cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Performance simulation and analysis of a CMOS/nano hybrid nanoprocessor system

This paper provides detailed simulation results and analysis of the prospective performance of hybrid CMOS/nanoelectronic processor systems based upon the field-programmable nanowire interconnect (FPNI) architecture. To evaluate this architecture, a complete design was developed for an FPNI implementation using 90 nm CMOS with 15 nm wide nanowire interconnects. Detailed simulations of this design illustrate that critical design choices and tradeoffs exist beyond those specified by the architecture. This includes the selection of the types of junction nanodevices, as well as the implementation of low-level circuits. In particular, the simulation results presented here show that only nanodevices with an 'on/off' current ratio of 200 or more are suitable to produce correct system-level behaviour. Furthermore, the design of the CMOS logic gates in the FPNI system must be customized to accommodate the resistances of both 'on'-state and 'off'-state nanodevices. Using these customized designs together with models of suitable nanodevices, additional simulations demonstrate that, relative to conventional 90 nm CMOS FPGA systems, performance gains can be obtained of up to 70% greater speed or up to a ninefold reduction in energy consumption.
Long-term evaluation of 282 implants in maxillary and mandibular molar positions: a prospective study.

Background: Placement of implants into molar positions presents diagnostic, surgical and prosthetic challenges. There are few reported studies for implants placed into molar positions. The purpose of this prospective longitudinal study is to report long-term clinical outcomes for 282 implants placed into molar positions. Methods: Two-hundred-twelve patients received 282 implants. Implant size, location, jaw shape, and bone quality were recorded for all implants placed into molar positions. Seventy implants were inserted in maxillae and 212 in mandibles. Marginal bone level changes in maxillae and mandibles were measured from non-standardized periapical radiographs taken at abutment connection and an average follow-up of 3.9 years. Mesial-distal implant measurements were made from the top of the implant cylinder to the first point of bone to implant contact. In mandibles, 39 implants were used for single molar replacements, 67 implants were placed into excellent bone quality (type I) and 113 were in good b...
The N Terminus of Type III Secretion Needle Protein YscF from Yersinia pestis Functions To Modulate Innate Immune Responses

The type III secretion system is employed by many pathogens, including the genera Yersinia, Shigella, Pseudomonas, and Salmonella, to deliver effector proteins into eukaryotic cells. The injectisome needle is formed by the polymerization of a single protein, e.g., YscF (Yersinia pestis), PscF (Pseudomonas aeruginosa), PrgI (Salmonella enterica SPI-1), SsaG (Salmonella enterica SPI-2), or MxiH (Shigella flexneri). In this study, we demonstrated that the N termini of some needle proteins, particularly the N terminus of YscF from Yersinia pestis, influences host immune responses. The N termini of several needle proteins were truncated and tested for the ability to induce inflammatory responses in a human monocytic cell line (THP-1 cells). Truncated needle proteins induced proinflammatory cytokines to different magnitudes than the corresponding wild-type proteins, except SsaG. Notably, N-terminally truncated YscF induced significantly higher activation of NF-κB and/or AP-1 and higher induction of proinflammatory cytokines, suggesting that a function of the N terminus of YscF is interference with host sensing of YscF, consistent with Y. pestis pathogenesis. To directly test the ability of the N terminus of YscF to suppress cytokine induction, a YscF-SsaG chimera with 15 N-terminal amino acids from YscF added to SsaG was constructed. The chimeric YscF-SsaG induced lower levels of cytokines than wild-type SsaG. However, the addition of 15 random amino acids to SsaG had no effect on NF-κB/AP-1 activation. These results suggest that the N terminus of YscF can function to decrease cytokine induction, perhaps contributing to a favorable immune environment leading to survival of Y. pestis within the eukaryotic host.
Bank Deposit Insurance and Business Cycles: Controlling the Volatility of Risk-Based Premiums

Proposals to make deposit insurance risk-based need to consider how premiums would fluctuate over the business cycle. This paper derives a new deposit insurance contract that has the following three features: 1) it is fairly priced in the sense that the insurer conveys no subsidy to the bank; 2) the insurance rate can be made as stable as desired by lengthening the “average” maturity of the contract; 3) the rate can be frequently updated as new information regarding the bank’s financial condition is obtained. These characteristics are achieved with a contract that is a combination of several long-term ones whose contract intervals partially overlap. Relative to a standard, short-term contract, this “moving average” contract reduces the volatility of a bank’s insurance rates and avoids payment of excessively high premiums during times of financial distress. Estimates of fair insurance rates under such a contract are presented for 42 banks based on data over the period 1987 to 1996. While lengthening the average maturity of the contract reduces the volatility of insurance rates, it also increases the average level of rates since the insurer requires a greater premium for systemic risk. The paper also finds that the distribution of fair insurance rates across banks is skewed, with most banks paying relatively low rates and a small minority of banks paying much higher ones.
The Right to Be Forgotten v. Free Speech

