cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conformational Properties of Sodium Polystyrenesulfonate in Water: Insights from a Coarse-Grained Model with Explicit Solvent.

Polymer solutions present a significant computational challenge because chemical realism on small length scales can be important, but the polymer molecules are very large. In polyelectrolyte solutions, there is often the additional complexity that the molecules consist of hydrophobic and charged groups, which makes an accurate treatment of the solvent, water, crucial. One route to achieve this balance is through coarse-grained models where several atoms on a monomer are grouped into one interaction site. In this work, we develop a coarse grained (CG) model for sodium polystyrenesulfonate (NaPSS) in water using a methodology consistent with the MARTINI coarse-graining philosophy, where four heavy atoms are grouped into one CG site. We consider two models for water: polarizable MARTINI (POL) and big multipole water (BMW). In each case, interaction parameters for the polymer sites are obtained by matching the potential of mean force between two monomers to results of atomistic simulations. The force field ba...
Neuroaxial catheters following abdominal surgery and their impact on the use of Drotrecogin alfa (activated) in sepsis.

Neuroaxial anaesthesia reduces the risk of postoperative complications, but in high-risk patients undergoing major abdominal surgery the benefits of neuroaxial anaesthesia are less clear [1,2]. A significant proportion of patients develop sepsis following laparotomy. Recently Drotrecogin alfa (activated) has been shown to reduce the risk of death from sepsis [3]. Due to the increased risk of bleeding the presence of a neuroaxial catheter is an absolute contraindication to its use. We hypothesized that the presence of a neuroaxial catheter excludes a significant number of septic patients from receiving this potentially beneficial therapy.
Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells, immune stimulation and host defence against infection.

The immune system is intricately regulated allowing potent effectors to expand and become rapidly mobilized after infection, while simultaneously silencing potentially detrimental responses that averts immune-mediated damage to host tissues. This relies in large part on the delicate interplay between immune suppressive regulatory CD4+ T (Treg) cells and immune effectors that without active suppression by Treg cells cause systemic and organ-specific autoimmunity. Although these beneficial roles have been classically described as counterbalanced by impaired host defence against infection, newfound protective roles for Treg cells against specific viral pathogens (e.g. herpes simplex virus 2, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, West Nile virus) have been uncovered using transgenic mice that allow in vivo Treg-cell ablation based on Foxp3 expression. In turn, Foxp3+ Treg cells also provide protection against some parasitic (Plasmodium sp., Toxoplasma gondii) and fungal (Candida albicans) pathogens. By contrast, for bacterial and mycobacterial infections (e.g. Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, Mycobacterium tuberculosis), experimental manipulation of Foxp3+ cells continues to indicate detrimental roles for Treg cells in host defence. This variance is probably related to functional plasticity in Treg cell suppression that shifts discordantly following infection with different types of pathogens. Furthermore, the efficiency whereby Treg cells silence immune activation coupled with the plasticity in Foxp3+ cell activity suggest that overriding Treg-mediated suppression represents a prerequisite ‘signal zero’ that together with other stimulation signals [T-cell receptor (signal 1), co-stimulation (signal 2), inflammatory cytokines (signal 3)] are essential for T-cell activation in vivo. Herein, the importance of Foxp3+ Treg cells in host defence against infection, and the significance of infection-induced shifts in Treg-cell suppression are summarized.
Proposed Regulations on Noncompensatory Options: A Light at the End of the Tunnel

It has become increasingly common for partnerships to issue options. There is a dearth of authority on the federal tax treatment of options to acquire interests in partnerships. In this context, there are two main categories of options, services options and noncompensatory options. Services options, unsurprisingly, are options to acquire partnership interests where the option is received in exchange for services. Noncompensatory options cover the rest of the waterfront. The simplest version of the latter would be partnership analog to normal options found outside the partnership context: the option holder pays the partnership an option premium to acquire an option to purchase a partnership interest sometime in the future for a fixed price. A previous article by this author discussed services options (Walter D. Schwidetzky, Options to Acquire Partnership Interests, Can the Tax Law Keep Pace? 20(2) Journal of Investment Taxation 99 (Winter 2003)), and this article serves as a companion piece, focusing primarily on the recently issued proposed regulations on the tax treatment of noncompensatory options. The article will describe and analyze the proposed regulations and offer alternatives.
On constant-round concurrent zero-knowledge

Loosely speaking, an interactive proof is said to be zeroknowledge if the view of every "efficient" verifier can be "efficiently" simulated. An outstanding open question regarding zero-knowledge is whether constant-round concurrent zero-knowledge proofs exists for non-trivial languages. We answer this question to the affirmative when modeling "efficient adversaries" as probabilistic quasi-polynomial time machines (instead of the traditional notion of probabilistic polynomial-time machines).
Mnemonic-Strategy Reduction of Prose-Learning Interference.

