cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A reactive transport model of neptunium migration from the potential repository at Yucca Mountain

Abstract Characterization and performance assessment studies for the potential high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain have identified 2 3 7 Np as a radionuclide of concern for the proposed repository. To predict the migration of neptunium after a repository breach, an understanding of the relevant hydrologic and geochemical processes is required. The hydrologic flow in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain is dependent on the infiltration rate, the stratigraphy of the vadose zone, and the heat generated by the decaying radioactive waste. The geochemical processes that strongly affect 2 3 7 Np migration include: solubility-limited release of 2 3 7 Np from the near-field environment, aqueous speciation of neptunium into non-sorbing carbonate/hydroxy complexes and the sorbing NpO 2 + cation, sorption of neptunium onto the zeolitic tuffs via an ion exchange mechanism, and radioactive decay. The finite element heat and mass transfer (FEHM) code was used to investigate the coupled effects of chemical interactions and heat on neptunium transport from the potential repository to the water table. The selective coupling method is introduced to solve these reactive transport problems. The simulations indicate that in the absence of irreversible changes in the hydrologic and transport properties, the heat pulse does not significantly affect the migration of neptunium, as the time scale of heat pulse propagation is shorter than the time scales associated with neptunium release and migration. Water chemistry, particularly pH, calcium, and sodium concentration significantly affect the retardation of neptunium by the zeolitic rocks between the repository and the water table.
Random and fixed effects in plant genetics

A general model for any type of genetic entry is developed which takes into account both the factorial model of gene effects and the ancestral sources, whether inbred lines or outbred varieties, of the genes.Utilizing the model, various genetic designs of fixed entries are explored for the estimation of genetic effects and the testing of genetic hypotheses. These designs consisted of generation means - parents, crosses, various types of backcrosses, and so on - stemming from one or more pairs of parents, and of hybrid combinations from factorial mating designs. Limitations, from the standpoint of genetic effects that can be estimated and genetic hypotheses that can be tested, are developed in considerable detail.When entries from the factorial mating designs are considered to be random, attention is focused on the estimation of genetic variances, rather than effects, and on the concomitant changes in the tests of genetic hypotheses. While there is considerable improvement over fixed entries in the number of types of genetic variances that can be estimated, and of genetic hypotheses that can be tested, they are still very limited in contrast to what would be most desirable.
Comparison of total ozone overburden from handheld photometers with the Wallops Island Dobson Spectrophotometer

Total ozone column measurements are compared between the Dobson spectrophotometer located at Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, VA, and two Microtops II photometers. The purpose of these comparisons is to determine whether the Microtops II ozone measurements are comparable to those obtained with the Dobson spectrophotometer. Results have shown that the handheld photometer can provide measurements within about 2% of the Dobson's. A comparison between the two Microtops showed approximately a 3% difference in the derived ozone overburdens. Better results with the two Microtops were obtained using the 305.5-nm and the 312.5-nm filters only.
Effects of band structure on the X-ray spectra of metals

Abstract Using the change-of-mean-field model, the X-ray absorption, emission, and photoemission spectra of electrons in a one-dimensional nearest-neighbor tight-binding crystal are calculated and compared with the spectra of a corresponding free-electron model. Multi-electron recoil, and shake-off and replacement transitions, are included. The effects of band structure on the spectra are discussed.
Ezekiel's Topography of the (Un-)Heroic Dead in Ezekiel 32: 17–32

This essay is an attempt to address several interpretive problems in Ezek 32:17–32 in light of religious ideas prominent in ancient Mediterranean expressions of hero cult. Previous studies have not adequately dealt with the richness of Ezekiel’s striking and unusual imagery in this passage, and I contend that a reading that more fully develops the meaning of Ezekiel’s presentation vis-a-vis the history of religious ideas regarding the power of the heroic dead is the most appropriate one in terms of Ezekiel’s overarching message in this chapter. I argue that Ezekiel’s invocation of ancient Israelite heroic traditions involving the Gibborim and Nephilim are more pronounced than previous interpreters have been willing to acknowledge, and that a more complete exposition of the passage in light of Ezekiel’s (re)interpretive motif involving the role of the “heroes of old” (v. 27, with the LXX) yields nuances that have not received adequate exploration. I also demonstrate the manner in which a fuller integration of the exegesis of this passage with cognate traditions regarding the afterlife of heroes in ancient Greece and elsewhere in the Mediterranean reveals hitherto unnoticed nuances behind several enigmatic phrases in this passage. This demonstration provides a more detailed and forceful context supporting the claim already made by several commentators that the theological importance of Ezek 32:17–32 rests specifically with its rejection of heroic ideals. Finally, my analysis shows that this passage exhibits a more striking authorial unity than has typically been assumed, viz., that Ezekiel’s pervasive heroic imagery and reference to the underworld form a unified, coherent, and provocative description of an impotent and (un-)heroic foreign horde inhabiting their own ignominious places in the afterlife.
Rhinovirus 16 (RV16) Induces Airway Hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and Differential Mediator Release in Human lung slices ex vivo