The EU right to be forgotten is a new privacy right that has sparked great controversy around the world. As more countries consider adopting such a right, the controversy will only intensify. This Essay is intended to map the various alternatives countries and search engines have in reconciling the potential conflict between the RTBF and the free speech interest in access to information. The solutions are far more varied than the all-or-nothing assumption implicit in the media’s portrayal of the issue. In the conflict between privacy and free speech, there doesn’t necessarily have to be a loser.
Production of humic substances from cotton stalks biochar by fungal treatment with Ceriporiopsis subvermispora

Abstract This study evaluated the biodepolymerization of biochar from cotton stalks gasification using four fungal strains Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora, Postia placenta, and Bjerkandera adusta. After the biological treatment, the liquid and solid phases were analyzed using UV–Vis and FT-IR spectroscopy. The biochar’s largest depolymerization was obtained by C. subvermispora. The depolymerization kinetic of C. subvermispora showed the production of laccase and manganese peroxidase and a correlation between the depolymerization and the production of ligninolytic enzymes. The highest production of ligninolytic enzymes and depolymerization was observed after 24 days. The modifications in the UV–Vis and FT-IR spectra exhibited the presence of functional groups related with humic substances from cultures with C. subvermispora and cotton stalks biochar.
Leaders’ Use of Research for Fundamental Change in School District Central Offices: Processes and Challenges

An increasing number of school districts have launched efforts to significantly shift central office policies and practices to support districtwide teaching and learning improvement and are intentionally using various forms of research to guide the process. We use ideas from the sociocultural learning theory to conceptualize research use as a learning process, the outcomes of such processes, and the conditions that helped or hindered how administrators integrated research into their practice. Our data come from a 18-month long, in-depth, qualitative investigation of six school districts in one state that placed a high priority on both fundamental central office change and use of research to anchor the process. We found that central office administrators in all six districts used particular research-based ideas that challenged their traditional ways of working, but to varying degrees, with most instances reflecting low to moderate levels of appropriation. In this chapter, we elaborate this main finding by discussing central office staff’s engagement with one idea that called for fundamental shifts in the relationship between school principals and their supervisors. Practitioners’ prior knowledge and assistance from intermediaries influenced their appropriation, but not to deep degrees. More consequential were central office leaders, including superintendents, who engaged in high-leverage teaching moves to help their colleagues integrate research into their practice. Our findings underscore the importance of understanding research use as a learning process requiring intensive, job-embedded assistance typically beyond the capacity of outside organizations to provide.
Assessment of Peripheral Hemodynamics Using Impedance Plethysmography

Impedance plethysmography (IPG) is a safe, noninvasive method for measuring peripheral hemodynamics. The purpose of this article is to describe the IPG technique and its potential use by physical therapists in making hemodynamic evaluations. Impedance plethysmography requires the attachment of four circumferential Mylar band electrodes around a limb. We use a cardiograph to introduce a 4-mA current (I) at a frequency of 100 kHz in the two outer electrodes. The voltage (V) is sensed in the two center electrodes, and the resulting impedance (Z) is calculated using Ohm's law (Z = V/I). Arterial blood flow can be calculated using an impedance-related volume conduction equation. Impedance plethysmography has been shown to be economical, and any limb or limb segment can be evaluated. Applications are presented for the assessment of arterial blood flow, peripheral arterial disease, deep vein thrombosis, and venous insufficiency. Impedance plethysmography offers the physical therapist a safe and relatively simple technique to assess the peripheral vascular status of the patient.
Vascular Aerenchyma and PCD

Aerenchyma is tissue in a plant organ with larger than typical intercellular spaces. Historically the presumed function of aerenchyma has been enhanced oxygen distribution within the organ under otherwise suboptimal gas exchange conditions. Ultimately, however, other functions have been attributed to aerenchyma tissue, depending on its type and the organ involved, including floatation, reduced respiratory demand, improved mineral absorption, and enhanced interactions with other species. Generally there are two broad types: developmentally constitutive and stress-induced aerenchyma. The former typically results from cell separation during growth (schizogeny) and the latter from cell removal by degradation (lysigeny). Lysigenous aerenchyma, which usually forms within the ground tissue system, has been characterized in several species as being the result of programmed cell death (PCD). The discovery of extensive lysigenous destruction of the central vascular tissue in primary roots of pea (Pisum sativum) under certain conditions began as a straightforward observation that led to a controversy that spanned decades. The controversy stimulated an investigation by our research group. Step by step we accumulated the evidence that this process, as improbable as it seemed, is PCD-mediated aerenchyma formation. Vascular cavities were first correlated to temperatures above 15 °C; then it was shown that warm temperatures were necessary but not sufficient. Cavity formation was observed to be correlated also to the degree of water saturation of the root medium. We discovered that by manipulating the water content of the medium, we could regulate the frequency of cavity formation and induce cavities very rapidly by sudden flooding. Observed ultrastructural changes, such as nuclear invagination, chromatin condensation, and tonoplast rupture in affected cells, were consistent with contemporary reports emerging about PCD in other plant species. Further investigations in P. sativum revealed that ethylene was a critical mediator of the process, that systematic DNA fragmentation occurred, and that cytochrome c was released from mitochondria. In Glycine max caspase-like proteases were shown to be part of the induction pathway. Finally, direct evidence from a study using Phaseolus coccineus showed that vascular cavities enhance oxygen availability for the apical meristem and therefore are a form of functional aerenchyma. Further work is proceeding to evaluate gene expression changes during vascular cavity formation in G. max. The ultimate goal is to fully understand the signal transduction pathway for the formation of vascular cavities, an unusual form of aerenchyma.
Corporate Governance Regulation Through Non-Prosecution

