cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Health, Height, Nutrition, and Mortality: Evidence on the

The Antebellum Puzzle' describes the situation of declining stature and pos mortality in the three decades prior to the American Civil War (1861-65). It is this period was one of rapid economic growth and development in the United State the debate has centered on whether the American diet, both in terms of protein a deteriorated in the middle of the 19th century. But the mortality environment a have worsened (or at least did not improve), connected with factors such as urba commercialization, and increased geographic mobility. This paper uses data on t Union Army recruits as an indicator of the standard of living of Americans durin Particular attention is paid to New York State and comparisons to the rest of th York State, mortality was not improving in the antebellum period and was deterio York City. For the United States and for New York State, urbanization was negat heights, as was the census death rate in 1850 and a measure of mobility (proport population foreign born). Although, New York State's agriculture was rapidly co in this era and specializing in dairy products, its nutrition may have been dete with substantial local variation. Mortality was also not improving and worsened Both contributed to a decline in this biological indicator of the standard of li both New York and the whole United States were experiencing Smithian' economic g (induced by transport improvements and widening markets) with negative externali York State was an area in advance of much of the nation in terms of both urban/i agricultural development in the antebellum period.
MULTICENTER EVALUATION OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH PARADOXICAL LOW-FLOW, LOW-GRADIENT UNDERGOING TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT (PLO-FLOW TAVR STUDY)

Studies have demonstrated improved outcomes with SAVR in patients with paradoxical low-flow, low-gradient (Stage D3) aortic stenosis (AS). However, the prognostic impact of TAVR for stage D3 AS compared to stages D4 (normal-flow, low-gradient), D1 (high-gradient), classic and D2 (classical low-flow
Abstract P245: Sex Differences in the Association Between Cardiovascular Risk Profiles and Hospitalizations/ED Visits Among Patients With a History of Stroke/TIA

Background: Secondary prevention addressing cardiovascular risk factors is a key care component for reducing the risk of vascular events among those who had a stroke/TIA. We assessed cardiovascular...
Malignant Müllerian Adenocarcinoma Manifesting With Cardiac Tamponade and Pleural Effusion.

A 54-year-old woman with a past medical history of untreated stage IV Mullerian adenocarcinoma presented for dyspnea. She was found to have a large right-sided pleural effusion through basic radiology and clinically improved after a CT-guided therapeutic thoracocentesis. However, the patient rapidly deteriorated shortly afterward. A broader workup that included echocardiography revealed a large pericardial effusion with tamponade physiology. The patient underwent an emergent pericardiocentesis, which briefly improved hemodynamics, but her clinical status kept declining until she eventually expired. Subsequent cytology of the pleural and pericardial fluid revealed malignant cells of Mullerian origin.
Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP) and Transverse Myelitis: A Tale of West Nile Virus Infection (5106)

Objective: We present a case of a patient who developed acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP) and then seven months later transverse myelitis secondary to West Nile virus (WNV) infection. Background: WNV infection has a myriad of neurological manifestations. Although known to have a self-limiting course, our patient endured two distinct episodes of neurological complications secondary to WNV, which is seldom seen. Design/Methods: NA Results: A 71-year-old man presented initially with one month of progressive weakness and areflexia in the bilateral lower extremities. Initial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis demonstrated albuminocytological dissociation, confirming the clinical suspicion of AIDP. Serum WNV IgM and IgG were elevated. Patient improved with empiric intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) treatment and inpatient rehabilitation. The patient then presented seven months later with recurrent bilateral leg weakness, upper motor neuron signs, and a T3 sensory level. Initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spinal cord was unremarkable and CSF studies continued to show elevated protein and positive WNV IgG. He was treated with IVIg again, but symptoms continued to progress. Repeat MRI of thoracic spine showed T2 hyperintensity at the T1–T2 level with enhancement. He was subsequently treated with IV steroids for transverse myelitis and he improved clinically. Conclusions: Neurologic manifestations of WNV include encephalopathy, polyneuropathy, myelitis, ataxia, and extrapyramidal symptoms. These syndromes do not typically recur, and any post-infectious inflammatory manifestation occurs soon after exposure. Our patient not only first developed AIDP due to WNV but additionally re-presented seven months after this initial diagnosis with post-WNV transverse myelitis. This case emphasizes the importance of a thorough neurological examination, as well as the necessity to maintain a systematic approach when evaluating patients with repeated neurological complaints. This was evident in our patient who experienced a unique combination of neurological sequelae of WNV. Disclosure: Dr. Johal has nothing to disclose. Dr. Castro Apolo has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ravichandran has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sivakumar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Varade has nothing to disclose. Dr. Walsh has nothing to disclose.
Making sense of uncertain nuclear data