S A T U R D A Y 201 Rhinovirus 16 (RV16) Induces Airway Hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and Differential Mediator Release in Human lung slices ex vivo C. J. Koziol-White, P. R. Cooper, W. Lee, J. E. Gern, A. Haczku, R. A. Panettieri; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. RATIONALE: Rhinovirus (RV) respiratory infections commonly evoke asthma exacerbations in children and adults with asthma but precisemolecular mechanisms mediating RVeffects in human airways remain unknown. We hypothesized that ex vivoRV16 exposure alters agonist-mediated bronchoconstriction/bronchodilation and mediator release in structural cells of human small airways. METHODS: Human lung tissue was inflated with 2% agarose and core samples, containing small airways, were sliced into 250 mm sections and collected in Ham’s F-12 media. Slices were exposed ex vivo to increasing concentrations of RV16 for 24 or 48 hr, and culture supernatants assessed formediator release. In parallel, carbachol-induced brochoconstriction and beta agonist-induced bronchodilation was measured. RESULTS: Exposure of human small airways to RV16 significantly augmented, by half-log (p50.03), carbachol-induced bronchoconstriction at 48 hr but not at 24 hr (p50.15), and had little effect on beta agonist-induced bronchodilation. At both 24 and 48 hr, IP-10 release was increased (>_ 5 fold) as compared to control. IL-8 expression increased, but GM-CSF, IL-1b, and SP-D release were not affected by RV16 exposure. Importantly, the increased sensitivity of the airways to carbachol and proinflammatory mediator release occurred independently of viral infection. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that selective inflammatory mediator release by structural cells after viral exposure occurs in the absence of trafficking leukocytes. Given that RV16 enhances airway responsiveness without infection, novel therapeutic targets for virus-induced asthma exacerbations may focus not only on prevention of infection, but also on the physiological effects of early viral exposure.
Identification and Optimization of Diagonal Shift Failure in Manual Transmission Using Simulation Software

In the past the focus in the transmission development used to be mainly on durability of the components. Despite that shift quality has improved significantly in the last years. Increasing customer expectation has made it necessary to further change the focus in transmission development toward better shifting system. Manual transmission shifting system is having lots of performance-related problems, due to its complex design structure. Smooth shift and select operations will be disturbed if there is small malfunction in the system. Motion simulation software can be an excellent tool to identify and resolve most of the shifting system failure related to its mechanism. Designers can rectify the problems of the shifting system by simulating the mechanism using motion simulation software. This article presents an interesting opportunity of motion simulation software to identify and optimize the shifting system mechanism failures in the manual transmission.
Homogenous Enzymatic Synthesis Using a Thermo-Responsive Water-Soluble Polymer Support

Several enzymes immobilized on thermo-responsive polyacrylamide polymers are nearly as active as their soluble forms, and can be recovered for reuse after gentle heating and precipitation. Carbohydrates attached to these polymers have been used for enzymatic glycosylation, and the products have been isolated by thermal precipitation followed by release from the polymer, thus greatly simplifying product purification in water.
Correlation function formulae, transport coefficient and dynamic magnetoresistance

Abstract A general theory, and its application to an electron-impurity system, of the dynamic magnetoconductivity σ( B ,ω) as a function of a constant magnetic field B and the frequency ω of an applying electric field is described.
New Color Centers in KCl Crystals

New absorption centers giving bands with maxima at 555 nm (Y) and 625 nm (Y′) at liquid-nitrogen temperature, were observed in OH–containing KCl single crystals annealed in vacuum a t 600 °C and subsequently uv irradiated. The thermal bleaching of these bands yields F centers. Optical bleaching of Y′ yields increase of intensity of Y and F bands and vice versa. The Y and Y′ centers can be converted into F centers by compressing the crystal. This reaction is accompanied by emission of 460 nm light. Study of the effect of ambient atmospheres upon formation of these centers suggests the involvement of oxygen molecule ions present in the crystals. Les nouvelles bandes d'absorption correspondantes aux maxima 555 nm (Y) et 625 nm (Y') ont ete observees dam les cristaux de KCI contenant OH-, chauffes au vide a 600 °C et uv irradies. Le blanchissage thermique de ces bandes produit des centres F. Apres le blanchissage optique de Y′, l'intensite des bandes Y et F s'augmente et vice versa. Les bandes Y et Y′ peuvent ětre converties a la bande F par la compression d'un cristal. Pendant la compression on a observe l'emission de lumiere dont l'intensite maximum correspondait a l'onde de longueur de l'ordre de 460 nm. L'etude de l'effet de l'atmosphere ambiante sur la formation de ces centres indique que l'oxygene moleculaire joue un rǒle important.
Keratinocyte growth factor stimulates the migration and proliferation of breast cancer cells in a culture wounding model.

