cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stimulated emission of sulforhodamine 640 doped DNA distributed feedback (DFB) laser devices

Organic solid thin films of PMMA and surfactant-treated salmon deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) were used as host materials to dope sulforhodamine (SRh) laser dye. Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) was observed from the dye-doped thin films pumped by frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser, with DNA host showed a lower ASE pump threshold. Distributed feedback (DFB) laser structures were fabricated on both dye-doped thin films for the 2 nd order emission of SRh at 650 nm. Stimulated Emission (Lasing) was obtained by pumping with a doubled Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm. The DNA DFB devices lasing threshold was 30mJ/cm 2 or 3.75kW/cm 2 . The emission linewidth decreased from ~ 30 nm in the ASE mode to < 0.4 nm in the lasing mode. The slope efficiency of the laser emission was ~ 1.2%. Similar emission linewidth change was observed in PMMA DFB devices while the lasing threshold was 53 mJ/cm 2 or 6.63kW/cm 2 with a slope efficiency of ~0.63%.
Synthesis and thermophysical properties of ionic liquids: cyclopropyl moieties versus olefins as Tm-reducing elements in lipid-inspired ionic liquids

Cyclopropyl moieties embedded in the long aliphatic side chains of imidazolium-type ionic liquids are shown to be highly effective in lowering the Tm of such materials relative to counterparts bearing linear, saturated side chains. While not as efficient as olefins in bringing about this effect, ILs incorporating side-chain cyclopropanated modules are likely to be more resistant to aerobic degradation than those employing the former.
The effect of various compounds on the adsorption of cholesterol in an in vitro system.

SummaryA number of compounds have been studied with respect to influence on the adsorption of cholesterol from solution in safflower oil by Permutit. While some compounds have no effect on the adsorption and other compounds appear to be preferentially adsorbed over cholesterol, a number of compounds, including some fatty acids, when present with cholesterol appear to be associated with an increase in the adsorption of the sterol by Permutit in this in vitro system.
Parameters of the Orcadian Temperature Rhythm Using Sparse and Irregular Sampling

This study addresses the question of whether reliable estimates of phase, level, and size of oscillation of the human dread inn temperature rhythm can be obtained using a “sparse and irregular” sampling strategy (every two hours, but limited to normal wakefulness (08W-2200)) and a method of analysis based upon fitted sinusoids. The data set comprised continuously monitored rectal temperature collected for between 4 and 6 days from a heterogeneous group of 13 healthy subjects (4 female, age range 37–81) entrained to their habitual sleep/wake cycle under conditions of temporal isolation. The first analysis used only sinusoid-based parameters (acrophase, mesor, and amplitude) comparing “frequent and regular” (every 30 min around (the clock) with “sparse and irregular” sampling strategies. Significant positive correlations were obtained (r >.78, p .70, p < .005) confirming the possible value of sparse and irregular sampling strategies.
Length scales relating the fluid permeability and electrical conductivity in random two-dimensional model porous media.

We present results of a study testing proposed length scales l relating the bulk electrical conductivity \ensuremath{\sigma} of a fluid-saturated porous medium to its permeability k, via the relation k\ensuremath{\propto}${\mathit{l}}^{2}$\ensuremath{\sigma}/${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{0}$, where ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{0}$ is the fluid conductivity. For a class of two-dimensional model random porous media, we compute \ensuremath{\sigma}, k, and the following three length scales: h, the ratio of pore volume to pore surface area; \ensuremath{\Lambda}, as defined by electrical-conductivity measurements; and ${\mathit{d}}_{\mathit{c}}$, as defined by a nonwetting-fluid-injection experiment. Over a range of two and half decades in k, we find that both \ensuremath{\Lambda} and ${\mathit{d}}_{\mathit{c}}$ are reasonably good predictors of k, whereas h clearly fails. We also examine differences between the electric fields and the fluid-flow fields for a given pore structure by comparing their respective two-point correlation functions. The length scale \ensuremath{\Lambda} is analytically related to an electric-field correlation length, and is found, to a good approximation, to be proportional to a fluid-velocity correlation length. The results of this paper demonstrate the important effect that spatial randomness in the pore space has on flow problems. In a random pore structure, with a distribution of pore sizes, the flow will tend to go more through the largest pore necks, decreasing the importance of the narrowest necks that tend to dominate the behavior of periodic models.
Relationship of free-recall memory to hypertension in the elderly. The Iowa 65+ Rural Health Study

The relationship between hypertension and performance on a test of free recall memory was explored in a geographically-defined population of free-living subjects 65 years and older. Those with diastolic but not isolated systolic hypertension had a significantly lower performance on the memory test, after controlling for general health status, antihypertensive medication use and other factors which might confound or modify this association. These findings from a population study confirm the results of prior investigations in smaller numbers of highly selected subjects and suggest that further study may lead to improved prevention of cognitive decline in the elderly.
Simulation of normal vortex–cylinder interaction in a viscous fluid