Abstract At its core, and in an imperfect world, the scientific method relies heavily on the concept of uncertain knowledge. Understanding the nature and magnitude of our lack of knowledge on nuclear data has important ramifications on a wide range of nuclear technologies that encompass defense, energy, medicine, astrophysics, among others. Over the span of a long and fruitful carrier, Dr. Massimo Salvatores has made significant contributions to the fields of nuclear reactor physics, nuclear data, and uncertainty quantification and propagation. Advances in machine learning techniques and computational capabilities are enabling a new level of confidence in our ability to predict key nuclear metrics as well as their associated uncertainties across many applications. This short article reviews some of those concepts with an eye towards developing a new paradigm to provide nuclear data libraries of benefit to various applications.
Impact and Ricochet of a High Speed Projectile from a Plate

A computational study of a projectile (either 2024 aluminum or TiAl6V4 titanium alloy) impacting a plate (either titanium alloy or aluminum) is presented in this paper. Projectile velocity (ranging from 250 m/s to 1500 m/s) with varying impact angles are considered. The presence of ricochet (if any) is identified over the ranges of the projectile velocity and impact angle considered. For the cases where ricochet is identified, the ricochet angle and velocity are predicted as functions of the incident angle and the incident velocity. The numerical results are compared with an analytical solution of the ricochet problem. The analytical solutions are from a model developed to predict the ballistic ricochet of a projectile (projectile) penetrator. The dynamics and the deformation of an aluminum (or a titanium alloy) projectile impacting on a finite thickness titanium alloy (or aluminum) plate are simulated. The current work is interesting in that it looks in the field of ballistics of different material combinations than are traditionally studied. The present simulations based on detailed material models for the aluminum and the titanium alloy and the impact physics modelling features in the LS-DYNA code provide interesting details regarding the projectile/plate deformations and post-impact projectile shape and geometry. The present results indicate that for no cases (for specified incoming velocities and impact angles considered) can an aluminum projectile penetrate a titanium alloy plate. The ricochet ‘mode predictions ‘obtained from the present simulations agree well with the ricochet ‘mode predictions’ given in an analytical model.
Lead Service Lines and Parkinson’s Disease Prevalence in U.S. States

Abstract Introduction We recently showed that the prevalence of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in U.S. states is positively associated with the quantity of acid rain. Acid rain could play an etiologic role in PD by mobilizing metals, e.g., lead, from watersheds and pipes into drinking water. We assessed the correlation of PD with lead service lines, the underground pipes that connect homes to municipal water sources, which are a major aqueous source of lead. Methods We used multiple regression techniques to examine PD prevalence rates by state relative to the number of lead service lines. We included known or suspected aqueous risk factors, e.g., the Acid Precipitation Index (a measure of acid rain) and well water use. Results Age-, race-, and sex-adjusted prevalence rates for PD were significantly and positively correlated with the log number of lead service lines (p = 0.0004). The effect of lead service lines remained significant after adjusting for the effects of acid rain and well water use (p = 0.0019). Conclusion These findings are consistent with a role for lead in the etiology of PD. Studies of lead service line exposure in relation to PD at the individual level are warranted.
Effects of nitrogen addition on the invasive grass Phragmites australis and a native competitor Spartina pectinata

Summary 1 Phragmites australis is an invasive grass that has increased dramatically in distribution and abundance within the USA in the last 100 years. This study determined the effect of nitrogen addition on the growth of this invasive species compared with an indigenous competitor species, Spartina pectinata. 2 Twenty plants from each of three Illinois (USA) populations were collected and planted in the same garden in April 2001 and grown until August 2002. Following a year of growth in the garden, high-nitrogen (45 g N m−2) and low-nitrogen (5 g N m−2) treatments were applied to plants grown from paired rhizome cuttings from each plant. A single S. pectinata plant was grown with each P. australis. In August 2002, plants were harvested and above- and below-ground biomasses were determined for both species. 3 Mean (± SE) P. australis above- and below-ground biomasses were significantly higher in the high-nitrogen treatment (68·4 ± 2·6 g and 39·0 ± 4·5 g, above- and below-ground, respectively) than the low-nitrogen treatment (37·3 ± 2·0 g and 25·5 ± 4·5 g). There were no differences in S. pectinata above- and below-ground biomasses between high- (46·8 ± 3·2 g and 71·4 ± 9·6 g) and low- (45·4 ± 3·5 g and 50·3 ± 6·5 g) nitrogen treatments. The ratio of P. australis to S. pectinata biomass was used to compare the relative response of each species between nitrogen treatments; the mean ratio of P. australis to S. pectinata for the high-nitrogen treatment (2·72 ± 0·499) was significantly higher than the low-nitrogen treatment (1·83 ± 0·42). 4 Synthesis and applications. This study supports the hypothesis that P. australis benefits from increased nitrogen, and may be more likely to displace S. pectinata in nitrogen-rich environments. Our study also confirms the importance of nitrogen in affecting the interactions between invasive and native plants. Control of P. australis may be aided by nutrient management.
Techniques to improve linearity of CMOS sample-and-hold circuits for achieving 100 dB performance at 80 MSps