Abstract Growth factors are known to influence the progression, motility and invasiveness of tumor cells. In a previous study, we reported that conditioned media from NIH 3T3 cells (mouse fibroblast), which contains KGF, increased the motile morphology of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer cells and produced no effect on ER-negative cells. The present study examined the influence of human KGF on two estrogen receptor (ER)-positive human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and T-47D) using a culture wounding model to evaluate cell proliferation and migration over a period of 48 h. In the present study we observed that KGF enhanced the migration and proliferation of both MCF-7 and T-47D breast cancer cells. In both cell lines the response to KGF was found to be both dose- and time-dependent. However, the total migration and proliferation response of the MCF-7 cells to KGF was much greater than that observed in the T-47D cells. The results of this study demonstrate that human KGF enhances the migration and proliferation of human breast cancer cells. Further, these results support the concept that KGF may be an early signal in the progression of breast cancer to a more motile and metastatic phenotype.
The role of top management commitment in quality management: an empirical analysis of the auto parts industry

Examines the associations between ten integrated quality management constructs and the resulting product quality. Analyzes responses from plant managers of 449 auto‐parts firms using stepwise regression. Notes three primary predictors (customer focus, empowerment, and supplier quality management) explaining 26 per cent of variation in product quality. Examines the role of top management commitment in TQM implementation by splitting the sample into firms with high and low top management commitment based on the mean score on this construct. Concludes, first, that firms with high top management commitment produce high quality products despite variations in individual constructs, and, second, that in firms with low top management commitment, four other constructs, i.e. customer focus, supplier quality management, empowerment, and internal quality information usage are primary predictors of product quality.
Current knowledge on diabetic retinopathy from human donor tissues

According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death, and diabetic retinopathy the leading cause of blindness in working age adults in the United States in 2010. Diabetes is characterized by hyperglycemia associated with either hypoinsulinemia or insulin resistance, and over time, this chronic metabolic condition may lead to various complications including kidney failure, heart attacks, and retinal degeneration. In order to better understand the molecular basis of this disease and its complications, animal models have been the primary approach used to investigate the effects of diabetes on various tissues or cell types of the body, including the retina. However, inherent to these animal models are critical limitations that make the insight gained from these models challenging to apply to the human pathology. These difficulties in translating the knowledge obtained from animal studies have led a growing number of research groups to explore the diabetes complications, especially diabetic retinopathy, on tissues from human donors. This review summarizes the data collected from diabetic patients at various stages of diabetic retinopathy and classifies the data based upon their relevance to the main aspects of diabetic retinopathy: retinal vasculature dysfunction, inflammation, and neurodegeneration. This review discusses the importance of those studies to discriminate and establish the relevance of the findings obtained from animal models but also the limitations of such approaches.
Fish Population Dynamics: Implications for Management

(1990). Fish Population Dynamics: Implications for Management. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society: Vol. 119, No. 2, pp. 390-392.
On homogenization and scaling limit of some gradient perturbations of a massless free field

We study the continuum scaling limit of some statistical mechanical models defined by convex Hamiltonians which are gradient perturbations of a massless free field. By proving a central limit theorem for these models, we show that their long distance behavior is identical to a new (homogenized) continuum massless free field. We shall also obtain some new bounds on the 2-point correlation functions of these models.
Multivariable Difference Gel Electrophoresis and Mass Spectrometry A Case Study on Transforming Growth Factor-β and ERBB2 Signaling

Multivariable DIGE/MS was used to investigate proteins altered in expression and/or post-translational modification in response to activation of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β receptors in MCF10A mammary epithelial cells overexpressing the HER2/Neu (ErbB2) oncogene. Proteome changes were monitored in response to exogenous TGF-β over time (0, 8, 24, and 40 h), and proteins were resolved using medium range (pH 4–7) and narrow range (pH 5.3–6.5) isoelectric focusing combined with up to 2 mg of protein to allow inspection of lower abundance proteins. Triplicate samples were prepared independently and analyzed together across multiple DIGE gels using a pooled sample internal standard to quantify expression changes with statistical confidence. Unsupervised principle component analysis and hierarchical clustering of the individual DIGE proteome expression maps provided independent confirmation of distinct expression patterns from the individual experiments and demonstrated high reproducibility between replicate samples. Fifty-nine proteins (including some isoforms) that exhibited significant kinetic expression changes were identified using mass spectrometry and database interrogation and were mapped to existing biological networks involved in TGF-β signaling. Several proteins with a potential role in breast cancer, such as maspin and cathepsin D, were identified as novel molecules associated with TGF-β signaling.
A Graph-Based Algorithm for Scheduling with Sum-Interference in Wireless Networks

