cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Set up to Fail: Inadequate Educational Support for Orphans in Central Kenya

In response to Kenya's goal of free and universal primary education for every child by 2015, this paper describes a few of the obstacles that one of the most visible periphery populations in Kenya, orphaned children, face in attempting to reach this objective. The most frequently cited barriers of children and their caretakers to consistent school attendance included: inability to pay school fees, lack of a school uniform, difficulty in providing assis- tance to orphaned children, presence of disease/illness in the family and disruption of education due to political violence. Conducted in a Kikuyu community in the Kinangop District of Central Kenya following the 2007/2008 presidential election riots, this study utilized multiple regression, logistic regression and MANOVA statistical tests to determine if families caring for orphaned children of primary school age differed significantly from families with no orphans in the home. Discriminant function and Mahalanobis testing further revealed differ- ences in types of households, with the presence of orphans in the home (particularly AIDS orphans) significantly increasing the amount of school fees owed per family. Qualitative data obtained from semi-structured interviews with families and open-ended interviews with their primary school aged children contextualized study results and inform policy recommendations.
Reduction of 2-acylaziridines by samarium(II) iodide. An efficient and regioselective route to β-amino carbonyl compounds

Abstract A convenient method for the reduction of 2-acylaziridines, aziridine-2-carboxylates and aziridine-2-carboxamides is described. The reduction of all of the substrates examined was extremely rapid and highly regioselective, giving rise to β-amino carbonyl compounds. This method appears to be general for all of the classes of aziridines mentioned above, and also tolerates a variety of nitrogen protecting groups.
Intussusception Incidence Relative to Rotavirus Vaccine Use in Honolulu

Rotavirus vaccine was in use during the period August 1998 to October 1999. Epidemics of intussusception during this period were allegedly due to rotavirus vaccine, which prompted the vaccine to be withdrawn. Hawaii's geographic location between Asia and the mainland United States may subject it to infectious disease epidemic periods midway between occurrence in Asia and occurrence in the mainland United States. In contrast, immunization recommendations are temporally identical across all 50 states. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an epidemic of intussusception was experienced in Honolulu during the period of rotavirus vaccine use. This is a retrospective study of data obtained from inpatient and emergency department discharge diagnosis codes of intussusception for children up to 36 months of age. The incidence data were plotted by time periods to identify possible epidemic periods. The data are graphed. The arrows on the graphs indicate the period of time that rotavirus vaccine was in use. These graphs are most consistent with an increase in the cases of intussusception during the period July 2000 to December 2000, and a possible decline of intussusception during the rotavirus vaccine period. These incidence data are inconsistent with a temporal association between rotavirus vaccine and an epidemic of intussusception in Honolulu.
Behavior Pattern Detection for Data Assimilation in Agent-Based Simulation of Smart Environments

Agent-based simulation is useful for studying human activity and their interactions in smart environments. Existing agent-based simulations are mostly offline tools that do not utilize real time information of smart environments. In previous work we developed a particle filter-based data assimilation method to assimilate real time sensor data from the environment into an agent-based simulation model. This paper extends the previous work by presenting a framework of behavior pattern informed data assimilation. We describe the structure of this framework and focus on the task of behavior pattern detection using Hidden Markov Model. We apply behavior pattern detection to a smart office case study example and discuss how the detected behavior pattern can inform the data assimilation in agent-based simulation of smart environments.
The Properties of the Relativistic Iron K-Line in NGC 3516

We present an analysis of the relativistic iron Kα line in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3516, based on a continuous, 5 day ASCA observation. The broad profile which has been found in several other active galactic nuclei is confirmed in NGC 3516 with unprecedented signal-to-noise ratio. Disk-line models with either a Kerr or Schwarzschild metric fit the integrated profile, but both require emission very strongly concentrated in the inner disk. We find tentative evidence for the line signatures of Ni Kα and/or Fe Kβ. The continuum flux varied by ~50% during the observation and time-resolved analysis shows that the line also changes. The line core seems to follow the continuum, but the blue wing is unrelated and shows a greater amplitude (factor ~2) of variability. The red wing is formally consistent with a constant but appears to be correlated with the blue wing. We interpret this as evidence for independent variability of the broadest parts of the line. There also appears to be an absorption feature in the profile, consistent with resonance scattering in infalling material. This variable feature may be the signature of material being accreted by the central black hole.
The peculiar electronic structure of PbSe quantum dots.

