cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Before and after disaster strikes: A relief supply chain decision support framework

Abstract The potential and scope of damages resulting from large scale natural disasters is undisputed. Additionally, the risks that societies are facing continue to grow along with the global population. A decision support risk assessment and mitigation framework for disaster relief supply chain is proposed. This framework was applied to the example of the March 2011 disaster in Japan which was the result of a Tsunami, after a strong earthquake, followed by flooding and meltdown of multiple nuclear reactors. The evidence of relief supply chain effectiveness is examined and diagnosed in specific instances when the supply chain has failed to perform. Key stages are identified within the relief supply chain, and these stages are connected through communication and collaboration. By identifying and quantifying different risks under different stages in the supply chain using fault tree analysis and then imputing them into the model, the results are helpful in the decision making process. The failure mode effects and critical analysis method was used to assess the reliability of a relief supply chain system and its critical components. The research suggests the support for a network authority for utilizing diverse expertise for organizing the efficient relief supply chain. This structure makes use of the community relationships and trust that NGOs have built in areas throughout the world to aid in crises. The development of a robust communications plan and system will help coordination of all groups, prior to, during, and after a disaster, and will provide a more effective response.
Laser Reflection in a Scattering Medium With a White Diffusively Reflecting Substrate

Etude de la perte de visibilite d'une figure qui est formee sur le support lorsque un milieu diffusant plan est soumis a une lumiere collimatee de dimensions finies
Monte Carlo calculations on unimolecular reactions, energy transfer, and IR-multiphoton decomposition☆

Abstract Monte Carlo techniques are described for stochastic calculations involving energy transfer, unimolecular reactions, and IR-multiphoton decomposition; all of these phenomena can be simulated using the same computer code. The details of the model are presented along with the following example calculations: (1) weak collision energy-transfer following photoactivation, (2) chemical activation unimolecular reactions with multiple reaction pathways, (3) incubation times in shock-tube experiments on systems with multiple reaction pathways, and (4) IR-multiphoton absorption and decomposition in collisional environments. The model uses a modular approach that permits application to numerous experimental systems.
Software fault tolerance in real-time systems

Abstract The paper proposes a technique for providing software fault tolerance in real-time applications demanding fast response and a high degree of reliability. It is shown that a reasonably flexible interprocess communication can be supported with only a small increase in complexity and overhead. The two most prominent features of the proposed scheme are (1) it attempts to exploit fault-avoidance techniques as much as possible to reduce the overhead of fault tolerance and (2) it controls the propagation of errors so as to enable efficient recovery. Formal proofs of the system operation are developed. Besides showing that the scheme works as expected, the arguments serve to highlight the assumptions needed for provably correct operation. Some issues relating to hardware fault tolerance are also considered.
A phase I-II trial of the combination of recombinant leukocyte a interferon and recombinant human interferon-γ in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma

Twenty patients with advanced malignant melanoma received daily intramuscular recombinant leukocyte A interferon (rIFN-alpha A, Roferon-A, Hoffmann-Laroche, Nutley, NJ) concomitant with recombinant human interferon-gamma (rIFN-gamma Genentech, South San Francisco, CA). During the first week alpha dose was 2 X 10(6) U/m2 and the gamma dose was 0.01 mg/m2 with escalations, if clinically tolerable, during the second week to 5 X 10(6) U/m2 and 0.025 mg/m2, respectively. Twelve patients received the escalated doses; subsequent granulocytopenia and a flu-type illness were severe in four of the 12. We observed one partial response of MRI-documented and biopsy-confirmed osseous metastases for 7+ months. For all study participants, the median time to progression was 1 month with a median survival of 6 months. From the dose and schedule which we utilized, concurrent rIFN-alpha A and rIFN-gamma provided little impact on advanced malignant melanoma.
Certifying spatially uniform behavior in reaction-diffusion PDE and compartmental ODE systems

We present a condition that guarantees spatial uniformity for the asymptotic behavior of the solutions of a reaction-diffusion PDE with Neumann boundary conditions. This condition makes use of the Jacobian matrix of the reaction terms and the second Neumann eigenvalue of the Laplacian operator on the given spatial domain, and eliminates the global Lipschitz assumptions commonly used in mathematical biology literature. We then derive numerical procedures that employ linear matrix inequalities to certify this condition, and illustrate these procedures on models of several biochemical reaction networks. Finally, we present an analog of this PDE result for the synchronization of a network of identical ODE models coupled by diffusion terms. From a systems biology perspective, the main contribution of the paper is to blend analytical and numerical tools from nonlinear systems and control theory to derive a relaxed and verifiable condition for spatial uniformity of biological processes.
Toward the integration of objectivity and subjectivity: epistemological development from 10 to 16

Abstract In a longitudinal study, we conducted interviews with children at ages 10, 13 and 16 concerning vignettes in which two characters disagree about issues ranging from immediately resolvable questions of fact through issues of interpretation to potentially unresolvable matters of taste or value. The protagonists do not justify their views, and the vignettes do not contain enough information to resolve the issues. We asked our participants why the protagonists disagreed, which one was right, whether the dispute could be resolved, and if so how. Analysis of changes with age in their judgments as to the resolvability of the issues, and their reasons for believing one or another protagonist, revealed increasing awareness of the complexity of both the outer world of objective “reality” and the inner worlds of individual knowers, and a deeper understanding of the ways in which the two worlds intersect in the creation of knowledge. Issues of “fact” and “opinion” became less sharply differentiated as the act of knowing became less reactive and more constructive.
Polycystic ovarian condition in the dehydroepiandrosterone-treated rat model: hyperandrogenism and the resumption of meiosis are major initial events associated with cystogenesis of antral follicles.