For decades, a disk-graph model has been used to design scheduling (coloring) in wireless networks, influencing many practical medium access control schemes. The pairwise - interference model used by a disk graph, however, has a fundamental limitation because it does not account for the sum- interference. Thus, a coloring algorithm that uses such a model cannot guarantee the originally intended rate on all links. In this paper, we specify a mapping to a flow-contention graph, which fully considers the aggregated effect of all interferers (sum- interference), and thus, guarantees the originally intended rate on all links. A coloring algorithm, specific to the generated graph, is presented along with a bound on the required number of colors (channels). Further, a mathematical analysis of the scheduling is presented along with simulation results, to show that the minimum number of channels required in a random network is Theta(logn/log log n), where n is the number of links, even after accounting for the sum-interference. This allows us to investigate the effect of the underlying physical layer, thus demonstrating the utility of the presented algorithm and analysis results.
Approach to component-based synthesis of fault-tolerant software

N-version programming (NVP) and acceptance testing (AT) are established methods for obtaining highly reliable results from imperfect software. In NVP, several program modules are executed independently and the final result is derived by voting on the module outputs. In AT (as embodied, for example, in the recovery-block construct), outputs of a program module are subjected to an acceptance test and in the event of failing the test, alternate modules are invoked, until a module produces results that pass the test. Various symmetric combinations of NVP and AT techniques have also been suggested. We have found that a more general view, allowing the insertion of ATs at arbitrary points within a suitably constructed multichannel computation graph can lead to higher reliability and/or greater costeffectiveness compared to the previously envisaged hybrid schemes such as consensus recovery blocks, recoverable N-version blocks, and N-self-checking programs. Accordingly, we introduce MTV graphs, and their simplified data-driven version called DD-MTV graphs, as component-based frameworks for the creation, representation, and analysis of hybrid NVP-AT schemes. MTV graphs model variations in fault-tolerant software architectures built of computation module (M), acceptance test (T), and voter (V) components. Following the definition of (DD-)MTV graphs, we present several examples of hybrid NVP-AT schemes, as instances of fault-tolerant software based on our component-based approach, and quantify the resulting reliability improvements. We show, for example, that certain, somewhat asymmetric, combinations of M, T, and V components lead to higher reliabilities and/or lower cost than previously proposed symmetric arrangements. We conclude that our component-based approach facilitates design space exploration for fault-tolerant software and leads to reliability improvements due to the double effect of architectural optimization and component refinement afforded by reuse.
Collective Action and Citizen Responses to Global Warming

This paper expands the relevance of the collective interest model of mass political action to explain collective-action behavior in the context of global warming and climate change. The analysis is an attempt to answer Ostrom’s call for a behavioral model of collective action that can be generalized beyond political protest to other collective-action problems. We elaborate, specify, and empirically test a collective interest model approach to citizen policy support, environmental political participation, and environmental behavior related to the issue of global warming. Key elements of the collective interest model—perceived risk, personal efficacy, and environmental values—are found to be directly, and positively, related to support of government policies and personal behaviors that affect global warming. We also discuss the links between the collective interest model and other important approaches to political behavior.
Word Alignment and Cross-Lingual Resource Acquisition

Annotated corpora are valuable resources for developing Natural Language Processing applications. This work focuses on acquiring annotated data for multilingual processing applications. We present an annotation environment that supports a web-based user-interface for acquiring word alignments between English and Chinese as well as a visualization tool for researchers to explore the annotated data.
Integer linear programming based energy optimization for banked DRAMs

Memory system can be a major energy consumer in an embedded architecture. One way of reducing its energy consumption is banking, i.e., dividing available memory space into multiple, equally sized banks and placing an unused (idle) memory bank into a low-power operating mode. Prior work investigated code restructuring and data layout reorganization based approaches for increasing energy benefits that could be obtained from a banked memory architecture. This paper takes a different look at the problem of energy optimization in banked memory systems, and explores two compiler-assisted techniques that can co-exist with code/data transformations: data migration and data compression. The goal of data migration is to cluster data with similar access patterns in the same set of banks, thereby increasing the chances for utilizing low-power operating modes in a more effective manner. Data compression reduces the size of the data used by the application, and thus helps reduce the number of memory banks occupied by data. This in turn allows us place a larger number of banks into the low-power operating modes. We formulate the memory bank management problem as an ILP (integer linear programming) problem, and solve it using a publicly available ILP package.
RT-FRORL: a formal requirements specification language for specifying real-time systems