PbSe is a pseudo-II-VI material distinguished from ordinary II-VI's (e.g., CdSe, ZnSe) by having both its valence band maximum (VBM) and its conduction band minimum (CBM) located at the fourfold-degenerate L-point in the Brillouin zone. It turns out that this feature dramatically affects the properties of the nanosystem. We have calculated the electronic and optical properties of PbSe quantum dots using an atomistic pseudopotential method, finding that the electronic structure is different from that of ordinary II-VI's and, at the same time, is more subtle than what k·p or tight-binding calculations have suggested previously for PbSe. We find the following in PbSe dots: (i) The intraband (valence-to-valence and conduction-to-conduction) as well as interband (valence-to-conduction) excitations involve the massively split L-manifold states. (ii) In contrast to previous suggestions that the spacings between valence band levels will equal those between conduction band levels (because the corresponding effect...
Jupiter's Atmospheric Composition and Cloud Structure Deduced from Absorption Bands in Reflected Sunlight

The spectrum of sunlight reflected by Jupiter is analyzed by comparing observations of Woodman (1979) with multiple-scattering computations. The analysis yields information on the vertical cloud structure at several latitudes and on the abundance of CH4 and NH3 in the atmosphere of Jupiter. The abundances of CH4 and NH3 suggest that all ices and rocks are overabundant on Jupiter by a factor of 2 or more, providing an important constraint on models for the formation of Jupiter from the primitive solar nebula. The pressure level of the clouds, the gaseous NH3 abundance, the mean temperature profile, and the Clausius-Clapeyron relation suggest that these clouds are predominantly ammonia crystals with the cloud bottom at 600-700 mb. A diffuse distribution of aerosols exists between 150 and 500 mb, and the spectral variation of albedo reflects a changing bulk absorption coefficient of the material composing the aerosols and is diagnostic of the aerosol composition.
Formation of a fractal basin boundary in a forced oscillator

The question of how a fractal basin boundary arises in the sinusoidally forced Duffing's equation is considered. The author describes how the backwards system flow deforms a local stable manifold into the fractal boundary. Parts of the boundary are labeled in a way related to their time of formation. The truncated fractal boundary produced by a burst of sinusoidal forcing is briefly considered. The approach supplements the insights provided by the usual Poincare map techniques. >
Thermal histories of Jupiter models

Jupiter model thermal profiles, examining metallic core and molecular envelope in convective equilibrium
Comparison of optically addressed spatial light modulators

The performance characteristics of three unique optically-addressed spatial light modulator (SLM) structures have been experimentally investigated. The measured parameters include maximum resolution, visibility, imaging response time, and write light sensitivity. The modulators investigated include two relatively new technologies, the ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) SLM from the University of Colorado-Boulder and the amorphous silicon photoconductive twisted nematic liquid crystal SLM from GEC-Marconi Research, and a well established industry benchmark, the Hughes Liquid Crystal Light Valve (LCLV). A comparison of these devices in terms of the above performance parameters is discussed in this communication.
BRST properties of spin fields

Abstract For the closed superstring, spin fields and bi-spinor states are defined directly in four spacetime dimensions, in van der Waerden notation (dotted and undotted indices). Explicit operator product expansions are given, including those for the internal superconformal field theory, which are consistent with locality and BRST invariance for the string vertices. The most general BRST picture changing for these fields is computed. A covariant notation for the spin decomposition of these states is developed in which non-vanishing polarizations are selected automatically. The kinematics of the three-gluon dual model amplitude in both the Neveu-Schwarz and Ramond sectors in the Lorentz gauges is calculated and contrasted. Modular invariance and enhanced gauge symmetry of four-dimensional models incorporating these states is described.
Extracorporeal Shock-Wave Lithotripsy for Bile Duct Calculi

Abstract Background: Bile duct calculi (BDC) can be cleared or treated with modern endoscopic techniques in most patients. However, large stones, bile duct strictures, or unusual anatomy may make endoscopic clearance difficult. The purpose of the present study was to determine the efficacy of extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in treating patients with complicated BDC. Methods: Between 1989 and January 1995, 16 patients with BDC were treated at our institution with ESWL using a Dornier HM-3 lithotropter. The average age of patients was 62 years (range 32 to 88). Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with sphincterotomy and attempted stone extraction (100%), nasobiliary drainage (83%), and biliary stents (6%) were used prior to ESWL. Eleven patients (61%) had solitary stones, ranging in diameter from 0.5 to 2.6 cm, whereas 7 patients had multiple stones, ranging in diameter from 0.5 to 5.0 cm. The indications for ESWL were stone impaction (56%), stone size (38%), and bile duct stricture (6%). Results: The 16 patients received 27 ESWL treatments (mean = 2101 shock at 21 kV); with 4 patients (22%) requiring multiple treatments. Stone fragmentation was achieved in 94% of patients. All patients had ERCP performed post-ESWL, and only 2 (13%) patients required immediate operations. At discharge, 94% of patients were stone-free. Minor complications (eg, pain, hematuria) were common. With an average follow-up of 3 years, only 1 patient (6%) has required retreatment for BDC. Hepatic transplantation was required in an additional patient. Conclusions: In this cohort of patients with both major medical comorbidities and/or technical contraindications to standard methods of endoscopic and surgical clearance of BDC, we found that ESWL facilitated stone clearance in 94% of patients with minimal morbidity and no mortality. In our opinion, ESWL should be used more frequently in the treatment of these complex patients.
Autonomously learning to visually detect where manipulation will succeed