Sample and hold circuits (SHC) form the front-end circuitry for the switched capacitance pipeline or successive approximation register A/D converter (ADC). The linearity obtained from SHC directly impacts the overall linearity obtainable from the A/D converter. In this paper we describe a new technique for the input-sampling network. Open loop gain and settling time have been optimized for maximum linearity. We also propose a novel architecture to resolve the closed loop pole-zero problems. Linearity as high as 100 dB at a clock speed of 80 MHz was achieved.
Industrial Catalysis: A Practical Guide

Every student of chemistry, material science, and chemical engineering should be schooled in catalysis and catalytic reactions. The reason is quite simple; most products produced in the chemical and petroleum industry utilize catalysts to enhance the rate of reaction and selectivity to desired products. Catalysts are also extensively used to minimize harmful byproduct pollutants in environmental applications. Enhanced reaction rates translate to higher production volumes at lower temperatures with smaller and less exotic materials of construction necessary. When a highly selective catalyst is used, large volumes of desired products are produced with virtually no undesirable byproducts. Gasoline, diesel, home heating oil, and aviation fuels owe their performance quality to catalytic processing used to upgrade crude oil.
I’m Not a Doctor, But I Play One on TV: The Effects of Context and Character Perceptions on Endorser Effectiveness

This study examines how placing endorser ads in the context of entertainment content that also features the endorser affects responses to the endorser and to the ads. An experiment ( N = 161) found that viewing an endorser ad in the context of entertainment content featuring that endorser does not affect responses to the ad; however, frequent viewing of such content results in more favorable perceptions of the character portrayed by the endorser, which in turn leads to more favorable responses to endorser and ad alike. Character perceptions thus are an important influence on endorser perceptions and ad effectiveness. Implications of the findings for advertising research are discussed.
Potential Users' Perspectives on Managed Lanes: Insights From a Focus Group Study

Managed lanes include a wide range of practices to manage travel demand, including high-occupancy lanes, high-occupancy toll lanes, express lanes and road pricing strategies. This study examines potential users' awareness of managed lanes, their propensity and motivation to use managed lanes, and their perceived issues and concerns about managed-lane implementation. Focus group interviews were conducted with single-occupancy-vehicle users, high-occupancy-vehicle users, commercial vehicle users, and transit users in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, where the concept of managed lanes is being introduced. Although the findings varied somewhat between focus groups, each group offered useful insights concerning traffic concerns, perception of managed lanes in general, and implementation issues such as privacy and safety. These findings can be used in developing outreach strategies and operational policies to meet the needs and concerns of potential managed lane users.
Socio-economic differentials in infant and child mortality during mortality decline: England and Wales, 1890-1911.

In this paper data from the 1911 Census of the Fertility of Marriage of England and Wales are used to study patterns of mortality decline by socio-economic characteristics, principally the occupation of husband. That census reported data on number of wives, children ever born, and children dead by marriage-duration cohorts for 190 non-overlapping occupations of husband. These results, along with those on number of rooms in the dwelling of the family are used to make indirect estimates of childhood mortality using the techniques described in United Nations, Manual X. These procedures produce values of q(a), the probability of dying before reaching some exact age ‘a’. Estimates for q(2), q(3), q(5), q(10), q(15), and q(20) are derived from data on women married 0–4, 5–9, 10–14, 15–19, 20–24, and 25–29 years, respectively. These estimates can also be dated to a point in the past. These values can also be converted to a corresponding level of a Model West life table, which describes the ‘average’ mortality re...
Experience rounding with a hand-held two-dimensional cardiac ultrasound device

W e prospectively evaluated use of a miniature handheld 2-dimensional cardiac ultrasound device in the initial evaluation of acutely ill cardiac patients to test whether immediate cardiac imaging with such an instrument was useful in the cardiologist’s evaluation of the patient. Our hypothesis was that the miniature unit, despite its limited cardiac imaging ability, would provide clinically useful data conveniently. The study group consisted of 64 consecutive acutely ill patients evaluated by the cardiology critical care team over a 2-month period. All patients had an echocardiogram using the miniature device as part of their initial evaluation by a cardiologist (KQS). This evaluation included a history, physical examination, electrocardiogram, chest roentgenogram and routine blood work. In all patients, the miniature unit was the initial cardiac imaging tool used (except chest roentgenography in some cases). After each full evaluation and before additional cardiac imaging, the examining physician recorded a subjective assessment as to whether the study device provided information that answered the primary clinical question and therefore injluenced diagnostic or management plans. Confirmatory diagnostic data were sought within 3 days of admission (using cardiac catheterization with ventriculography, radionuclide angiography, standard echocardiography or Swan-Ganz catheterization). The study device was a 5-pound, battery powered, mechanical sector scanner, about the size of a hardbound book, with standard sized 3.5and ~-MHZ transducers (ScanMate, Damon Corp.) (Figure I). The rechargeable battery allowed approximately 30 minutes of continuous use. The 4.5 X 3 cm screen has 1 -cm scale dots on the edges of the image as the only on-screen help function. Controls are limited to on-off, gain, sector angle (40 to 80 continuously adjustable) and depth (10 to 18 cm). There are no capabilities for freeze frame, electrocardiogram display, M-mode, Doppler or hardcopy/video recording. Photographs of the screen can be made with a modified Polaroid camera. An example of an image obtained with the miniature unit is shown in Figure 2. A total of 71 studies was completed on 64 patients over a 2-month period. The time required to complete a study averaged <lo minutes (no time is spent making hard copies, video recording or performing M-mode or Doppler). All imaging was performed from standard parasternal, apical and subcostal windows. Images adequate to address the primary clinical question, such as wall motion in acute myocardial infarction, were ob-
Alisitos Terrane, Baja California: Sedimentation Within Early Cretaceous Island Arc: ABSTRACT