Background The purpose of this study was to elucidate the early effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the polycystic rat model by charting cytological changes in the early antral follicle of the ovary and constructing a serum hormonal profile. Histological examinations of ovaries from DHEA-treated rats for ten consecutive days revealed that the oocyte of antral follicles, ranging from 1.5 mm to 3.4 mm in diameter, had become activated, i.e., had resumed meiosis. Tabulation and statistical analysis revealed a highly significant difference in the percentage of oocyte activation between the ovaries of DHEA-treated and control rats. Granulosa cells associated with those antral follicles included in our statistical analysis showed no evidence of atresia. A few follicles not included in our analysis contained oocytes that had resumed meiosis and whose associated granulosa cells were atretic. The observed resumption of meiosis occurred in the absence of surges of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). During meiosis, a period when many oocytes become activated, levels of serum androgens (DHEA, testosterone, and androstenedione) were high, while FSH, LH, and prolactin (PRL) levels did not differ significantly from those in the controls. Follicles that resume meiosis may be members of a group of follicles that produces a signal(s) when the oocyte becomes uncoupled from the granulosa cell. This signal(s) permit(s) a reprogramming of the accompanying granulosa cells of the follicle to engage in certain developmental processes of cystogenesis. Just what cascade of signals is necessary to achieve this selection remains elusive at this time and is the subject of our continuing investigations. Anat. Rec. 249:44–53, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Thermodynamic Study of Advanced Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycles for High Performance Concentrating Solar Power Systems

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiated a “SunShot Concentrating Solar Power R&D” program to develop technologies that have the potential for much higher efficiency, lower cost, and/or more reliable performance than existing CSP systems. The DOE seeks to develop highly disruptive Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies that will meet 6¢/kWh cost targets by the end of the decade, and a high-efficiency, low-cost thermal power cycle is one of the important components to achieve the goal. Supercritical CO2 (s-CO2) operated in a closed-loop Brayton cycle offers the potential of equivalent or higher cycle efficiency versus superheated or supercritical steam cycles at temperatures relevant for CSP applications. Brayton-cycle systems using s-CO2 have a smaller weight and volume, lower thermal mass, and less complex power blocks versus Rankine cycles due to the higher density of the fluid and simpler cycle design. The simpler machinery and compact size of the s-CO2 process may also reduce the installation, maintenance and operation cost of the system.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Monocyte-induced cytokine expression in cultured human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

Monocytes and retinal pigment epithelial cells are intimately associated in membranes of eyes with proliferative vitreoretinopathy and in certain types of uveitis. The goal of this study was to determine whether monocytes modulate cytokine expression in retinal pigment epithelial cells, and if so, to identify the monocyte products responsible for this effect. Cultured human retinal pigment epithelial cells were exposed to varying concentrations of monocyte-conditioned medium from unstimulated human monocytes for 1–48 hr, or from monocytes prestimulated with lipopolysaccharide. mRNA expression of interleukin-1 β , interleukin-6, interleukin-8, melanoma growth stimulating activity/gro α and γ , macrophage colony stimulating factor, transforming growth factor- β 2, basic fibroblast growth factor and activin β A chain was determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Protein secretion of selected cytokines, interleukin-1 β , interleukin-6, interleukin-8, macrophage colony stimulating factor and transforming growth factor- β 2 was measured in RPE-conditioned medium by ELISA. Retinal pigment epithelial cells constitutively expressed mRNA for interleukin-6, macrophage colony stimulating factor, transforming growth factor- β 2, basic fibroblast growth factor and activin β A chain. Interleukin-1 β , melanoma growth stimulating activity/gro α and γ and interleukin-8 were not expressed under basal conditions. Stimulated monocyte-conditioned medium markedly induced mRNA of all cytokines except basic fibroblast growth factor and transforming growth factor- β 2 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Unstimulated monocyte-conditioned medium was a less potent inducing agent, but still enhanced mRNA expression of interleukin-6, interleukin-8 and melanoma growth stimulating activity/gro α . Stimulated monocyte-conditioned medium also induced a time-dependent increase in interleukin-6, Interleukin-8, macrophage colony stimulation factor and transforming growth factor- β 2, but not interleukin-1 β protein secretion ( p β , or tumour necrosis factor α , but not interleukin-1 α , significantly reduced cytokine mRNA expression induced by stimulated monocyte-conditioned medium. the combination of all three neutralizing antibodies almost entirely eliminated monocyte-induced mRNA expression and protein production of all cytokines studied. Activated monocytes secrete a heterogeneous mixture of products that together strongly induce expression of multiple cytokines in human retinal pigment epithelial cells. Most if not all of the inducing effect can be accounted for by interleukin-1 β and tumour necrosis factor α . Because cytokines have been implicated in proliferative vitreoretinopathy and uveitis, monocyte-mediated cytokine expression by RPE cells may serve to initiate and perpetuate these diseases.
Enhancement of opiate binding by various molecular forms of phosphatidylserine and inhibition by other unsaturated lipids.