One hundred and sixty college students read three fictitious biographical passages according to either imagery-mnemonic or no-strategy control instructions. In one mnemonic condition, subjects formed separate images involving each biographical name and its associated facts: in another mnemonic condition, the biographical name and its associated facts were integrated within a single composite image. Relative to an interference-control condition, integrated mnemonic subjects recalled more factual information, whereas separate mnemonic subjects did not. In addition, the recall of integrated mnemonic subjects was statistically no different from that of a noninterference control condition, whereas the recall of separate mnemonic subjects was lower. Both theoretical and educational implications of the results are discussed.
Changes in the metabolism of sphingolipids after subarachnoid hemorrhage

We previously described how ceramide (Cer), a mediator of cell death, increases in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients. This study investigates the alterations of biochemical pathways involved in Cer homeostasis in SAH. Cer, dihydroceramide (DHC), sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), and the activities of acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase), neutral sphingomyelinase (NSMase), sphingomyelinase synthase (SMS), S1P-lyase, and glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) were determined in the CSF of SAH subjects and in brain homogenate of SAH rats. Compared with controls (n = 8), SAH patients (n = 26) had higher ASMase activity (10.0 ± 3.5 IF/µl· min vs. 15.0 ± 4.6 IF/µl • min; P = 0.009) and elevated levels of Cer (11.4 ± 8.8 pmol/ml vs. 33.3 ± 48.3 pmol/ml; P = 0.001) and DHC (1.3 ± 1.1 pmol/ml vs. 3.8 ± 3.4 pmol/ml; P = 0.001) in the CSF. The activities of GCS, NSMase, and SMS in the CSF were undetectable. Brain homogenates from SAH animals had increased ASMase activity (control: 9.7 ± 1.2 IF/µg • min; SAH: 16.8 ± 1.6 IF/µg • min; P < 0.05) and Cer levels (control: 3,422 ± 26 fmol/nmol of total lipid P; SAH: 7,073 ± 2,467 fmol/nmol of total lipid P; P < 0.05) compared with controls. In addition, SAH was associated with a reduction of 60% in S1P levels, a 40% increase in S1P-lyase activity, and a twofold increase in the activity of GCS. In comparison, NSMase and SMS activities were similar to controls and SMS activities similar to controls. In conclusion, our results show an activation of ASMase, S1P-lyase, and GCS resulting in a shift in the production of protective (S1P) in favor of deleterious (Cer) sphingolipids after SAH. Additional studies are needed to determine the effect of modulators of the pathways described here in SAH. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fine Mapping of a Genetic Locus for Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome on Chromosome 19p

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) was recently mapped in a single report to the telomeric region of chromosome 19p (A. Hemminki et al., Nat. Genet., 15: 87-90, 1997). Our studies confirm this location and provide further localization of the PJS locus. In the five families examined, there were no recombinants with the marker D19S886. The multipoint log odds score at D19S886 is 7.52, and we found no evidence for genetic heterogeneity. We also found that all carriers expressed the PJS phenotype and no noncarriers displayed PJS sequellae, indicating complete penetrance with no sporadic cases.
Age Limits of Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics, Council on Child Health, Pediatrics,1972;49:463

The purview of pediatrics includes the growth, development, and health of the child and therefore begins in the period before birth when conception is apparent. It continues through childhood and adolescence when the growth and developmental processes are generally completed. The responsibility of pediatrics therefore may begin during pregnancy and usually terminates by 21 years of age.1 Short and concise, yet this Statement developed by the Council on Child Health of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and published in 1972 had a monumental impact on the health of teenagers, as well as on the practice of pediatrics. An earlier position of the AAP (1938) had defined the upper limits of pediatric practice to extend “well into adolescence.”2 Although some pediatricians at the time were seeing early adolescents, many chose to discontinue care for patients who were approximately 12 years of age. The age cutoff for admission to hospital pediatric services was 14 years. It is noteworthy that in 1969, the Council on Child Health had been charged with updating this position. What transpired in the 3 years that intervened reflects perceptions about the respective practice domains of the other specialties, as well as changing views about the health of adolescents. According to those close to the debates that took place, the Statement went …
Simultaneous confidence intervals for a success probability and intraclass correlation, with an application to screening mammography

This paper provides asymptotic simultaneous confidence intervals for a success probability and intraclass correlation of the beta-binomial model, based on the maximum likelihood estimator approach. The coverage probabilities of those intervals are evaluated. An application to screening mammography is presented as an example. The individual and simultaneous confidence intervals for sensitivity and specificity and the corresponding intraclass correlations are investigated. Two additional examples using influenza data and sex ratio data among sibships are also considered, where the individual and simultaneous confidence intervals are provided.
Anesthetic sites on GABAA receptors