Visual features can help predict if a manipulation behavior will succeed at a given location. For example, the success of a behavior that flips light switches depends on the location of the switch. We present methods that enable a mobile manipulator to autonomously learn a function that takes an RGB image and a registered 3D point cloud as input and returns a 3D location at which a manipulation behavior is likely to succeed. With our methods, robots autonomously train a pair of support vector machine (SVM) classifiers by trying behaviors at locations in the world and observing the results. Our methods require a pair of manipulation behaviors that can change the state of the world between two sets (e.g., light switch up and light switch down), classifiers that detect when each behavior has been successful, and an initial hint as to where one of the behaviors will be successful. When given an image feature vector associated with a 3D location, a trained SVM predicts if the associated manipulation behavior will be successful at the 3D location. To evaluate our approach, we performed experiments with a PR2 robot from Willow Garage in a simulated home using behaviors that flip a light switch, push a rocker-type light switch, and operate a drawer. By using active learning, the robot efficiently learned SVMs that enabled it to consistently succeed at these tasks. After training, the robot also continued to learn in order to adapt in the event of failure.
Why Do Only Some Galaxy Clusters Have Cool Cores

Flux-limited X-ray samples indicate that about half of rich galaxy clusters have cool cores. Why do only some clusters have cool cores while others do not? In this paper, cosmological N-body + Eulerian hydrodynamic simulations, including radiative cooling and heating, are used to address this question as we examine the formation and evolution of cool core (CC) and noncool core (NCC) clusters. These adaptive mesh refinement simulations produce both CC and NCC clusters in the same volume. They have a peak resolution of 15.6 h−1 kpc within a (256 h−1 Mpc)3 box. Our simulations suggest that there are important evolutionary differences between CC clusters and their NCC counterparts. Many of the numerical CC clusters accreted mass more slowly over time and grew enhanced CCs via hierarchical mergers; when late major mergers occurred, the CCs survived the collisions. By contrast, NCC clusters experienced major mergers early in their evolution that destroyed embryonic CCs and produced conditions that prevented CC reformation. As a result, our simulations predict observationally testable distinctions in the properties of CC and NCC beyond the core regions in clusters. In particular, we find differences between CC versus NCC clusters in the shapes of X-ray surface brightness profiles, between the temperatures and hardness ratios beyond the cores, between the distribution of masses, and between their supercluster environs. It also appears that CC clusters are no closer to hydrostatic equilibrium than NCC clusters, an issue important for precision cosmology measurements.
Double Diastereoselective, Nucleophile-Catalyzed Aldol Lactonizations (NCAL) Leading to β-Lactone Fused Carbocycles and Extensions to β-Lactone Fused Tetrahydrofurans

A double diastereoselective variant of the nucleophile-catalyzed aldol lactonization (NCAL) process is described. This strategy delivers beta-lactone-fused carbocycles with good to excellent diastereoselectivities using cinchona alkaloid catalysts with enantioenriched aldehyde acids, which gave low diastereoselectivity based on substrate control alone. beta-Lactone-fused tetrahydrofurans are also prepared for the first time via the NCAL process; however, diastereoselectivity was only modestly improved when applying double diastereodifferentiation to these systems.
An investigation of structural parameters and magnetic and optical properties of EuLn2Q4 (Ln=Tb–Lu, Q=S, Se)

Abstract EuLn2Q4 (Ln=Tb–Lu; Q=S, Se) has been synthesized using Sb2Q3 (Q=S, Se) fluxes at 1000 °C. These compounds crystallize in a CaFe2O4-type three-dimensional channel structure that is built from edge-shared double rutile chains of [LnQ6] octahedra running down the b-axis. Each double chain is connected at the vertices to four other double chains to form open channels where bicapped trigonal prismatic Eu2+ ions reside. All of these compounds show antiferromagnetic ordering with Neel temperatures, TN∼3–4 K. The optical band gaps for EuTb2Se4, EuDy2Se4, EuHo2Se4, EuEr2Se4, EuTm2Se4, EuYb2Se4 EuLu2Se4, and EuYb2S4 are found to be 2.0, 1.8, 1.8, 1.7, 1.8, 1.3, 1.7, and 1.6 eV, respectively.
Development of asymmetric deacylative allylation

Herein we present the development of asymmetric deacylative allylation of ketone enolates. The reaction directly couples readily available ketone pronucleophiles with allylic alcohols using facile retro-Claisen cleavage to form reactive intermediates in situ. The simplicity and robustness of the reaction conditions is demonstrated by the preparation of >6 g of an allylated tetralone from commercially available materials. Furthermore, use of nonracemic PHOX ligands allows intermolecular formation of quaternary stereocenters directly from allylic alcohols.
Super-Enhancers in the Control of Cell Identity and Disease