FRORL is a requirements specification language which is proposed to exploit knowledge representation techniques as an aid in the specification, analysis and development of a software system. RT-FRORL is an extension of FRORL that inherits FRORL's basic structure but also includes those language constructs needed to support the specification of real-time systems. The syntax of RT-FRORL is based on frames and production rules, and the semantics of RT-FRORL are defined through the integration of first-order logic and temporal logic extension. Using RT-FRORL, concurrent and absolute time properties of real-time systems can be specified easily. >
Six Classroom Exercises to Teach Natural Selection to Undergraduate Biology Students

Students in introductory biology courses frequently have misconceptions regarding natural selection. In this paper, we describe six activities that biology instructors can use to teach undergraduate students in introductory biology courses how natural selection causes evolution. These activities begin with a lesson introducing students to natural selection and also include discussions on sexual selection, molecular evolution, evolution of complex traits, and the evolution of behavior. The set of six topics gives students the opportunity to see how natural selection operates in a variety of contexts. Pre- and postinstruction testing showed students’ understanding of natural selection increased substantially after completing this series of learning activities. Testing throughout this unit showed steadily increasing student understanding, and surveys indicated students enjoyed the activities.
Effect of pattern of aerosol inhalation on clearance of technetium-99m- labeled diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid from the lungs of normal humans

The clearance rate of inhaled aerosols of technetium-99m-labeled diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (99mTc-DTPA) from the lungs provides a rapid, clinically useful, noninvasive index of pulmonary epithelial permeability. In order to identify a method that minimizes intrasubject and intersubject variability and thereby provides a reliable means to identify patients with abnormal values, we administered a submicronic aerosol of 99mTc-DTPA to 10 healthy, nonsmoking male subjects with either tidal breathing (Vtidal) or multiple vital capacity maneuvers (VVC). Subjects then spontaneously breathed room air while counting continued for 30 min. Monoexponential clearance rates over 7, 15, and 30 min were compared with a two-compartment, biexponential analysis over 30 min. Intrasubject reproducibility was evaluated by repeating clearance 2 to 156 days later. Monoexponential clearance following VVC at 30 min equaled 1.36 +/- 0.55%/min compared with 0.83 +/- 0.25%/min for Vtidal (p less than 0.025). VVC inhalations resulted in a larger fast compartment of 16 +/- 12% compared with 3 +/- 2% with tidal breathing (p less than 0.01). The least intrasubject variability with coefficient of variation (CV) of +/- 18% was obtained with monoexponential analyses after Vtidal during 15 min of scanning and with either breathing maneuver over 30 min. Monoexponential clearance for 30 min with Vtidal gave the least scatter between subjects, with CV of +/- 30%. These data show that simple tidal inhalations of 99mTc-DTPA followed by a monoexponential analysis of the 30-min time-activity curve from both lungs minimize the degree of variability between and among subjects and provide a predicted normal value of clearance of 0.83 +/- 0.25%/min. The development of a more rapid curvilinear clearance followed by delivery VVC suggests that several deep breaths transiently increase epithelial permeability or reduce the volume of liquid in the alveolar subphase in some regions. Resting for 20 min prior to inhaling the aerosol of 99mTc-DTPA is recommended to avoid alterations in clearance rates from deep breathing.
Macrostructure from Microstructure: Generating Whole Systems from Ego Networks

This paper presents a new simulation method to make global network inference from sampled data. The proposed simulation method takes sampled ego network data and uses Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGM) to reconstruct the features of the true, unknown network. After describing the method, the paper presents two validity checks of the approach: the first uses the 20 largest Add Health networks while the second uses the Sociology Coauthorship network in the 1990's. For each test, I take random ego network samples from the known networks and use my method to make global network inference. I find that my method successfully reproduces the properties of the networks, such as distance and main component size. The results also suggest that simpler, baseline models provide considerably worse estimates for most network properties. I end the paper by discussing the bounds/limitations of ego network sampling. I also discuss possible extensions to the proposed approach.
Consent, Informal Organization and Job Rewards: a Mixed Methods Analysis

This study uses a mixed methods approach to workplace dynamics. Ethnographic observations show that the consent deal underlies an informal stratification that divides the workplace into an "informal periphery," a "conventional core" and an "administrative clan." The "consent deal" is defined as an exchange of autonomy, voice and schedule flexibility for intensified commitment, and is modeled as a single factor underlying these elements. When constructed as an additive scale, consent allows informal organization to be included in workplace models. Despite its derivation from subjective and informal processes, informal structure exerts an independent effect on objective job rewards such as wages.
Attitudes toward Domestic Violence among Korean Immigrants

This study examined various demographic characteristics, the attitudes toward partner abuse, and the relationship between the attitudes toward partner abuse and the incidence of partner abuse among first generation Korean Americans. The study employed a correlational explanatory design using a cross-sectional survey technique utilizing a total of 223 Korean immigrant adults currently residing in Louisiana. A three-part instrument was used for data collection. The use of domestic violence among Korean immigrants was highly prevalent. Korean Americans generally did not approve the use of interpersonal violence against spouses/partners. The relationship between the attitudes toward partner abuse and the incidence of partner abuse as perpetrator was significantly correlated.
Selective Attention In Two-Part Counterpoint

