cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multipath dispersion for the atmosphere laser channel

Consideration is given to multipath dispersion due to atmospheric inhomogeneities for point and nonzero-area apertures under clear weather conditions. Arguments are given which show that the time dispersion is primarily due to unscattered ray paths for large apertures. Using this fact an expression is derived for the structure function of the propagation time for large receiver apertures. This expression applies for large dispersions, i.e., beyond the uninteresting case where one has coherence over the receiver aperture. The expression indicates that during medium turbulence conditions, the dispersion for a 6-m aperture receiver system is 0.07 ps for a vertical path through the whole atmosphere and 0.695 ps for a 15-km horizontal path. In contrast, when using a point receiver aperture, the dispersion is expected to be considerably less than 0.001 ps for a vertical path through the whole atmosphere. Finally, a multipath equivalent circuit model is presented for the atmospheric channel.
The addition of (CF3SO2)2CHBr to vinylidene fluoride

Abstract It has been found that a mixture of (CF 3 SO 2 ) 2 CH 2 and (CF 3 SO 2 ) 2 CBr 2 can be used instead of (CF 3 SO 2 ) 2 CHBr in the radical addition to H 2 C CF 2 ; the 1:1 and 1:2 adducts have been isolated and characterized. An improved synthesis of (CF 3 SO 2 ) 2 CBr 2 is also reported.
Softly broken supersymmetry and the fine-tuning problem

Abstract The supersymmetry of the simple Wess-Zumino model is broken, in the tree-approximation, by adding all possible parity-even [mass]-dimension 2 and 3 terms. The model is then renormalized using BPHZ and the normal product algorithm, such that supersymmetry is only softly broken (in the original sense of Schroer and Symanzik). We show that, within the above renormalization scheme, none of the added breaking terms give rise to technical fine-tuning problems (defined in the sense of Gildener) in larger models, with scalar multiplets and hierarchy of mass scales, which is in contrast to what we obtain via analytic schemes such as dimensional renormalization, or supersymmetry extension of which. The discrepancy (which can be shown to persist in more general models) originates in the inherent local ambiguity in the finite parts of subtracted Feynman integrals. Emphasizing that the issue is purely technical (as opposed to physical) in origin, and that all physical properties are scheme-independent (as they should be!), we conclude that the technical fine-tuning problem, in the specific sense used in this paper, being scheme dependent, is not a well-defined issue within the context of renormalized perturbation theory.
Aspects of recent developments in ion-trap mass spectrometry

Abstract Methods which can be used to obtain mass spectra and tandem mass spectra by means of quadrupole ion traps are reviewed and illustrated. High-order (MS n ) experiments are described, as is energy-resolved mass spectrometry in which the internal energy deposited upon collision is systematically varied. Ionization methods which can be used in conjunction with ion traps are discussed with special emphasis on experiments in which ions are generated in an external source and injected into the trap for separation and detection. Ion traps are well-suited to on-line monitoring; the performance of membrane probes in these applications is discussed, and detection limits, response times and quantitative accuracy are outlined. Initial attempts to extend the mass range of ion traps have yielded data to more than 45 000 daltons. In addition to being suited to the study of collision-activated dissociation, the experiment on which most applications of tandem mass spectrometry depend, ion traps also allow ion/molecule reactions to be used for these purposes. Use of a pulsed valve to introduce reagent gases in pulses as short as 50 ms facilitates these experiments. Equilibrium conditions are attainable for fast ion/molecule reactions and measurement of equilibrium and rate constants is discussed. Because they combine a range of capabilities, ion traps are well-suited to the study of gaseous ion chemistry, illustrated here by the halomethylation of aromatic compounds, and the competitive dehydration and deamination of α,ω-amino alcohols.
End-tidal carbon dioxide as a measure of arterial carbon dioxide during intermittent mandatory ventilation.

To determine if end-tidal carbon dioxide tension (PetCO2) is a clinically reliable indicator of arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) under conditions of heterogeneous tidal volumes and ventilation-perfusion inequality, we examined the expiratory gases of 25 postcardiotomy patients being weaned from ventilator support with intermittent mandatory ventilation. Using a computerized system that automatically sampled airway flow, pressure, and expired carbon dioxide tension, we were able to distinguish spontaneous ventilatory efforts from mechanical ventilatory efforts. ThePetCO2 values varied widely from breath to breath, and the arterial to end-tidal carbon dioxide tension gradient was appreciably altered during the course of several hours. About two-thirds of the time, thePetCO2 of spontaneous breaths was greater than that of ventilator breaths during the same 70-second sample period. The most accurate indicator of PaCO2 was the maximalPetCO2 value in each sample period, the correlation coefficient being 0.768 (P < 0.001) and the arterial to end-tidal gradient being 4.24 ± 4.42 mm Hg (P < 0.01 compared with all other measures). When all values from an 8-minute period were averaged, stability was significantly improved without sacrificing accuracy. We conclude that monitoring the maximalPetCO2, independent of breathing pattern, provides a clinically useful indicator of PaCO2 in postcardiotomy patients receiving intermittent mandatory ventilation.
Comparison study of electromagnet and permanent magnet systems for an accelerator using cost-based failure modes and effects analysis

