cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mesh partitioning for efficient use of distributed systems

Mesh partitioning for homogeneous systems has been studied extensively; however, mesh partitioning for distributed systems is a relatively new area of research. To ensure efficient execution on a distributed system, the heterogeneities in the processor and network performance must be taken into consideration in the partitioning process; equal size subdomains and small cut set size, which results from conventional mesh partitioning, are no longer the primary goals. In this paper, we address various issues related to mesh partitioning for distributed systems. These issues include the metric used to compare different partitions, efficiency of the application executing on a distributed system, and the advantage of exploiting heterogeneity in network performance. We present a tool called PART, for automatic mesh partitioning for distributed systems. The novel feature of PART is that it considers heterogeneities in the application and the distributed system. Simulated annealing is used in PART to perform the backtracking search for desired partitions. While it is well-known that simulated annealing is computationally intensive, we describe the parallel version of simulated annealing that is used with PART. The results of the parallelization exhibit superlinear speedup in most cases and nearly perfect speedup for the remaining cases. Experimental results are also presented for partitioning regular and irregular finite element meshes for an explicit, nonlinear finite element application, called WHAMS2D, executing on a distributed system consisting of two IBM SPs with different processors. The results from the regular problems indicate a 33 to 46 percent increase in efficiency when processor performance is considered as compared to the conventional even partitioning. The results indicate a 5 to 15 percent increase in efficiency when network performance is considered as compared to considering only processor performance; this is significant given that the optimal improvement is 15 percent for this application. The results from the irregular problem indicate up to 36 percent increase in efficiency when processor and network performance are considered as compared to even partitioning.
Low Power Arcjet Performance

An experimental investigation was performed to evaluate arc jet operation at low power. A standard, 1 kW, constricted arc jet was run using nozzles with three different constrictor diameters. Each nozzle was run over a range of current and mass flow rates to explore stability and performance in the low power engine. A standard pulse-width modulated power processor was modified to accommodate the high operating voltages required under certain conditions. Stable, reliable operation at power levels below 0.5 kW was obtained at efficiencies between 30 and 40 percent. The operating range was found to be somewhat dependent on constrictor geometry at low mass flow rates. Quasi-periodic voltage fluctuations were observed at the low power end of the operating envelope, The nozzle insert geometry was found to have little effect on the performance of the device. The observed performance levels show that specific impulse levels above 350 seconds can be obtained at the 0.5 kW power level.
SU‐E‐J‐165: Ghost Marker Prediction, Detection and Elimination in Marker‐Based Optical Tracking Systems

Purpose: In optical tracking system (OTS), ghost marker (GM) limits users' flexibility in marker placement and can lead to incorrect patient setup or system execution failure. This work aims to model the phenomenon of GM and propose robust algorithms for GM prediction, detection and elimination. Methods: Two GMs occur when two markers and two sensors of the OTS are coplanar. However, when one marker gradually moves out of the plane and breaks the coplanar condition, both GMs briefly remain before they completely disappear. To explain this effect, we expanded line-line intersection definition and the coplanar condition: two lines intersect when their distance is less than threshold Ω and involved points are said to be coplanar within Ω. We fixed one marker and moved the other through the plane with a 0.1 mm step length. Sensor positions were calculated using a back projection method when coplanar condition was strictly satisfied. Ω was determined as line-line distance when ghost marker first appeared. The prediction algorithm checks whether any two given markers are coplanar with the two sensors within Ω; the detection algorithm checks whether any marker is near the intersection of lines connecting sensors and two other markers. A backtracking pattern matching algorithm matches markers to reference markers and eliminates unmatched ones as GMs. The algorithms were validated with two phantoms and 40 SBRT patients using 5~8 markers. Results: The prediction success rates were 97.7% and 89.6% and the detection success rates were 100% on the two phantoms (1544 ' 2045 samples). The matching success rates were 100% on both phantoms and patients. Conclusion: The proposed model precisely explains the phenomenon of GMs in marker-based OTS. The proposed detection and matching algorithms guarantee complete elimination of GMs, thus avoiding errors in SBRT tracking and providing user maximum flexibility in marker placement.
Direct neutron transfer in the {sup 238}U({sup 6}He, fission) reaction near the Coulomb barrier

A recent measurement of direct {alpha}-particle emission from the {sup 238}U({sup 6}He, fission) reaction is shown to be strongly influenced by the fission trigger.
Chronic angio-oedema of the tongue associated with pernicious anaemia and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

