Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of The Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Plant In Warsaw On Air Quality, Robert Oleniacz

Robert Oleniacz

The only Polish municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerator has been operating within the Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Plant in Warsaw since 2000. In the paper selected results of the air quality impact assessment for this incinerator during an operating period of one year (2008) are presented. With respect to the incinerated waste amounts and emission levels, the analysed period can be considered typical for this facility. Assessment of the air quality impact was carried out by assessing air pollutant emissions in reference to the applicable emission limit values and by modeling atmospheric dispersion of these pollutants. It has been found …

The Development Of New Concepts For Assessing Reproductive Toxicity Applicable To Large Scale Toxicological Programmes, S. Bremer, C. Pellizzer, S. Hoffmann, T. Seidle, T. Hartung

Troy Seidle, PhD

Large scale toxicological testing programmes which are currently ongoing such as the new European chemical legislation REACH require the development of new integrated testing strategies rather than applying traditional testing schemes to thousands of chemicals. The current practice of requiring in vivo testing for every possible adverse effect endanger the success of these programmes due (i) to limited testing facilities and sufficient capacity of scientific/technical knowledge for reproductive toxicity; (ii) an unacceptable number of laboratory animals involved (iii) an intolerable number of chemicals classified as false positive.

A key aspect of the implementation of new testing strategies is the determination …

Identification Of Hyperhalogens In Agn(Bo2)M (N = 1–3, M = 1–2) Clusters: Anion Photoelectron Spectroscopy And Density Functional Calculations, Xiang-Yu Kong, Hong-Guang Xu, Pratik Koirala, Wei-Jun Zheng, Anil K. Kandalam, Puru Jena

Anil K. Kandalam

No abstract provided.

The Fine-Scale Habitat Use Of Risso’S Dolphins Off Bardsey Island, Cardigan Bay (Uk), Marijke N. De Boer, Sonja Eisfeld, Mark P. Simmonds

Mark P. Simmonds, OBE

The main objectives of this study were (1) to estimate the population size of Risso’s dolphins off Bardsey Island using mark-recapture techniques (De Boer et al., 2013); and (2) to study habitat-use in relation to fine-scale oceanographic features. This work provides preliminary information on the habitat-use of Risso’s dolphins and will benefit future studies, along with the development of effective conservation measures for this species throughout the region.

Interactions Between Short-Beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus Delphis) And The Winter Pelagic Pair-Trawl Fishery Ff Southwest England (Uk), Marijke N. De Boer, James T. Saulino, Mardik F. Leopold, Peter J.H. Reijnders, Mark P. Simmonds

Mark P. Simmonds, OBE

During offshore and onshore studies (2004 to 2009), the interactions between pair-trawls and short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) were studied to better understand the impact of bycatch. A ‘hotspot’ area where pair-trawls overlapped with high dolphin abundance was identified. We made comparisons between boat-based data collected in absence and presence of pair-trawlers. The relative abundance and group-size of dolphins was significantly higher in the presence of pair-trawlers. Dolphins were observed associating with towing and hauling procedures. Significantly, more carcasses occurred in areas with hauling-activity than those without. Body-temperatures obtained from carcasses found near operating pair-trawlers indicated that bycatch mostly occurred …

Expert Testimony In Capital Sentencing: Juror Responses, John H. Montgomery, J. Richard Ciccone, Stephen P. Garvey, Theodore Eisenberg

Stephen P. Garvey

The U.S. Supreme Court, in Furman v. Georgia (1972), held that the death penalty is constitutional only when applied on an individualized basis. The resultant changes in the laws in death penalty states fostered the involvement of psychiatric and psychologic expert witnesses at the sentencing phase of the trial, to testify on two major issues: (1) the mitigating factor of a defendant’s abnormal mental state and (2) the aggravating factor of a defendant’s potential for future violence. This study was an exploration of the responses of capital jurors to psychiatric/psychologic expert testimony during capital sentencing. The Capital Jury Project is …

Probabilities In Probable Cause And Beyond: Statistical Versus Concrete Harms, Sherry F. Colb

Sherry Colb

No abstract provided.