The next generation of particle accelerators will be one-of-a-kind facilities, and to meet their luminosity goals they must have guaranteed availability over their several decade lifetimes. The Next Linear Collider (NLC) is one viable option for a 1 TeV electron-positron linear collider, it has an 85% overall availability goal. We previously showed how a traditional failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) of a SLAC electromagnet leads to reliability-enhancing design changes. Traditional FMEA identifies failure modes with high risk but does not consider the consequences in terms of cost, which could lead to unnecessarily expensive components. We have used a new methodology, "life cost-based FMEA", which measures risk of failure in terms of cost, in order to evaluate and compare two different technologies that might be used for the 8653 NLC magnets: electromagnets or permanent magnets. The availabilities for the two different types of magnet systems have been estimated using empirical data from SLAC's accelerator failure database plus expert opinion on permanent magnet failure modes and industry standard failure data. Labor and material costs to repair magnet failures are predicted using a Monte Carlo simulation of all possible magnet failures over a 30-year lifetime. Our goal is to maximize up-time of the NLC through magnet design improvements and the optimal combination of electromagnets and permanent magnets, while reducing magnet.
Causal Effects of Perceived Immutable Characteristics

Abstract Despite their ubiquity, observational studies to infer the causal effect of a so-called immutable characteristic, such as race or sex, have struggled for coherence, given the unavailability of a manipulation analogous to a “treatment” in a randomized experiment and the danger of posttreatment bias. We demonstrate that a shift in focus from actual traits to perceptions of them can address both of these issues while facilitating articulation of other critical concepts, particularly the timing of treatment assignment. We illustrate concepts by discussing the designs of various studies of the role of race in trial court death penalty decisions.
Models of Cancer Survivorship Care: Overview and Summary of Current Evidence

There is substantial variation in survivorship care models. The authors conclude that the optimal nature, timing, intensity, format, and outcomes of survivorship care models are uncertain and require further research.
Characterization of sucrose: sucrose fructosyltransferase from crested wheatgrass

SUMMARY Biosynthesis of the trisaccharide precursor of fructan occurs through the action of sucrose: sucrose fructosyltransferase (SST). This study defines the optimal conditions for in vitro SST and invertase activities from a crested wheatgrass hybrid developed from a cross between Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn. x A. desertorum (Fisch. ex Link) Schult. Enzyme extracts were prepared from field-grown plants. The optimum pH for SST and invertase activities were 5 0 and 4 5, respectively. The effective Km for SST (100 mol m-3) is much larger than invertase (15 mol m-3). Sodium pyrophosphate differentially reduced invertase activity without affecting SST activity. Conversely, CaCl2 and CsCl reduced SST activity without altering invertase activity. Optimal in vitro reaction temperatures for SST and invertase were 30 and 50 ?C, respectively. SST activity was 30 % of maximum at temperatures as cool as 5 'C. In contrast, invertase activity was only 10 % of maximum at 15 'C. The responses of SST and invertase to changes in pH, temperature, and additives provide additional evidencerthat the two activities are the result of two distinct enzymes. It is hypothesized that cool-season grasses such as crested wheatgrass have the ability to fix carbon photosynthetically at lower temperatures than starch-accumulating species because of their capacity to synthesize fructans.
Arching in Distribution of Active Load on Retaining Walls

Traditional methods for calculations of active loads on retaining structures provide dependable forces, but these methods do not indicate reliably the location of the resultant load on the walls. The Coulomb method does not address the load distribution because it utilizes equilibrium of forces, whereas the Rankine stress distribution provides linear increase of the load with depth. Past experimental studies indicate intricate distributions dependent on the mode of displacement of thewall before reaching the limit state. The discrete element method was used to simulate soil-retaining structure interaction, and force chains characteristic of arching were identified. Arching appears to be the primary cause affecting the load distribution. A differential slice technique was used to mimic the load distributions seen in physical experi- ments. The outcome indicates that rotation modes of wall movement are associated with uneven mobilization of strength on the surface separating the moving backfill from the soil at rest. Calculations show that the location of the centroid of the active load distribution behind a translating wall is approximately 0.40 of the wall height above the base, but for a wall rotating about its top point, the location of the resultant is at approximately 0:55H. In the third case, rotation about the base, the location of the calculated centroid of the stress distribution on the wall is slightly below one-third of the wall height. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000617. © 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers. CE Database subject headings: Arches; Retaining structures; Load distribution; Numerical analysis; Discrete elements. Author keywords: Arching; Retaining walls; Active load; Numerical analysis; Discrete element method.
The rate of subsequent surgery and predictors after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: two- and 6-year follow-up results from a multicenter cohort.