The Alisitos terrane is a thick accumulation of mainly volcaniclastic sediments that were deposited in an island arc setting related to late Mesozoic subduction along the southwest margin of North America. A diverse suite of depositional facies can be related to various environments of a marine volcanic arc. The recognition of facies associations and thermal histories characteristic of specific paleoenvironments within the Alisitos terrane provides a model which to some extent is applicable to arc terranes in general. Important features of sedimentation in an arc setting include discrete point sediment sources, high sedimentation rates, and the maintenance of steep slopes, and abrupt lateral facies changes. Development of shallow-water environments within the Alisitos terrane was related to major volcanic centers. Characteristic facies include coarse proximal volcaniclastic rocks, locally interspersed with rudist limestone bodies, and relatively abundant hypabyssal rocks and associated thermal alteration. Sediment was dispersed into deep water by both epiclastic and pyroclastic processes. Epiclastic transport was dominantly by mass-flow processes, removing coarse volcanic sediment from the flanks of volcanic edifices to intra-arc and fore-arc basins. Sediments also reached these sites by pyroclastic processes. Criteria for distinguishing deposits of pyroclastic and epiclastic origin in these basins include recognition of Bouma End_Page 897------------------------------ sequences (graded bedding characterizes both facies), and single versus multiple clast types. End_of_Article - Last_Page 898------------
A Statistical Test of the Success of Consolidations

Nature of the study, 84. — Underlying assumptions of the study, 86. — I. Previous earnings of the representative consolidation compared with actual earnings, 90. — II. Estimated earnings of the representative consolidation compared with actual earnings, 91. — III. First-year earnings of the representative consolidation compared with later earnings, 93. — Table of fundamental data, 95.
Effect of Ca Doping on the Electrical Conductivity of the High-Temperature Proton Conductor LaNbO4

Abstract The sintering properties, crystal structure and electrical conductivity of La 1− x Ca x NbO 4−δ ( x = 0, 0.005, 0.01, 0.015, 0.02 and 0.025), prepared by a solid-state reaction, have been investigated using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). In 2.5% Ca-doped samples, a small amount of impurities Ca 2 Nb 2 O 7 were observed from the XRD patterns. Impedance spectra show that the grain boundary resistance increases with increasing Ca content, while the bulk resistance remains essentially constant below 550 °C. Despite the higher degree of grain growth observed for higher Ca doping levels, the total conductivity of the La 1− x Ca x NbO 4−δ series decreases with increasing Ca content from 0.5 to 2.0 mol%. The activation energy for the total conductivity decreases with increasing Ca content from 0.71 eV ( x = 0) to 0.54 eV ( x = 0.01) for the high temperature tetragonal phase, then it increases to 0.60 eV for x = 0.02. For the monoclinic phase, the activation energy exhibits similar trend except La 0.995 Ca 0.005 NbO 4−δ shows the lowest value of 1.26 eV. The Ca and Nb content present at the grain boundaries for La 0.99 Ca 0.01 NbO 4−δ are much higher than that on the grain surface, as determined from the EDS analysis. These results imply that the solubility of CaO in LaNbO 4 is in the range from 0.5 to 1.0 mol%. By increasing the sintering temperature from 1500 °C to 1550 °C, the proton conductivity of the Ca-doped LaNbO 4 was improved with enlarged grain size due to a reduction in the resistive grain boundary contribution.
Effects of Test Temperature and Loading Conditions on the Tensile Properties of a Zr-Based Bulk Metallic Glass