In two experiments, the influence of unattended musical content on the processing of attended content was investigated by using melodic interval pairs. In Experiment 1, 2 two-note melodic fragments were played concurrently in separate pitch registers and with different timbres. Participants with music training were timed as they decided whether one melody was rising or falling while ignoring the other. Pitch direction (up or down) and interval type (major second and perfect fifth) of attended and unattended intervals were orthogonally combined. The measure of interference was the degree to which the unattended pattern influenced the processing time and the accuracy of judging the attended melody. Unattended voice influence from both types of intervals was observed on the attended voice for seconds, but not fifths, in Experiment 1. The second study replicated the first with interval pairs in overlapping pitch registers. Influence from the unattended voice was found for both seconds and fifths. Participants found the selection task more difficult when parts crossed and voices were moving in contrary motion rather than in the same direction. Implications for the emergence of global stimulus properties in the context of musical counterpoint are discussed. Both experiments showed that unattended musical content can affect processing of attended intervals and that pitch distance may serve to moderate selective attention. Received February 12, 1999, accepted June 24, 2003
Vitamin A and zinc metabolism in alcoholism

Vitamin A and zinc metabolism are affected both by ethanol and by hepatic cirrhosis. Ethanol causes abnormal dark adaptation by acting as a competitive inhibitor with retinol for alcohol dehydrogenase in the eye. In animals oral ethanol intake results in increased losses of zinc by the urinary and fecal routes. Vitamin A malnutrition in cirrhotics may be caused by poor diet, malabsorption, decreased hepatic vitamin A uptake, and decreased hepatic storage capacity for vitamin A. In some cirrhotic patients zinc deficiency and or protein deficiency may limit the ability to respond to vitamin A. Combined vitamin A and zinc deficiencies are common in cirrhotics and either may result in abnormal dark adaptation or impaired taste and smell. The interaction of these two micro-nutrients must be kept in mind by the clinician caring for alcoholic or alcoholic cirrhotic patients.
PLL with fuzzy logic nonlinear gain controller

Some uses of phase lock loops (PLL) are digital communication receivers and clock generators for integrated circuits. In this paper a novel PLL technique that demonstrates fast acquisition and noise reduction is shown. This is accomplished by the use of a nonlinear gain unit. The nonlinear gain unit is implemented by means of a fuzzy logic controller. The fuzzy logic controller is a nonlinear proportional controller. This allows for a large gain to reduce the locking time and a small gain for noise reduction. The controller can be designed by simple guidelines rather than design optimization.
Ontology, Commitment, and Quine's Criterion

For Quine, the ontological commitments of a discourse are what fall under its (objectual) quantifiers. The recent literature, however, is beginning to move away from this picture. There are direct challenges to Quine's criterion, and there are also attempts to provide alternatives. Azzouni suggests that the ontological commitments of a discourse should be determined by an existence predicate instead. The availability of this alternative forces an adjudication between Qune's criterion and the predicate approach to ontological commitment. I argue that to adjudicate between these criteria for ontological commitment, we need first to adjudicate between criteria for what exists.
Managing leakage power and reliability in hot chips using system floorplanning and SRAM design

Increased operating temperatures of chips have aggravated leakage and reliability issues, both of which are adversely affected by high temperature. Due to thermal diffusion among IP-blocks and the interdependence of temperature and leakage power, we observe that the floorplan has an impact on both the temperatures and the leakage of the IP-blocks in a system on chip (SoC). An increase in temperature also increases the probability of errors such as read/write errors or unstable memory accesses. In a thermal unaware paradigm, SRAM designers increase (overdrive) the supply voltage (Vdd) to increase their reliability. However, increasing Vdd in turn increases the memorypsilas leakage and dynamic power dissipation and its temperature is elevated. Thus Vdd, power, temperature, and probability of errors influence each other mutually and must be considered during SRAM design. This paper addresses two issues: (i) we propose a novel system level leakage aware floorplanner which optimizes floorplans for thermal-aware leakage power along with the traditional metrics of area and wire length; and (ii) we demonstrate the effect of temperature on the probability of errors of SRAM memories which helps designers select a thermal-aware operating voltage for SRAMs. We will also discuss temperaturehArrleakage positive feedback loop. We applied our floorplanner on eight industrial SoC designs from Freescale Semiconductor Inc. and we observed up to 135% difference in the leakage power between leakage-unaware and leakage aware floorplanning. In this paper we also quantify the effect of temperature on the probability of failures in memories. We observed that by considering the effect of temperature on memories, reducing Vdd can help improve both the reliability and the power dissipation. For a predefined limit on reliability, thermal aware Vdd selection can reduce the total power dissipation by up to 2.5X.
Modes and Manifestations of Improvisation in Urban Planning, Design, and Theory