Background:Subsequent surgeries have a profound effect on patient satisfaction and outcome after primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). There have been no prospective studies to date describing the rate and predictors (surgical and patient variables) of all subsequent knee surgeries at short-term and midterm follow-up along with analyses of surgical and patient variables that are associated with subsequent surgeries.Purpose:To report the rate and predictors of all subsequent surgeries at short-term and midterm follow-up along with associated patient variables.Study Design:Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:A total of 980 patients (540 male) were prospectively enrolled in a Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network (MOON) cohort from January 2002 to December 2003. The 2- and 6-year follow-up information for subsequent procedures was obtained. Operative reports were obtained, and all procedures were categorized.Results:One hundred eighty-five patients underwent a subsequent s...
Control with time-varying feedback communication constraints - the case of dimension greater than one

Recently, there has been a great deal of interest in the so called data-rate inequality which establishes of tight bound on the closed-loop data rate required to stabilize an open-loop unstable linear feedback system. An important feature of the theory behind this bound is that there is complete freedom to trade off coarseness in temporal quantization against coarseness in assigning control levels (say by using A/D conversion). In recent work by the authors, it has been shown that for feedback systems that must operate using data-rate-constrained feedback loops in which the severity of the constraints varies with time (as in congestion prone data-networks) there are significant differences in how well control designs with different numbers of quantization levels will perform. In particular, we have shown in the case of scalar systems that binary control (i.e. two-level control, as would result from 1bit A/D conversion) presents the most robust control quantization under data rate constraints imposed by time-varying congestion on the feedback communication channel. The aim of the present paper is to extend this result to systems of higher dimension. Systems with distinct unstable modes are treated, with a continued emphasis on applications where there are uncertain delays between the generation of control commands by the controller and their actual application by the plant.
Perinucleolar compartment and transformation

The perinucleolar compartment (PNC) is a sub-nuclear structure that preferentially localizes to the nucleolar periphery. The PNC is found predominantly in transformed cells both in vitro and in vivo. PNC prevalence (the percentage of cells containing at least one PNC) positively correlates with the progression of breast cancer and patient survival. PNCs are highly enriched with newly synthesized RNA polymerase III transcripts and RNA-binding proteins. The structural integrity of the PNC is dependent upon the transcription of these RNAs and a critical level of the polypyrimidine tract binding (PTB) protein, as assayed by the localization of other PNC-associated proteins. These observations suggest a model in which the PNC is a dynamic, functional organelle that forms under specific physiological conditions favoring cellular transformation and might be involved in the metabolism of RNA polymerase III transcripts.
A distributed multimedia database system

A multiprocessor-based architecture is proposed for a heterogeneous multimedia database (HMD) system, in order to provide fast and transparent multimedia services. The design philosophy of this architecture is based on functional requirements imposed by the multimedia services. The model of the HMD architecture has four components: a network controller, multimedia servers, a communication network, and the user components. Each component is shown to be responsible for a subset of functions that are vital for providing the desired services. >
On avoiding undetectable faults during test generation

We use a property that distinguishes most of the undetectable faults in a circuit from detectable ones, in order to avoid targeting undetectable faults during test generation. We show that it is possible to avoid most of the undetectable faults until most of the detectable faults are detected. The test generation process is speeded-up by avoiding undetectable faults, since wasted effort expended in trying to detect undetectable faults is avoided. When all or most of the faults that remain undetected by the test generator appear to be undetectable faults, a procedure for identifying undetectable faults may be used. Detectable faults, if any such faults remain, may then be given to the test generator to obtain complete fault coverage. We study the proposed property in conjunction with test generation processes for both combinational and sequential circuits.
Three phases of TRH-induced facilitation of exocytosis by single lactotrophs

Membrane capacitance measurements were used to study neuropeptide modulation of exocytosis by perforated patch clamped rat lactotrophs. We report that depolarizing voltage-clamp pulses evoke exocytosis that is steeply dependent on Ca2+ influx through voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. Furthermore, we find that the neuropeptide TRH (thyrotropin- releasing hormone) acts in three phases to promote exocytosis. First, TRH transiently (within approximately 0.5 min) triggers depolarization- and extracellular Ca(2+)-independent exocytosis. Second, within 3 min of application, TRH facilitates depolarization-evoked exocytosis while inhibiting voltage-gated Ca2+ current. Finally, after 8 min, TRH further enhances depolarization-evoked exocytosis by increasing high- voltage-activated (HVA) Ca2+ channel current. Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) with a phorbol ester also stimulates depolarization- evoked exocytosis by increasing Ca2+ current. Therefore, PKC can only account for the last effect of TRH. Thus, a single neuromodulator may employ several temporally distinct mechanisms to stimulate peptide secretion.
Cerebral 1H MRS alterations in recreational 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”) users

