cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temperature dependence of the training effect in a Co/CoO exchange-bias layer

The temperature dependence of the training effect is studied in a $\mathrm{Co}∕\mathrm{Co}\mathrm{O}$ exchange-bias bilayer and a phenomenological theory is presented. After field cooling the sample to below its blocking temperature, the absolute value of the exchange-bias field decreases when cycling the heterostructure through consecutive hysteresis loops. This decrease is known as the training effect and is studied in the temperature range $5\ensuremath{\leqslant}T\ensuremath{\leqslant}120\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$. An implicit sequence, which has been recently derived using the Landau-Khalatnikov approach of relaxation, fits the respective data set for each individual temperature. The underlying discretized dynamic equation involves an expansion of the free energy in powers of the interface magnetization of the antiferromagnetic pinning layer. The particular structure of the free energy with a leading fourth-order term is derived in a mean-field approach. The explicit temperature dependence of the leading expansion coefficient explains the temperature dependence of the training effect. The analytic approach is confirmed by the result of a best fit, which condenses the data from more than 50 measured hysteresis loops.
Work stress and job dissatisfaction in the public sector: An examination of public safety directors

Abstract Increasingly, communities are implementing consolidated organizations, typically called Public Safety departments, for the joint delivery of police and fire services. However, directors of Public Safety departments have had to contend with internal and external sources of resistance to the public safety concept, and have experienced difficulty coordinating and managing the distribution of personnel and resources for police and fire activity. The present research examines the impact of these problems on work stress and job dissatisfaction. Using a three-wave mailing design, questionnaires were sent to a national survey of Public Safety directors. Problems associated with managerial ambiguity and uncertainty over public perceptions of long-term organizational viability affected both work stress and job dissatisfaction, while consolidation status and organizational size affected only one of these outcomes. The city of Heartland operates the office of Public Safety, which is responsible for Police, Fire, Emergency Services and Disaster Agency and 911 Emergency Communications. The department is not integrated and will never be integrated as long as I have breath in my body.
On coupling multiple systems with a global buffer

We conduct a performance study of coupling multiple systems with a global buffer, and present several results obtained from a multiple-system simulator. This simulator has been run against three workloads, and the coupled system behavior with these three different inputs is studied. Several statistics, including those on local and global buffer hits, page writes to the global buffer, cross-invalidations, and castouts are reported. Their relationship to the degree of data skew is explored. Moreover, in addition to the update-caching approach, a design alternative for the use of a global buffer, namely read-caching, is explored. In read-caching, not only updated pages but also pages read by each node are kept in the global buffer, thereby facilitating other nodes access to the same pages at the cost of a higher global buffer usage. Also investigated is the case of no-caching, i.e., without using a global buffer. Several simulation results are presented and analyzed.
Cell Type-Specific Expression of Fasciclin II Isoforms Reveals Neuronal–Glial Interactions during Peripheral Nerve Growth☆

Abstract During the formation of the insect peripheral nervous system (PNS), the cell adhesion receptor fasciclin II has been shown to play a prominent role in axonal fasciculation and synapse formation during motor neuron outgrowth. In the moth Manduca , fasciclin II (MFas II) is expressed both as a transmembrane isoform (TM-MFas II) and a glycosyl phosphatidylinositol-linked isoform (GPI-MFas II). By using RNA and antibody probes, we have shown that these two isoforms are expressed in nonoverlapping patterns: TM-MFas II is expressed exclusively by neurons and becomes localized to their most motile regions, while GPI-MFas II is expressed primarily by the glial cells that ensheath the peripheral nerves. This cell-type specificity of expression allowed us to monitor the nature of neuronal–glial interactions during PNS development. The outgrowth of TM-MFas II-positive axons in many regions preceded the arrival of GPI-MFas II-expressing glial processes that enwrapped them. In a few key locations, however, GPI-MFas II-positive glial cells differentiated before the arrival of the first axons and prefigured their subsequent trajectories. Prior inhibition of GPI-MFas II expression disrupted the subsequent outgrowth of axons at these locations but not elsewhere in the PNS. Our results suggest that the two isoforms of MFas II play distinct roles with respect to cellular motility and nerve formation.
VOLVOX POCOCKIAE, A NEW SPECIES WITH DWARF MALES1

SUMMARY Volvox pocockiae is described as the second species in the section Janetosphaera. The somatic protoplasts are connected by cytoplasmic strands approximately the same diameter as flagella, and the construction of the spheroid is identical to that of V. aureus. Asexual reproduction by the division of gonidia differs from that in V. aureus in the enlargement of the gonidium prior to its division to form the embryo. Sexual reproduction is very similar to that in V. spermatosphaera, a species in the section Merrillosphaera without cytoplasmic connections. Dwarf males are formed in the posterior end of the parental spheroid, and, as in V. spermatosphaera, the dwarf males are composed exclusively of androgonidia with no sterile somatic cells. Females are facultatively asexual spheroids, the gonidia of which function as eggs. The single biflagellate zoospore produced by the germinating zygote undergoes cleavage to form a germling spheroid. The differentiation of gonidia in the asexual embryo and in the germling spheroid is evident only after inversion and enlargement of the spheroid have begun.
The Fate of Public International Law: Between Technique and Politics