Abstract A study was undertaken on the possible involvement of phospholipids on stereospecific opiate binding to a rat brain membrane fraction comprised mainly of synaptic membranes. The addition of acidic phospholipids such as phosphatidylserine, phosphoinositides, and phosphatidic acid significantly enhanced opiate binding. With the exception of phosphatidylserine, when the acidic phospholipids contained a polyunsaturated acyl group, they were actually inhibitory, along with neutral phospholipids derived from brain. Both the C 18:0 , C 18:1 form (derived from myelin) and the C 18:0 , C 22:6 form of phosphatidylserine (derived from synaptic membranes) produced as much as a 45% enhancement in opiate binding. Unsaturated fatty acids were highly inhibitory, the degree of inhibition being related to the degree of unsaturation. Bot phospholipase A and C were inhibitory; and the inhibitory effect of A could not be prevented by albumin or overcome with the addition of phosphatidylserine. With the use of the cross-linking agent, dinitrodifluorobenzene, it could be demonstrated that the phosphatidylserine of synaptic membranes appeared to be preferentially associated with membrane protein. The enhancement of opiate binding by phosphatidylserine diminished with increasing degree of cross-linking.
Patterns and pathways of educational achievement across adolescence: a holistic-developmental perspective.

Among those who ever attend college, the vast majority do so for the ﬁrsttime immediately following graduation from high school (National Centerfor Education Statistics, 1999). Immediate enrollment in college is an impor-tant ﬁrst step in young people’s completion of a college degree and enhance-ment of their prospects for employment and economic self-sufﬁciency. Thechoice to enroll in college is also a ﬁnal step in a longer-term developmen-tal process—one shaped during childhood and adolescence by individuals’scholastic aptitudes and achievements, the support of their families andfriends, the quality of the schools they attend, and their socioeconomic circumstances.Consistent with the aims of this volume, we provide an empirical illus-tration of how pattern-centered analytic techniques and longitudinal datacan be used to explore how various psychological, behavioral, and con-textual factors assessed in early adolescence are probabilistically associatedwith college enrollment rates among adolescents who complete highschool. Early adolescence has consistently been shown to be an importantjuncture in young people’s evolving educational trajectories (CarnegieCouncil on Adolescent Development, 1995). In an effort to complementresearch on factors in early adolescence that probabilistically forecast edu-cational withdrawal prior to high school graduation (Cairns, Cairns, andNeckerman, 1989), we focus here on a positive educational outcome: col-lege enrollment among students who graduate from high school.The data reported here come from an ongoing longitudinal study ofapproximately ﬁfteen hundred adolescents who were in seventh grade at
The role of Catholic nurses in women's health care policy disputes: a historical study.

Abstract Background The Catholic Church oversees the nation's largest group of not-for-profit health care facilities, and in certain areas a Catholic hospital is the only hospital available. Recently, Catholic hospitals' provision of health care services to women in the areas of reproductive procedures has come under scrutiny. Purpose This article examines the role of Catholic sister nurses in health policy for women. Methods Using historical analysis, this article focuses on the tensions between Catholic religious priests and sister nurses over access to health care. Discussion A historical examination of Catholic hospitals' influence on health policy offers a vehicle to contemplate the role that religion plays in the area of women's health. Conclusion Catholic sister nurses used the Catholic Church's organizational power to influence health policy that affected their hospitals. However, they exercised due restraint in their advocacy efforts, always having to be mindful of ecclesiastical barriers they could not abridge, particularly those that pertained to reproduction. This has significantly affected health policy for women.
DEVELOPMENT OF A RENAL TUMOR MIMIC MODEL FOR LEARNING MINIMALLY INVASIVE NEPHRON SPARING SURGICAL TECHNIQUES

