cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Beam shaping by volume phase structures in photo-thermo-refractive glass

ABSTRACT We demonstrate the recording of volume phase masks in the bulk of photo-thermo-refractive glass. Recording was produced by exposing the glass to UV radiation through binary amplitude masks. Depending on the profile of the amplitude mask either a binary volume phase mask or a grayscale phase mask may be produced. Volume phase masks have been used to generate Fresnel lenses, convert a Gaussian beam into higher order Hermite-Gauss and Laguerre-Gauss modes, to produce optical vortices, and to create aberration-correc ting optical components. Phase masks have been used for decades for a variety of applications, including improving the depth of field [1-3], manufacture of electronics [4], encryption [5-8], and coronagraphy [9-11]. Conventional fixed phase masks are generally produced by either sculpting the surface of a thin film such as PMMA or by r ecording it in the bulk of a photosensitive material such as DCG or lithium niobate. Active phase masks may also be produced using spatial light modulators. In either case these masks may be used effectively in low power systems as they can be designed to have nearly any phase profile. However, such elements have several drawbacks as well. Absorption in these materials prevents them from being used in high power systems, and thin film and SLM phase masks may also be damaged from mishandling or by placement in high temp erature conditions. In order to have a robust phase mask suitable for use in such systems it is therefore necessary to utilize a low-absorption substrate with the phase mask recorded in the bulk to prevent damage via mishandling. Here we present a method for recording volume phase masks (VPMs) in the bulk of photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass. PTR glass is a sodium-potassium-zinc-aluminum-fluorine-bromine-silicate glass doped with cerium, antimony, tin, and silver, with a region of transparency from 350 nm to 2700 nm and a damage threshold of 40 J/cm
Spontaneous emergence of periodic patterns in a biologically inspired simulation of photonic structures.

We simulate an evolutionary process in the lab for designing a novel high confinement photonic structure, starting with a set of completely random patterns, with no insight on the initial geometrical pattern. We show a spontaneous emergence of periodical patterns as well as previously unseen high confinement subwavelength bowtie regions. The evolved structure has a Q of 300 and an ultrasmall modal volume of 0:112� �= 2n� 3 . The emergence of the periodic patterns in the structure indicates that periodicity is a principal condition for effective control of the distribution of light. Photonic structures consisting of periodic patterns of high and low index materials can alter the distribution of an electromagnetic field in space and frequency [1,2]. Applications include light emitters, modulators, switches, etc. [3‐7]. Periodic photonic structures have traditionally been hand designed with some insight from the extensive research of crystalline atomic lattice structures, where an analogy between electronic functions in crystalline structures and waves in periodic media with different dielectric functions is drawn. Based on these designs photonic structures that confine light, enhance and inhibit its propagation in specific directions have been demonstrated [8‐11]. It is not clear, however, if the periodicity of photonic structures is a necessary condition for controlling the distribution of light. This question is especially relevant since on one hand localization has been demonstrated in random media [12,13] while on other hand, recent discoveries of periodic photonic structure in biology [14,15] indicate that viable patterns can emerge through blind natural selection, suggesting that the periodicity of the structures is a principal condition for effective light manipulation. In order to address this question, we simulate an evolutionary process in the lab for designing novel photonic structures, starting with a set of completely random patterns, with no information on the initial geometrical pattern.
Distribution of Imidazoline Receptor Binding Protein in the Central Nervous System

I-receptors can be localized immunocytochemically in rat nervous system with polyclonal antibodies to an IRBP. I-receptors are cytoplasmic and detected in neuronal perikarya, processes, and glia. Labeled neuronal perikarya in the CNS are uncommon and localized to the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus. I-receptors are heavily represented in primary sensory systems including: somatosensory systems (spinal and trigeminal) and visceral afferent systems (NTS), in central networks subserving autonomic regulation, neuroendocrine control and emotional behaviors, in circumventricular (neurohaemal) organs and in nonneuronal cells including astrocytes with regional densities paralleling neuronal innervation. The distributions of I-receptors and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors partially differ. I-receptors in the CNS appear to relate broadly to the visceral brain and its afferent inputs, particularly pain. Its functions may relate to regulation of integrative behaviors related to stress.
Nucleotide sequence of the COR region: a cluster of six genes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract We have determined the nucleotide (nt) sequence of the 7.5-kb COR segment that encompasses a cluster of six genes (CYC1, UTR1, UTR3, OSM1, tRNAGly and RAD7) located on chromosome X of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This sequence revealed five open reading frames and a tRNA gene which correspond in position, size and orientation to the transcripts previously identified by Barry et al. [Mol. Cell. Biol. 7 (1987) 632–638]. The extensively studied CYC1 gene encodes iso-1-cytochrome c ; the UTR1 and UTR3 genes encode dispensible proteins whose functions are unknown; the OSM1 gene encodes a protein required for growth on hypertonic media; the tRNAGly gene encodes a glycine tRNA; and the RAD7 gene encodes a protein required for repair of UV-induced damage. The OSM1 protein contains a signal sequence for secretion and a region similar to GTP-binding domains. The RAD7 protein displays 5′-untranslated elements similar to those of the stress-inducible gene UBI4. The nt sequence upstream from the tRNAGly gene contains a diverged copy of the sigma repeated element. This cluster of COR genes appears to have an ancestral relationship with the cluster of ARC genes on chromosome V.
A simple stimulus isolation unit using a complementary metal oxide semiconductor switch.