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is an illicit drug that has been associated with serotonergic axonal degeneration in animals. This study evaluates neurochemi- cal abnormalities in recreational MDMA users. Twenty-two MDMA users and 37 normal subjects were evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) in the mid-frontal, mid- occipital, and parietal brain regions. 1H MRS showed nor- mal N-acetyl (NA) compounds in all brain regions. The myo-inositol (MI) concentration (116.3%, P 5 0.04) and the MI to creatine (CR) ratio (114.1%, P 5 0.01) were increased in the parietal white matter of MDMA users. The cumula- tive lifetime MDMA dose showed significant effects on (MI) in the parietal white matter and the occipital cortex. The normal NA concentration suggests a lack of significant neuronal injury in recreational MDMA users. However, the usage-related increase in MI suggests that exposure to MDMA, even at recreational doses, may cause increased glial content. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 1999;10:521-526. r 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
N-Phenylacetylsulfamide: Sulfone Analog of Anticonvulsant Acylureas

N-Phenylacetylsulfamide was synthesized under three different conditions. If ethyl acetate was used as a solvent, a higher yield of the monoacylated product was obtained than if pyridine was used as the solvent. If the lithium salt of sulfamide was used, a maximum yield of the diacylated product and a minimum yield of the monoacylated product were obtained. The N-phenylacetylsulfamide was less than half as active as trimethadione when tested as an anticonvulsant in the cat.
LG(BT) Persons in the Second Half of Life: The Intersectional Influences of Stigma and Cohort

Abstract There is growing literature on LGBT persons in the second half of life, with a disproportionate focus on the experiences of older gay men and lesbians. Notwithstanding the need for much additional research with larger and more diverse samples, much has been learned about this unique population. A partial demographic portrait of gay men and lesbians in the second half of life is offered, along with research describing their health behaviors and conditions, concerns about aging, and social support needs and experiences. Gender and age-cohort differences are noted as are the costs and consequences of a lifetime of stigma and discrimination and the potential for further study in this and related fields.
Phosphatase activity and lead resistance in Citrobacter freundii and Staphylococcus aureus

It has been previously reported that strains of Citrobacter freundii and of Staphylococcus aureus accumulated lead as Pb-phosphate when grown on media supplemented with high levels of lead salts. Phosphatase activity, which has been postulated to be involved in lead accumulation, was unrelated to lead resistance, resistant and sensitive cells displaying similar levels and patterns of enzyme activity.
Thermal analysis of a 3D die-stacked high-performance microprocessor

3-dimensional integrated circuit (3D IC) technology places circuit blocks in the vertical dimension in addition to the conventional horizontal plane. Compared to conventional planar ICs, 3D ICs have shorter latencies as well as lower power consumption, due to shorter wires. The benefits of 3D ICs increase as we stack more die, due to successive reductions in wire lengths. However, as we stack more die, the power density increases due to increasing proximity of active (heat generating) devices, thus causing the temperatures to increase. Also, the topmost die on the 3D stack are located further from the heat sink and experience a longer heat dissipation path. Prior research has already identified thermal management as a critical issue in 3D technology. In this paper, we evaluate the thermal impact of building high-performance microprocessors in 3D. We estimate the temperatures of a planar IC based on the Alpha 21364 processor as well as 2-die and 4-die 3D implementations of the same. We show that, compared to the planar IC, the 2-die implementation and 4-die implementation increase the maximum temperature by 17 Kelvin and 33 Kelvin, respectively.
Direct construction of a /spl xi/-pulse from natural frequencies and evaluation of the late-time residuals

An important type of target identification utilizes the natural frequencies of the target, these being poles in the complex-frequency s-plane as expressed in the singularity expansion method. Since the location of these natural frequencies s/sub /spl alpha// in the s-plane is aspect independent, this simplifies the identification problem to the comparison of the target pole patterns stored in some target library. In order to implement the pole pattern as a target discrimination scheme one needs some scheme to find the s/sub /spl alpha// in experimental data (scattered fields), either explicitly or implicitly. Some of the early schemes used what is referred to as the Prony method in which one fits a sum of dumped sinusoids to a waveform. This had various limitations which have been overcome to some degree by a matrix pencil method. These and related techniques are explicit in that they determine a set of s/sub /spl alpha// from one or more waveforms which are then compared to the target library. In contrast, implicit methods do not generate a set of s/sub /spl alpha// from the data, but utilize predetermined sets of s/sub /spl alpha// for various targets which are then manipulated with the data in some way which transforms it to a form in which the discrimination can be more readily performed. Those used to date have used temporal functions with two-sided Laplace transforms with zeros corresponding to the s/sub /spl alpha// (poles) of preselected targets. Convolving these with target impulse response removes (annihilates) the late-time response for the properly chosen target. These go by various names such as K-pulse and E-pulse. In the present paper we go further into this latter type of target identification.
Exploring the Relationship Between Social Support and Job Burnout Among Correctional Staff

This study examined the relationship between social support and burnout among correctional staff at a private midwestern correctional facility for juveniles tried as adults. Research on correctiona...
Mechanisms of treatment-related symptoms in cancer patients.