A computational study of three-dimensional vortex–cylinder interaction is reported for the case where the nominal orientation of the cylinder axis is normal to the vortex axis. The computations are performed using a new tetrahedral vorticity element method for incompressible viscous fluids, in which vorticity is interpolated using a tetrahedral mesh that is refit to the Lagrangian computational points at each timestep. Fast computation of the Biot-Savart integral for velocity is performed using a box-point multipole acceleration method for distant tetrahedra and Gaussian quadratures for nearby tetrahedra. A moving least-square method is used for differentiation, and a flux-based vorticity boundary condition algorithm is employed for satisfaction of the no-slip condition. The velocity induced by the primary vortex is obtained using a filament model and the Navier–Stokes computations focus on development of boundary-layer separation from the cylinder and the form and dynamics of the ejected secondary vorticity structure. As the secondary vorticity is drawn outward by the vortex-induced flow and wraps around the vortex, it has a substantial effect both on the essentially inviscid flow field external to the boundary layer and on the cylinder surface pressure field. Cases are examined with background free-stream velocity oriented in the positive and negative directions along the cylinder axis, with free-stream velocity normal to the cylinder axis, and with no free-stream velocity. Computations with no free-stream velocity and those with free-stream velocity tangent to the cylinder axis exhibit similar secondary vorticity structures, consisting of a vortex loop (or hairpin) that wraps around the primary vortex and is attached to the cylinder boundary layer at two points. Computations with free-stream velocity oriented normal to the cylinder axis exhibit secondary vorticity structure of a markedly different character, in which the secondary eddy remains close to the cylinder boundary and has a quasi-two-dimensional form for an extended time period.
Calorimetrically-derived parameters for protein interactions with urea and guanidine-HCl are not consistent with denaturant m values.

Abstract A recent study used calorimetric data and a stoichiometric binding model to derive binding constants, enthalpies, and stoichiometries describing the interaction between proteins and the chemical denaturants, urea and guanidine-HCl (Makhatadze and Privalov, J. Mol. Biol., 226 (1992) 491). In the present study, these parameters have been used to calculate the excess free energy, ΔG ex , associated with interactions between chemical denaturants and the three proteins examined in the calorimetric study: ribonuclease A, cytochrome c, and lysozyme. This free energy and its dependence on denaturant concentration, the denaturant m value, have then been compared to experimental results from chemical denaturation experiments. The magnitudes of m values calculated from the calorimetric studies are significantly greater, 20 to 100%, than the observed values in urea. Calculated m values for guanidine-HCl range from about 10% greater than observed values for cytochrome c to over 100% greater for lysozyme. Discrepancies between calculated and observed m values are probably attributable to incomplete binding isotherms in the calorimetric studies. An additional issue raised in this study concerns the correlation of m values with changes in accessible surface areas upon unfolding. For proteins that undergo a two-state unfolding reaction, experimental m values can vary by more than a factor of two for a given protein, depending on the solution conditions. This observation suggests that factors beyond changes in accessible surface areas play a major role in determing m values.
The effects of individual differences and task difficulty on inattentional blindness

Most studies of inattentional blindness—the failure to notice an unexpected object when attention is focused elsewhere—have focused on one critical trial. For that trial, noticing the unexpected object might be a result of random variability, so that any given individual would be equally likely to notice the unexpected object. On the other hand, individual differences in the ability to perform the primary task might make noticing more likely for some individuals than for others. Increasing the difficulty of the primary task has been shown to decrease noticing rates for both brief static displays (Cartwright-Finch & Lavie, 2007) and dynamic monitoring tasks (Simons & Chabris, 1999). However, those studies did not explore whether individual differences in noticing arise from differences in the ability to perform the primary task. For our Experiment 1, we used a staircase procedure to equate primary task performance across individuals in a dynamic inattentional blindness task and found that the demands of the primary task affected noticing rates when individual differences in accuracy were minimized. In Experiment 2, we found that individual differences in primary task performance did not predict noticing of an unexpected object. Together, these findings suggest that although the demands of the primary task do affect inattentional blindness rates, individual differences in the ability to meet those demands do not.
Effects of computerized decision support systems on blood glucose regulation in critically ill surgical patients.

Background The use of computerized decision support systems (CDSS) in glucose control for critically ill surgical patients has been reported in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients. Prospective studies evaluating its effect on glucose control are, however, lacking. The objective of this study was to evaluate patient-specific computerized IV insulin dosing on blood glucose levels (BGLs) by comparing patients treated pre-CDSS with those treated post-CDSS. Study Design A prospective study was performed in 4 surgical ICUs and 1 progressive care unit comparing patient data pre- and post-implementation of CDSS. The primary outcomes measures were the impact of the CDSS on glycemic control in this population and on reducing the incidence of severe hypoglycemia. Results Data on 1,682 patient admissions were evaluated, which corresponded to 73,290 BGLs post-CDSS compared with 44,972 BGLs pre-CDSS. The percentage of hyperglycemic events improved, with BGLs of >150 mg/dL decreasing by 50% compared with 6-month historical controls during the 18-month study period from July 2010 through December 2011. This was true for all 5 units individually (p Conclusions Patients whose BGLs were managed using CDSS were statistically significantly more likely to have a glucose reading under control (
Psychosocial factors related to wife abuse