A simple stimulus isolation unit for extracellular stimulation is described. The current is provided by a battery and is controlled by a dual CMOS switch and a variable resistor.
Relation between piezo-optical and thermo-optical properties of crystals*

Through a consistent use of thermodynamics it is shown that the intrinsic piezo-optical and thermo-optical coefficients of crystals are not directly measurable. They are interrelated; for their determination, both piezo- and thermo-optical experiments are necessary. The analysis of the rotatory power as a function of pressure or temperature is based on the well-accepted coupled-oscillator model of optical activity. Similar analysis for the index of refraction is based on the Drude-type oscillator model of dielectric dispersion. The interpretation of previously reported experimental work should be reconsidered.
Mechanical Behavior of Respirable Fibrils of Kevlar Aramid Fibre, Glass, and Asbestos

The deformation of equivalent size and shape glass, asbestos and Kevlar∗aramid fibrils, when subjected to bending or longitudinal compressive loads, was estimated based on published mechanical properly data and established mechanical analysis. Based on this analysis, Kevlar fibrils are expected to deform more easily than glass or asbestos fibrils. This behavior is a direct result of the lower compressive modulus and compressive yield strength of Kevlar fibres. Among the Kevlar fibres studied, those with higher molecular orientation and crystalline perfection (Kevlar 149 > Kevlar 49 > Kevlar 29) were more flexible and deformed more easily. Compressive yielding may occur more easily in fibrils stripped from the spun filament surface and also may promote fibril breakdown through chemical degradation.
US medical tourists' motives for travelling abroad for medical care and their expectations of service quality

The research aimed to determine if US medical tourists' expectations of the service quality of foreign healthcare facilities differ depending on their motives for travelling abroad for medical care. Results indicate that medical tourists who are motivated by the high cost of healthcare in the USA, are seeking the most advanced technology, want better care or desire higher quality treatment have significantly higher service quality expectations than medical tourists not motivated by the same factor. Results suggest using motives to segment medical tourists. The study also has implications for managing medical tourists' service quality expectations at the point of service delivery as well as via external marketing communications. As the first study to analyse medical tourists' motives and service quality expectations, the research establishes a foundation for future research on these interrelated topics.
Does the nutrient drink test accurately predict postprandial gastric volume in health and community dyspepsia

Nutrient drink tests have been proposed as a surrogate for measurement of gastric accommodation. To study the relationship of maximum tolerated vol- ume (MTV) during nutrient drink test and gastric volumes measured by single-photon emission com- puted tomography (SPECT) in healthy controls and functional dyspepsia (FD) patients. We reviewed data from 85 healthy controls and 35 FD residents of south- eastern Minnesota. All underwent standardized nutrient drink and SPECT studies between August 2000 and June 2003. To test for associations between nutrient drink test and SPECT gastric volumes, we used multiple linear regression and partial regression analyses, assigning age, gender, dyspepsia status and postprandial symptoms as covariates in the model. In the combined group (healthy and FD), MTV was weakly associated with fasting gastric volume (r ¼ 0.43, P ¼ 0.0001) and with volume response to feeding (r ¼ 0.25, P ¼ 0.006). In the FD group, associ- ations were similar (fasting r ¼ 0.53, P ¼ 0.001; post- meal r ¼ 0.32, P ¼ 0.06). After accounting for covariates, MTV only explained 13 and 3% of varia- tions in fasting and postprandial volumes measured by SPECT. MTV during the nutrient drink test does not accurately reflect gastric volume measurements by SPECT in healthy controls and a sample of people in the community with FD.
Revisiting the standard drag law for bubbling, gas-fluidized beds

