-1-phosphate in cells. Additionally, the catabolism of these fluorescent sphingolipids may also result in fluorophore incorporation into glycerolipid species. Though various fluorescent sphingosine analogs have been developed that permit the study of sphingosine and its metabolites, poor photostability of the fluorophores limits long term data collection. Here, we report the use of fluorescent sphingolipid precursors in which a borondipyrromethene (BODIPY) fluorophore is incorporated into the sphingosine backbone. The enhanced photostability of the BODIPY fluorophore improves the ability to observe dynamic sphingolipid events. The fluorescent sphingosine analogs are incorporated into cells by addition to the cell culture media. To verify metabolic incorporation of the fluorescent sphingosine into cellular sphingolipids, lipid extracts from labeled cells were analyzed by thin layer chromatography and mass spectrometry. We demonstrate that the fluorescent analogs of sphingosine can be used to study dynamic events of sphingolipids, such as transport and trafficking.
Network Reliability With Geographically Correlated Failures

Fiber-optic networks are vulnerable to natural disasters, such as tornadoes or earthquakes, as well as to physical failures, such as an anchor cutting underwater fiber cables. Such real-world events occur in specific geographical locations and disrupt specific parts of the network. Therefore, the geography of the network determines the effect of physical events on the network's connectivity and capacity. In this paper, we develop tools to analyze network failures after a `random' geographic disaster. The random location of the disaster allows us to model situations where the physical failures are not targeted attacks. In particular, we consider disasters that take the form of a `random' line in a plane. Using results from geometric probability, we are able to calculate some network performance metrics to such a disaster in polynomial time. In particular, we can evaluate average two-terminal reliability in polynomial time under `random' line-cuts. This is in contrast to the case of independent link failures for which there exists no known polynomial time algorithm to calculate this reliability metric. We also present some numerical results to show the significance of geometry on the survivability of the network and discuss network design in the context of random line-cuts. Our novel approach provides a promising new direction for modeling and designing networks to lessen the effects of geographical disasters or attacks.
Access and Use of Data Lead to Innovative Ways to Reduce Energy Consumption, Officials Say

Aaron Woro was selling residential solar energy systems in 2006 and performing site surveys in the San Francisco Bay Area for individual rooftops that required precise measurements due to roof geometry and shade from trees. One day, while standing on the rooftop of a large home, balancing a tape measure in one hand and a shade tool in the other, he slipped and fell, crashing through tree branches and bushes that partially broke his fall.
Laminar dispersion in Jeffery‐Hamel flows: Part I. Diverging channels

Dispersion in flow in diverging channels, where the velocity decreases with axial distance is studied. Numerical experiments indicate: At sufficiently large values of the angle of divergence and Peclet number, both axial and transverse molecular diffusion play minor roles in the dispersion process, and the system is dominated by convection. This is in marked contrast to parallel wall systems. A dispersion model, given by Equation (15), is shown to exist for such flows for limited ranges of the Peclet number and angle of divergence. At sufficiently large values of dimensionless time, the dependence of concentration on both axial position and time can be represented by a single similarity coordinate. This behavior is predicted by both the numerical solutions of Equation (3) and analytical solutions of the dispersion model.
Imagery rescripting for recurrent, distressing images

Intrusive images are a familiar aspect of daily experience that, when persistent and unwanted, may cause emotional distress. In many cases, images accompany disturbing and repetitive thoughts and ruminations. In others, images are the primary mental experience. This article describes the use of a therapy procedure—imagery rescripting (IR)—in the treatment of distressing intrusive images that occur spontaneously but are not memories of actual events or experiences (i.e., flashbacks, intrusive memories). Eleven individuals who reported recent onset of such images, and who did not benefit from brief treatment with imaginal exposure, subsequently improved significantly with one trial of IR. Subjective Units of Discomfort (SUDS) data and two case studies are presented. Results support the use of IR in the treatment of repetitive, distressing images that persisted despite previous personal efforts (distraction, reasoning) and clinical intervention with imaginal exposure.
Deposition and Diagenesis of Flippen Limestone (Wolfcampian), Fisher and Jones Counties, Texas: ABSTRACT