This paper reports the results of a comparative study of wife abuse. Factors that distinguished 94 physically abused women from a comparison group of 110 women were sought. The groups were matched on number of years married or cohabiting and socioeconomic status. Evidence was found that further supports a learning theory explanation of wife abuse. The study also found that wife abuse is no more likely to be displayed by blacks than by whites when the variable of social class is controlled.
Terahertz spectroscopy: Signatures and fingerprints

Terahertz technology seems set to become important in security screening and the pharmaceutical industry.
Hydro-ecological implications of edge cities

Abstract A spatial and temporal classification of the embryonic forms of edge cities within their physical/environmental context is developed. Three classes of edge cities are identified as having developed along the expressway system: (1) transportation/service; (2) transportation/service/commercial; and (3) corporate/industrial. Each edge-city class has special implications for the hydro-ecological environment. A case study was used to assess the effects on these three classes on several basic indicators of impacts from stormwater runoff, groundwater contamination, and habitat fragmentation. The results indicate that transport/service edge-cities may pose a significant threat of contamination to the groundwater resource owing to the existence of underground storage-tanks and the transport of hazardous substances. In transport/service/commercial edge-cities, runoff volumes increase dramatically and water quality declines, as development displaces wetlands and creates impervious land cover. At a corporate/industrial edge-city location, habitat fragmentation is higher, as reflected by a decreased patch size for forest and wetland areas.
Ethylene–hexene copolymerization by heterogeneous and homogeneous Ziegler–Natta catalysts and the “comonomer” effect

Homopolymerization of ethylene and 1-hexene and their copolymerizations were compared to investigate the influence of α-olefin on the enhancement of ethylene polymerization rate (Rp), which is often referred to as the “comonomer” effect. With the two homogeneous Ziegler–Natta catalysts, Et[Ind]2ZrCl2/MAO and (π-C5H5)2ZrCl2/MAO (MAO = methylaluminoxane), hexene causes reduction of Rp—in other words a negative “comonomer” effect. In the case of the high activity MgCl2 supported TiCl3 catalysts there is a slight positive “comonomer” effect; the Rp increases by 25 to 70% with the addition of 15 mol % of hexene. The “comonomer” effects in there catalyst systems are much smaller than that observed for the classical TiCl3 catalyst. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Coarse‐grained molecular dynamics modeling of DNA–carbon nanotube complexes

We present a coarse-grained method to study the energetics and morphologies of DNA–carbon nanotube (DNA-CNT) complexes in aqueous environment. In this method, we adopt an existing coarse-grained DNA model in which each nucleotide is coarse-grained by two interaction sites, one for the phosphate and sugar groups and the other for the base group. The interaction potentials between DNA sites and the carbon atoms on a CNT are parameterized through all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The water molecules are treated implicitly using Langevin dynamics. The coarse-grained DNA-CNT model significantly improves the computational affordability, while captures the essential dynamics of DNA-CNT interactions observed from all-atom MD simulations. The coarse-grained method enables us to efficiently simulate adhesion, encapsulation, and wrapping processes of a single-stranded DNA molecule around CNTs. The simulation results agree with those obtained by all-atom MD simulations in several aspects. Our coarse-grained simulations provide useful guidelines in positioning DNA molecules on a CNT surface or graphene substrate in single-molecule experimental studies. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Forcing numbers of stop signs

Let G be a graph with a perfect matching M. The forcing number of M is the smallest number of edges in a subset S ⊂ M such that S is contained in no other perfect matching of G. We present methods for determining bounds on forcing numbers and apply these methods to find bounds for the forcing numbers of stop signs. A consequence of our main result is that every perfect matching of a stop sign of size (n,k) contains at least n disjoint alternating cycles.
Image sequence reactivation in awake V4 networks

In the absence of sensory input, neuronal networks are far from being silent. Whether spontaneous changes in ongoing activity reflect previous sensory experience or stochastic fluctuations in brain activity is not well understood. Here we describe reactivation of stimulus-evoked activity in awake visual cortical networks. We found that continuous exposure to randomly flashed image sequences induces reactivation in macaque V4 cortical networks in the absence of visual stimulation. This reactivation of previously evoked activity is stimulus-specific, occurs only in the same temporal order as the original response, and strengthens with increased stimulus exposures. Importantly, cells exhibiting significant reactivation carry more information about the stimulus than cells that do not reactivate. These results demonstrate a surprising degree of experience-dependent plasticity in visual cortical networks as a result of repeated exposure to unattended information. We suggest that awake reactivation in visual cortex may underlie perceptual learning by passive stimulus exposure.
Sharp asymmetric line shapes in side-coupled waveguide-cavity systems