The cause of chronic urticaria and angio-oedema (CUA) often remains undetermined. CUA has been associated with thyroid disease and most recently with thyroid autoimmunity (i.e. elevated titres of thyroid microsomal and/or thyroglobulin antibody). There is growing speculation that in this subset of patients, CUA may represent an autoimmune phenomenon. We describe a case in which chronic angio-oedema of the tongue was the sole presenting complaint in a patient with underlying quiescent pernicious anaemia and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Awareness of the association of Hashimoto's thyroiditis with pernicious anaemia and CUA resulted in correct diagnosis and treatment of the underlying diseases.
Medial temporal lobe changes preceding symptom onset of mild cognitive impairment: The BIOCARD Cohort

hippocampus, amygdala and bilateral thalamus. In contrast, MCI had faster FA decline than the control group in the limbic regions including bilateral posterior cingulum, right parahippocampal cingulum, left cres of fornix and left uncinate fasciculus, wide spread temporoparietal regions including the bilateral posterior callosal tapetum, bilateral postcentral blades, and a few frontal regions including the right middle frontal blade and the left superior frontooccipital fasciculus.Conclusions: The results demonstrate that MCI is associated with both progressive GM loss andWM degradation over time. The patterns of GM andWMchanges used togethermay improve early detection of AD pathology.
Use of Complementary/Alternative Therapies Among Children in Primary Care Pediatrics

Objectives.—To determine the prevalence of and factors associated with use of complementary/alternative therapies (CAM) by pediatric patients seeking primary care. Design and Setting.—A self-report questionnaire was administered to parents/caregivers in 6 general pediatric practices in urban and suburban Detroit from August 1999 to December 1999. Results.—A total of 1013 questionnaires were completed; 67.5% of the patients were 5 years of age or younger. The overall use of CAM was 12%. Factors in families associated with use of CAM were maternal age greater than 31 years (P = .001), religious affiliation (P = .001), parent/caretaker born outside of the United States (P = .04), and use of CAM by the parent/caretaker or his/her spouse (P = .001). Significant factors associated with the children who used CAM were age greater than 5 years (P = .001), pediatric visit for an illness (P = .05), regular medication use (P = .001), and having an ongoing medical problem (P = .001). The most common types of CAM used were herbs (41%), prayer healing (37%), high-dose vitamin therapy and other nutritional supplements (34.5%), folk/home remedies (28%), massage therapy (19%), and chiropractic (18%). The majority of CAM users (66%) did not report the use of CAM to their primary care physician. A logistic regression analysis revealed that use of CAM by parents/caretakers was the single best predictor of CAM use in a child. Conclusion.—CAM use is significant among children who visit pediatric practices. Pediatricians should inquire about CAM use among patients, particularly those with ongoing medical problems and those with parents/caretakers who use CAM for themselves.
Immunotherapy of cancer with dendritic-cell-based vaccines

Animal studies have shown that vaccination with genetically modified tumor cells or with dendritic cells (DC) pulsed with tumor antigens are potent strategies to elicit protective immunity in tumor-bearing animals, more potent than "conventional" strategies that have been tested in clinical settings with limited success. While both vaccination strategies are forms of cell therapy requiring complex and costly ex vivo manipulations of the patient's cells, current protocols using dendritic cells are considerably simpler and would be more widely available. Vaccination with defined tumor antigens presented by DC has obvious appeal. However, in view of the expected emergence of antigen-loss variants as well as natural immunovariation, effective vaccine formulations must contain mixtures of commonly, if not universally, expressed tumor antigens. When, or even if, such common tumor antigens will be identified cannot be, predicted, however. Thus, for the foreseeable future, vaccination with total-tumor-derived material as source of tumor antigens may be preferable to using defined tumor antigens. Vaccination with undefined tumor-derived antigens will be limited, however, by the availability of sufficient tumor tissue for antigen preparation. Because the mRNA content of single cells can be amplified, tumor mRNA, or corresponding cDNA libraries, offer an unlimited source of tumor antigens. DC transfected with tumor RNA were shown to engender potent antitumor immunity in animal studies. Thus, immunotherapy using autologous DC loaded with unfractionated tumor-derived antigens in the form of RNA emerges as a potentially powerful and broadly useful vaccination strategy for cancer patients.
Molecular modeling of bioactive selenium compounds

Ab initio and density-functional theory (DFT) modeling have proven to be important tools in the determination of the properties and reactivity of selenium with respect to biological activity. In this review, we address recent applications of quantum chemistry in three areas of interest to selenium chemistry: theoretical 77Se chemical shifts, analysis of Se⋯N,O interactions important to redox chemistry and mechanistic determinations for selenoenzymes and small selenium molecules. High-performance computing and DFT have allowed for large-scale calculations of both the enzyme active site and solution-phase reactivity. The latter development is important for understanding the complex mechanisms of small molecule GPx mimics. Application of solvent-assisted proton exchange to the redox scavenging mechanism of PhSeH by our research group is highlighted.
Evaluation of two methods for indexing fish year-class strength: Catch-curve residuals and cohort method