Over the last decade, federal corporate criminal enforcement policy has undergone a significant transformation. Firms that commit crimes are no longer simply required to pay fines. Instead, prosecutors and firms enter into pretrial diversion agreements (PDAs). Prosecutors regularly use PDAs to impose mandates on firms creating new duties that alter firms’ internal operations or governance structures. This Article evaluates PDA mandates to determine whether and when prosecutors can appropriately use them to deter corporate crime. We find that mandates can be justified. But, contrary to DOJ policy favoring mandates for any firm with a deficient compliance program at the time of the crime, we find that mandates should be imposed more selectively. Specifically, mandates are only appropriate if a firm is plagued by “policing agency costs” — in that the firm’s managers did not act to deter or report wrongdoing because they benefitted personally from tolerating wrongdoing or from deficient corporate policing. We show that this policing agency cost justification provides guidance on how to reform federal policy to make appropriate use of mandates, guidance which reveals that many mandates are inappropriate.
Knowledge preconditions for actions and plans

Agents who operate in complex environments must often construct plans on the basis of incomplete knowledge. In such situations, the successful agent must incorporate into his plans actions which obtain information. These plans are intrinsically sketchy to begin with and become more specified as the agent proceeds through his plan. A theory which allows for such flexible planning will have to provide solutions to two problems: (1) how can an agent reason that he knows how to perform an action? (Knowledge Preconditions Problem for Actions) and (2) if an agent must construct an underspecified plan due to incomplete knowledge, when can we say that he can successfully execute his plan? (Knowledge Preconditions Problem for Plans). This paper provides solutions to both these problems. We develop a robust and highly expressive theory of action and planning which allows for actions of varying granularity, primitive as well as complex acts, multi-agent plans, and partially specified plans. We demonstrate that this theory lends itself in a natural manner to solutions to the Knowledge Preconditions Problems.
Nestedness of parasite communities of intertidal fish in central Chile: how influential is the body length of the host?

La estructura de la comunidad de parasitos, determinada mediante analisis de anidamiento, varia considerablemente en funcion de la especie hospedera y el tamano corporal de la misma. El patron anidado es aquel en el que comunidades pobres en especies constituyen subunidades de comunidades de mayor riqueza, lo cual tambien se observa en las comunidades de parasitos. Existen grandes diferencias de riqueza y abundancia de parasitos en funcion del tamano del hospedero. Por lo tanto, en este estudio determinamos, mediante analisis de anidamiento, si la estructura de la comunidad de parasitos de peces del intermareal, se relaciona con la longitud corporal de los hospederos y los descriptores parasitologicos. Se recolectaron 2 435 individuos de cinco especies de peces del intermareal rocoso de Chile central (32o02’-33o57’ S y 70o30’- 70o30’ W); Helcogrammoides chilensis, Scartichthys viridis, Auchenionchus microcirrhis, Gobiesox marmoratus y Sicyases sanguineus. Cada especimen fue revisado con respecto a sus parasitos y medido en su longitud total (LT). Las cinco especies muestreadas fueron clasificadas en funcion de la longitud corporal (LT) en tres rangos, cada uno de los cuales constituye una infracomunidad del estudio, y para la que se calculo el indice de anidamiento. Se emplearon los modelos NTCP (Nestedness Temperature Calculator Program) y NODF (Nestedness metric based on the Overlap and Decreasing Fill), utilizando la presencia/ausencia de especies parasitas. Tambien se empleo el modelo WNODF (Weighted – NODF) utilizando la abundancia de parasitos por especie. Asi mismo, se calculo la riqueza total de especies, el promedio de riqueza, abundancia, diversidad y dominancia a nivel de la infracomunidad, para relacionarlos con los indices de anidamiento. Las infracomunidades de parasitos de la mayoria de las especies presentaron patrones de anidamiento, excepto en G. marmoratus y H. chilensis, en algunos de sus rangos de LT. No se encontro una relacion directa entre el indice de anidamiento y la LT de los peces. Sin embargo, se observaron correlaciones directas de los indices de anidamiento con la riqueza promedio, abundancia y la diversidad infracomunitaria de parasitos, pero no con la riqueza total, que mostro una correlacion inversa con la LT del hospedero. Ademas, se detecto anidamiento en la comunidad componente de parasitos en todas las especies de peces. Concluimos que las comunidades de parasitos de peces provenientes de la zona intermareal son estructuradas y predecibles, y se encuentran vagamente condicionadas por la LT de los hospederos y las caracteristicas agregadas de los parasitos, especialmente a un nivel infracommunitario.
The biomass alternative: A national insurancy policy to protect the US strategic supply of chemical feedstocks