Despite significant gains in our understanding of cancer biology, this progress has not matched what we know about the biology underlying the symptoms and toxic effects that therapies produce. These adverse symptoms can cause substantial discomfort, functional loss and distress to patients; they limit treatment tolerability, and can persist indefinitely in post-treatment survivorship [1]. Effective control of treatment-related symptoms could enhance therapeutic outcomes by improving patient health status, minimising toxicities that impair function, increasing adherence to curative treatments, maintaining health-related quality of life and potentially increasing survival. A mechanistic understanding of treatment-related symptoms would be of benefit in drug development, drug evaluation and early integration of appropriate supportive care in treatment planning. This presentation will present steps in a translational pathway for understanding and controlling treatment-related symptoms Cytotoxic therapies (chemotherapy, radiation) are expected to produce symptoms, because normal tissue and function are disrupted as cancer cells are killed. Targeted anticancer therapies were expected to destroy cancer cells specifically and therefore to cause less general toxicity, yet different and often severe toxicities have emerged, with each novel agent having its own unique toxicity profile
Crossing borders in transnational gender history

Transnational history and the history of gender and sexuality have both been concerned with the issue of borders and their crossing, but the two fields themselves have not intersected much in the past. This is beginning to change, and this article surveys recent scholarship that draws on both fields, highlighting work in six areas: movements for women’s and gay rights; diverse understandings of sexuality and gender; colonialism and imperialism; intermarriage; national identity and citizenship; and migration. This new research suggests ways in which the subject matter, theory, and methodology in transnational history and the history of gender and sexuality can interconnect: in the two fields’ mutual emphasis on intertwinings, relationships, movement, and hybridity; their interdisciplinarity and stress on multiple perspectives; and their calls for destabilization of binaries.
Emergency department visits: Why adults choose the emergency room over a primary care physician visit during regular office hours?

BACKGROUND: It has been estimated that up to one third of all emergency department (ED) visits may be "inappropriate" or non-emergent. Factors that have been speculated to be associated with non-emergent use have been noted to include low socioeconomic status, lack of access to primary care, lack of insurance, convenience of "on demand care" and the patient's individual perception of their complaint urgency. The objective of this study is to identify the reasons contributing to self-perceived non-emergent adult emergency department visits during primary care physician offi ce hours of operation. METHODS: This study was a single-center, descriptive study with questionnaire. The questionnaire was collected from patients meeting exclusion/inclusion criteria who were triaged into an acute or fast track part of the emergency department during regular business hours on Monday through Friday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm during the months of July 2011 and August 2011. Questionnaire data were categorical and summarized using counts and percentages. Data collected included patient demographics, information about the patient's primary care provider, and information about the emergency department visit in question. All responses were compared among patients with visits considered to be non-emergent to those considered to be emergent by using individual chi-square tests. RESULTS: There were 262 patients available for the study. The patients were grouped according to their perception of the severity of their complaints. Roughly half of the patients placed themselves into the non-emergent category ( n=129), whereas the other half of the patients categorized themselves into the emergent group ( n=131). There were statistically signifi cant differences in marital status and employment status between the two groups. It was found that 61.5% of the non-emergent patients were single, while 58.3% of the emergent patients were married. In the non-emergent group, 59.7% were unemployed, but in the emergent group 60.3% were employed ( P<0.05). However, no other factors were signifi cantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Our study did not identify a statistically significant factor to the reasoning behind why patients choose the emergency department over a primary care physician during regular office hours. The only significant demographic indicating who was more likely to make this choice during the specified time frame was being single and employed with perceived non-emergent complaint. Patients without insurance and/or without a primary care physician were no more likely to visit the emergency department with a self-perceived non-emergent issue than patients with insurance and/or with an established primary care physician.
Non-Equilibrium Computation of Diffusion Constants for Water, Lipids and Proteins

We investigated the self-diffusivity of water, solvated DPPC and other systems in near-equilibrium conditions by applying a constant force on selected molecules. The mobility constant and diffusion coefficient was calculated from the obtained terminal drift velocity. To reduce the background noise from the thermal fluctuations, we ran multiple simulations of different initial conditions and averaged the data over the ensemble. The results are generally found to be within a factor of 1.5 of the experimental constants. Compared to the traditional method of using mean-square displacement, this technique offers both a much faster convergence rate and a well-suited scheme for parallelization.
Acrylic resin reinforcement of reconstituted collagen films