Recommender Systems Research: A Connection-Centric Survey, Saverio Perugini, Marcos André Gonçalves, Edward A. Fox

Saverio Perugini

Recommender systems attempt to reduce information overload and retain customers by selecting a subset of items from a universal set based on user preferences. While research in recommender systems grew out of information retrieval and filtering, the topic has steadily advanced into a legitimate and challenging research area of its own. Recommender systems have traditionally been studied from a content-based filtering vs. collaborative design perspective. Recommendations, however, are not delivered within a vacuum, but rather cast within an informal community of users and social context. Therefore, ultimately all recommender systems make connections among people and thus should be surveyed from …

Information Assurance Through Binary Vulnerability Auditing, William B. Kimball, Saverio Perugini

Saverio Perugini

The goal of this research is to develop improved methods of discovering vulnerabilities in software. A large volume of software, from the most frequently used programs on a desktop computer, such as web browsers, e-mail programs, and word processing applications, to mission-critical services for the space shuttle, is unintentionally vulnerable to attacks and thus insecure. By seeking to improve the identification of vulnerabilities in software, the security community can save the time and money necessary to restore compromised computer systems. In addition, this research is imperative to activities of national security such as counterterrorism. The current approach involves a systematic …

Supporting Multiple Paths To Objects In Information Hierarchies: Faceted Classification, Faceted Search, And Symbolic Links, Saverio Perugini

Saverio Perugini

We present three fundamental, interrelated approaches to support multiple access paths to each terminal object in information hierarchies: faceted classification, faceted search, and web directories with embedded symbolic links. This survey aims to demonstrate how each approach supports users who seek information from multiple perspectives. We achieve this by exploring each approach, the relationships between these approaches, including tradeoffs, and how they can be used in concert, while focusing on a core set of hypermedia elements common to all. This approach provides a foundation from which to study, understand, and synthesize applications which employ these techniques. This survey does not …

A Generative Programming Approach To Interactive Information Retrieval: Insights And Experiences, Saverio Perugini, Naren Ramakrishnan

Saverio Perugini

We describe the application of generative programming to a problem in interactive information retrieval. The particular interactive information retrieval problem we study is the support for "out-of-turn interaction" with a website – how a user can communicate input to a website when the site is not soliciting such information on the current page, but will do so on a subsequent page. Our solution approach makes generous use of program transformations (partial evaluation, currying, and slicing) to delay the site’s current solicitation for input until after the user’s out-of-turn input is processed. We illustrate how studying out-of-turn interaction through a generative …

Personalization By Program Slicing, Saverio Perugini, Naren Ramakrishnan

Saverio Perugini

Personalization involves customizing information access to the end-user. As any new area of computer science research it lacks formal models to guide the design of systems. In this paper, we present a modeling methodology, based on generative programming, for personalizing interactions with hierarchical websites. The methodology entails modeling a user’s interaction with a site in a program and applying program slicing to personalize the interaction. While preserving interactivity, this approach does not require the designer to anticipate all possible user interactions a priori and provide interfaces for each. Moreover, it provides a theoretical, systematic, and implementation-neutral way to design systems …

Modeling The Progress And Retention Of International Students Using Markov Chains, Lucas Gagne

Lucas Gagne

Motivation For Achievement And Attitudes Toward Mathematics Instruction In A Required Calculus Course At The Norwegian University Of Science And Technology, Donna Sundre, Carol Barry, Vidar Gynnild, Erin Tangen Ostgard

Donna L. Sundre

This study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) examines students’ learning goals and attitudes toward mathematics in a first-year calculus course in undergraduate engineering education. Achievement motivation research using the Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ) is advanced from current literature with two additions: (1) a course specific context using introductory college calculus students, and (2) participation of Norwegian students. Pre- and posttest measures of attitudes indicate that students do change learning goals over time, unfortunately opposite to the instructors’ aspirations. A significant increase in “Mastery Avoidance” and “Work Avoidance” was accompanied with a drop in “Mastery Approach” and …