Assessment of fish year-class strength is often a key objective of fish monitoring programs. We used a simulation model to assess the performance of two methods for indexing fish year-class strength from catch-at-age data on adult fish populations: catch-curve residuals and tracking cohorts through time. For this comparison we used three performance metrics: correlation with true recruitment values, ability to identify strong and weak year classes, and prediction of relative year-class strength. Both the catch curve and the cohort methods provided reliable indices of recruitment under some conditions. The catch curve method provided reliable evidence for very strong or weak year classes, whereas the cohort method expectedly was able to reliably index year class strength for even moderate fluctuations in year class strength, and thus would provide managers with more detailed and reliable information about year class strength. However, the cohort method required multiple years of age composition data, whereas the catch curve method requires only one year of data. In addition, performance of the cohort method was reduced when variation in annual sampling catchability was high. Our simulation approach allowed for a detailed understanding of the strengths, weaknesses, and data requirements of both methods. While both methods provide information that is useful for fisheries management, appropriate application of either method for monitoring should depend on management needs, funding availability, and system characteristics.
Food Insecurity and Poor Sleep: Another Consequence of Food Insecurity in the United States

Food insecurity is one of the most serious nutrition-related health issues in the United States today. The magnitude of the problem is enormous. In 2013, for example, almost 50 million Americans lived in food-insecure households (1). The extent of food insecurity remains very high and, despite the end of the Great Recession, rates have not returned to the food insecurity levels of 2007. Because of the magnitude of the problem, an extensive literature looking at food insecurity in the United States has emerged (2). That households are going without enough food is, in and of itself, an important policy issue. Making the problem of food insecurity even more severe are the numerous health and other consequences associated with being food insecure (3). In this issue ofThe Journal of Nutrition, Ding et al. make a nice contribution to this literature on the association of food insecurity with negative outcomes in their paper, ‘‘Food Insecurity Is Associated with Poor Sleep Outcomes among US Adults’’ (4). Their work examines an especially important issue insofar as lack of sleep and difficulty initiating sleep have been associated with a wide array of chronic health conditions, including diabetes and hypertension (5, 6). Using data from the 2005–2010 NHANES, Ding et al. first found that women who are very low food secure have lower sleep durations than women who are fully food secure (i.e., they do not respond affirmatively to any of the food hardship questions posed in the NHANES). Second, they found that men who experience any form of food insecurity (i.e., they respond affirmatively to at least one of the food hardship questions) have longer sleep latencies (the amount of time it takes to fall asleep) than fully food-secure men. Along with being, to the best of my knowledge, the first paper to look at the impact of food insecurity on sleep, this paper further points out the importance of looking at marginal food insecurity along with just food insecurity when looking at health outcomes (7). This work also identifies another pathway through which food insecurity affects chronic health conditions—through its effect on sleep. I now consider 2 implications from this research.
Mass spectrometry in aging research

This review covers the application of mass spectrometric techniques to aging research. Modern proteomic strategies will be discussed as well as the targeted analysis of specific proteins for the correlation of post-translational modifications with protein function. Selected examples will show both the power and also current limitations of the respective techniques. Experimental results and strategies are discussed in view of current theories of the aging process.
The Measurement of Freshness of Unbroken Eggs

Abstract THERE has been an unusual interest in the freshness of eggs on the part of consumers in recent years. This awakening may be caused by a wave of food consciousness in general but more probably by the publicity given to possible ways of preserving the freshness for a longer period, such as oiling and use of oil wrappers, carbon dioxide treatments, cold storage temperatures and humidity, water glass solutions, etc.—all of which leads the consumer to ponder over the freshness of breakfast eggs. This study was made to furnish a means of determining the freshness of eggs by showing internal changes in the egg before it is broken. Candling of large supplies of eggs appears to be the best way to grade the carloads which must be handled, but it is too indefinite for the research worker who is concerned with the freshness and flavor of each individual egg.
Evolutionary triplet models of structured RNA.

The reconstruction and synthesis of ancestral RNAs is a feasible goal for paleogenetics. This will require new bioinformatics methods, including a robust statistical framework for reconstructing histories of substitutions, indels and structural changes. We describe a “transducer composition” algorithm for extending pairwise probabilistic models of RNA structural evolution to models of multiple sequences related by a phylogenetic tree. This algorithm draws on formal models of computational linguistics as well as the 1985 protosequence algorithm of David Sankoff. The output of the composition algorithm is a multiple-sequence stochastic context-free grammar. We describe dynamic programming algorithms, which are robust to null cycles and empty bifurcations, for parsing this grammar. Example applications include structural alignment of non-coding RNAs, propagation of structural information from an experimentally-characterized sequence to its homologs, and inference of the ancestral structure of a set of diverged RNAs. We implemented the above algorithms for a simple model of pairwise RNA structural evolution; in particular, the algorithms for maximum likelihood (ML) alignment of three known RNA structures and a known phylogeny and inference of the common ancestral structure. We compared this ML algorithm to a variety of related, but simpler, techniques, including ML alignment algorithms for simpler models that omitted various aspects of the full model and also a posterior-decoding alignment algorithm for one of the simpler models. In our tests, incorporation of basepair structure was the most important factor for accurate alignment inference; appropriate use of posterior-decoding was next; and fine details of the model were least important. Posterior-decoding heuristics can be substantially faster than exact phylogenetic inference, so this motivates the use of sum-over-pairs heuristics where possible (and approximate sum-over-pairs). For more exact probabilistic inference, we discuss the use of transducer composition for ML (or MCMC) inference on phylogenies, including possible ways to make the core operations tractable.
Increased prevalence of torque teno viruses in porcine respiratory disease complex affected pigs