We show that, for an optical microcavity side coupled with a waveguide, sharp, and asymmetric line shapes can be created in the response function by placing two partially reflecting elements into the waveguides. In such a system, the transmission coefficient varies from 0% to 100% in a frequency range narrower than the full width of the resonance itself. We numerically demonstrate this effect by simulating the propagation of electromagnetic waves in a photonic crystal.
Spectra and energy levels of Cu xxii, Cu xxiii, Cu xxiv, and Cu xxv

Transitions in highly ionized copper in the wavelength range 65-121 A have been identified in spectra recorded at the University of Rochester's 24-beam Omega laser facility. Wavelengths and energy levels are presented for oxygenlike Cu XXII, nitrogenlike Cu XXII, carbonlike Cu XXIV, and boronlike Cu XXV. The wavelengths of magnetic dipole transitions within the ground configurations are predicted from the energy levels.
Dynamic expression of a cell surface protein during rearrangement of epithelial cells in the Manduca wing monolayer.

The expression of cell surface protein 2F5 changes dynamically in space and time during morphogenesis of the Manduca wing pattern. Two cell types (generalized epithelial cells and scale precursors) rearrange within each of the two epithelial monolayers of the wing to form periodic rows of scale cells. These two monolayers also interact with each other during a brief period of adult development. Each cell type shows a different pattern of protein 2F5 expression during cell rearrangement and during interaction of the two wing monolayers. Before and after these morphogenetic movements of epithelial cells, the protein is expressed on only a small population of wing cells. In abdominal epithelia where scale cells are also present but are not arranged in periodic rows, the expression pattern of the surface protein is temporally and spatially very different. An earlier study (Nardi and Magee-Adams, Dev. Biol., 116, 278–290, 1986) had shown that basal processes only extend from epithelial cells during their period of rearrangement within a monolayer and during the transient apposition of the wing's upper and lower monolayers. The differential distribution of protein 2F5 on lateral surfaces and basal processes of scale precursor cells and generalized epithelial cells may account in part for their orderly segregation into alternating rows as well as for the transient interaction of the two wing monolayers.
Embryonic rat spinal cord neurons change expression of glycine receptor subtypes during development in vitro

The expression of functional glycine receptors (GlyRs) by embryonic rat spinal cord neurons during development in vitro was investigated using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. Functional GlyRs were expressed by most neurons within 1 day in vitro, and by all neurons from 4 days onward. However, the extent to which responses to glycine were blocked by the antagonist strychnine differed significantly between the first few days and 8 days in culture. Responses to glycine by neurons during the first few days in culture exhibited significantly less blockade by strychnine than those in neurons after 1 week in culture. Responses to glycine at both ages reflected an increased conductance to chloride ions, ruling out involvement of N-methyl-D-aspartate type glutamate receptors, and were not due to cross activation of gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors. Monoclonal antibody 4a, which recognizes multiple subtypes of rat GlyR alpha subunits, labeled most neurons as early as 1 day in vitro, confirming that neurons express some form of GlyR alpha subunits by the first day in culture. These results show that rat spinal cord neurons express GlyRs early in their differentiation in vitro, and they suggest that individual neurons express as functional, cell-surface GlyRs a strychnine-insensitive isoform of the GlyR, possibly the previously described alpha 2* subunit. In addition, these results indicate that the expression of GlyR isoforms changes from predominantly a strychnine-insensitive isoform to other, strychnine-sensitive isoform(s) GlyR during development in vitro.
Visual analysis and semantic exploration of urban LIDAR change detection

Many previous approaches to detecting urban change from LIDAR point clouds interpolate the points into rasters, perform pixel-based image processing to detect changes, and produce 2D images as output. We present a method of LIDAR change detection that maintains accuracy by only using the raw, irregularly spaced LIDAR points, and extracts relevant changes as individual 3D models. We then utilize these models, alongside existing GIS data, within an interactive application that allows the chronological exploration of the changes to an urban environment. A three-tiered level-of-detail system maintains a scale-appropriate, legible visual representation across the entire range of view scales, from individual changes such as buildings and trees, to groups of changes such as new residential developments, deforestation, and construction sites, and finally to larger regions such as neighborhoods and districts of a city that are emerging or undergoing revitalization. Tools are provided to assist the visual analysis by urban planners and historians through semantic categorization and filtering of the changes presented.
A Multiple Processor System for Acquisition and Analysis of Nuclear Physics Data

A data acquisition/analysis system for nuclear physics experiments using an array of three single-board computers has been constructed and tested. The computers, each containing a Motorola 68000 CPU, are coupled together on the commercially available VMEbus, and communicate to a host PDP-11/55 via a DMA link. A specialized operating system has been written for the multiprocessor array, which works in conjunction with an existing generalpurpose data acquisition program. The system has been in use for several months at the University of Pennsylvania Tandem Accelerator Laboratory for on-line experiments and replaying of data. In actual operation, each processor provides approximately the same computing power as a PDP-11/55, and the execution speed of the array is found to be proportional to the number of processors used.
Ein neuer Aufbau der Weltgeometrie