Prospects for biomass commodity chemicals are currently unfavorable as a result of: generic deficiencies in fermentation processes with respect to generally low (below 5%) product concentrations and slow fermentation rates, and lack of a presently competitive advantage for renewable materials compared with depressed prices for crude oil. However, research can alter the first limitation, and Middle East politics, the second.
Synthesis of Molecular Bottlebrushes by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization with ppm Amounts of Cu Catalyst

Molecular bottlebrushes were prepared by ICAR (initiators for continuous activator regeneration) atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and supplemental activator and reducing agent (SARA) ATR...
Ophthalmological findings in 74 patients with mitochondrial disease.

ABSTRACTBackground: Mitochondrial disease often manifests with ophthalmologic signs and symptoms. Due to the important role of mitochondria in aerobic metabolism, the eyes are among the more preferentially involved organs. The clinical diagnosis of mitochondrial disease can be facilitated by an improved knowledge of the types and magnitude of their various manifestations. The aim of this study was to describe the ophthalmological manifestations of patients with mitochondrial diseases that are currently not well elucidated.Methods: From a database of patients with verified primary mitochondrial disease (n = 81) who had visited our institution we identified 74 patients who had ophthalmologic examinations. Demographic, clinical, and ophthalmologic data were collected. Institutional review board approval was obtained.Results: A total of 74 patients were identified with Leigh disease, MELAS, MERRF, CPEO, Pearson/Kearns-Sayre syndrome, as well as other mtDNA point mutations, deletions, depletions, and mutations...
DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF MONONEUROPATHIES.

Disability and pain may result from dysfunction of a single peripheral nerve. Seemingly innocent postures or activities may produce alarmingly severe disability. Mononeuropathy therefore often goes unrecognized as well as untreated. When the cause is not recognized, extensive and expensive treatment often is directed to the wrong region and is unrewarding to both patient and physician. Mononeuropathy also may be the presenting symptom of systemic illness. Thus, in a patient with mononeuropathy one must consider the possibility of some general factor which makes the peripheral nerves more sensitive to trauma.
Analysis of 500 adverse events of medical devices reports

Objective To provide technique reference for development of adverse events monitoring of medical devices.Methods Using database software from national MDR monitoring center,500 reports before 2011 were statistically analyzed to investigate the current problems and corresponding solutions.Results The adverse events rafes of disposable infusion set,disposable syringe,contact lens and intrauterine device were higher than the other medical devices.Conclusion The adverse events reporting system of medical devices should be strengthened to assure medical devices security for the public.
Advances in the application of MCM-41 mesoporous zeolites

The properties,synthesis and application of MCM-41 mesoporous zeolites in catalysis,adsorption,nanometer material,optical material and environmental protection were reviewed,and their prospects were discussed.
Polyorchidism with Normal Spermatogenesis and Equal Sized Testes: A Theory of Embryological Development

AbstractA rare case of polyorchidism with normal spermatogenesis and equal-sized testes is reported and a theory of the development of this anomally is discussed.
Epidural analgesia for obstetrics: A maternal, fetal, and neonatal study

Abstract The effect of lumbar epidural (LE) and caudal epidural (CE) analgesia on the fetal heart rate and fetal acid-base status (pH and base excess) of 41 patients was studied during first- and second-stage analgesia in a controlled research delivery room environment. All patients had baseline parameters which made it possible to observe the effects of the epidural technique upon the fetal heart rate, pH, and base excess. Certain neonatal parameters were recorded to evaluate the epidural effect upon the neonate's postdelivery period. These included Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes, umbilical cord arterial and venous blood gases, and neonatal blood gases from the umbilical artery in the first hour after birth. There was an increase in late deceleration after epidural block despite segmental analgesia with minimal lidocaine dosages and the absence of hypotension. However, unless second-stage embarrassment or hypotension occurred, no significant deterioration of the acid-base status was noted. The greatest incidence of late deceleration was noted when epidural analgesia was combined with oxytocin. For the few toxemia patients studied, the epidural technique did not prove hazardous. These intrapartum regional analgesic techniques (LE and CE) do not appear to present a hazard to the normal fetus or the fetus at mild risk. Nevertheless, discretion would dictate that these techniques be restricted with evidence of combined antepartum and intrapartum fetal compromise.
Detecting levels of polyquaternium-10 (PQ-10) via potentiometric titration with dextran sulphate and monitoring the equivalence point with a polymeric membrane-based polyion sensor