Abstract The drag law proposed by Gidaspow (1994, Multiphase Flow and Fluidization, Academic Press, p. 35–37), which is a combination of the Ergun (1954, Chem. Eng. Progress, 48, p. 89–94) and the Wen and Yu (1966, Chem. Eng. Progr. Symp. Ser., 62, p. 100–110) empirical correlations, has been widely used in the literature. Physically, the drag is known to be a continuous function of both the solid volume fraction and the Reynolds number, though the transition between the two correlations proposed by Gidaspow (1994) is discontinuous in solid volume fraction. In the present work, the effect of (i) the volume fraction chosen for transition and (ii) the form of the function used when “stitching” the Ergun (1954) and Wen and Yu (1966) correlations on the bubbling behavior of gas-fluidized beds is studied. A Multi-Phase Particle-in-Cell (MP-PIC) model is used for these purposes. In addition to the discontinuous stitching method, other methods based on arctan and linear functions are also considered. Two test monodisperse systems are examined: (i) an injected bubble in a gas-fluidized bed held close to its minimum fluidization velocity, and (ii) a freely-bubbling, gas-fluidized bed at several times the minimum fluidization velocity. In the injected-bubble system, the dynamic pressure drop profile, bubble growth rate, bubble structure at end of the injection period, detachment time, and average solid volume fraction within the bubble are examined. In the freely-bubbling bed, the time-averaged histogram of equivalent diameter, bubble equivalent diameter as a function of height, time-averaged mean pierced length, the time-averaged bubble flux (i.e., visible bubble flow), and radial mean of the time-averaged bubble flux were investigated. Overall, the bubble properties are affected by the location of the transition point, whereas the chosen form of the continuous stitching function has little impact.
(4‐Vinylbenzyl)cinnamate: A Useful Monomer for Water‐Soluble Photopolymers

It was found that the (4‐vinylbenzyl)cinnamate (VBC) ( 3 ) copolymers with (4‐vinyl‐benzyl)triethylammonium chloride (VBA) ( 4 ) function similarly to (4‐vinylbenzyl)‐thymine (VBT) ( 1 ) copolymers as water soluble photocrosslinking systems. Initial evidence indicates that the VBC:VBA copolymers are highly photosensitive systems. A matrix of twelve VBC:VBA copolymers was prepared in order to study the effects of molecular weight and polymer composition on the photoreactivity.
Charged pion condensation in the chiral limit

We examine, in the chiral limit where the up and down quark masses are vanishingly small, the stability of the pure neutron ground state to small fluctuations due to charge and baryon number conserving strong interactions. It is shown that the ground state energy density as a function of pion field expectation value is determined by Weinberg's baryon two-body potential and by a calculable neutron-proton mass difference in the medium. This provides some insight into the competing physical effects that play a role in determining whether a charged pion condensate forms in dense nuclear matter. We find that in the chiral limit these effects suppress charged pion condensation.
The skeletal effects of glucocorticoid excess override those of orchidectomy in mice.

Hypogonadism has been implicated as a contributing factor in glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, but evidence for this is limited. Hypogonadism and glucocorticoid excess both cause bone loss, but the cellular mechanisms responsible are distinct. Loss of gonadal steroids causes an increase in bone remodeling by up-regulating osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis. Glucocorticoid excess, conversely, suppresses remodeling by down-regulating osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis. Nonetheless, both conditions increase osteoblast apoptosis and decrease osteoclast apoptosis, and both cause bone loss due to an undersupply of osteoblasts relative to the need for cavity repair. To investigate their interactions, we compared the effects of orchidectomy, glucocorticoid excess, or both combined in mice. After 28 d, serum unbound testosterone concentration and seminal vesicle weight were not diminished when prednisolone was administered alone. Vertebral bone mineral density and compression strength decreased to...
A Case of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm with Short Angulated Proximal Neck Treated with the Chimney Graft Technique

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) using stent grafts has shown to be an effective alternative to surgical repair in treating an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). EVAR is associated with shorter hospital stays, less blood loss, shorter operating times, and lower early morbidity and mortality compared to open surgical repair, although EVAR required a higher reintervention rate during a longer follow-up period. However, short or severely an angulated infrarenal proximal aortic neck is considered unsuitable for EVAR. The chimney graft technique is a modified procedure based on the deployment of a covered or bare-metal stent parallel to the main aortic endograft within the aneurysm, thereby creating a conduit that runs outside the aortic main endograft to preserve flow to the aortic branches. In this case report, we present a 78-year-old patient with an AAA with a short and severely angulated proximal neck who was successfully treated by EVAR using the chimney graft technique.
Theoretical study of BN, BP and BAs at high pressures

The present work employs the total-energy pseudopotential technique to calculate the relative stabilities at high pressures of the zinc-blende \ensuremath{\beta}-Sn, and rocksalt structures in the series of compounds BN, BP, and BAs. For compressed volumes these compounds are shown to favor the rocksalt phase over \ensuremath{\beta}-Sn, even though BP and BAs are the least ionic of the III-V zinc-blende compounds. This indicates that the stability of the rocksalt structure under pressure depends on more than just the ionicity factor. The structural preference is analyzed in terms of charge densities. The charge rearrangements at different volumes are also studied. We find that for BN the charge associated with B decreases with volume compression while the charge associated with N increases. In BP and BAs the opposite trend is observed, with P and As behaving like B in BN. BN appears to behave like a typical III-V compound semiconductor in its charge distribution while BP and BAs are anomalous cases which can be characterized by reversing the standard assignments for the anions and cations in these compounds.
Osmotic loading to determine the intrinsic material properties of guinea pig knee cartilage