Die Hamiltonsche kanonische Transformation, die die konjugierten Impulse als neue Reihe dynamischer Variabeln einfuhrt, wird fur die Relativitatstheorie fruchtbar gemacht. Neben den metrischen Fundamentaltensor gik tritt ein zweiter ihm konjugiert zugeordneter Tensor hik, der „Deformationstensor“. Das Weltgeschehen stellt eine Wechselwirkung zwischen diesen beiden Tensoren dar. Die beiden Gruppen kanonischer Gleichungen tragen in ungezwungener Weise der Dualitat von Gravitation und Elektrizitat Rechnung. Die Gravitation baut sich auf den metrischen Tensor, die Elektrizitat auf den Deformations-tensor auf. Bei dem hier zugrunde gelegten quadratischen Wirkungsprinzip druckt das erste fundamentale Gleichungssystem die Proportionalitat von Deformation und Spannung im Sinne der Elastizitatstheorie aus, wahrend im zweiten System die gravitierende Wirkung des elektromagnetischen Spannungs-tensors zum Ausdruck kommt. Gegenuber dem auf antisymmetrische Grosen aufgebauten Maxwellschen System ist die hier dargestellte Theorie als eine elastische Theorie des Athers zu betrachten.
The ethos of everydayness: Heidegger on poetry and language

Etude des rapports entre le quotidien et la problematique du langage, de la poesie et de l'ethique dans le cadre de la critique heidegerienne de la rationnalite heritee de la metaphysique. Se referant a la lecture de Heidegger par Habermas et a la pensee artisitique post-heideggerienne, l'A. montre que la conception de la poesie developpee dans la «Lettre sur l'humanisme» participe de la volonte philosophique de redefinir la veritable pratique de la pensee
Extended Antibiotic Therapy may Reduce Risk of Infection Following Orthognathic Surgery

Article Title and Bibliographic Information Effectiveness of postoperative antibiotics in orthognathic surgery: a meta-analysis. Danda AK, Ravi P. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011;69:2650-6. Reviewers Lauren Harrell, MS, Vivek Shetty, DDS, Dr MedDent Purpose/Question To determine whether extending antibiotic coverage, beyond the perioperative period, is more effective in reducing the incidence of infection following orthognathic surgery Source of Funding Information not available Type of Study/Design Systematic review with meta-analysis of data Level of Evidence Level 2: Limited-quality, patient-oriented evidence Strength of Recommendation Grade Grade B: Inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence
Performance-Based Incentive Plans

Incentive plans are an integral part of management control since incentives as measures of recognition of performance are significant motivating factors for corporate executives. In this paper we describe how such incentive plans can be devised. We employ multiattribute preference theory in the design of incentive plans. The basic idea is to state empirically verifiable conditions on the decision maker's preferences that imply some particular form of the incentive function. First, we show how an incentive plan can be devised when incentive compensation to managers is based on their actual performance on some predetermined criteria. Next, we consider goal-based plans that encourage managers to set accurate goals and motivate them to strive for a better performance subsequent to goal setting. Finally, we extend the goal-based plans to include situations in which the goals are reported probabilistically. Several suggestions for further research are also provided.
Anthropological theory and ethnicity : further assessment

L'objectif de l'A. est de contribuer aux efforts contemporains menes sur la formulation et l'evaluation critique des modeles anthropologiques de l'ethnicite et de ses theories culturelles. Ces theories devraient avoir un effet direct et concret dans le domaine de la recherche appliquee sur les relations interethniques. Il presente les resultats d'un groupe de travail reuni a Mexico en 1993 qui a cree le COER (Commission on Ethnic Relation). Cette commission sur les relations ethniques a pour objectif la formulation de theories socioculturelles sur l'ethnicite ; l'histoire de l'anthropologie sur ce theme montre un certain retard et un manque d'echanges et de coordination entre les chercheurs.
SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION IN COMMERCIAL EGGS AND AN EGG PRODUCTION FACILITY

Egg samples were collected from various stages of an egg processing operation and from the attached production facility. Salmonella was isolated from 72.0% of all samples collected from the laying house environment. Recovery of Salmonella from flush water, ventilation fan, egg belt, and egg collector samples were (positive samples/total samples collected): 2/2, 4/4, 16/22, and 14/22, respectively. Salmonella was found on 7 of the 90 eggshells sampled before processing and 1 of 90 eggshells sampled after processing, but Salmonella was not found in the 180 eggs analyzed for internal contamination following processing. The one eggshell found positive for Salmonella following processing was detected when the pH of wash water samples was lowest (10.19). The 60 isolates from production facilities included the following Salmonella serotypes: S. agona, S. typhimurium, S. infantis, S. derby, S. heidelberg, S. california, S. montevideo, S. mbandaka, and untypable. The 22 isolates obtained from eggshells prior to processing were serotyped as S. heidelberg and S. montevideo. All five isolates obtained from eggshells after processing were serotyped as S. heidelberg. These data suggest that although the shells of about 1% of commercial eggs are contaminated with Salmonella, contamination of the internal contents of eggs with Salmonella is a rare event.
Polarization Measurements on Raman Scattering from Spherical Droplets