Public international law hovers between cosmopolitan ethos and technical specialization. Recently, it has differentiated into functional regimes such as ‘trade law’, ‘human rights law’, ‘environmental law’ and so on that seek to ‘manage’ global problems efficiently and empower new interests and forms of expertise. Neither of the principal legal responses to regime-formation – constitutionalism and pluralism – is adequate, however. The emergence of regimes resembles the rise of nation States in the late nineteenth century. But if nations are ‘imagined communities’, so are regimes. Reducing international law to a mechanism to advance functional objectives is vulnerable to the criticisms raised against thinking about it as an instrument for state policy: neither regimes nor states have a fixed nature or self-evident objectives. They are the stories we tell about them. The task for international lawyers is not to learn new managerial vocabularies but to use the language of international law to articulate the politics of critical universalism.
Neurochemical and histopathologic alterations characteristic of Pick's disease in a non-demented individual.

In the course of investigating a large number of non-demented subjects, a 68 year old female dying of coronary artery disease was found to have Pick bodies in her grossly normal brain. Although only mild subcortical gliosis and no neuron loss were observed, Pick bodies were found throughout the brain and occasional balloon cells were noted. Pick bodies and numerous neurons were also ALZ-50 and Tau-1 immunoreactive. Retrospective studies indicated a lack of overt intellectual decline or depression in this individual. Frontal, temporal and occipital poles, amygdala, hypothalamus and nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM) were analyzed for ChAT, AChE and MAO-A and -B enzymatic activities and for the binding of 5HT and imipramine. Cholinergic decreases were found only in subcortical structures. Serotonin binding decreases were widespread, excluding the nbM. Altered MAO-B activity was regionally variable, and no differences in MAO-A activity or imipramine binding were observed. Few differences in neurochemical alterations were observed in the current non-demented subject with abundant Pick bodies compared to previous studies of demented Pick's patients. This case strongly suggests that chemical dysfunction and neuropathological features of Pick's disease occur in advance of overt clinical manifestations of the disorder.
Correction to “Estimation of the OSCAT Spatial Response Function Using Island Targets” [Apr 14 1924-1934]

In the above-named article [ibid., vol. 51, no. 5, pp 1924-1934, April 2014] there are errors in Table I. The corrected table is published here.
Hypoosmotic volume regulation in bivalves: Protein kinase C and amino acid release

Phorbol esters potentiate the release of free amino acids from isolated ventricles and gills of the mussel, Geukensia demissa, when the tissues are incubated in hypoosmotic seawater. Phorbol esters do not affect the release of amino acids from tissues in isosmotic seawater. Inhibitors of protein kinase C depress the release of amino acids from isolated ventricles in hypoosmotic seawater by 25-30%. Calmodulin antagonists did not inhibit the efflux of amino acids from isolated ventricles in hypoosmotic seawater. The level of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate does not change in isolated ventricles incubated in either hypoosmotic or isosmotic seawater. In contrast, there is a transient increase in the level ofdiacylglycerol in ventricles exposed to hypoosmotic seawater
Comparison of application accuracy of frame-based and frameless surgical localization systems and affecting factors

We compare the application accuracy of using semi-invasive fiducial markers to the Zamorano-Dujovny stereotactic ring for interactive localization of intracranial lesions. A phantom was mounted with the standard ring and also implanted with a frameless marker system which randomly distributed markers on the surface of the phantom. The target point was digitized and the coordinates were recorded and compared with reference points. Nineteen patients with intracranial lesions, chosen in random fashion, underwent a frameless stereotactic approach for tumor resection. Five semi-invasive markers were placed on the patients' skulls under local anesthesia. The coordinate of each fiducial marker was recorded in a file as the reference. The tip of each semi-invasive fiducial marker was digitized to achieve a frameless transformation matrix, and the special points on the A Zamorano-Dujovny ring were digitized to achieve a frame-based transformation matrix. The differences from the reference points were used as the deviation from the 'true point'. The mean square root was calculated to show the sum of vectors. A paired t-test was used to analyze results. The results of the phantom showed that the registration error of the frame-based system was 3.42 +/- 0.22 mm and in the frameless system was 1.01 +/- 0.63 mm. The mean showed that the mean square root of the frame-based system as 3.77 +/- 2.16 mm and of the frameless system was 2.25 +/- 1.75 mm. These preliminary results showed that the frameless semi- invasive fiducial can provide more accurate localization for may procedures. The motion of the ring after computed tomographic scan is the main reason for the errors in the frame-based system.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The patterning center of excellence (CoE): an evolving lithographic enablement model