Few methods exist to study cartilage mechanics in small animal joints due to the difficulties associated with handling small tissue samples. In this study, we apply an osmotic loading method to quantify the intrinsic material properties of articular cartilage in small animal joints. Cartilage samples were studied from the femoral condyle and tibial plateau of two-month old guinea pigs. Swelling strains were measured using confocal fluorescence scanning microscopy in samples subjected to osmotic loading. A histochemical staining method was developed and calibrated for quantification of negative fixed charge density in guinea pig cartilage. Site-matched swelling strain data and fixed charge density values were then used with a triphasic theoretical model for cartilage swelling to determine the uniaxial modulus of the cartilage solid matrix. Moduli obtained in this study (7.2 MPa femoral condyle; 10.8 MPa, tibial plateau) compare well with previously reported values for the tensile moduli of human and other animal cartilages determined from uniaxial tension experiments. This study provides the first available data for material properties and fixed charge density in cartilage from the guinea pig knee and suggests a promising method for tracking changes in cartilage mechanics in small animal models of degeneration.
Detection of antibodies to the major outer membrane protein of Chlamydia trachomatis using an in vitro transcription-translation radioimmunoprecipitation assay

Abstract A radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA) using in vitro translated protein was developed to measure serum antibodies to the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) of C. trachomatis . Polyclonal animal antisera to C. trachomatis serovars C, E and F reacted to serogroup-specific determinants by RIPA, as compared to species-specific epitopes by Western blot. Antibody responses in monkeys immunized systemically or mucosally with a candidate MOMP vaccine were assessed by RIPA and ELISA with elementary bodies (EB-ELISA). Unlike EB-ELISA, RIPA showed a significant difference in pre-challenge antibody levels between systemically and mucosally immunized animals. Additionally, only RIPA showed a significant inverse correlation between antibody level at time of challenge and microbiologic response measured as median inclusion forming units (IFU) in culture ( r = −0.89; P C. trachomatis antigens and may be more informative than EB-ELISA and Western blot for assessing the immunogenicity of MOMP vaccines.
Computational Study of Ring-Cusp Magnet Configurations that Provide Maximum Electron Confinement

Enhancing the confinement of primary electrons within the discharge chamber of an ion engine improves the eciency with which ions are produced. Consequently, this improves the ion engine’s performance. The confinement of electrons can be achieved by the application of a static magnetic field. A properly designed magnetic field makes it more dicult for electrons to be absorbed by the anode biased chamber walls. Understanding how to increase the confinement of primary electrons in the discharge chamber by altering the shape of the magnetic field is the objective of this work. The type of magnet circuit considered in this work is that composed of samarium cobalt, ring magnets. From this computational study guidelines are deduced that provide information on the proper spacing of these magnets for maximum primary electron confinement in an axisymmetric discharge chamber constructed of walls that do not interact with the magnetic field. To keep the guidelines as general as possible, ring cusp pairs are studied. The guidelines obtained for these ring cusp pairs can be applied to more complex ring-cusp configurations. Three types of ring-cusp pair arrangements are studied. The first arrangement studied is a front-back wall pair of magnetic rings which face one another, the second configuration studied is a front-side wall pair of magnetic rings at varying angles to one another, and the third configuration investigated is a side-back wall pair of magnet rings at 90 to one another. A fourth study looks at the eect of the radial oset for both the front-back wall and the front-side wall pairings. For these configurations, guidelines on the positioning and orientations of the magnet rings that provide maximum electron containment within the discharge chamber are found. To check the validity of the guidelines obtained from the pair configuration surveys, more complex ring-cusp configurations are studied. The results indicate that the guidelines obtained with the simple pair configurations are applicable to more complex magnetic circuits.
Granular pressure—temperature relation during regime change in a simple shear state

In a recent study, a regime chart was established for sheared granular systems. For a soft particle system under simple shear, the internal stress showed a range of rate dependency. As the particle concentration increased, the system transitioned from a kinetic gas to a plastic solid. This transition was gradual for low stiffness systems but became more abrupt as the stiffness increased. In this study, the relationship between the granular temperature and pressure is investigated for the same system of particles. The granular temperature is defined as the average kinetic energy per unit volume and the pressure is defined as the trace of the stress tensor. It is found that this pressure-temperature ( P-T ) curve depicts a sharp turn when the system moves away from the kinetic gas regime. However, no signature is found in the P-T relationship in other regimes.
Vertex-disjoint cycles of length at most four each of which contains a specified vertex

We obtain a sharp minimum degree condition δ (G) ≥ $\lfloor {\sqrt {\phantom{n^2}n+k^2-3k+1}}\rfloor + 2k-1$ of a graph G of order n ≥ 3k guaranteeing that, for any k distinct vertices, G contains k vertex-disjoint cycles of length at most four each of which contains one of the k prescribed vertices. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 37: 37–47, 2001 This research was carried out while the author resided at the Department of Mathematics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a visiting scholar, supported by JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research Abroad (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) between April, 1999 and March, 2001. AMS subject classification code(1991):05C38.
Cocurrent stratified flow of immiscible liquids