The polarization of Raman scattering from a single spherical droplet has been measured for the first time. Experiments are performed in a quadrupole cell, in which a charged liquid droplet is trapped by electrodynamic forces. Raman scattering intensities at the 90° angle are measured for polarizations both parallel and perpendicular to that of the incident beam. The depolarization ratios thus obtained for the droplets are shown to be identical to those measured in the bulk samples. The present results indicate unequivocally that the depolarization ratio of Raman scattering is a molecular property and, as such, is not affected by the boundary conditions of the spherical droplets. Subsequently, the technique is applied to the chemical characterization of solution droplets. The presence of ion pairs in supersaturated strontium nitrate and bisulfate solutions is dramatically verified by distinct changes in the depolarization ratios.
Nonlinear filtering structure for smoothing discontinuous signals corrupted with Gaussian noise

This paper proposes a new nonlinear filtering structure based on a maximum a posteriori estimation criteria using a Markov random field model for the prior distribution. Estimates obtained with the proposed Markov random field model allow discontinuities in the signal to be accurately estimated while additive Gaussian noise is smoothed. A Markov random field based prior is chosen such that the filter has desirable analytical and computational properties. The estimate of the signal value is obtained at the unique minimum of the a posteriori log likelihood function. This function is convex so that the output of the filter can be easily computed using either digital or analog computational methods. Example outputs under various conditions are given.
Incorporation of molecular oxygen into caffeic acid by green Helianthus annuus

Abstract The results of experiments in which Helianthus annuus were grown in the light in an atmosphere enriched with oxygen-18 indicated that the hydroxyl oxygen atoms in caffeic acid are derived from molecular oxygen.
Synthesis, Miscoding Specificity, and Thermodynamic Stability of Oligodeoxynucleotide Containing 8-Methyl-2‘-deoxyguanosine

8-Methyl-2‘-deoxyguanosine (8-MedG) was synthesized by reacting dG under the methyl radical generating system and incorporated into oligodeoxynucleotides using phosphoramidite techniques. The site-...
Touch style: creativity in tangible experience design

Creativity is an important part of any design process. However, as interaction design becomes more focused on experiential elements, new, tangible, materials for interfaces of the number and complexity of creative decisions required to design an interface has increased. This paper takes the concept of style, from art theory, and applies it to the experiential design of tangible interfaces as a means to understand how creativity is constrained, organized, and interpreted in the design and use of these novel interactions.
The Current Status of Angioplasty of Atherosclerotic Renal Artery Stenosis for the Treatment of Hypertension

Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis, a fairly common disease of older persons, is a manifestation of generalized atherosclerosis, and is often associated with coronary artery disease. It is frequently associated with hypertension and impaired renal function, and is perceived by many physicians to be the cause of hypertension and renal failure. For this reason, they believe that hypertension can be cured by performing percutaneous renal artery angioplasty (PTRA) with stent placement. This practice has led to an increase in angioplasties, especially by interventional cardiologists, although the results from several randomized studies comparing interventional therapy with medical therapy have shown no significant difference between the two treatment modalities in blood pressure reduction or change in renal function. Similar results have been found by nonrandomized trials with selective PTRA. For this review, a Medline search of the English literature was conducted from 2006 to 2012, and 13 pertinent studies were selected. These studies with collateral literature will be discussed in this concise review.
Fragrance material review on γ-damascone

A toxicologic and dermatologic review of γ-damascone when used as a fragrance ingredient is presented.
AutoSeek: A Method to Identify Candidate Automation Steps in IT Change Management

A variety of processes for managing IT systems are being remotely serviced today. There is a growing realization that in these services, which were hither-to labor-centric, better service quality and reduced cost could be achieved with more automation but it is not clear what steps should be automated and how. We 'present a method, called AutoSeek, to systematically analyze a process to select steps that can be automated in a cost-effective manner with the appropriate level of policy-based automation. In doing so, we balance the savings from automation with the cost of implementating and maintaining the automated steps. AutoSeek has been applied to different types of delivery processes and has been found effective as a broad framework towards systematically making 'process improvements.
Immune reconstitution in children after unrelated cord blood transplantation

There is a great need to learn more about the biology of immune recovery after UCBT. Fundamental gaps in knowledge remain regarding the biology and kinetics of developing antigen-specific protective immunity and understanding the impact of recipient age and immunosuppressive agents. However, there is also realistic hope that clinical translation of new immunotherapy strategies could enhance immune competence after UCBT either by having an impact on the thymic-independent early period or by fostering thymic recovery.
Schur complements and matrix inequalities in the Löwner ordering

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present a matrix inequality on the Kronecker product that unifies the proofs of many existing matrix inequalities in the Lowner partial ordering on the sum, ordinary product, and Hadamard (Schur) product. Schur complements serve as the basic tool.
Electron-Nuclear Double-Resonance Spectrum of the V K Center in Sodium Fluoride