Abstract Enhancement of GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition is the major candidate mechanism for the molecular action of general anesthetics. The GABAA receptors are members of the cys-loop superfamily of ligand-gated ion channel receptors whose structures are being elucidated. Benzodiazepines, barbiturates and non-barbiturate intravenous anesthetics, ethanol and other alcohols, volatile anesthetics, and neuroactive steroids modulate GABAA receptor function, via allosteric sites on the receptor protein. The benzodiazepine binding sites are located in the extracellular domain at subunit interfaces, similar to agonist binding pockets; these ‘agonist sites’ may be sensitive to other modulators. We showed that modulation by intravenous anesthetics requires residues in the membrane-spanning domain, TM1, while others found that volatile anesthetic modulation requires residues in TM2 and TM3. Affinity labeling of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors with anesthetic ligands by Cohen and associates reveals attachment to these membrane-spanning domains as well as residues in the agonist binding pockets and the pre-TM1 region. We purified bovine brain GABAA receptor protein to homogeneity in mg quantities using refined benzodiazepine affinity chromatography in mild detergent, and photolabeled with [3H]azi-etomidate. A single band on SDS–PAGE corresponding to the GABAA receptor β2/3 subunit was obtained in amounts suitable for microsequencing to identify the binding site.
4-Aminopyridine in the treatment of alzheimer's disease

The cognitive and behavioral effect of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) was examined in Alzheimer's disease (AD) using a dose finding/replication study design. Fourteen inpatients, aged 54-89 years (mean 66.1 +/- 10.6 SD), meeting NINCDS criteria for probable AD, were studied. Three doses of 4-AP--2.5 mg b.i.d., 5 mg b.i.d., and 10 mg b.i.d.--or placebo were administered for 4 consecutive days in random order. Symptomatic assessment was performed on the fourth day of each condition using the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS). Thereafter, the dose on which the best performance occurred was readministered, as was placebo. Of the 13 patients who completed the dose-finding phase, 7 patients had at least one dose of 4-AP that was associated with less severe symptoms than was placebo, and those patients were included in the replication phase. Results indicated no significant difference in total ADAS scores (p greater than 0.05). Examination of the ADAS subscales revealed no significant 4-AP effect on any particular symptom. Possible explanations of the lack of a drug effect in this study include the unselective release of neurotransmitters by 4-AP, poor penetration into the central nervous system (CNS), and the presenile onset of the disease in these patients.
Site of Oxygen Chemisorption on the GaAs(110) Surface

We reconcile energy-loss spectroscopy and chemical-shift studies of the oxidation of the GaAs(110) surface, which previously have led to contradictory conclusions about the oxygen bonding site. We have calculated densities of states and 100-eV ultraviolet-photo-electron-spectroscopy (UPS) valence-band spectra to examine the site and molecular species of the chemisorbed oxygen. We conclude that for low coverages oxygen prefers to chemisorb to the surface arsenic atoms and chemisorbs as an ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ molecule.
In situ characterization of halide adsorption and Ag-halide growth on Ag(111) electrodes using atomic force microscopy

The structure and growth of halide adlayers and bulk Ag-halide deposits on Ag(111) has been studied by in situ atomic force microscopy as a function of electrode potential. For solutions containing F− and Cl−, only the underlying Ag(111) structure is observed at all potentials. However, for Br− and I−-containing solutions ordered overlayers are present on the surface. In the Br− case, a (3 × 3) structure is observed at positive potentials while this overlayer is removed from the surface following cathodic potential excursions. In the I− case, a (√3 × √3) R30° structure is present on the surface throughout the entire potential range. Dissolution of the Ag(111) surface occurs at positive potentials in solutions containing F− and Cl− ions. However, the extent of dissolution response was less in chloride than in fluoride. In Br−-containing solutions, features not over 5 nm high grow on the surface upon initially cycling the potential positive. These features are removed from the surface upon returning the potential to more negative values leaving a much rougher surface. Subsequent positive potential scans give rise to a general smoothing of the surface and the protrusions seen on the initial sweep are not present. We attribute these two different processes to AgBr growth on the Ag(111) surface. The initial formation of AgBr on the surface considerably alters the Ag surface, producing nm-scale roughness which strongly affects subsequent AgBr growth. Anodic growth also occurs on Ag(111) in I−-containing solutions. The surface develops protrusions and becomes rougher after the initial cycle to positive potentials. When the potential is swept back negative, the rough surface features remain. Subsequent anodic potential sweeps results in a series of islands or protrusions appearing over the entire surface. The small islands are removed from the surface at negative potentials leaving a slightly rougher surface. When Ag(111) is immersed in I−-containing solution, growth occurs initially at positive potentials. Upon subsequent positive potential sweeps, island growth and surface roughening occurs.
Low temperature selective epitaxial growth of SiCP on Si(110) oriented surfaces