ABSTRACT Purpose: New laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and tumor ablation techniques are continuously being developed and evaluated in large animal models. However, to our knowledge no reliable renal tumor model exists to evaluate procedure efficacy. We developed and assessed the reliability of a tumor mimic model to serve as a training tool for minimally invasive kidney surgery. Materials and Methods: An agarose based model was created using a mixture of 3% agarose, 3% cellulose, 7% glycerol and 0.05% methylene blue. It is liquid when heated, but solidifies after cooling to physiological temperatures. The agar was injected (0.7 cc) into porcine renal parenchyma to make endophytic or completely intraparenchymal lesions. Three-dimensional ultrasound images of the lesions were obtained during initial development to ensure spherical lesions. A group of 20 lesions was initially placed in an ex vivo setting to assess size consistency and define baseline impedance characteristics. An additional 20 tumor mimics each were established in a laparoscopic model in a laparoscopic box trainer and an in vivo laparoscopic model. They were ablated with a temperature based radio frequency generator to assess impedance characteristics but the efficacy of ablation was not assessed. The in vivo model consisted of placing the agar lesion percutaneously under direct laparoscopic vision. Results: The agarose mixture was easily injected and readily visible on ultrasound as hyperechoic distinct lesions. Lesions had a mean size of 10.8 ± SD 1.3 mm on ultrasound and 10.9 ± 1.2 mm grossly. The impedance of normal renal parenchyma and unablated lesions was similar. Mean lesion size in the ex vivo model after radio frequency ablation was 9.8 ± 2.0 mm on ultrasound, which was similar to the gross mean lesion size of 9.7 ± 1.0 mm. Similar results were obtained for the in vivo model with a mean size of 10.1 ± 2.1 and 10.4 ± 1.5 mm, respectively. The lesions were easily identified grossly as blue solid lesions that replaced renal parenchyma. Conclusions: The described renal tumor mimic model reproducibly creates ex vivo and in vivo porcine kidney lesions. Lesion size and impedance do not change with the application of radio frequency energy. This model should be a valuable adjunct in the development, assessment and teaching of novel, nephron sparing, minimally invasive surgical techniques.
Technical endovascular highlights for crossing the difficult aortic bifurcation

Effective endovascular treatment requires successful vascular access to reach the targeted lesion. When the targeted lesion is infrainguinal in location, the vascular access options include the ipsilateral antegrade femoral approach, the contralateral retrograde femoral approach, or the transbrachial approach. The contralateral retrograde femoral route remains the most commonly used approach but may be challenging, particularly in the settings of a scarred groin or a difficult aortic bifurcation. The purpose of this article is to provide technical tips for the challenges encountered in obtaining contralateral femoral access for peripheral interventions with a difficult aortic bifurcation.
The control of foot force during pushing efforts against a moving pedal.

The muscle component of the force applied to a bicycle pedal (foot force) by seated humans provided insight into the organization of the motor system. Healthy adults (n=11) pedaled a stationary cycle ergometer while attempting to match peak foot force magnitude to visually presented force targets (200, 250, ..., 650 N). Pedaling cadence was maintained at 60 rpm by a motor. Measurements of the foot force, pedal angle, and crank angle were recorded. The experimental design and data analysis allowed the isolation of the muscle component of the foot force from the contributions due to gravity and inertia. A graphical representation of the muscle component of the foot force (force path) was created for each of several crank angles throughout the extension phase of the pedaling cycle. The force paths showed several highly conserved characteristics across participants and crank angles. Each force path occupied a narrow range in force space despite the ability of the participants to produce force in a wide region of force space. Three control strategies were observed in the geometry of the force paths. Eighty five percent of the force paths were linear for six of the participants, and 79% of the force paths had second-order curvature for the other five participants. The curvature was concave to the posterior for four of the participants and concave to the anterior for one participant. The linear force paths were consistent with the previously reported linear nature of the force paths for pushes against a quasi-static pedal. The observation of simple force path geometry for two tasks with dissimilar dynamic characteristics suggests that this aspect of foot force control may be common to a range of lower limb tasks and may reflect a mechanism by which the nervous system organizes the control of foot force.
Manganese: Recent advances in understanding its transport and neurotoxicity

The present review is based on presentations from the meeting of the Society of Toxicology in San Diego, CA (March 2006). It addresses recent developments in the understanding of the transport of manganese (Mn) into the central nervous system (CNS), as well as brain imaging and neurocognitive studies in non-human primates aimed at improving our understanding of the mechanisms of Mn neurotoxicity. Finally, we discuss potential therapeutic modalities for treating Mn intoxication in humans.
Rearing Male Bluegills Indoors May Be Advantageous for Producing Food‐size Sunfish