Velocity profile data were taken in both phases of a cocurrent stratified flow system of two immiscible liquids in the turbulent regime. The data were correlated by a method which combined Pai's results for Poiseuille and Couette flows between parallel plates, resulting in values of the drag coefficients for the wall and interface for both phases. These and other dependent parameters were correlated with flow conditions over a range of flow rates for both phases. Correlations of all parameters except the interfacial drag coefficient were found to be symmetrical; that is, a given correlation applied equally well to data from either phase. The interfacial drag coefficient, on the other hand, depended primarily upon the flow intensity of the upper phase, in a manner which was further dependent upon which phase was the faster.
Distribution and dynamics of waterbird habitat during spring in southern Oregon–northeastern California

The southern Oregon-northeastern California and extreme northwestern Nevada (hereafter "SONEC") region provides critical spring migration habitat for waterfowl and other waterbirds in the Pacific Flyway. Information on the dynamics and distribution of waterbird habitats in SONEC during spring is needed to guide conservation efforts in the region. We grouped 1992 National Land Cover Data classes into 5 potential waterbird habitat types and used Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper and Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus satellite imagery to map flooding of these habitat types in SONEC during February-May, 2002 and 2003. SONEC included 13,727 km2 of potential waterbird habitat comprised of grasslands (37.1%), pasture/hay (24.6%), marsh (15.9%), open wetland (11.8%), and croplands (10.6%). On average, 11.9% of this potential habitat was flooded during spring; but the percentage, area, and composi- tion varied within and among years and subregions. Total flooding increased from 693 km2 in February to 2099 km2 in April during 2002 and from 1630 km2 in February to 2125 km2 in May during 2003. Open wetland comprised 58%-74%, marsh 8%-18%, pasture/hay 4%-11%, grassland 4%-17%, and cropland 3%-8% of the flooded habitat in SONEC. Satel- lite imagery and land-use data provided useful estimates of waterbird habitat availability in SONEC during spring, but other methods should be tested to more accurately measure flooding of densely vegetated habitats such as marsh. With <12% of the potential habitat flooded on average during spring, conservation programs have ample opportunity to improve the SONEC landscape for migrating waterbirds.
Dynamic loading impact-induced demagnetization in thin film media

In order to eliminate the contact stress and deformation at the instant of head-disk impact during dynamic loading, the Hertz's impact theory is implemented in the dynamic loading numerical simulator. On the basis of the calculated stress field, inverse magnetostriction effects in longitudinal recording thin film media are considered and demagnetization due to the head-disk impact is simulated. >
Vinflunine: review of a new vinca alkaloid and its potential role in oncology

Objective: To review the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, in vitro and in vivo efficacy, and safety profile of vinflunine in the treatment of various solid tumors.Data sources: A literature search was conducted using keywords included vinflunine, vinca alkaloid, Javlor, and solid tumor in PubMed/MEDLINE (1950—January 2009) and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1950—January 2009). Study selection and data extraction: Published studies, posters, and meeting abstracts evaluating the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of vinflunine were reviewed.Data synthesis: Vinflunine is the newest member of the vinca alkaloid family. It has the weakest affinity to tubulins, but is shown to have unique receptor-independent antiangiogenesis, and antimetastasis properties. After administration, it is distributed extensively into tissues, metabolized via the CYP3A4 system, and eventually excreted in urine and feces. Phase II/III trials reported activities of vinflunine in advanced stage nonsmall-cell lung cancer, metastatic ...
Facial nerve palsy-an unusual complication after evacuation of a subdural haematoma or hygroma in children.

Objective This paper reports and discusses on the possible etiology of postoperative contralateral facial nerve palsy after uneventful evacuation of a subdural haematoma or hygroma after mild head trauma in two children with pre-existing middle cranial fossa subarachnoid cysts.
Parametric Studies on UAV Flying Qualities

When developing an aircraft, one of several important aspects is to predict and properly design the dynamic behaviour of the aircraft. This holds for manned aircraft as well as for UAVs. The optimal dynamic behaviour for an aircraft depends on the mission or purpose: for a certain use an aircraft should be agile, other may require a more stable one. In aeronautics, the properties that describe the aircraft ecacy with respect to some task are known as ying qualities, and our goal is to study their dependence on some design parameters. As a test model we use an existing UAV. After deriving its 6-DOF dynamic model and assessing its baseline characteristics, we perform parametric studies. The strategy followed is divided in two steps: the rst consists on analyzing ying qualities sensitivity to changes in model parameters. The second step studies how specific design changes affect model parameters. Because the rst step only depends on the dynamic model form, we verify, by testing two other dierent aircrafts, that conclusions drawn from this step are valid to other congurations. Finally we show how results from parametric studies can be used to improve the UAV ying qualities regarding a certain mission, through the introduction of slight modications on baseline design.
Fractals in biology