Super-enhancers are large clusters of transcriptional enhancers that drive expression of genes that define cell identity. Improved understanding of the roles that super-enhancers play in biology would be afforded by knowing the constellation of factors that constitute these domains and by identifying super-enhancers across the spectrum of human cell types. We describe here the population of transcription factors, cofactors, chromatin regulators, and transcription apparatus occupying super-enhancers in embryonic stem cells and evidence that super-enhancers are highly transcribed. We produce a catalog of super-enhancers in a broad range of human cell types and find that super-enhancers associate with genes that control and define the biology of these cells. Interestingly, disease-associated variation is especially enriched in the super-enhancers of disease-relevant cell types. Furthermore, we find that cancer cells generate super-enhancers at oncogenes and other genes important in tumor pathogenesis. Thus, super-enhancers play key roles in human cell identity in health and in disease.
A large $k$ asymptotics of Witten's invariant of Seifert manifolds

We calculate a largek asymptotic expansion of the exact surgery formula for Witten'sSU(2) invariant of some Seifert manifolds. The contributions of all flat connections are identified. An agreement with the 1-loop formula is checked. A contribution of the irreducible connections appears to contain only a finite number of terms in the asymptotic series. A 2-loop correction to the contribution of the trivial connection is found to be proportional to Casson's invariant.
Effects of DNA damaging agents on cultured fibroblasts derived from patients with Cockayne syndrome.

Abstract The cytotoxic action of physical and chemical agents on 10 skin fibroblast strains in culture derived from individuals with Cockayne's syndrome was measured in terms of colony-forming ability. As compared to fibroblasts from normal donors, all Cockayne cell strains tested exhibited a significantly increased sensitivity to UV light and a normal sensitivity to X-rays. Cells from two sets of parents of unrelated Cockayne children showed an intermediate level of UV sensitivity. There was no effect of 0.5 mM caffeine on UV survival in normal and two Cockayne strains tested, indicating that postreplicational repair in Cockayne cells as measured by caffeine sensitivity was probably normal. Sensitivity of normal and Cockayne cells to the chemical carcinogens and mutagens 4NQO, N-AcO-AAF, ICR-170 and EMS was also compared. An increased sensitivity of Cockayne cells to 4NQO of N-AcO-AAF, but not to ICR-170 or EMS, was observed. However, unlike the intermediate UV sensitivity, the cell strains from two parents of Cockayne patients showed the same sensitivity to N-AcO-AAF or 4NQO as fibroblasts from normal individulas. Quantitation of damage to the DNA after 20 J · m−2 UV irradiation indicates normal levels of [3H]thymidine incorporation in the Cockayne cells, in contrast to UV-irradiated xeroderma pigmentosum cells (XP 12BE) in which there was a very low level of repair synthesis. Moreover, we have shown previoulsy that excision of UV-induced pyrimidine dimers in 2 of the 10 Cockayne cell strains was normal.
A Conversation with Ingram Olkin

Early in 1986, a new journal Statistical Science of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics appeared. This is a journal Ingram Olkin was intimately involved in founding. One of the most popular features of Statistical Science is its interviews with distinguished statisticians and probabilists. In the spirit of those interviews, the Editors of this volume wanted to include an interview with Ingram. However, one does not “interview” Ingram; one simply starts him talking, and sits back to listen and enjoy.
Testing for independence between functional time series

Frequently econometricians are interested in verifying a relationship between two or more time series. Such analysis is typically carried out by causality and/or independence tests which have been well studied when the data is univariate or multivariate. Modern data though is increasingly of a high dimensional or functional nature for which finite dimensional methods are not suitable. In the present paper we develop methodology to check the assumption that data obtained from two functional time series are independent. Our procedure is based on the norms of empirical cross covariance operators and is asymptotically validated when the underlying populations are assumed to be in a class of weakly dependent random functions which include the functional ARMA, ARCH and GARCH processes.
Maximizing the validity of a test battery as a function of relative test lengths for a fixed total testing time

Abstract An explicit solution is given to the problem of assigning relative lengths to the tests of a battery and to determining the corresponding regression weights so as to maximize the multiple correlation with a specified criterion when the total testing time is fixed. Uniqueness of the obtained solution is proven. A solution algorithm is given for cases in which some of the testing times are zero. Some numerical examples are given.
Improved mass constraints in the MSSM from vacuum stability

Using a simple numerical method, we compute the stability of the MSSM vacuum with respect to tunneling. The stability criterion is then used to put restrictions on the mass parameters. These restrictions are necessary conditions for the vacuum stability and complement the existing sufficiency conditions obtained analytically.
Signaling effects of junk bond issuance: Has the interest rate swap age made a difference?