Polymeric quaternary ammonium salts (polyquaterniums) have found increasing use in industrial and cosmetic applications in recent years. More specifically, polyquaternium-10 (PQ-10) is routinely used in cosmetic applications as a conditioner in personal care product formulations. Herein, we demonstrate the use of potentiometric polyion-sensitive polymeric membrane-based electrodes to quantify PQ-10 levels. Mixtures containing both PQ-10 and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) are used as model samples to illustrate this new method. SLS is often present in cosmetic samples that contain PQ-10 (e.g., shampoos, etc.) and this surfactant species interferes with the polyion sensor detection chemistry. However, it is shown here that SLS can be readily separated from the PQ-10/SLS mixture by use of an anion-exchange resin and that the PQ-10 can then be titrated with dextran sulphate (DS). This titration is monitored by potentiometric polyanion sensors to provide equivalence points that are directly proportional to PQ-10 concentrations.
Modeling to Predict High Pb Areas

In many older US cities, the amount of lead in soil is elevated well beyond natural background levels (Zhai et al. 2003; Mielke et al. 2004; Wong et al. 2006). Lead is naturally present in very low levels in soil; however, soil lead in cities is a legacy pollutant – one that has persisted in landscapes long after historic inputs have been reduced. Although still present in some consumer products, lead was phased out of two major anthropogenic sources, lead-based paint and leaded gasoline, in the 1970s and 1980s (Kerr and Newell 2003). Lead’s many useful properties – soft, malleable, and stable – made it a candidate for industrial additives. Lead was added to paint as a pigment and to make it more durable and to gasoline to reduce engine knocking caused by the incomplete combustion of fuel. Once released into the environment, lead persists for a very long time. Lead particles released in car exhaust and chipping, peeling old paint can bind to soil, where they remain – sometimes for centuries (Reiners et al. 1975; Smith and Siccama 1981). This is why lead, a legacy pollutant, is still considered a contemporary public health concern – new inputs have been curtailed but legacy lead remains. Soil lead is quite ubiquitous in the urban environment, dispersed along road networks through the combustion of leaded gasoline and surrounding a large proportion of our nation’s older housing stock through the application of lead-based paint. In addition, soil lead can continue to be redistributed through the urban environment with the air-and water-borne transport of soil particles.
Biomedical Use of Arsenic Radioisotopes

The availability of several radioisotopes of arsenic allows for their use as tracers in biochemical, environmental and medical applications. The versatility of arsenic to be incorporated into various chemical structures, and the existence of a wide array of arsenic compounds with established chemistries, permit the synthesis of radiopharmaceuticals with potential utility in therapy and diagnosis of numerous disease states. The current goals of several investigators are to establish methods of routine production and purification of selected arsenic radioisotopes, and to develop synthetic pathways for labeling compounds useful in medical and toxicological research.
‘Organic Finance’: The Incentives in Our Investment Products

The increasing complexity and de-localization of finance has allowed for an obfuscation of fees and costs that asset managers charge to asset owners. This obfuscation has, in turn, led to a distortion in the underlying incentives that asset owners set for the capitalist system. In this chapter, we argue that this distortion is driving an increasingly short-term and disconnected financial world. We also argue that a more professional and engaged community of asset owners that can truly understand the ingredients and incentives in financial products is needed. In making our case, we draw parallels to the food industry, which has also seen a revolt against complex and de-localized food products. As people begin to understand the ingredients in their food, and the consequences for their own health, they consume food products differently – often preferring organic foods. Similarly, as investors begin to understand the fees and costs in their investment products, and the consequences for their and the capitalist system’s health, they are beginning to invest differently – preferring efficient and transparent products rooted in the real economy. We call this phenomenon ‘organic finance’, and it serves as this chapter’s key conceptual contribution.
Promoting Health Equity And Population Health: How Americans’ Views Differ

To increase understanding of what Americans think about personal and public health, a national survey of US adults was conducted in 2015–16 to develop a typology of values and beliefs. The survey w...
Poisons, antidotes, and selfish genes.