As EUV lithography moves toward high-volume manufacturing (HVM), a key need for the lithography materials makers is access to EUV photons and imaging. The SEMATECH Resist Materials Development Center (RMDC) provided a solution path by enabling the Resist and Materials companies to work together (using SUNY Polytechnic Institutes Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) -based exposure systems), in a consortium fashion, in order to address the need for EUV photons. Thousands of wafers have been processed by the RMDC (leveraging the SUNY Poly CNSE/SEMATECH MET, SUNY Poly CNSE Alpha Demo Tool (ADT) and the SEMATECH Lawrence Berkeley MET) allowing many of the questions associated with EUV materials development to be answered. In this regard the activities associated with the RMDC are continuing. As the major Integrated Device Manufacturers (IDMs) have continued to purchase EUV scanners, Materials companies must now provide sc anner based test data that characterizes the lithography materials they are producing. SUNY Poly CNSE and SEMATECH have partnered to evolve the RMDC into The Patterning Center of Excellence (CoE). The new CoE leverages the capability of the SUNY Poly CNSE-based full field ASML 3300 EUV scanner and combines that capability with EUV Microexposure (MET) systems resident in the SEMATECH RMDC to create an integrated lithography model which will allow materials companies to advance materials development in ways not previously possible. Keywords: EUV, Resist Materials Development, Full Field EUV exposure, Outgassing and Resist qualification testing. 1. Introduction Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography has made a great deal of progress since the Micro Exposure Tools (MET) were introduced in the early 2000s. In the last several years, SEMATECH has been able to forge relationships with materials manufacturers whereby the METs have enabled amazing photoresist advancements thus lowering the impact of photoresist non-readiness on the list of EUV technology introduction inhibitors. Specifically, imaging material manufacturers have been
The question of the presence of influenza virus in the faeces of mice after infection and feeding with the virus.

Repeated attempts to duplicateSarracino andSoule's experiments to identify influenza virus in the faeces of infected mice proved to be a failure. Other, more sensitive methods for extracting minute amounts of influenza virus from contaminated material are described, but they also proved incapable of extracting influenza virus from the faeces of infected mice. Attempts to infect animals by the intestinal route produced no result and at the same time we failed to prove that the influenza virus can pass the alimentary canal without being destroyed.
Nivation landforms in the western Great Basin and their paleoclimatic significance

More than 10,000 nivation landforms occur in the higher mountain ranges of the western Great Basin. They range from small, subtle hollows with head scarps a few meters high and a few tens of meters long to broad, clearly defined terraces as much as 220 m wide bounded by bold, steeply sloping head scarps as much as 30 m high and 1600 m long. Distribution of these nivation hollows is strongly influenced by elevation, slope orientation, local relief, and substrate lithology. About 95% occur between 2200 and 3000 m elevation, and nearly 80% are situated on north-northwest-to east-northeast-facing slopes. They occur mainly in areas of moderately sloping terrain and moderate local relief, and they are preferentially developed on relatively incompetent substrates including terrigenous sedimentary deposits, volcanic and metavolcanic rocks of intermediate composition, and deeply weathered granitoid rocks. Nearly all of these nivation hollows are relict. They are most abundant near areas of late Pleistocene glaciation but rarely occur within such areas. Most are veneered with colluvium and are well vegetated, and many hollows in the Mono Basin area are veneered with volcanic ash at least 700 yr old. Distribution of nivation hollows suggests that (1) the full-glacial nivation threshold altitude (NTA) rose from north to south at 190 m per degree of latitude, subparallel to, and approximately 740 m lower than, the full-glacial equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) and about 1370 m lower than the estimated modern ELA; (2) the difference between the full-glacial and modern ELAs indicates an approximate 7°C full-glacial mean-annual-temperature depression throughout the Great Basin; and (3) the full-glacial mean annual temperature at the NTA is estimated to have been approximately 0° to 1°C, assuming little change in accumulation-season precipitation.
FETAL LAMB AMNIOTIC FLUID: RELATIONSHIP OF LIPID COMPOSITION TO SURFACE TENSION.

The amniotic fluid from 22 lambs delivered near term was used for surface tensionstudies and analysis of the major lipid fractions. Amniotic fluid did not possess “low” surface tension values as did fetal tracheal fluid and lung extracts. The total lipid composition was one fifth to one tenth that found in fetal tracheal fluid, and there was a higher proportion of neutral lipids to phospholipids. The major phospholipids contained in the amniotic fluid were: lecithin, sphingomyelin, and phosphatidylethanolamine, present in amounts less than one fifteenth that in tracheal fluid. The phospholipid fraction isolated from the amniotic fluid possessed “low” surface tension and had a hysteresis loop similar to that of tracheal fluid. These results suggest that the high surface tension of amniotic fluid may be due to quantities of active phospholipids at the air-liquid interface insufficient to form a monomolecular film. The studies also suggest that inspiration of amniotic fluid into the fetal lung would be disadvantageous for normal respiration.
Epithelial-mesenchymal crosstalk in Wolffian duct and fetal testis cord development.