The enterprise of musical improvisation is examined as a fruitful source of approaches to urban planning, design, and theory. When musicians improvise, they cooperate and take risks in ways that recommend fitting strategies for urban planners, who traditionally view their planning function as dependent upon values of liberal rationalism. Furthermore, some improvising musicians deliberately stage their performances as interventions in their urban communities, thereby linking the aesthetic aspects of music to social and political action. Examples of three modes of musical improvisation—deviation, response, and insurgency—adapted to the work of urban planners, designers, theorists, and historians illustrate how such enterprises can challenge a purely rational, purely planned understanding of such work, as well as how planning work already and inevitably entails improvisational impulses and influences. The paper thus urges on planning professionals an ethos of improvisation inspired by musicians.
What are the priorities for managing cholesterol effectively

Many studies have confirmed the risk of coronary artery disease associated with elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The precise role of other lipids, however, is still under investigation. The relation between elevated levels of triglycerides and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is complex, and the results of clinical trials evaluating interventions to lower triglycerides or increase levels of HDL-C have been equivocal. Based on the data currently available, LDL-C remains the primary target for treatment. Ongoing clinical trials will help to answer the question of how low we should set our goals for lowering cholesterol in patients at risk.
Have Gun, Will Travel: The Dispute Between the CDC and the NRA on Firearm Violence as a Public Health Problem

This article presents a case study of the political controversy in 1995 and 1996 between the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Rifle Association (NRA) over whether the CDC should conduct policy research on firearm-related violence as a public health issue. In 1996, largely as a result of the NRA’s lobbying efforts, Congress curtailed the CDC’s authority in addressing firearm violence as a public health problem by redirecting funding toward research on traumatic brain injuries. In essence, the CDC was relegated to the domain of compiling and reporting statistical nationwide data on firearm injuries and deaths. For its part, the NRA demonstrated its power and effectiveness as a single-issue interest group in mobilizing its resources to battle the CDC in the public arena. This study focuses on the strategies and tactics that the NRA used and explores reasons why the knowledge-driven model employed by the CDC did not allow the agency to expand its domain consensus. This article presents a case study of the two-year political battle between a federal agency, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a private interest group, the National Rifle Association (NRA), over policy research related to firearm violence. By examining the political strategies and tactics used by both the CDC and the NRA to influence key members of Congress, especially on the appropriations committees, researchers can learn much about the mechanics of the policy process and the recipe for success or failure in influencing policy outcomes. Moreover, researchers can discern how a federal agency will craft an argument that it possesses specialized knowledge that justifies expanding its domain into a new area and how an interest group can successfully undermine that contention.
Some Methods of Problem Solving in Elementary Geometry

Many elementary problems in geometry arise as part of the proof of the Kepler conjecture on sphere packings. In the original proof, most of these problems were solved by hand. This article investigates the methods that were used in the original proof and describes a number of other methods that might be used to automate the proofs of these problems. A companion article presents the collection of elementary problems in geometry for which automated proofs are sought. This article is a contribution to the Flyspeck project, which aims to give a complete formal proof of the Kepler conjecture.
Codynamics of Four Variables Involved in Dengue Transmission and Its Control by Community Intervention: A System of Four Difference Equations

In the case of Dengue transmission and control, the interaction of nature and society is captured by a system of difference equations. For the purpose of studying the dynamics of these interactions, four variables involved in a Dengue epidemic, proportion of infected people (), number of mosquitoes involved in transmission (), mosquito habitats (), and population awareness (), are linked in a system of difference equations: , , , and , . The constraints have socioecological meaning. The initial conditions are such that , the parameters , and the parameters ,&#x2009;&#x2009;,&#x2009;&#x2009;, and are positive. The paper is concerned with the analysis of solutions of the above system for . We studied the global asymptotic stability of the degenerate equilibrium. We also propose extensions of the above model and some open problems. We explored the role of memory in community awareness by numerical simulations. When the memory parameter is large, the proportion of infected people decreases and stabilizes at zero. Below a critical point we observe periodic oscillations.
Potential soil organic matter turnover in Taylor Valley, Antarctica.