Abstract Signaling theory predicts that the stock price reaction to issuance of fixed-rate, non-investment-grade debt would be more unfavorable in an age when interest rate swaps are readily available than in the pre-swap age. This prediction is based on the fact that swaps can be used to hedge long-term against interest rate risk. The issuance of fixed-rate, long-term debt (particularly non-investment-grade) in the swap age may be motivated, therefore, by some other considerations, possibly the firm's expectation of a deterioration in its credit rating. The prediction is tested by estimating Cumulative Average Abnormal Returns (CAARs) for the common stock of firms which had non-investment-grade debt before and during the swap age. A paired Z-test of CAAR differences supports the conjecture. These results suggest a course of action for financial managers who need to raise debt funds but do not want either to issue short-term debt and face future interest rate risk or to issue long-term debt and lock in an obligation to pay high interest rates over the entire maturity period because of their currently low credit rating. Rather, they should follow an integrated borrowing strategy of issuing short-term debt and swapping into fixed interest rate payments.
Dirac Operator in Matrix Geometry

We review the construction of the Dirac operator and its properties in Riemannian geometry, and show how the asymptotic expansion of the trace of the heat kernel determines the spectral invariants of the Dirac operator and its index. We also point out that the Einstein–Hilbert functional can be obtained as a linear combination of the first two spectral invariants of the Dirac operator. Next, we report on our previous attempts to generalize the notion of the Dirac operator to the case of Matrix Geometry, where, instead of a Riemannian metric there is a matrix valued self-adjoint symmetric two-tensor that plays a role of a "non-commutative" metric. We construct invariant first-order and second-order self-adjoint elliptic partial differential operators, which can be called "non-commutative" Dirac operators and non-commutative Laplace operators. We construct the corresponding heat kernel for the non-commutative Laplace type operator and compute its first two spectral invariants. A linear combination of these two spectral invariants gives a functional that can be considered as a non-commutative generalization of the Einstein–Hilbert action.
Entangled granular media.

We study the geometrically induced cohesion of ensembles of granular ``$u$ particles'' that mechanically entangle through particle interpenetration. We vary the length-to-width ratio $l/w$ of the $u$ particles and form them into freestanding vertical columns. In a laboratory experiment, we monitor the response of the columns to sinusoidal vibration (with peak acceleration $\ensuremath{\Gamma}$). Column collapse occurs in a characteristic time $\ensuremath{\tau}$ which follows the relation $\ensuremath{\tau}\ensuremath{\propto}\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{\Gamma}/\ensuremath{\Delta})$. $\ensuremath{\Delta}$ resembles an activation energy and is maximal at intermediate $l/w$. A simulation reveals that optimal strength results from competition between packing and entanglement.
RNi2B2C Magnetic superconductors: An update from the front

Abstract A review of recent RNi 2 B 2 C research focusing on the variety of effects associated with the interaction between the conduction electrons giving rise to the superconductivity and the 4f-moments is presented. The effects of the 4f local moment on superconductivity are systematically examined via the study of thirty (R 1− x R′ x )Ni 2 B 2 C pseudo-quaternary compounds. While de Gennes scaling may quantify the suppression of T C for T C > T N , when T C T N , there is a catastrophic break down of de Gennes scaling and an accounting of the role of Cooper pair–magnon interactions becomes important. The recent discovery of YbNi 2 B 2 C allows for the study of the effects that a more strongly hybridizing 4f moment has on T c , and the likelihood of weak ferromagnetism coexisting with superconductivity in ErNi 2 B 2 C presents the possibility of examining the effect that a ferromagnetic sublattice has on superconductivity.
Pseudocodewords from Bethe permanents

It was recently conjectured that a vector with components equal to the Bethe permanent of certain submatrices of a parity-check matrix is a pseudocodeword. In this paper, we analyze some important cases for which the conjecture is true and investigate the obtained families of pseudocodewords.
Task Parallelism and High-Performance Languages

High Performance Fortran currently lacks support for explicit task parallelism.This article explains why task parallelism is important, and describes one candidate task-parallel model: the Fortran M extensions to Fortran 77.
Diels-Alder Reactions of Azlactones

Abstract Azlactone 4 reacted with dienes to afford Diets-Alder adducts in good to excellent yields.
Israel’s Associated Regime: Exceptionalism, Human Rights and Alternative Legality

In the context of Israel’s declared permanent state of exception, this article focuses on the legal protection awarded to the Palestinian populations under Israeli control. To broaden the discussion over Palestinian people’s rights, which generally focuses on the confiscation of land and the right to return, the author consciously focuses on anti-terrorism and security measures, which contribute to the creation of what the International Court of Justice has defined as an ‘associated regime’ of occupation. The article is divided into three parts. In the first part, the author discusses Israel’s domestic obligations towards Palestinians (arguing the case of both Palestinian citizens of Israel, and Palestinian residents) and their de jure and de facto discrimination. The second part discusses the applicability of humanitarian law, specifically the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention. This section discusses the applicability of the Convention to both territories and people under Israeli control. The third part discusses the applicability of international human rights law to all territories under Israeli control and delves into the issue of the mutual relationship between the two international legal regimes in the territories under occupation. The article posits that Israel’s rationale for the non-applicability of such legislation to the Palestinian territories and populations it controls constitutes a form of ‘alternative legality’. The article concludes that Israel’s disproportionate application of security practices and anti-terrorism measures to the Palestinian segment of its population violates Palestinian rights protected under Israel’s domestic and international legal obligations.
Hybrid Plasma Deposition Methods for Synthesis of Nanostructured Materials