Interactions between adjacent epithelial and mesenchymal tissues represent a highly conserved mechanism in embryonic organogenesis. In particular, the ability of the mesenchyme to instruct cellular differentiation of the epithelium is a fundamental requirement for the morphogenesis of tubular structures such as those found in the kidneys, lungs, and the developing male reproductive system. Once the tubular structure has formed, it receives signals from the mesenchyme, which can control proliferation, patterning, and differentiation of the epithelium inside the tube. However, the epithelium is not a “silent partner” in this process, and epithelium-derived factors are often required for proper maintenance of the mesenchymal compartment. Although much emphasis has been placed on the characterization of mesenchymally-derived signals required for epithelial differentiation, it is important to note that epithelial-mesenchymal interactions are a two-way street wherein each compartment requires the presence of the other for proper tubule morphogenesis and function. In this review, we discuss epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in the processes of Wolffian duct and fetal testis cord development using the mouse as a model organism and propose inhibin beta A as a conserved mesenchyme-derived regulator in these two male-specific tubular structures.
SABUL: A Transport Protocol for Grid Computing

This paper describes SABUL, an application-level data transfer protocol for data-intensive applications over high bandwidth-delay product networks. SABUL is designed for reliability, high performance, fairness and stability. It uses UDP to transfer data and TCP to return control messages. A rate-based congestion control that tunes the inter-packet transmission time helps achieve both efficiency and fairness. In order to remove the fairness bias between flows with different network delays, SABUL adjusts its sending rate at uniform intervals, instead of at intervals determined by round trip time. This protocol has demonstrated its efficiency and fairness in both experimental and practical applications. SABUL has been implemented as an open source C++ library, which has been successfully used in several Grid computing applications.
Brittle and ductile fracture of semiconductor nanowires – molecular dynamics simulations

Fracture of silicon and germanium nanowires in tension at room temperature is studied by molecular dynamics simulations using several interatomic potential models. While some potentials predict brittle fracture initiated by crack nucleation from the surface, most potentials predict ductile fracture initiated by dislocation nucleation and slip. A simple parameter based on the ratio between the ideal tensile strength and the ideal shear strength is found to correlate very well with the observed brittle versus ductile behaviours for all the potentials used in this study. This parameter is then computed by ab initio methods, which predict brittle fracture at room temperature. A brittle-to-ductile transition (BDT) is observed in MD simulations at higher temperature. The BDT mechanism in semiconductor nanowires is different from that in the bulk, due to the lack of a pre-existing macrocrack that is always assumed in bulk BDT models.
Stereotactic radiotherapy for lung cancer using a flattening filter free Clinac

The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of stereotactic radiotherapy for early stage lung cancer using photon beams from a Varian Clinac accelerator operated without a flattening filter. Treatment plans were generated for 10 lung cancer patients with isolated lesions less than 3 cm in diameter. For each patient two plans were generated, one with and one without the flattening filter. Plans were generated with Eclipse 8.0 (Varian Medical Systems) commissioned with beam data measured on a Clinac 21EX (Varian Medical Systems) operated with and without the flattening filter. Removal of the flattening filter increased the dose rate. The median beam-on time per field was reduced from 25 s with the filter to 10 s without one, increasing the feasibility of breath-hold treatments and the efficiency of gated treatments. Differences in a dose heterogeneity index for the planning target volume between plans with flattened and unflattened beams were statistically insignificant. Differences in mean doses to organs at risk were small, typically about 10 cGy over the entire treatment. The study concludes that radiotherapy with unflattened beams is feasible and requires substantially less beam-on time, facilitating breath-hold and gating techniques.
Handing Over the Reins After a Quarter Century

After 25 years as US editor for SRN, I have the pleasure of handing over the helm to Mike Martin of the ALS, with the confidence that he will continue the tradition of encouraging, selecting, and balancing the most up-to-date and interesting articles for the magazine in consultation with his counterparts in Europe and Asia. SRN, in my opinion, serves a vital niche in bringing us news in a personal and interdisciplinary way which is complementary to the journals. And it serves to keep us informed in all areas pertaining to the use of light from accelerators. It has also provided a unique history of the development of the field with a truly amazing record of photos and articles.
Studies on the metabolism of adipose tissue; some in vitro effects of a prolactin preparation alone and in combination with insulin or adrenalin.