The role of swine torque teno sus viruses (TTSuVs) as co-factors in disease syndromes involving porcine circovirus strain 2 (PCV2) and porcine reproductive and respiratory disease syndrome virus (PRRSV) has been a debatable subject. In this study, the prevalence of TTSuVs in Iowa, the leading pork producing state in the U.S., was estimated by a duplex PCR. The PCR is capable of simultaneously detecting both teno sus viruses 1 and 2 (TTSuV1 and 2). Based on an analysis of 300 random samples representing six major geographical regions of the state, the overall prevalence rates for TTSuV1 and 2 were 47.34% and 24.67% respectively while the combined prevalence rate was 52.33%. The epidemiological association of TTSuV1 and 2 with the common etiological agents of the porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC) namely porcine PRRSV, PCV2, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and swine influenza virus (SIV) was estimated in lung tissue derived from 45 pigs showing clinical signs of PRDC. Notably, 86.67% of the PRDC-suspect samples were positive for TTSuV1 in comparison to the baseline population prevalence rate of 47.34%. However, the prevalence of TTSuV2 (26.67%) was not significantly different. TTSuV1 was detected in 80.00%, 81.81%, 75.00% and 77.78% of the PRRSV, SIV, M. hyopneumoniae and PCV2 positive PRDC-suspect samples respectively. Our results indicate that TTSuV1 is strongly associated with clinical PRDC and support the hypothesis that TTSuVs might function as co-factors in PRDC. Further studies to define their possible role in the pathogenesis of swine respiratory diseases are warranted.
Examination of mediating variables in a partner assistance intervention designed to increase performance of skin self-examination.

Objective We sought to identify mediating variables that may explain the increased effectiveness of a partner-learning skin self-examination (SSE) skills training program over a solo-learning SSE skills training program in a sample of patients at risk for melanoma. Methods We conducted a randomized control design with pretest, immediate posttest, and 4-month follow-up measures in a clinical ambulatory care office of a hospital. In all, 130 participants were drawn from a melanoma hospital registry and randomly assigned to a solo-learning control group (n = 65) or a partner-learning group (n = 65). Participants either received the skills training individually in the solo-learning control group or in the partner-learning group in which a partner was actively involved in the training. The intervention consisted of a 10-minute educational presentation and skills training session about the ABCDE rule of early melanoma detection. The main outcome measure was SSE performance as measured by use of a body map. The mediators measured included attitudes toward SSE, self-efficacy/confidence in the ability to effectively perform SSE, comfort with having a partner help with SSE, perceived melanoma/skin cancer risk, concern about developing skin cancer/skin damage, and melanoma/skin cancer knowledge. Results Attitudes toward SSE, self-efficacy, comfort with having someone help with SSE, and concern about developing sun-damaged skin were found to be significant mediators. Limitations Study limitations include sample size, the evaluation of short-term program effects, and partner relationship variables that could influence the effectiveness of partner learning. Conclusions Involvement of a partner in the SSE skills training was more effective than solo learning because of the changes in the above-mentioned mediators. Future SSE skills training programs could benefit through using approaches that produce changes in key variables such as increasing attitudes toward SSE, increasing self-efficacy beliefs in the ability to perform SSE, and making participants feel confident in their ability to examine their skin.
Spirituality and the Later Years

Summary Three questions are raised and discussed. What is the meaning of spirituality? How is spirituality affected by the aging process? And what are some suggestions for spiritual ministry to the aging?
MODELS FOR WATER REUSE AND WASTEWATER PLANNING

A planning model is developed for the determination of optimal water reuse allocation and wastewater treatment alternatives that minimizes the overall cost of water supply and wastewater treatment over a planning period. The planning model consists of two models, each based upon dynamic programming (DP). The models are: (1) An allocation DP model, which is used for the optimal allocation of water to users for each treatment alternative considered; and (2) a treatment DP model, which performs the optimal selection of treatment alternatives over time. The allocation DP model is used to define the state space for the treatment DP model. Application of the planning model is made to San Antonio, Texas.
An Unusual Case of Migraine Accompaniments With Permanent Sequela - A Case Report

SYNOPSIS A woman aged 44 had recurrent migrainous scintillating scotomas without headache one or more times daily beginning before the age of 7. Spells were brought on by hunger, anger and regularly by straining to have a bowel movement. At age 44, while straining, she experienced a sharp pain in the head, a buzzing sound, virtual blindness and numbness of the left side. A left homonymous hemianopia persisted. During convalesence she experienced unusually vivid hallucinations in the hemianopic field and on phenytoin sodium therapy two sets of hallucinations ran at the same time. The head pain of this type of “catastrophic migraine” may be a third type of migraine pain.
A COMPARISON OF SHRUB-DOMINATED AND FORESTED HABITAT USE BY SPRING MIGRATING LANDBIRDS IN NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA

Abstract Long-term datasets reveal declines in many populations of landbird migrants, with declines especially evident in shrub-nesting species. Moreover, transitional shrub-dominated habitats are becoming scarce, reducing breeding habitat for these species. Because migrants often occupy habitats en route similar to those used in the breeding season, the persistence of shrub-dominated habitats may be especially critical for these species during passage. Because little is known about migrant-habitat relationships, especially at inland, unforested stopover sites, we compared the importance of forested and upland shrub-dominated habitat to spring migrating landbirds by comparing: (1) temporal and habitat-related variation in resource abundance, and (2) migrant use of forested vs. shrub-dominated habitat during stopover. We collected data on bird-habitat relationships and invertebrate abundance from both habitats at two sites in or near Lackawanna State Park, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. We captured and c...
Grafting of monosaccharide derivatives to cellulose acetate

Grafting of 1,2-O-isopropylidene-α-D-xylofuranose to commercial cellulose diacetate has been accomplished by using a boron trifluoride catalyst. The reaction proceeds quickly at 25 and 40°C, resulting in degrees of molar substitution (MS) of 0.37 and 0.34, respectively. If monomer and catalyst are added over an extended period of time to maintain low concentrations, MS values as high as 0.89 and 0.85 are obtained at 25 and 40°C, respectively. Major side reactions are depolymerization of the cellulose acetate backbone and grafted D-xylose and the homopolymerization of the monomer. These side reactions may be minimized by conducting the reaction at 40°C for a short time or by adding monomer and catalyst over an extended period of time. Grafting has also been accomplished by using D-xylose derivatives with various reactive groups at the anomeric carbon atom. The grafted material of MS greater than 0.7 is insoluble in acetone and after deacetylation is soluble in water under alkaline, neutral and acidic conditions. Oxalic acid hydrolysis of the deacetylated material indicates that most of the grafted D-xylose units are in the furanose form. Methylation and hydrolysis of the methylated material shows that 75% of the D-xylose residues are terminal units and indicates the presence of many singly grafted D-xylose residues and a few di-and trisaccharide grafts.
Design considerations for a 50-watt photovoltaic power system using concentrated solar energy

Abstract Photovoltaic cells presently used in satellites and other applications are, for the most part, silicon cells which have a power output of about 12 milliwatts per square centimeter at a radiation level of 90 milliwatts per square centimeter. Using special close-gridded cells, a solar concentrator to obtain radiation intensities of 28 watts per square centimeter and an auxiliary cell cooling system, the power output can be raised to over 1.5 watts per square centimeter. At these high fluxes, the customary equivalent circuit of a photovoltaic device is not adequate. An equivalent circuit, which includes a distributed diode, a distributed series resistance, a single shunted series diode and series resistance, was used with experimentally determined constants to predict the cell voltage-current characteristics as a function of grid spacing at high fluxes. The additional problem of cell cooling at high radiation levels has been solved by using water in a forced circulation, closed-loop cooling system. A theoretical analysis shows that the cells can be maintained below 200 deg F by mounting them on water-cooled, pinned heat-transfer surfaces. The thermal energy of the water can then be dissipated to the ambient atmosphere by a natural convection air-to-water heat exchanger. From experimental cell data, a system design is presented that will produce 50 watts of electrical energy from 36 square centimeters of cell area.
Recruitment and metamorphosis of Haliotis larvae induced by molecules uniquely available at the surfaces of crustose red algae

Crustose red algae induce substratum-specific settlement, attachment and metamorphosis of the planktonic larvae of Haliotis rufescens Swainson (gastropod mollusc), upon direct contact by the larvae with any of a number of algal species tested. Larvae are not induced by contact with intact foliose red, brown or green macroalgae. Geniculate red algae are only slightly active. Larval settlement and metamorphosis are shown to be triggered by a class of chemical inducers associated with macromolecules and found in extracts of all species of crustose, geniculate, and foliose red algae tested; these inducers are not found in extracts of brown or green macroalgae. The substratum specificity of larval settlement and metamorphosis is shown to result from the unique availability of these inducers at the surfaces of the crustose red algae. Using a newly-developed improved method of purification based upon size-separation by gel-filtration, followed by ion-exchange chromatography over a diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-acrylamide matrix, the principal inducer of Haliotis larval settlement and metamorphosis has been resolved from the red algal phycobiliproteins. Sensitivity of this inducer to reduction in molecular weight by digestion with trypsin demonstrates that this inducer is associated with protein.
Dyspareunia in women: Breaking the silence is the first step toward treatment

Dyspareunia is a heterogeneous disorder that has a number of potentially overlapping causes. It can be a source of great conflict and anxiety for many women. The primary care physician who takes the time to obtain a complete and careful sexual history and perform a comprehensive physical examination can help the majority of these patients. When dysfunction is complicated or refractory to treatment, gynecologic and psychosocial consultation may be necessary.
The Distant Pianissimo: The Revision of Beethoven's String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 2, Finale