Hybrid deposition techniques facilitate a high degree of structural control at low substrate temperatures, permitting growth of nanostructured materials, which are not possible to produce by other methods. Several hybrid processes were studied, where pulsed plasma plumes from an excimer laser ablation were combined with continuous plasma generated by non-pulsed sources. One was a hybrid of laser ablation and ion beam deposition, where short-lived interactions between two plasma sources were explored to produce AlON films. The process was used as a base for the development Al2O3/MoS2 nanocomposite coatings. Another hybrid process was a combination of laser ablation with magnetron sputtering (MSPLD), where highly energetic plasma plumes from laser ablation were intersected with a magnetron-generated plasma containing sputtered metal atoms. MSPLD was used to prepare a number of nanostructured coatings, including WC/DLC, WC/DLC/WS2, YSZ/Au, and YSZ/Au/MoS2/DLC nano-composites for wear protection of engineering components. Recently we initiated exploration of a new hybrid process, using filtered vacuum arc and magnetron sputtering, as an aletranative to MSPLD. Initial studies were performed in preparing Ti-TiC-DLC and Ti-TiC-CNx functionally gradient coatings.
Sustained, durable responses with alemtuzumab in refractory angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) was first described in the 1970s as a clinical syndrome characterized by lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, anemia, and hypergammaglobulinemia [1,2]. Pat...
POPPER'S THOUGHT EXPERIMENT REINVESTIGATED

Popper's original thought experiment probed some fundamental and subtle rules of quantum mechanics. He claimed that quantum mechanics was incomplete and devised an experiment to prove it. Two experiments have directly and indirectly tested Popper's hypothesis, and they provide some evidence that Popper's prediction may have been correct. The equations governing these two experiments and Popper's thought experiment will be derived from basic quantum principles. The experimental constants will be inputted and it will show that the two experiments reinforce each other and agree completely with quantum theory.
Osteoblast Adhesion on Biodegradable Polymer Substrates

We have investigated the adhesion of rat osteoblasts on biodegradable poly(α-hydroxy ester) films as an in vitro model of bone regeneration. Osteoblasts cultured on poly(L-lactic acid), poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) copolymers, and poly(glycolic acid) films for 14 days grew with rates comparable to those observed for tissue culture polystyrene and retained their phenotype as expressed by activity of alkaline phosphatase and collagen synthesis.
Interlinked dual-time feedback loops can enhance robustness to stochasticity and persistence of memory.

Multiple interlinked positive feedback loops shape the stimulus responses of various biochemical systems, such as the cell cycle or intracellular ${\mathrm{Ca}}^{2+}$ release. Recent studies with simplified models have identified two advantages of coupling fast and slow feedback loops. This dual-time structure enables a fast response while enhancing resistances of responses and bistability to stimulus noise. We now find that (1) the dual-time structure similarly confers resistance to internal noise due to molecule number fluctuations, and (2) model variants with altered coupling, which better represent some specific biochemical systems, share all the above advantages. We also develop a similar bistable model with coupling of a fast autoactivation loop to a slow loop. This model's topology was suggested by positive feedback proposed to play a role in long-term synaptic potentiation (LTP). The advantages of fast response and noise resistance are also present in this autoactivation model. Empirically, LTP develops resistance to reversal over $\ensuremath{\sim}1\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{h}$. The model suggests this resistance may result from increased amounts of synaptic kinases involved in positive feedback.
Urinary Bladder Biopsy With Denuded Mucosa: Denuding Cystitis-Cytopathologic Correlates

Denuding cystitis is often encountered in tissue biopsies of bladder mucosa performed by either cold-cup forceps or wire loop electrocautery to evaluate hematuria or to rule out recurrent urothelial carcinoma. Lack of urothelium in these biopsies is often a frustrating experience, leading to a nonspecific interpretation. In this study, 151 cases of denuding cystitis were retrieved from the surgical pathology files of The Johns Hopkins Hospital over a 4-year period (1996-1999). Patients under the age of 40 years and outside consultation material were excluded. Of the 151 cases of denuding cystitis, 48 patients were identified who had concurrent urinary cytologic studies. Of these patients, 35 were male (73%) and 13 were female (27%). Patient ages ranged from 43 to 85 years (mean, 67). Twenty-six of these 48 patients (54%) had at least one concurrently positive urinary cytology, which was histologically confirmed. All except three cases were high-grade urothelial carcinoma with the following histologic subtypes: flat carcinoma in situ (n = 11), noninvasive papillary (n = 9), and invasive urothelial carcinoma (n = 3). We conclude that urinary cytology is a sensitive modality that detects exfoliated carcinoma cells in patients with a histologic diagnosis of denuding cystitis. An inconclusive diagnosis of denuding cystitis on tissue might be related to biopsy method and technique, small sample size, or biopsy of cystoscopically abnormal urothelium that is denuded. A cytologic diagnosis of high-grade urothelial carcinoma in these cases leads to a timely clinical intervention for optimal patient management.
Control of oblique shock wave/boundary layer interactions using plasma actuators