The glucose uptake, net gas exchange, lactic acid production, oxygen consumption (in the presence of various carbon compounds) and free fatty acid release by rat epididymal adipose tissue in vitro have been measured in the presence of a prolactin preparation (0.2–1.0 mg/ml) alone and in combination with insulin or Adrenalin. Glucose uptake and net gas exchange are stimulated by this pituitary preparation in a manner that mimics the action of insulin. Both these processes may be stimulated further by the concomitant addition of insulin and, in the case of net gas exchange, the effect is synergistic. The prolactin preparation diminishes the production of lactic acid by the tissue and counteracts the action of insulin or Adrenalin in stimulating the formation of this metabolite. The prolactin preparation causes a slight but significant increase in oxygen consumption in the presence of glucose. More striking is the ability of the preparation to stabilize with time the burst in oxygen consumption seen upon add...
Neurophysiologically driven image triage: a pilot study

Effective analysis of complex imagery is a vital aspect of important domains such as intelligence image analysis. As technological developments lower the cost of gathering and storing imagery, the cost of searching through large image sets for important information has been growing substantially. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of using neurophysiological signals associated with early perceptual processing to identify critical information within large image sets efficiently. Brain signals called evoked response potentials, detected in conjunction with rapid serial presentation of images, show promise as a human computer interaction modality for screening high volumes of imagery accurately and efficiently.
Educational success among elementary school children from low socioeconomic status families: A systematic review of research assessing parenting factors

Prior research has focused primarily on the educational benefits of high socioeconomic status (SES). Little is known about educationally successful youth from low-SES backgrounds, and no published review has systematically evaluated the methodological characteristics of research in this area. The primary aim of this report was to systematically review methodological characteristics of research identifying parenting factors conducive to the educational success of low-SES youth. A secondary aim was to briefly summarize the substantive findings of research in this area. A bibliographic search of 11 electronic databases, a manual search of two journals, and reference harvesting yielded 30 English-language studies published between 1994 and 2014 employing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method designs that met a-priori study eligibility criteria. Studies of parent–school involvement, parental expectations for current and long-term academic performance, and warm, responsive, and consistent parenting styles...
Spatial Representations of Odorants in Olfactory Bulbs of Rats and Mice: Similarities and Differences in Chemotopic Organization

In previous studies, we mapped glomerular layer 2-deoxyglucose uptake evoked by hundreds of both systematically related and chemically distinct odorants in rat olfactory bulbs. To determine which principles of chemotopic organization revealed in these studies may be more fundamental and which may be more species-typical, we now have characterized patterns of responses to 30 of these odorants in mice. We found that only a few odorants evoked their multiple foci of peak activity in exactly the same locations in the two species. In mice, as in rats, odorants that shared molecular features evoked overlapping patterns, but the locations of the feature-responsive domains often differed in rats and mice. In rats, increasing carbon number within a homologous series of aliphatic odorants is generally associated with rostral and ventral progressions of activity within domains responding to odorant functional group and/or hydrocarbon backbone. Such chemotopic progressions were not obvious in mice, which instead showed more abrupt differences in activated glomeruli within the domains for odorants differing by a single methylene group. Despite the differences, quantitative relationships between overall uptake patterns exhibited a similar organization with respect to odorant chemistry for the two species, probably due to partial overlaps of peak domains and more extensive overlaps in large, low-activity areas for rats and mice. We conclude that clustering responses to shared odorant features may be a general strategy for odor coding, but that the specific locations of high-activity domains may be unique to a species.
Fluid mechanics of nutritive sucking behaviour: the suckling infant's oral apparatus analysed as a hydraulic pump.

The suckling infant's feeding behaviour is analogous to the functioning of a pulsating pump, and may be studied through application of the physical principles for analysing macroscopic flow systems. An apparatus has been developed to measure pressure and flow during nutritive sucking. A theoretical analysis of the flow characteristics of this instrument provides several parameters whose values may be used to estimate the quantity of energy expended by the infant in generating pressure pulses and obtaining nutrient reinforcement. The analysis was tested by an experimental study of the dynamic performance of the instrument in which the infant was replaced by a calibrated source of steady pressure and pressure pulses. The findings confirm the theoretical prediction that within the range of acceptable experimental error the instrument will provide nutrient reinforcement proportional to the time-pressure curve of the sucking pulse. This method of measuring sucking permits the study of constitutional differences, as well as maturational and environmental influences upon feeding behaviour, and facilitates the investigation of the process of behavioural acquisition in the newborn. Within this context, learning during the newborn period may be conceptualized in terms of a gradual improvement in the efficiency of energy expenditure during operant discrimination schedules of nutrient reinforcement. The infant optimizes his work output and minimizes his effort by learning to suck only when the discriminant signal informs him that reinforcement is available.
The Efficacy of Information Policy: A Review of Archon Fung, Mary Graham, and David Weil's Full Disclosure : The Perils and Promise of Transparency

The economics of information has identified an important role for government to correct situations where competition is not sufficient to reveal valuable information to consumers. Archon Fung, Mary Graham, and David Weil's Full Disclosure: The Perils and Promise of Transparency provides a thorough discussion of government mandated disclosure policies. I use their book to frame an empirical assessment of whether these?and other information policies?have significantly reduced the costs to consumers created by imperfect information. My conclusion, which calls for more research, is that government information policies have amounted to weak solutions in search of a problem.
1H and 13C NMR analysis of D‐amygdalin: Oligosaccharide assignment and sequencing