Selfish genetic elements are parasitic replicators that are specialists in ensuring their own transmission despite conferring no benefit, or even exacting a cost, on their bearers. They come in many flavors, such as transposable elements, segregation distorters, female meiotic drivers, and so-called B chromosomes (or accessory chromosomes) ( 1 ). Such selfish elements provide the strongest support for the gene-centric view of evolution, as popularized by Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene ( 2 ). On page 1051 of this issue, Ben-David et al. ( 3 ) chase down a serendipitous observation of an anomaly in genetic crosses to unmask a toxin-antidote type of selfish system in worms.
The Co-development of Relational Aggression and Disruptive Behavior Symptoms From Late Childhood Through Adolescence:

Researchers have debated whether relational aggression is a developmentally normative behavior or a sign of some underlying psychopathology. However, due to the dearth of longitudinal studies, we know little about how relational aggression and more severe forms of disruptive behavior co-develop. The present study examined bidirectional associations between relational aggression and two psychiatric disorders, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD), using data from a longitudinal study of 674 Mexican-origin youth followed from age 10 to 16. Results showed that individuals who engaged in relational aggression tended to increase over time in ODD and CD symptoms, and conversely, individuals exhibiting symptoms of ODD and CD tended to increase in relational aggression. These findings held for boys and girls, for youth born in Mexico and the United States, and after controlling for physical aggression. Thus, relational aggression seems to be both a developmentally normative behavior and a ...
Direct MAS/MES Evidence for Electronic Metal-Support Interactions in Dilute 57Co and 57Fe Carbon and Alumina-Supported Catalysts

Abstract Mossbauer absorption spectroscopy (MAS) and Mossbauer emissions spectroscopy (MES) studies of 1–3% 57 Fe and 1% 57 Co on carbon and alumina supports were conducted as a function of reduction temperature. Catalysts were prepared by nonaqueous evaporative deposition to maximize the reduction of cobalt and iron to the metal. Metal surface areas of the catalysts were determined by H 2 adsorption, while extents of reduction to the metal were determined by both Mossbauer spectroscopy and by titration of reduced catalysts with oxygen at 673 K. MAS/MES data for 1 and 3% 57 Fe/C and 1% 57 Co/C catalysts reduced at 773 K indicate the presence of only one phase–superparamagnetic (SP) clusters of metal having diameters of about 1-–-2 nm. Room temperature isomer shifts for these carbon supported metal clusters of 0.10–0.15 mm/s indicate a decrease in electron density of the metal nuclei relative to the bulk metals. MES data for 57 Co/Al 2 O 3 suggest the existence of three phases: Co sp metal, Co(II) oxide, and Co(III) oxide, while MAS generally shows only Fe sp metal clusters and Fe(II) oxides to be present in 1–2% 57 Fe/Al 2 O 3 , except for some ferromagnetic Fe metal in 2% 57 Fe/Al 2 O 3 reduced at 873 K. Isomer shifts for the metal clusters in the Al 2 O 3 -supported 57 Co and 57 Fe catalysts are −0.05 to −0.15 mm/s indicating an increase in the electron density at metal nuclei. The presence of small metals clusters of 1–5 nm in these catalysts is confirmed by H 2 adsorption. Moreover, Debye temperatures measured by Mossbauer are significantly lower than for bulk iron consistent with the lattice dynamics expected for small metal clusters having a large fraction of surface atoms. The very significant isomer shifts observed for SP metal phases by Mossbauer are consistent with electronic modification of small metal clusters in supported Co or Fe. That the isomer shift is positive for metal/C catalysts and negative for metal/Al 2 O 3 catalysts indicates this effect must be due to metal-support interactions.
Synthesis and Oxidation of Internally Chlorinated Carbachlorins

Chlorinated cyclohexene and cyclopentene dialdehydes, which can be prepared in one step from cyclohexanone or cyclopentanone, were condensed with a tripyrrane in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid and oxidized with DDQ to afford modest yields of internally halogenated carbachlorin-type products. The new macrocycles retained strongly aromatic properties and gave UV/Vis spectra with intense Soret bands near 400 nm and moderately strong chlorin-like absorptions at approximately 660 nm. Attempts to further oxidize a 21-chlorocarbachlorin with DDQ in refluxing toluene gave a dehalogenated carbaporphyrin and two externally chlorinated products.
Collaboration in the Parliamentary Speeches of Queen Elizabeth I

This chapter studies Queen Elizabeth I’s speeches before Parliament and parliamentary delegations as collaborative works. All of her speeches are “collaborative” in the form they have come down to us because our best records of them, in the absence of recording devices, are usually contemporary transcriptions by auditors. These are often lively and quite similar from one transcriber to another, which suggests that the transcriptions are fairly faithful to the speech as actually presented. Less reliable are the versions prepared at court for publication: paradoxically, these versions, likely revised by members of her government but possibly also by Elizabeth I herself, are typically much more abstruse and complex in terms of syntax, lacking much of the glowing language and elegant simplicity of the speeches as recorded by auditors. Thus, collaboration has both enabled our experience of a set of orations that were very highly valued by Elizabeth’s contemporaries, but also allows us to see that in the speeches destined for publication, for which we have the fullest documentation, the published version was often considerably less “Golden” than the speech as the queen is likely to have delivered it.
Passive separation of recovered ammonia from catholyte for reduced energy consumption in microbial electrolysis cells