.— An indicated demand for sunfish (Lepomis spp.) as a food fish remains untested because of continuing inability to efficiently rear these fishes to required large sizes (≥227 g; 0.5 lbs). A recent study involving parallel, indoor rearing of two sunfishes under favorable conditions showed that bluegills Lepomis macrochirus possessed markedly higher growth capacity than B × G hybrids (F1: male bluegill × female green sunfish, Lepomis cyanellus). B × G hybrids had been thought to possess superior growth capacity and so have received more attention than bluegills as a food-fish candidate in many areas of the USA. Reanalysis of data from the recent study with emphasis on gender differences revealed that the male bluegills possessed much higher growth capacity than male B × G hybrids, at least from May to March as Age 1 and then early Age 2 fish. Male bluegills reached 67% of food-market weight within the 10-mo period from a starting weight of 7 g; male B × G hybrids reached only 24% of this weight. Male bluegills’ more rapid growth versus male B × G hybrids’ apparently involved less growth energy allocation to gonad development. Female bluegills grew slower than male bluegills but also outgrew male and female B × G hybrids whose growth trajectories declined in midsummer (June) and remained largely flat through March. The previous view that B × G hybrids possess higher growth capacity than bluegills was fostered by studies in ponds where bluegill growth can be impeded by high reproduction rates and, as this study reveals, by high densities and exposure to suboptimal temperatures when their growth potential is high. Indoor rearing of male bluegills should ameliorate most pond-related growth impediments and take fuller advantage of their rapid growth capacity.
Potent direct inhibitors of factor Xa based on the tetrahydroisoquinoline scaffold.

Abstract Direct inhibition of coagulation factor Xa (FXa) carries significant promise for developing effective and safe anticoagulants. Although a large number of FXa inhibitors have been studied, each can be classified as either possessing a highly flexible or a rigid core scaffold. We reasoned that an intermediate level of flexibility will provide high selectivity for FXa considering that its active site is less constrained in comparison to thrombin and more constrained as compared to trypsin. We studied several core scaffolds including 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid for direct FXa inhibition. Using a genetic algorithm-based docking and scoring approach, a promising candidate 23 was identified, synthesized, and found to inhibit FXa with a Ki of 28 μM. Optimization of derivative 23 resulted in the design of a potent dicarboxamide 47, which displayed a Ki of 135 nM. Dicarboxamide 47 displayed at least 1852-fold selectivity for FXa inhibition over other coagulation enzymes and doubled PT and aPTT of human plasma at 17.1 μM and 20.2 μM, respectively, which are comparable to those of clinically relevant agents. Dicarboxamide 47 is expected to serve as an excellent lead for further anticoagulant discovery.
No Latino Left Behind? Determinants of Support for Education Reform in the U.S. Congress

With education consistently ranked as the highest priority for Latino voters, how have members of Congress responded to Latino constituents on this dimension? This article explores the relationship between Latino constituencies and the importance members of Congress have placed on this issue. Through an analysis of National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) prioritized roll call votes, one can gain a fuller understanding of the importance of this issue. In particular, this article examines the enactment of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the extent to which the Latino population and Latino members of Congress had an impact on a series of educational policy–related bills and amendments. We find that the percentage of Latinos in a district is unrelated to vote outcomes on NCLB and related amendments and that Latino members of Congress voted against the interests of the NHLA on NCLB and a key amendment.
In vitro stable isotope labeling for discovery of novel metabolites by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry: confirmation of γ-tocopherol metabolism in human A549 cell.

A general approach for discovering novel catabolic metabolites from a parent biocompound was developed and validated on the metabolism of gamma-tocopherol in human A549 cell. The method is based on LC-MS analysis of in vitro stable isotope-labeled metabolites and assumes that a parent compound and its metabolites share a common functional group that can be derivatized by well-documented reagents. In this method, two equal aliquots of extracted metabolites are separately derivatized with isotope-coded (heavy) and non-isotope-coded (light) form of derivatizing reagent, mixed at 1:1 ratio and analyzed using LC-MS. The metabolites with common functional group are then easily recognized by determination of a chromatographically co-eluted pair of isotopomers (MS doublet peaks) with similar peak intensities and mass difference corresponding to the mass difference between heavy and light form of derivatization reagent. The feasibility of this approach was demonstrated and validated by the identification of products of gamma-tocopherol catabolism in human A549 cell culture media using N-methyl-nicotinic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (C1-NANHS) and N-methyl-d3-nicotinic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (C1-d3-NANHS) derivatizing reagent. Overall four gamma-tocopherol metabolites were identified including 9'-COOH, 11'-COOH, 13'-COOH and 13'-OH. In addition, the developed LC-MS method can also be used for the fast and sensitive quantitative analysis of gamma-tocopherol and other forms of vitamin E related compounds.
Temperature effects on electrical transport in semiconducting nanoporous carbon nanowires

In this paper we report on the effect of temperature on the electrical conductivity of amorphous and nanoporous (pores size around 0.5 nm) carbon nanowires. Poly(furfuryl alcohol) nanowires with diameter varying from 150 to 250 nm were synthesized by a template-based technique and upon pyrolysis yielded amorphous carbon nanowires with nanosized pores in them. We observed significant (as high as 700%) decrease in electrical resistance when the nanowire surface temperature was increased from room temperature to 160 °C. On the basis of the experimental and microscopy evidence, we infer a thermally activated carrier transport mechanism to be the primary electrical transport mechanism, at elevated temperatures, in these semiconducting, amorphous, and nanoporous carbon nanowires.
Reference samples for the earth sciences