Beethoven's revision in 1800 of his String Quartet, Op. 18, no. 2, Finale, offers us a window into his rethinking of the boundaries of musical distance for this movement during a critical period of his development. Beethoven focused his changes on the pianissimo passages, and aligned this dynamic with the movement's most extreme harmonic progressions and surprising aspects of its musical form. He also introduced various revisions to assure that the more radical, distant material in the pianissimo sections remained, not just anchored to the rest of the movement, but central to its drama.
Palladium and palladium alloy membranes for hydrogen separation and production: History, fabrication strategies, and current performance

Abstract Our aim is to survey the state-of-the-art in the development of palladium and palladium alloy membranes for hydrogen separations and hydrogen production. At the time this paper was written, several research groups have developed palladium and/or palladium alloy membranes with pure hydrogen permeances approaching 0.01 mol/m 2 s Pa 0.5 . This includes our work to prepare Pd and Pd alloy composite membranes on stainless steel porous substrates with zirconia diffusion barriers. A 0.93 μm thick pure Pd composite membrane on a Pall AccuSep ® stainless steel substrate achieved a pure hydrogen flux of 1.3 mol/m 2 s at 400 °C and 1.38 bar differential pressure. The hydrogen flux values we have measured compare favorably to the U.S. DOE 2010 pure hydrogen flux performance target of 0.96 mol/m 2 s = 250 ft 3 (STP)/ft 2 h at conditions of 400 °C and a differential pressure of 20 psi or 1.38 bar. Pd alloy composite membranes containing Au and/or Ag show higher hydrogen flux than pure Pd membranes, as expected from the literature. At these same DOE test conditions of 400 °C and 1.38 bar, the pure hydrogen flux for a 2.3 μm thick, Pd 95 Au 5 composite membrane was 1.01 mol/m 2 s. Approximately the same pure hydrogen flux of 0.97 mol/m 2 s was measured for a thicker, 4.6 μm, Pd 80 Ag 20 composite membrane at 400 °C and 1.38 bar, consistent with the higher permeability of the Pd–Ag alloy compared to pure Pd and Pd–Au. Ideal H 2 /N 2 separation factors of these composite membranes ranged from 337 to over 80,000.
Ileal Endogenous Amino Acid Flow Response to Nitrogen-free Diets with Differing Ratios of Corn Starch to Dextrose in Pigs.

The objective of this study was to determine the responses in the digestibility of dry matter (DM) and amino acid (AA) composition of ileal endogenous flow (IEF) of pigs (initial body weight, 69.1±6.46 kg) fed N-free diets (NFD) formulated with different ratios of corn starch to dextrose. Fifteen pigs fitted with a T-cannula at the distal ileum were fed 5 diets according to a triplicated 5×2 incomplete Latin-square design. Each period consisted of a 5-d adjustment period and 2 d of ileal digesta collection for 12 h on each of d 6 and 7 and between each period, there was a 5-d recovery period to avoid abnormal weight loss. The ratios of corn starch to dextrose investigated were 0:879, 293:586, 586:293, 779:100, and 879:0 for diet numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively, and chromic oxide (5 g/kg) was used as an indigestible index. Ileal DM digestibility was greater in Diet 1 than that in Diet 4 (89.5% vs 87.3%, p<0.01) but they were not different from Diet 2, 3, or 5. The IEF for most of indispensable AA were not different among diets with the exception of Met, in which a lack of corn starch or dextrose gave lower (p = 0.028) IEF of Met than diets containing corn starch and dextrose. Likewise, the dispensable AA and total AA in the IEF did not differ among diets. The respective IEF of AA (mg/kg of dry matter intake) in pigs fed Diets 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 were 301, 434, 377, 477,or 365 for Lys, 61, 89, 71, 87, or 61 for Met, and 477, 590, 472, 520, or 436 for Thr. Proline was the most abundant AA in the IEF followed by Gly, Glu, and Asp and together accounted for approximately 50% of the total ileal AA flows of pigs fed NFD. In conclusion, the variation in proportion of corn starch and dextrose in a NFD does not largely affect estimates of IEF of N and AA for growing-finishing pigs. (Key Words: Ileal Digestibility, Basal Endogenous Amino Acid Loss, Swine)
Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Expression in Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia

Nitric oxide can be toxic to cells, as it induces damage to DNA and inhibits several enzymes of the electron transport chain [8]. Nitric oxide is anti-inflammatory at high levels [2–4], and pro-inflammatory at low levels [5, 11]. The alveolar macrophage usually responds to microbial infections by producing nitric oxide through transcription and translation of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene. Normal rats respond to challenges with Pneumocystis carinii by rapidly and greatly increasing nitric oxide production [10]. However, during Pneumocystis pneumonia (PcP) in rats, nitric oxide production in alveolar macrophages is decreased [7]. This study sought to correlate nitric oxide production with expression of the iNOS protein in rats with PcP.
Massive Cherenkov neutrino facilities…their evolution, their future: Twenty-five years at these International Neutrino Conferences