The protein collagen is a major constituent of mammalian tissue. Treatment of calfskin with an enzyme under acid conditions simultaneously solubilizes much of the collagen and removes non-helical telopeptides which are believed to contribute to immune response. Then, the solid collagen can be reconstituted by precipitating the solubilized material with weak alkali. Films from the enzyme-treated, acid-soluble collagen are strengthened by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde. Composite films are made by coprecipitating collagen (from a solution) with an acrylic resin (from a latex). In one example, an acrylic resin to collagen ratio of 1:3 gives a wet-tensile strength about 30 percent higher than that for collagen alone. The tensile strength range of these wetted films (20 to 30 megapascals) is typical of the upper range for such limp films as polyethylene. On the other hand, ‘bone-dry’ collagen has a higher strength similar to that of glassy polymers such as polystyrene.
Endurance training of respiratory muscles improves cycling performance in fit young cyclists.

Whether or not isolated endurance training of the respiratory muscles improves whole-body endurance exercise performance is controversial, with some studies reporting enhancements of 50 % or more, and others reporting no change. Twenty fit (VO2 max 56.0 ml/kg/min), experienced cyclists were randomly assigned to three groups. The experimental group (n = 10) trained their respiratory muscles via 20, 45 min sessions of hyperpnea. The placebo group (n = 4) underwent "sham" training (20, 5 min sessions), and the control group (n = 6) did no training. After training, the experimental group increased their respiratory muscle endurance capacity by 12 %. Performance on a bicycle time trial test designed to last about 40 min improved by 4.7 % (9 of 10 subjects showed improvement). There were no test-re-test improvements in either respiratory muscle or bicycle exercise endurance performance in the placebo group, nor in the control group. After training, the experimental group had significantly higher ventilatory output and VO2, and lower PCO2, during constant work-rate exercise; the placebo and control groups did not show these changes. The perceived respiratory effort was unchanged in spite of the higher ventilation rate after training. The results suggest that respiratory muscle endurance training improves cycling performance in fit, experienced cyclists. The relative hyperventilation with no change in respiratory effort sensations suggest that respiratory muscle training allows subjects to tolerate the higher exercise ventilatory response without more dyspnea. Whether or not this can explain the enhanced performance is unknown.
Localization of kinesin superfamily proteins to the connecting cilium of fish photoreceptors

Kinesin superfamily proteins (KIFs) are probable motors in vesicular and non-vesicular transport along microtubular tracks. Since a variety of KIFs have been recently identified in the motile flagella of Chlamydomonas, we sought to ascertain whether KIFs are also associated with the connecting cilia of vertebrate rod photoreceptors. As the only structural link between the rod inner segment and the photosensitive rod outer segment, the connecting cilium is thought to be the channel through which all material passes into and out of the outer segment from the rod cell body. We have performed immunological tests on isolated sunfish rod inner-outer segments (RIS-ROS) using two antibodies that recognize the conserved motor domain of numerous KIFs (anti-LAGSE, a peptide antibody, and anti-Klp1 head, generated against the N terminus of Chlamydomonas Klp1) as well as an antibody specific to a neuronal KIF, KIF3A. On immunoblots of RIS-ROS, LAGSE antibody detected a prominent band at approximately 117 kDa, which is likely to be kinesin heavy chain, and Klp1 head antibody detected a single band at approximately 170 kDa; KIF3A antibody detected a polypeptide at approximately 85 kDa which co-migrated with mammalian KIF3A and displayed ATP-dependent release from rod cytoskeletons. Immunofluorescence localizations with anti-LAGSE and anti-Klp1 head antibodies detected epitopes in the axoneme and ellipsoid, and immunoelectron microscopy with the LAGSE antibody showed that the connecting cilium region was particularly antigenic. Immunofluorescence with anti-KIF3A showed prominent labelling of the connecting cilium and the area surrounding its basal body; the outer segment axoneme and parts of the inner segment coincident with microtubules were also labelled. We propose that these putative kinesin superfamily proteins may be involved in the translocation of material between the rod inner and outer segments.
'Unstructured Data' Practices in Polar Institutions and Networks: a Case Study with the Arctic Options Project

Arctic Options: Holistic Integration for Arctic Coastal-Marine Sustainability is a new three-year research project to assess future infrastructure associated with the Arctic Ocean regarding: (1) natural and living environment; (2) built environment; (3) natural resource development; and (4) governance. For the assessments, Arctic Options will generate objective relational schema from numeric data as well as textual data. This paper will focus on the ‘long tail of smaller, heterogeneous, and often unstructured datasets’ that ‘usually receive minimal data management consideration’,as observed in the 2013 Communique from the International Forum on Polar Data Activities in Global Data Systems.
Hierarchical, modular simulation modeling in icon-based simulation program generators for manufacturing