The electron-nuclear double-resonance (ENDOR) spectrum of the ${V}_{K}$ center in NaF was studied for each of the ESR lines, and the spectra for seven sets of neighboring nuclei were identified. The angular dependences for six of these spectra can be fitted with a spin Hamiltonian, thereby yielding the magnetic hyperfine constants and, in the case of the nearest sodium set, the quadrupole hyperfine constants. The observed differences between the ENDOR spectra for each of the ESR lines have been derived by diagonalizing the spin Hamiltonian consisting of both the ESR and ENDOR terms.
Sixty-nine kilobases of contiguous human genomic sequence containing the α-galactosidase A and Bruton's tyrosine kinase loci

Several disease loci have been mapped to the Xq21.3–Xq22 region of the human X Chromosome (Chr) including X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA), Fabry disease, Alport syndrome, and Pelizaeus Merzbacher disease. Upon cloning of the XLA gene, Bruton's tyrosine kinase (btk), both Fabry disease and XLA were mapped within the same 50- to 70-kb interval. In order to investigate the genomic organization of the region surrounding btk and the Fabry disease gene, α-galactosidase A (gla), we constructed a 6-cosmid contig spanning the region from 5′ of gla to 3′ of btk. Two of these cosmids spanning most of the coding sequence and the upstream region of btk and gla, U237D10 and U230D1, were sequenced by a random shotgun strategy combined with automated sequencing, resulting in 69 kb of contiguous genomic sequence. Sequencing of U237D10 showed btk to be comprised of 19 exons spanning over 35 kb. Sequencing of U230D1 showed that the 3′ end of gla is 9 kb from the 5′ end of btk and also demonstrated the presence of two additional genes in the region immediately 5′ to btk. The surprisingly high gene density is similar to that seen previously only in the human major histocompatibility locus.
Understanding the role of process chemistry in fires and explosions

Chemical incidents involving fires and explosions cannot be prevented just through command and control regulatory requirements. Prevention requires understanding the fundamental root causes of safety incidents. When heat generated by an exothermic reaction exceeds the heat removal capability of the system, the exothermic reaction will accelerate and may lead to a thermal runaway reaction, explosion, and fire. Understanding the role of process chemistry as a root cause of fires and explosions in the chemical process industry requires knowledge of the maximum quantities of both energy and gas generated by the primary and secondary exothermic reactions. Also, rates of energy and gas production are of utmost importance. This data is usually gathered by experimental methods. Experimental thermal analyses can provide an overall reactivity evaluation, but are often unable to explain the reaction mechanisms needed for safe process chemistry. Moreover, experimental analyses of all reaction pathways are expensive and sometimes impractical. This paper provides a structured approach to chemical reactivity hazard evaluation using computational methods coupled with experimental techniques. This systematic approach helps to minimize experimental work, identifies the most important parameters in evaluating process fire and explosion hazards, and provides a more comprehensive understanding of process chemistry. A reactive system involved in selected industrial fires and explosions is analyzed to test the validity of this systematic approach. Providing a better understanding of the reactive system chemistry, and reducing the experimental work were among the main objectives of this study.
Observations of turbulent secondary flows in a rough-wall boundary layer

The characteristics of a turbulent boundary layer overlying a complex roughness topography were explored with stereo particle-image velocimetry measurements in the wall-normal–spanwise plane. The roughness under consideration was replicated from a turbine blade damaged by deposition of foreign materials containing a broad range of topographical scales arranged in a highly irregular manner. The single-point turbulence statistics displayed strong spanwise heterogeneity, in particular spanwise-alternating low- and high-momentum flow pathways in the mean flow marked by enhanced Reynolds stresses and turbulent kinetic energy. The spanwise regions between high- and low-momentum flow pathways were occupied by swirling motions, suggesting the generation and sustainment of turbulent secondary flows due to the spanwise heterogeneity of the complex roughness under consideration. Similar observations were recently reported for more ordered spanwise roughness transitions by Nugroho, Hutchins & Monty (Intl J. Heat Fluid Flow vol. 41, 2013, pp. 90–102) and Willingham et al. (Phys. Fluids vol. 26, 2014, 025111).
The Fed's response to the financial crisis: Pages from the BOJ playbook, or a whole new ball game?

Like the Bank of Japan (BOJ) a decade ago, the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) has recently taken a number of unprecedented steps to stabilize its foundering financial system. This paper describes the Fed’s and the BOJ’s responses to their countries’ crises, highlighting the similarities and differences between the two banks’ policies. Both banks acted as lenders of last resort, providing the short-term funding necessary to prevent full-blown liquidity crises. Circumstances compelled the Fed to act much more quickly than the BOJ, however. And, in its direct involvement in the provision of credit to the private sector and its assumption of banks’ credit risk, the Fed has intervened in the financial markets more extensively than the BOJ. Disparities in the speed and scope of the two countries’ crises help explain the Fed’s relatively more aggressive response. The more heavily securitized financial structure in the U.S. and the Fed’s relaxed stance on credit risk also may account for the Fed’s more interventionist policies. JEL codes: E42, E58, E65. ∗Williams College Economics Department, Schapiro Hall 312, 24 Hopkins Hall Drive, Williamstown, MA, 01267, USA. kenneth.n.kuttner@williams.edu. Prepared for the March 24 2009 International Conference on the U.S. Economy, organized by the Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Finance, Japan. I am grateful to Shigenori Shiratsuka for his help in obtaining historical BOJ balance sheet data, and to Toshiki Jinushi, Takatoshi Ito, and the conference participants for their helpful comments.
Cross-borehole sensing: identification and localization of underground tunnels in the presence of a horizontal stratification