The effects of changes in test temperature (20 °C, 260 °C, 330 °C, and 380 °C), strain rate (10−5 to 10−1 s−1), and loading conditions (displacement control vs loading-rate control) on the tensile behavior of Zr41.2Ti13.8Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 (LiquidMetal 1 (LM1)), a bulk metallic glass (BMG), have been determined. Significant effects of the test temperature, strain rate, and loading condition were observed on the strength, ductility/elongation, and mechanisms of failure (shear, ductile rupture, etc.). This material exhibited extensive elongation (i.e., >100 pct) prior to failure when tested near the glass transition temperature (T g ≈ 375 °C) at sufficiently low strain rates, while higher strain rates or lower test temperatures produced shear fracture at low elongation. The flow and fracture behavior was also significantly affected by the loading condition (i.e., displacement vs loading-rate control). The effective strain rate necessary to cause failure in shear without significant global flow was several orders of magnitude lower in loading-rate control than in displacement control. Samples exhibiting high elongation tested in displacement control gently and convexly drew to a near point (i.e., ductile rupture). Samples tested at the same temperature exhibiting high elongation in loading-rate control rapidly and concavely necked, followed by drawing to a constant diameter “wire” (i.e., ductile drawing), eventually failing by nearly pure ductile rupture. All samples that displayed significant elongation did so inhomogeneously, and were characterized by non-Newtonian global flow.
On applications of photochemical models to the design of measurement strategies

Several research groups recently demonstrated [e.g., Fisher and Lary, 1995; Elbern et al., 1997; Khattatov et al., 1999] that concentrations of some non-observed chemical species can be constrained to a certain extent by the observed ones through our knowledge of atmospheric photochemistry. By utilizing mathematical relationships between chemically coupled species, observations of a subset of chemicals can be used to determine the future state of the whole system. The goal of this manuscript is to provide a mathematical formalism for assessing uncertainties of such an analysis. Practical applications of this study include designing future instruments and measurement strategies optimized to deliver the maximum amount of information given limited resources. In addition, it opens possibilities for testing our knowledge of atmospheric photochemistry by comparing predicted and measured concentrations and their estimated uncertainties.
EVOLUTIONS OF SINGLET EXCITED-STATE ABSORPTION AND FLUORESCENCE OF ALL-TRANS-1,6-DIPHENYL-1,3,5-HEXATRIENE IN THE PICOSECOND TIME DOMAIN

Temporal behaviors of singlet excited-state absorption and fluorescence of all-trans-1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene in solution are reported in the picosecond time domain. Contrary to an earlier study, the absorbance ratio at the two λmax (∼460 and ∼650 nm) is time (∼10 ps resolution) and, except for small shifts, temperature (238−298 K) independent. Similarly, in contrast to an earlier report, identical time evolution of fluorescence intensity is found at short (405 ± 10 nm) and long (≥500 nm) λ. We conclude that the initially formed 11Bu state completely relaxes to a 11Bu/21Ag equilibrium mixture within our time resolution (∼10 ps). Since the latter is favored overwhelmingly, all transient absorption is assigned to n1Bu ← 21Ag transitions, consistent also with small red shifts in λmax with increased medium polarizability. We discern no spectral manifestations of phenyl−vinyl torsional motions, or any associated stabilization of the 11Bu state, at times longer than 10 ps.
Pattern classification driven enhancements for human-in-the-loop decision support systems

Data mining has been a key technology in the warranty sector for mass manufacturers to understand and improve product quality, reliability and durability. Cost savings is an important aspect of business which calls for processes that are error proof. Pattern classification methods applied to the diagnostic data could help build error proof processes by improving the diagnostic technology. In this paper we present a case study from the automotive warranty and service domain involving a human-in-the-loop decision support system (HIL-DSS). The automotive manufacturers offer warranties on products, made of parts from different suppliers, and rely on a dealer network to assess warranty claims. The dealers use diagnostic equipment manufactured by third parties and also draw on their own expertise. In addition, a subject matter expert (SME) assesses these collective decisions to distinguish between inaccurate diagnoses by the dealers or an inadequate decision algorithm in the diagnostic equipment. Altogether this makes a comprehensive HIL-DSS. The proposed methodology continuously learns from collective decision making systems, enhances the diagnostic equipment, adds to the knowledge of dealers and minimizes the SME involvement in the review process of the overall system. Improving the diagnostic equipment helps in better warranty servicing, whereas improvements in the human expert knowledge help prevent field error and avoid customer dissatisfaction due to improper fault diagnosis.
Rapid screening of a receptor with molecular memory.

Atropisomeric receptor 1 can change conformation and maintain the new conformation when heated and cooled in the presence of a guest molecule. This molecular memory can be used as a rapid method of screening potential guests. Heating atropisomeric diacid 1 with various hydrogen-bonding guests leads to a shift in the syn/anti ratio that could be easily monitored as it is stable at room temperature even in the absence of the guest molecules.
Probabilistic models of observed features and aspects with application to weighted aspect graphs

An observability sphere model is presented. This is a novel probabilistic model from which one can estimate the observation probabilities of projected features and aspects. As shown here, it is useful also for the construction of a new kind of simplified aspect graphs with probabilistic node weights.
Structure and properties of ultrafine-grained MoSi2 + Si3N4 composites synthesized by mechanical alloying