Abstract A revised list of reference samples of interest to geoscientists has been extended to include samples for the agronomist, the archaeologist and the environmentalist. In addition to the source from which standard samples may be obtained, references or pertinent notes for some samples are included. The number of rock reference samples is now almost adequate, and the variety of ore samples will soon be sufficient. There are very few samples for microprobe work. Oil shales will become more important because of the outlook for world petroleum resources. The dryland equivalent of a submarine basalt might be useful in studies of sea-floor spreading and of the geochemistry of basalts. The Na- and K-feldspars of BCS (British Chemical Standards—Bureau of Analysed Samples), NBS (National Bureau of Standards), and ANRT (Association Kationale de la Recherche Technique) could serve as trace-element standards if such data were available. Similarly, the present NBS flint and plastic clays, as well as their predecessors, might be useful for archaeological pottery studies. The International Decade for Ocean Exploration may stimulate the preparation of ocean-water standards for trace elements or pollutants and a standard for manganese nodules.
Exact finite difference scheme for an advection equation having square-root dynamics

We investigate the construction of an exact finite difference scheme for an advectioning system whose dynamics contains the square-root of the dependent variable. A comparison is made between this discretization and the one obtained using standard rules.
Morphine reduces pulmonary inflammation in response to influenza infection

The present study shows that morphine reduces the pulmonary inflammatory response to intranasal influenza virus infection in rats. Rats were infected with rat-adapted influenza virus (RAIV), which is a unique infectious agent because normal rats develop an acute pulmonary inflammatory response to RAIV and rapidly clear the virus within a few days with no mortality. Male Lewis rats were implanted with 75 mg morphine pellets or placebo pellets 72 hours prior to intranasal RAIV infection. Rats were euthanized at 2, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after infection. Assessment of inflammation included accumulation of inflammatory cells in the lungs, lung weight, and protein and LDH content of bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Placebo-treated rats showed a marked inflammatory response to RAIV infection, and morphine-treated rats mounted less vigorous inflammatory responses to the infection. Taken together, these data suggest that morphine treatment impairs the inflammatory response to RAIV infection in the lungs, which is consistent with prior work demonstrating that morphine is a potent anti-inflammatory agent in other areas of the body.
Free-space laser communication using a partially coherent laser source

Atmospheric turbulence degrades the performance of laser communication systems in that system bit error rates can be orders of magnitude larger than in the absence of turbulence. Using a partially coherent laser beam may reduce system bit error rates due to irradiance scintillations in the receiver focal plane. In order to better understand the propagation of a partially coherent beam in atmospheric turbulence, we derive an analytic expression for the cross- spectral density of a partially coherent lowest-order Gaussian laser beam (TEM00) in turbulence. From the second moment equation expressions for the average intensity, beam size, radius of curvature and lateral coherence length are derived. These results are valid for any beam type: focused, collimated, divergent, and the limiting cases of the plane and spherical wave. We also present preliminary experimental results that indicate a reduction in bit error rates would occur if a partially coherent beam were used.
Genetically stable temperature-sensitive mutants of Salmonella typhi induce protection in mice

Abstract Temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of Salmonella typhi were isolated following treatment with nitrosoguanidine, and characterized with respect to cut-off temperature, ts phenotype and reversion frequency. Linkage of the ts mutations to selectable chromosomal markers was established by generalized transduction with bacteriophage phage Vi I, and the appropriate antibiotic resistances were transduced into the ts mutants. Multiple mutant S. typhi were then constructed by combining three independent ts mutations in one strain, utilizing linkage of three of the mutations to erythromycin-, streptomycin- and methylglyoxal-resistance. Several recombinants are genetically stable, with calculated reversion rates of less than 10 −22 , and induce both protection from intraperitoneal challenge with the virulent parental wild-type S. typhi in mice and the formation of antibodies to the somatic O-9 and O-12, the flagellar H and the capsular Vi antigens.
A promising large area VHE gamma ray detector with excellent hadron rejection capability

Abstract A new large area VHE gamma ray detector for detecting atmospheric Cerenkov light from very high energy celestial gamma rays is proposed. It will be constructed by converting Solar One, a 10 MW Solar Thermal Central Receiver Pilot Plant at Barstow, California, which uses the solar tower technology with heliostats as light collectors. Solar energy research at this facility has recently been terminated. The detector will cover an area of at least 200 m diameter, which is only about 5% of the total area available at Solar One, so that a significant fraction of the Cerenkov light pool is detected. Each heliostat will focus the Cerenkov light onto a photomultiplier tube (PMT) selected to match the optical quality of the heliostat. Its active reflecting surface is 71,000 m2, which is about 375 times larger than the largest VHE gamma ray atmospheric Cerenkov detector, the twin 11 m dia. collectors at Sandia Labs, Albuquerque1. It is expected to have the lowest energy threshold (≥10 GeV) for atmospheric Cerenkov observations. This will enhance counting rates significantly and bridge the gap between HE and VHE gamma ray astronomy with some overlapping. It will also have excellent inherent hadron rejection. One hundred million dollars worth of installation is already constructed and ready to use. The rest of the detector can be built for a small fraction,
A Scale for Measuring Persistence