Abstract Ammonia recovery using microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) is of great interest due to potentially high energy efficiency. However, separating the recovered ammonia from MEC catholyte demands energy input via gas stripping or solution mixing. In this study, a passive separation method has been investigated to greatly reduce energy input for ammonia recovery. By exposing the cathode electrode directly to the gas phase, the passive separation led to comparable current generation to that with the active aeration, through the mutual influence of catholyte pH and conductivity. With the active aeration, the percentage of nitrogen in the catholyte (1–4%) was much lower than that in the MEC catholyte with the passive separation (21.1 ± 4.8%). Although the active aeration could achieve a higher ammonia recovery efficiency of 90.1 ± 1.3%, the energy consumption with the passive separation was only 1.3 kW h per kg N recovery, significantly lower than 2.3 kW h per kg N recovery with the active aeration. These results have demonstrated the effectiveness of passive separation as a simple method to collect the recovered ammonia with high energy efficiency.
Wideband circularly polarized antenna and low-cost phase-shifters using partially transmitting surface

This paper presents a design for a circularly polarized (CP) antenna and a low-cost phase shifting mechanism using a partially transmitting surface (PTS). Both the return loss (S 11 ) and the axial ratio (AR) bandwidth enhancement is achieved by using a partially transmitting surface (PTS) type of superstrate, placed above a crossed-Bowtie shaped antenna with cloverleaf arms. Designs for achieving a continuous phase variation, ranging from either (i) 10° to 70° (ii) or 10° to 43° are presented, the former with a wider phase range of 60° but a relatively narrow impedance matching bandwidth, as compared with the latter design whose phase range is 33°, but the impedance bandwidth is wider. The realized return loss (S 11 ) bandwidth of the antenna is 38.5%, and its 3dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth is 41.5 %. Furthermore, the gain of the antenna is enhanced in the band of 4.2 to 6.2 GHz via the use of the PTS superstrate.
Eddy Current Inspection of Thick Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites

Eddy current nondestructive evaluation (NDE) is usually associated with the detection and measurement of surface defects in metal and with the through-thickness inspection of thin-wall metal tubing. The greater electrical resistivity of carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRCs), excluding metal matrix composites, results in much greater skin depths or standard depths of penetration, thereby providing for the through-thickness inspection of much thicker components than are usually associated with eddy current NDE. For example, skin depths in copper and 304 stainless steel at 10 kHz are 0.026 inch** and 0.168 inch, respectively. Assuming typical resistivity values for carbon/carbon and graphite epoxy, skin depths in these materials at 10 kHz are 0.56 and 1.98 inch, respectively.
The politics of bank ownership and currency policies in Central and Eastern Europe

This paper argues that state-owned, private domestic, and foreign banks have different preferences for exchange rate policies. More specifically, I posit that governments will be less willing and able to maintain fixed exchange rate arrangements in closed banking systems dominated by government-owned banks than in globalized banking systems with a large presence of foreign banks. The article’s principal claim rests on the notion that ownership structure of the banking system empowers different types of banks, affects their interests, and shapes the responsiveness of government politicians to bank demands. The bank ownership types further influence the stability of the domestic monetary system and financial regulation that are of paramount importance in the determination of exchange rate regimes. An empirical investigation of data on exchange rate regimes for 25 Central and Eastern European countries provides strong support for the theory. The results are robust to alternative estimation techniques...
Three-month cumulative exposure to testosterone and cortisol predicts distinct effects on response inhibition and risky decision-making in adolescents

Abstract Prior studies have established that cortisol and testosterone play a role in impulsive behavior, but little is known about how cumulative exposure to these hormones over a recent period influences cognitive processes that help to regulate impulsive behavior. We addressed this gap in the present study by examining how hair concentrations of testosterone and cortisol related to response inhibition and risky decision-making in adolescents. Adolescents provided 3 cm of hair cut as close as possible to the scalp from a posterior vertex position—indexing three months of hair growth—and completed two behavioral tasks, one that measures response inhibition and the second that measures risky decision-making. We found that greater three-month cumulative exposure to testosterone predicted better response inhibition but was unassociated with risky decision-making, whereas greater three-month cumulative exposure to cortisol predicted less risky decision-making but was unassociated with response inhibition. These results suggest that testosterone and cortisol may be associated with unique cognitive processes underpinning impulsive behavior, providing further evidence for their roles in contributing to complex impulsive behaviors in adolescence.
Collagenase injection into the suprachoroidal space of the eye to expand drug delivery coverage and increase posterior drug targeting.