The 1H and 13C NMR spectra of D-amygdalin, a cyanogenetic disaccharide accumulated in food plants, were assigned using a combination of NMR techniques. Methods applied include standard 1H–1H COSY, proton zero quantum coherence (ZQCOSY), 1D NOE, broad-band decoupled 1H–13C chemical shift correlation and long-range 1H–13C chemical shift correlation. ZQCOSY was especially useful in assigning the closely spaced sugar resonances, and long-range 1H-13C chemical shift correlation allowed sequencing of the monosaccharide rings. Coupling constants useful in conformational analysis are derived from highly digitized 1H 1D spectra and 2D J-resolved spectroscopy. The 1H and 13C chemical shifts and coupling constants indicate that the β-D-glucopyranose rings of D-amygdalin adopt a 4C1 chair conformation.
On Monitoring Outcomes of Medical Providers

An issue of substantial importance is the monitoring and improvement of health care facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis units or surgical wards. In addressing this, there is a need for appropriate methods for monitoring health outcomes. On the one hand, statistical tools are needed to aid centers in instituting and evaluating quality improvement programs and, on the other hand, to aid overseers and payers in identifying and addressing sub-standard performance. In the latter case, the aim is to identify situations where there is evidence that the facility’s outcomes are outside of normal expectations; such facilities would be flagged and perhaps audited for potential difficulties or censured in some way. Methods in use are based on models where the center effects are taken as fixed or random. We take a systematic approach to assessing the merits of these methods when the patient outcome of interest arises from a linear model. We argue that methods based on fixed effects are more appropriate for the task of identifying extreme outcomes by providing better accuracy when the true facility effect is far from that of the average facility and avoiding confounding issues that arise in the random effects models when the patient risks are correlated with facility effects. Finally, we consider approaches to flagging that are based on the Z-statistics arising from the fixed effects model, but which account in a robust way for the intrinsic variation between facilities as contemplated in the standard random effects model. We provide an illustration in monitoring survival outcomes of dialysis facilities in the US.
A general purpose data entry program

Simulations constitute an important family of computer applications in science and engineering. To perform each simulation run, it is usually necessary to provide extensive data specifying the parameters of the simulation as well as data which support the calculation models involved. We have designed a program and a file structure that provides a method for convenient data entry, and creates and edits data files according to specifications contained in a separate file that serves as a template. By providing different templates, the same program can be made to serve numerous applications. The structure of the data files allows a degree of flexibility difficult to achieve using conventional database systems.
Detecting Perceptually Salient Texture Regions in Images

Texture or patterns on objects are often used as cues for quickly selecting important aspects of a scene. Such a selection can be important for a variety of tasks including object recognition, tracking, surveillance, and image indexing of databases. In this paper, we examine the problem of perceptual grouping based on texture saliency and demonstrate its use in selecting salient texture regions in natural scenes. Specifically, we propose that texture saliency can be inferred from the relative contrast among the bright and dark regions in the texture. In particular, a texture saliency measure is derived that extracts relatively bright and dark regions within a texture and analyzes their interplay in terms of perceptually salient attributes. A texture region segmentation is also presented to enable the application of texture saliency to texture regions in scenes. The performance of texture-based region selection in the ranking of regions is demonstrated.
Recurrent adult-onset hypophyseal Langerhans cell histiocytosis after radiotherapy: a case report.

Introduction Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a rare disease within the adult population, with very few cases reported as solitary hypophyseal lesions in adults. Of the reported cases, most have been treated successfully with surgery, radiotherapy, and/or chemotherapy. Radiotherapy has been thought to be curative at the relatively low dose of 20Gy. Here we report a case of recurrent hypophyseal Langerhans cell histiocytosis 9 months after radiotherapy with an interval period of symptomatic and radiographic response to therapy.
Prevention of Phosphate Induced Progression of Experimental Uremia by 3-Phosphocitric Acid

Excess dietary phosphate produces progressive increase in calcium content of the kidney and also leads to progressive deterioration of renal function1–3. The important variables responsible for determination of both the rate of deposition of calcium and loss of renal function are the quantity of dietary phosphate, the amount of functioning renal tissue and the level of parathyroid activity3,4. Given sufficient reduction in the size of the functioning renal mass, progressive deposition of calcium can be demonstrated in the kidney of animals maintained on a diet of normal phosphate content5. The histologic changes associated with these progressive calcium deposits provide convincing evidence of the structural damage produced, apparently resulting from cellular damage associated with calcium phosphate deposition 3,6.
Specificity of reinforcement for risk behaviors of the Balloon Analog Risk Task using math models of performance