Localized arc filament plasma actuators (LAFPAs) are used for shock wave/boundary layer interaction induced separation control in a Mach 2.3 flow. The boundary layer is fully turbulent with a Reynolds number based on the incompressible momentum thickness of 22,000 and shape factor of 1.37, and the impinging shock wave is generated by a 10° compression ramp. The LAFPAs are observed to have significant control authority over the interaction. The main effect is the displacement of the reflected shock and most of the interaction region upstream by approximately one boundary layer thickness (~5 mm). The initial goal of the control was to manipulate the low-frequency (St~0.03) unsteadiness associated with the interaction region. A detailed investigation of the effect of actuator placement, frequency, and duty cycle on the control authority indicates the actuators’ primary control mechanism is not the manipulation of low-frequency unsteadiness. Detailed measurements and analysis indicate that a modification to the boundary layer through heat addition by the actuators is the control mechanism, despite the extremely small power input of the actuators.
The Pedagogy of Science and Environment: Experimental Evidence from Peru

In today's knowledge-based societies, understanding basic scientific concepts and the capacity to structure and solve scientific questions is more critical than ever. Accordingly, in this article we test an innovative methodology for teaching science and environment in public primary schools where traditional (teacher-centred) teaching was replaced with student-centred activities using LEGO kits. We document positive and significant improvements of 0.18 standard deviations in standardised test scores. Such positive results are mainly concentrated within boys that were located above the median of baseline academic performance.
NOTES ON 2-GROUPOIDS, 2-GROUPS AND CROSSED MODULES

This paper contains some basic results on 2-groupoids, with special emphasis on computing derived mapping 2-groupoids between 2-groupoids and proving their invariance under strictification. Some of the results proven here are presumably folklore (but do not appear in the literature to the author’s knowledge) and some of the results seem to be new. The main technical tool used throughout the paper is the Quillen model structure on the category of 2-groupoids introduced by Moerdijk and Svensson.
Experimental Study of the Flow in a Simulated Hard Disk Drive

Instantaneous circumferential and radial velocity components of the air flowing past a symmetrical pair of suspension/slider-units (SSUs) attached to an E-Block/arm were measured in a specially designed corotating disk apparatus simulating a hard disk drive (HDD) using the particle image velocimetry technique. The geometrical dimensions of the components in the apparatus test section were scaled up by a factor of two, approximately, relative to those of a nominal 312 inch HDD. Most of the measurements were obtained on the interdisk midplane for two angular orientations of the arm/SSUs: (a) One with the tip of the SSUs near the hub supporting the disks; (b) another with the tip of the SSUs near the rims of the disks. Data obtained for disk rotational speeds ranging from 250 to 3000rpm (corresponding to 1250 to 15,000rpm, approximately, in a 312 inch HDD) were post-processed to yield mean and rms values of the two velocity components and of the associated shear stress, the mean axial vorticity, and the turbulence intensity (based on the two velocity components). At the locations investigated near the arm/SSUs, and for disk rotational speeds larger than 1500rpm, the mean velocity components are found to be asymptotically independent of disk speed of rotation but their rms values appear to still be changing. At two locations 90 and 29deg, respectively, upstream of the arm/SSUs, the flow approaching this obstruction displays features that can be attributed to the three-dimensional wake generated by the obstruction. Also, between these two locations and depending on the angular orientation of the arm/SSUs, the effect of the obstruction is to induce a three-dimensional region of flow reversal adjacent to the hub. Notwithstanding, the characteristics of the flow immediately upstream and downstream of the arm/SSUs appear to be determined by local flow-structure interactions. Aside from their intrinsic fundamental value, the data serve to guide and test the development of turbulence models and numerical calculation procedures for predicting this complex class of confined rotating flows, and to inform the improved design of HDDs.
A General Decomposition Theorem for the k-Server Problem

The first general decomposition theorem for the k-server problem is presented. Whereas all previous theorems are for the case of a finite metric with k+1 points, the theorem given here allows an arbitrary number of points in the underlying metric space. This theorem implies O(polylog(k))-competitive randomized algorithms for certain metric spaces consisting of a polylogarithmic number of widely separated subspaces and takes a first step toward a general O(polylog(k))-competitive algorithm. The only other cases for which polylogarithmic competitive randomized algorithms are known are the uniform metric space and the weighted cache metric space with two weights.
Representations of the Virasoro algebra from lattice models

Abstract We investigate in detail how the Virasoro algebra appears in the scaling limit of the simplest lattice models of XXZ or RSOS type. Our approach is straightforward but to our knowledge had never been tried so far. We simply formulate a conjecture for the lattice stress-energy tensor motivated by the exact derivation of lattice global Ward identities. We then check that the proper algebraic relations are obeyed in the scaling limit. The latter is under reasonable control thanks to the Bethe-ansatz solution. The results, which are mostly numerical for technical reasons, are remarkably precise. They are also corroborated by exact pieces of information from various sources, in particular Temperley-Lieb algebra representation theory. Most features of the Virasoro algebra (like central term, null vectors,) metric properties, etc.) can thus be observed using the lattice models. This seems of general interest for lattice field theory, and also more specifically for finding relations between conformal invariance and lattice integrability, since a basis for the irreducible representations of the Virasoro algebra should now follow (at least in principle) from Bethe-ansatz computations.
Calculating the income counterfactual for oil producing countries of the MENA region