Resume UNE ECHELLE POUR LA MESURE DE LA PERSISTANCE Le but de cette echelle est de nous donner une assez constante mesure de la persistance, employant le terme dans son sens usuel. L'echelle se compose de 111 questions dont on peut repondre a chacune “oui” ou “non”, et l'une ou l'autre reponse est diagnostique de la persistance positive. La premiere partie du processus experimental a ete de soumettre une plus longue forme preliminaire de l'echelle a 75 juges a qui on a demande d'indiquer si une reponse, et laquelle, pourrait ětre consideree typiquement descriptive du comportement d'une personne persistante. Les reponses des juges ont donne une base pour l'evaluation tentative des questionnaires des sujets. La seconde partie du processus a ete de donner l'echelle a 512 etudiants universitaires (“undergraduates”) et d'obtenir de chacun d'entre eux une evaluation de soi a l'egard de la persistance. On a etabli la valeur de l'echelle, premierement, par une correlation de 0,52 obtenue entre les evaluations de ...
Comparison of Cluster Analysis and Structural Analysis Methods for Identifying User Mental Models: An Integrated in-Vehicle Telematics Systems Illustration

A methodology for capturing the complexity of user mental model representations of complex systems is described in this report, with an illustrative application to an integrated telematics system for use in passenger vehicles. Thirty-two “tech-savvy” and “average-user” participants completed a card-sorting task based on the functional and information elements of an integrated telematics system under development. The data were comparatively analyzed using cluster and structural analyses. While both types of analyses generally identified the same mental model categories, only the structural analysis provided information about “distributed” functions that occurred in more than one category of the user's mental representation. This led to a more detailed and interconnected implementation of the telematics system. Usability evaluations of the structural-analysis-based design provided support of its effectiveness in capturing the mental representations of the telematic system held by both “tech-savvy” and “aver...
Performing the second‐person

This essay examines the use of second‐person address in prose fiction in hopes of providing the solo peformer of literature with a fundamental approach to and understanding of you‐addresses. It identifies four primary types of you‐address which represent commonly‐found addressor‐addressee communications evident in second‐person works, and discusses the inherent ambiguity presented by you‐address in terms of both “deep”; and “superficial”; levels. Noting the unique challenges presented by second‐person texts, the author suggests performance possibilities as well as pedagogical applications of the performance of second‐person address.
Texture evolution via combined slip and deformation twinning in rolled silver–copper cast eutectic nanocomposite

Abstract In this work, a silver–copper (Ag–Cu) nanocomposite with 200 nm bilayer thickness and eutectic composition was rolled at room temperature and 200 °C to nominal reductions of 75% and higher. Initially the material had a random texture and {1 1 1} bi-metal interface plane. X-ray diffraction measurements show that the Ag and Cu phases developed the same brass-type (or ‘alloy-type’) rolling texture regardless of rolling reduction and temperature. Transmission electron microscopy analyses of the nanostructures before and after rolling suggest that adjoining Ag and Cu layers maintained a cube-on-cube relationship but the interface plane changed after rolling. Polycrystal plasticity simulations accounting for plastic slip and deformation twinning in each phase were carried out to explore many possible causes for the brass-type texture development: twinning via a volume effect or barrier effect, Shockley partial slip, and confined layer slip. The results suggest that the observed texture evolution may be due to profuse twinning within both phases. Maintaining the cube-on-cube relationship would then imply that neighboring Ag and Cu crystals twinned by the same variant and on a twin plane non-parallel to the original interface plane. Explanations for this unusual possibility for Cu are provided at the end based on the properties of the Ag–Cu interface.
A High-Level Computational Study on the Thermochemistry of Vinyl and Formyl Halides: Heats of Formation, Dissociation Energies, and Stabilization Energies

The heats of formation, ΔHf 298, of vinyl and formyl halides calculated using G2 theory are −145.9 (CH2CHF), 21.8 (CH2CHCl), 79.6 (CH2CHBr), 147.1 (CH2CHI), −393.7 (HFCO), −192.7 (HClCO), −133.9 (H...
Writing for scholarly publication

PART ONE: BACKGROUND Writing as Conversation Managing Scholarship PART TWO: BEFORE WRITING BEGINS: CHOICES THAT MAKE PUBLICATION MORE LIKELY Choosing a Topic Identifying Conversants Using Exemplars PART THREE: BASIC COMPONENTS OF SCHOLARLY WRITING Title and Abstract Making an Outline (Really!) Introduction and Conclusion Presentation Body of the Paper/First Full Draft Revision, Submission, Revision and Publication
Effectiveness of an Alcohol Education Program Among Community College Students.