This review traces the evolution of massive water Cherenkov tracking calorimeters. Pioneering concepts, first presented in this conference a quarter of a century ago, have led to 1) IMB, the first large detector (10kT), which was designed primarily to search for proton decay, and secondarily to be sensitive to supernova neutrinos and atmospheric oscillations, and 2) Dumand, an attempt to initiate the search for TeV astrophysical neutrinos with a prototype for a 1 km 3 telescope. The concepts and initial work on IMB influenced subsequent detectors: Kamiokande, Super-K, SNO, and, in part, Kamland. These detectors have to their credit the elucidation of the physics of atmospheric, solar, reactor and supernova neutrinos. With the advent of the K2K beam, controlled accelerator neutrinos confirm the atmospheric studies. The path breaking developments of Dumand now are incorporated in the high-volume Amanda and Antares detectors, as well as their sequels, IceCube and the proposed Cubic Kilometer detector. The future (ultimate?) facilities have new physics challenges: A high-resolution megaton detector, eventually coupled with an intense accelerator neutrino source, is critical for precision studies of neutrino oscillation parameters and for the potential discovery of CP violation in the lepton sector. The Gigaton TeV neutrino telescopes (IceCube and Cubic Kilometer) seek to open high-energy neutrino astronomy, still an elusive goal. (Amanda, IceCube, and UNO, as well as Minos, Icarus and other large neutrino facilities using non-Cherenkov technologies, are treated in other contributions to this volume.)
NMR Spectroscopic Investigations of Phosphorothioate Containing RNAS

Chirally pure proR(p) phosphorothioates have been introduced 5′ to each adenine residue in the conserved core of the RNA binding site for ribosomal protein S8. These backbone modifications prevent Mg2+ coordination and assembly of secondary and tertiary structure elements in the core. Cd2+ was found to restore most of the spectral properties characteristic of the native Mg2+-bound RNA binding site presumably through coordination to one or more phosphorothioate groups.
A Decision System For Autonomous Robot Navigation Over Rough Terrain

In the implementation of an autonomous mobile robot, the navigation system must be able find an acceptable path through a region of multi-valued traversal costs (as opposed to a binary regime of obstacle avoidance). Information must be efficiently represented, with sufficient information density in the robot's immediate navigation domain, in a manner which facilitates a process of learning the terrain. This paper discusses a decision system built around a "Routing-Engine" employing a cellular-array processor to propagate a wave over an two-dimensional map in which the pointwise traversal costs are represented as pointwise refractive indices. The path returned is the locus of local normals to the wavefront of the first wave, originating at the robot's current location, to reach the goal. This routing-engine is run recursively on a hierarchical stack of maps arranged in linear-spatial registration with the coarsest information resolution in the most global map. The central fovea of each map in the hierarchy is "blown-up" to yield a map more local to the vehicle, with the lowest level map possessing sufficient resolution to maneuver the robot. As the robot moves, its registration in the centre of each map in the stack is maintained by "scrolling" the maps over each other. As this is done, sensed information is propagated through the stack updating the information stored at each level. The system has been implemented successfully in simulation.
Presence of quantum diffusion in two dimensions: Universal resistance at the superconductor-insulator transition.

We argue that whenever the transition between the insulating and superconducting phases of a disordered two-dimensional Fermi system at zero temperature ({ital T}=0) is continuous, the system behaves like a normal metal right at the transition; i.e., the resistance has a finite, nonzero value at {ital T}=0. This value is {ital universal}---independent of all microscopic details. These features, consistent with recent measurements on disordered films, are hypothesized to apply to other 2D transitions at {ital T}=0, such as Anderson localization with spin-orbit coupling, and the quantum Hall effect.
Molecular dynamics simulations of an oligonucleotide duplex with adenine tracts phased by a full helix turn.

A theoretical model of a DNA oligonucleotide duplex featuring A-tracts phased by a full helix turn is developed based on molecular dynamics computer simulation. The extent to which this model agrees with relevant experimental data on axis bending and the relationship of A-tracts to bending and other aspects of helix morphology is investigated. Specifically, a series of nanosecond-level molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been carried out for the 25 bp duplex d(ATAGGCAAAAAATAGGCAAAAATGG) at various concentrations of saline solution. A 30 basepair sequence composed of three 10 bp repeats of the BamHI recognition sequence ligated together, d(CGGGATCCCGCGGGATCCCGCGGGATCCCG), was simulated as a control. The MD was carried out using the AMBER 4.1 suite of programs, and utilized the Cornell et al. forcefield with the electrostatic boundary conditions treated by the particlemesh Ewald summation protocol. The MD results show that at a concentration of 60 mM KCl, 10 mM MgCl2 added salt plus minimal neutralizing cations, the MD model exhibits concerted axis bending to the extent of 15.5 per A-tract. This compares favorably with the bending per turn of 17 to 21 inferred from cyclization experiments. The MD model also exhibits a progressive 5 0 to 3 0 narrowing of the minor-groove region of A-tracts, a feature inferred from DNA footprinting experiments. Analysis of the dynamic structure of the MD models shows that the origin of the bending follows a junction-type bending model with an admixture of mixed sequence effects, with A-tracts relatively straight, as in oligonucleotide crystal structures of sequences containing A-tracts. The results are shown to be sensitive to environmental conditions: MD on d(ATAGGCAAAAAATAGGCAAAAATGG) in neutralizing Na a buffer results in markedly reduced curvature, and the removal of Mg 2a measurably affects bending. Carrying out the simulations at experimental salt conditions appears to be essential to obtain an accurate account of the experimentally observed bending. # 1998 Academic Press
Compositional and chemical modifications of V2O5 and NaVO3 induced by N2+ bombardment