Abstract Injection into the suprachoroidal space (SCS) allows drug delivery targeted to sclera, choroid, and retina. Here, we studied SCS injection formulated with collagenase to expand drug delivery coverage and increase posterior drug targeting within SCS by breaking down collagen fibrils that link sclera and choroid in the SCS. When 1 μm latex microparticles were injected with a collagenase formulation using microneedles into the SCS of rabbit eyes ex vivo and incubated at 37 °C for 4 h, microparticle delivery coverage increased from 20% to 45% and enhanced posterior drug targeting. Collagenase concentration was optimized to 0.5 mg/mL to maximize expanded posterior delivery and minimize tissue damage. Effects of collagenase injection within SCS increased and then plateaued 4 h after injection. Simultaneous injection of collagenase and microparticles had a greater effect on expanded delivery in the SCS compared to sequential injection. Collagenase injection into the SCS of rabbit eyes in vivo was also effective to expand delivery and was generally well-tolerated, showing transiently lowered IOP, but no apparent lasting adverse effects on ocular tissues such as sclera, choroid, and retina, as determined by analyzing histology, sclera tensile strength, and fundus imaging. We conclude that addition of collagenase during SCS injection can expand drug delivery coverage and increase posterior drug targeting.
The Surgical Incidence to Publication (SIP) Index: A Novel Equation Used to Focus Future Research Efforts

BACKGROUND With increased publication rates across all fields of medicine, some research topics become heavily weighted in the literature while other, equally important topics do not receive the same exposure. The purpose of this study is to present a simple equation which can be used to measure the current level of research interest on any particular surgical procedure or medical diagnosis. METHODS The SIP Index (surgical incidence/ publications) is calculated as shown below, [Formula: see text]where X can be any particular surgical procedure. The numerator, utilized as a surrogate for the actual number of a particular case performed in a given time period, was estimated by the total number of cases presented during Part-II of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) certification examination from 1999-2003. The denominator was taken from a PubMed search for several of the most common orthopaedic procedures submitted to ABOS from 1999-2003. RESULTS Based on the SIP Index, subacromial decompression and arthroscopic knee chondroplasty were found to be significantly under-researched procedures, while rotator cuff repair and total hip and knee arthroplasty were significantly over-researched during the study period. CONCLUSIONS The SIP Index can be used to assess national or worldwide research efforts on any particular surgical procedure or medical diagnosis. This study provides an example of how this equation can be applied to a set of incidence data on common orthopaedic surgical procedures. When used in this way, the SIP Index can provide some insight into which procedures are relatively over- or under-researched.
TPphotoSuite: a windows based digital image processing program

The purpose of this paper is to present a Windows based software tool named TPphotoSuite that is capable of performing image-processing operations. TPphotoSuite is free, can be used on any PC compatible platform, the existing image processing operations can be modified and more operations can be added to it. TPphotoSuite provides a user-friendly GUI and requires minimal computer literacy for it to use. It contains many features that are used in image processing such as, color conversions, intensity transformation, spatial filtering, and Geometric transformation. It is a useful educational tool because it allows instructors to easily demonstrate image-processing operations. In addition, students can add more features and modify the existing ones.
Application Programming Interfaces in Health Care: Findings from a Current-State Sociotechnical Assessment.

Objective Interest in application programming interfaces (APIs) is increasing as key stakeholders look for technical solutions to interoperability challenges. We explored three thematic areas to assess the current state of API use for data access and exchange in health care: (1) API use cases and standards; (2) challenges and facilitators for read and write capabilities; and (3) outlook for development of write capabilities. Methods We employed four methods: (1) literature review; (2) expert interviews with 13 API stakeholders; (3) review of electronic health record (EHR) app galleries; and (4) a technical expert panel. We used an eight-dimension sociotechnical model to organize our findings. Results The API ecosystem is complicated and cuts across five of the eight sociotechnical model dimensions: (1) app marketplaces support a range of use cases, the majority of which target providers' needs, with far fewer supporting patient access to data; (2) current focus on read APIs with limited use of write APIs; (3) where standards are used, they are largely Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR); (4) FHIR-based APIs support exchange of electronic health information within the common clinical data set; and (5) validating external data and data sources for clinical decision making creates challenges to provider workflows. Conclusion While the use of APIs in health care is increasing rapidly, it is still in the pilot stages. We identified five key issues with implications for the continued advancement of API use: (1) a robust normative FHIR standard; (2) expansion of the common clinical data set to other data elements; (3) enhanced support for write implementation; (4) data provenance rules; and (5) data governance rules. Thus, while APIs are being touted as a solution to interoperability challenges, they remain an emerging technology that is only one piece of a multipronged approach to data access and use.
Dephasing and Decoherence in Vibrational and Electronic Line Shapes.

Absorption and emission line shapes of vibrational and electronic transitions in liquids are broadened by interactions with the “bath” (in this case, the rotational and translational degrees of fre...