Does The Great Valley Group Contain Jurassic Strata? Reevaluation Of The Age And Early Evolution Of A Classic Forearc Basin, Kathleen D. Surpless, Stephan A. Graham, Jacob A. Covault, Joseph L. Wooden

Kathleen D. Surpless

The presence of Cretaceous detrital zircon in Upper Jurassic strata of the Great Valley Group may require revision of the lower Great Valley Group chronostratigraphy, with significant implications for the Late Jurassic–Cretaceous evolution of the continental margin. Samples (n = 7) collected from 100 km along strike in the purported Tithonian strata of the Great Valley Group contain 20 Cretaceous detrital zircon grains, based on sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe age determinations. These results suggest that Great Valley Group deposition was largely Cretaceous, creating a discrepancy between biostratigraphy based on Buchia zones and chronostratigraphy based on radiometric age dates. These …

The Dape-Encoded N-Succinyl-L,L-Diaminopimelic Acid Desuccinylase From Haemophilus Influenzae Contains Two Active-Site Histidine Residues, Danuta M. Gillner, David L. Bienvenue, Boguslaw P. Nocek, Andzrej Joachimiak, Vincentos Zachary, Brian Bennett, Richard C. Holz

Richard C. Holz

The catalytic and structural properties of the H67A and H349A dapE-encoded N-succinyl-l,l-diaminopimelic acid desuccinylase (DapE) from Haemophilus influenzae were investigated. On the basis of sequence alignment with the carboxypeptidase from Pseudomonas sp. strain RS-16, both H67 and H349 were predicted to be Zn(II) ligands. The H67A DapE enzyme exhibited a decreased catalytic efficiency (180-fold) compared with wild-type (WT) DapE towards N-succinyldiaminopimelic acid. No catalytic activity was observed for H349A under the experimental conditions used. The electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electronic absorption data indicate that the Co(II) ion bound to H349A-DapE is analogous to that of WT DapE after the …

Identification Of An Active Site-Bound Nitrile Hydratase Intermediate Through Single Turnover Stopped-Flow Spectroscopy, Natalie Gumataotao, Misty L. Kuhn, Natalia Hajnas, Richard C. Holz

Richard C. Holz

Stopped-flow kinetic data were obtained for the iron-type nitrile hydratase from Rhodococcus equi TG328-2 (ReNHase) using methacrylonitrile as the substrate. Multiple turnover experiments suggest a three-step kinetic model that allows for the reversible binding of substrate, the presence of an intermediate, and the formation of product. Microscopic rate constants determined from these data are in good agreement with steady state data confirming that the stopped-flow method used was appropriate for the reaction. Single turnover stopped-flow experiments were used to identify catalytic intermediates. These data were globally fit confirming a three-step kinetic model. Independent absorption spectra acquired between 0.005 …

Analyzing The Binding Of Co(Ii)-Specific Inhibitors To The Methionyl Aminopeptidases From Escherichia Coli And Pyrococcus Furiosus, Sanghamitra Mitra, George Sheppard, Jieyi Wang, Brian Bennett, Richard Holz

Richard C. Holz

Methionine aminopeptidases (MetAPs) represent a unique class of protease that is capable of the hydrolytic removal of an N-terminal methionine residue from nascent polypeptide chains. MetAPs are physiologically important enzymes; hence, there is considerable interest in developing inhibitors that can be used as antiangiogenic and antimicrobial agents. A detailed kinetic and spectroscopic study has been performed to probe the binding of a triazole-based inhibitor and a bestatin-based inhibitor to both Mn(II)- and Co(II)-loaded type-I (Escherichia coli) and type-II (Pyrococcus furiosus) MetAPs. Both inhibitors were found to be moderate competitive inhibitors. The triazole-type inhibitor was found to …

Structural Basis For Catalysis By The Mono- And Dimetalated Forms Of The Dape-Encoded N-Succinyl-L,L-Diaminopimelic Acid Desuccinylase, Boguslaw Nocek, Danuta Gillner, Yao Fan, Richard Holz, Andzrej Joachimiak