Icon-based simulation program generators for manufacturing allow the modeler to build simulation programs by placing pictures (icons) of machines and material handling equipment on the display and indicating the material flows between the entities that the icons represent. An icon-based simulation program generator has been written that allows groups of icons and the interconnections between them to be archived and copied as units called 'subsystems'. This paper describes how to build software that supports creation and manipulation of subsystems. Hierarchical, modular simulation modeling can be done with a simulation program generator with subsystem management features. This makes possible a high degree of reuse of parts of simulation programs.
A critical index algorithm for nearest point problems on simplicial cones

We consider the linear complementarity problem (q, M) in which M is a positive definite symmetric matrix of order n. This problem is equivalent to a nearest point problem [/'; b] in which F = {A4, ..., A~} is a basis for R", b is a given point in R'; and it is required to find the nearest point in the simplicial cone Pos(F) to b. We develop an algorithm for solving the linear complementarity problem (q,M) or the equivalent nearest point problem [Y;b]. Computational experience in comparison with an existing algorithm is presented.
Asymptotic independence between largest and smallest of a set of independent observations

Abstract : Let X sub n and X sub l be the largest and smallest order statistics, respectively, of a set of n independent univariate observations. Under rather general conditions, with respect to the distributions of the individual observations, X sub n and X sub l are asymptotically independent. However, asymptotic independence does not occur for all cases.
Quasilinear Riccati type equations with distributional data in Morrey space framework

Abstract In the framework of Morrey or Lorentz–Morrey spaces, we characterize the existence of solutions to the quasilinear Riccati type equation { − div A ( x , ∇ u ) = | ∇ u | q + σ in Ω , u = 0 on ∂ Ω , with a distributional datum σ . Here div A ( x , ∇ u ) is a quasilinear elliptic operator modelled after the p -Laplacian, p > 1 , but with a very general nonlinear structure, and Ω is a sufficiently flat domain in the sense of Reifenberg. The existence results are obtained in the natural or super-natural range of the gradient growth, i.e., q ≥ p . Motivated by the analysis of quasilinear Riccati type equation, a substantial part of the paper is also devoted to the Calderon–Zygmund type gradient regularity for the boundary value problem { div A ( x , ∇ u ) = div | f | p − 2 f in Ω , u = 0 on ∂ Ω . We obtain regularity estimates in some weighted and unweighted function spaces as well as natural Lorentz–Morrey spaces associated to the Riccati type equation above.
Patients with ischemic stroke have a higher prevalence of a planar QRS-T angle >90° than patients with transient ischemic attack

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of a planar QRS-T angle >90° in patients with ischemic stroke versus transient ischemic attack (TIA). MATERIAL/METHODS: In a prospective study of 279 consecutive patients who had ischemic stroke (197 patients) or TIA (82 patients), the planar QRS-T angle was measured from a 12-lead electrocardiogram taken at the time of the stroke or TIA. All QRS-T angle measurements were made by 3 authors who agreed on the measurements and who were blinded to the clinical findings. A QRS-T angle >90° was considered abnormal. RESULTS: The mean age was 66±6 years in patients with ischemic stroke versus 62±6 years in patients with TIA (p=0.04). The mean body mass index and the prevalence of gender, smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and coronary artery disease were not significantly different between patients with ischemic stroke versus TIA. A QRS-T angle >90° was present in 55 of 197 patients (28%) with ischemic stroke and in 10 of 82 patients (12%) with TIA (p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of a planar QRS-T angle >90° was higher in patients with ischemic stroke than in patients with TIA (p=0.004).
Plumb Line Libertarianism: A Critique of Hoppe

In this essay I shall argue for “plumb-line” or pure libertarianism, and take to task a libertarian author who sees some intrinsic connection between libertarianism and conservatism. I contend, in contrast, that while there may well be a case for temporary alliances with those on the right, it is false and misleading to characterize libertarianism as any more closely related to the right than to the left. The thesis of this essay is that libertarianism must go its own way, philosophically divorced from ideologies of both left and right. In effect I say to both socialists and conservatives: “A pox on both your houses.”
Formation of Phosphino-Substituted Isocyanate by Reaction of CO2 with Group 2 Complexes Based on the (Me3Si)(i-Pr2P)NH Ligand