The purpose of this study was to compare student drinking of those attending a community college that offers extensive alcohol education programming and student drinking at a similar college that provides no related programming. Results indicated that the sample of students enrolled at the college with alcohol education programming drank alcohol significantly less frequently.
Deployment of a hybrid multicast switch in energy-aware data center network: a case of fat-tree topology

Recently, energy efficiency or green IT has become a hot issue for many IT infrastructures as they attempt to utilize energyefficient strategies in their enterprise IT systems in order to minimize operational costs. Networking devices are shared resources connecting important IT infrastructures, especially in a data center network they are always operated 24/7 which consume a huge amount of energy, and it has been obviously shown that this energy consumption is largely independent of the traffic through the devices. As a result, power consumption in networking devices is becoming more and more a critical problem, which is of interest for both research community and general public. Multicast benefits group communications in saving link bandwidth and improving application throughput, both of which are important for green data center. In this paper, we study the deployment strategy of multicast switches in hybridmode in energy-aware data center network: a case of famous fat-tree topology. The objective is to find the best location to deploy multicast switch not only to achieve optimal bandwidth utilization but also to minimize power consumption. We show that it is possible to easily achieve nearly 50% of energy consumption after applying our proposed algorithm.
Library automation in the United States of America

The review, which covers the past, present and future of library automation, begins with the establishment of networks, describing the role of OCLC and the adoption of MARC. The second step is seen as the growth of online databases, with particular reference to Lockheed, SDC and BRS. Costs, however, have deterred full use of these. A case is made for standardisation of formats. The effect of online systems on retrieval is related to the increasing interest in document delivery systems. The contribution of mini‐ and microcomputers to this area is noted. Centralised shared systems have allowed automation to progress. All this needs paralleling in the library schools which have difficulty in providing the facilities. The real problem is still that of making systems user friendly. Perhaps librarians need to cultivate self‐sufficiency in programming using easy high‐level languages like FORTH and SPEAK‐EASY. Wordprocessors also will need to be a standard part of library equipment. The future must lie in achieving access to all information from a terminal.
Should Depression Be Considered a Lifetime Disorder: Evidence from the Pittsburgh Studies of Maintenance Therapy

A series of studies carried out at the University of Pittsburgh point strongly to the lifetime nature of recurrent unipolar disorder and to the need for a long-term perspective in the development of treatment strategies. In our initial investigation (Frank et al., 1990), remitted recurrent unipolar patients were randomly assigned to full dose ≈220 mg imipramine) maintenance pharmacotherapy, monthly maintenance psychotherapy, the combination or placebo for a period of three years. Full dose medication was highly effective (p < 0.0001) in preventing new episodes, with maintenance psychotherapy showing a modest protective effect (p = 0.05). In a second investigation (Kupfer et assignment. A third investigation (Frank et al., 1993), focused on those patients in the original study who had experienced a recurrence in the absence of active pharmacotherapy. Following successful treatment of their recurrence and a 20-week continuation treatment phase, these subjects were randomly assigned to either full or half-dose pharmacotherapy for a three-year period. Full-dose imipramine was associated with fewer recurrences and longer survival time than the half-dose strategy (p < 0.07). Taken together, these studies of recurrent unipolar patients present a picture of a disorder requiring long-term (if not life-long) prophylaxis in a manner similar al., 1992), subjects who survived the initial three-year trial in one of the two active medication conditions, were randomly assigned to an additional two years of full-dose pharmacotherapy or placebo. Once again, active medication was significantly superior to placebo (p < 0.006) in protecting against new episodes, this time in a group of patients who had all previously sustained a remission of almost 3.5 years prior to random to that apparently required in manic-depressive illness. What remains to be elucidated is: (1) whether more frequent maintenance psychotherapy can provide adequate protection against recurrence and (2) whether there are subgroups of recurrent unipolar patients who can ultimately discontinue treatment without adverse consequences.
The brachymorphic mutation of mice and altered developmental patterns of limb bud 3′∶5′ cyclic adenosine monosphosphate

Concentrations of cyclic AMP (cAMP) were determined in paired fore and hind limbs from day 12–16 of development in murine fetuses homozygous for the brachymorphic (bm) mutation and normal controls. A developmental rise in cAMP occurred 1 day earlier inbm/bm than in +/+ hind limbs and cAMP was higher in day-13bm/bm than in +/+ fore limbs. Since cAMP is well documented to stimulate chondrogenic differentiation, premature cartilage determination secondary to altered levels of cAMP could play a role inbm/bm short-limbed dwarfism.
High dose titration of calcium channel blocking agents for primary pulmonary hypertension: guidelines for short-term drug testing.

Abstract Forty-seven patients with primary pulmonary hypertension were evaluated with a dose titration protocol utilizing nifedipine (20 mg orally) or diltiazem (60 mg orally) given every hour until maximal effectiveness was achieved. Of the patients tested, 15 (32%) had a >20% reduction in pulmonary artery pressure (mean 36.2 ± 8%, p These findings indicate that calcium channel blockers when titrated to maximally effective doses, may cause substantial reductions in pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension. Testing with hemodynamic monitoring is necessary to ascertain which patients will respond. Patients with primary pulmonary hypertension are able to tolerate short-term administration of high doses of calcium channel blockers.