Abstract We demonstrate growth of SiCP film on Si(110) substrates with excellent structural quality, based on X-Ray Diffraction, Cross-sectional Transmission Electron Microscopy and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry analysis. This (110) surface orientation is very important since it represents the sidewall of recessed Source/Drain (S/D) areas when the film is used as an embedded stressor to induce uniaxial tensile strain in a planar transistor. An optimized (110) SiCP growth process can also be used to thicken the S/D regions of non-planar multi-gate device structures (e.g. Fin Field Effect Transistors, Tri-gate FETs) with a highly doped epitaxial film in order to enable good electrical contacts and/or induce strain. The films have been grown using Si 3 H 8 , SiH 3 CH 3 and PH 3 for growth and Cl 2 as the etchant gas, all in inert carrier gas. H 2 has been eliminated, preventing Cl 2 from reacting with H 2 yielding HCl, since Cl 2 is needed to establish selectivity. We present trends on temperature, total pressure, SiH 3 CH 3 , PH 3 and Cl 2 etch flow. We studied selective epitaxial growth (SEG) in the 525–575 °C range. Thanks to the use of Si 3 H 8 we can obtain high SEG rates even at 525 °C in conjunction with a high deposition pressure of 20 kPa (~ 150 Torr). It is observed that the growth rate, carbon concentration, phosphorous concentration and etch rate of SiCP on Si (110) differs greatly from that on Si (100). A process optimized specifically for Si(100) surfaces may yield no growth on Si(110) surfaces. However, optimizing a process on Si(110) is assured to result in growth on Si(100). Comparing one process optimized on Si(110) with the results on Si(100), we found a substantially lower SEG rate, higher [P] incorporation and lower [C] incorporation on Si(110). One key criterion for growth on patterned substrates with Si(110) sidewalls is that the SEG rate on the sidewall must be ≥ 0; otherwise the vertical sidewall will be etched and undercut of the spacer will occur, degrading the structural quality of the transistor and potentially impacting the electrical performance of the device.
Effects of unidirectional pressure on the thermal E.M.F. of Bi2Te3

Abstract The change of thermal e.m.f. in Bi 2 Te 3 single crystals when unidirectional pressure is applied along the trigonal axis was measured at room temperature. The fractional change of the thermal e.m.f. along the trigonal axis under such pressure appears to approach a saturation value of a few per cent, and is positive for the p -type, negative for the n -type. The magnitude of the change varies with the carrier density, and may be explained qualitatively in terms of the change of the carrier density by the pressure.
A novel cyclical approach to the oxygen producing mechanism of photosynthesis.

Abstract A cyclic mechanism involving a dioxolium type intermediate is proposed for the photosynthetic formation of oxygen. The mechanism correlates many observations in photosynthesis from the structure of substances replacing water as electron source to the number of quanta required to make oxygen. The mechanism makes specific predictions, e.g. as to the oxidation product of these substances and concerning the variability of the number of quanta required.
Cathodoluminescence study of novel sol-gel derived Y3-xAl5O12:Tbx phosphors

Abstract The synthesis, physical characterization and cathodoluminescence (CL) of sol–gel derived Y 3− x Al 5 O 12 : Tb x 3+ (YAG, x =0.03–0.15) powders is presented. Metal–alkoxide organic precursors were used as the starting materials to form the sol–gel with the required stoichiometry. At a temperature between 900 and 950°C the non-crystalline xero–gel fully crystallized to form the single-phase YAG powder. The powder X-ray diffraction showed that the garnet structure and all reflections were indexed without any other secondary impurity phases. From the CL spectrum, all possible transitions 5 D 4 → 7 F 1…6 due to Tb 3+ in YAG structure were identified including the bright green emission at 548 nm. The highest luminance at a fixed beam current density was observed for the Tb concentration of x =0.12 (4% atomic). The CL intensity increased linearly with current densities from 1 to 60 μA/cm 2 but remained nearly constant from 60 to 100 μA/cm 2 . Two exponentially decaying functions that were fitted to the pulsed-CL decay curve illustrated the emission decay from 5 D 4 and 5 D 3 to 7 F J levels with their characteristic lifetimes. Both CL luminance and the decay time are comparable with commercially available optimized phosphors used for CRT and FED applications.
Local versus global stereopsis: two mechanisms?

Abstract Depth sensations are measured for a range of disparities and bar widths. The data show no evidence that stereopsis involves separate local and global modes of processing.
SiC and Si3N4 Recession Due to SiO2 Scale Volatility Under Combustor Conditions

SiC and Si3N4 materials were tested under various turbine engine combustion environments, chosen to represent either conventional fuel-lean or fuel-rich mixtures proposed for high speed aircraft. Representative CVD, sintered, and composite materials were evaluated in both furnace and high pressure burner rig exposure. While protective SiO2 scales form in all cases, evidence is presented to support paralinear growth kinetics, i.e. parabolic growth moderated simultaneously by linear volatilization. The volatility rate is dependent on temperature, moisture content, system pressure, and gas velocity. The burner tests were used to map SiO2 volatility (and SiC recession) over a range of temperature, pressure, and velocity. The functional dependency of material recession (volatility) that emerged followed the form: exp(-Q/RT) * Px * vy. These empirical relations were compared to rates predicted from the thermodynamics of volatile SiO and SiOxHv reaction products and a kinetic model of diffusion through a moving ...
The Single Individual and the Normative Question