Abstract How much richer would the oil producing countries, in the Middle East, be if they invested all their natural resource rent? This study tries to answer this question by calculating the counterfactuals of capital stock and income under two major scenarios. Combining several data sets, including a unique one on sovereign wealth funds, it finds that the oil producing economies of the MENA region could have had on average about 0.4 percentage point higher growth rate if they had used their natural resource rents efficiently. This difference in growth rate translates to about 17% higher income over a 40 year period. These numbers are calculated for each country separately and their important policy implications are discussed.
The Proton proton reaction, solar neutrinos, and a relativistic field theoretic model of the deuteron

Abstract In a series of recent papers, Ivanov et al. and Oberhummer et al. have calculated the rate for the p + p → d + e+ + νe reaction with a zero-range four-fermion effective interaction and find a result 2.9 times higher than the standard value calculated from non-relativistic potential theory. Their procedure is shown to give a wrong answer because their assumed interaction disagrees with low-energy pp scattering data.
A Numerical Model of Hercules?A by Magnetic Tower: Jet/Lobe Transition, Wiggling, and the Magnetic Field Distribution

We apply magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modeling to the radio galaxy Hercules A for investigating the jetdriven shock, jet/lobe transition, wiggling, and magnetic field distribution associated with this source. The model consists of magnetic tower jets in a galaxy cluster environment, which has been discussed in a series of our papers. The profile of underlying ambient gas plays an imp ortant role in jet-lobe morphology. The balance between the magnetic pressure generated by axial current and the ambient gas pressure can determine the lobe radius. The jet body is confined jointly by the external press ure and gravity inside the cluster core radius Rc, while outside Rc it expands radially to form fat lobes in a steeply decreasing ambient thermal pressure gradient. The current-carrying jets are responsible for ge nerating a strong, tightly wound helical magnetic field. This magnetic configuration will be unstable against t he current-driven kink mode and it visibly grows beyond Rc where a separation between the jet forward and return currents occurs. The reversed pinch profile of global magnetic field associated with the jet and lobes pro duces projected B-vector distributions aligned with the jet flow and the lobe edge. AGN-driven shock powered b y the expanding magnetic tower jet surrounds the jet/lobe structure and heats the ambient ICM. The lobes expand subsonically; no obvious hot spots are produced at the heads of lobes. Several key features in our MHD modeling may be qualitatively supported by the observations of Hercules A. Subject headings:galaxies:individual: Hercules A — galaxies: active — galaxies: jets — methods: numerical — MHD
A MAGNETIC CALIBRATION OF PHOTOSPHERIC DOPPLER VELOCITIES

The zero point of measured photospheric Doppler shifts is uncertain for at least two reasons: instrumental variations (from, e.g., thermal drifts); and the convective blueshift, a known correlation between intensity and upflows. Accurate knowledge of the zero point is, however, useful for (1) improving estimates of the Poynting flux of magnetic energy across the photosphere, and (2) constraining processes underlying flux cancellation, the mutual apparent loss of magnetic flux in closely spaced, opposite-polarity magnetogram features. We present a method to absolutely calibrate line-of-sight (LOS) velocities in solar active regions (ARs) near disk center using three successive vector magnetograms and one Dopplergram coincident with the central magnetogram. It exploits the fact that Doppler shifts measured along polarity inversion lines (PILs) of the LOS magnetic field determine one component of the velocity perpendicular to the magnetic field, and optimizes consistency between changes in LOS flux near PILs and the transport of transverse magnetic flux by LOS velocities, assuming that ideal electric fields govern the magnetic evolution. Previous calibrations fitted the center-to-limb variation of Doppler velocities, but this approach cannot, by itself, account for residual convective shifts at the limb. We apply our method to vector magnetograms of AR 11158, observed by themore » Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and find clear evidence of offsets in the Doppler zero point in the range of 50-550 m s{sup -1}. In addition, we note that a simpler calibration can be determined from an LOS magnetogram and Dopplergram pair from the median Doppler velocity among all near-disk-center PIL pixels. We briefly discuss shortcomings in our initial implementation, and suggest ways to address these. In addition, as a step in our data reduction, we discuss the use of temporal continuity in the transverse magnetic field direction to correct apparently spurious fluctuations in resolution of the 180 Degree-Sign ambiguity.« less
The synthesis of a light-switchable amino acid for inclusion into conformationally mobile peptides

Abstract An efficient synthesis of protected amino acid 1 , containing a light-switchable azabenzene moiety and suitable for incorporation into conformationally mobile linear and cyclic peptides, is described.