Abstract Monolithic MoSi 2 and MoSi 2 + Si 3 N 4 ultrafine-grained composites with 2.5 or 5.0 wt.% Si 3 N 4 were synthesized by mechanical alloying. The microstructure and crystal structure of the phases present in the as-milled powders were determined by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. The mechanically alloyed powders were successfully consolidated to full density by vacuum hot pressing. A detailed microstructural investigation and mechanical properties (hardness and fracture toughness) evaluation of the consolidated products was presented. After consolidation, the microstructure continued to be fine-grained (in the submicron range), but no appreciable increase in the room temperature fracture toughness of MoSi 2 was observed for the composites by the addition of Si 3 N 4 .
Evaluating an integrated forum portal for terrorist surveillance and analysis

We experimentally evaluated the Dark Web Forum Portal by focusing on user task performance, usability, cognitive processing requirements, and societal benefits. Our results show that the portal performs perform well when compared with a benchmark forum.
Promotion of PDT efficacy by bile acids

We had previously described the use of relatively hydrophobic bile acids, notably UDCA (ursodeoxycholate) for the promotion of the apoptotic response to photodynamic therapy. Further study revealed that this effect occurred only when the target for photodamage was the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. The efficacy of lysosomal photodamage, leading to a cleavage of the protein Bid, was not influenced by UDCA. Moreover, the apoptotic cell death resulting from treatment of cells with the non-peptidic Bcl-2 inhibitor HA 14-1 was also promoted by UDCA. These results are consistent with the proposal that the pro-apoptotic effects of UDCA are directed against Bcl-2, promoting inactivation by HA 14-1 or photodamage.
Low-temperature quadrupole and crystalline field effects in the specific heat of solid D2

Measurements have been made of the specific heat of solid D 2 with concentrations of para-D 2 between approximately0.9 and6%. The measurements are an extension of previously reported results to 150 mK and to various para-D 2 concentrations. An anomalous specific heat is observed below 0.6 K which cannot be accounted for by the nearest-neighbor electric quadruple-quadrupole (EQQ) interactions betweenJ=1 molecules. This anomaly is explained in terms of next- and next-next-nearest-neighbor interactions between pairs and nearest-neighbor interactions between triple configurations ofJ=1 molecules. In addition, estimates are presented of the crystalline field splitting parameter (ɛ/k) in solid deuterium with lowJ=1 concentration.
Biphasic Solvothermal Synthesis: A New Approach for Hybrid Inorganic−Organic Materials

We have developed a biphasic solvothermal synthesis for preparing hybrid inorganic−organic materials. The technique involves separation of metal and organic reactants using immiscible solvents. Crystallization takes place at the interface under solvothermal conditions. The technique has applications for promoting single-crystal growth, stabilizing easily reduced metal cations, and preparing phases that are unlikely to form under conventional hydrothermal conditions.
Representation and execution of Petri nets using rewriting logic as a unifying framework

Abstract We give a high-level overview of our recent results which extend and unify the lines of research initiated by Meseguer and Montanari under the motto “Petri nets are monoids”, and by Marti-Oliet, Meseguer and other authors in their linear logic axiomization of Petri nets. In particular, we investigate the use of rewriting logic, which was partially inspired by the two aforementioned approaches, as a unifying semantic framework for different Petri net models. To this end, we equip place/transition nets with a rewriting semantics which is sound and complete in the strong categorical sense of a natural isomorphism between the Best-Devillers process semantics and the semantics obtained via rewriting logic. In addition to place/transition nets we consider algebraic net specifications which subsume colored Petri nets and we show how a corresponding sound and complete rewriting semantics can be established at this level. Furthermore, we discuss how rewriting logic can be used to represent other important extensions of the basic Petri net model such as place/transition nets with test arcs and timed Petri nets. Apart from the conceptual unification of different models in a field which has to cope with increasing diversity, this work has interesting practical applications ranging from the execution and analysis of Petri net models, using a rewriting engine such as Maude, to formal verification taking advantage of the logical side rather than the operational side of rewriting logic.
King Aman-Allah of Afghanistan's failed nation-building project and its aftermath (review article)

Religious Response to Social Change in Afghanistan 1919–29: King Aman-Allah and the Afghan Ulama. Senzil K. Nawid. Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda Publishers (1999), ISBN 1-568-59072-5 (Hb), pp. xxi + 278, i...
Legal and social safeguards against opportunism in exchange

A considerable literature in marketing, economics, and law has emphasized the organizational structures and governance approaches employed by participants to enhance their exchange relationships and safeguard against the hazards of opportunism. The age-old mechanism of protecting against opportunism is the legal contract. Various literatures have attacked the inadequacies of contract in the context of complex, modern day exchange relationships. Some theorists have argued for the superiority of social mechanisms of control while others have been skeptical towards their use. This paper proposes that both legal contracts and social safeguards are useful means of mitigating opportunism. However, they rarely occur in isolation in modern exchanges and the interesting questions about their governance properties have to do with their interaction effects. This article employs a behavioral simulation to empirically examine the individual and combined effects of contract and relational norm safeguards against opportunism directly and in the context of asymmetric commitments by exchanging parties.
Parallel Satisfiability Test with Synchronous Simulated Annealing on Distributed-Memory Multiprocessor