Richard C. Holz

Biosynthesis of lysine and meso-diaminopimelic acid in bacteria provides essential components for protein synthesis and construction of the bacterial peptidoglycan cell wall. The dapE operon enzymes synthesize both meso-diaminopimelic acid and lysine and, therefore, represent potential targets for novel antibacterials. The dapE-encoded N-succinyl-l,l-diaminopimelic acid desuccinylase functions in a late step of the pathway and converts N-succinyl-l,l-diaminopimelic acid to l,l-diaminopimelic acid and succinate. Deletion of the dapE gene is lethal to Helicobacter pylori and Mycobacterium smegmatis, indicating that DapE's are essential for cell growth and proliferation. Since there are no similar pathways in humans, inhibitors …

Lysine Biosynthesis In Bacteria: A Metallodesuccinylase As A Potential Antimicrobial Target, Danuta Gillner, Daniel P. Becker, Richard C. Holz

Richard C. Holz

In this review, we summarize the recent literature on dapE-encoded N-succinyl-l,l-diaminopimelic acid desuccinylase (DapE) enzymes, with an emphasis on structure–function studies that provide insight into the catalytic mechanism. Crystallographic data have also provided insight into residues that might be involved in substrate and hence inhibitor recognition and binding. These data have led to the design and synthesis of several new DapE inhibitors, which are described along with what is known about how inhibitors interact with the active site of DapE enzymes, including the efficacy of a moderately strong DapE inhibitor.

Structural Characterization Of Zn(Ii)-, Co(Ii)-, And Mn(Ii)-Loaded Forms Of The Arge-Encoded N-Acetyl-L-Ornithine Deacetylase From Escherichia Coli, Ye Tao, Jacob Shokes, Wade Mcgregor, Robert Scott, Richard Holz

Richard C. Holz

The Zn, Co, and Mn K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra of the N-acetyl-l-ornithine deacetylase (ArgE) from Escherichia coli, loaded with one or two equivalents of divalent metal ions (i.e., [Zn(II)_(ArgE)], [Zn(II)Zn(II)(ArgE)], [Co(II)_(ArgE)], [Co(II)Co(II)(ArgE)], [Mn(II)_(ArgE)], and [Mn(II)Mn(II)(ArgE)]), were recorded. The Fourier transformed data (FT) for [Zn(II)_(ArgE)], [Zn(II)Zn(II)(ArgE)], [Co(II)_(ArgE)] and [Co(II)Co(II)(ArgE)] are dominated by a peak at 2.05 Å, that can be fit assuming five or six light atom (N,O) scatterers. Inclusion of multiple-scattering contributions from the outer-shell atoms of a histidine-imidazole ring resulted in reasonable Debye–Waller factors for these contributions and a slight reduction in the goodness-of-fit value …

Health Professionals’ Roles In Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, And Human Health, Aysha Z. Akhtar, Michael Greger, Hope Ferdowsian, Erica Frank

Michael Greger, MD, FACLM

What we eat is rapidly becoming an issue of global concern. With food shortages, the rise in chronic disease, and global warming, the impact of our dietary choices seems more relevant today than ever. Globally, a transition is taking place toward greater consumption of foods of animal origin, in lieu of plantbased diets. With this transition comes intensification of animal agriculture that in turn is associated with the emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases, environmental degradation, and the epidemics of chronic disease and obesity. Health professionals should be aware of these trends and consider them as they promote healthier and more …

Improvement Of Soil Physical And Chemical Properties With Municipal Solid Waste Compost Application In Soya Bean (Glycine Max), Mung (Vignaradiate), Lentil (Lens Culinaris) Seeds., Innovative Research Publications Irp India, Nisha Gupta, Manisha. Agrawal.