This paper addresses the detection and localization of a buried two-dimensional (2D) dielectric object in the presence of an air-Earth interface. The techniques used are modifications of the well-known backpropagation operator, including plane-wave angular spectral filtering and detection of the cross-polarized scattered field. Cross-correlation of the received signal with a known target signature is included for comparison and found to be useful for detection. It is shown that use of the positive spatial frequency components of the fields scattered by the buried target, together with the backpropagation of vertical cross-polarized fields, yield results that are relatively insensitive to the presence of the horizontal stratification. Examples illustrate that backpropagation can be used for detection and localization purposes in a cross-borehole configuration. Some experimental results utilizing a 2.5 GHz laboratory scale model and a tunnel-like target are also included for comparison.
MOZ-TIF2 repression of nuclear receptor-mediated transcription requires multiple domains in MOZ and in the CID domain of TIF2.

Background: Fusion of the MOZ and TIF2 genes by an inv (8) (p11q13) translocation has been identified in patients with acute mixed-lineage leukemia. Characterization of the molecular structure of the MOZ-TIF2 fusion protein suggested that the fusion protein would effect on nuclear receptor signaling. Results: A series of deletions from the N-terminus of the MOZ-TIF2 fusion protein demonstrated that the MOZ portion is essential for nuclear localization of the fusion protein. Transient expression of MOZ-TIF2 dramatically decreased both basal and estradiol inducible reporter gene activity in an estrogen receptor element (ERE) driven luciferase reporter system and decreased androgen-inducible reporter gene activity in an androgen receptor element (ARE) luciferase reporter system. Deletions in the MOZ portion of the MOZ-TIF2 fusion protein reduced the suppression in the ER reporter system. Stable expression of MOZ-TIF2 inhibited retinoic acid (RA) inducible endogenous CD11b and C/EBPβ gene response. The suppression of the reporter systems was released with either a CID domain deletion or with mutations of leucine-rich repeats in the TIF2 portion of MOZ-TIF2. The co-expression of TIF2, but not CBP, with MOZ-TIF2 partially restored the inhibition of the reporter systems. In addition, analysis of protein interactions demonstrated MOZ-TIF2 interaction with the C-terminus of CBP through both the MOZ and TIF2 portions of the fusion protein. Conclusion: MOZ-TIF2 inhibited nuclear receptor-mediated gene response by aberrant recruitment of CBP and both the MOZ and TIF2 portions are required for this inhibition.
The case for elastic access

Wireless clients face significant challenges in choosing the right access point with which to associate. What's more, the right choice changes with time - as clients move, workloads vary, or the environment changes. Unfortunately, switching from one access point to another is a heavyweight operation, as connection state can be lost in the process. We propose a technique to lower this friction, called elastic access, or EA. The key insight is to retain existing connections on their current access points, but establish new connections on a superior alternative, juggling between them. We present our overall design, an initial proof-of-concept implementation and evaluation, and describe some of the challenges that we must overcome to make this vision a reality.
Coronary perfusion during acute myocardial infarction with a combined therapy of coronary angioplasty and high-dose intravenous streptokinase.

Two hundred and sixteen patients with acute myocardial infarction were treated with immediate infusion of high-dose (1.5 million units) intravenous streptokinase followed by emergency coronary angioplasty. The infarct lesion was crossed and dilated in 99% and persistent coronary perfusion after the procedure was achieved in 90% (including 3% with significant residual stenosis). Total in-hospital mortality was 12%. Multivariable analysis showed a higher hospital mortality with cardiogenic shock (41% vs 5% without shock), older age, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, and female sex. Final patency of the infarct-related vessel was determined by follow-up in-hospital cardiac catheterization. Coronary reocclusion occurred in 11% (symptomatic in 7%, treated with emergency angioplasty or bypass surgery; silent in 4%, treated medically). Of the surviving patients with successful initial establishment of infarct vessel patency, 94% were discharged from the hospital with an open infarct artery or a bypass graft to the infarct vessel. There was significant improvement in both ejection fraction (44% to 49%; p less than .0001) and regional wall motion in the infarct zone (-3.0 SD to -2.4 SD; p less than .0001) among patients with persistent coronary perfusion and insignificant residual stenosis at the time of the follow-up cardiac catheterization. Thus, a treatment strategy for acute myocardial infarction that includes immediate administration of streptokinase followed by emergency coronary angioplasty, and coronary bypass surgery when necessary, results in a high rate of early and sustained patency of the infarct-related vessel.