Solving the hard Satisfiability Problem is time consuming even for modest-sized problem instances. Solving the Random L-SAT Problem is especially difficult due to the ratio of clauses to variables. This report presents a practical approach to solving the Random L-SAT Problem on a large-scale distributed-memory multiprocessor. In particular, we use a parallel synchronous simulated annealing procedure, called Generalized Speculative Computation, which guarantees the same decision sequence as sequential simulated annealing. We have selected problem instances varying in size from 100-variable/425-clause to 5000-variable/21,250-clause. Experimental results on the AP1000 distributed-memory multiprocessor indicate that Generalized Speculative Computation of synchronous simulated annealing can satisfy 99.9% of the clauses while giving almost a 70-fold speedup on 500 processors.
Incorporation of strontium into plant calcium oxalate crystals

Lemna minor, which produces many calcium oxalate raphide crystals, was grown on media containing in addition to Ca, 200 μM of one of the following divalent cations: Ba, Cd, Co, Mn or Sr. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis showed that only Sr was incorporated into the raphides at levels detectable by the analysis technique. Incorporation of Sr into other insoluble compounds, such as cell wall material, could not be detected. Plant species which form different crystal types in their leaves (Beta vulgaris, crystal sand;Arthrostema ciliatum, druse;Glycine canescens, prismatic) also incorporated Sr into their crystals when grown hydroponically on nutrient medium containing 200 μM Sr.
Multiphoton-induced chemistry of thiirane

Abstract The visible multiphoton photolysis of thiirane is examined at pressures of 1 to 20 Torr. The effect of experimental variables such as total pressure, sample pressure, laser wavelength and laser energy on the photochemistry is explored. The confirmed products, S2, C2H4 and CS2, are used to postulate a simplified mechanism for the reaction involving a thiirane ion in the initiation and rate-determining step. Measurements of the efficiency of the process are also reported.
Things I wish I knew

This paper discusses about learning by doing. It means regularly updating your superiors about your career aspirations and lucidly explain tasks to your coworkers that will help you finish a project on time.
Remote measurement of ground temperature and emissivity

TAISIR, temperature and imaging system infrared, is a nominally satellite based platform for remote sensing of the earth. One of its design features is to acquire atmospheric data simultaneous with ground data, resulting in minimal dependence on external atmospheric models for data correction. Extensive modeling of the rms error of determining a ground temperature and emissivity for a gray body has been performed as a function of integration time, spectroscopic resolution of the system, ground emissivity, atmospheric variables, and atmospheric data accuracy. We find that increased resolution improves measurement accuracy by emphasizing those regions where the atmospheric transmission is highest and atmospheric emission/absorption lowest. We find rms temperature errors <EQ 1 K and rms emissivity errors < 0.01 are obtainable for reasonable seeing and with sufficient information about the atmosphere. A new method is developed for modeling the dependence of the band-averaged transmission and emission. Monte Carlo simulations of satellite data taken using a multi-angle technique are used to derive signal-to-noise requirements. The applicability of those results to the TAISIR system requirements are discussed.
Solitary waves in mantle plumes

Numerical calculations in two dimensions show that solitary wave disturbances can propagate along thermal plumes in a homogeneous, viscous fluid with a thermally activated rheology similar to the mantle. Comparison of the numerical results with analytic results from an idealized two-fluid model indicates that the two-fluid model can be applied to solitary waves in the thermally activated plume. A two-fluid model of solitary waves on cylindrical conduits is accordingly applied to mantle plumes to estimate the propagation speeds, time durations, and pulse lengths of solitary waves in mantle plumes as a function of background mantle viscosity, plume flux, plume density deficit, plume viscosity, and the volume of material transported by the solitary wave. It is inferred that mantle plumes may be eposodic via solitary waves and that these disturbances might account for observed 0(10 m.y.) variations in the durations and spacings of episodes of enhanced hotspot volcanic activity. Solitary waves in mantle plumes could be generated by interactions among plumes and between plumes and the large-scale, time-dependent mantle circulation.
Verbal and spatial information processing constraints in children with specific language impairment.