AbstractMy claim in this essay is that Kierkegaard’s concept of “the single individual” is a precursor of “the normative question” in Christine Korsgaard’s The Sources of Normativity. The normative question refers to what one asks oneself when considering whether one is obligated by a particular moral claim, and it essentially serves to illustrate the necessity of justifying these claims from a first-person perspective. The single individual is a concept Kierkegaard employs throughout his works to emphasize the first-person perspective that an individual must bring to bear on issues of existential significance. I analyze the correlations between Kierkegaard’s notion of the single individual and Korsgaard’s notion of normativity, and suggest what these correlations more broadly indicate about moral theory.
Qualidade de frutos de laranjeira Valência cultivada sob sistema tecnificado

The effect of a technological package implemented in a Valencia orange orchard was studied and compared with the conventional system, based on the production and quality of the fruits harvested. The technologies implemented included the densification, fertilization during implantation and training, phytosanitary treatment, weed management, irrigation and pruning. The results for the fruits from the first harvest showed that the Technified System and Irrigation (TS + I) resulted in significant increase in crop yield. This increase was higher in orchards with a higher density of 727 plants ha-1 (5.5 x 2.5 m spacing) or 667 plants ha-1 (6.0 x 2.5 m spacing). In general, irrigation concomitant with TS resulted in larger sized fruits and consequently less fruit per standard sized box, and lower soluble solids and titrable acidity. There was no effect on juice yield with the production system or spacing. It is concluded that, in this first evaluation, orchard management technologies concomitant with irrigation (TS + I) is interesting because promoted an increase in crop yield compared to conventional systems.
Graphic bar display of on-line physiological data using a minicomputer, DAC, and conventional servo recorder

A method is described for providing an on-line bar graph display of physiological data. A conventional servo recorder is coupled with an 8-bit digital-to-analog converter, and provides a low-cost, hard-copy graphic display peripheral that can be added to any laboratory type minicomputer system with buffered output data lines. The graphic display technique requires minimal memory allocations and a simple software algorithm to provide a flexible graphic system that can accommodate various types of biological data.
Transcription of Nonrepeated DNA in Mouse Brain

Under normal conditions of DNA renaturation, about 60 percent of mouse DNA fragments renature at a rate consistent with their being present only once per sperm. These nonrepeated sequences (also called single-copy or unique) may be used in RNA-DNA hybridization experiments to provide quantitative estimates of RNA diversity. About 10 percent of the mouse single-copy sequences are transcribed in mouse brain tissue. Estimates of about 3 percent were obtained for mouse liver and kidney RNA's. If only one of the complementary DNA strands is transcribed, this hybridization value implies that the equivalent of at least 300,000 different sequences of 1000 nucleotides are expressed in mouse brain tissue. It is suggested that the large amount of DNA in mammals is functionally important, and that a substantial proportion of the genome is expressed in the brain.
Role of isospin in neutron- and alpha-induced reactions

The effects of including isospin in proton-induced reactions have been previously discussed. The effects are most important for heavy nuclei, where a substantial enhancement in proton decay of the compound nucleus is predicted. A comparable study for neutrons and alpha particles shows effects which are largest for light nuclei. The most important consequences are an enhancement in alpha decay and a slight reduction in proton and neutron decay, with some effects persisting for higher stages of multistep reactions.
On the H-ZSM-5 catalyzed formation of ethylene from methanol or higher olefins

Abstract The distributions of olefins formed in the HZSM-5 catalyzed total conversions of methanol and heptene-1 were examined at low partial pressures as a function of contact time. The results clearly indicated that ethylene was only obtained at long contact times, and then via secondary reequilibration of the primary kinetic olefinic products, propylene and butenes.
Is cryopreservation of sperm effective for preserving fertility in adolescents and young adults with cancer

Is cryopreservation of sperm effective for preserving fertility in adolescents and young adults with cancer?
An approach to the permanental-dominance conjecture

Abstract The permanental-dominance conjecture for positive semidefinite Hermitian matrices A has attracted much interest in the last ten years. A stronger conjecture, that the maximal eigenvalue of the Schur power matrix ∏ A is per A , would if true imply the dominance of the permanent. We prove that should the maximum-eigenvalue conjecture fail in the real case, then the smallest n for which it fails must be such that it fails at a singular matrix having certain properties, including zero row sums. Many of our results were also obtained independently by J. P. Holmes and Tom Pate at Auburn University.
Lymphadenectomy for invasive bladder cancer: I. historical perspective and contemporary rationale.

The role of extended lymphadenectomy in bladder cancer was introduced by Donald Skinner some years ago, and caused some controversy at the time. Since then, it has been reported by other influential urologists as being of benefit to patients with this condition. In this issue, two of the mini-reviews are dedicated to a full description of this concept, giving a historical perspective, the rationale for the procedure, the technical aspects, and indicating important prognostic factors.
A Mode Propagation Database Suitable for Code Validation Utilizing the NASA Glenn Advanced Noise Control Fan and Artificial Sources

The NASA Glenn Research Center's Advanced Noise Control Fan (ANCF) was developed in the early 1990s to provide a convenient test bed to measure and understand fan-generated acoustics, duct propagation, and radiation to the farfield. A series of tests were performed primarily for the use of code validation and tool validation. Rotating Rake mode measurements were acquired for parametric sets of: (i) mode blockage, (ii) liner insertion loss, (iii) short ducts, and (iv) mode reflection.
Hydrogenated amorphous silicon films in palladium Schottky barrier cells