In living systems, many objects in space or processes in time have fractal properties of self-similarity, scaling, and fractal dimension. The author describes these properties and their implications for analyzing data. >
A Sex Difference in Mental Rotation in Young Infants

Three- to 4-month-old female and male human infants were administered a two-dimensional mental-rotation task similar to those given to older children and adults. Infants were familiarized with the number 1 (or its mirror image) in seven different rotations between 0° and 360°, and then preference-tested with a novel rotation of the familiar stimulus paired with its mirror image. Male infants displayed a novelty preference for the mirror-image stimulus over the novel rotation of the familiar stimulus, whereas females divided attention between the two test stimuli. The results point toward an early emergence of a sex difference in mental rotation.
Conditioning Aad A Decision Theory of Response Evocation

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the conditioning and a decision theory of response evocation. Decision theories vary in the nature and complexity of the decision rules leading to the occurrence of some specified behavior. The version employed is of a very simple variety. The state leading to the instigation of a response on a particular trial or at a particular point in time is thought of as existing in some degree of strength. This instigating state may be simple or consist of multiple components, but in the present approach it is initiated by stimulation. There is then another value which is a momentary property of the behaving individual usually called the criterion. When the strength of the instigating state is greater than the criterion, a response occurs, and when it is less than the criterion, there will be no response.
Brokers, Advisors, and the Fiduciary Standard

Financial advisors who have a fiduciary duty receive more than 2/3 of all formal customer complaints despite being slightly fewer in number than brokers. I show that the products and services their employers offer explains this difference; advisors at advisory firms and mutual fund dealers receive more complaints than brokers and advisors at insurance and private placement firms receive fewer. The higher incidence of complaints to advisors is not explained by selection at the beginning of a career, location, or proxies for firm oversight, and is similar in states that impose fiduciary duties uniformly on both groups. Because complaints appear to be related to product and service lines rather than the fiduciary or suitability standards, I find little evidence that imposing a fiduciary standard on brokers will address financial fraud.
Lessons from the developing world: obstructed labor and the vesico-vaginal fistula.

Perhaps one of the most famous accounts of obstructed labor is the case of Princess Charlotte of England. In 1817 Princess Charlotte daughter of George IV was the only eligible heir to the British throne in her generation. Her grandfather George Ill had 7 sons and 5 daughters but Charlotte was the only legitimate grandchild. Thus when the newspapers announced her pregnancy in early July 181 7 the entire country was closely following this most important event in British history. On November 3 1817 42 weeks after her last menstrual period Princess Charlotte went into labor. Fifty hours later -- after 24 hours of being in the second stage of labor and 6 hours of perineal pressure - Charlotte delivered a 9-pound stillborn. Five and one half hours after delivery the Princess died presumably from hypovolemic shock after a postpartum hemorrhage from uterine atony likely a direct result of her obstructed labor. Three months later Sir Richard Crofts Princess Charlottes obstetrician committed suicide unable to bear the burden of responsibility for the death of the heir. As this event resulted in the death of the infant the patient and the physician it has historically been referred to as the "Triple Obstetric Tragedy." Nonetheless some will question how tragic this truly was for the country as after Charlottes death her uncle married Princess Mary Louisa Victoria who went on to give birth to the famous heir Queen Victoria.[] This story serves to illustrate the consequences of obstructed labor. Fortunately advances in obstetric care have made the serious consequences of obstructed labor nearly obsolete in the developed world. However in the developing world obstructed labor continues to be a common serious medical problem with thousands of women suffering significant morbidity each year. This review discusses the morbidity associated with pregnancy in the developing world. In particular the morbidity of obstructed labor will be emphasized with a specific focus on the vesico-vaginal fistula. (excerpt)
Libertas Christiana : Studies in the Theology of John Pupper of Goch (d. 1475)

Very little is known for certain about John Pupper of Goch. He appears to have been a priest of the archdiocese of Utrecht, who founded a convent in Malines in 1459 and who had previously been a rector in Sluis. He may have studied in Cologne, though that is subject to some doubt, or even in Paris, though that remains to be proven. His importance for history lies not in his founding of the Augustinian convent of Thabor but in his composition of four theological treatises, which attacked scholastic theology and monastic theory in the name of the doctrine of Christian liberty.
Literature and Ideology

Art is not always fair. While Randall's critic deserves ridicule for his parochialism, it is possible he offered his prescription less blatantly than the poet reports it. What if the critic actually said something like, "Great writing always transcends the limits of its historical time and ideology."? You can work up a pretty good argument along those lines, particularly the part about great writing going beyond ideology. After all, the set of ideas usually labeled Humanism in the academy has made a tradition of the search for timeless constants, and its sophisticated adherents can adapt to its purpose the example of Karl Marx, who persisted in his love for ancient Greek literature, not to mention the conservative Balzac. Ordinarily they would not approve Marx, but here he is just fine because he seems to set literature loose from its context. On a more vulgar level the idea of transcendent literature has currency among book reviewers. Even as they express appreciation of the achievements of ethnic writers, they can foresee an era when such fine writing will not require the critic to observe that authors speak the idiom of group or gender. Writing will just be writing. This idea is anathema to the nationalist for good reasons. And for bad reasons too. Again a bit of poetry is in order, this time a stanza William J. Harris quotes from Al Young's militant versifier 0. O. Gabugah:
An ecology of sensibility: The politics of scents and stigma in Japan:

The smell of real leather: as you slide on new shoes, or slip into a new car. Luxury. Refinement. Juxtapose this with the person who inappropriately smells of leather, of animal flesh. The nose curls with even the thought: contagion and filth, a different kind of person. These divergent sensibilities of the smell of leather exist alongside each other in contemporary Japan, each requiring a discriminating nose to demarcate sets of smell and sets of people. Set against this backdrop of aromatic bivalency, this paper examines how smell and the capacity for olfaction become key elements in the identification of stigma in Japan. I explore the ecology of interrelating sensibilities that compose the politics of stigma. The Buraku people have historically been marginalized in Japan because of associations with stigmatized industries such as leather and meat production. Since the 1970s, the groundwork for asserting such associations has been dramatically reconfigured. This paper focuses on the changing practices b...
Sucrose Mixed with Spinosad Enhances Kill and Reduces Oviposition of Rhagoletis indifferens (Diptera: Tephritidae) Under Low Food Availability

Abstract Whether sugar mixed with insecticides enhances kill of western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae), may depend on insecticide rate and food availability. Here, we tested the hypothesis that sucrose mixed with the insecticide spinosad (in the Entrust® SC formulation) enhances kill of adults and reduces oviposition when food is scarce. Three- to 5-d-old flies were exposed to a low or high rate of dried spinosad or spinosad mixed with sucrose in the presence of (a) supplemental food in the form of yeast extract + sucrose (YE + S) and sweet cherries (Prunus avium [L.] L.) or (b) only sweet cherries. Cherries were a food source and an oviposition substrate. At the low spinosad rate, sucrose enhanced fly kill over spinosad alone under both food conditions the first 4 d or during all 7 d of experiments. At the high spinosad rate, sucrose enhanced kill only when supplemental food was absent. Sucrose-enhanced spinosad did not reduce oviposition versus spinosad alone at ...
Morphological feature of bio-waste oil in Raman spectrum

Objective To describe the morphological feature of bio-w aste oil in Raman spectrum for the discrimination of bio-w aste oil from edible vegetable oil. Methods The morphology and difference in Raman spectrum for biow aste oil and edible vegetable oil were compared and analyzed. Results In the full-and extended-range Raman spectra at the wavelength of 532 nm,there was a morphological feature of smooth bulk peak for various bio-w aste oil samples which was not observed in all the samples of edible vegetable oil. The peaks of bio-w aste oil samples in the first-derivative extended-range spectrum could be effectively distinguished form those of edible vegetable oil samples and the difference in the first-derivative full-range spectrum betw een the bio-w aste oil and edible vegetable oil could be used to quantify the amount of adulterated bio-w aste oil in vegetable oil. Conclusion A smooth bulk peak in Raman spectrum exists universally in the detection of various bio-w aste oil samples and could be used in the detection of adulterated biow aste oil in edible vegetable oil.
The Gray Comprehensive Evaluation of CIO's Competency Model

Based on Spencer's five generic competency models,a competency model on CIO was established by means of literature research,expert interview and questionnaire.The competency index weight on every level was determined by using the analytic hierarchy process(AHP).Through qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis,the CIO competency multilevel gray evaluation method and application examples were given.The results showed that multi-level gray evaluation method is more suitable than other assessments on the comprehensive evaluation of models which contain a lot of qualitative indexex.
Immunologie Defenses Against Cancer

The obvious end point sought in studies of the immunologic character of cancers is development of clinical means for immunization. But long before this is achieved, immunologists hope to contribute to knowledge of the etiology of malignant disease—particularly the role of viruses—and to determine the validity of the concept that cell-mediated immunity provides a natural anticancer “surveillance” system.
Distance Evaluation Effects in Advertising

It is argued people have learned over the course of their lives that cues associated with a source of stress diminish with an increase in distance from that source. This benefit should have increasing appeal to persons experiencing increasing levels of source specific stress. Two experiments, utilizing different populations of respondents, examine the effects of distance from a place of work on evaluations of advertised vacation resorts by persons experiencing different levels of work-related stress. In the first study, a strong linear trend in favorable attitudes toward a distant (as opposed to a close) resort was found as a function of increasing levels of work-related stress. In the second study, that linear trend was eliminated (replicated) through the presence (absence) of a work-related retrieval cue. The results suggest that distant locations appear attractive because of their perceived escape/avoidance value. That value increases as a function of work-related stress, which has attitudinal consequences contingent upon the availability of cues reminding respondents of work. Implications of the results in terms of the meaning of leisure, the development of more effective advertising appeals, as well as reconsidering past views of distance barriers between people and locations, are discussed.
Reading Hierarchies in Code: Assessment of a Basic Computational Skill