The Flippen carbonate (Wolfcampian) was deposited during a high stillstand of sea level under subtidal to intertidal conditions. Eleven cores in Fisher and Jones Counties have been subjected to megascopic and petrographic analysis with special interest given to the Alkali Creek SW field in Fisher County. Five distinctive limestone facies, designated according to their most outstanding characteristics are: (1) constructional phylloid algal buildups, (2) crestal boundstones, (3) flanking bed packstone-wackestone, (4) foremound pelloidal grainstone, and (5) capping grainstones. Early diagenesis occurred after deposition of the sediments in the marine environment. This is evident in micritization, submarine cements, and effects attributed to binding and encrusting habits of algae, particularly Archaeolithoporella and Tubiphytes. Primary intergranular and intrabiotic porosity is best developed and preserved in biograinstones along the shallow flanks of the constructional mound. Stabilization and lithification of originally deposited sediments began early during subaerial exposure and subsequent freshwater diagenesis. Secondary porosity was formed by the dissolution of aragonitic phylloid algae and pelecypods, forming hollow micrite envelopes or biomolds. Aragonitic lime mud was replaced by calcite micrite and microspar. Calcitization and dissolution resulted in the precipitation of crusts of calcite scalenohedra in primary and secondary voids. Dolomite cement crusts also line primary and secondary voids, and these rhombs subsequently were dedolomitized. Precipitation of blocky equant nonferroan calcite, ferroa calcite, and ferroan dolomite cements partially to completely filled primary and secondary voids. A late stage of dissolution, which presumably occurred at depth, enhanced existing primary and secondary porosity. No cementation followed the late stage of diagenesis. End_of_Article - Last_Page 265------------
Capillary electrophoresis of cationic and anionic surfactants with indirect conductivity detection

Abstract Anions such as F − , Cl − , Br − and SCN − and cations such as Li + and Na + ahve been investigated as electrolytes for the capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation of aliphatic surfactants with indirect conductivity detection (ICD). The ICD results have shown that the signal-to-noise order is F − >SCN − =Br − =Cl − for the anion electrolytes and Na + >Li + for the cation electrolytes. A mixture of C 12 −, C 10 −, C 8 − and C 6 −SO 3 − can be separated in less than 5 min using 10 m M F − and 1 m M triethanolamine (TEA) prepared in triply distilled water. A mixture of cationic quaternary ammonium surfactants can be separated in less than 3 min using 10 m M Na + and 1 m M TEA prepared in triply distilled water. Detection limits (about 6 mg/1) for the surfactants by ICD are presently not as favorable as those previously obtained by indirect photometric detection. Use of NaF as the electrolyte did permit the simultaneous CE separation of anionic and cationic surfactants with ICD in the presence of an aromatic non-ionic surfactant.
Strategic renewal: how an organization realigned structure with strategy

Purpose – This disguised case of a unit of a Fortune 500 firm aims to consider two core questions when considering the decision of whether it's time to renew a corporate strategy. They are: Does the strategy truly fit the current business environment? and Is a change in the organizational structure required to fit the intended strategy?Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses “Wyler Company,” a business that was lulled into complacency by prospects of seemingly steady growth, to examine whether the firm's current structure is aligned with leadership's intended strategy.Findings – A self‐directed study process revealed that the intended strategy had been gradually subverted as the organization grew in complexity and specialization. Management quickly developed a consensus that favored a dramatic change in the organization's structure.Research limitations/implications – The author was a consultant to an oil exploration and production unit of a Fortune 500 company during a period when many of the critica...
Do sleep disorders and associated treatments impact glucose metabolism