The group 2 complexes [(Me(3)Si)(i-Pr(2)P)N](2)M(THF)(x) (M = Mg, x = 1; M = Ca/Sr, x = 2) as well as an unusual dimagnesium complex {[(Me(3)Si)(i-Pr(2)P)N](3)Mg}Mg(n-C(4)H(9)) have been prepared and characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Each complex was shown to react with CO(2) under extremely mild conditions (15 min, 1 atm, room temperature) to give the isocyanate (i-Pr)(2)P-N═C═O. The independent syntheses of (i-Pr)(2)P-N═C═O and the carbodiimide dimer [(i-Pr)(2)PNCNP(i-Pr)(2)](2) are also reported.
Impact of Processing Temperature and Composition on Foaming of Biodegradable Poly(hydroxyalkanoate) Blends

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) was melt-foamed using a single screw extrusion process and found to be susceptible to cell coalescence at the higher processing temperatures used for achieving low bulk density. The addition of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) allowed for the generation of a range of crystallization temperatures much broader than can be achieved through small molecular crystal nucleation agents. This broader range can induce solidification to occur earlier during cooling and so can be used to minimize cell coalescence. Several PHBHHx/PHBV blend compositions were produced and characterized; initial understanding of the crystallinity and impact of blending miscible crystallizable polymers was gained through thermal analysis. PHBHHx and PHBV appeared to be fully miscible across all compositions used in this study. The impacts of blend composition and extruder temperature profile on foam properties were investigated. It was found that just 2% PHBV consi...
The blood of heroes: Nationalist bodies, National soils, and the scientific conservation of the Federation of Colombian Coffee-Growers (1927–1946)

This paper explores the scientific research and management programs of Colombia’s Federation of Colombian Coffee-Growers (FEDECAFE) as part of a campaign to ensure the long-term viability of the nation’s largest and most prominent export crop in the 1930s and early 1940s. Their work served a constituency of largely peasant small-holders in a period of increased erosion and declining coffee yields. Drawing on the organization’s internal records and popular publications, this research shows how new ideas about human and ecological natures were an essential component of FedeCafe hegemony, conceptually embedding the vitality of Colombian nationhood and citizenship in coffee country’s ecological systems. Further, this conceptual re-embedding of society in ecological processes was itself the result of concerted challenges to new forms of land and labor exploitation that accompanied the global capitalist commodity booms of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Varieties of Legal Dualism: Making Sense of the Role of Law in Contemporary Russia

Russia has been severely punished by the world community for the propensity of its political leaders to dictate the outcome in cases that affect their interests. Not only does Russia languish near the bottom of the various indexes that purport to measure various elements of the "rule of law," but much of the social science literature takes the unuseability of the Russian legal system as a given. While not disputing the existence of so-called "telephone law" in Russia in politicized cases, the paper seeks to put this phenomenon in a broader context. The paper is grounded in a series of focus groups and interviews conducted in Russia in 2007-08 that show that Russians are more open to the prospect of using law to solve their problems than the literature recognizes. At the same time, the respondents saw limits to the usability of the legal system. What emerges is a dualistic legal system in which some problems are handled according to the law, while others are subject to the vagaries of political and/or economic influence. The paper seeks to outline the conditions that give rise to a perception that the legal system is hopelessly compromised which, in turn, will provide a map to the varieties of legal dualism in Russia. The paper will conclude by reflecting on the extent to which such phenomena are unique to Russia or to authoritarian countries more generally.
A robust method for hybrid diagnosis of complex systems

Abstract The AI model-based diagnosis community has developed qualitative reasoning mechanisms for fault isolation in dynamic systems. Their emphasis has been on the fault isolation algorithms, and little attention has been paid to robust online detection and symbol generation that are essential components of a complete diagnostic solution. This paper discusses a robust diagnosis methodology for hybrid systems that combines fault detection with a combined qualitative and quantitative fault isolation scheme. We focus on fault detection, symbol generation, and parameter estimation, and illustrate the effectiveness of this method by running experiments on the fuel transfer system of aircraft
Erectile Dysfunction: Identification, Assessment, Treatment, and Follow-Up

Understand the incidence, prevalence, etiology, and risk factors associated with erectile dysfunction.
Crossing domains with the inductive transfer encoder: Case study in keystroke biometrics

Keystroke biometric samples are often collected under various conditions, such as different device types, increasing levels of practice through repetition, and subject impairment. Cross-domain comparisons, in which query samples are collected under different conditions than the template, generally lead to degraded performance. The difficulty in comparing samples from different domains can be viewed as an inductive transfer learning problem, in which general knowledge of the mapping between a source and target domain can be applied to increase task performance, such as verification accuracy, by transferring source domain samples to the target domain. In this light, we propose the inductive transfer encoder, which utilizes pairwise correspondences from an independent dataset to learn a general transformation between domains. When the transformation is applied to template samples in the source domain, and query samples are in the target domain, increased verification performance is observed. We evaluate four different strategies for establishing the pairwise correspondences between source and target domains, and two cross-domain problems: low vs high practice levels and one vs two typing hands. Empirical results demonstrate that the inductive transfer encoder captures general rules that can be applied to transfer source domain samples to the target domain.