One of the skills that comprise computational thinking is the ability to read code and reason about the hierarchical relationships between different blocks, expressions, elements, or other types of nodes, depending on the language. In this study, we present three new instruments for assessing different aspects of reading hierarchies in code, including vocabulary, reasoning, and fluency. One of these instruments is Nester, an interactive tool we have designed to elicit mental models about the hierarchical structure of code in computing languages ranging from HTML, CSS, and LaTeX to JavaScript and Lisp. We describe a lab study in which we administered these instruments to 24 participants with varying degrees of web development experience. We report findings from this study, including participants' ability to define, reason about, and manipulate hierarchies in code, and the errors and misconceptions that relate to them. Finally, we discuss avenues for future work.
Distribution and pharmacology of the enkephalins

It is now just over two years since the publication of the structures of two peptides found in the brain which possessed potent opiate agonist activity (Hughes et al., 1975; Simantov and Snyder, 1976). These peptides were named enkephalins and had structures H2 N-Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met-OH ([Met5]-enkephalin) and H2 N-Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu-OH ([Leu5]-enkephalin). The structure of [Met5]-enkephalin is contained in its entirety within the sequence of the hormone β-lipotropin (β-LPH), a 91-amino acid peptide in which [Met5]-enkephalin constitutes residues 61–65 (Hughes et al., 1975). Moreover, peptides with sequences ranging from β-LPH61–65 ([Met5]. enkephalin) to β-LPH61–91 all seem to possess opiate agonist activity (Bradbury et al., 1976a; Cox et al., 1976; Lazarus et al., 1976). Several of these related peptides, β-LPH61–91 (β-endorphin), β-LPH61–76 (α-endorphin) and β-LPH61–77 (γ-endorphin) have now been isolated from the brain, pituitary or gastrointestinal tract of several species (Bradbury et al., 1976b; Bloom et al., 1978). These observations have stimulated research in many areas of neurobiology and results have been obtained suggesting that the opiate peptides have fundamental roles in many neuronal and endocrine mechanisms.
Irradiation to Control Quarantine Insects in Exported Fresh Commodities: Pioneering Generic Doses

INTRODUCTION World trade in agricultural commodities continues to grow. As agricultural trade expands, it increases the risk of introducing exotic insects into new areas where they may become plant pests. The establishment of new pests can be costly due to increased crop damage, control programs, and quarantine restrictions on trade. Quarantine or phytosanitary treatments such as cold, fumigation, heat, and irradiation disinfest host commodities of insect pests before they are exported to areas where the pests do not occur.
Information and communication technologies for education in developing countries

Many strategists are considering how to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to address the myriad problems in the educational sector of underdeveloped countries and regions. Many developing countries are implementing national plans to ensure that every public school and community center in the country has at least one computer with an Internet connection. This can be done by repurposing old computers, providing correct bandwidth for Internet connection, protecting computers, and using digital learning environments for teachers and students.
Kinetics of poly(ethylene glycol) extraction into water from plasticized disulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) desalination membranes prepared by solvent-free melt processing

Abstract Disulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone)s (BPS) random copolymers have been used as membranes for purifying water and generating electricity. These membranes can be prepared by solvent-free, melt extrusion using a proper plasticizer. Poly(ethylene glycol), PEG, materials are used as plasticizers to extrude thin, single layer BPS membranes and need to be extracted from the films before their use as membranes. Since PEG materials are water soluble, they can, in principle, be water extracted after melt extrusion. Experimental and theoretical studies of several factors influencing the diffusion of PEG from these films are needed in order to optimize this route to membrane preparation. The rate of PEG extraction is affected by the molecular weight ( M n ) and concentration (wt%) of PEG in the extruded BPS-20K/PEG films, as well as the temperature. When the early time approximation and complete solution of a Fickian model were used to analyze the kinetic desorption of PEG materials from the extruded films, they were found to describe the data. The diffusion coefficients of the PEG materials determined from this analysis correlated well with temperature and follow the Arrhenius equation.
Interaction of Stokes' edge waves with near-shore ice formation

L'interaction des ondes de Stokes cotieres avec la formation de la glace pres des rivages est envisagee sous deux aspects. On etudie d'une part l'influence d'une suspension de fragments de glace sur les classiques ondes de Stokes cotieres et d'autre part la possibilite que les bancs de glace et plus tard les monticules de glace ou volcans puissent tirer leur origine des ondes cotieres. Ces resultats montrent que l'effet d'un champ de glaces tres fragmentees a une influence negligeable sur l'equation de la dispersion de Stokes pour les longueurs d'ondes generalement observees, mais que la presence d'onde de Stokes cotieres stationnaires peut conduire a l'apparition de bancs de glace lorsque la mer gele pres de la cote