Abstract The chemical and compositional changes induced by 0.5–5 keV N2+ bombardment of V2O5 and NaVO3 have been studied by XPS. Both the atomic concentrations and the chemical states of the different constituents reach a steady state at an irradiation dose N 2 + cm 2 . As in Ar+ bombardment of these targets, the vanadium is reduced to lower oxidation states. The reactive nature of the N2+ species is however reflected by the opening of a chemical channel for oxygen removal (possibly by NOx formation) and retention of ~ 10–20% of the impinging nitrogen in the targets mainly as vanadium nitride, VN.
A Systems Engineering Perspective on Proposal Management

Mastering proposal management is key to the very survival of organizations that capture and execute contracts to supply products or services. Systems engineering plays a central role in proposal management for complex systems by often leading the technical effort. This paper provides an alternative perspective to the existing acquisition-focused literature by examining proposal management from the supplier perspective. This paper identifies proposal stakeholders and defines objectives that can be used to evaluate success from each stakeholder's perspective. A high-level process model is identified that describes steps in the proposal process and the corresponding role of systems engineering. This paper also introduces a detailed process model for defining the proposed system solution. A more thorough understanding of proposal stakeholder roles, associated objectives, and the proposal process can help supplier organizations devise more effective strategies for responding to proposal opportunities.
Development and characterisation of small-scale rotary engines

This paper describes the development and characterisation of small-scale rotary engines with displacements in the range of 781500 mm for portable applications in the range of 10200 W of power output. Small-scale combustion engines present a number of research challenges including manufacturing tolerances, sealing, thermal management, ignition, combustion efficiency and porting. Four engines have been characterised using a custom test bench and show an increase in performance due to design changes that mitigate the challenges associated with small-scale engines. The volumetric power density has been increased from 11 W/cm in a 348 mm engine operating with a supercharged hydrogen/air mixture to 22 W/cm in a 1500 mm engine operating with naturally aspirated liquid hydrocarbon fuel. The thermal efficiency has also been increased from 0.2 to 4%. Continued improvements in sealing, thermal management, combustion efficiency and friction reduction will allow further increases in engine performance.
Defining the Relationships Among Retinal Function, Layer Thickness and Visual Behavior During Oxidative Stress-Induced Retinal Degeneration

AbstractPurpose: The purpose of this study was to identify how changes in retinal structure and function correlate with visual deficits during increasing amounts of retinal degeneration.Materials and methods: Retinal degeneration was induced in adult mice by subretinal injections of paraquat (PQ) (0.2–1 mM). Retinal anatomy and photoreceptor layer thickness were quantified by histology and optical coherence tomography (OCT), retinal function was measured using electroretinography (ERG), and visual behavior were measured by optokinetic tracking, at 1 to 3 week post-injury.Results: Photoreceptor layer structure, function and visual behavior declined at a linear rate over time following PQ-induced degeneration, with the correlations between outcome measures being lowest at mild injury levels and increasing with injury severity. Overall reductions in visual acuity were highly correlated with declines in retinal thickness (r2 = 0.78) and function (r2 = 0.67) and retinal thickness correlated with photoreceptor ...
Animal models and their limitations: on the problem of high-to-low dose extrapolations following inhalation exposures.

Abstract Inhalation of complex mixtures such as combustion aerosols constitutes a parallel and simultaneous exposure of two distinctively different barriers to the body; the alveolar type I cells and the rest of the airway air/blood barrier, mainly the epithelium of the conducting airways. Exposure of the type I epithelium to most solutes leads to a rapid passage into the systemic circulation, and activation/deactivation of toxicants will take place mostly in the liver. Because of the huge metabolizing capacity of the liver, the dose–response of this component of an inhalation exposure is likely to be close to linear over larger exposure intervals. In contrast, exposures of the epithelium in the conducting airways lead to a slower passage, and in the case of semi-volatile solutes of high lipophilicities, a much slower passage into the systemic circulation. The result is a highly elevated concentration in the epithelium of the conducting airways during absorption, which may either lead directly to a localized toxicity, or, provide substrate for activating enzymes present in the airway mucosa. However, because of a limited capacity of the airway epithelium in this region both to dissolve sparingly soluble inhalants and to metabolize such solutes, the local dose–response is likely to saturate at rather low exposure levels. One important consequence of local saturation in the epithelium of the conducting airways, is that inhalation exposures of laboratory animals conducted at elevated concentrations and limited time spans, may underestimate the risk in humans chronically exposed at relatively low concentrations. The phenomenon could be relevant in the etiology of lung cancer as well as inflammatory airway disease, where semi-volatile organic toxicants are suspected to contribute significantly.