Innovative Research Publications IRP India

The present works were carried out to determine the impact of different municipal solid waste compost (mswc) soil extracts (Tap water, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30% and distilled water (control) obtained from mswc (degraded soil) and different mixing ratio of mswc and distilled water on the percentage of relative seed germination (RSG%), vigor index, root length, shoot length of soya bean (Glycine max). Mung (Vigna radiate,), Lentil (Lens culinaris) were studying by bioassay method. Seeds were sown in plastic pots as randomized completely block design with different concentration of soil extract Tap water, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30% …

Development Of River Quality Management (Rqm) Information System For River Stretches Blending With Multi-Industrial Effluents, Innovative Research Publications Irp India, Muniyan Sundararajan, Gaurav Chakrabarty, Anand Mohan

Innovative Research Publications IRP India

RQM information system takes into account various non-conservative pollution parameters like Total Dissolved solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and obtains the concentration of such parameters along the river stretch. The system incorporates various mathematical models for computation of velocity variation along the river stretch, flow rate computation, and crosssectional area computation and finally uses a water quality dispersion model to compute the concentration of vivid pollutants at various points in the river stretch to predict the quality of river.

Quantifying The Basal Conditions Of A Mountain Glacier Using A Targeted Full-Waveform Inversion: Bench Glacier, Alaska, Usa, E. Babcock, J. Bradford

John H. Bradford

Glacier dynamics are inextricably linked to the basal conditions of glaciers. Seismic reflection methods can image the glacier bed under certain conditions. However, where a seismically thin layer of material is present at the bed, traditional analyses may fail to fully characterize bed properties. We use a targeted full-waveform inversion algorithm to quantify the basal-layer parameters of a mountain glacier: thickness (d), P-wave velocity (α) and density (ρ). We simultaneously invert for the seismic quality factor (Q) of the bulk glacier ice. The inversion seeks to minimize the difference between the data and a one-dimensional reflectivity algorithm using a gradient-based …

Optimal Ranking Regime Analysis Of Intra- To Multidecadal U.S. Climate Variability. Part I: Temperature, Eugene C. Cordero, Steven A. Mauget

Eugene C. Cordero

The optimal ranking regime (ORR) method was used to identify intradecadal to multidecadal (IMD) time windows containing significant ranking sequences in U.S. climate division temperature data. The simplicity of the ORR procedure’s output—a time series’ most significant nonoverlapping periods of high or low rankings—makes it possible to graphically identify common temporal breakpoints and spatial patterns of IMD variability in the analyses of 102 climate division temperature series. This approach is also applied to annual Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) and Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) climate indices, a Northern Hemisphere annual temperature (NHT) series, and divisional annual and seasonal temperature data during …

Optimal Ranking Regime Analysis Of Intra- To Multidecadal U.S. Climate Variability. Part Ii: Precipitation And Streamflow, Steven A. Mauget, Eugene C. Cordero

Eugene C. Cordero

In Part I of this paper, the optimal ranking regime (ORR) method was used to identify intradecadal to multidecadal (IMD) regimes in U.S. climate division temperature data during 1896–2012. Here, the method is used to test for annual and seasonal precipitation regimes during that same period. Water-year mean streamflow rankings at 125 U.S. Hydro-Climatic Data Network gauge stations are also evaluated during 1939–2011. The precipitation and streamflow regimes identified are compared with ORR-derived regimes in the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO), and indices derived from gridded SST anomaly (SSTA) analysis data. Using a graphic display approach …

In Service For Sharing: Leadership And Leader - Follower Relationship Factors As Influencers Of Tacit Knowledge Sharing In The It Industry, Billy Whisnant, Odai Khasawneh

Odai Khasawneh

An Unnoticed Consequence Of Szego's Distribution Theorem, William F. Trench

William F. Trench

No abstract provided.

Investigating Mesospheric Gravity Wave Dynamics Over Mcmurdo Station, Antarctica, Jonathan R. Pugmire, Mike J. Taylore, Yucheng Zhao, P Dominique Pautet

Jonathan Pugmire

The ANtarctic Gravity Wave Instrument Network (ANGWIN) is an NSF sponsored international program designed to develop and utilize a network of gravity wave observatories using existing and new instrumentation operated at several established research stations around the continent. The primary goal is to better understand and quantify large-scale gravity wave climatology and their effects on the upper atmosphere over Antarctica. ANGWIN currently comprises research measurements from five nations (U.S., U.K., Australia, Japan, and Brazil) at seven international stations. Utah State University's Atmospheric Imaging Lab operates an all-sky CCD, all-sky infrared imagers and an Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper (AMTM) imager at …