Abstract The electrical and chemical properties of palladium Schottky barrier cells were investigated for hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films made in d.c. proximity and d.c. cathodic glow discharges in silane. Water vapor adversely affects the performance of palladium Schottky barrier cells made with either type of a-Si:H film. For palladium contacts on proximity films, exposure to humidity causes oxygen and hydrogen to accumulate in the vicinity of the Pd-(a-Si:H) interface. However, for palladium contacts on cathodic films the presence of water vapor promotes a chemical reaction, even at room temperature, to form a new material consisting of palladium, silicon, oxygen and hydrogen.
Crude oil from the Kalamkas field

This article reports on a study of a sample of commercial mixed crude from a field on the Buzachi Peninsula (Kazakh SSR). Kalamkas is a multireservoir field, the oil- and gas-bearing strata being mainly in the Lower Cretaceous and Jurassic. The oil is high in density, viscosity, and carbon residue, and it contains large amounts of resinous-asphaltic substances and sulfur, with little paraffin. The oil contains considerable amounts of metals, in particular vanadium and nickel. The diesel fuel cuts do not meet the requirements of the diesel fuel standards for sulfur content, and the 240-350/sup 0/C cut also fails to meet the requirements for kinematic viscosity at 20/sup 0/C. The 350-490/sup 0/C cut meets all of the requirements for catalytic cracking feed, including the limit on metal content. The total potential content of distillate lube stocks is 20.3% on crude, and the total potential content of residual lube stocks is 22.1%. Includes 4 tables.
Research Note: Segregated by Age: Are We Becoming More Divided?

This study investigates the extent to which older (age 60 and over) and younger (age 20–34) Americans live in the same neighborhoods. It documents residential segregation by age in 1990, 2000, and 2010 at multiple scales and examines how degrees of age segregation vary across geographic space. Multi-level analysis illustrates the extent to which segregation occurs between states, between counties, between county subdivisions, and at the microscale between blocks within county subdivisions. Mapping and spatial analysis analyze geographic variation in age segregation, assessing regional patterns, and demonstrating spatial clustering. Results show that at the microscale older and younger adults are moderately segregated (at a similar extent as are Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites), and age segregation is stark in certain geographic areas that experience segregation at both macro- and micro-levels.
Low-level atmospheric sulfur dioxide measurement using HPLC/fluorescence detection

An automated technique for measuring SO2 in ambient air has been developed. Air is passed through a gas/liquid exchange coil with an aqueous absorber solution containing 10 ~tM formaldehyde and 0.84 mM Na:EDTA. The SOz rapidly equilibrates with bisulfite (HSO~) and sulfite (SO~-) in the aqueous solution. The aqueous S(IV) is subsequently reacted with o-phthalaldehyde in the presence of excess ethanolamine to form a fluorescent isoindole in a continuous flow stream. This derivative is then separated using reversed phase HPLC and detected via fluorescence with excitation and emission wavelengths at 330 and 380 nm, respectively. The lower limit of detection is 7 pptv (S/N = 3), with a measurement period of eight minutes per sample. The instrument response is linear over several orders of magnitude.
Fine-structure mapping of the complex locus Odc-rs5 relative to Igk and distal loci.

Odc-rs5 was previously identified as a complex locus closely linked to the Igk complex on mouse Chromosome (Chr) 6 and comprising at least five copies of a sequence related to the mRNA encoding ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in the genomes of mice of some inbred strains and at least seven copies in others (Richards-Smith and Elliott, Mammalian Genome 2: 215, 1992). In the present study, Odc-rs5 was shown to be composed of at least seven copies of the ODC sequence in both the Odc-rs5a and Odc-rs5b haplotypes. Based upon the distribution of DNA restriction fragments (RFs) that had previously been associated with Odc-rs5a or Odc-rs5b among 42 mice of inbred laboratory strains having various haplotypes at Igk and in mice of two congenic strains [B6.PL-Ly-2a, Ly-3a(75NS)/Cy and B6.PL-Ly-2a, Ly-3a(85NS)/Cy] and a backcross-derived stock (NAK) known to be recombinant within Igk, a fine structure map of Odc-rs5 was deduced relative to Igk and more distal loci. Odc-rs5-derived RFs were located to three distinct regions within and/or distal to Igk and to a fourth site between (Ly-3, Ly-2) and Raf-1. Additionally, DNAs from 19 mice of inbred strains and random-bred stocks derived from wild progenitors trapped at various locations were analyzed and found to exhibit an unexpected variety of combinations of RFs associated with the two Odc-rs5 haplotypes most frequently observed among inbred laboratory strains of mice.
Routine hepatitis C virus screening in pregnancy: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether routine hepatitis C virus screening in pregnancy is cost-effective. Study design: A decision tree with Markov analysis was developed to compare 3 approaches to asymptomatic hepatitis C virus infection in low-risk pregnant women: (1) no hepatitis C virus screening, (2) hepatitis C virus screening and subsequent treatment for progressive disease, and (3) hepatitis C virus screening, subsequent treatment for progressive disease, and elective cesarean delivery to avert perinatal transmission. Lifetime costs and quality-adjusted life years were evaluated for mother and child. Results: In our base case, hepatitis C virus screening and subsequent treatment of progressive disease was dominated (more costly and less effective) by no screening, with an incremental cost of $108 and a decreased incremental effectiveness of 0.00011 quality-adjusted life years. When compared with no screening, the marginal cost and effectiveness of screening, treatment, and cesarean delivery was $117 and 0.00010 quality-adjusted life years, respectively, which yields a cost-effectiveness ratio of $1,170,000 per quality-adjusted life year. Conclusion: The screening of asymptomatic pregnant women for hepatitis C virus infection is not cost-effective.
GLAST and Suzaku: Study on Cosmic-Ray Acceleration And Interaction in the Cosmos

The Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) is an international and multiagency mission scheduled for launch in the fall 2007. The Large Area Telescope (LAT), the primary instrument of the mission, will survey the high energy sky found to be very dynamic and surprisingly diverse by its predecessor the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET). GLAST-LAT will have a much improved sensitivity when compared with EGRET and extend the higher energy coverage to {approx} 300 GeV. The instrument is now mounted on the spacecraft and undergoing a suite of pre-flight tests. Data analysis software has been tried out by collaborators in two rounds of 'Data Challenges' using simulated observations including backgrounds. The instrument performance and observational data on selected sources presented here have been obtained through the Data Challenges in the collaborative efforts. There are features in the GLAST-LAT observation possibly unfamiliar to X-ray astronomers: (1) GLAST will operate mostly in the survey mode; (2) the foreground objects (gas, dust, and star-light) become gamma-ray sources; (3) multiple sources will be 'confused' because of the wide point-spread-function. The last two features will pose a challenge for analysis on extended Galactic sources such as supernova remnants and pulsar wind nebulae: multi-wavelength study with X-ray instruments like Suzaku and atmospheric Chrenkov telescopes will become essential to dig out the underlying physics.
Efficacy Of SER In Chest Diagnosis

Scanning equalization radiography (SER) is an improved method of chest imaging. The reason for this improvement is due to the fact that SER optimized film exposure producing more subject contrast and better visualization of anatomic detail. This new system has produced improved diagnostic accuracy on a wide variety of cases by all the tested radiologists. Also, there were fewer false positive errors by each of the radiologists. We found that this improvement in image quality and decrease in diagnostic errors was not related to the image complexity (# of abnormalities/radiograph). Also 11 of the radiologists, regardless of their diagnostic skills had a marked preference for the SER images over the conventional.
Compliance Enforcement for Service Process Flows

In a service oriented system both the internal and the external services may easily interact with each other, which may make the establishment and the enforcement of the privacy policies and the rules across the systems increasingly challenging. In this paper we present our ongoing system architecture and implementation work to enable efficient and flexible methods for auditing such systems by leveraging the middleware platform capabilities. We show how the service process flows that have been executed in the system can be audited both based on their structure and the information that is disclosed by them.
Recreation, consumption of wild game, risk, and the Department of Energy sites: perceptions of people attending the Lewiston, ID, "Roundup".

Several federal agencies are reclaiming land through remediation and restoration, and are considering potential future land uses that are compatible with current land uses and local needs. Understanding potential recreational and wild game consumption patterns and risk perceptions are critical for determining cleanup levels and assessing potential risk associated with certain uses. In this article, recreational rates of people attending the Lewiston ''Roundup" rodeo in northwestern Idaho were examined, as well as their perceptions of the safety of consuming fish and game from two Department of Energy (DOE) facilities: the Hanford Site and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). These are two of DOE's largest sites. Lewiston is closer to Hanford, but is in the same state as INEEL. Men engaged in significantly higher hunting and fishing rates than women, but there were no gender differences in camping and hiking rates. Rates of hunting and camping decreased significantly with ag...
Partial covariate adjusted regression

Covariate adjusted regression (CAR) is a recently proposed adjustment method for regression analysis where both the response and predictors are not directly observed (Senturk and Muller, 2005). The available data has been distorted by unknown functions of an observable confounding covariate. CAR provides consistent estimators for the coefficients of the regression between the variables of interest, adjusted for the confounder. We develop a broader class of partial covariate adjusted regression (PCAR) models to accommodate both distorted and undistorted (adjusted/unadjusted) predictors. The PCAR model allows for unadjusted predictors, such as age, gender and demographic variables, which are common in the analysis of biomedical and epidemiological data. The available estimation and inference procedures for CAR are shown to be invalid for the proposed PCAR model. We propose new estimators and develop new inference tools for the more general PCAR setting. In particular, we establish the asymptotic normality of the proposed estimators and propose consistent estimators of their asymptotic variances. Finite sample properties of the proposed estimators are investigated using simulation studies and the method is also illustrated with a Pima Indians diabetes data set.
New iterative reconstruction techniques for cardiovascular computed tomography: How do they work, and what are the advantages and disadvantages?