Risky decision-making has been studied using multitrial behavioral tasks. Concordance of such tasks to risky behaviors could be improved by: (1) mathematically modeling the components of decision change and (2) providing reinforcement specific to the risk behavior studied. Men completed two Balloon Analog Risk Tasks (BART). One provided financial reinforcement (money) and the other provided sexual reinforcement (seconds of erotic film viewing). Parameters of a mathematical model of BART performance were fit to each individual. Correlations between the model parameters and four risk categories (financial, sexual, antisociality, and substance use) demonstrated predictive utility for the same behaviors regardless of task reinforcement, providing little evidence of reinforcement specificity. A reward sensitivity parameter was uniquely related to sexual risk behavior. Additional analyses explored parameter stability fit to fewer trials.
Prospective, observational study of the depth of anesthesia during oocyte retrieval using a total intravenous anesthetic technique and the Bispectral index monitor

Fifty patients scheduled to undergo IVF received a standard anesthetic of fentanyl and propofol for induction, followed by propofol infusion, with Bispectral index values and modified Ramsey sedation scores recorded at 5-minute intervals for the duration of anesthesia care. Moderate sedation was found only transiently during the first 5–10 minutes of the oocyte retrieval, but thereafter the level of sedation increased, with deep sedation and general anesthesia measured in all patients as determined by both the Bispectral index scores and lack of response to painful stimulation.
Fitting Constrained Vector Autoregression Models

This paper expands the estimation theory for both quasi-maximum likelihood estimates (QMLEs) and Least Squares estimates (LSEs) for potentially misspecified constrained VAR(p) models. Our main result is a linear formula for the QMLE of a constrained VAR(p), which generalizes the Yule–Walker formula for the unconstrained case. We make connections with the known LSE formula and the determinant of the forecast mean square error matrix, showing that the QMLEs for a constrained VAR(p) minimize this determinant but not the component entries of the mean square forecast error matrix, as opposed to the unconstrained case. An application to computing mean square forecast errors from misspecified models is discussed, and numerical comparisons of the different methods are presented and explored.
Plasma prekallikrein levels are positively associated with circulating lipid levels and the metabolic syndrome in children.

Plasma prekallikrein (PK) has been shown to be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors, but these associations have not been investigated in children. The present study ex...
The Human DNA Ligase III Gene Encodes Nuclear and Mitochondrial Proteins

We provide evidence that the human DNA ligase III gene encodes a mitochondrial form of this enzyme. First, the DNA ligase III cDNA contains an in-frame ATG located upstream from the putative translation initiation start site. The DNA sequence between these two ATG sites encodes an amphipathic helix similar to previously identified mitochondrial targeting peptides. Second, recombinant green fluorescent protein harboring this sequence at its amino terminus was efficiently targeted to the mitochondria of Cos-1 monkey kidney cells. In contrast, native green fluorescent protein distributed to the cytosol. Third, a series of hemagglutinin-DNA ligase III minigene constructs were introduced into Cos-1 cells, and immunocytochemistry was used to determine subcellular localization of the epitope-tagged DNA ligase III protein. These experiments revealed that inactivation of the upstream ATG resulted in nuclear accumulation of the DNA ligase III protein, whereas inactivation of the downstream ATG abolished nuclear localization and led to accumulation within the mitochondrial compartment. Fourth, mitochondrial protein extracts prepared from human cells overexpressing antisense DNA ligase III mRNA possessed substantially less DNA ligase activity than did mitochondrial extracts prepared from control cells. DNA end-joining activity was also substantially reduced in extracts prepared from antisense mRNA-expressing cells. From these results, we conclude that the human DNA ligase III gene encodes both nuclear and mitochondrial enzymes. DNA ligase plays a central role in DNA replication, recombination, and DNA repair. Thus, identification of a mitochondrial form of this enzyme provides a tool with which to dissect mammalian mitochondrial genome dynamics.
Evaluation of serious adverse drug reactions: a proactive pharmacovigilance program (RADAR) vs safety activities conducted by the Food and Drug Administration and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Background The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and pharmaceutical manufacturers conduct most postmarketing pharmaceutical safety investigations. These efforts are frequently based on data mining of databases. In 1998, investigators initiated the Research on Adverse Drug events And Reports (RADAR) project to investigate reports of serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and prospectively obtain information on these cases. We compare safety efforts for evaluating serious ADRs conducted by the FDA and pharmaceutical manufacturers vs the RADAR project. Methods We evaluated the completeness of serious ADR descriptions in the FDA and RADAR databases and the comprehensiveness of notifications disseminated by pharmaceutical manufacturers and the RADAR investigators. A serious ADR was defined as an event that led to death or required intensive therapies to reverse. Results The RADAR investigators evaluated 16 serious ADRs. Compared with descriptions of these ADRs in FDA databases (2296 reports), reports in RADAR databases (472 reports) had a 2-fold higher rate of including information on history and physical examination (92% vs 45%; P P = .08). Safety notifications were disseminated earlier by pharmaceutical suppliers (2 vs 4 years after approval, respectively), although notifications were less likely to include information on incidence (46% vs 93%; P = .02), outcomes (8% vs 100%; P P P Conclusion Proactive safety efforts conducted by the RADAR investigators are more comprehensive than those conducted by the FDA and pharmaceutical manufacturers, but dissemination of related safety notifications is less timely.
Doing business in the wired world