A dual-processing paradigm was used to investigate information processing limitations underlying specific language impairment (SLI). School-age children with and without SLI were asked to recall ve...
The influence of temperature on the stage at hatch of laboratory reared Gadus morhua and implications for comparisons of length and morphology

A staging table for yolk-sac larvae of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua was developed and applied to determine the development stage at hatch. Larvae (n = 20) were sampled during the period from 50% hatch to first-feeding from four temperature treatments (c. 2, 4, 8 and 12° C). Data recorded included standard length, development stage, yolk-sac area and evidence of feeding by larvae. The results indicated that the stage of development at hatch was positively correlated to larval size. Furthermore, developmentally based changes in morphology shortly after hatch reduced much of the initial difference in size, although some difference still existed. No relationship between size at hatch and the incidence of first-feeding larvae was found. Based on these observations, it is recommended that the development stage of hatching larvae be reported in studies investigating size and morphological differences when observing individual larval fish that originate from different populations, batches or species.
The use of social networking sites for language practice and learning

Recent descriptions of online social networking communities (i.e., Facebook, MySpace) within the Web 2.0 movement havesuggested that these sites might be used in educational contextsto promote cultural awareness, interaction, and collaboration(Ferdig et al., 2007). Here it is argued that social networkingsites can also be used for language teaching and learning. Thepurpose of this paper is therefore threefold: (1) to provide atheoretical framework justifying the use and incorporation ofsocial networking sites in foreign language courses; (2) to reviewexisting social networking sites and provide suggestions forhow they might be used in different language contexts; and (3)to describe an ongoing study in which one social networkingsite, Orkut, is being used for a course in Portuguese as a foreignlanguage. Besides suggesting that social networking sites canserve as an authentic way to be exposed to language and cultureoutside of the classroom, it is also argued that participation insocial networking sites can be an ideal medium for languagepractice and learning.
Differential transmission of amber and wild-type alleles of bacteriophage T4 in mixedly infected cells of Escherichia coli.

Abstract When amber-restrictive host cells were mixedly infected with T4 wild-type and nonleaky am mutants in late function genes, the progeny phage contained a much higher proportion of wild-type than the parental phage. In analogous mixed infections with either leaky am mutants or am mutants in early function genes, wild-type phage were present in the progeny populations in approximately the same proportion as in the parental populations. Data are presented that exclude differential rates of adsorption and injection as an explanation of these differences. Potential biases in the experiments are discussed, and an attempt is made to evaluate their effects. Finally, the results of single-burst experiments are presented which indicate that the preferential transmission of wild-type alleles is not the result of a non-Poisson distribution of phage over bacteria and a disproportionate contribution of wild-type progeny phage from cells singly infected with am+ phage.
Verification, Validation and Uncertainty Quantification of a Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics Code

Nuclear thermal hydraulics codes are used in designing next generation systems and analyzing existing designs. Since most of the nuclear safety analyses employ nuclear thermal hydraulics codes, every step of the development in these codes are carefully verified and validated (V&V). This study shows the V&V steps of uncertainty equations implemented into the nuclear safety code of Coolant Boiling in Rod Arrays Code-Two-Fluid (COBRA-TF). COBRA-TF, designed by Pacific Northwest Laboratory, represents a two-fluid, three-field (continuous liquid, continuous vapor and entrained liquid drop) representation of two-phase flow. For heat transfer from and within the solid structures in contact with the fluid, a finite difference and semi-implicit numerical technique on an Eulerian mesh is used to solve conservation equations for each of the three fields. Even though the code is capable of predicting two-phase flow response of a system, it only predicts deterministic results without uncertainty bounds. Therefore, uncertainty equations based on Aydogan’s sampling uncertainty method are implemented into COBRA-TF to obtain uncertainty bounds of code predictions. The V&V steps of US-NRC’s Regulatory Guide 1.203 (Rg 1.203) are followed as a guideline after the code updates. Several code-to-data comparisons are done in the process of V&V: single phase pressure drop, two phase pressure drop, void distribution, critical power and dry-out location. Uncertainty bounds of code predictions are calculated and compared with the experimental uncertainty bounds. An experimental database which covers various two phase flow experiments, boundary conditions (mass flow rate, pressure and inlet enthalpies), 1/1 scale nuclear fuel bundles, axial and radial power distribution is selected for the purpose of this study. The uncertainty results of new uncertainty equations coded in COBRA-TF are satisfying.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
System support in Chinese data entry

Chinese typists are readily trained to end the input sequence that identifies the first character of a pair with a special delimiter for pairs rather than the usual delimiter. The pairs delimiter alerts the system to look up the pairing potential of the first character. Then it matches the second character of the pair against that potential. The result is automatic contextual disambiguation performed on input codes that otherwise might not identify characters uniquely.
What is software

This paper suggests that there may be other types of software besides computer software. The paper identifies parallels between computer software and such other societal artifacts as laws, processes, recipes, and instructions (e.g. for driving and kitbuilding), and suggests that there are similar parallels in the ways in which these artifacts are built and evolved. The paper suggests that technologies for supporting the automation of computer software development and evolution might facilitate work in these other domains. It also suggests that successful approaches in these other domains could have useful and important application to the domain of computer software. It is further suggested that it might be important for discussions such as these to lead to a deeper understanding of the nature of "software".
HIV-1 and chemokines in the brain: location, location—location?

Recent data suggest that neurons possess functional receptors for chemokines which could serve to mediate important effects of the HIV-1 virus in the brain.