The radiation doses associated with diagnostic CT scans has recently come under scrutiny. In the process of developing protocols with lower doses, it has become apparent that images reconstructed with a filtered back projection (FBP) technique are often inadequate. Although very fast and robust, FBP images are prone to high noise, streak artifacts and poor low contrast detectability in low dose situations. Manufacturers of CT equipment have responded to this limitation by developing new image reconstruction techniques that derive more information from the data set. These techniques are based on the use of maximum likelihood algorithms and are referred to at iterative reconstructions. This iterative process can be used on the slice data alone, a combination of raw and slice data or on the raw data alone. The latter approach, which is referred to as model based iterative reconstruction, is the most computationally demanding as it models the entire process, from the shape of the focal spot on the anode, the shape of the emerging x-ray beam, the three-dimensional interaction of the beam with the voxel in the patient and the two-dimensional interation of the beam with the detector. This article discusses the fundamentals of iterative reconstruction techniques, the pros and cons of the various manufacturer approaches and specific applications, especially to cardiovascular CT.
Estimating the Variance of Time Averages

Abstract The variance of a time average of a stationary time series depends on the spectral density near frequency zero rather than on the variance of the process. Equations are given for estimating the variance of a time average by fitting a low-order autoregression to the data. Details are given for selecting the order of the autoregression. An example is presented which uses an analysis of variance approach for testing for climatic trends, allowing for diurnal and annual variability and serial correlation.
Fleshing out a dual-system solution

A prospective integration of evolutionary and other approaches to understanding rationality, as well as incorporation of individual difference concerns into the research agenda, are major contributions of Stanovich & West's analysis. This commentary focuses on issues of concern in detailing a dual-system or dual-process model of the sort they propose and using it as a basis for improving judgment.
Resonant-mass detectors of gravitational radiation.

A network of second-generation low-temperature gravitational radiation detectors is nearing completion. These detectors, sensitive to mechanical strains of order 10-18, are possible because of a variety of technical innovations hat have been made in cryogenics, low-noise superconducting instrumentation, and vibration isolation techniques. Another five orders of magnitude improvement in energy sensitivity of resonant-mass detectors is possible before the linear amplifier quantum limit is encountered.
Physiology-based prognostic modeling of the influence of changes in precipitation on a keystone dryland plant species.

Fluctuations in mean annual precipitation (MAP) will strongly influence the ecology of dryland ecosystems in the future, yet, because individual precipitation events drive growth and resource availability for many dryland organisms, changes in intra-annual precipitation may disproportionately influence future dryland processes. This work examines the hypothesis that intra-annual precipitation changes will drive dryland productivity to a greater extent than changes to MAP. To test this hypothesis, we created a physiology-based model to predict the effects of precipitation change on a widespread biocrust moss that regulates soil structure, water retention, and nutrient cycling in drylands. First, we used the model to examine moss productivity over the next 100 years driven by alterations in MAP by ±10, 20 and 30 %, and changes in intra-annual precipitation (event size and frequency). Productivity increased as a function of MAP, but differed among simulations where intra-annual precipitation was manipulated under constant MAP. Supporting our hypothesis, this demonstrates that, even if MAP does not change, changes in the features of individual precipitation events can strongly influence long-term performance. Second, we used the model to examine 100-year productivity based on projected dryland precipitation from published global and regional models. These simulations predicted 25–63 % reductions in productivity and increased moss mortality rates, declines that will likely alter water and nutrient cycling in dryland ecosystems. Intra-annual precipitation in model-based simulations was a stronger predictor of productivity compared to MAP, further supporting our hypothesis, and illustrating that intra-annual precipitation patterns may dominate dryland responses to altered precipitation in a future climate.
Diurnal variations in the isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon in seawater from coral reef environments

Abstract The isotopic composition of total dissolved inorganic carbon in seawater was determined as a function of time of day in coral reef environments at Saipan, Abaiang Atoll, Tahiti, Florida and Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. At each locality water collected during the day was enriched in 13C with respect to water collected at night. The form and magnitude of the diurnal cycles is dependent upon the ratio of local biomass to local water mass and on the degree of exchange between local water mass and the open ocean reservoir. Comparison of open and closed system models is made using computer generated δ 13 C vs. time curves to illustrate modulation by the tidal cycle of the simple diurnal variation in a closed system. The results are of geochemical significance in that the δ 13 C of CaCO3 precipitated in certain environments is dependent on the time of crystallization. This must be taken into account in isotope ratio studies of both plant and animal secreted carbonates which are preferentially precipitated during certain periods of the day.
Probability summation over time.

Abstract Frequency-of-seeing and sensitivity-duration curves were collected for temporal signals of limited spectral extent. A comparison of the two sorts of data suggests that a stimulus is detected whenever the excursions of its linearly filtered, noise-perturbed temporal waveform exceed some fixed magnitude.