Using the Internet for business use, ie., electronic commerce, promises to dramatically alter the structure and processes of commerce. Managers will have to invent new business models that reemphasize scale, differentiation, and brands to effectively compete on a noisy infrastructure with low transaction costs. They will also have to spend substantial time redesigning transaction processes and participating in industry groups to develop new e-commerce conventions. Effectively implementing these strategies and simultaneously reconciling new and existing business models will be key to a firm's success.
Meteorite and meteoroid: New comprehensive definitions

Abstract– Meteorites have traditionally been defined as solid objects that have fallen to Earth from space. This definition, however, is no longer adequate. In recent decades, man-made objects have fallen to Earth from space, meteorites have been identified on the Moon and Mars, and small interplanetary objects have impacted orbiting spacecraft. Taking these facts and other potential complications into consideration, we offer new comprehensive definitions of the terms “meteorite,”“meteoroid,” and their smaller counterparts: A meteoroid is a 10-μm to 1-m-size natural solid object moving in interplanetary space. A micrometeoroid is a meteoroid 10 μm to 2 mm in size. A meteorite is a natural, solid object larger than 10 μm in size, derived from a celestial body, that was transported by natural means from the body on which it formed to a region outside the dominant gravitational influence of that body and that later collided with a natural or artificial body larger than itself (even if it is the same body from which it was launched). Weathering and other secondary processes do not affect an object’s status as a meteorite as long as something recognizable remains of its original minerals or structure. An object loses its status as a meteorite if it is incorporated into a larger rock that becomes a meteorite itself. A micrometeorite is a meteorite between 10 μm and 2 mm in size. Meteorite– “a solid substance or body falling from the high regions of the atmosphere” (Craig 1849); “[a] mass of stone and iron that ha[s] been directly observed to have fallen down to the Earth’s surface” (translated from Cohen 1894); “[a] solid bod[y] which came to the earth from space” (Farrington 1915); “A mass of solid matter, too small to be considered an asteroid; either traveling through space as an unattached unit, or having landed on the earth and still retaining its identity” (Nininger 1933); “[a meteoroid] which has reached the surface of the Earth without being vaporized” (1958 International Astronomical Union (IAU) definition, quoted by Millman 1961); “a solid body which has arrived on the Earth from outer space” (Mason 1962); “[a] solid bod[y] which reach[es] the Earth (or the Moon, Mars, etc.) from interplanetary space and [is] large enough to survive passage through the Earth’s (or Mars’, etc.) atmosphere” (Gomes and Keil 1980); “[a meteoroid] that survive[s] passage through the atmosphere and fall[s] to earth” (Burke 1986); “a recovered fragment of a meteoroid that has survived transit through the earth’s atmosphere” (McSween 1987); “[a] solid bod[y] of extraterrestrial material that penetrate[s] the atmosphere and reach[es] the Earth’s surface” (Krot et al. 2003).
Communication Complexity in Algebraic Two-Party Protocols

In cryptography, there has been tremendous success in building various two-party protocols with small communication complexity out of homomorphic semantically-secure encryption schemes, using their homomorphic properties in a black-box way. A few notable examples of such primitives include items like single database Private Information Retrieval (PIR) schemes (introduced in [15]) and private database update with small communication (introduced in [5]). In this paper, we illustrate a general methodology for determining what types of protocols can and cannot be implemented with small communication by using homomorphic encryption in a black-box way. We hope that this work will provide a simple "litmus test" of feasibility for black-box use of known homomorphic encryption schemes by other cryptographic researchers attempting to develop new protocols with low communication. Additionally, a precise mathematical language for reasoning about such problems is developed in this work, which may be of independent interest. We stress that the class of algebraic structures for which we prove communication complexity lower bounds is large, and covers practically all known semantically-secure homomorphic cryptosystems (including those based upon bilinear maps). Finally, we show the following equivalence which relates group homomorphic encryption and a major open question of designing a so-called fully-homomorphic cryptosystem: a fully homomorphic encryption scheme (over a non-zero ring) exists if and only if there exists homomorphic encryption over any finite non-abelian simple group. This result somewhat generalizes results of Barrington [1] (to any group containing a finite non-abelian simple subgroup) and of Maurer and Rhodes [18], and in fact gives a constructiveproof of the 1974 result Werner [28]. (This also answers an open question posed by Rappe in [23], who in 2004 proved a special case of this result.)