Abstract Antarctic Dry Valley ecosystems are among the most inhospitable soil ecosystems on earth with simple food webs and nearly undetectable fluxes of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Due to the lack of vascular plants, soil organic matter concentrations are extremely low, and it is unclear how much of the contemporary soil C budget is actively cycling or a legacy of paleolake production and sedimentation. While recent work indicates multiple sources of organic matter for dry valley soils, the composition and kinetics of organic pools remain poorly characterized. We examined soil organic matter pools and potential C and N turnover in soils from within six sites located across three hydrological basins of Taylor Valley, Antarctica that differed in surface age, microclimate and proximity to legacy (paleolake) sources of organic matter. We estimated potential C and N mineralization, and rate kinetics using gas exchange and repeated leaching techniques during 90-d incubations of surface soils collected from va...
Is Aspiration Thrombectomy Beneficial in Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention? Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials

Background—It is unclear whether intravenous glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors or ischemic time might modify any clinical benefits observed with aspiration thrombectomy before primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction. Methods and Results—Electronic databases were searched for trials that randomized ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction patients to aspiration thrombectomy before PCI versus conventional PCI. Summary estimates were constructed using a DerSimonian-Laird model. Seventeen trials with 20 960 patients were available for analysis. When compared with conventional PCI, aspiration thrombectomy was not associated with a significant reduction in the risk of mortality 2.8% versus 3.2% (risk ratio [RR], 0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76–1.04; P=0.13), reinfarction 1.3% versus 1.4% (RR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.73–1.17; P=0.52), the combined outcome of mortality or reinfarction 4.1% versus 4.6% (RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.79–1.02; P=0.11), or ...
Methodology for characterizing high-risk orbital debris in the geosynchronous orbit regime

Abstract Forecasting of localized debris congestion in the geostationary (GEO) ring is performed to formulate and investigate methodology for identifying the debris objects that pose the highest risk to operational satellites in this ring. Proximity and speed relative to GEO during near-miss events detected under a torus intersection metric are translated into a combined risk factor that is accumulated during propagation. This accumulated risk is then used to identify the objects that have the highest risk contributions, either globally or in the vicinity of one of the two gravitational wells at 75°E and 105°W. Results show that nearly 60% of the total risk surrounding the Western well is attributed to 10 derelicts alone, which has critical implications for active debris removal (ADR) target selection for attenuating risk levels in this ring.
Educating Future Constructors Utilizing a Project Specific Web Site

Project Specific Web Sites (PSWS) promise to be the next step in the evolution of project communications and delivery. The role of the professional constructor is expanding and their responsibilities are distending into project facilitator and coordinator. A developing tool to aid in project coordination and communications is the PSWS. The PSWS can be thought of as a central repository for project data, including text, graphical, and video data ranging from contracts and meeting minutes to final drawings and construction images. The PSWS can also be the central clearinghouse for project communication with mechanisms for response to "requests for information" and other notices. It can also be the forum for real time collaborative work, with participants in remote locations sharing and modifying images and other data. There are a growing number of software options that a constructor can explore when considering the implementation of a PSWS. However, each require a systematic approach to developing a creation of hierarchies of data and hierarchies of rights to view or modify data in the PSWS. One of the initial steps in introducing new technology is to develop an educational mechanism that can be used to teach its utilitarian function. This paper will discuss some of the issues we have addressed during implementation of PSWS in a Construction Management and Architectural Engineering capstone project conducted at Milwaukee School of Engineering. I Associate Professor and Construction Management Program Director, Milwaukee School Of Engineering, 1025 N. Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202, email: capano@msoe.edu 2 Assistant Professor , Architectural Engineering and Building Construction Department (AE&BC), Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee WI, 53202, email: stahl@msoe.edu 3 Associate Professor of AE&BC, Milwaukee School Of Engineering, WI, 53202, email: mcgeen@msoe.edu
MODEL-BASED ANALYSIS OF IGF-1 EFFECT ON OSTEOBLAST AND OSTEOCLAST REGULATION IN BONE TURNOVER

The main determinant of bone Ca accretion is a bimolecular regulatory network on osteoblast (OB) and osteoclast (OC). Even though IGF-1 is known as an important regulator in bone cell cycle, little has been done to model IGF-1 action in bone cell regulation. Thus, the objective is to develop a mathematical model that depicts the regulatory action of IGF-1 onto the OB and OC interaction, and to evaluate adolescent and adult bone Ca accretion in response to differences in IGF-1 levels. As a result, a dynamic model of OB and OC with two main regulatory systems, i.e., Receptor Activator for Nuclear Factor κB (RANK)-RANK Ligand (RANKL)-osteoprogerin (OPG) system, and TGF-β, was augmented with the IGF-1, and incorporated into Ca kinetic data to predict exchangeable bone Ca. The developed model could predict a change in OB and OC levels in response to perturbations in regulators, producing results consistent with bone physiology and published experimental data. The model also estimated parametric difference in regulators between adults and adolescents, suggesting that RANKL/OPG in adolescents was about 4 times higher than in adults, while adolescent serum PTH and IGF-1 concentrations were 60% and 220% of those of adults, respectively. This study highlighted the influence of IGF-1 on the regulation of bone cells in positively modulating bone Ca, suggesting that IGF-1 may be an effective target for reducing bone loss by promoting mature OB.