Over the past decade substantial evidence has accumulated implicating disorders of sleep in the pathogenesis of various metabolic abnormalities. This review, which is based on workshop discussions that took place at the 6th annual meeting of the International Sleep Disorders Forum: The Art of Good Sleep 2008 and a systematic literature search, provides a critical analysis of the available evidence implicating sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), insomnia, short or long-term sleep duration and restless legs syndrome as potential risk factors for insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, type 2 diabetes mellitus and the metabolic syndrome. The review also highlights the evidence on whether treatment of specific sleep disorders can decrease metabolic risk. In total, 83 published reports were selected for inclusion. Although several studies show clear associations between sleep disorders and altered glucose metabolism, causal effects and the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms involved have not been fully elucidated. OSA appears to have the strongest association with insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. There are, however, limited data supporting the hypothesis that effective treatment of sleep disorders, including OSA, has a favourable effect on glucose metabolism. Large randomized trials are thus required to address whether improvement of sleep quality and quantity can curtail excess metabolic risk. Research is also required to elucidate the mechanisms involved and to determine whether the effects of treatment for sleep disorders on glucose metabolism are dependent on the specific patient factors, the type of disorder and the duration of metabolic dysfunction. In conclusion, there is limited evidence on whether sleep disorders alter glucose metabolism and whether treatment can reduce the excess metabolic risk.
The phylogenetic relationships among Homo, Pan and Gorilla: a population genetics perspective

Abstract The phylogenetic relationships among Homo, Gorilla and Pan are still controversial. Some anatomical and genetic comparisons suggest that Pan is more closely related to Gorilla than it is to Homo . A larger number of genetic comparisons, and a recent analysis of morphology, suggest that Pan and Homo share the most recent common ancestry among these genera. The inconsistency across genetic studies can be explained by hypothesizing that (a) the last common ancestor of all three lineages was polymorphic at a number of loci and (b) that the two divergences that gave rise to these three lineages occurred close together in time. If these two hypotheses are correct, then a model based on the random loss or retention of alternative alleles segregating at polymorphic loci in the last common ancestor can explain the apparent discrepancies. Observed levels of DNA polymorphism in extant primates and the consensus time frame for this diversification indicate this is a plausible model. The available DNA sequence data are best explained by inferring that all three lineages diverged from a single common ancestor over a brief period of time, i.e., that the diversification was effectively a trichotomy. This model challenges the common assumption that two independent and temporally separate speciation events occurred during the diversification of the African hominoids.
The role of PKA, CaMKII, and PKC in avoidance conditioning: Permissive or instructive?

This article explores the causal and correlative relationships between kinases and learning and memory. Specifically, the contributions of three kinases-protein kinase A (PKA), calcium calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII), and protein kinase C (PKC)-are assessed during the consolidation phase of avoidance conditioning. The following sources of evidence are considered: inhibitor data, activity monitoring, and transgenic studies. An exhaustive effort is made to address several issues regarding the participation of these kinases in (a) posttraining timing and magnitude, (b) location across many brain regions, and (c) the use of multiple pharmacological agents and assays. In addition, this article attempts to integrate the behavioral data with the purported role of kinases in long-term potentiation (LTP).
Research Forum on Challenges in Hearing Health Care for the Oldest Older Adults.

Purpose The purpose of this article is to introduce the invited Research Forum on challenges in hearing health care for the oldest older adults, which was presented at the 2014 HEaring Across the Lifespan conference (HEAL 2014). Method A brief overview of the three presentations in the special session is provided along with general conclusions. Conclusions Hearing health care needs of the oldest older adults are multifactorial and are related to auditory and cognitive declines; social, emotional, and lifestyle changes; and increasing physical disabilities and other comorbidities. Improved clinical outcomes for hearing health require personalized needs assessments by interprofessional teams and shared decision making on treatment options.
Laser cooling in flame synthesis of nanoparticles

Laser cooling and trapping of atoms and molecules has been prevailing for two decades in numerous research fields and even in educational demonstrations. We propose here a novel application of laser cooling in the newly developed nanoparticle flame synthesis processes. With a robust laser cooling system, we could cool down specific species in a flame environment with high temperature and a variety of pressures. By combing with spontaneous Raman scattering and fluorescence, we could better diagnose and control the synthesis process in situ. The results were analyzed in the context of thermodynamics and reaction fluid to improve our knowledge on the mechanism of the gas-phase synthesis of nanoparticles.